I opened my eyes. My head was splitting, and my body felt heavy.

  "What happened?"

  The director looked at me intently.

  "You fainted."

  "That wasn't just fainting. So what happened to me?"

  He frowned, pausing as if deciding whether to tell the truth.

  "An in-between dimension. And you shouldn't have ended up there."

  " What? But how?"

  "Your magic... it's strange. I don't know what exactly triggered it. But I advise you to be careful. The world is changing, Luten. And you need to be ready."

  He fell silent, standing up from the desk.

  "And don't tell anyone about this. Not even your brother."

  His words stuck in my head, but there were more questions than answers. I left the director's office and cast a final glance at the room. The spacious chamber with its high ceiling, lined with shelves of books and scrolls, seemed businesslike and orderly.

  A large oak desk was covered with neat stacks of papers, among which were several quill pens.

  On one of the shelves stood a small spider figurine, its fine details causing me momentary doubt: was it really made of wood? I closed the door behind me, leaving that question aside.

  Elliot approached with concern.

  "So, how are you, Luten?"

  "I'm much better, thanks."

  "What did you discuss with the professor? You came out pretty quickly."

  "Sorry about what happened. He just asked me how often I faint, nothing specific."

  "Is he not angry with me? I thought he left looking angry."

  I decided to change the subject.

  "Do you think the teachers will hate us now too?"

  "Why now"?

  "Haven't you noticed all this time?"

  He shrugged.

  "I noticed, but those are just coincidences."

  "No, this doesn't just happen to us. Darius told me about it too. At first other students tried to pick on him, but you know how hot-tempered he is."

  "Let me guess, there were fights?"

  "Exactly. After that they just started avoiding him. Apparently, due to our reputation, they don't mess with us either."

  I don't think anyone wanted to deal with those who almost defeated graduates on their very first exam. Though if you ask me, it didn't smell like victory at all.

  Already in the evening, after classes, most of the students stepped aside and actively pretended not to notice us. They avoided us, but I felt that with each day the dislike only grew, but why? What did we do to them? Actually, I didn't try to find an answer to that.

  "What about the girls? Think they're avoided too?

  "Let's ask them now."

  We decided to go around the building to avoid unnecessary encounters with teachers, already angry at us for our pranks.

  "Oh, boys, you're here too."

  "Selena, how are you?"

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  "Good, just returning to my room. Today I'm too tired to run off anywhere, ha-ha."

  "Yes, you look tired, did the teachers scold you that badly?"

  She put on a light smile, but something was off.

  "Tired? I just didn't sleep well today, was thinking all night about the consequences, maybe we shouldn't have gone out after all."

  "No, why not, it was fun. That's what matters."

  " Ha-ha, I suppose."

  Even at the beginning of our conversation I'd noticed a small section of matted hair, but only now realized it was a spot of white paint barely visible due to her hair color and the darkness.

  "Listen, Elliot and I were discussing how Darius was recently attacked. They avoid us, we think they do the same with others from our group. Do you have problems with this?"

  "Me? No, of course not, I'm a princess after all."

  " I see, well, then we'll be going."

  We said goodbye and parted ways. I told Elliot everything.

  "And what do you want to do?"

  "Find them, of course. They found someone to bully. If Selena wanted, the guilty ones wouldn't be with us anymore."

  We walked around the school grounds searching for those who could have done this. Naturally, we found them quite quickly.

  "These idiots can't even wash paint off their clothes."

  "Are you sure it's them? That one of them has a small drop of white paint on his pants doesn't mean anything."

  "We'll check that right now. Do as I asked, on my command. Don't sweat it, you're not the only one who knows metal magic, the teachers won't figure it out."

  To Elliot's grumbling, I came out from around the corner to the students. The group consisted of a guy and two girls.

  Dressed in dark blue tunics with silver buttons, the students looked cheerful and extremely inattentive. On each one's shoulders lay simple epaulettes denoting their student status. The girls wore knee-length skirts with silver trim, while the guy wore straight trousers with a narrow light stripe on the side. On the chest, just below the left collarbone, shimmered the academy symbol: a stylized circle with runes, embroidered with threads that shimmered in the light. The guy had that same spot on his pants.

  I approached casually.

  "Hey, hi. Do you know where I can buy paint around here?"

  One of the girls quickly looked away, and the guy tensed, his fingers momentarily sliding along the edge of his uniform.

  "Who are you?"

  "Luten Caers."

  I took another step forward and smiled.

  " I think you've heard of me."

  The guy raised his eyebrows but stepped back half a pace, clearly not expecting such a direct tone.

  "What do you want?"

  " It's simple. I'm curious why you did it. Princess Selena isn't someone to joke with."

  The girls exchanged glances, and the guy tried to feign indifference, though a shadow of concern flickered in his eyes.

  "We don't understand what you're talking about."

  I smirked, tilting my head slightly to the side.

  "Really? Then why is there paint on your pants?"

  His gaze instinctively slid down to the spot. Mistake. He clenched his fists, clearly not planning to give up without a fight.

  In the next second he lunged forward, but I met him halfway. With a sharp movement I intercepted his wrist and twisted his arm, forcing him to bend. He exhaled sharply in pain, his breathing becoming ragged.

  I tightened my grip slightly.

  " Don't twitch. This can still be resolved peacefully."

  The girls froze, not daring to intervene. The guy jerked once more, but I was ready. My knee smoothly met his stomach, causing him to collapse to the ground.

  "Cool down. This isn't personal."

  The guy coughed, trying to get up, but I stepped closer and leaned toward him.

  "It's just better this way. Next time no one will need to explain that you shouldn't joke about the princess."

  One of the girls took a step back, but metal shackles shot toward her, wrapping around her wrists. Elliot, standing around the corner, nodded softly, controlling the spell.

  "See, we didn't even hurt anyone. But if you repeat something like this, we'll have to explain things differently."

  The guy raised his head, his gaze blazing with anger. He sharply raised his hand, directing a fire charge at me.

  I raised my hand, and a barrier flared between us, absorbing the flame. Because we were too close, he was hit by his own magic.

  "Bad."

  I stepped forward.

  "Very bad."

  The guy jerked, but my fingers had already gripped his jacket. I threw him to the ground—not too hard, but enough for him to understand. He fell with a dull thud, gasping for air.

  "Try better next time."

  I felt uneasy, and I healed his wounds to the point where nothing would be externally visible. Already approaching the dormitory, Elliot caught up with me, looking troubled.

  "Listen, I think you overdid it. And that's putting it mildly..."

  "Agreed, I got a bit carried away. But there shouldn't be problems."

  "Yeah, shouldn't be. Now everyone will not only avoid us but try to get revenge. Teachers might not be able to find traces of your magic, you're lucky, but what about me?"

  "But you didn't participate, you were just training in the evening, and they got in your way."

  I lay in bed, but sleep eluded me. The same questions spun in my head. Was that in-between dimension a dream? Or did I really end up where I shouldn't have been? Those strange people with blood threads...

  What if I triggered something? What if this is the beginning of something bigger?

  The world is changing, and with each day I feel it stronger. The magic in my veins isn't like others'. The director knows something but stays silent. I need to prepare: train, study, become stronger.

  A storm is coming. And I'm not sure we can survive it.