Malcolm leaned back on the couch in our suite, staring at the ceiling as he let out a long, frustrated sigh.

  "I'm still not getting it. Some sort of divine warrior of light? There are plenty of light-based Runebinders. What makes this... Paladin thing so special?"

  Red and I had just been dropped off after our chat with Diana and Grace. Malcolm and Katie had been scrounging for food when we walked in, and somehow we'd ended up here—me trying to explain what a Paladin even was. For half an hour.

  Malcolm wasn't making it easy.

  "It's not that a Paladin is special," I said, fighting down irritation. "It's what makes Valor work for me. On Earth, there are thousands of stories about warriors who wielded divine light for honor, justice, protecting the innocent. Figuring that out—understanding what I am—that's what made my Seal click."

  Katie took a bite of jerky and tossed a piece to Red, who caught it midair with surgical precision.

  "I get it," she said through chewing. "It's like calling yourself a baker. That's what makes my runes work when I'm in the kitchen. Well, I think that's why anyway."

  Malcolm still looked unconvinced. "But aren't you just a Guardian? I don't see the difference."

  I shrugged. "Maybe there isn't one. Normally, a Paladin would have some kind of god backing them up, and... well, I've been educated pretty thoroughly that they're all dead here."

  "I thought you said there weren't gods on Earth either?" Malcolm pressed.

  "There aren't. Not like here. But there were thousands, maybe millions, of stories about them. Some more popular than others. No one's ever actually seen one, though."

  "Well, neither have I," Katie said around another mouthful. "Doesn't mean they didn't exist."

  I nodded. "Right. Just because they're gone doesn't mean they were never real."

  Malcolm threw up his hands in defeat. "I still don't get why you aren't just a Guardian. But fine. If you want to call yourself a Paladin, no one's going to care. I've heard weirder paths. I knew a guy who called himself the Pink Pearl. There had to be innuendo there."

  I threw my hands up, exasperated.

  He trailed off, frowning. "And it still doesn't explain how you healed Erik."

  I casually swiped a piece of jerky from Katie's plate. She shot me a look of pure, silent betrayal.

  "I'm getting to that," I said, trying not to laugh. "It's not just a name. It's like a job, a calling, right? And you know about aspected mana?"

  Malcolm nodded. "Of course. But it's supposed to be nearly impossible to use until you're a Master. I've heard of some Adepts managing it, but it's uncommon."

  "Well, Diana took me to visit Dick Longwood—"

  Katie immediately snickered beside me. I pushed through with a sigh.

  "— he walked me through creating life-aspected mana. But that's when things got weird. Valor had other ideas. Instead of life mana, I created something else. This frustrating, hard-to-control white energy that just... bounces around my pathways until I figure out how to use it. Winchester helped too."

  Malcolm leaned forward, suddenly interested.

  "Remember the spirit test during registration? It destroyed the device like it was nothing. When I fought a golem in the trials, it slipped into Winchester and obliterated the thing with a casual wave. It passively heals my body when it's around—I'm sure you've noticed."

  I hesitated.

  "But... I have no idea what it actually is, and I kind of... forced it to heal Erik. Maybe singed my soul a little in the process. Normal healing wouldn't have cut it."

  "That would explain why the Oathbound said you have to fight harder," Malcolm said, his frown deepening. "If you can heal like that, there isn't a faction on Ark that wouldn't make you an offer."

  He trailed off as realization dawned. "And maybe even some that might take it upon themselves to... Oh, shit."

  I nodded grimly. "Yeah. That's what they said too. If I lose this tournament, there's a good chance I don't just go home quietly. Best-case, they toss me off Ark. Worst-case? I disappear into some dungeon, getting poked and prodded by researchers who think I'm their personal miracle machine."

  "Well, it's a good thing you're in first place!" Katie said with determined brightness.

  I grimaced. "Yeah, but Valor's still damaged. I can feel it—the strength that normally binds my Seal is weaker right now. It's recovering, but if we have another event tomorrow... I'm going to be a lot less effective against monsters."

  Before anyone could respond, the door exploded inward, and Cass marched through like a woman on a mission, Erik following behind her.

  "Can you fucking believe this!" she bellowed, then froze when she saw me. "Gaia's tits, Ben, you're alright! They whisked you away when you passed out. We weren't sure what happened."

  I smiled at her obvious relief. "I'm good. Just a little soul burn. Nothing to worry about."

  I glanced at Erik. He was staring at me with a complex expression—like I was a stranger standing where his friend should be.

  "You okay, Erik? Did it work? I just... had an idea and ran with it," I said.

  He nodded slowly, voice strange. "I... yeah. I'm fine. Better than fine. I remember the lightning hitting me, the pain, and then something cold and clean washing through me... and I woke up. I haven't felt this good in years." His expression darkened. "It's a shame about the disqualification."

  Cass caught my confused look. "They're disqualifying his team. Felix and Ferris apparently did... something... to that artifact that caused the explosion."

  I winced. "Diana must be furious."

  "She's the one who ordered it," Erik said. "I was complicit, even if I didn't know what they did or how they pulled it off. Felix... is not happy about it."

  "That reminds me. Is he really an Adept?" I asked. "That seemed fast."

  Erik nodded, looking grim. "Somehow. I have no idea how he managed it. Many people thought it was impossible. No one becomes an Adept in a week, but the instructors insist he passed all the tests."

  I blinked. "What's the normal timeline after becoming a Seeker?"

  "With a steady supply of mana cores from Class-D monsters? A few months?" Malcolm said. "Even if his mother was force-feeding him mana every day, it doesn't add up."

  "Maybe he really is a prodigy?" Katie offered, though even she didn't sound convinced.

  I shrugged. It wasn't like I understood the process well enough to argue. Knowing my own path was going to take way longer didn't exactly boost my confidence.

  I shifted Valor inward, keeping it tight to conserve strength. Through its weakened perception, I caught a flicker of someone creeping up the hallway. A tickle of presence.

  Without hesitation, Erik grabbed a metal serving dish from the counter and flung it like a frisbee.

  It hit something with a loud clang.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Henrik materialized, grunting as he stumbled and cursed, rubbing his head where the dish had connected.

  I stared. Then turned slowly to Erik, who was now staring at his own hand like it had betrayed him.

  "How did I know he was there?" he asked, voice filled with wonder and confusion. "It was... like I could feel him."

  The room went dead silent.

  I pulled Valor in tighter, forcing it down to a thin radius around me. It resisted, still sluggish from the damage, but just before it folded in, I glimpsed something impossible.

  A ripple around Erik—faint but unmistakable.

  Valor.

  Not just any Valor.

  .

  Whatever I had done during the healing, it hadn't just saved him. It had marked him. Passed along something deeper than I'd understood.

  Erik looked at his hands again, dazed. Like he was seeing something he couldn't comprehend.

  "I, uh... think I need to meditate," he said quickly, backing toward the hall.

  "There are extra rooms that way," Malcolm said, pointing down the corridor.

  Erik trudged off without another word, leaving the rest of us sitting in heavy silence.

  Eventually, he rejoined us looking way more upbeat than when he'd left. I spent part of the evening trying to explain to Cass what a Paladin was, and about the weird white energy that had helped heal Erik.

  Cass just shrugged with characteristic bluntness.

  "Makes sense to me," she said. "A warrior with divine power none of us can understand?" She waved a hand at me in a full-body 'look at this guy' gesture. Erik and Henrik both nodded in agreement.

  "Well, when you put it that way," Malcolm had said, seeming to reconcile his disbelief.

  We spent the rest of the night strategizing about the next event. Erik kept shooting me quick glances when he thought I wasn't looking—something between disbelief and curiosity. Whatever he'd felt earlier, he seemed to work through it.

  I didn't sense Valor on him again, though. Whatever had happened... it hadn't lingered.

  Back in my room, I tried to use Valor to produce more of the refined mana, but nothing happened.

  Normally, Radiance would surge forward on its own. This time, silence. Only life-aspected mana trickled into my pathways—warm, vibrant... and frustratingly fleeting. I could produce significantly more of it now, and with almost no effort, but it still dissipated within minutes if unused.

  Even Ted looked disappointed when the white energy didn't appear. But when he caught sight of the verdant green swirling around my soul-space, he gave a satisfied nod, like I'd passed some test I didn't know I was taking.

  Out of curiosity, I tried channeling mana through Courage and Radiance separately.

  Spirit mana, and light mana formed in turn, but they were different. Weaker than the refined mana, but still... something.

  I smiled to myself, already wondering what I could do with each one.

  "You've been sitting there glowing for an hour," Katie said from the bed. "Come to bed."

  I looked over and smiled, pushing myself to my feet, then staggered slightly at how drained I still felt.

  I was asleep in seconds.

  The next morning, Thea showed up early and started leading us toward our prep room, Erik in tow.

  Red was ecstatic to see Darla walking with her and trotted alongside, practically vibrating with excitement. She greeted him with an enthusiastic oink that made his tail helicopter.

  Henrik and Katie stayed behind, knowing they'd have to head to one of the spectator lounges instead.

  "You look really fuckin' good for someone who nearly died yesterday," Thea said, poking Erik in the stomach while looking up at him with scientific interest.

  "Well, I have Ben to thank for that," Erik said.

  I shrugged. "You'd have done the same for me if you could."

  To my surprise, he nodded without hesitation.

  "Without question," he said, and the conviction in his voice caught me off-guard.

  I wasn't sure what to say to that. I'd never saved anyone's life before, and Erik was laying it on thick.

  This time, instead of cutting through a massive library like yesterday, Thea led us through a sprawling dining hall that made my stomach growl on sight.

  Buffet-style stations lined the walls, piled high with actual food—none of the bland rations I'd been expecting. Students loaded plates like it was competitive eating.

  We were all salivating.

  "Fuck me," I muttered, eyes locked on a mountain of perfectly roasted meat. Several Albinus Vildar in crisp white outfits moved between tables, refilling platters with practiced efficiency.

  "How do we get access to this?" Cass asked, eyeing the stations like she was planning a heist.

  "This hall's for Adepts," Erik said. "Best selection in the Academy by far."

  Red scanned the room with wild-eyed panic—the kind of frantic calculation only a dog in a buffet could manage.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a familiar pair sitting at a corner table.

  Felix and Ferris.

  Felix was poking at a pile of meat and fruit like it had offended him. Ferris nursed a wooden cup, staring off into the distance with hollow eyes.

  Both looked absolutely miserable.

  As we passed, Felix's head snapped up. His eyes widened when he saw Erik walking, talking, alive.

  "You're okay?" he said, genuine surprise in his voice.

  "This humble scholar is pleased to see your swift recovery," Ferris added, bowing his head slightly.

  "If he's fine," Felix snapped, "then why the fuck were we disqualified? This isn't fair!"

  Before anyone could say anything, Erik slammed his hand down on their table with enough force to make the dishes jump.

  Felix's plate launched into the air, food raining down around us like a feast-themed snow globe.

  Thea sighed as Red and Darla wasted no time diving into the mess with gleeful determination.

  "Damn it, Felix!" Erik barked. "Ben here nearly killed himself trying to save me. I might as well have been dead. You didn't tell me what you were doing could kill people. More could have died! What the fuck were you thinking?"

  Felix looked up at Erik with angry eyes, but for once, he didn't have a quick comeback.

  Cass stepped forward and glared down at Felix with barely contained fury. "You've always been reckless, Felix. But what the fuck is going on? This isn't you."

  "I don't know what you're talking about, but even if I did, it's not like

  understand." He said coldly, stabbing his finger at her. He was wearing the ring I’d seen him drop in the tavern two weeks ago. It had a light purple sheen to it, like a mana sanctum.

  Cass's eyes went wide with rage, and her hands clenched into fists.

  "Okay." I stepped in front of Cass before she could commit violence. "I get you're frustrated, Felix, but you don't talk to friends like that." I turned back to Erik. "Everyone is fine, more or less, so it could have been much worse. And I get it, Felix. It sucks that your team is disqualified. But what would have happened if someone died?"

  The look Felix gave me was ice-cold, and I realized I didn't really know him like I knew my other friends on Ark. He was acting like a petulant child, completely dismissing the consequences of his actions.

  Ferris finally spoke up with quiet authority.

  "Had someone perished because of our experiment, expulsion from Sylvarus would have been the minimum punishment," he said. "It is likely the Oathbound would have detained us for trial."

  "And my mother would have wanted to have... words," Cass added ominously.

  Felix just kept glaring at us with undisguised contempt. "Are you done with the lecture?" he snapped.

  Something cold dropped into my stomach.

  "Yeah," I sighed, turning away. Frustration and anger boiled under my skin like acid.

  I hadn't known Felix long, but he'd been one reason I stayed here. He and Ferris had been the first to help me understand mana, to help me start this journey.

  And now, when things didn't go his way, he reminded me too much of Lucian Crow: arrogant, entitled, and narcissistic.

  Maybe it had something to do with how fast he'd been advancing. Maybe it had been there all along.

  Red trotted over, licking his chops, proud of whatever he and Darla had scavenged from the floor. Sensing my mood, he glanced at Felix, then gave my hand a reassuring lick.

  Cass still looked like she had more to say—her anger was right on the edge of explosion—but Thea gathered us up with zero ceremony and pushed us through a set of double doors.

  The moment we emerged into the prep room, Cass exploded.

  "Who the fuck does he think he is?" She bellowed, pacing like a caged tiger.

  Erik put a calming hand on her shoulder before she could build up steam.

  "They're already disqualified," he said. "Felix is your friend, Cass. He's angry. He made a mistake. Let him figure it out."

  Thea, who'd been surprisingly quiet until now, finally muttered under her breath with dark certainty.

  "I wouldn't be so fuckin' sure about that."

  I opened my mouth to ask what she meant, but the air shimmered with familiar energy, and Gary popped into existence, grinning like he'd been here the whole time.

  "Welcome back!" he said, throwing his arms wide with theatrical enthusiasm. "You three really are living up to the name 'Godsdamned Problem.' Aptly chosen, if I may say so again. Are you ready for your second event?"

  "Gary!" I said, shifting mental gears as fast as possible. "What've you got for us this time?"

  "As you've no doubt noticed, your tether cuffs are still attached," Gary said, practically beaming. "They'll activate once the event begins. You'll discover what you're facing when you enter the arena."

  "Spire," Malcolm muttered, already making his way over to the equipment counter. Gary just sighed in response.

  "No Chas this time?" I asked.

  Gary shook his head with obvious disappointment.

  "Chas was called away. There's a rumor a monster was sighted on the north side of the Academy."

  Dara appeared beside him as if she'd materialized from thin air.

  I hadn't even picked her up with Valor. Either she was getting better at stealth, or the lingering soul burn was messing with my perception more than I'd thought.

  "A monster?" I asked with concern. "Did something escape from the trials?"

  Dara shook her head firmly.

  "No. It's possible one came from the ocean or hitched a ride on a visiting ship. Monsters showing up isn't uncommon, but with everything happening, the Archons thought it best to deal with it quickly and quietly."

  "That makes sense," Malcolm said, throwing a quick glance toward Cass, who still looked ready to rip someone's head clean off.

  "You gonna be okay for this?" he asked her.

  Cass took a deep breath and let it out through her nose like steam from a dragon.

  "I fight better when I'm angry," she said with predatory satisfaction.

  "Either way," Gary cut in smoothly, "let's get you equipped. Pick one of these for today's event—regardless of what it ends up being."

  He waved his hand, and three items materialized in front of us with practiced showmanship.

  A long silver chain with a crystal orb about the size of a baseball. A small jade statue of a robed figure holding out his hand in a complex mudra. And a dark-gray longsword with brass runes etched along the spine.

  "Sword," Cass said instantly, grabbing it without hesitation, like it had been calling her name.

  "The celestial force icon would be a better—" Thea protested, but Malcolm and I exchanged a look. I'd promised her she could pick the next one.

  "Sword," we both confirmed in unison, cutting off Thea's tactical analysis.