The courtyard was quiet. Most students had returned to their respective classrooms, leaving behind only chaperones, family, and friends—Sonder and Vell among them.
They had eaten their fill some time ago. Now, Vell smoked his pipe, exhaling slow curls of smoke, while Sonder gazed at the sky, absentmindedly shaping mana between her fingers, stretching it like rubber bands.
It was a habit she had developed to keep her focus from slipping when boredom set in.
Vell billowed out a particularly large cloud of smoke just as a side door to the main building opened. A middle-aged woman in scholar's robes emerged, her steps slow and deliberate. Unlike a panicked outburst, this was controlled—thoughtful.
The professor, a senior examiner in magical aptitude, scanned the courtyard before making her way toward the headmaster's quarters. Those who noticed her paid little mind at first, but the quiet urgency in her expression caught the attention of a few passing instructors.
Inside a shadowed hallway, away from the lingering gazes of students, the professor found Headmaster Jouska standing near a tall window, watching the academy grounds below.
"I have a student in my class who can't be an apprentice," she paused, taking a measured breath. "Her mana control is flawless. Not just refined—instinctive. Every question on the written exam—perfect. No hesitation. No doubt. It wasn't memorization. It was mastery."
Jouska closed his eyes briefly. "And yet, she is here, taking the same exam as every other student."
The professor hesitated, then asked the question weighing on her mind. "Who trained her?"
Jouska finally turned, his gaze unfocused, as if listening for something just beyond the physical world. His presence extended outward—not physically, but magically, reaching beyond the stone walls of the academy.
Across the courtyard, Vell exhaled another slow plume of smoke. Without moving his gaze, he felt the shift in the air, a subtle weight settling upon him.
He responded in kind, letting his own presence extend, weaving through the magic in the air with precision. Though they were not face to face, it was as if they saw each other clearly, with more depth than sight could ever grant.
Jouska's aura sharpened, probing. Vell remained unshaken, relaxed yet unyielding. The silent exchange was brief but layered with understanding. Jouska did not need to ask again. The answer was already apparent.
Vell smirked, just barely, and without speaking, he mouthed, "Pretty good, right?"
Jouska's lips pressed into a thin line. He turned back to the professor, his voice cool and composed. "Regardless of their origins, the tests remain the same. We do not adjust scores for excellence. Let the results speak for themselves."
With that, he strode past her, his robes swaying as he disappeared deeper into the academy. The professor lingered a moment before returning to her class.
Back in the courtyard, Sonder tilted her head. She had felt something—an odd shift in the air—but she hadn't been paying attention. The moment passed, and she dismissed it as nothing.