Instinct takes over. That same wild heat surges up, raw and untrained. I throw my hands up and my magic, if that's what it is, responds. A bright pulse explodes outward, stronger this time.
He twists mid-strike, trying to adjust, but the force catches him off-balance. Another sharp impact. He hits the stone hard, breath knocked out. The room goes deathly quiet. I stare, wide-eyed, lungs burning.
“I—” I start to move again, half-apology already forming on my lips.
He’s already up. Again, no glance my way. No reaction. Just a long, tense breath. He brushes his shirt off again, jaw tight.
“Again,” he clips out.
More whispers now, edges of conversation sparking around the ring. I’m shaking, but not from fear. From the hum under my skin. The magic.
It feels...awake.
Do humans have magic? Is it something that just manifests when they come to this school?
“Again,” he demands when I don’t move.
The word scrapes down my spine. But before either of us can move, Professor River’s voice cuts through the tension.
“That’s enough, Raiden.”
It’s not loud, but it carries. Instantly. Around us, the other pairs that were attempting to ignore us freeze. Conversationshush. I lower my hands, breath ragged. My skin still hums with magic, like it’s not ready to settle. Across from me, Raiden stands perfectly still, unreadable. No sign of strain. No apology for being such an asshole.
Professor River’s gaze lands on me, cold and assessing.
“Dismissed,” he says to the room. “Same time, same place tomorrow.”
The spell on the arena fades with a low thrum. Around me, students start to move, voices rising again. But the glances they throw my way are different now. More curious and cautious.
“Did you see that?”
“She knocked him flat. Twice.”
“Raw magic. No House training.”
I grab my bag with shaking fingers, head down as I push toward the exit. But under the exhaustion, something else simmers. Not fear. Not exactly. Exhilaration.The magic responded. It listened. I haveactualmagic! I’m still half riding that buzz when I step into the next corridor. More whispers follow.
A human with magic; that’s impossible.
No House.
Dangerous?
I square my shoulders. Next class. Just keep moving.
FOUR
LINDSAY
By the timeI reach Runic Arts, my legs are shaking. Not just from climbing half a dozen staircases, though that doesn’t help.
Combat Casting wrung me out. Magic still hums under my skin, half-awake, like it wants another fight. My pulse hasn’t fully settled. My brain definitely hasn’t.
And the constant whispers followed me.
“Did you hear? She hit Raiden.”
“Not trained. No house.”
