"Agh..." William grimaced as he slowly opened his eyes.
His ears were still ringing.
The last thing he rembered was Mark’s sudden attack — then a force that crushed through his endurance, and darkness swallowing him whole.
"It’s only been two days and you’re in the infirmary twice."
A familiar voice drifted from the side.
William let out a tired smile and turned. Emma sat beside the bed, expression plain as always.
"Emma... you’re already here."
He glanced at the window. Morning light.
Of course she would be here.
Emma let out a soft sigh when she saw the nervousness on his face. "I’m not mad. Mark told what happened. Seems like you two had plenty of fun if you ended up here again."
William blinked. "He woke up before ?"
Emma nodded. "Yeah. Woke up, said two sentences, then fainted again. You really used that destructive spell on him, huh?"
William exhaled deeply. "Which turned out to be useless. He still beat the hell out of after taking it head-on."
He still couldn’t believe it — in a closed space, with no room to escape, Mark had endured the full brunt of his spell and *stood up*. And then that final move... it left him helpless. No counter, no room, nothing.
It was simply too good.
"I know that look," Emma muttered, equal parts amused and tired. "You want round two already."
William grinned. "You know I love a fight where my opponent is just as strong... and actually knows what he’s doing."
"Possibly the first human of our age who pushed you that far," Emma said.
"Not just pushed," William corrected. "He beat ."
Emma’s brows rose. "But Mark said it was a draw."
William shook his head. "I dropped first. That ans I lost."
He wasn’t the type to run from the truth. If anything, he *appreciated* Mark for not holding back. It reminded him he was nowhere close to his ceiling. There were people his age who could defeat him — so dreaming about challenging veterans was foolish for now.
Emma humd, "Well, I’m glad you didn’t get bored yesterday."
William nodded. "Not at all. It was exciting."
He reached for her hand. "What about you? How was your day?"
Emma shrugged. "Informative?"
William chuckled. "I heard rlin’s a pure nerd. Spends all day buried in magic research."
"Correct," Emma said. "And she shared a lot of inside knowledge with . It was useful. Eye-opening, actually."
She had learned the theory behind Veil Casting — or Spell Cloaking, depending on how one nad it.
rlin might achieve it in a year.
But now that Emma understood the theoretical base, a small spark lit inside her.
She believed she could surpass rlin in this field.
William smiled fondly as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I’m glad you enjoyed your ti," he murmured.
Emma lowered her gaze, a tiny shiver running through her chest. The simple touch made her heart feel strangely warm.
She cleared her throat. "How do you feel now? I used my spell on you, and the head nurse taped your ears to help them recover."
William gave an easy shrug. "Well, I can hear your voice... and that’s what matters."
Her cheeks ward instantly. She lightly punched his chest with her small fist. "I didn’t give you permission to flirt with this early in the morning."
William caught her wrist before she could pull back. He brought her hand up and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it.
Matching her gaze, he whispered, "Then tell when I can... Because I really want to see how you act when you’re flustered."
Two bumps this ti.
"Co on now. If you’re feeling better, go freshen up. We have to report to the ceremonial hall in two hours."
William’s brows lifted. "This soon? I thought the training session would last a few more days."
Emma shook her head. "So of the Seated mbers had to leave because of... sothing. No one explained it. So the ntorship ended early."
William humd, thinking, as he slowly swung his legs off the bed. He shifted closer until their shoulders touched.
He intertwined his fingers with hers and said, "I still feel weak, so I might need so help in the bathroom."
Leaning in, he whispered, "You know... rubbing my back... helping get dressed..."
Emma raised a brow and teased, "I’ll get wet in my clothes, so I should probably get naked too, right?"
William froze, leaning slightly away. That sentence hit him harder than any spell Mark had thrown. Tempting. Dangerous. Both at once.
Ever since yesterday, he’d been painfully aware of how dangerous her body was — in all the right ways. And being this close... made it harder to ignore.
His eyes drifted down her face for a brief second before he coughed sharply and pulled his hand away. He stood up too quickly.
"W-Wait for in the cafeteria."
As he walked away, his ears rang with her giggles, putting a smile on his face.
.....
After breakfast, just as instructed, all the students — even those who hadn’t made it into the second round — gathered in the ceremonial hall.
William imdiately noticed the change.
The ones who had spent yesterday under the guidance of the Seated mbers looked different. Sharper. More grounded. As if sothing in them had been rewired overnight.
Emma’s ntor may have been more interested in knowledge than combat, but the others clearly weren’t treated the sa.
All he could see in their eyes was focus.
Pure, unwavering focus.
Even Anna — who was usually bouncing around, dancing, laughing at anything and everything — stood still. Quiet. Her smile was gone, replaced with sothing closer to resolve.
Lextor was still Lextor, serious as always, but there was a new layer beneath it. A composure that hadn’t been there before. A calmness that ca from realizing how small you actually were in front of true power.
Kevin stood near the front. His posture was rigid, eyes locked straight ahead, and his aura... it had grown heavier. Tighter. More controlled. Like he’d been handed truth on a plate and forced to swallow it whole.
Sothing had changed in all of them.
Yesterday had left a mark.
Emma whispered, "Regretting that you didn’t get invited by one of them yesterday?"
William chuckled, "I have only begged once to be trained by soone and that was enough for to know in which direction I should move where I won’t need soone’s help again."
Emma humd, "You begged? Before whom?"
William grinned, "You will et him soon."
°°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.
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