Later that evening, Jace and Aurora were finishing their mana capacity training. As they stepped out of the mana room, Jace nearly walked straight into a brick wall of a person. "Sorry," he said before glancing up to see who it was.
At five foot eight, Jace was used to people being a little taller than him, but being towered over like this was something else entirely.
"Hello Aurora," Kael's heavy voice sounded.
"Kael," she said curtly. "What are you doing here? You don't have the rank to access the mana rooms." Looking at his Blue uniform with purple accents, unsurprisingly he had already reached rank 5. But the mana rooms were for rank 1's only.
"I was using the training rooms," he said. "And whenever I finish, I make sure to check who's coming out of the mana rooms."
"For what purpose?" Jace questioned.
Kael glanced down at Jace. "The mana rooms are a Rank 1's biggest advantage. I keep tabs on who actually makes use of them."
"Then why didn't you actually try during the entrance exam? From what Aurora has said, I'm sure you all could've reached Rank 1," Jace questioned.
Kael exhaled through his nose, as if amused by the question. "Tell me, Carter, how much stronger do you actually think you've gotten since arriving at the academy?"
Jace narrowed his eyes. "What's your point?"
Kael tilted his head slightly, studying him. "My point is that some people earn their ranks." He let the words settle before continuing. "And others… well, they just hold them."
Jace felt his jaw tighten.
Kael smirked, as if he had already won the battle between them. "I look forward to seeing which you actually are."
With that, he turned and walked past them, leaving Jace and Aurora standing there.
Jace's fists clenched at his sides, but he forced himself to exhale slowly.
Aurora was the first to break the silence. "You know he's just trying to get under your skin, right?"
Jace let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, well… it's working."
Aurora shrugged. "Then don't let it." But even as she said it, her gaze lingered on Kael's retreating form.
What she couldn't help but notice was just how silent he moved. For someone his size, she had expected his steps to be heavier, louder. But Kael barely made a sound.
Jace turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "That simple, huh?"
She met his gaze evenly. "It has to be. Unless you let it be more than that."
He scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "I just hate people like that. The ones who act like they already know everything, like they're just… better."
Aurora tilted her head slightly. "Does it even matter if he thinks that?"
Jace flinched slightly at her words.
She continued, her voice steady. "We're going to keep training, keep improving. If he's right, then we'll prove him wrong. And if he's wrong, then it never mattered to begin with."
Jace sighed, some of the tension finally slipping from his shoulders. "You're right… Sorry for being stupid."
"It's okay," she said, a small smile slipping onto her face. "I didn't pick you because you were smart."
He nodded absently before realizing what she had actually said. His head snapped toward her. "Wait… What did you just say?"
Aurora had already turned, walking away. "Come on, it's late."
Jace stood there for a second, frozen in disbelief, before hurrying to catch up. "I'm going to need you to say that again, Aurora."
"Say what again? I don't recall saying anything special." She tapped a finger against her chin, as if deep in thought.
Jace erupted into laughter. "If you say so, Aurora." It wasn't often that she made jokes, but maybe that's why they always caught him off guard.
They walked together in silence for a while, leaving the training building and staying side by side until their paths split.
Reaching the spot where they usually parted ways, Aurora turned to face him. "Just remember, Jace, you don't need to prove anything to him. Only to yourself."
Jace glanced at her, but she was already walking away.
With her words lingering in his mind, along with the rare teasing from earlier, he finally felt himself relax.
"You know, for a robot… she really knows how to make me feel better."
He continued walking back to his dorm, pushing Kael out of his mind. Instead, he focused on tomorrow. He didn't want to disappoint Harper.
Tired as he was, he sat at his desk, opened his notebook, and started making a plan.