Charisma 100: My Academy Life As A Heartbreaking Commoner-Chapter 238: Year Two

The first day of Year Two began with staring.

A lot of staring.

Aegis walked through the academy halls with Talia at her side, and every single person they passed either gawked, whispered, or both. A group of second-years pressed themselves against the wall as Aegis went by, like she was going to start throwing shadow bolts at random. One kid, couldn’t have been older than fifteen, literally dropped his books when he saw her coming and just stood there frozen until she passed.

"You’d think I murdered someone," Aegis muttered.

"You did use forbidden magic in front of five hundred nobles," Talia said. "At our wedding."

"Details."

A pair of girls hurried past them, heads down, moving fast. One of them glanced back at Aegis with wide eyes, then whispered to her friend. Aegis caught the words "shadow mage" and "Umbral Blade" before they rounded a corner and disappeared.

[Great. They think I’m a cultist now.]

To be fair, she couldn’t really blame them. The news had spread fast. Lady Starcaller, the Winter Trials champion, the commoner who’d very recently clawed her way to nobility, had revealed herself as a practitioner of forbidden shadow magic while she was getting married to Talia Stone, while fighting off an assassination attempt.

It sounded like the kind of story that had been embellished by a lengthy game of Telephone, but no, that was literally just what happened.

By now, half the academy probably thought she’d summoned demons or eaten someone’s soul or some shit like that.

"Give it a few weeks," Talia said. "It’ll be fine."

"Or it’ll get worse."

"That’s also possible."

They reached the classroom for Divine Magic, and Aegis paused at the door. Talia squeezed her hand once, quick, and then let go before anyone could see.

Aegis walked into the room.

Sister Mirabel was already at the front, standing behind her lectern with her hands folded and her expression set in that particular brand of cold disapproval that she’d apparently perfected over years of practice. Her white robes were immaculate, her grey hair was pulled back tight, and her eyes tracked Aegis the moment she stepped through the door.

Every other student in the room turned to look too.

Aegis found an empty seat near the middle, sat down, and pulled out her notes like this was any other class. She could feel the stares boring into the back of her head. Someone behind her shifted in their chair, probably trying to put more distance between themselves and the confirmed shadow mage.

[This is going to be a long semester.]

Mirabel cleared her throat, and the room went quiet.

"Welcome to Year Two of Divine Magic," she said. Her voice was calm, measured, and about as warm as a winter morning in the mountains. "As you might remember, I was originally substituting for Professor Loralei, but she’s since agreed that the class should become permanent. This semester, we will be advancing to intermediate purification techniques, protective wards, and the theory of divine channeling. You will be expected to demonstrate proficiency in all three areas by the end of term."

She paused, and her gaze swept the room before landing, very briefly, on Aegis.

"Divine magic represents purity and light. It is the antithesis of corruption and shadow. Those who practice it must maintain not only technical skill, but moral clarity. The divine does not answer to those whose hearts are clouded."

She didn’t look at Aegis when she said that last part.

She didn’t have to.

Everyone else in the room did it for her. Aegis counted at least twelve heads turning in her direction, some curious, some nervous, one guy in the back looking like he was about to bolt for the door.

[Subtle, Mirabel. Real subtle.]

Aegis kept her expression neutral and her eyes on her notes. She wasn’t going to give Mirabel the satisfaction of seeing her react.

The lecture continued. Mirabel went through the theory of intermediate purification, explaining how divine energy could be focused to cleanse not just objects but spaces, removing lingering magical residue and corrupted aether.

It was actually interesting material, and Aegis found herself taking notes despite the hostile atmosphere. Some of this overlapped with what Rosanna had taught her about aether manipulation. Different terminology, different framing, but the underlying principles were similar.

"Now," Mirabel said, setting down her notes, "a demonstration. Who would like to attempt a basic purification circle?"

Silence. Nobody raised their hand. A few students looked at each other, clearly hoping someone else would volunteer.

Mirabel’s eyes found Aegis.

"Lady Starcaller. Perhaps you’d like to show us what you’ve learned."

It wasn’t really a question.

Aegis stood up, walked to the front of the room, and faced the class. Mirabel had set up a small copper bowl on a pedestal, filled with water that had been deliberately tainted with corrupted aether. The water was murky, almost black, and it gave off a faint unpleasant smell, like something rotting.

Aegis placed her hands over the bowl and closed her eyes. She reached for her aether, and breathed in. She felt the aether flow through her pathways, and pushed it gently into the water.

The corruption resisted for a moment. Then it began to dissolve, breaking apart under the steady pressure of clean energy. The murky blackness faded to grey, then to clear. The smell disappeared. Within thirty seconds, the water in the bowl was as pure as mountain spring water.

Aegis opened her eyes.

The room was silent.

Mirabel was staring at the bowl with an expression that Aegis could only describe as confused. Like someone had just told her that fire was cold and she was trying to process the information.

"That’s... adequate," Mirabel said finally. "You may return to your seat."

Aegis walked back to her desk. On the way, she noticed a girl in the front row struggling with her own practice bowl, the water still cloudy and resistant. Aegis paused, leaned down, and murmured a quick tip about focusing the aether in a spiral pattern rather than pushing it straight down.

The girl blinked at her, clearly not expecting help from the scary shadow mage, then tried it. The water cleared almost immediately.

"Thanks," the girl whispered. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"No problem."

Aegis sat back down. She could feel Mirabel’s eyes on her, sharp and suspicious, but she didn’t look up. Let the Sister stew on that. Let her try to figure out how a shadow mage could demonstrate perfect divine technique and help struggling students in the same breath.

[Maybe because I’m not actually evil, you... big-tittied, paranoid nun.]

The rest of class passed without incident. When Mirabel dismissed them, most students hurried out, still giving Aegis a wide berth. But a few nodded at her as they left, and the girl she’d helped gave her a small, shy smile.

"Lady Starcaller."

Mirabel’s voice stopped Aegis at the door. The other students filtered out, leaving them alone in the classroom.

Aegis turned.

"Sister Mirabel."

Mirabel walked toward her, her footsteps echoing in the empty room. She stopped about five feet away, close enough to be intimidating, far enough to maintain propriety.

"I don’t know what game you’re playing," Mirabel said. Her voice was low, controlled. "Shadow magic and divine magic do not coexist. They cannot coexist."

"Maybe they can," Aegis said. "Maybe it’s not as black and white as you think."

"That is not how the divine works."

"With respect, Sister, I think the divine works however it wants to work. I’m just trying to help people and stay alive."

Mirabel’s jaw tightened. For a moment, Aegis thought she might actually lose her composure, but she pulled it back.

"I’ll be watching you, Lady Starcaller. Closely. One slip, one sign that the shadow has taken hold, and I will intervene. Do you understand?"

Aegis met her gaze and held it.

"Then watch closely, Sister. You’ll see I’m exactly who I say I am."

She turned and walked out of the classroom before Mirabel could respond.

The hallway was empty. Everyone else had already headed to their next class or lunch or wherever students went when they weren’t being interrogated by suspicious priestesses. Aegis leaned against the wall for a moment, let out a breath, and opened her Scandal Shop.

Current Balance: 300 Scandal Points

She’d spent 500 on Lune. That left her with enough for one more big purchase.

Major Timeline Deviation (300 Points)

[Alright. Let’s see what’s coming.]

She bought it.

The notification that appeared was short. Just one line, plain text, no dramatic fanfare.

TIMELINE DEVIATION:

Umbral Blade members will infiltrate Rosevale Academy during the second year.

Aegis stared at the message for a long moment.

[So they’re coming here. To the school. Where all my people are.]

She closed the shop and pushed off the wall.

[Okay. I’ll be ready.]