The door to the disciplinary office hissed shut behind Kaelen, and the sudden silence in the hallway swallowed him whole as he stepped out. Kaelen stood still for a moment, his body was trembling with an uncontrollable vibration. His nerve were still worked from Serene's crushing aether. His legs buckled before he forced them to lock, though the tremor running along them gave him away. His breath scraped the back of his throat, shallow and uneven.
"Her aura left me with a phantom weight," Kaelen thought to himself. "It's as if invisible hands are still leaning on me." He shuddered at the thought.
He dragged his body through the hall with a slow inhale, trying to shake the ringing from his ears. He had managed to calm himself down and was now processing his actions. He had accepted a formal duel from a third-year sentinel holder, not that he knew what the deal with this 'sentinel' he kept mentioning was. He was going to be publicly dismantled.
His palm pressed against the wall to steady himself as he forced one step, then another.
"Oh, Kaelen... you have really fucked up now. The quest rewards are good, but if i had just managed to take on the penalties..." Kaelen said rubbing the bridge of his nose in discomfort.
"No, don't be negative. It is done." Kealen muttered, consoling himself.
Right in the midst of his thoughts, someone called out to him—
"So it's true," Daniel said quietly. "The duel notice just hit everyone's feed."
Daniel stood short as ever, rubbing his hands against each other nervously, his shoulders bunched...not casual at all. His brows were drawn tightly. His gaze locked on Kaelen in a way that stripped any chance of pretending he wasn't shaken. He was shaken.
Kaelen winced. "That fast?"
"Every official fights by students are always broadcasted campus-wide. Right now, a sentinel rank challenged a first-year? And you accepted it. That kind of thing spreads before the system even finishes processing the notification." Daniel stepped closer, tone dropping. "Kaelen… it literally has your name and year on it. People are already arguing about whether you were brain-dead, brave, or possessed."
"It's not that bad. I didn't get suspended, and this fight will be a lesson for me by the way." Kaelen said, rubbing the side of his face with stiff fingers. "It's positive infact, i could potentially get something worthy if i win."
Daniel was currently chipping off his nails off his left fingers, he was currently nervous and restless. "That's like celebrating because the avalanche only buried you up to your neck,"
"Daniel, relax."
"I caused this, didn't i?" He ran his right hand through his hair,"If you hadn't interfered for me, it would have being different rig—"
Kaelen could only sigh as he rubbed his hand down his face, "Daniel... Stop."
Daniel exhaled sharply. "You don't get it. Jax isn't just pissed. He was humiliated." His voice lowered further, eyes flicking down the hall as if someone might be listening. "A first-year student stood against a third-year sentinel holder, even if it was you just defending, it stained his reputation. And Jax cares about his reputation more than oxygen."
That landed heavier than Kaelen expected.
Daniel continued, "He's unpredictable right now. A person who feels mocked is worse than an angry one. People like that don't settle for a clean win. They go for humiliation. They make examples. And it's not just about him, others might target you."
Kaelen stared down at his hands. He could still feel a phantom of Serene's pressure in his bones. Jax merely fought him but did hurt him. Serene's strength was on a different plane entirely. She hadn't even tried to hurt him, and he'd folded. Jax would try this time, even if he didn't last time.
Kaelen muttered. "I will manage something."
Daniel shook his head. "You need to stop pretending you can solo your way through things. You need real training." He paused. "Not to be rude but you clearly got off by luck the last time. I saw you fight, your techniques is that of a baby."
Kaelen swallowed hard. "Jeez, i know. You really had to rub salt on the injury?"
Daniel hesitated, then said, "I can get you a training room. An isolated one, so no one interferes or spies. But…" His gaze sharpened. "You can't train alone. You need someone who actually knows how to fight. Preferably someone who won't get bored halfway through and leave you face-down on the floor. Someone you trust or can trust, do you have that someone?"
Kaelen didn't answer right away but he already knew who he would ask. Or at least who he hoped would say yes.
"I will get to that," he finally said.
Daniel studied him for a second, then nodded. "I'll get the room. It'll be ready within the hour."
"Thanks, Daniel," he replied with a smile. "Oh, what's with the rank by the way? Sentinel of emerald?"
"You don't know?" Daniel asked puzzled, tilting his head slightly.
Kaelen rubbed the back of his neck shyly,"Noo~"
"..."
"..."
The hall was filled with silence for a moment.
Daniel could only sigh, slapping both of his cheeks."Let's start simple."
"Do you know what RP is?, forget i asked." Daniel paused, rubbing his hands against each other. "Rank points is what they're called, (RP) in short; You earn RP by winning duels, or doing other tasks or completing academy missions; like creating an invention if you aren't the combat type, or completing tasks as a support, if you fall under the support type. It could be any task assigned. For combat, beating a higher rank gives more points. Losing to a lower rank makes you lose a lot of points."
Daniel continued,"There are 7 ranks after the unranked, you are currently... unranked. The unranked enjoy certain privileges, which obviously i can see if you knew, you wouldn't have accepted the challenge."
"Daniel, focus. I would have accepted it irrespective. I don't regret accepting it anymore, my resolve is sealed." Kaelen said with pure resolve.
Daniel could only scratch the back of his hair as sighed."Unranked are mostly first-year students who main goals are to get up the ladder. They can't give out a challenge for first 2 weeks, but they can be given. The perks is that, they can reject them without limit. You have to have a total of One-thousand RP to move to the novice rank. They make 10% of student population, since people start moving up and not spend time on it."
"That's interesting," Kaelen said rubbing his chin.
"At the novice rank, you get a badge. Badges have different color to signify ranks. The novice is bronze. You have to get two-thousand RP to move to the next rank. They are composed of 30% of the students population. Your main goal is to grind points to escape the bottom."
"The adept," he continued."silver badge and are 20% of the students populationYou have to get five-thousand RP to move to the next rank."
"The sentinel," Daniel paused staring Kaelen in the eye."Jax's current rank, they're bagde is obviously emerald. They make 15% of the student population. They have to get a total of ten-thousand RP to move onto the next rank."
"Elite, Gold bagde. Fifteen-thousand RP to next rank. 10% of the students population. Vanguard, Sapphire bagde. Thirty-thousand RP to next rank. 8% of student population. Apex, Diamond bagde. Fifty-thousand RP to next rank. 5% of the student population. "
"And finally, the Grandmaster, highest of ranks. Crimson bagde. They make only 2% of student population. Many never reach here." Daniel added."You get special privileges, the higher your rank. The reason people prefer pvp combat is that, you get 10% of your opponents total RP, if you win and if you loose, you lose 5% of your total RP."
"So, i could potentially get RP if i win?" Kaelen asked for clarity.
"If you can win against Jax, tha is," Daniel replied with furrowed brows."I should get the room. Let me get going."
Kaelen released a slow breath as Daniel walked past him and down the hall, already pulling up menus to finalize the reservation.
The hallway fell quiet again. But he had a target. A path this time.
...
Finding Sera was never simple. She had a habit of existing at the edges of crowds, drifting silently through corridors in a way that made her feel less existing and more like a ghost. He didn't even know her dorm room.
Kaelen searched the west wings, then the upper balconies, then even checked the little alcove near the alchemy labs where she occasionally sat during lunch. Nowhere. He almost gave up and chalked the idea to desperation.
Luck, however, decided he deserved a small pity hand.
He found her in the eastern wing's silent commons; an open room lined with tall windows and long shadows, far from the usual student traffic. Sera sat with her back against one of the pillars, legs folded, a slim book resting on her lap. The sunlight caught in her silver cropped short hair, turning the edges warm, though the expression on her face remained unreadable.
Her eyes lifted the moment he stepped into the room, as if she'd been expecting him.
"You accepted the challenge." Her tone was calm, but the words cut with precision.
Kaelen moved closer, stopping a respectful distance away. "I need help."
Her eyelids lowered slightly. "I assumed that much."
He took a breath. "I need someone to teach me. Properly. Not surface-level drills. Not theory. Real fighting."
Sera closed her book with a quiet snap. Her gaze sharpened. "Why me?"
He held eye contact with her. "Because you don't panic. And you understand aether control better than anyone I've seen at our level. You operate like someone who's already thinking three steps ahead. You're calculative."
A silence stretched between them. Sera's stare felt like she was dissecting the structure of his thoughts.
"You're asking for more than tutoring," she said finally. "You're asking me to make you survivable."
"Yes."
"And you realize that if Jax kills you, it's none of my concern."
"But you're the only help i can turn to currently."
Another moment passed. She tilted her head, studying him with an unreadable expression.
"And what do I gain from this?"
Kaelen braced himself. "Whatever you want."
Sera closed her eyes once, a slow deliberate blink. When she opened them again, there was something colder inside.
"Very well," she said. "A favor. To be named later. No questions. No refusal."
Kaelen nodded, though his stomach tightened. The deal felt dangerous, but he needed this right now.
Sera rose gracefully to her feet, dusted off her skirt lightly, and tucked her book under her arm. "Let's see if you're worth the trouble."
Kaelen exhaled, steadying himself, and gestured for her to follow.
Her steps were silent as she walked beside him.
...
The training room Daniel secured was larger than Kaelen expected. Metallic walls stretched from floor to ceiling with faint seam-lines marking where panels shifted for different modes. The lights overhead hummed softly, creating a glow that erased shadows. There was no warmth in the place. It resembled a facility meant for refining weapons, not students.
Sera walked in first, her eyes scanning every corner. Once inside, she turned and faced him.
"Warm-up?" she asked.
"Does stress level count?" Kaelen said.
"..."
Sera stepped closer and tapped the toe of his shoe with her own. "Your stance is too narrow. You'll topple if anyone pushes from the side."
She moved around him, each adjustment quick and precise. "Lower your center. Not so much. Relax your shoulders. Not that much." She clicked her tongue softly. "You're tense. That wastes energy."
Kaelen tried to adjust, but every correction made him more aware of how awkward his limbs felt.
She stepped back. "Walk."
He started forward.
"Stop." Her voice cut cleanly through the air. "Your weight shifts late. You're thinking about your steps instead of letting them follow your intent."
She advanced and nudged him lightly on the chest. He stumbled backward.
"Hazardous footwork. Unstable balance. Too many openings. If you fight Jax like this, you'll lose before you lift your hand."
"Again."
The drills began slowly. Sera's instructions were clipped, minimal, unforgiving.
"Your center of gravity should sit here."
"Shift when I step left."
"React without leaning."
"Your feet are too loud. Silence them."
"Stance. Stance. Stance."
She circled him constantly, her movements efficient to the point of artistry. She rarely raised her voice, but every correction felt like a needle pushed between ribs.
Hours blurred. Sweat dampened his shirt, dripping along his jawline. His arms burned. His calves ached. His breathing turned ragged, but the moment he slowed, Sera's voice snapped him back.
"Again."
At one point, she stopped in front of him. "Technique before strength," she said. "Precision Kaelen."
She demonstrated, her foot sweeping lightly across the floor. Her body moved with a fluid, controlled ease-like water that had learned how to cut stone.
"Your turn," she said.
Kaelen mimicked her movements. His attempt was clumsy, but she adjusted him with a light touch to his wrist, a press on his shoulder, a tap of her boot to his ankle. Slowly, painfully, the motion started to feel less alien.
By the time she stepped back for the final time, Kaelen's shirt clung to him and every muscle throbbed.
Sera regarded him quietly. Then, in a tone so calm he almost missed it, she said, "You're not hopeless afterall"
"You thought i was?" Kaelen asked with a joking tone.
"..." She didn't reply.
It was the most generous thing she'd said all day.
She wiped her brow, picked up her book from the floor, and turned toward the door.
"Tomorrow is Saturday," she said without looking back. "We continue. Be early."
The door slid shut behind her.
Kaelen sank to the mat, breath heaving, limbs shaking.
...
His breath echoed faintly in the metallic space. He stared up at the ceiling, letting the ache settle deep into his bones. It wasn't pleasant, but it was the kind of ache he could live with... the honest kind, earned through effort.
The panic he'd carried all day had dimmed into something manageable. Sera's training had stripped away any illusion of skill he'd held. It hurt, but it grounded him more than anything had since the fight.
He sat up slowly, rotating his sore shoulders, and let his thoughts settle into order.
Kaelen stood, ignoring the stiffness in his legs, and walked to the door.
He had a start.