I still had to sit on the sidelines during the end-of-year exams. No practicals for me, apparently; I was still too much of a "hazard." But the written exams? I aced every single one of them.
Even so, I couldn't shake the Headmaster's words. I counted the days, waiting. Waiting for that person he spoke of to appear the one who could face me as an equal.
By the time the second year began, the anticipation hadn't faded. But there was one thing to look forward to: dungeon expeditions. Finally, no more sneaking around at night like some thief to collect materials. Now, I could gather them openly.
I must've been smiling at the thought, because Vivian tilted her head at me suspiciously. "What are you thinking about so deeply that your face looks so evil right now?"
I quickly smoothed my expression. "Nothing. How are you doing? Is there anything you don't understand?"
She shook her head, "Nope. Everything's been fine so far."
I nodded, relieved. Last week, we had our first class assessment. I'd quietly tampered with the results not in a way anyone could notice, just enough to hide both mine and Vivian's classes. Both of ours were far too rare, far too dangerous to reveal yet. Trouble would come knocking the moment anyone found out.
For now, it was better this way. To everyone else, we were just part of a group filled with common and intermediate classes. A few seniors ranked higher, of course, but even then, their abilities were nothing unusual, no standouts, no anomalies. That suited me just fine.
"Oh! I almost forgot." I passed her a heavy leather-bound book, "I found a book that might be useful for your class."
Her eyes lit up as I handed it to her.
"From now on, I'll only oversee your training," I told her, my tone firmer than usual. "Your class is different from mine. I can't teach you how to wield it, but I can make sure you have the right information and guidance to keep going."
Vivian tilted her head, smiling gently. "I'm fine either way. But… What about your class? What is it, Cecilia?"
I froze.
For a moment, I didn't know how to answer. How could I possibly tell her the truth? That my class wasn't just rare, it was dangerous. More dangerous than anything else in this academy. More dangerous than hers.
My throat tightened. "It's…."
She must've seen the hesitation in my eyes, because she reached out and took my hand. Her warmth was steady, grounding. "You don't have to tell me right now," she said softly. "I'll wait until you're comfortable. But…if I remember correctly, when we were kids? You told me you'd already awakened your class. And yet, I've never once seen you use it. Why is that?"
I blinked, staring at her in disbelief. "What are you talking about?" I asked, dumbfounded.
Her brows furrowed.
"Back then, I used it every night." My voice dropped lower, carrying a weight I hadn't meant to let slip. "Every night, I used it. To keep you safe."
Her eyes widened, lips parting as if she wanted to ask more. But something in my expression must have stopped her, because she fell silent instead.
I looked away, gaze fixed on the horizon. Some truths weren't meant to be spoken yet.
Instead, memories I'd buried long ago rose unbidden, sharp as broken glass.
Back then, after every night, when Vivian fell asleep, I would sit awake by the window and the shadows would stir.
They always came when I called.
Silent. Heavy. Familiar.
The darkness itself bent at my fingertips, spreading across the floorboards like a second skin. It wrapped around the walls, the door, the windows, cloaking us in absolute silence. Nothing could pass through no sound, no presence, no threat.
They kept Vivian safe. That was all that mattered.
Every morning, when she woke, she thought she had simply slept soundly. She never knew what prowled outside those walls, clawing and snarling at the invisible barrier I had woven. She never knew what it cost me to hold the shadows in place until dawn.
I looked back at her now, shaking my head with a faint, rueful smile.
"You never saw me use my class," I said quietly, "because it wasn't for you to see. It was only to keep you safe."
"By the way," Vivian muttered, shifting uncomfortably in her chair, "do we really have to study in the restricted section? Couldn't we sit in the normal library like normal people?"
I leaned back, stretching my arms behind my head as my eyes wandered up the endless rows of towering shelves. The air here was cooler than anywhere else in the academy, heavy with the scent of old parchment and candle wax. The wards etched into the floor hummed faintly, and the silence was so complete it pressed against your ears like velvet. Every so often, a lantern flickered with a strange glow, as though it was aware we were here.
"Because I like it here," I said. "There are no noisy students, no gossiping groups nor any distractions. Just peace and calm."
Vivian peeked at me from behind her quill, eyes wide. "Peace? Calm? You call this calm? These books feel like they're glaring at me. I swear, the one on summoning moved when I blinked."
I chuckled, leaning forward to tap her open notebook with my finger. "That's just your imagination. They're harmless."
"Says the girl who isn't sitting right under a stack of grimoires labelled 'Cursed.'"
"Then stop staring at them," I smirked. "Focus on your notes."
Those cursed grimoires are quite helpful, you know. I flipped another brittle page, the ink shimmering faintly with sealed enchantments. I've already learned some amazing spells from them. Spells that would've been locked away forever if I didn't sneak down here. And yet they still dump treasures like this into the trashy section as if they're something to be ashamed of.
"Vivian," I said suddenly, calling her name. She looked up, as I kept my eyes fixed on the grimoire. "Are you going on the dungeon expedition next week?"
She twirled her quill between her fingers, thoughtful. "I'm… considering it. It'll be dangerous, but also a good opportunity for me to test myself." A faint smile tugged at her lips. "Besides, it sounds exciting. But…" She hesitated. "Are you really not going with us?"
I let the silence hang for a moment, my gaze lingering on the shimmering runes etched in the margins of the page. The answer was obvious, but hearing her ask still tugged at something in me.
"I won't be welcomed," I said flatly. "You know that as well as I do. It's better if I stay behind. This way, I can use the time to experiment with the spells I've learned."
Vivian frowned, resting her chin on her hand as she studied me. "You make it sound like exile, Cecilia. You could still come if you wanted."
A wry smile touched my lips. "Maybe I am."
Her brows furrowed, but her eyes gleamed with a hint of worry
"You keep working," I said, "I'll be back in a bit."
She only nodded.
As I slipped between the shelves, the silence pressed closer until a familiar voice slid directly into my head.
"You really do keep her at arm's length sometimes." Nox's tone was light, but it carried that sting of truth he never bothered to soften.
I sighed, running my fingers absentmindedly over the spines of the old books. "You know how I don't understand emotions well. I can fake them, sure, but…" My hand stilled on a worn grimoire. "When she openly reaches for me like that, it makes me want to run away."
There was a pause, then his voice wrapped around me like a quiet tether. "You don't have to force yourself. If you really want to run, you can always come to me."
Something tugged at my chest, enveloping me in warmth. I bit my lip, then allowed myself the smallest grin. "Thanks. I know. After all… you're my home."
Nox chuckled softly. "Cheeky kid."
I snorted softly, shaking my head. He always said it like an insult, but to me, it was comforting.
Just like that, the day of the dungeon expedition arrived. The entire second-year class gathered at the academy gates, their chatter filling the morning air. The destination was a low-rank dungeon, the kind usually dismissed as training grounds for novices a goblin nest.
"For you, it's a playground," Nox said in the back of my mind, his tone dry. "But for them? It could be life-threatening. Did you forgot, the first time they threw you into a dungeon, it was this very kind. They thought you'd never come out."
I let out a low chuckle, my lips curling at the memory. "And instead, I slaughtered every single goblin inside… while smiling."
"Exactly." Nox's voice was half amused, half somber. "You make carnage sound like nostalgia."
"Don't praise me too much," I murmured, lips twitching. "It's just one of my favourite memories."
"What got you grinning like that?" Vivian's voice broke my thoughts. She was clutching Lux to her chest; these days, the little creature insisted on sleeping in her room. Lux blinked drowsily, tail swishing in faint irritation at being dragged out so early.
"Nothing," I said lightly, waving her off. "Just reminiscing about something."
She eyed me, then adjusted Lux. "Are these instructions really necessary?"
"Yes," I replied firmly, handing her a folded parchment. "I wrote down every instruction in detail. If you follow them exactly, you won't have trouble." My gaze softened slightly. "Also, your first kill is always memorable. Make sure it's a high orc."
Her eyes widened. "A high orc? That's… not exactly beginner material."
"The way I trained you," I said with a smirk, "it should be a breeze."
She puffed her cheeks, muttering something about "impossible standards," but didn't argue further.
The instructor's voice cut through the morning chatter like steel against stone. "Form ranks. Check your gear. It's time to head out."
The murmurs quieted instantly, replaced by the rustle of armour straps being tightened. Excitement, nerves, and fear hung thick in the air. The dungeon gates loomed ahead, etched with ancient runes that pulsed faintly, as if aware of the lives about to step through.
The instructor's sharp gaze swept over the students. "Remember this isn't practice. Out there, hesitation will get you or your friends killed. Trust your training. Trust your team. Now move."
With that, the second-years began their march toward the waiting dark.
"Alright, class," the instructor said, his voice carrying a hard edge. "Double-check your grimoires, your mana reserves. From this point on, hesitation means death. Move."
The dungeon gates yawned open with a grinding screech, and a rush of stale, fetid air washed over them. The students flinched; the stench of blood and rot clung to their throats. Torches ignited one by one with whispered spells, flames sputtering to life and throwing long shadows across the moss-streaked stone.
Inside, the silence was broken only by the drip of water and the faint scuttling of claws against stone. Magic seals pulsed faintly along the walls, like veins feeding the dungeon's life. Cecilia's words from training echoed in Vivian's mind: Don't flinch. Don't hesitate. Monsters smell fear.
The first scream came too fast. A goblin, green-skinned and hunched, lunged from the dark, its claws dripping black ichor. Spells erupted instinctively: one student fired a fireball, another hurled shards of ice. The goblin's body tore apart midair, flesh burning and freezing at once, spraying the walls with gore. The smell of scorched meat lingered.
"Keep moving!" the instructor barked.
But the deeper they went, the more the dungeon revealed its cruelty. Goblins poured from hidden tunnels, eyes glowing, mouths slavering. The students fought desperately painting the cavern walls with gore, lightning frying entire clusters until the stench of ozone and charred flesh choked them.
One girl's barrier shattered under a goblin's claws, her screams echoing as crimson splattered across the stone. Vivian snapped her hand forward, voice steady despite the chaos:
"[Bind]."
Chains of light speared from the ground, wrapping around the goblin mid-leap. Her second spell detonated, and fire erupted from its chest, consuming it from the inside out. The goblin's shrieks warped into gurgles before it collapsed in a smoking heap.
The others stared. Vivian didn't. Cecilia's training was burned into her bones: No hesitation. Kill, and move on.
By midnight, the cavern floors were slick with blood. Goblin corpses littered the ground, limbs scattered, entrails steaming. Students stumbled, some trembling, but they kept casting lightning, fireball, all until their mana ran thin.
Hours blurred together into a rhythm of skirmishes, spells, and shouts. Goblins fell one after another, until the class stumbled into the deeper chambers where the high orc awaited.
The monster was nearly twice their height, muscle-bound and snarling, wielding a crude iron axe. Fear spread across the students' faces. Some faltered. But Vivian didn't.
She stepped forward. Cecilia's words rang in her ears: "Your first kill should be a high orc. You can handle it."
Her hand tightened, She whispered a spell, her voice low, deliberate. Circles bloomed beneath her feet, layer upon layers of runes spinning like clockwork. The air itself distorted.
The orc roared and charged only for Vivian's spell to erupt. Spikes of Ice tore through the ground, impaling it from every direction. Its blood sprayed in violent arcs, sizzling against the stone. The orc writhed, shrieking, until she closed her fist every spike twisted at once, ripping its body apart into a grotesque rain of flesh.
The battle was chaotic screams, steel, and spellfire clashing against the orc's brute strength.
She whispered an incantation, her magic flaring. A spear of hardened light formed in her hands perfectly balanced, sharp enough to cut air itself. She hurled it with every ounce of strength she had.
The spear pierced the orc's chest clean through. The beast let out a deafening roar, staggered, and collapsed. Silence followed, heavy and absolute.
Then cheers erupted.
Vivian stood there, panting, her hands trembling but her eyes shone with fierce triumph. Her classmates surrounded her, awe replacing doubt. To them, she wasn't just the quiet girl with good grades anymore. She was much more than now.
When they stumbled out of the dungeon at dawn, they were no longer wide-eyed students. Their robes were soaked in blood, their grimoires scorched, their faces pale. They looked like survivors.
Vivian walked in the center of them, her expression unreadable but her eyes glimmered with pride
And Cecilia wasn't even there to see it.
To be continued.