One Glance Too Many
It was lunchtime in the academy courtyard. The sun stood high, groups of students sat on benches, talking, laughing, some practicing small magic tricks. As usual, Marion, Tobia, and Manuel were sitting at the edge. Their bread was dry, their spot uncomfortable — but at least they had their peace.
"Hey," Manuel mumbled with a full mouth, "I swear the kitchen doesn't use any magic while cooking. This bread's harder than a shield spell."
Tobia laughed, a little too loudly.
Marion gave a faint grin. For the first time in days, he felt a little lighter.
Then it happened.
At the fountain not far away, a few girls from their class were standing together. Among them was one whose smile seemed brighter than the others'. She wasn't as striking as Tamara, not of noble blood, but she was pretty in a natural, open way.
And suddenly her gaze swept across the courtyard… and stopped on Marion.
Just for a moment. Maybe because he had been staring too long. Maybe because she wondered who was sitting there with the two outcasts.
But to Marion, it felt as if the world had paused.
"Ooooooh!" Manuel instantly elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Did you see that? Bro! She looked at you!"
Tobia nearly dropped his bread. "No way, she really did! Maybe she's into weird guys."
Marion turned bright red. "Shut up! It was nothing."
"Nothing? Look at you, you're a total lady magnet!" Manuel snickered. "We're calling you Casanova from now on."
Marion covered his face with his hands. "Please don't…"
But they didn't let up. For the rest of the break they bombarded him with jokes.
"Hey bro, when you marry her, can I be best man?"
"No way, I'm best man — you're the court jester!"
"No, the court dog!"
Marion tried to laugh, but his heart was still pounding.
Did she really…? Was that an accident, or…?
He didn't dare look again.
Class & Comebacks
The classroom smelled of wax and chalk. Sunlight streamed through tall windows onto the heavy wooden desks. At the front stood Magister Kalber, a man with sunken cheeks and a voice that sounded permanently irritated.
"Elements are nothing more than tools," he droned. "They obey will and order. Today we practice again: simple magic. Simple. Clear. Whoever cannot manage it — does not belong here."
A groan rippled through the room. Some students were already rolling up their sleeves, ready to show off.
Marion sat in the back between Tobia and Manuel. At the word "magic," heat rose in his chest. The shame of his last attempt still lingered.
"Alright," grunted the magister. "You. Start."
He pointed at Manuel.
Manuel grinned and stood up. "No problem, sir."
He closed his eyes, muttered something — and indeed, a faint glow appeared in his palm. For exactly one second.
Then a dull pop — and a cloud of black smoke burst upward.
The smell of burnt fabric spread through the room. A hole had appeared in his robe, right over his stomach.
"Damn it!" Manuel hopped around, slapping sparks off himself.
The class erupted in laughter.
"He's setting himself on fire!"
"He's a walking furnace!"
Marion bit his lip but couldn't suppress a laugh. Tobia completely lost it, banging on the table. "Bro! You're a human chimney!"
Manuel sat back down, grumbling. "That was intentional. For dramatic effect."
The magister rolled his eyes. "Sit. Next."
He pointed at Tobia.
Tobia stood stiffly, wiping his hands on his robe. "Yes, sir."
He stretched out his hand, closed his eyes, focused. Sweat immediately formed on his forehead.
Nothing.
Just a faint hiss, like someone blowing air through their teeth.
"I… I think I'm hungry," he muttered. "Doesn't work without food."
Laughter spread across the room.
This time Marion laughed openly, even though his heart was racing — because he knew he would be next.
"Enough," growled the magister. "You three are a disgrace to this academy. If you insist on being jokes, then laugh at the margins. But do not expect the elements to ever follow you."
More laughter surged.
Marion felt his face burn, but Tobia leaned toward him and whispered, "Doesn't matter, bro. If we suck, at least we suck together."
Manuel grinned broadly. "The Failure Trio. But legendary."
And despite everything — despite the mockery, despite the shame — Marion found himself grinning too.
Courtyard
The academy courtyard lay in the midday sun. Stone benches surrounded the fountain, students sat in groups, laughing, eating bread and apples, or performing small spells. It looked like an ordinary school — except that sparks occasionally shot into the air or water jugs floated by themselves.
Marion, Tobia, and Manuel stood at the edge as usual. They had claimed a spot in the shade, halfway between invisible and still technically part of everything.
In the center of the courtyard stood a small clique of girls, all dressed up, their hair tied with ribbons, lips glossy. A little apart from them — Jenny.
Her robe was cinched tighter than the others', her lips red, her skin glowing as if she had just spent an hour in the bathhouse. She wore too much perfume; the sharp, sugary scent carried all the way to where they stood.
Marion froze when he saw her. Everything about her was magnetic: her hair, the way she stood, the way her gaze swept across the courtyard as if waiting for someone.
She… looks like she belongs to another life, he thought.
"Forget it," a voice suddenly said beside him.
Leon had stepped up, the nice guy with the kind eyes. He clapped Marion on the shoulder. "Not your level. Trust me."
Marion flushed bright red. "W-what?"
Leon grinned, but not unkindly. "I'm just saying. Jenny plays with looks. She flirts with you — and then leaves you standing in the rain."
Before Marion could respond, he heard choking.
Next to Jenny stood Rico, his face bright red as if he'd been holding his breath. He tugged nervously at his collar, like he was suffocating.
"You good, brother?" Manuel called, laughing. "Or did the scent kill you already?"
Tobia snorted. "He's about to drop right here!"
Rico wheezed out a strained, "I'm fine."
Marion felt caught between fronts: Leon warning him. Rico nearly choking. And himself — unable to stop staring.
Jenny turned her head. Her eyes swept across the courtyard — and for a heartbeat seemed to linger on Marion.
His heart skipped.
Then she turned away again, rejoining the other girls.
"Ha!" Manuel shouted, slapping Marion on the back. "Did you see that? He's in love!"
"Not in love," Tobia wheezed. "He's already dead."
The three laughed, Leon grinned quietly — and Marion said nothing, his heart racing.
Dining Hall
The dining hall was loud and stuffy. Plates clattered, voices echoed beneath the vaulted ceiling. Students crowded around long tables, some with overflowing bowls, others with barely more than a piece of bread.
Marion, Tobia, and Manuel sat at the edge as always. Their bowls steamed faintly; the stew tasted like water with a hint of vegetables.
"At least it's warm," Tobia muttered, slurping.
Manuel nudged him. "Urine's warm too, brother."
Marion was about to laugh when he smelled it.
A sharp cloud of perfume spread through the hall. Heavy. Almost sticky.
He looked up — and there she was.
Jenny.
She walked slowly between the tables, tray in hand. Her robe was tighter than the other girls', her collar slightly open. Each time she passed a group, conversation briefly died down.
Marion was mesmerized.
The scent hit him again, making him dizzy.
Can you… drown in this? he thought hazily.
Tobia grinned and elbowed him. "Bro, stop staring before you fall off your chair."
But Rico had it worse. He sat only a few tables away — directly in the center of the scent cloud.
The moment she came close, he started coughing. At first softly, then louder. His eyes watered. He grabbed his water, choked, coughed again.
"What's happening?" Manuel called, half laughing. "Is he dying from deodorant?"
Tobia smacked his forehead. "I swear that's not exaggerated — he's actually suffocating."
Jenny paused briefly, blinking at Rico as he bent almost under the table to catch his breath.
Then she simply walked on.
Marion watched her hair sway as she moved, watched the other girls whisper around her. He swallowed hard, feeling small and foolish — but strangely happy just to have seen her.
Once she was out of sight, Tobia and Manuel burst out laughing.
"Dude, Rico needs a healing spell against perfume!"
"Or a gravestone while we're at it!"
Marion laughed along.
From under the table, Rico muttered hoarsely, "She smells like… like a perfume shop on fire. It's not my fault I have a sensitive nose."
Evening in the Dormitory
The dormitory was a long hall filled with narrow cots, thin blankets, and the constant hum of snoring, farting, and whispering. Candles flickered along the walls, casting yellow shadows across the students' faces.
Marion lay on his cot, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. He wanted to sleep, but his mind was full of images — Jenny walking through the dining hall, the scent drifting like a cloud.
"Well?" Tobia suddenly appeared at the foot of his bed, grinning like a goblin. "Still daydreaming, brother?"
Manuel joined them, holding a piece of bread. "Man, you're gone. Completely gone. We saw you staring. She'd eat you alive — without utensils."
Tobia burst out laughing. "True! She wouldn't even chew. Just swallow you and forget your name."
Marion groaned and pulled the blanket over his face. "Shut up. It was nothing."
"Nothing?" Manuel laughed, tossing the bread at him. "You nearly had cardiac arrest when she looked at you."
"She didn't," Marion mumbled, face red beneath the blanket.
"She did," Tobia insisted. "And even if she didn't — you're in love. End of story."
At that moment, the door creaked open. Rico entered late, head lowered. He tossed his robe carelessly onto his cot and sat down — but it was obvious. His cheeks were still red, his hands slightly trembling.
Manuel immediately jumped up. "Brother! You almost suffocated earlier. What was that? Allergy to Jenny?"
Rico pulled his blanket up and muttered, "Shut up."
Tobia grinned widely. "No, no, that wasn't an allergy. That was love, bro."
Marion laughed softly but didn't fully join in. He saw Rico's expression — dark, tense. As if Jenny had truly bewitched him.
Manuel wouldn't stop. "Admit it: she hit you hard. Breath gone, heart gone, everything gone."
Rico pressed the blanket tighter to his chin. "I swear, if you say one more—"
Tobia threw himself onto his bed laughing. "Look at him, Marion. We're just fans. But him? He'd actually die for her."
Marion grinned — though something inside him stung.
One by one, the candles went out. The room quieted.
Only Marion lay awake, staring into the darkness and thinking of Jenny.
If she would just look at me properly once… just once.
The Next School Day
The classroom buzzed with voices, chalk dust, and the heavy tone of the magister's voice. Today's topic was "Foundations of Runes" — a dry lesson, and most students were already doodling or dozing.
Marion sat in the back between Tobia and Manuel, trying to copy the symbols from the board. But his eyes kept drifting forward.
Jenny sat there.
Her robe was tighter today, her collar slightly open, each breath accentuating what he wasn't supposed to look at. Her hair was carefully tied up with a golden ribbon. When she entered earlier, the room had grown noticeably quieter — and everyone knew why.
"Who can explain the difference between a banishment rune and a sealing rune?" the magister asked, scanning the class.
A hesitant silence.
Then Jenny raised her hand.
"A banishment rune repels. A sealing rune binds," she said clearly.
"Very correct," the magister nodded. "Well observed."
A murmur passed through the class. Jenny smiled — proud, untouchable.
Marion stared at her as if she were light in a gray room.
She is… perfect.
His heart beat faster; the magister's words faded into background noise.
Leon leaned over from the neighboring row, whispering with a dry grin, "Forget it, bro. Not your level."
Marion flinched, turning red. "W-what?"
Leon just shook his head, like an older brother comforting a child with unrealistic dreams.
And then it came again: a choking sound.
Rico, two rows ahead, sat stiff as a board. His face was red, hands gripping the desk. Every breath looked like a struggle. Whenever Jenny spoke or shifted, he pressed his lips together as if trying not to groan aloud.
Manuel nudged Tobia; both fought to suppress their laughter.
"Bro… he's suffocating again," Tobia whispered.
Marion buried his face in his hands.
This can't be real.
Jenny seemed to notice none of it. She glanced briefly over the class, her eyes sliding past Marion — just a fleeting moment, barely more than a whisper.
But to him, the world paused again.
After class, the students rushed out into the courtyard. Leon clapped Marion on the shoulder once more.
"Keep dreaming — but don't forget to breathe."
Rico hurried past them without a word, as if in desperate need of fresh air.
Manuel burst out laughing. "Man! He's really going to die from her perfume!"
Tobia nodded solemnly.
Marion laughed with them.
But deep inside, he knew:
He was already lost too.