I woke to the sharp ringing of a bell.

For a second, I didn’t move. My eyes opened slowly, and instead of the familiar flat ceiling of my old room, all I saw was the wooden underside of the bunk above me. The planks were scratched and slightly warped, faint lines running through them from years of use. It took my brain a moment to catch up.

Right. The dorm.

I exhaled quietly. It seemed I’d had another bad dream. But as soon as I woke up, it was gone. I hated those kinds of nightmares... the ones where you suffer all night only to wake up and remember nothing. It sucked.

"Aah..." Ken groaned from above. "We don’t even have school today. Why is he ringing the bell..."

"Who?" I asked, turning onto my side and pulling the thin blanket up a little higher.

"Mr. Kartwood," Ken said between a yawn. "Each floor has a supervisor. He’s in charge of ours. Makes sure no one dies, no one burns the place down, and apparently, that everyone wakes up whether they need to or not."

"Sounds annoying," I muttered.

"Very."

I shifted slightly, closing my eyes again. "Yesterday sucked. I want more sleep."

"For real," Ken replied, voice still heavy. "We almost got our heads chopped off."

"The cat was in the sack the whole time," I said, eyes still shut. "That has to be the worst joke I’ve ever been part of."

Ken didn’t answer right away. The bell stopped ringing, and the room fell quiet again. For a moment, it felt like I might actually drift back to sleep.

Then the bed above creaked. I opened one eye.

Ken’s head suddenly appeared upside down over the edge, his hair hanging loosely as he stared at me.

"Man... you really killed that guy, huh?"

I shrugged slightly. "It was either him or us."

"Yeah, but..." he frowned. "You could’ve just backed off. We could’ve gone back, told the Guild, let the guards handle it."

"What’s done is done," I said. "No point replaying it."

He studied me for a second longer. "You’re not even bothered by it. That wasn’t your first time, was it?"

"Maybe."

"And you were a prisoner in the Circle," he continued. "And you won’t tell me which god blessed you."

"You’re asking a lot of questions for someone who just woke up." I said, shifting onto my back.

He stared at me, then scoffed. "You’re boring."

I closed my eyes again. "And the sky is blue."

The bed above creaked once more as he pulled himself back up. The room settled into silence again, softer this time.

Sleep didn’t come back, no matter how long I kept my eyes shut. So I gave up and stared at the window from my bed. The curtains were drawn, but a thin line of light slipped through the gap where they met, cutting across the room and landing on my desk. My pouch sat there, slightly slumped to one side, filled with twenty-five silver coins. I still didn’t fully understand the economy here, but that amount had to be enough for something decent. Maybe better armor. Something that didn’t get chewed through by wolves in under a minute.

I dragged myself to the edge of the bed and sat there, elbows on my thighs, head hanging low. My hair fell over my eyes as I exhaled slowly. Yesterday had been rough. Not just tiring, but the kind of exhausting that sat deep in your bones and refused to leave.

"We should just get up," Ken said. "If we move now, we can beat the line."

"You’re right," I muttered. "Let’s go."

Ken dropped down from the upper bunk and pulled the curtains open. Light flooded the room, forcing me to squint before I finally stood up and stretched.

"Where are the showers?" I asked.

"You know the common area?"

"Yeah." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Don’t go in there. Just keep walking straight, you’ll see them."

"Got it. Thanks."

"No problem. You showering before or after breakfast?"

"After. I’d rather eat first than wait in two lines."

"Smart man."

We slipped into the provided slippers and headed out. The hallway was quiet, only a few students wandering around half-awake. By the time we reached the dining area, there were only a handful of people in line. Compared to yesterday, this was nothing.

We grabbed metal trays along with forks and spoons and joined the line. Ken leaned slightly to peek ahead, trying to see what was being served.

"Smells good," he said. "Looks like fresh bread, eggs, some kind of roasted meat... and fruit on the side. Not bad at all."

"Sounds perfect," I replied. "I’m starving."

The line moved quickly. When it was our turn, the man behind the counter worked with efficiency. He placed a thick slice of warm bread onto my tray, followed by a portion of soft scrambled eggs glistening with butter. Then came strips of lightly seasoned roasted meat, still steaming, and a small bowl of sliced fruits; apples, berries, and something I didn’t recognize but smelled sweet. Finally, he added a cup of hot tea to the corner of the tray.

We thanked him and moved along, scanning for a place to sit. We found an empty table near a window and dropped into our seats.

I picked up the fork and took a bite. Yeah... this was good. Way better than anything I used to eat back home.

"It’s going to rain," Ken said between bites, glancing toward the window.

I followed his gaze. The sky was already darkening. "Looks like it. Good thing we’re off today."

Before he could reply, a student rushed inside, breathing heavily like he had sprinted the entire way. Conversations died down almost instantly as heads turned toward him.

"Lee and Rob are fighting in the arena!" he shouted.

Murmurs spread across the room like wildfire.

I looked at Ken. "Lee and Rob?"

"The idiots that fought in the school grounds." he said, already standing up. "We’re not missing this. Eat fast."

We didn’t need a second invitation. We finished what was left in a hurry, grabbed our trays, dropped them off, and headed out.

Ken took the lead once we exited the building. Since I had no idea where the arena was, I just followed him. We walked along the side of the main structure, then curved around toward the back.

The courtyard behind the academy opened up into a wide space. It wasn’t massive, but it was big enough to gather a crowd. The ground was mostly packed dirt, with patches of grass here and there. Students were already gathering, forming small groups and talking excitedly as they moved toward the center.

And at the center stood the arena.

Rows of seating rose around it in a ring, simple but sturdy, giving everyone a clear view of the fight below.

We climbed up a few steps and found a spot among the growing crowd.

Inside the arena, two students stood facing each other. Yeah, they really were the two idiots I saw in the school. But I didn’t know their name yet.

I leaned slightly toward Ken. "Which one is which?"

"The big one on the left is Lee," Ken said. "The other one is Rob."

"Got it."

An adult stood a few steps behind them, arms crossed, watching closely. That alone told me this wasn’t just some random fight.

This was official.

Just as the referee looked ready to start the match, another figure stepped into the arena.

I recognized him after a second. It was our Magic Foundations teacher, Mr. Voss. He walked straight up to the referee and leaned in, whispering something low and quick. Whatever it was, it changed everything. Mr. Voss didn’t wait for a response. He turned and left immediately, his robe swaying behind him as he disappeared around the corner.

The referee straightened and raised his voice.

"Boys and girls, the fight has been cancelled. Lee and Rob, you are wanted. Mr. Voss would like to speak with you. There is a carriage waiting for you in front of the building."

A ripple of disappointment spread through the crowd.

"You sly bastard, "Rob glaring across the arena. "Did you run to the teachers?"

"Me? Sly?" Lee let out a short laugh. "That’s rich, coming from you."

"Move," the referee cut in, his tone firm. "Do not make Mr. Voss wait."

"Yes, sir," they both replied, though neither sounded happy about it. They shot each other one last look before turning and walking out of the arena.

The tension drained out of the place almost instantly. Students began talking again, some annoyed, some relieved. Groups started filing out, their excitement cut short before anything could even happen. Honestly, it was probably for the best. The way those two looked at each other, they were not planning a friendly match. They wanted to hurt each other, and the arena would have just made it official.

Ken leaned back in his seat and let out a long breath.

"Well, that was a waste of time."

I stood up, stretching my arms over my head and letting out a yawn. "Yeah. Guess that’s that."

Ken got up as well, brushing off his pants. "Big disappointment."

"Hey," I said after a moment, glancing at him. "Can I borrow your dagger for a bit?"

He blinked. "Why?"

"I want to train."

He looked at me for a second, then shrugged. "Alright... sure. Let’s use the arena while it’s empty. You wait here, I’ll grab it from the room."

"Sounds good."

ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎