The morning sun spilled across the schoolyard of Aqualis, where children practiced minor spells and ran about laughing. Ocean Counter walked quietly along the stone path toward the classroom, satchel neatly in place, eyes calm and observant.
"Morning, Ocean!" Lyra Mistwind waved again, skipping ahead of him.
"Morning, Lyra," Ocean replied with his usual faint smile.
Inside the classroom, students busied themselves with writing and minor spell practice. Some whispered about yesterday's events in the village square, though none could explain what had happened.
From the corner of the room, Eira Lumina, their teacher, observed quietly. Her silver robes shimmered faintly as she leaned against the wall, watching Ocean with a calculating gaze. Something about him… was off.
Ocean noticed her eyes briefly flick toward him but said nothing. He placed his satchel under the desk and began opening his notebook.
"Today," Eira began, "we will focus on subtle magic — techniques that influence outcomes indirectly rather than direct force. Control, timing, and awareness are key."
A few students groaned. Kael Thorn, as usual, smirked confidently. "Sounds like something Ocean would be good at."
Ocean's calm brown eyes met Kael's. "Maybe."
As the lesson progressed, small things began to shift — pencils rolled slightly closer to falling pages, faint gusts of wind nudged flames on candles, water in vials curved ever so slightly. Nothing dramatic, nothing anyone could see clearly — only a subtle influence.
Eira's eyes narrowed, a hint of recognition flickering across her face. "He's… aware of more than he should be," she whispered to herself.
During the exercise, Ocean subtly adjusted probabilities, guiding a complex chain of magical reactions to succeed perfectly. A failed spell here, a miscast there — each event seemed random to the students, but every outcome was quietly orchestrated by him.
Kael frowned, noticing that despite obvious mistakes, Ocean's results were flawless. "How… how is he doing that?"
Ocean looked out the window at the sun spilling across the courtyard. "I told you," he murmured to himself. "I never really lose."
By the end of the lesson, Ocean had demonstrated perfect control, without anyone outside Eira realizing it. Small ripples of water hovered near his hands as he closed his notebook, smiling faintly.
And far beyond the village, Kiyo Jian's presence shimmered, observing, curious, and still testing.
No one else knew. No one else ever would. And that was exactly how Ocean Counter liked it.