Being born into one of Celgrad’s great noble houses was a rare privilege. Lucas Wren knew that he was special from the moment he was born. Life had already been decided in his favor, and he had never seen a reason to pretend otherwise.

  He’d grown up surrounded by comfort, with servants ready at a moment's notice. Hunger, worry, fear of failure, those were problems for other people who were much less fortunate than he was.

  And of course, it wasn’t just his name that made him better. There was also his talent for magic.

  Lucas still remembered when his mana core had first awakened properly. His father immediately brought him to an appraiser, a stern old man who looked like he’d measured hundreds of cores in his lifetime.

  The man took one look at Lucas’s results and was in awe as Lucas's mana core was already tier three, even back when he was twelve years old. The appraiser had stumbled over his words trying to explain what it meant, as if Lucas needed the explanation.

  He’d been casting spells even when he’d barely been tall enough to sit at the dining table without help. If anything, having a tier three mana core from such a young age confirmed to him that he was destined for greatness. Which was exactly why he couldn’t stand the sight of “Professor” Lucian Ashford.

  Lucas had a habit of looking into interesting people before meeting them, especially if they seemed important enough. By the time he arrived at the academy, he already had a general sense of each professor’s reputation and area of expertise. Professor Ashford, however, stood out in a way that didn’t quite make sense.

  Apparently, Professor Ashford had been added to the academy roster recently, almost as if the man appeared out of thin air. And somehow he’d scored perfectly on both the written and practical examinations.

  At that point, it was almost insulting how obvious the forgery was. Nobody could possibly score perfectly in the academy's entry examination, some could get close, but perfection should be impossible.

  Lucas picked up the details over several generous dinners with the academy’s administrative staff, and by the end of it, he was fairly certain Professor Lucian Ashford hadn’t been appointed on merit alone. It seemed more likely that someone, somewhere, had ensured his approval.

  If the academy was to remain prestigious, Lucas felt it couldn’t afford to place the wrong people in front of its students. He had no intention of being taught by someone undeserving of the title, and even less of allowing the rest of the class to do the same.

  That was why Lucas had challenged Professor Ashford to a duel. Now he stood in the open field, facing the Professor across the grass as the duel was about to begin.

  The rest of the class, along with plenty of other curious students, had gathered along the edge of the field. Word had spread quickly, and a lot of extra onlookers came to watch. Lucas felt their stares and heard their gossiping, and he loved every second of it.

  He’d been trained for magical dueling since he was young, drilled by private instructors his family paid handsomely for. Lucas had also sparred against adults before, mages older than his father, and he never lost against them.

  Lucian might’ve been older, but Lucas didn’t care. Age didn’t matter when someone was mediocre.

  A butler approached from the side and held out an amulet on a fine chain. Lucas took it and slipped it around his neck without much thought. It was a standard safety charm, meant to protect the wearer from spell damage. A part of him considered taking it off just to make a point that he wasn't going to be shaken against some subpar mage.

  The butler then approached the so-called Professor with the same kind of protective amulet. Yet, the Professor refused. "Thank you, but I won't be needing that amulet."

  Lucas couldn’t help but make a comment. “You should wear that amulet, for your own safety.”

  “I’ll be fine without it." Lucian said.

  “Oh? With all due respect, you're not going to like the outcome of this duel if you don’t wear that amulet.”

  “No, thank you. I’ll be more than fine without some silly rock. Of course, I won’t fault you if you want a bit of extra protection for yourself.”

  That smug confidence made Lucas livid. If this fraud of a professor wanted to act fearless, Lucas could play that game too. He unhooked his own amulet and tossed it to the side. “I’ll at least do you the courtesy of matching you."

  Lucian blinked once and lifted his brows. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure."

  “Alright then. Feel free to start whenever you like.”

  Lucas almost spoke again, but he stopped himself. There was no point wasting breath on talking anymore.

  He was going to enjoy this properly, because it wasn’t every day that he got to humiliate a so-called professor in front of an audience. To start, he decided to cast a classic spell: fireball.

  Fireball was a respectable third-tier spell, and Lucas had practiced it so many times he could’ve cast it half-asleep. He planted his feet and began the chant.

  Mana stirred inside him, while a glowing red magic circle formed in the air before him. A small flame appeared at the center, one that expanded quickly.

  The fire swelled into a bright, roaring sphere, spinning slowly as sparks cracked and danced along its surface. The heat hit the closest spectators, and a few of them leaned back on instinct.

  Lucas thrust his hand forward and launched the fireball straight at Lucian. It tore across the field, leaving a trail of heat behind it. He watched closely, expecting Lucian to dodge, or cast a barrier, or at least do something. But Lucian didn’t move at all.

  “Move!” Lucas shouted. As much as he wanted to humiliate Lucian, he wasn’t trying to kill the man. A fireball wasn’t a joke, and at this distance, it could easily kill someone if it landed.

  Lucian just stood there and took the full brunt of the spell… or at least, that was what Lucas thought was about to happen. The fireball surged closer, but before it could even touch Lucian, the spell vanished.

  It didn’t explode or even leave smoke behind. One moment it was there, and the next moment it was gone, as if someone had snuffed it out like a candle.

  Lucas froze, staring at the empty air. What he saw didn't make sense at all.

  He knew for a fact that he hadn't miscast that fireball. His magic circle was perfect, and his chant flawless. That fireball should’ve hit and reduced Lucian to ash, or at least a charred corpse.

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  “Do you still think you’re going to win?” Lucian asked.

  “Shut up,” Lucas snapped, forcing his hands to move as he started casting again. He didn’t have time for Lucian’s smugness. If a third-tier spell wasn’t enough, then he’d just use something stronger.

  One of the greatest parts of Lucas’s talent was his dual affinity. Most mages struggled to master even a single element, but Lucas had been gifted with two. Fire magic came naturally to him, and so did wind.

  His voice was quick and focused as he began the chant. His hands moved through practiced gestures, drawing mana out as the air around him tightened, and his hair lifted slightly as wind gathered at his feet.

  Two magic circles formed in front of him. One was deep red, glowing with heat, its symbols flickering like embers. The other was a pale green, thin and sharp, spinning with clean lines that hummed softly as the air stirred around it. He released the wind spell first, Tornado Spear.

  A twisting lance of compressed wind shot forward, spinning fast as it tore across the field. Grass bent away from it, and dust jumped into the air in its wake. People on the sidelines flinched back as the wind snapped past, strong enough to sting their faces.

  Lucas followed instantly with his second spell, Spiraling Flames. A coil of fire burst forward, wrapping around the wind spear. The combined spell roared across the field, brighter and louder than the first attack, leaving a trail of heat and swirling air behind.

  The crowd gasped, some shouted, and others stepped back as the spell’s heat washed over them. Their eyes went wide as they watched it race toward Lucian.

  Lucas felt a rush of pride. This combined spell was enough to put even multiple adult mages to shame, and it should have sealed the duel in his favor.

  But once again, Lucian didn’t move or do anything at all. When the combined spell reached him… it fell apart.

  The wind spear unraveled first as if it had struck an invisible wall. The flames scattered right after, breaking into harmless sparks and fading into the air before they could touch him.

  “What is going on?” Lucas asked.

  Lucian gave him a calm, almost pitying look. “If you can’t understand what just happened, then maybe you aren't as capable of a mage as you think.”

  Lucas opened his mouth to snap back at Lucian. He barely got a breath in before the moment slipped out of his hands.

  Professor Ashford lifted a hand, and for half a second, Lucas didn’t even understand what he was seeing. There was no chant, no magic circle, no warning shimmer in the air, just Lucian raising his hand as lightning snapped from his fingers.

  The whole thing happened instantly, as a thin white-blue line tore across the field faster than Lucas could follow, aimed straight at his chest. His mind scrambled for answers, for anything that made sense. It shouldn't be possible for someone to cast spells instantaneously.

  The lightning bolt rushed toward Lucas, filling his vision. He flinched and squeezed his eyes shut as panic took over, bracing for the pain he was sure would come. And yet, after a few seconds passed, nothing happened.

  When Lucas opened his eyes, he was utterly shocked, figuratively speaking. The lightning had stopped right in front of him, hanging in the air just a breath away. For several seconds, it trembled there, before vanishing completely.

  Lucas stumbled back, his heart pounding as he tried to process what he had just seen. Meanwhile, Lucian was already walking toward him, smiling as though everything had gone exactly the way he expected.

  “You were never in any real danger, I held back.” Lucian said casually.

  Lucas stared at him, stunned and shaking. The worst part wasn’t the spell itself, but how effortless it had been.

  Lucas stared at the man who defeated him. “What did you do? Did you cheat? Did you—”

  “Stop,” Lucian cut in. “You chose the location for the duel and challenged me in the first place. Maybe try being a good sport for once, and fulfil your end of the deal.”

  Lucas looked up at him, still stunned. “What do you mean?”

  “Simple, I don’t want to see you in my class for the foreseeable future. Perhaps the other professors here are willing to tolerate your attitude, but I have no intention of allowing you to disrupt my lessons.”

  ***

  It turned out that dealing with Lucas had been far easier than Lucian expected. He had initially assumed the boy would keep arguing about fairness and propriety, but Lucas accepted the result of the duel surprisingly well after some time.

  Lucian had spoken with him briefly afterward and couldn’t help but feel that Lucas had genuinely noble intentions when he issued the challenge. To some extent, Lucian even understood where the boy had been coming from.

  And honestly, Lucian was more than willing to waive the “reward” he’d claimed for his victory, namely banning Lucas from his class for the rest of the year. Really, he had only mentioned the ban for dramatic effect more than anything else.

  But Lucas insisted on honoring the terms, even as Lucian reminded him more than once that he was welcome to return to class at any time. But he supposed nobles were quite particular about their pride.

  After the duel, Lucian ended the lesson early, because he wanted to let Elysia know of what had happened before the story reached her in a far more… imaginative form.

  He knocked once before stepping inside her office, and found Elysia seated behind her desk, while Belle stood nearby holding a silver tray of pastries.

  Lucian paused in the doorway and took it all in with a slow blink. “I have to say, Belle, you look surprisingly natural as Elysia’s maid too.”

  “And I wouldn’t mind changing masters,” Belle said as she held the tray perfectly level.

  Elysia laughed as she reached for another tart. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m afraid I’m not the type to make contracts with demons. Unlike a certain somebody here."

  Lucian closed the door behind him and walked over to the desk. “In other news, my first class went surprisingly well.”

  “That’s good to hear. Did anything interesting happen?” Elysia asked, looking up to him.

  Lucian gave a thoughtful hum as he helped himself to a chair across from her. “Interesting is one word for it. I was challenged to a duel by a student, which I’ll admit was unexpected.”

  Elysia paused mid-bite, then slowly lowered the tart she was eating. “You were challenged to a duel… during your first class.”

  “Yes.”

  “And you accepted?"

  “Of course I did. But there's no need to worry, because nobody was hurt in the end.”

  “How fortunate for the student.” Elysia said, chuckling slightly.

  Lucian placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. “Come on, you know me. I’m more than capable of restraint.”

  “Was the student Lucas Wren?” she asked.

  “It was, actually. How did you know?”

  Elysia gave a small, knowing smile. “Just a feeling. With that boy’s personality, it was only a matter of time before he overstepped his bounds and embarrassed himself. Losing the duel should be a valuable learning experience for him.”

  Lucian leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

  “Oh? Should I be thanking you for disciplining my students now?”

  “Why not? You could even give me a raise while you’re at it.”

  “Sure, I’ll do that the moment you can tell me how much your current salary is.”

  “I absolutely remember my salary."

  “Then go on,” Elysia said, folding her hands neatly. “How much is it?”

  Lucian opened his mouth… and paused. Because at that moment he realized that he genuinely had no idea what his salary was. And he wasn’t even sure what benefits came with this professor position in the first place.

  “You know what, I’ll get back to you on that.”

  Elysia sighed. “You should speak with Belle sometime. She’ll brief you properly. You even have your own office, you know.”

  “I do?”

  “Yes, every professor gets their own office space.”

  “Ah, good to know. I suppose I should discuss the full scope of my benefits with Belle later.”

  Elysia gave a small smile, though it faded quickly. Her eyes drifted off for a moment, and she went very still, like something heavy was weighing on her mind. “This is a bit sudden, but was Leon Belkov in your class this morning?”

  “No, I haven’t seen him at all since I healed him. Is something the matter?”

  “Well… there is good news, and there is bad news. The good news is that Leon wrote to the academy yesterday, and he’ll be arriving later today. But the bad news is that I recently had a vision, and… I saw that Leon Belkov will disappear in three days.”

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