20 minutes later:

Vergil had finally reached the dorm room after dropping Ray off at the infirmary. His clothes — torn and smeared with dried stains of crimson and sweat.

"So uh, where’s Ray?" Kael watched as the door creaked open in the dead of night.

"In the infirmary," Vergil yawned. "We went overboard."

"I think overboard is an understatement. I prefer the word overkill."

Vergil scratched the back of his head, moving to sit onto the middle bed. His body relaxed into the softness of his white pillow and blanket.

"I don’t think we’ll see Ray for quite a while."

Kael only gave a weird look, closing a rather thick book on magic principles.

"Just what were you doing?"

Vergil just shrugged, taking a small rest before moving to change out of ruined clothes into another of the same kind. He needed to buy nightwear but he had no funds left over from his adventure — and he definitely wasn’t borrowing money from anyone!

"Rest in peace Ray, you won’t be missed." Kael blurted, praying on his bed — opening his book once more.

The room fell silent for a split second. The air conditioner was finally heard, making a slight whistling sound.

"Now when did I say he died!?"

"You hinted at it, so I prayed for his soul in he— i mean heaven."

Vergil gasped.

"A five-second prayer doesn’t count. And don’t tell me you were thinking he was going to hell."

’Can’t get anything past you, King of Blowfish. Too bad, your theory scores don’t reflect.’

Vergil’s veins popped out of his neck. "Maybe I should send you to Ray as well."

Kael walked over to the cupboard, pulling it open and gesturing to three sets of black nightclothes fitted for each of them.

"....."

"Do you want to say something?" Kael’s hand, now pointed at the folded clothing that showed their names. "Keep talking Vergil."

"Keep talking." He repeated with a grin.

"But all jokes aside, it’s rather unsettling they know each of our sizes and maybe even more."

"That’s... unsettling."

"The academy knows more than they let on. I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew at least our sizes. You might find it creepy, but it’s necessary for the safety of everyone."

"If you think about it that way."

"Don’t try to think too much. A good portion of the academy budget goes to surveillance and protection for a reason." His usual smirk faded as he continued. " It’s scary to think, we could be wiped out in a mere second without even knowing."

"Now I’m confused."

"You don’t know?" Kael gazed at Vergil, who changed into black nightwear. "You’ll find out soon enough, so I won’t tell."

"Ahh, to think I would have a peaceful nap," Vergil muttered. "Damn you, Kael."

With a resigned sigh, he fastened the buttons on his black tunic, struggling on the first before smoothly tying it on the second. Sunny had judged it was rather unfitting for an academy that prioritises the colour green but it was their choice in the end.

His eyes caught Kael’s attire. Sure it was nightwear like his, but it was customer-made. A soft-dark blue cloth, etched with silver thread that shimmered faintly from the dim light of the ceiling. Subtle patterns of stars, moons and much more along the cuff.

"Why’s yours so special?"

"I brought it from home, and I’m proud to say this was definitely worth the price," Kael smirked.

Vergil scoffed. "Show-off."

"If you go to the capital, there’s a boutique run by a tailor from Skylis. Imports fabrics from around the globe."

"Let me guess," Vergil muttered. "If I have the money."

Kael’s hand moved to form a circle. "If."

Vergil’s back collapsed backwards onto his, his legs slipping under the blanket. His head rested on his pillow as he moved his arm to cover his eyes.

Vergil knew there was nothing worse than being broke. To him it was his lifelong nemesis that he wished to overcome.

As if reading his mind, Kael leaned back against his bed. "If you need money, you can, you know, borrow from me."

"For free?"

"A small interest," Kael proposed. "Ten percent per day."

Vergil slowly turned his head, facing the ceiling once more. At this point, Kael wasn’t even hiding that it’s a scam.

"Trust me on this one. You’ll enjoy the benefits."

"You’re insane," Vergil muttered. "Get lost."

Kael only laughed. Before long, the silence settled in once more, the conditioner slowed to a stop.

Vergil curled up slightly under the thin blanket, pulling it halfway over his face until it reached his nose.

For a while, there was nothing but the movement of blankets and creaking of the bed. The small lantern resting on the drawer next to Kael’s bed emitted a faint orange light with no sound. A book, now a third of the way completed lay in his hands — eyes flickering until the end of the page.

"I wonder how Ray’s doing?" Vergil spoke.

"He’ll be fine, and we’ll see him tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Really?"

"We’ve got a pretty amazing infirmary. Don’t doubt the skills of the greatest academy."

"And don’t feel guilty about it. You think everyone trains soft?" Kael added.

"Maybe, but then again we’re at the greatest academy after all. And I doubt we could get any real sleep when we start training properly."

"It’s very likely we won’t get any sleep unless it’s holidays or next year."

"What’s happening next year?"

Kael’s eyes flicked towards Vergil. "You really don’t know?"

He closed his book slowly with a muffled thud, before pressing a small button on his lantern — the faint glow dimming till it faded.

"I won’t tell you either."

Vergil looked at Kael before turning his face to nestle into the pillow. "I have more questions than answers."

So much stuff tomorrow. Monster anatomy, energy systems and even damn politics! Who learns that!?

But right now, he needed rest. His thoughts still taking over.

I want another bout with Ray.

26 Emberwyn 2004

The next day came as fast as it had ended. Vergil was woken up at 6 am sharp by Kael. He brushed and changed into the regular clothes given by the academy. It was nothing special but it was enough for the morning exercise.

Although he fought at the training grounds the day before, he didn’t realise just how much land the grounds spanned. At the very least, the academy was close to or could even rival the capital in land.

Vergil kept a steady pace, jogging. In the distance, a clock tower stood above the main building. The time now showed 06.24 in blue. The moment it reached 30, Vergil relaxed himself for a brief moment. His body sweating more than usual.

My body isn’t as capable without mana.

[Get up, you can do better.] The system cheered with encouraging words.

Dammit.

Hearing those words once more, he got back up — jogging once more.

6.55am.

Vergil could no longer jog, he found himself resting on a nearby bench. His clothes now drenched in sweat. He looked at the time — he knew class starts at 8am. Time was on his side. Taking a 20-minute break, he finally stood up and headed back to the dorm.

I should bring some water next time.

***

"How are you already back!?" Vergil pointed at Ray who fastened the buttons on his uniform.

"The infirmary was better than I imagined. Even I was surprised at their level."

"Was it really good?"

"It was so good it was scary.."

"Then let’s keep fighting!" Vergil shouted. "With this, we don’t have to worry about getting injured too badly."

"As long as we don’t go too overboard."

"There’s also one other thing."

"What?"

The nurse is really, I mean really pretty." Ray added.

Vergil chuckled, moving to pat his shoulder before whispering in his ear. "Instead of the nurse, focus on Elena."

Vergil moved backwards, casually pointing at his face. "You got this."

"Yeah Ray, you definitely got this." Kael finally spoke, still reading the same book.

Ray flinched slightly at his words, halting in his steps.

How did he know!?

Ray thought for a moment, walking towards the entrance. "Come to the training ground at 5."

"So uh, where are you going? Class starts in 40."

Ray’s hand shot away from the door handle — moving towards the bed. A tint of red painted his face. Nevertheless, Vergil walked to the bathroom taking a nice hot shower. The water poured over his features as he washed himself.

It was at this moment where he could finally say.

He was moving up in the world.

He turned the tap off, wiping himself with a towel before putting on his uniform with hanged on the door.

7.30am.

Vergil was ready. Pants, shirt and blazer. All of it was on. The weather outside was normal, cloudy.

I really can’t get used to this.

Vergil looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He did admit, it was quite nice clothing that suited anyone who wore it.

Time to get to class.