New abilities

Part 6

Aster moved closer.

Her healer’s senses swept over Dev.

Her expression changed.

“He really did advance.”

Pell looked at her.

“You’re certain?”

“His mana density is dramatically higher. His body has adapted to the new core.”

She frowned.

“Though…”

Veris immediately caught the hesitation.

“Though?”

Aster studied Dev again.

“The physical adaptation is unusually complete for such a recent breakthrough.”

Elira’s stomach dropped.

Aster continued.

“Normally there would be significant fatigue. Possibly microscopic tissue damage, mana-channel inflammation, or instability.”

She looked genuinely puzzled.

“His body appears remarkably well adapted already.”

Veris’s eyes returned to Dev.

That was the first moment his suspicion became more focused.

Not toward the alleged circumstances.

Toward Dev himself.

“You’ve been training your body extensively?”

Elira answered quickly.

“He’s from AlderHollow. He grew up doing physical labor.”

Veris nodded slowly.

“That would explain some of it.”

Pell folded his arms.

“And the unusual mana control?”

Elira hesitated.

“Also AlderHollow.”

Pell gave her a skeptical look.

“Of course.”

A silence followed.

Then Veris sighed.

“I’m not going to interrogate either of you about your private affairs.”

Elira looked profoundly relieved.

“But,” Veris continued, “I am going to insist that Dev undergo a proper post-breakthrough examination tomorrow.”

Elira’s relief vanished.

Veris raised a hand before she could object.

“Not tonight. His core has just stabilized. Excessive magical diagnostics immediately after a breakthrough can interfere with the settling process.”

Aster nodded reluctantly.

“That is correct.”

Veris looked back at Dev.

“Tomorrow morning. Healing wing.”

He paused.

“And Dev?”

His expression became considerably more serious.

“Whatever caused the breakthrough, don’t attempt to reproduce it.”

Pell added dryly,

“Particularly not as a method of academic experimentation.”

The warden near the ceiling suddenly found something extremely interesting about his boots.

Elira’s face went crimson again.

Veris turned toward the door.

“We’ll leave you both to recover.”

He paused.

Then glanced once more around the room.

“The academy will repair whatever was damaged.”

A faint, knowing smile appeared.

“Although I suspect some of the damage may be… difficult to explain to the maintenance staff.”

He stepped outside.

Pell followed.

Aster lingered for a moment.

She looked at Elira.

Then Dev.

Then back at Elira.

“Get some sleep.”

Her tone carried the unmistakable weight of someone who had absolutely no intention of discussing what she thought had happened.

Then she left.

The door closed.

The wardens followed.

Silence returned.

Elira stood frozen for several seconds.

Then she slowly turned toward Dev.

Her face was still burning.

“…I cannot believe that actually worked.”

She covered her face with both hands.

“Never. Ever. Call me honey again.”

A beat.

“And tomorrow, we are figuring out exactly what happened to your core before Professor Veris does.”

As the professors left in the door closed behind them Dev was pale as a ghost “fuck fuck fuck no shit damn son of a… ahh if they find some anomaly who knows if they’ll ever let me go back to my family, hell I might not even be able to have a normal life…”

Elira’s embarrassment vanished almost instantly.

She looked at Dev, heard the fear beneath the swearing, and her expression softened.

She stepped closer, keeping her voice low.

“They won’t.”

A pause.

Then she corrected herself.

“Okay. I can’t promise that. But listen to me.”

She gestured toward the closed door.

“Professor Veris is curious. Pell is going to want to understand the runes under the academy. Aster is going to want to make sure you’re healthy. But none of them have evidence that you’re some unprecedented magical anomaly.”

She glanced toward the room.

“They saw a Level Four breakthrough. That’s all.”

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

“And your story wasn’t actually impossible. You really did push yourself past your limits yesterday. You really did drink those potions. You really did spend the day training. A Level Four breakthrough afterward makes sense.”

She lowered her voice further.

“The strange part is how your body adapted.”

Elira folded her arms.

“And nobody saw that.”

She looked toward the blanket for the briefest moment, then back to Dev.

“The diagnostic crystal recorded it, but it’s destroyed. Whatever readings survived are inside that room, not in the academy’s monitoring network. And Professor Veris specifically said their arrays only detected the breakthrough itself.”

She exhaled.

“So unless you tell someone, we have no reason to assume they’ll discover anything.”

Elira hesitated.

Then she reached out and lightly touched his shoulder.

“And Dev…”

Her expression became serious.

“You’re going home.”

She said it with surprising certainty.

“You’ve worked your ass off. You survived their classes, their combat assessments, and whatever the hell happened underneath that arena.”

A faint smile appeared.

“You don’t get to have one weird breakthrough and decide your entire future has been stolen from you.”

Then she looked toward the door.

“But tomorrow is going to matter.”

Her voice dropped.

“Veris is going to ask questions. So we need to know exactly what we’re dealing with before you walk into that office.”

She glanced at the ruined diagnostic equipment.

“And unfortunately…”

A small, mischievous smile returned.

“…we’re going to have to investigate you ourselves.”

She raised one eyebrow.

“Preferably without destroying another diagnostic crystal.”

“Thank you Elira” his voice softer now, “but If they can see my core they will see the abnormalities…”

Elira’s expression sobered.

“Yeah.”

She didn’t try to argue with that.

“If they do a full internal diagnostic, they’ll see it.”

She glanced toward the door, then back at him.

“And honestly? I don’t think we should assume we can hide it forever.”

She lowered her voice.

“But there is a difference between seeing something unusual and understanding what it means.”

She tapped the side of her head.

“Remember what the crystal showed us. Your core wasn’t merely larger. It was rotating. The mana around it was behaving differently. Your body rebuilt itself during the breakthrough. And neither of us has any idea why.”

She exhaled slowly.

“That means if Veris sees it tomorrow, he might know something is unusual—but he may not know whether it’s dangerous, what caused it, or whether it can even be replicated.”

Elira looked thoughtful.

“And we’re first-years. Even if you’re a Level Four now, you’re still a nineteen-year-old student who just had an abnormal breakthrough. They’re not going to immediately hand you over to some research division because your core doesn’t match a textbook.”

She paused.

“Probably.”

Her grimace made the reassurance less convincing.

Then she sat on the edge of the bed.

“We have one advantage.”

Her eyes met his.

“You already know what your core feels like.”

She pointed toward his sternum.

“If the abnormality is something you can control, then maybe we can figure out how much of it actually shows during a normal diagnostic. If it’s stable, if your mana circulation looks normal enough, and if your core isn’t actively doing something impossible every five seconds…”

She shrugged.

“…then maybe the anomaly is much less obvious than we’re imagining.”

A beat.

“But there’s something else I’m more worried about.”

Elira’s gaze drifted toward the floor, toward the stone far beneath them.

“The arena.”

Her voice became quieter.

“After everything that happened underneath it, the professors are already looking at things they don’t understand.”

She looked back at Dev.

“And now, less than a day later, one of their first-year students has undergone an unprecedented Level Four breakthrough.”

Her expression tightened.

“Even if they don’t connect the two…”

She didn’t finish the sentence.

She didn’t need to.

“Wait you think the two might be related? How could the weird shit happen in the arena have anything to do with me?” He looked genuinely confused “just because both things are anomalous doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily connected right” concern slipping into his tone

Elira immediately shook her head.

“No. You’re right.”

She held up a hand.

“Anomalous doesn’t automatically mean connected. I shouldn’t have implied that.”

She thought for a moment, then continued more carefully.

“The arena incident involved that ancient structure, the sapling, the seal, and whatever intelligence was beneath the academy. Your breakthrough happened afterward. That’s the only obvious connection: timing.”

She frowned.

“And timing alone isn’t evidence.”

Elira leaned back slightly, thinking through everything they actually knew rather than letting speculation run away with her.

“Your core was already behaving abnormally before tonight. You told me it had been building excess mana for weeks. You felt the rotation coming before we ever discovered what was beneath the arena.”

She pointed toward him.

“That means the process was already underway.”

Her expression became more certain.

“So whatever happened tonight wasn’t something that suddenly appeared because of the arena. At most…”

She hesitated.

“…something from the arena could have influenced a process that was already happening.”

She immediately shook her head.

“But again, that’s speculation.”

A small sigh escaped her.

“We need evidence before we start inventing connections.”

She looked toward the door.

“And frankly, we have enough problems without convincing ourselves you’re somehow magically linked to an ancient tree beneath the academy.”

She gave him a pointed look.

“Especially because that would be an insane conclusion to reach from what we currently know.”

Then her expression softened.

“So don’t panic about that yet.”

She paused.

“But tomorrow, when we examine your core, we should document everything carefully.”

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

“Not because I think something is wrong.”

“Because if something is different, I want us to understand it before somebody else decides what it means.”

Elira’s brow furrowed.

“The timing is weird, sure. But you’re right. That doesn’t mean they’re connected.”

She rubbed her forehead, thinking.

“Your core was acting strange for weeks before tonight. You told me that yourself. The arena thing happened a week ago. There’s nothing we’ve seen that actually links the two.”

She paused.

“And whatever happened down there, we don’t even know what it was. We barely know anything about it.”

Elira glanced toward the door.

“Besides, nobody here even knows what you and I saw underneath the arena. The professors kept that whole thing incredibly quiet. As far as the other students are concerned, the academy just had some kind of structural and magical incident.”

She looked back at Dev.

“So I wouldn’t start worrying that your breakthrough is somehow tied to that.”

Her expression softened.

“You’ve been pushing your core for weeks. Maybe this is simply what happened when your body finally couldn’t hold the old core anymore.”

She shrugged slightly.

“It’s weird as hell, but weird doesn’t automatically mean connected.”

Then she gave him a tired little smile.

“Honestly, Dev, we’ve got enough to worry about with tomorrow’s examination. Let’s not invent another mystery tonight.”

She glanced toward the ruined room.

“Besides, I’m still trying to process the fact that you actually pulled off that excuse.”

Her cheeks colored again.

“I swear, if you ever call me ‘honey’ in front of a professor again, I’m letting them take you.”

“I’m sorry for the embarrassment Eli,  I was embarrassed too believe me! My bad it seemed like the best explanation for the state of the room combined with the extra energy overflow and why we’re both sweaty and…” he trailed off before a mischievous grin came over his face “hey you’re the one who pulled up a naked hologram of me” he teased

Elira’s eyes widened.

Then she pointed accusingly at him.

“I did not pull up a naked hologram of you!”

Her voice cracked halfway through the sentence.

“I was performing a medical diagnostic! You were the one who made it weird!”

She folded her arms, though the redness creeping back into her cheeks betrayed her.

“And for the record, I closed my eyes!”

A beat.

“Mostly.”

She immediately looked away.

“…That’s not the point.”

Then she glanced back at him and caught the mischievous grin.

“Oh, don’t you dare.”

Her expression shifted into a reluctant smile.

“You’re enjoying this way too much.”

She shook her head, then muttered,

“Unbelievable. Nearly dying, terrifying me half to death, and somehow you’re still finding a way to tease me afterward.”

She paused.

“Although…”

A tiny smile appeared.

“I suppose that’s a good sign.”

“Mostly?” He echoed

Elira froze.

Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d just admitted.

“…I knew you were going to focus on that.”

She looked away, suddenly very interested in the wall.

“I mean—mostly as in I opened them for approximately half a second to make sure the diagnostic was working properly.”

She glanced back at him.

“And before you say anything, no, I wasn’t looking.”

A beat.

“…Not intentionally.”

Her face went bright red again.

“Stop smiling like that.”

She grabbed a nearby pillow and tossed it at him.

He caught the pillow with a grace and speed that startled himself, Dev blinked and then burst into laughter “not intentionally huh… right right it was a “medical diagnostic””

Elira stared at him.

Then at the pillow in his hands.

Her teasing expression faltered for a moment.

That catch had been fast.

Much faster than Dev had ever moved before.

She noticed it.

Apparently, so did he.

But she wasn’t going to let him escape the conversation that easily.

“Oh, shut up.”

She reached for another pillow.

“It was a medical diagnostic.”

She threw it.

Then another.

“Completely professional.”

Another pillow followed.

“Entirely scientific.”

She was laughing now despite herself.

“And you were the one who covered my eyes with your hand!”

She stopped, pointing at him.

“You literally put your hand over my face and then summoned a fireball to cover yourself!”

Her grin widened.

“So don’t start acting innocent now, Alderhollow.”

Letting the pillows bounce off him as he laughs Dev grined “Right entirely scientific… in that case, You’re welcome for covering your eyes” he teased

Elira stared at him for a moment.

Then she laughed and shook her head.

“You’re impossible.”

She picked up the last pillow and held it against her chest, clearly deciding she was done throwing them.

“And you’re welcome, apparently.”

Her eyes flicked toward him again.

There was a brief pause.

“Although…”

She tilted her head.

“That catch earlier.”

Her smile faded into curiosity.

“You noticed that, right?”

She gestured toward the pillow.

“You barely even looked at it. Your hand just moved.”

She stepped a little closer, studying him.

“Your senses were already getting better before the breakthrough, but that was different.”

Her expression became thoughtful.

“Maybe the body refinement wasn’t just about making you strong enough for the new core. Maybe some of those changes actually stuck in your nervous system.”

She smiled faintly.

“Which means tomorrow’s going to be interesting.”

“Ah yeah it was like the pillow was moving in almost slow motion, I guess this body refinement is something ill have to keep controlled too”

Elira nodded, her curiosity returning.

“Yeah. You’re going to have to be careful with that.”

She looked him over thoughtfully.

“You’re still learning what your body can do. If your perception is faster now, your reflexes probably are too. Strength, speed, balance… we have no idea where your new limits are.”

She pointed at the pillow.

“And that was you barely trying.”

A small grin returned.

“Imagine what happens when you actually start training.”

She paused, then added:

“Just promise me you won’t test your new strength by punching a wall.”

Her eyes flicked toward the damaged room.

“Especially my wall.”

“I’m sure you can’t wait to see what I’m capable of” Dev winked

“But really I owe you big time Elira, I’ll help clean up and fix up your room. If you need anything just ask, I’m here for you”

Elira’s eyebrows rose at the wink.

“Oh, I absolutely can’t wait.”

She gave him a playful shove on the shoulder, then looked around at the state of her room.

Her expression softened when he offered to help.

“You don’t owe me that much, Dev.”

She glanced at the cracked wall, displaced furniture, scattered books, and the remains of several hastily constructed barriers.

“Although…”

A grin slowly returned.

“You did kind of turn my room into a disaster zone.”

She walked over to the bookcase and checked the books, running her fingers along the spines.

“Fortunately, your ridiculous golden barrier actually worked.”

She looked back at him.

“And thank you. Really.”

For a moment, the teasing disappeared.

“You scared the hell out of me tonight.”

She hesitated, then smiled.

“So if you’re serious about being here for me…”

She gestured toward the mess.

“Start with helping me put my room back together.”

Then she pointed at him.

“And tomorrow, we’re figuring out exactly what your new body can do.”

Her smile became mischievous.

“Preferably somewhere that doesn’t belong to me.”

Dev started conjuring spells to clean and fix the room, he smiled back “oh yeah I know you can’t wait to see what this body can do” he teased giving her a naughty sideward glance

Elira froze for half a second, then narrowed her eyes at him.

“Oh, you’re enjoying this far too much.”

A flick of her fingers sent the scattered papers lifting from the floor. They sorted themselves into neat stacks on the desk while Dev’s cleaning spells swept dust and fragments toward a growing pile near the door.

She glanced at him again, catching the sideways look.

“And for the record,” she added, fighting a smile, “I was talking about your magical capabilities, Alderhollow.”

She paused.

“Mostly.”

The last word slipped out before she could stop herself. Her cheeks immediately colored.

She turned sharply toward the damaged wall.

“Just—fix that before you start testing anything.”

Dev couldn’t control his smile so he rolled with it, they went on flirting and teasing each other with bits of depth about the mysterious night they’d had. Dev made sure to fix everything down to the last detail while Elira organized her papers and by the time they were done they ended up passing out on the same bed.

The cleanup turned into its own kind of battle.

Elira kept finding tiny things to criticize.

“That book is upside down.”

“It’s not upside down.”

“It absolutely is.”

A moment later, she was proven right.

She gave him an unbearably smug look. “Thank you.”

The teasing continued between spells, but every so often the humor faded into something quieter.

They talked about the night itself—the strange sensations, the impossible rotation of his core, the way everything had suddenly gone wrong, and how little either of them actually understood about what had happened. Elira admitted that the moment his core started changing had genuinely frightened her.

“I’ve read about breakthroughs,” she said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed while watching the last pieces of debris disappear. “I’ve never seen one behave like yours.”

She looked toward him.

“And I’m still not convinced we’ve figured out what caused it.”

There was no accusation in her voice. Just curiosity—and a little unease.

Eventually, even the damaged sections of the room had been restored. The wall looked untouched. The floor was spotless. The furniture was back exactly where it belonged. Even the faint magical residue had been carefully dispersed.

Elira looked around.

“Okay. I’ll admit it.”

She smiled.

“You did a pretty good job.”

The exhaustion that had been held at bay by adrenaline and magic finally caught up with both of them.

Neither seemed particularly interested in moving.

Somehow, conversation dwindled into comfortable silence. At some point, they both ended up lying on the bed, still talking in half-finished sentences about tomorrow, the arena, his breakthrough, and all the questions waiting for them.

Eventually, exhaustion won.

The room went completely quiet.

Dev woke up first to find that somehow elira was laying in front of him on his arm spooning him, the blood rush and surprise sent his mind reeling back to last night making sure he didnt forget something big. Elira woke up a few moments later and noticing the position they were in her face paled before Turing pink scared to move but then Dev noticed she was awake “hey do you mind letting me have my arm back?” He teased. She jumped up pulling the blanket around herself but as she realized they were both fully clothed she relaxed noticeably

Elira shot upright so quickly that the mattress bounced.

The blanket came with her, clutched firmly around her shoulders as she stared at Dev with wide eyes.

“I—”

She stopped.

Her gaze dropped to herself.

Fully clothed.

Then to Dev.

Also fully clothed.

The panic slowly drained from her face, replaced by an expression of profound embarrassment.

“Oh.”

She let out a long breath and rubbed both hands over her face.

“Oh, thank the stars.”

A few seconds passed.

Then she peeked at him through her fingers.

“Don’t you dare make that face.”

Her cheeks were still bright pink.

She climbed out of the bed, still wrapped in the blanket, and immediately started straightening her hair as though that somehow mattered.

“I have absolutely no idea how we ended up like that.”

She glanced back at the bed.

“…Actually, I have a pretty good idea. We were exhausted.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“And before you say anything, yes, I remember last night.”

She hesitated.

“Most of it, anyway.”

Her expression became more thoughtful as the humor faded.

“Your breakthrough. The mana discharge. The weird black stuff your body expelled. The way you woke up afterward looking like you’d just slept for twelve hours.”

She looked toward him again.

“And that strange feeling around your medallion.”

A beat.

“I still can’t explain that part.”

Then, almost immediately, she pointed at him.

“But that’s a problem for later. Right now, I need clothes that don’t smell like magical disaster.”

She started toward the wardrobe, then paused.

“And Alderhollow?”

A mischievous little smile returned.

“If you tell anyone we slept together, I’ll personally make sure your next practical lesson involves being chased by something with six legs.”

She opened the wardrobe.

“…Preferably something that bites.”

“Hahaha yes I will be sure to keep my mouth shut… it’s only fair as you’re keeping a big secret for me. But hey being chased by a magical beast like that could be kinda fun” he laughed

Elira glanced over her shoulder, one eyebrow raised.

“Of course that part sounds fun to you.”

She pulled a fresh shirt from the wardrobe and tossed it toward him.

“And I wouldn’t exactly call it a secret I’m keeping for you. I’m just not announcing your business to the entire academy.”

She paused, then smiled.

“Besides, if anyone asks why we were asleep in the same bed, I’ll tell them the truth.”

Her expression turned mischievous.

“You were exhausted after nearly exploding your Mana Core, and I was apparently stupid enough to fall asleep while making sure you didn’t die.”

She turned back toward the wardrobe.

“And if you actually want to be chased by a magical beast, I know a place where first-years occasionally get sent for field exercises.”

A beat.

“Though I’d recommend starting with something that has four legs and isn’t venomous.”

She glanced back at him.

“Maybe after we’ve figured out what your new Level Four body can actually do.”

“I like how excited you are to find out what my body can do, your enthusiasm seems a bit more than purely scientific” he insinuated with a sideways glance catching the shirt he grabbed for him and carefully removing the one he had on. As he was pulling the new shirt over his head he saw through the fabric and noticed Elira staring him up and down practically drooling over his sculpted body but as his head came through her gaze was carefully studying the clothes in her closet as if she was completely innocent

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Her voice was suspiciously casual.

She moved three shirts from one side of the wardrobe to the other.

“I’m actually very focused on getting ready for class.”

A pause.

“Extremely focused.”

She glanced sideways.

Caught him looking.

Her face went pink again.

“…Stop looking at me like that.”

She tried to sound stern, but the smile threatening the corner of her mouth ruined it.

Then she muttered, mostly to herself,

“And maybe I am a little curious.”

Her eyes flicked toward him again.

“Your body went through a Level Four refinement overnight. Anyone studying magical physiology would be curious.”

Another pause.

“…Probably.”

She quickly turned back to the wardrobe.

“Anyway. We have Professor Veris waiting for you this morning, remember? And I’m coming with you.”

She shut the wardrobe door.

“Someone needs to make sure you don’t accidentally demonstrate your new strength by breaking his desk.”

The office was exactly as Dev remembered it: orderly to the point of obsession. Books filled the shelves in precise sections, loose papers hovered in neat stacks, and several unfinished spell diagrams rotated slowly above a large central table.

Professor Veris was already there.

He looked up from a document as the door opened.

His eyes went first to Dev, then to Elira.

“Good. You’re both here.”

He set the paper down.

“Close the door.”

Once it clicked shut, Veris leaned back in his chair. His expression was calm, but the curiosity behind it was impossible to miss.

“I’ve spent most of the morning reviewing what happened last night.”

He gestured toward the chair opposite his desk.

“Your Level Four breakthrough is genuine. Your core is stable. Your mana circulation is functioning. Your body appears to have adapted unusually well.”

A pause.

“But that isn’t what concerns me.”

Veris opened a thin notebook.

“What concerns me is that the magical residue in Elira’s room doesn’t resemble a normal breakthrough.”

Elira’s posture tightened slightly.

Veris noticed.

“I am not accusing either of you of anything. I’m telling you that something about the event doesn’t fit established magical theory.”

He turned a page.

“And before you ask, no, I don’t have an explanation.”

His eyes settled on Dev.

“That’s why I want to start with what you actually remember.”

He folded his hands.

“From the moment you first realized something was wrong with your core, up until you lost consciousness.”

Elira remained silent beside him, watching Veris carefully.

The professor’s expression softened just slightly.

“And Dev?”

His voice became more serious.

“If there is anything unusual you noticed—anything at all—I would rather hear it from you than discover it accidentally during some future experiment.”

He let that sit for a moment.

“Take your time.”

Dev didn’t know it but his mana core is now a vortex for world energy, his mana flow is dynamic rather than static, he can now cast without hand signs or words. Awakened mana flow and awakened cores is something normal humans cannot achieve without special intervention from other awakened beings. in this world awakening is a trait exclusive to elves and divine beasts like dragons. It is also accessible to any level 9 core even humans tho there have only been a small handful of awakened humans in the worlds history. Devs elf blood allowed him to go through awakening as he progressed into the fourth tier core.

Dev was scared to reveal anything out of usual because he knew what he went through was something that even Elira couldn’t find any record of, which meant it wasn’t something documented in the libraries of this magical Academy and therefore something undocumented unless it was perhaps a secret hidden by higher forces. These thoughts left him worried about what would happen if he was discovered by the professor to be an anomaly.  “professor there was nothing out of the usual whatever strange energy readings that you had must have come from something else” Dev lied with a natural tone

Veris studied him for several seconds.

He didn’t immediately challenge the answer.

Instead, his eyes dropped to the notebook.

“Nothing unusual.”

He repeated the words quietly, as though testing them.

Elira shifted slightly in her chair but said nothing.

Veris turned a page.

“The readings I recorded last night disagree with that statement.”

He tapped one particular line with his finger.

“Your breakthrough produced an energy pattern that didn’t behave like a conventional Level Four transition. The ambient mana around you wasn’t merely being expelled or disrupted. It was being reorganized.”

His gaze returned to Dev.

“But magical readings can be misleading. Especially when the arrays in that room were already saturated with residual energy.”

He closed the notebook.

“So I’ll ask differently.”

Veris leaned back.

“Do you feel different?”

There was no accusation in the question.

Just observation.

“Your reflexes, perception, mana circulation, casting. Anything that feels fundamentally different from yesterday.”

Elira finally glanced at Dev.

Veris continued before she could speak.

“And don’t worry about giving me a perfect explanation. You’re a first-year who experienced an unusual breakthrough. You aren’t expected to understand every consequence of it.”

He paused.

“I’m more interested in whether your body is behaving safely.”

The professor’s expression hardened slightly.

“Because if something is wrong, hiding it could get you killed.”

Silence settled over the office.

Then Veris added, almost casually:

“And if something genuinely new has happened to you…”

His eyes sharpened with unmistakable scholarly interest.

“…then perhaps the academy’s books are the things that need correcting.”

Dev was surprised and impressed by how open minded Veris was to be so quick to assume limitations in humanities understandings. However this did not use his fear of the consequences of being discovered. Even though he didn’t fully understand yet but it happened to himself he knew that it was not normal and so he was determined to keep it a secret. “ professor I’m sorry to say there really is nothing out of the ordinary. I feel completely normal. My body is behaving normal too.”

Veris held his gaze for another moment.

Then, unexpectedly, he nodded.

“All right.”

No argument. No demand for another diagnostic.

He simply picked up his pen and made a brief note.

Elira glanced at him, clearly surprised that he was letting the answer stand.

Veris noticed that too.

“I said I wanted what you actually remember,” he said. “Not what I can force out of you.”

He closed the notebook.

“Your core is stable. Your physical condition is good. Your breakthrough was successful. Those are the things I can establish with confidence.”

He leaned back.

“The rest remains unexplained.”

For a moment, his expression became almost amused.

“And frankly, I wouldn’t expect a nineteen-year-old first-year to solve a problem that may not have an answer in modern magical theory.”

He reached for another document.

“There is one thing I do want you to do.”

His eyes lifted.

“Come back to me if anything changes. Pain, instability, strange fluctuations, loss of control, unusual sensory effects. Anything that feels wrong.”

A beat.

“And don’t attempt to reproduce the breakthrough.”

Elira gave Dev a sideways look.

Veris continued, “Your core has undergone a major structural change. Even a successful breakthrough leaves a period of adaptation afterward. Give your body time.”

He slid a small parchment across the desk.

“Your formal evaluation has been updated. Level Four. Provisional classification until your abilities have been assessed properly.”

Elira leaned forward slightly.

“Provisional?”

“Because we haven’t seen what he can actually do yet.”

Veris looked toward Dev.

“And that brings us to the interesting part.”

A faint smile appeared.

“Your Spell Construction evaluation is still outstanding.”

Elira’s eyebrows rose.

“Seriously? After everything?”

“Especially after everything.”

Veris stood and walked toward the door.

“You’ll have plenty of opportunity to demonstrate whether last night’s breakthrough changed your casting.”

He opened it.

“Tomorrow morning. Spell Construction.”

Then he looked back at Dev.

“And Alderhollow?”

There was the slightest glint of curiosity in his eyes.

“If you discover that your definition of normal has changed…”

He gestured toward the hallway.

“Come tell me.”

The door remained open.

“Otherwise, you’re dismissed.”

Dev wanted to trust and confide in the professor, it’s wonderful to have an educated and powerful ally to help him keep his secret after all, but as far as he could tell Veris still seemed equally likely to confine and study him if he was enough of an anomaly to change the worlds understandings and lead to breakthroughs in magical research. He didn’t know that Veris was already pulling strings behind the scenes to protect him from further examinations. As Elira and Dev left they both sighed with relief and found themselves back at devs room, the second door closed behind them and no one could see them they embraced in a tight hug relief washing over them for different reasons but one thing was sure, the hug lasted longer than Dev expected, noticing she wasn’t letting go Dev asked “Elira is everything okay, I…” but he stopped feeling her shudder “sorry I was just scared…” she pulled away wiping her eyes “scared to lose you…” she whispered under her breath but his enhanced senses picked up the words

Elira froze when she realized he’d heard her.

For a moment she just stood there, eyes lowered, one hand still brushing away the tear at the corner of her eye.

“I wasn’t supposed to say that.”

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

She looked toward the closed door, then back at him.

“Last night scared me more than I let you see.”

She gave a small, embarrassed laugh that didn’t quite hide how shaken she still was.

“When your core started spinning faster and you started coughing blood… I genuinely thought I was watching you die.”

Her fingers tightened around the sleeve of her robe.

“And then you just…” She shook her head. “You woke up.”

Silence.

Her eyes met his.

“I know we’ve only known each other for a short time. I know that’s probably ridiculous.”

She took a breath.

“But somewhere along the way, you stopped feeling like some random guy from a mountain village who happened to be good at spell construction.”

A tiny smile appeared through the remaining emotion.

“You became my friend.”

She hesitated.

“Someone I don’t want to lose.”

Her gaze dropped again, suddenly self-conscious.

“So… yeah.”

A beat.

“I was scared.”

She didn’t try to hide it this time.

He embraced her again tightly but careful not to crush her- scared of his untested new strength. “Elira… I care about you too, you’re my best friend in this crazy place you know.”

Elira went still for a moment when he embraced her again.

Then her arms came around him.

She laughed softly against his shoulder, though there was still a little shakiness in it.

“Your best friend?”

She pulled back just enough to look up at him.

“Good. Because you’re stuck with me now.”

The teasing was familiar, but her eyes were still a little wet.

She noticed how carefully he was holding her and smiled.

“You’re being ridiculously careful.”

Her hand briefly rested against his arm.

“Don’t worry. I’m not made of glass.”

Then she looked toward the door, remembering exactly where they were—and exactly how many rumors could start if someone happened to walk in.

Her smile turned mischievous.

“Although after this morning, maybe we should start locking doors.”

She gave him a playful shove toward the room.

“Come on. You’ve got an entire new Mana Core to figure out, and I refuse to let you accidentally vaporize a bookshelf before breakfast.”

The day flew by and before they knew it it was time for spell construction class

Rumors about the arena incident were still circulating among the first-years, though nobody seemed to know what had actually happened beneath the battlefield. The faculty had kept the damaged arena sealed, and that only seemed to make the speculation worse.

Eventually the familiar bell rang.

Spell Construction I.

Students filed into Veris’s classroom, taking their usual seats. The room was arranged more like a workshop than a lecture hall: individual casting stations, floating diagrams, rune boards, and several suspended mana crystals for testing spell structures.

Elira took her seat beside Dev.

She leaned closer.

“Ready?”

Before either of them could say more, the classroom door opened.

Professor Veris entered carrying a thin stack of papers.

The conversations died down.

He placed the papers on his desk but didn’t begin the lesson.

Instead, he looked directly toward Dev.

“Before we continue today’s material, we have an evaluation to finish.”

A few students immediately turned around.

Veris ignored them.

“Alderhollow, come to the front.”

Elira gave Dev a quick look.

Veris walked toward the central demonstration circle.

“Yesterday, you demonstrated an unconventional modification to a Level Two fire spell.”

He gestured toward the circle.

“Today, we’re going to determine whether that insight was repeatable—or merely an interesting accident.”

A few students snickered at that.

Veris’s expression didn’t change.

“You will construct a spell from principles rather than modify an existing one.”

He stepped aside.

“Choose the effect.”

A murmur went through the room.

That was considerably harder than modifying a prepared spell.

Veris continued.

“Your spell must have three properties: it must respond dynamically to changing conditions, maintain a stable core structure, and contain no pre-written sequence telling it exactly what to do.”

His eyes sharpened with interest.

“In other words, I want to see whether you can build a spell that can think through its own behavior without actually being intelligent.”

Elira’s eyebrows lifted.

Veris gave the faintest smile.

“You have twenty minutes.”

The demonstration circle activated beneath Dev’s feet.

“Begin.”

Devs mind was spinning at full speed, “That sounds like I will need to make the spell embed with willpower, for my spell to respond dynamically without instructions while maintaining structure I’ll make a healing spell as they have the most structure in the base design…”. He set off scribing runes and weaving patterns and by the time 18 minutes were up he stepped back and looked at Veris “okay professor I think I have done it”

Veris’s eyes moved over the spell without him saying a word.

The class had gone quiet.

What Dev had built wasn’t particularly large. A compact lattice of runes hovered inside the demonstration circle, surrounding a small crystal focus. Several students recognized pieces of a standard healing structure, but the arrangement was unfamiliar.

Elira leaned forward.

Veris stepped closer.

“Interesting.”

He crouched beside the edge of the circle and studied the outermost runes.

“You used the healing matrix as the foundation…”

His gaze followed the mana pathways.

“…but you’ve removed the conventional targeting sequence.”

A few students exchanged looks.

Veris didn’t touch it.

Instead, he asked, “What happens when the spell encounters an injury it wasn’t designed for?”

Before anyone could answer, he activated a testing construct.

A small metal sphere rolled into the circle. A blade extended from its surface and cut a shallow groove across the construct’s metal plating.

The spell reacted.

Mana flowed toward the damaged section.

Then stopped.

The students murmured.

Veris’s eyes narrowed.

“Good.”

He activated a second mechanism.

This time, the construct’s damage was deeper and irregular.

The healing spell changed its mana distribution.

It didn’t simply increase output.

It altered the shape of the healing field around the damaged area, concentrating energy where structural integrity had been lost while reducing output where the damage was superficial.

Veris stared at it.

For the first time since the evaluation began, genuine surprise crossed his face.

“You gave the spell a decision-making framework.”

He looked toward Dev.

“You didn’t tell it what to do.”

His eyes returned to the runes.

“You gave it enough awareness of its own purpose to determine what should be done.”

A student near the back whispered, “That’s impossible.”

Veris heard him.

“No.”

He stood.

“It’s merely difficult.”

He walked around the spell slowly.

“The distinction matters.”

His finger hovered over one section of the array.

“This is the critical piece. You’ve embedded a fragment of the caster’s will into the spell’s operating structure.”

He looked genuinely fascinated now.

“Not enough to create intelligence. Not enough to give it independent thought. But enough to preserve the intent behind the spell while allowing its execution to change.”

Elira’s expression had become a mixture of pride and disbelief.

Veris looked toward the clock.

“Eighteen minutes.”

He glanced back at the spell.

“And you still have two minutes.”

A faint smile appeared.

“So tell me, Alderhollow.”

He gestured toward the construct.

“What happens if I introduce a second injured target?”

“I’ll need to give the spell more mana, but it’s designed for a single target, ideally I’d cast it again for a second target, but with two minutes left maybe I can add a target chaining aspect to it in that time…?” He said not so confident now

Veris’s eyebrows rose.

“Maybe.”

A small smile touched his face.

“That is the correct answer.”

He pointed toward the spell.

“You’ve already identified the problem. Don’t mistake having more mana for having more targets. The spell’s architecture currently has a single healing priority. If you simply increase the mana supply, you’ll make one target stronger.”

He stepped back.

“You need to change the logic of the targeting structure.”

The timer continued counting down.

01:42.

Elira watched the runes carefully.

“Don’t rebuild the whole thing,” she murmured. “You’d run out of time.”

Veris didn’t reprimand her for speaking.

Instead, he nodded once.

“She’s right.”

The second construct rolled into the circle.

Its damaged plating began leaking a thin stream of artificial mana, simulating severe injury.

Veris folded his arms.

“You have less than two minutes.”

The original healing spell remained stable.

Waiting.

Whatever Dev changed now would have to integrate into an already functioning structure without collapsing it.

“Like stacking arrays I have to integrate the second matrix into the framework without interfering or disrupting the existing structure… hmm okay let’s see” he thought aloud as he began weaving the necessary structure to change the spell into a multi target chaining healing spell and as he pushed to complete the weave before the clock passed 20 minutes he unconsciously began manifesting runes faster than his hands or lips could move, I seen vision of the rooms that came to existence the mana following his will. Luckily the second he noticed this was happening he wa able to stop, now he just hoped no one else had noticed it…

The final rune locked into place just as the timer chimed.

20:00.

The demonstration circle flashed once.

Then the healing lattice stabilized.

For half a second, nothing happened.

Then the first injured construct lit up.

Mana flowed through the original healing matrix, repaired the damaged structure, and—rather than terminating—redirected through the new targeting branch.

The second construct received the remaining flow.

Both stabilized.

The room went silent.

Veris stared at the spell.

Then at the clock.

Then back at the spell.

“Well.”

He walked into the circle, examining the newly added structure without touching it.

“You actually did it.”

A few students began whispering.

Veris raised one hand and the room quieted.

“This isn’t merely a multi-target healing spell. The chaining mechanism preserves the original spell’s adaptive behavior.”

He traced the path with his eyes.

“First target receives priority. Remaining mana is evaluated. The spell then searches for another valid target and reallocates its output accordingly.”

He looked toward Dev.

“And importantly, you didn’t simply duplicate the healing matrix.”

His expression sharpened with interest.

“You created a recursive targeting pathway.”

Elira looked at Dev with a mixture of amazement and amusement.

Then her expression changed.

Just slightly.

Her eyes flicked toward his hands.

She had noticed something.

Not necessarily what had happened in those final moments. But she’d seen the runes appear faster than they should have.

She didn’t say anything.

Veris continued his inspection.

“There is, however, one serious flaw.”

He pointed toward the central structure.

“Mana efficiency.”

The second target had received considerably less energy than the first.

“If you attempted this on two critically injured people, your first target would likely survive while the second might receive insufficient healing.”

He straightened.

“That’s not a failure. It’s an engineering problem.”

Then he looked directly at Dev.

“And one worth solving.”

He turned toward the class.

“Take note. This is what spell construction actually looks like.”

Several students were staring at Dev now.

Some impressed.

Others considerably less pleased.

Especially a few of the highborn students who had already watched him outperform expectations several times.

Veris looked back toward Dev.

“Your evaluation is complete.”

A pause.

“Excellent work.”

Then, quieter:

“And we’ll discuss something else after class.”

His gaze lingered for a moment.

Not accusing.

Just curious.

“Privately.”

“If I had more time to change the original matrix I could’ve modified the spell to focus on the most critical injuries in multiple targets before finishing the healing process maximizing the efficiency of the mono but with the time pressure I was barely able to integrate the ability for the spell to recognize and heal my secondary target after performing its function for the first” Dev noted and nodded to the professors comment. for the rest of class Dev was worried that the professors  keen eyes had noticed his little display of impossible magic that even he didn’t understand. Before long The class ended and everyone left, Dev stayed behind as Veris had requested.

The last students filed out, their conversations fading down the corridor.

Elira lingered at the doorway for a moment. She looked between Veris and Dev, then gave Dev a small, reassuring nod before leaving.

The door shut.

Veris waited until the latch clicked.

Then he turned around.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Instead, he walked back to the demonstration circle and examined the remnants of Dev’s spell.

“You were right about the matrix.”

He tapped the central structure with the end of a pencil.

“With enough time, you could have reorganized the priority system rather than simply adding a secondary target. That would have improved efficiency considerably.”

He set the pencil down.

“But that’s not why I asked you to stay.”

Veris looked directly at him.

“I saw something during the final moments of your construction.”

The room seemed suddenly quieter.

“I don’t mean the completed spell.”

He pointed toward the space where Dev had been standing.

“I mean the runes.”

His expression wasn’t fearful.

It was intensely curious.

“For a brief moment, your hands stopped being the limiting factor.”

He paused.

“You manifested the structure faster than you could physically inscribe it.”

Veris’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“And before you worry, I don’t intend to drag you before the faculty and dissect the phenomenon.”

The wording was deliberately blunt.

“I’ve already dealt with enough frightened students to know what happens when people believe something unusual about themselves will turn them into a specimen.”

He walked toward his desk.

“I also know that forcing an explanation out of someone rarely produces useful research.”

He sat.

“So I’m going to ask you one question.”

His gaze remained steady.

“What happened?”

Dev didn’t know if this was connected to his unusual breakthrough but he knew this one was undeniable, the professor saw it happen… there was no hiding it, lying would only get him under more scrutiny. So he spoke “honestly professor I really don’t know what happened, I could see the finished product in my mind I knew exactly what I was writing but my hands can only move so fast and time was running out, I was speaking and scribing the runes as fast as I could… but then the runes I knew I wanted started to fill themselves in… maybe another student was helping me from afar?”

Veris stared at him for a long moment.

Then he shook his head.

“No.”

He didn’t sound disappointed. If anything, he sounded intrigued.

“If another student had been assisting you, I would have detected a second mana signature. There wasn’t one.”

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk.

“And you didn’t describe an external spell interfering with yours. You described something considerably stranger.”

He tapped the desk once.

“You knew what you wanted the spell to become, and the magic followed that understanding faster than your body could physically express it.”

Veris stood and walked to one of the rune diagrams hanging on the wall.

“That’s fundamentally different from conventional casting.”

He turned back.

“Most mages construct a spell through a sequence: thought, intent, gesture, spoken command, rune, mana.”

He pointed toward Dev.

“What I saw was closer to: intent, then manifestation.”

The professor’s expression became thoughtful.

“I don’t know what mechanism produced it.”

He paused.

“And I’m not going to pretend I do.”

That admission seemed strangely deliberate.

“I’ve spent twenty years studying spell construction. There are forms of magic I still can’t explain.”

He returned to his desk.

“So don’t invent an explanation simply because you think I expect one.”

Veris pulled a fresh sheet of paper from a drawer.

“Until we understand what happened, treat it as an uncontrolled phenomenon.”

He wrote something down.

“Don’t attempt to reproduce it during combat. Don’t demonstrate it for other students. And don’t push your mana simply to see whether you can make it happen again.”

His eyes lifted.

“Especially after what happened to your core.”

A brief silence.

Then Veris’s expression softened.

“If it happens again naturally, pay attention.”

He slid the blank sheet across the desk.

“Not just to what the spell does. Notice what comes first. Do you picture the runes? The completed spell? The desired effect? Does the mana move before you consciously direct it?”

He shrugged.

“Anything you can remember.”

Then, almost casually:

“And if you discover that you can reproduce it…”

A faint smile.

“Come find me before you tell anyone else.”

He leaned back.

“Not because I want to claim the discovery.”

His eyes settled on Dev.

“Because if magic really can be constructed directly from understanding rather than physical execution, that would change spellcraft.”

He let the implication hang.

“And I’d rather help you understand it safely than watch you accidentally blow up another bedroom.”

Dev took a deep breath, furrowing his eyebrows “professor… if I’m capable of something that can change the current model of understanding… won’t the government want to study me, won’t I be conscripted for some kind of magical research just like I was conscripted to this academy just for having a level 3 core? It seems like in this world magic talents that go beyond the normal are considered valuable enough to override an individuals freedom…”

Veris didn’t answer immediately.

The question seemed to strip away the professor’s scholarly curiosity and leave something more serious underneath.

He folded his hands on the desk.

“Yes.”

The bluntness of the answer was almost startling.

“If the government became convinced you possessed a magical capability with significant military or strategic value, there are laws that could allow them to intervene.”

He watched Dev carefully.

“Your mandatory enrollment was one example. Exceptional magical talent is considered a public resource by some parts of the state.”

His expression hardened.

“But that does not mean they automatically own you.”

Veris opened a drawer and removed a thin legal volume.

“There are protections. Medical consent. Research restrictions. Limits on compulsory experimentation. Procedures for determining whether a discovery constitutes a strategic magical asset.”

He placed the book on the desk.

“The problem is that laws are only as useful as the people enforcing them.”

A quiet pause.

“And some people are very good at finding ways around inconvenient laws.”

Veris leaned back.

“So your concern isn’t irrational.”

He studied Dev for another moment.

“But listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

His voice became quieter.

“I have no intention of reporting an unverified phenomenon as a strategic discovery. Right now, you are a first-year student who experienced an unusual breakthrough and performed an exceptionally clever spell-construction exercise.”

He gestured toward the door.

“That is all anyone needs to know.”

His expression softened.

“You don’t owe the academy every secret your body happens to contain.”

Then he added:

“If someday you decide that what you’re capable of deserves proper study, that should be your decision.”

He paused.

“And if you decide you want absolutely nothing to do with magical research beyond passing your classes and going home someday…”

A faint smile appeared.

“That’s a perfectly legitimate ambition too.”

Veris stood and returned the legal volume to the drawer.

“Just don’t confuse secrecy with safety. If something is happening inside your magic that you don’t understand, eventually we may need to deal with it.”

He looked back at Dev.

“When that time comes, choose very carefully who you trust.”

A beat.

“And for what it’s worth…”

The professor gave him a knowing look.

“You can start by trusting the person who just told you that he doesn’t have all the answers.”

“I want to be able to return to my family after the academy” dev said.  “And I definitely don’t want to become some Laboratory test subject…” he mentally added

Veris’s expression softened.

“I figured.”

He returned to his chair but didn’t immediately sit.

“You’ve mentioned your village several times since we met. The way you talk about AlderHollow doesn’t sound like someone planning to abandon it.”

He finally sat down.

“And wanting to go home isn’t a lack of ambition, Dev.”

He paused.

“It’s a choice.”

For a moment, the professor seemed to consider how much he should say.

“Finish your education. Learn enough to control whatever you’ve awakened. Keep your head down when you need to.”

A faint smile.

“And don’t go around announcing that you might have discovered something revolutionary.”

He glanced toward the door.

“As far as the academy is concerned, you’re a talented first-year who reached Level Four unusually early.”

Then his voice became more serious.

“If you keep your abilities private, I can give you considerably more room than the academy normally gives students of your talent.”

He folded his hands.

“But there is one thing I want in return.”

Veris looked directly at him.

“If something starts happening that threatens your health or your control, tell me.”

He held the gaze for a moment.

“Not because I’m your professor.”

A beat.

“Because I’d rather help you stay alive long enough to go home.”

“Thank you professor Veris” Dev said with a bow, “I will definitely tell you if anything dangerous seems to be happening”

Veris smiled and nodded adding “and Dev, listen son I have seen many strange things in my career, I want to study and understand all these unusual phenomenon indeed but not at the cost of a young lads whole life, so please understand me, I will protect you from scrutiny and deep examination to the best of my power but you will need to keep your head down and control whatever is going on, you’re lucky no other students noticed your slip during the lesson.” He paused then pulled out a piece campus map and scribbled on it for a bit, then pointed to a circled area “this is an old wing of the academy that used for storage of non magical materials, there are not as many arrays here and if you follow this line it will take you to an open field outside the detection systems where you can practice to control whatever you’re going through, just be careful coming and going, you’ll need this to pass the security system” he added passing Dev a special token, “and it goes without saying that no one can find out you have this. I’m taking a big gamble on you kid so I hope you will return this show of trust” Veris added with a stern look.

Veris held the token out until Dev took it.

It was small and unremarkable—dark metal, stamped with a simplified Argent Spire crest. No obvious enchantment could be seen on its surface.

“Keep it somewhere secure,” Veris said. “The wards will recognize the signature even if you don’t know how.”

His stern expression remained.

“And Dev? Don’t mistake this for permission to become reckless.”

He tapped the map.

“That field is outside the academy’s ordinary detection network, but it isn’t outside the world. If something goes wrong, there won’t be an instructor standing twenty paces away to stop you.”

He folded the map and handed it over.

“Start small. Learn what you can do before you try to impress yourself.”

A faint smile returned.

“You’ve already demonstrated that you’re rather talented at surprising people.”

He stood and walked toward the door.

Then he stopped.

“One more thing.”

Veris looked back.

“Whatever happened during your breakthrough and whatever happened during that spell construction exercise may be completely unrelated.”

His voice was careful.

“Don’t assume they’re connected simply because they happened close together. If there is a connection, we’ll need evidence.”

He opened the door.

“And if you discover something genuinely extraordinary…”

His eyes held a spark of the scholar again.

“Try not to blow yourself up before you come tell me.”

He stepped aside, allowing Dev to leave.

The corridor outside was nearly empty now.

And somewhere beneath the academy, far below stone floors and ancient foundations, something that had been dormant for a very long time had begun to stir again.

Dev return to his room contemplating Veris’s  words. The classes done for the day he went to grab Elira and tell her everything

Dev found Elira in the library, surrounded by an unreasonable number of books.

She looked up as he approached.

“You’re late.”

Then she noticed his expression.

Her teasing disappeared.

“What happened?”

She closed the book in front of her and stood.

“You were alone with Veris for quite a while.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Did he figure something out?”

She glanced around the library before lowering her voice.

“Come on. Somewhere private.”

A few minutes later, they were back in Dev’s room. Elira shut the door and immediately turned toward him.

“Okay.”

She folded her arms.

“Tell me everything.”

Her eyes dropped briefly toward his hands.

“And don’t tell me ‘nothing happened.’ I know you better than that already.”

Dev told her everything that was said in his meeting with Veris, showing her the map and token. “ you said you wanted to find out what this body could do… it seems he’s provided us with a secret place to go find out…” Dev said smirking

Elira stared at the map.

Then at the token.

Then back at Dev.

“You’re telling me Veris just handed you a secret pass and directions to an unsupervised training field?”

A grin slowly spread across her face.

“I like him more every day.”

She took the map carefully, studying the route.

“He’s taking a pretty big risk.”

Her finger followed the line he’d been given.

“And apparently he trusts you enough to do it.”

She handed the map back.

Then her eyes narrowed playfully.

“And yes, I did say I wanted to find out what your new body could do.”

She stepped closer and gave him an exaggeratedly thoughtful look.

“But let’s establish some rules before your enthusiasm gets us both expelled.”

She held up one finger.

“No destroying academy property.”

A second.

“No testing anything potentially lethal without understanding what it does first.”

A third.

“And if you feel that strange core pain again, we stop immediately.”

She lowered her hand.

“Deal?”

Then she glanced toward the token again.

A mischievous smile returned.

“Because if we’re doing this…”

She grabbed her cloak from the back of a chair.

“…I want to see what a Level Four can actually do.”

They were both excited if not slightly apprehensive as they traversed the halls yet; curiosity and excitement dominated as they found themselves stepping out into the field, “wow I can’t believe he gave me a key to sneak out of the campus… he could probably lose his job for something this illegal” Elira noted. Dev nodded contemplating how much he could trust the professor, “ it’s definitely a big risk for him but I haven’t known him long enough to know if his intentions are truly pure”

The field stretched beyond the academy’s outer grounds, a broad patch of wild grass bordered by low hills and scattered trees. The academy’s towers were still visible in the distance, but the wards that normally hummed through the campus were noticeably absent here.

Elira stepped out onto the grass and looked back at the academy.

“Yeah…”

She turned the thought over.

“If someone found out he gave you that token, he’d have a lot of explaining to do.”

She looked at Dev.

“And you’re right. We don’t know him well enough to assume he’s completely selfless.”

She tucked her hands into her cloak.

“But I don’t think he’s trying to hurt you.”

A small pause.

“He could’ve reported what he saw today. Instead, he gave you somewhere private to figure it out.”

Her eyes moved toward the distant academy walls.

“Maybe he’s genuinely trying to protect you.”

Then she looked back toward Dev with a crooked smile.

“Or he’s secretly a mad scientist recruiting promising students for his underground laboratory.”

She let the absurdity sit for a second.

“Either way, if a hidden basement appears and he starts asking for samples of your blood, we’re running.”

She stepped farther into the field.

“Now…”

Her expression shifted into genuine excitement.

“Show me what changed.”

Dev laughed nodding “definitely, and now hmm where to start, maybe just a test of physical capabilities.” Then Dev crouched and jumped surprising himself as he reached a good 10 feet in the air. “Wow” he exclaimed landing with the grace of a cat. Next he went to punch the ground and was once again astounded as his fist buried itself elbow deep into the rocks and dirt pulling his hand out to find his skin not even scratched “huh okay then” he took a breath and then took off running astounded to see how fast he was moving. Returning to Elira he noted “damn I guess I’m pretty super human now”

Elira’s mouth fell open as she stared at the crater he’d just made.

“Okay.”

She walked over and crouched beside the hole, examining the fractured stone around it.

“That’s… considerably more than I expected.”

She looked up at him.

“Ten feet from a standing jump, and you drove your arm through rock without even bruising your hand.”

Then he ran.

The expression on her face shifted from surprise to outright fascination as she watched him cross the field and return.

“That speed…”

She shook her head.

“You didn’t even look like you were pushing yourself.”

She stood and brushed dirt from her knees.

“So, yes.”

A grin.

“‘Superhuman’ is probably a reasonable starting description.”

Then she pointed at the ground.

“But we’re going to be careful with this.”

She looked him up and down, clearly trying to reconcile the person she’d known yesterday with what was standing in front of her now.

“Your muscles aren’t the only thing that changed. Your bones, connective tissue, nervous system… apparently everything adapted during the breakthrough.”

She paused.

“And your control is keeping up with it.”

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

“That’s actually the part I find strangest.”

She stepped backward into the open field.

“Try something smaller.”

She raised one hand.

“Don’t use your full strength. Just move toward me and stop exactly three steps away.”

A playful smile returned.

“Let’s see whether your body can obey your brain as well as it seems to obey gravity.”

Doing as instructed Dev moved.

Like this and with other tests like slowly crushing a rock in his hand to gently plucking a flower without crushing the stem between his fingers.

The tests quickly became more interesting than either of them expected.

The first few were simple.

Dev crossed the distance and stopped exactly where Elira had told him to. Then they increased the difficulty.

A fist-sized stone became the next test.

Elira watched closely as his fingers closed around it.

At first, nothing happened.

Then the rock began to crack.

Dev eased his grip.

The cracking stopped.

He applied a little more pressure.

More fractures appeared.

He backed off again.

Eventually, the stone crumbled into several pieces without his fingers ever jerking or slipping.

Elira stared at the fragments.

“That’s actually impressive.”

She picked up a flower from nearby and held it out.

“Okay. Try this.”

The challenge sounded ridiculous compared with punching through rock.

It wasn’t.

The stem bent slightly as his fingers closed around it.

Then stopped.

No crushed petals. No broken stem.

Elira’s eyebrows rose.

“Your fine control improved too.”

She took the flower back and examined it.

“That’s probably more important than the strength.”

She looked toward the crater he’d made earlier.

“Anyone can destroy something when they’re strong enough.”

Her gaze returned to the intact flower.

“Being able to decide exactly how much force to use is another matter.”

She smiled.

“And apparently you can go from punching through stone to handling a flower without accidentally turning it into paste.”

She tossed the flower lightly into the air and caught it.

“Good.”

Then she stepped back.

“Let’s try reflexes.”

Without warning, she flicked a small pebble toward his shoulder.

It wasn’t fast enough to seriously hurt him.

But it was fast enough to test whether his new senses would notice it before his conscious mind did.

He dodged with ease and raised an eyebrow, “I think you’re gonna have to attack me with something a lot faster, don’t worry about hurting me we both know healing magic and clearly I’m a lot more durable now” he said but seeing the hesitation in her face he sighed and summoned some armor made of ice so she could feel comfortable attacking him with full force

Elira looked at the ice armor, then at him.

“You really do know exactly how to make it difficult for me to say no, don’t you?”