The next morning, the academy buzzed louder than a hive of angry hornets. Rumors of yesterday's "miraculous survival" spread faster than wildfire. Somehow, everyone had seen me wobble out of the exam hall, covered in dirt, bruised, and looking like a newborn foal… yet still alive.
I tried to move through the crowd unnoticed. Failed immediately. Students nudged each other, whispering my name. "That's… the guy who survived Kaelen?" "How is he even alive?" "Did you see his hair? It's still messy!"
I ducked behind a statue. Professionalism level: 0%. Survival instinct: 100%.
Selene and Charlotte appeared in my line of sight, both pretending to casually walk past. Casually. Totally natural. Yet somehow, they were looking directly at me. My brain screamed: Do not trip. Do not trip. My feet immediately forgot this instruction and stumbled over the base of the statue.
"Wow," Selene said, smirking. "Impressive recovery."
"Totally intentional," I muttered, giving my best dramatic bow while nearly face-planting again. "All part of the plan."
By lunchtime, the whispers had grown into theories. Some thought I was secretly a genius mage-swordsman hybrid. Some thought I'd bribed Kaelen. Others insisted I had divine protection. I considered all options carefully. "Yes. That is exactly how I want them to think."
The real problem hit during training. My clumsiness had inadvertently attracted the attention of the academy's top duelist: Renvor. Big, loud, and terrifyingly skilled. He grinned at me like a shark spotting prey.
"New guy," he said. "You survived Kaelen, huh? I want a rematch."
I froze. Rematch? I hadn't even won. I barely survived. My aura flared faintly, enough to make him pause. Hilarious. Terrifying. Perfect.
"Uh… sure!" I said, putting on my best confident grin while imagining the best-case scenario of running really fast and tripping over him instead.
As he strode away, I leaned against the wall and whispered to myself, "Step one: survive. Step two: remain unnoticed. Step three… maybe survive Renvor too."
Perfect combination.