To say rumors travel fast at the academy would be a severe understatement. They spread like wildfire, each retelling more exaggerated than the last.

  My next class—History of Magic—ended up being a complete mess. Professor Brume, a kindly old woman with silver hair and a perpetually warm smile, tried her best to teach us about the founding era of structured magic. The poor woman didn't stand a chance.

  "Did you see it?"

  "Heard she didn't even get a spell off—"

  "—completely unranked, how is that even possible—"

  "My cousin said he leveled the entire training ground—"

  At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if the whispers claimed I’d fought a dragon between classes.

  Professor Brume would pause mid-sentence, give a gentle "Now, now, students," which was promptly ignored, and then continue her lecture to the three people actually paying attention.

  By the thirty-minute mark, she'd given up on discipline entirely, settling for speaking a bit louder over the chatter.

  I actually felt bad for her. The material seemed interesting—something about how wild magic used to work—but the classroom was too chaotic to follow properly.

  I kept my head down, trying to pay attention to the class, though every remark poked at my concentration. I managed to jot down a few notes about magical theory evolution, but mostly I just wanted the class to end.

  But I had to admit, Emberheart's strategy was effective. Students were looking at me with newfound respect—or fear that I might accidentally blow something up with them nearby. Some even changed seats when I walked past, suddenly finding the opposite side of the classroom more appealing.

  Not ideal, but better than the alternative. At least no one was calling me "the unranked nobody" anymore.

  When class finally ended—Professor Brume looked completely defeated—I gathered my things and left.

  As I stepped into the corridor, the wave of whispers followed me like a shadow.

  "That's him."

  "Looks normal, doesn't he?"

  "I heard Professor Emberheart is teaching him personally—"

  I made my way toward the dining hall, keeping my expression neutral. My stomach growled, cutting through my thoughts. Dealing with duels and S-rank mages apparently burned through calories.

  The corridors were busy with students heading to lunch. Conversations would pause as I passed, then resume in hushed whispers behind me. I kept my pace steady, not hurrying but not dawdling either.

  The attention was a double-edged sword. Part of me appreciated being recognized as strong. But the larger part, the part focused on survival, knew this attention made me a target. Every eye on me was a potential threat, every whisper a reminder that I'd lost my anonymity.

  The dining hall was packed when I arrived, filled with the usual lunch rush. Students clustered around long wooden tables, the air thick with conversation and the smell of food.

  Aurora was again in her usual spot, the balcony dome overseeing the entire dining hall.

  I scanned the room and immediately spotted Prince Aurelius at his central table.

  In a way he was her complete opposite. While she seemed to dread the attention and avoid the spotlight, he seemed to almost need it.

  He sat with rigid posture, flanked by Mary and two other A-rank students I didn't recognize. One was a tall boy with silver hair, the other a girl with striking green eyes.

  Mary looked as composed as ever, her expression stoic and unreadable. Whatever embarrassment she might have felt about the duel, she wasn't showing it publicly.

  The silver-haired boy noticed me first. He leaned toward the prince, murmuring something while gesturing in my direction.

  The prince's head began to turn.

  I averted my eyes before we could make eye contact, scanning the tables for Lina instead. No point inviting confrontation before I'd even eaten.

  I finally spotted her familiar dark blue hair at one of the corner tables, far from the prince's line of sight.

  "Hey," I said, sliding into the seat beside her.

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  "Hey?!" She whirled on me, eyes wide. "What do you mean 'hey'? I told you to be careful, and the first thing you do is stun the future queen in front of half the academy?!"

  I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry! I didn't know it was her. She wasn't wearing her uniform or anything."

  "Your cluelessness continues to surprise me," Lina said, shaking her head. "How do you not recognize Lady Mary?"

  "I... don't really pay attention to who's who?" I admitted, reaching for an empty plate. "Besides, the prince kept going on about how weak she was."

  "It’s the Prince.” Lina said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “He thinks anyone not named Aurora is weak."

  "I should've guessed that..." I muttered, focusing on filling my plate. The roasted chicken looked particularly good today, along with some kind of vegetable medley.

  Of course the prince would call anyone weak, but to act that way towards his future bride was still a surprise. For a moment I felt bad for her, wondering if she even had a said on the matter.

  Lina continued looking at me, as if expecting me to come clean out of my own volition, and I took the opportunity to eat a bit, which lasted a few seconds until she gave up, raising her voice again.

  "And training with Professor Emberheart? How did that even happen?"

  "It kind of just... happened?" I said, knowing how weak that sounded.

  Lina's expression made it clear she wasn't buying it. "Things like this don't 'just happen,' Kai. He's an S-rank mage. There are A-rank students who would do anything for his attention, and you somehow landed private lessons on your second day?"

  I could hear the suspicion in her voice, but I couldn't exactly explain the truth. "What about you?" I deflected. "Did you talk to Professor Theron about the expedition?"

  Lina's eyes narrowed slightly, clearly recognizing the subject change. "You really don't want to tell me, huh?"

  "It's complicated."

  "Fine." She took a breath, visibly choosing to let it go. "I did talk to him. He said he'll evaluate us based on a test next week and recommended I focus on doing well."

  "A test?!" I nearly choked. "Next week?! We've had ONE class!"

  "Keep your voice down," Lina hissed. "They need to evaluate students for the expedition. I doubt it'll count toward final grades, but the math and theory are brutal. Theron doesn't go easy on anyone."

  "Yeah, I'm going to fail that spectacularly." I said, already having forgotten every word he said during class.

  "That's why we're studying together," Lina said firmly. "I'll be in the library around five. We can go over the fundamentals."

  "I'd appreciate that," I admitted. "I didn't understand a single thing Theron said. Might as well have been speaking another language."

  "It was like that for everyone," she assured me. "The math is dense, but it gets easier once you grasp the basic concepts. I can almost calculate the duration of a spell matrix now."

  "Almost?"

  "Give me another week," she said with a slight smile. "The formulas are starting to make sense."

  "Alright," I said, grateful despite myself. "I'll be there. Failing my first test would be a terrible start."

  "Especially now that everyone's watching you," Lina added with a slight smile. "Can't have the mysterious unranked prodigy bombing a theory exam."

  I grimaced at the descriptor. "Please don't call me that."

  "Why not? That's what everyone else is calling you."

  "That's exactly why."

  I ate a bit more, letting the conversation settle into something more comfortable.

  "Hey, I wanted to ask," I said after swallowing. "What is there to do at the academy besides study? There has to be something else."

  Lina brightened. "Oh, there's quite a bit depending on your standing. Clubs, private study groups, special projects... Some students organize their own activities too."

  "And for us mere mortals?"

  "Well, I personally spend most of my time studying," she admitted. "But I've joined a few groups. Some students from Ancient Runes are organizing a rune hunt. And the Magical Construction professor is holding a competition to see who can build the best construct."

  "Interesting," I said, and meant it. For a moment, I felt a twinge of something uncomfortable. Lina had been here barely longer than me and already had activities, groups, connections. Meanwhile, I was still trying to figure out how not to get killed.

  For just a second I understood Aurora, I felt like her on that domed balcony overlooking the dining hall. Surrounded by people, yet completely separated.

  "You should try to find some allies," Lina said gently, feeling my mood shift. "Make some connections. Especially now, with everything that's happened. You need people you can trust."

  "Yeah," I said quietly. "I probably should."

  The truth was, I'd spent so long being careful, keeping people at arm's length for safety. But that strategy was getting harder each day.

  After a few more minutes of lighter conversation, we finished our food and prepared to head to our afternoon classes.

  "What do you have next?" she asked.

  "Mana Studies," I said, then paused." Actually, I should check my room first. Emberheart said he was adjusting my schedule."

  "Alright," Lina said, waving as we parted ways at the dining hall entrance. "See you at five. Don't be late."

  "I won't," I promised.

  The walk back to my dorm was quick. Students still stared, but I was getting used to it. When I reached my room and pushed open the door, I spotted the new schedule on my desk, placed neatly over the old one.

  I picked it up, scanning the changes. Three of my classes had been replaced with entries reading "Private Lesson - Professor Emberheart." Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons.

  Feeling slightly relieved to have three less classes to worry about, I committed the changes to memory, confirmed my next class was still Mana Studies, and checked the time. Fifteen minutes. I needed to leave now.

  I then tucked the schedule away and made my way back out, navigating the corridors toward the class. Students still stared and whispered as I passed. A group of first-years actually pressed themselves against the wall when I came around a corner.

  This was going to be my life now. No more invisibility. No more blending into the background.

  Just me, trying to survive being noticed.

  One day at a time.

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