The break whistle blew again. Not that it mattered to Rhiannon—her three-legged fire crow and Vermillion bird were still spiralling around the field like they had a personal vendetta they were frantically training to avenge.
Cressida adjusted the angle of her parasol, crossing one leg over the other with practiced grace as she watched from the area of the field that has been unofficially taken over by the third-year Top 5s. A soft breeze caught the end of her pink braid and swept it across her shoulder.
“Kyria’s still running diagnostics on her beetle contract’s new form,” she murmured, half to herself. “And Rhiannon’s pretending break time is a personal insult. Shocking.”
“Hmm?” Jin grunted nearby, his wind tiger curled beside him like a napping dog. “You talking to me or just narrating again?”
Cressida didn’t dignify that with an answer. Instead, she leaned slightly forward and tilted her parasol lower, gaze drifting to the far end of the field, where Kain and Serena were, once again, seated close together near the wall. The water-mist from Serena’s Elemental Guardian curled gently around them like a private curtain, adding a hazy, almost sultry quality to the duo.
“Do you think the rumours are true?” Cressida asked suddenly, her voice light and curious.
Jin blinked. “Rumours?”
She rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze to the workaholic sitting to her right. “Rhiannon, darling. I’m talking about Serena and Kain.”
Rhiannon didn’t look up. Her eyes were fixed on her Vermillion Bird, which had just dive-bombed a set of conjured dummies for the third time in a row. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”
Cressida sighed dramatically and let her chin rest on her delicate palm. “Of course you don’t. I’m sure your love language is joint battle drills. Personally, I prefer diamonds and maybe a mansion as a gift as my love language.”
Alexei, seated nearby and trying very hard not to glare, raised an eyebrow. “Why do you even care?”
She turned toward him, lashes fluttering. “Because, darling, Kain is cute.”
Alexei narrowed his eyes. “He’s a second-year.”
“So?” Cressida replied smoothly. “He’s also five-stars, has two confirmed blue-grade contracts, and is a nationally famous evolutionary planner with a ridiculous number of patents. I read an interview where one of his first evolutionary patents—that glowing fish one—has been exchanged for by thousands of people. He’s probably worth more than your entire family estate.”
Alexei stiffened. “I’m from the Sanguine family.”
Cressida smiled like that meant very little. “And that estate is mostly inherited wealth, no? Very impressive, but a little old-fashioned. Who knows how much your family still even has stashed away if their business acumen sucks. Kain’s wealth is earned. Independent. Upgrading by the day.” She waved her hand lazily. “I’m just saying. I wouldn’t be opposed.”
Jin, one of the few top 5 students from an ordinary family, looked vaguely offended. “So being rich is a relationship requirement now?”
Cressida turned toward him with a slow, smouldering look. Her pink eyes gleamed slightly—and with it, her Gift rippled across the space between them like perfume in the wind. Jin flinched and turned away instantly.
“You don’t marry someone just because they’re rich,” she said, tone airily philosophical. “But it certainly helps.”
Across the field, Kain twitched. Like a rabbit caught in the sight of a wolf in the wild, the hair on his arms stood on end in alarm at a predatory gaze.
He looked to where he sensed the gaze. But he didn’t see anyone glaring or making a threatening expression in his direction.
‘Strange…why do I still feel like something dangerous is targeting me?’
His brows pulled slightly, eyes narrowing. A flicker of confusion crossed his face before he shook his head and went back to talking to Serena.
Cressida smirked and shifted her parasol again, pink eyes still faintly glowing.
Alexei scowled. “You’re activating your Gift again.”
“Oh, hush,” she said sweetly. “I didn’t even push it past the first threshold. If I did, half the arena would be proposing to me.” She paused. “Including you.”
Alexei turned red and looked away.
Rhiannon let out a hot breath of steam as her fire crow landed at last. “You’re ridiculous. Our number one focus should always be on gaining strength.”
“Hmm…agree to disagree.”
—————
Kain sighed and turned back to Serena, still feeling the phantom of a gaze on his neck.
Serena didn’t seem to notice the “hostile” gaze. Or if she did, she didn’t comment on it. She sat beside him, back straight, posture regal even in rest. Her expression was unreadable, eyes half-lidded and thoughtful.
“Opportunities to battle the upper-years in one-on-ones should be coming soon,” Kain said at last. “Sparring assessments. You know they’ll want to see if we’re ready and also make the decisions on the final lineup for the top 5.”
Serena hummed in agreement, but seemed slightly lost in thought, gaze caught on something behind Kain. Not that he noticed.
“They’re only taking five for the team representing the College as a whole,” he continued, dropping his voice slightly. “The overall Top 5. One team. Doesn’t matter what year you’re in—only strength. That means we need to eliminate competition in the eyes of the instructors. Professors. Trainers. The whole selection committee.”
Serena nodded and murmured in response, “We already know who the frontrunners are.”
“Yeah.” Kain’s tone turned serious. “The four six-stars: Jade, Theo, Reed… and Kyria. Jade’s a lock. No one’s touching her spot unless she dies or spontaneously combusts. Theo’s a Mindshade and a manipulative freak of nature. Reed… is Reed. There’s a chance they may just forget to include him, but we can’t place all of our hopes on that.”
He ran a hand through his damp hair. “That leaves Kyria. If we both want in, we have to prove we’re stronger than her. And we also need to make sure none of the remaining upper-year five-stars are considered serious candidates.”
Serena raised an eyebrow. “So we start from her?”
Kain shook his head. “Not yet. We aim for the strategic middle. Going straight for Kyria is risky. If we lose, we’re out. But if we build momentum by beating the rest first, it’ll be harder for anyone to argue against us. Start by taking down the rest of the five-stars. Demonstrate consistency. Prove we’re a safe bet.”
He began counting off names on his fingers.
“Oliver. Dmitri. Rhiannon. Jin. Cressida. Alexei. All of them are strong. But none of them have broken through to 6-stars. If we can eliminate them cleanly, we’re already in the final conversation.”
Serena looked out across the field without answering.
“So,” Kain asked, “who would you pick first?”
She didn’t answer immediately.
Her gaze drifted lazily across the arena again. She was staring past him.
A faint chill slid down her expression—so subtle it went by unnoticed by anyone. Her lips parted slightly.
Then she said, with perfect calm: “Cressida.”
In the distance, Cressida leaned her chin on her hand again, watching Kain through narrowed, hungry eyes.
Kain shivered again as he once again felt the unknown gaze.
He didn’t see it.
But Serena did.
And Serena’s smile, faint as it was, had disappeared entirely.
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