Time moved forward with relentless steadiness, and before I knew it, the first midterms of the Royal Academy of Thane were upon us.
The Founder's Banquet loomed on the horizon, and my deadline to unlock Synchronisation was drawing closer with each passing week. Yet now, there was a far more immediate challenge staring me in the face—the exams.
"In order to ensure fairness in the midterms, we will be implementing a system of relative grading," Medea announced to the class.
A murmur rippled through the students, confusion flitting across their faces. I exchanged a glance with Kael, who merely shrugged, while Mary pursed her lips in irritation.
Medea let the noise settle before continuing. "I will explain with an example. Let's take Mary's Golden Lion and Elara's Heavenly Demon."
My breath hitched slightly at the mention of Aria. Medea's gaze flickered to me—just for a moment—before she carried on.
"If we graded you all on a fixed scale, where both of these summons exist within the same framework, Elara would receive an unfairly high score, and Mary, an unfairly low one. Not because of their skill, but because of the difference in raw capability between their summons. And that," she said, her tone sharpening, "is not the purpose of this examination."
Silence settled over the room as the weight of her words took hold.
"The midterms are designed to measure your ability as a summoner—not how powerful your summon is," she continued. "Therefore, a relative grading scale will be applied to every student. In simple terms, summoners will be assessed in proportion to the potential and capability of their own summons."
Her keen gaze swept across the class, though I felt it linger on me for just a heartbeat longer. "This means that simply having a strong summon will no longer guarantee a top grade."
I exhaled slowly, my fingers tightening around my quill.
Medea was telling me, in no uncertain terms, that I couldn't just rely on Aria to carry me through the practical exams.
Not anymore.
'So much for my safety net.'
The written exams had already been a looming concern, but now, I had to worry about the practicals too. It wasn't enough to have the strongest summon in the Academy—I had to prove that I was the one guiding her, not the other way around.
And that thought, more than any written test or trial ahead, filled me with a deep and uneasy determination.
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The midday sun filtered through the garden's canopy, casting dappled light over the solitary figure seated on the stone bench. Elara Veylin exhaled softly as she unwrapped her lunch, her silver hair catching in the breeze.
Another lonely lunch break.
It wasn't that she disliked being alone—she had grown used to it. But the absence of company had a way of pressing against her like a weight she didn't quite know how to shake off. Prince Valkas occasionally joined her, but those moments were rare. More often than not, she spent her breaks in quiet solitude, her only companion being Aria.
She reached for her Diamond Grimoire, prepared to summon Aria for company, when a ripple of hushed voices made her pause.
A group of students approached, their footfalls purposeful, their presence unmistakable. Elara looked up, blinking in surprise as she found herself encircled by Mary Greenward and her ever-present clique.
"Well, if it isn't Lady Elara," Mary said, her voice sweet with an edge of something sharper beneath it.
Elara tilted her head, her brows furrowing.
'Is this… her trying to be friends?'
Mary's smile was bright, too bright, as she took a seat across from Elara, her friends fanning out behind her like well-trained courtiers.
"You always sit here alone," Mary remarked, feigning concern. "That must be terribly lonely. I just can't imagine how you manage it."
Elara blinked again, considering the words carefully.
'I suppose it does look lonely from an outside perspective. How thoughtful of her to notice.'
"It's not too bad," Elara said, smiling faintly. "I usually summon Aria for company."
Mary's lips twitched, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly before she let out a perfectly rehearsed laugh. "Oh, of course. Your summon. How fortunate you are to have something to keep you company. Some of us have to rely on real people for that."
Elara nodded. "That makes sense."
Mary's friends exchanged amused glances. One of them, a girl with chestnut hair and a simpering smile, leaned in. "I heard you spend quite a bit of time with Prince Valkas. That must be exciting for you, no?"
Elara considered the question. "I suppose? He's quite kind."
"How kind of him," Mary hummed, fingers tracing the rim of her teacup. "He's always been charitable."
Elara brightened. "Yes, he has! He even offered to escort me to the Founder's Banquet."
Mary's expression flickered, but she recovered quickly, lips curling into something saccharine. "How lovely. I suppose you must be so grateful. After all, it's not every day a prince lowers himself like that."
Elara beamed, oblivious to the subtle barb. "I do appreciate it. He's been very considerate."
Mary's friends barely suppressed their giggles, their eyes dancing with silent amusement.
"And your summon," Mary continued, tilting her head. "Aria, was it? How fascinating she must be. I hear she's quite… different from the others."
Elara nodded, pleased by the interest. "She is. She's a Prime Eterna."
"Right. That," Mary said, her voice dipping into something just short of patronizing. "Must be quite difficult for you, though. A summon that's so much stronger than its summoner. I imagine that could be… intimidating?"
Elara shook her head. "Not at all. She's wonderful. Though, I do need to work harder to keep up with her."
Mary's smile was positively radiant now. "Oh, I'm sure. It must be exhausting."
"Quite," Elara agreed without hesitation. "But she's worth it."
Mary blinked, thrown off by how utterly unbothered Elara was. The conversation wasn't going the way she had planned.
From the edge of the courtyard, Valkas von Thane leaned against the marble railing, arms crossed, his sharp crimson gaze locked onto the scene unfolding before him.
He had been making his way through the garden when he had overheard Mary's voice, smooth and lilting in the way it always was when she wanted something.
He had stopped to listen.
What he saw… irritated him.
Mary was playing her usual games—her words laced with honeyed venom, her smiles sharp as blades hidden beneath silk. Yet Elara, in her unfailing sincerity, remained utterly unaware of the mockery.
She answered every taunt with unshaken earnestness, unknowingly dismantling Mary's attempts to needle her.
Valkas sighed through his nose.
Mary was too skilled at social maneuvering to outright insult Elara. That wasn't how she worked. No, she preferred the slow, methodical erosion of confidence—whispers wrapped in silk, smiles laced with knives.
But Elara… Elara was frustratingly immune.
Valkas pushed off the railing, shaking his head. He had half a mind to intervene, but something about the situation made him pause.
Elara wasn't losing.
Mary had entered the conversation expecting her words to cut. Instead, she was being met with a wall of oblivious goodwill.
And watching Mary struggle with that was, Valkas admitted to himself, deeply satisfying.