Alex woke up to someone shaking his shoulder. Hard.
"Get up. We're going to settle this."
Alex cracked one eye open. Marcus was standing over him, already dressed in what looked like combat gear—leather armor that probably cost more than most cars, silver bracers, and a staff that hummed with contained energy.
"Settle what?" Alex mumbled, pulling his pillow over his head.
"Don't play dumb. I know what you're doing."
"Sleeping?"
Marcus yanked the pillow away.
"You're trying to humiliate me. The whole 'I'm just average' act, the grocery lists, pretending you don't know anything—it's all designed to make me look foolish."
Alex sat up slowly, his hair sticking up in three different directions.
"Dude, it's..." He squinted at the window. Still dark. "What time is it?"
"Six AM. Training starts at seven."
"Training?"
"Combat practice. Mandatory for all Class S students." Marcus's grip tightened on his staff. "But before that, you and I are going to have a little chat."
Alex yawned. "Can we chat after breakfast? I function better with coffee."
"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" Marcus's voice rose. "You act like nothing matters to you, like you're above it all. Like I'm beneath your notice."
"I literally just met you yesterday."
"And you've been condescending to me ever since."
Alex stared at him. "When was I condescending?"
"Quality control isn't what it used to be," Marcus mimicked. "Those crystals were designed by master enchanters!"
"And they broke when I made a tiny light. That seems like a design flaw." Marcus's face was turning red.
"You destroyed them because you're ridiculously powerful and you know it!"
"I made a light the size of a marble."
"That overloaded graduate-level detection equipment!"
Alex rubbed his temples. "Look, I don't know what you want me to say. I'm not trying to mess with you. I just want to go to class and learn stuff."
"Prove it."
"What?"
Marcus pointed his staff at him. "If you're really just some average student, prove it. Fight me."Alex looked at the staff, then at Marcus's determined expression, then at his own rumpled pajamas.
"Right now?"
"Right now."
"I'm not even dressed."
"Are you scared?"
Alex considered this. "Not really. More confused."
"Then get dressed. We're going to the training ground."
"Can I brush my teeth first?"
"Fine. Five minutes."
Alex shuffled to the bathroom, wondering how his life had gotten this weird so quickly. Through the thin walls, he could hear Marcus pacing and muttering to himself.This guy has serious issues.When he came back out, Marcus was waiting by the door, fully armed and vibrating with nervous energy.
"Ready?"
Alex looked down at his jeans and t-shirt. "I guess?"
The training ground was empty except for a few early-morning joggers. Marcus led him to a marked circle in the center of the field.
"Standard rules," Marcus said. "No permanent damage, no lethal spells, match ends when someone yields or is incapacitated."
"Cool."
Alex stretched, his joints popping. "Just to be clear, I don't actually want to fight you."
"Then yield."
"I also don't want to yield."Marcus's eye twitched. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Acting like this is all beneath you!"
Alex shrugged. "If you say so."
Marcus raised his staff. Fire began to coil around the crystal at its tip. "Last chance to take this seriously."
"I am taking it seriously. I'm just also really tired."The fire erupted. Alex had been in a lot of fights over the years—more than he wanted to think about. Most of them had been against things that wanted to destroy the world or devour human souls. This was different. Marcus wasn't evil, just... upset.
Kid's got decent form, though.The fire tornado that Marcus conjured was actually pretty impressive. It scorched the ground and sent waves of heat across the training field. A few of the joggers stopped to watch.
Alex stepped sideways, avoiding the flames. "That's a nice spell."
"Stop moving and fight back!"
"I'm not really a fire person." Alex pulled an apple from his pocket—he'd grabbed it from the fruit bowl in their room. "Mind if I eat while we do this? I missed dinner."
Marcus's flames turned white-hot. "You're EATING?"
"I get cranky when I'm hungry."The tornado widened, forcing Alex to hop back a few steps. He took a bite of the apple and chewed thoughtfully."This is actually pretty good. Where do you think they get their fruit?"
"FIGHT ME!"
Alex sighed.
"Fine." He finished the apple and looked at the core. "You know what? Apple cores are biodegradable. They're good for the environment."He flicked it at Marcus.The apple core hit Marcus right in the center of his forehead. The fire tornado collapsed instantly, and Marcus toppled backward, unconscious before he hit the ground.Alex walked over and checked his pulse.
"Still alive. Good."
"Holy shit."Alex looked up. A small crowd had gathered—students heading to early morning classes, a few faculty members, and what looked like maintenance staff. They were all staring at him.
"He defeated Marcus Blackwood with an apple core," someone whispered.
"Is that even possible?""He wasn't even trying. He was eating."
Alex stood up, brushing dirt off his knees. "Should I get a teacher or something? He's probably fine, but—"
"You beat him with fruit," said a girl with short black hair. "That's not even a spell."
"It's just an apple core."
"You infused it with mana."
Alex blinked. "I did?"
"You had to. Otherwise it wouldn't have penetrated his defensive barriers."
"He had barriers?"
The girl stared at him. "You didn't notice his shields?"
"I was focused on the fire tornado."
"But you countered them perfectly. The way you calculated the trajectory, the exact amount of force needed—"
"I just threw it at him."
"You threw it at the precise weak point in his defensive matrix."
Alex looked down at Marcus, who was starting to stir. "I aimed for his head because it's the biggest target."
The crowd murmured among themselves. Alex caught fragments:
"—such confidence—"
"—defeated a Blackwood heir—"
"—with garbage—"
"Is he okay?" Alex asked.
Marcus groaned and sat up, holding his forehead.
"What happened?"
"You got knocked out by compost," Alex said helpfully.
"By what?"
"Apple core. I told you they're biodegradable."
Marcus stared at him for a long moment. Around them, the crowd was growing larger. Someone was taking pictures."You..." Marcus's voice was barely a whisper. "You weren't even trying."
"I told you I didn't want to fight."
"But you won. With fruit."
Alex helped him to his feet. "Are you hurt? You went down pretty hard."
Marcus shook his head slowly. "I used my strongest spell. My family's signature technique. And you..." He looked at the apple core on the ground. "You defeated it with garbage."
"Biodegradable waste," Alex corrected. "It's different."
"This is impossible."
"What's impossible?"
"You're impossible."
Alex patted him on the shoulder. "You'll feel better after breakfast. Low blood sugar makes everything worse."
He started walking back toward the dorm, leaving Marcus standing in the middle of the training circle, staring at the apple core.
Behind him, the crowd was buzzing with excitement."Did you see how relaxed he was?"
"He was having a snack during combat!"
"No wasted movement. Perfect efficiency."
"I heard he's from the mountains. Maybe it's some kind of wilderness fighting technique."
Alex pushed through the crowd, nodding politely but not stopping. All he wanted was coffee and maybe some toast.Weird school. Weird roommate. Weird everything.
Back in their room, he found a note on his desk: "Mandatory Class S orientation at 9 AM. Building A, Room 101. —Professor Stone"
Alex checked the clock. 8:30."Great," he muttered.
"More people."
He grabbed his backpack and headed out, hoping the cafeteria would still be serving breakfast. Behind him, through the window, he could see students gathered around the training ground, probably still talking about the fight.
At least Marcus seems okay. That's something.
He had no idea that by lunch time, half the academy would know about the "Apple Core Incident," and by dinner, three different theories about his fighting style would be circulating through the student body.
Alex just wanted coffee.
And maybe a muffin.