Chippy was practicing her splits on the sleek floor of the gymnasium. Rin stood beside her, stretching her arms, while Eddie sat on the ground with his legs stuck out, arms braced behind him, looking thoroughly bored.

  “Come on, Eddie. Don’t be a stick. Stretch out! I heard we’re running forever today.”

  “You’re one to talk. You

  running. So why bother with all that warming up?”

  “The P.E. teachers could change things—they’ve done it before. And stretching feels nice!” Rin added.

  Eddie groaned and rolled his eyes.

  “I hate P.E. I can’t wait until next year when we get Dueling and Defensive Arts. Then it’ll actually be fun!”

  “Uh, hello? What’s the point in fighting if you can’t, like, run?”

  “What? Why would I ever run?”

  “To dodge a spell! Or a kick! Remember when that guy in the alley hit you so hard you couldn’t even speak?” Chippy teased, squinting at him.

  “Oh yeah…” Eddie said, gazing upward as if the memory were playing across the ceiling like a projection.

  Rin, however, froze. A chill slid through her chest as if her ribs had turned to ice. She hugged herself tighter, her breaths shallow, the sound of her heartbeat pounding too loud in her ears. Her eyes went glassy, unfocused, pulled into a place no one else could see.

  “Rin? You good, girl?” Chippy asked, springing to her feet.

  Rin didn’t respond, trapped in the echo of a fear that never really left her.

  “Rin!” Chippy grabbed her shoulder. Rin jerked with a sharp yelp, as if waking from a nightmare.

  “Where have you been?”

  “I—I’m here!” Rin stammered, her voice too quick, too brittle.

  “Come on! You keep bringing the mood down, you know?”

  “It’s not my fault!”

  “Aww, come on! Do you need a compliment? All girls appreciate compliments! Eddie—get up here and give Rin a compliment!” Chippy said, hands on her hips.

  “What?” Eddie blinked.

  “Come on! Like I said, don’t be a stick!”

  “But—but—”

  “”

  “Ugh! Don’t use my real name!” Eddie groaned, springing to his feet in protest.

  Rin’s cheeks warmed as she braced herself, her heart fluttering with curiosity over what Eddie might say.

  “Rin? You look… good today.”

  “Th-Than—”

  “What the heck! Is

  all you’ve got?” Chippy cut Rin off. She threw her hands on her hips. “Look, this is how it’s done! Ahem. Rin? The school P.E. uniform really brings out the color of your eyes!”

  “R-Really…?” Rin asked, her voice soft, already forgetting this was supposed to be an act.

  “Mhmm! And when we hang out during winter break? I bet whatever nail polish you pick will look

  gorgeous because of your eyes!”

  Rin broke into a smile, covering her face with both hands as her cheeks flushed even redder.

  Chippy shot Eddie a smug thumbs-up, her plan clearly working.

  Eddie threw his arms up.

  “Oh, Rin! How do you think you did on the midterms?” Chippy asked, dropping her voice conspicuously low, almost sing-song.

  “I… I don’t know…” Rin murmured, eyes sinking to the floor. She could barely remember the exams at all—her only focus had been surviving them.

  “She must’ve done better than ” Eddie declared, arms crossing with smug confidence.

  “R-Really?” Rin asked, blushing again.

  Chippy spotted the compliment and immediately fired back. “Oh yeah? Well, don’t get anywhere near my beautiful Rin! She’s best friend!”

  “What? That’s—you’re insane! She was my friend first!!!” Eddie shouted, pointing at Chippy like she’d broken a sacred law.

  Rin was practically bubbling over, butterflies in her stomach and hearts bursting in her chest as she glanced between them.

  “No way! She was my mistake!”

  The words came sharp and cutting from behind them—Drenco’s snide, proud voice slicing through the moment.

  Rin instinctively stepped back, letting Eddie and Chippy move in front of her, shielding her from the boy who made her blood run cold.

  “Well, look who it is,” Eddie said, squaring his shoulders. “The boy who barks but never bites.”

  “Said the peasant, motherless ingrate,” Drenco sneered, folding his arms. Two boys flanked him, stepping into place with snarls and chuckles, mimicking his stance like shadows of their master.

  “Since today’s a combined class, I wondered if I’d get the misfortune of seeing your ugly face. And wouldn’t you know—lucky me.” His gaze cut right past Eddie and Chippy, fixing directly on Rin. She shuddered, covering part of her face with her hand.

  “Hey! Knock it off!” Chippy snapped.

  “What? I didn’t even realize you were here. Who are you supposed to be? And seriously—what’s wrong with your hair?”

  Chippy scoffed, stepping forward. “Like you’re one to talk! Seen a mirror lately? Orange doesn’t fit on white unless you’re drinking a creamsicle soda!”

  “What on earth even

  that?” Drenco sneered.

  “Oh, that makes sense! Your daddy never loved you enough to buy you one!” Chippy shot back, sticking her tongue out.

  Drenco’s face flushed red. “Wh-what?! Just who do you think you are?!”

  “I’m Chippy Staffire! And you’d better watch yourself when it comes to messing with —or this nerd!”

  “Hey!” Eddie protested, but Chippy brushed him off without a glance.

  “Chi-Chippy!? ” Drenco stammered, his eyes widening. He glanced at the boys behind him—then suddenly burst out laughing.

  The trio froze, blinking in confusion.

  “What’s so funny? Already going crazy???” Chippy demanded, her voice wobbling between confidence and uncertainty.

  “Staffire! No way!” Drenco barked out a laugh. “No one can compare to Yaxon—not even his own parents! And to think he has a sibling? One such as you? Unbelievable! You’d sully the Staffire name!”

  “Huh?” Chippy tilted her head, pouting. “I really his younger sister!”

  “Oh really? Then ring him on your communicator—right now!”

  “Yeah!” the two boys behind Drenco echoed in perfect unison.

  “What?! No! He’s at work! He’s busy! I can’t… I shouldn’t distract him…” Chippy’s bravado faltered, her voice softening.

  “Ha! I knew it!” Drenco jeered.

  “Do it! Do it! Do it!” his lackeys began to chant, their voices bouncing off the gym walls.

  “She really a Staffire! The professor confirmed it!” Eddie cut in, stepping firmly in front of her.

  “Edward…?” Chippy whispered, wide-eyed.

  “In a minute you’ll get humiliated so bad you’ll go crying to your mommy and daddy. But Chippy? No. She’s strong—super strong! Not only because her older brother is Yaxon, but because she’s been raised to be strong! She doesn’t even him!” Eddie shouted.

  Chippy’s face lit up faintly, her eyes softening as she stared at him. Rin stepped carefully to her side and took her hand.

  “And you know what?” Eddie went on, voice steady now. “We don’t care if your parents are on the academy board. We don’t care about their influence. Because we have Chippy. We have Yaxon. So go ahead—” He curled his hands into tight fists and raised them toward Drenco.

  Drenco faltered, taking an involuntary step back.

  “Oh y-yeah? Then let’s put it to the test. If she really is his younger sister, why doesn’t the public know?”

  “Because unlike

  their family actually has morals and dignity! Your family’s nothing but a bunch of… actors!”

  “What?!” Drenco’s face went crimson.

  “That’s right.” Eddie’s voice hardened. “So let me repeat myself, so it gets through your thick skull. We have Yaxon. ” His eyes narrowed, and Drenco knew he meant it.

  “Pft! Keep talking, idiot! I’ll believe it when I see it!” Drenco huffed, sticking his tongue out like a petulant child before storming off.

  Without missing a beat, Chippy leapt forward, puffed out her cheeks, and stuck her tongue out, stretching it to look absurdly bigger in response.

  “That jerk!” she huffed.

  “What were they thinking? No one could ever get along with Drenco—unless you plan on shining his boots with your… tongue…” Eddie shuddered at the thought, his face twisting in disgust.

  “Whatever! He’s gone now. Let’s just—”

  “”

  The deep, gravelly bark ripped across the gym floor, freezing every child in place.

  “To your positions! All of you!”

  Immediately, the students scrambled into their practiced formations. Each class of thirty divided neatly into five rows of six. The first child in each row stepped onto a painted X on the floor, the rest falling into line behind them with military precision drilled since their first day in P.E.

  Rin found herself one spot away from the end of her row, Chippy directly behind her, Eddie on her right.

  As the booming footsteps drew closer, Eddie leaned toward her and whispered, “Here we go. Let’s find out what this is about.”

  “So!” the P.E. instructor boomed. Seven other instructors scattered, each commanding a different section of the gym. Their voices overlapped as they spoke to the other classes.

  “You children are about to run an obstacle course. It’s snowing outside, but the magical domain around this academy maintains a perfect twenty-three degrees. Pretty neat stuff. And do note—this is a obstacle course. Your performance will count toward your successful passing as Impites before you move up to Freshmen next year.

  “As you’re also aware, next year none of you will attend P.E. Instead, you’ll be training in Dueling and Defensive Arts until the end of your time here at Kormadyne. Raise your hand if you didn’t know that.”

  Rin hesitated, then lifted her hand. A moment later, so did a familiar boy—Oby.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Both of you are

  Haven’t you been paying attention this entire term?!” the instructor roared.

  Both Rin and Oby yelped, nodding furiously.

  “Well, at least pay attention

  or else!”

  “Yes, sir!” they shouted in unison.

  “This is a two-mile course. Each of you will be divided into pairs—you’ll work together as partners to clear it. The only spell permitted is But understand this: it is to be used on another student. It is strictly for clearing obstacles, and it is Is this clear so far?”

  “Yes, sir!” the students chorused.

  “Good. Because if I find out someone breaks that rule—if anyone even about it—we’ll know. We can trace the spell right back to you. Don’t fool yourselves into thinking you could get away with it.” His voice rumbled like thunder.

  He paced slowly, boots echoing against the polished floor. “Next—you are graded by time. Complete the course within twenty minutes, and you earn an S rank. Everyone loves an S rank. And sure, some of you fast little dogs probably think that’ll be easy.”

  A cruel smile tugged at his lips. “But this isn’t just a run. It’s an Let’s see how well you maintain that sprint when you’re scaling a twenty-foot wall or trying to blast your way through six inches of stone. Heh.”

  He clapped once, sharp as a whip crack. “For every two minutes past the twenty-minute mark, your grade drops—S, then X, then A, then B, then C—all the way to F. You only need a D or above to pass. If that’s all you care about, you lazy mutts can scrape by with it.”

  Rin glanced at Eddie, and he immediately nodded back with quiet reassurance.

  “Now, I’ll read off two names. You two will be partners. Find them and sit down next to them. First off—Rin and Jackson.”

  Rin’s stomach dropped. She was paired with a total stranger.

  “Trofen and Staffire.”

  Chippy practically spat. “What!?”

  Eddie groaned into his hands.

  Chippy huffed, stomped over, and plopped onto the floor beside him with her arms crossed. Eddie dragged himself after her, muttering under his breath.

  When Rin turned back, her so-called partner was approaching. Jackson marched toward her with his chest puffed out, face flushed red, cheeks ballooned as if he were holding his breath. Every step looked like a struggle.

  Rin blinked, confused, until he stopped mere inches from her face. He looked up at her——and then blew a sharp gust of air straight into her face. Rin flinched, squeezing her eyes shut as she held her breath.

  “Hey. I’m Jackson. Don’t hold me back!” he declared, jabbing a thumb proudly at his chest before plopping onto the floor.

  Rin lowered herself down beside him, still shaky, unsure whether she should be concerned or cry.

  Once the instructor finished pairing the students, Drenco sauntered over, smirk already locked on his face.

  “Aw, look! Losers paired with… more losers!” He pointed, his little entourage laughing on cue. “Did little miss Staffire finally figure out she’s a liar?”

  Eddie growled, fists clenched, while Chippy opened her mouth to fire back—only to be cut off.

  “Hey! My name is Jackson!” Rin’s new partner suddenly stood, puffing out his chest like a rooster. “And I think you look like a pig!”

  “Huh?” Drenco blinked, deadpan.

  “That’s right! My name is Jackson, and I think you look like a cow!”

  “You literally just said pig.”

  “I’m Jackson.”

  “I that!”

  “No you don’t.”

  Drenco pressed two fingers to his temple, as if trying to keep his brain from leaking out his ears.

  Finally, he scoffed and shook his head. “Good luck on the graduation run. You lowlifes will need it—especially after I send you all to the infirmary.” He snickered and strutted off with his lackeys.

  “You—you little dog poop!” Chippy shouted after him, stomping her foot.

  “Chippy, calm down!” Rin said, hands up, trying to steady her friend.

  “Rin! Eddie! Let’s use Fire Wave on him! He’d do it to us anyway!” Chippy hissed.

  “But we’ll get caught!” Eddie protested.

  “I—I don’t care! Besides, wouldn’t he get caught too?” Chippy shot back.

  “Yeah… but his parents would just bribe someone. I don’t know.” Eddie’s voice sagged, near defeat.

  “…I know,” Rin said slowly, thinking. Her face hardened with resolve. “We could—just be faster than him. That’s it. We beat the course so fast he won’t have any chance to do anything mean.”

  “I could just call my brother and ask him to blow him up,” Chippy said, pouting.

  “As hilarious as that’d be — actually, no, that would be funny. We should do that.” Eddie grinned, making Chippy laugh.

  “No!” Rin snapped. “We have to pass this run! We—we have to!”

  “Rin? Why are you so serious all of a sudden?” Eddie pressed.

  Rin felt Vix’s words echo in her head:

  The memory shook her—his anger, the hurt underlying it—everything directed at her.

  “I have to… stop being a burden,” she murmured, barely audible.

  “What? You’re not a burden, Rin,” Chippy said, sliding a hand onto her shoulder.

  Rin blinked, shook her head, trying to scrub the tremor from her voice. “Y-yeah…”

  “Don’t you worry, girl. If it matters that much to you, we’re gonna win this. Fair and square.” Chippy’s voice was fierce and steady.

  “Yeah! And if he does try to hurt us, I’ll risk getting expelled. I’ll duel him right then and there!” Eddie declared.

  “Yeah!” Chippy cheered him on.

  “Yeah…” Rin answered, weaker but spared a small spark of hope.

  “Alright, kids. Get out now and stand with your partners. We’ll explain each obstacle on the course!” the instructor called.

  Once outside, the children stood with their partners as the instructors explained the course. There were five types of obstacles in total, each designed to push their bodies, minds, and magic to the limit.

  The first obstacle was terrain-specific.whipping vines—botanic creatures that lashed out blindly in search of surfaces to cling to. The children would need to adapt quickly or risk losing precious minutes.

  The second obstacle was climbing walls.

  The third obstacle was the labyrinth.

  The fourth obstacle introduced decoy creatures known as Shadow Boroxes.

  The final obstacle tested teamwork.

  Rin shifted her weight anxiously from one foot to the other. Beside her, Jackson was practicing how to puff out his chest while controlling his breathing. She found him strange—odd, even—but he was her partner. And if she wanted to graduate in June, she needed to pass this run.

  Her anxiety only climbed higher as the instructor laid out the final conditions. The students were split into five groups, each beginning at a different part of the course. Group Yellow would start with the terrain challenges. Group Blue at the Shadow Boroxes. Group Purple at the climbing walls. Group Orange at the co-op challenge. And Group Green— the one Rin was sorted into, with a dark green band wrapped around her arm—would begin at the maze.

  “Sweet! Starting at the maze is easy,” Jackson said with supreme confidence, drawing his wand. “My big brother told me it was easy.”

  “Is it really?” Rin asked hopefully, clutching her own wand as she pulled it free.

  “Yeah! Because it takes the longest. Everything else is easy!” Jackson said with confidence.

  “O-Okay!” Rin replied with a small smile. She couldn’t tell if it was genuine… or just forced.

  “At the sound of my—er, spell. Guns aren’t allowed on academy grounds,” the instructor announced. “You may all begin. Timer starts at the firing of this spell. Ready? Get set… go!”

  He fired a small orb from his wand. It burst high above into a shower of sparks, and the students immediately sprinted toward the maze entrance. Rin followed close behind Jackson—until a rough hand yanked her back.

  “Later, loser!” Drenco sneered, laughing cruelly as he shoved past her.

  Rin’s heart dropped when her eyes fell to the armband on his arm. Green. He was in her group.

  She froze, whipping her head around desperately to find Chippy and Eddie. But they weren’t there.

  “What are you doing, Rin?! ” the instructor barked.

  “Y-Yes, sir!” Rin yelped, darting forward without thinking. She plunged into the maze.

  But once inside, the world shifted. The leafy hedges vanished, replaced by chilled stone walls that towered around her. The air was damp and cold, the path dimly lit by eerie blue torches placed every fifteen to twenty meters.

  Rin’s eyes widened as the ground rumbled. The walls groaned and shifted, slowly moving into new positions, reshaping the maze in real time.

  “J-Jackson…?” she whispered.

  But the children ahead of her kept running, never once looking back.

  #

  Haas sat in his office surrounded by chaos. Papers and documents lay scattered in heaps, manila folders split open across the desk. Screens buzzed and flickered, holograms glitching as they displayed jagged images of the ruins at Fort Carven. The few strands of hair left on his head were frayed and wiry, and his face sagged into his left palm. His gut bulged forward over the edge of his chair.

  Milo was repulsed at the sight—but he shared the frustration all the same.

  “General Haas…” he began carefully.

  “Huh! Oh. It’s just you.” Haas glanced up halfheartedly before slumping again.

  “My commander has been… reassigned. I am to report to you for now.”

  “Oh really? That’s great,” Haas muttered, still not looking at him.

  “Is there anything I can do now, sir?” Milo pressed.

  “No. Well. Yeah. There is one thing.” Haas gestured vaguely at the piles of mess surrounding him.

  Milo stepped closer to the desk, scanning the clutter spread across it. A screen disk pulsed faintly in a small module, projecting a fizzing hologram. The image was of an egg, accompanied by a block of text riddled with black bars. Most of the information was redacted, unreadable.

  “ lots of redactions… and finally, written at the bottom.”

  “I’ve read that same line over and over for hours,” Haas muttered, still not lifting his face from his hand.

  Milo reached out and tapped the hologram, causing it to flicker to the next page. “ More redactions. Every single one.”

  “Want to be in on a secret?” Haas asked, voice flat.

  Milo tilted his head toward him.

  “They’re all redacted. All 245 specimens, each with three subgroups. Seven hundred thirty-five total experiments.” Haas finally looked up, his eyes bloodshot. “And I had no fucking clue.”

  Milo tapped further, skimming page after page.

  “What’s worse? All 735 specimens were marked And god knows what that means.”

  “Dead, probably, sir,” Milo said quietly.

  “That’s right.”

  Milo held his finger on the hologram, pulling up the main controls. He tabbed into another section of the device, and Haas’s official report appeared. It barely filled half a page. Nothing more.

  “That’s right. Go ahead and read it,” Haas muttered.

  “…” Milo’s brows furrowed.

  “Yeah.” Haas’s voice was cold. He flicked his hand, and the holographic display responded, flipping to a specific report he had managed to salvage, scanned and uploaded to his computer.

  Milo’s eyes widened.

  “Those motherfuckers were making a weapon that could kill some of the strongest sorcerers alive.” Haas continued.

  “They’re rated using the card system,” Milo went on, scanning the lines. “They aimed to make Ace-class… biological beings?”

  “That’s right. And we live in a world where only two men have ever reached Ace status. Now imagine a small platoon of them.”

  “That wouldn’t be too pleasant, sir. Or,” Milo said expressionlessly, “it could mean a chance for us to retire.”

  Haas gave a low chuckle and shook his head. “There’s that cold bastard I know.”

  Milo glanced up at him, cracking the faintest of smiles.

  “I’m sorry, Stark,” Haas said suddenly.

  “What for?”

  “I’ve been too harsh on you and your squad. I had expectations… shortcomings I wanted to correct. I felt as if you were always in my way. But you’re just as human as I am.”

  “That’s strange. I never once stopped considering myself human.”

  “Monster!” Haas barked—then chuckled again, the weight of the word defused by the weary grin on his face.

  “This explains why the circus freaks were after it,” Milo said.

  “What for?” Haas asked, his brow twitching.

  “I’m not sure. But if they could control and mass-produce such weapons, even Captain Staffire might have had a hard time.”

  “No, he wouldn’t.” Haas snorted. “He’s ranked Ace solely because there isn’t a step higher. He’d probably make a bitch out of us if we ever reached Ace status too. But what about the rest of us? The little guys? While he’s off going tits-up in… Tulum, Mexico, we’re out here fighting for our lives!”

  “He isn’t like that. The world is his priority,” Milo replied firmly.

  “Right, right. I’m just stressed,” Haas muttered, rubbing his temple.

  “I understand, sir.”

  “Any leads on the little shit from New York?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Figures. That would be all, lieutenant.”

  “Yes, sir.” Milo turned on his heel, a sharp 180, and started for the door.

  “Wait!” Haas barked.

  Milo stopped immediately and glanced back. “I thought you wouldn’t stop me.”

  “It’s just… is it

  possible?” Haas asked, his voice cracking.

  “No.”

  “I don’t buy that.”

  “It’s not possible,” Milo repeated, firmer.

  “But how? How could he have not foreseen this?!” Haas roared, pushing himself up from his chair.

  Milo’s eyes flickered away, the question gnawing at him, too.

  Haas stormed across the room and clamped a hand onto Milo’s shoulder. “If he can’t see anymore… is he even the Grand Majestry?”

  “He’s… too… young…” Milo murmured, the words slipping out like a thought he shouldn’t have voiced.

  “Mark my words, Stark. The world is going to change. Sooner than we like. And if it isn’t for us, we won’t be able to preserve anything—or anyone—we care about. Not at all!” Haas’s voice thundered with the weight of conviction.

  “He has not lost the ability,” Milo answered quietly but firmly. “Our service is to his life and his fate.”

  “Then… we need him.” Haas’s hand fell away, his expression hardening.

  “Let’s arrange for a meeting, sir.”

  #

  Rin clutched her hands tightly as she wandered through the maze, her knuckles pale. She had completely forgotten about the timer over her head and its effect on her grade. The fear weighed heavier. Her gaze darted from one cracked wall to the other, each faintly lit by the eerie blue torches that flickered like they might die out at any second.

  “…Jackson… Eddie… anyone…?” she whimpered, her voice swallowed by the endless stone corridors.

  Her feet scraped against the marble floor, dragging. The silence pressed against her ears until even the sound of her own breathing felt too loud. The walls groaned and shifted again, stone grinding against stone, and the path behind her sealed shut.

  Her heart pounded.

  Images clawed back from the corners of her mind — a dark alley, a blow she never saw coming, her body freezing when she needed to fight back. Drenco’s sneering face, the sting of his words still fresh: And worst of all, Vix’s voice, sharp and cold:

  Her eyes stung. She pressed her palms to her ears, as if she could shut the voices out.

  Her knees buckled, and she slid down against the wall, curling herself into as small a shape as possible. She wanted her mother, her father — someone she couldn’t even remember. Someone who might never have existed. She wanted Vix to be gentler, to hold her shoulder and tell her she wasn’t worthless. She wanted Drenco to disappear. She wanted Eddie and Chippy beside her, laughing like none of this mattered. Telling her they wouldn’t leave her.

  But instead there was only the maze, endless and cold, pressing in like it was swallowing her whole.

  she told herself, but her body wouldn’t listen. The words sounded like Vix, not her.

  And then —

  The wall beside her exploded in a burst of fire and rubble. Dust billowed around her as she shrieked and shielded her face.

  “Ha! There you are!” a familiar voice called.

  Rin blinked through the haze. Jackson stood there with his wand still raised, chest puffed out, cheeks flushed from exertion. He grinned wide, utterly oblivious to the terror she had just been drowning in.

  “Hey, Rin! It’s Jackson! Come on!”

  “Wh-what the heck! Are you even allowed to do that?! Wh-what if I was in the way?!”

  “What? Oh. I didn’t think about that. Good thing you weren’t!” he said, laughing at his own luck.

  Rin stared at him, dumbstruck, still trembling. And then—against her will—a tiny, broken laugh slipped past her lips.