Chapter 9: Observing Strength
Jinx adjusted her crystal goggles as she settled into her seat in the academy's private observation box. Aeron's second fight was about to begin, and she wasn't going to miss a single detail. Not this time.
Her goggles whirred faintly, amplifying the subtle glow of Aeron's magic as he stood in the center of the arena. Despite the crowd cheering and the vibrant sunlight overhead, Aeron looked utterly unshaken—calm, focused, grounded. Typical, she thought, smirking to herself.
To anyone else, Aeron might appear too casual, perhaps even unconcerned, but Jinx knew better. She had watched his first fight earlier that day, notebook in hand, analyzing his every move. He hadn't even used magic then, instead relying on brute strength and agility to overwhelm his opponent. Now, however, she suspected she might see something entirely different.
This wasn't just another tournament match to Aeron. She could sense it in the way he shifted his stance, rolling his shoulders slightly as he observed his opponent. This was a test—a chance for him to evaluate himself, to push his limits.
"Don't hold back too much," she murmured under her breath, fingers gripping her quill as she flipped to a fresh page in her notebook.
Across from Aeron stood a wiry second-year mage, a fire caster with a cunning gleam in his eye. Sparks danced around his fingers as he warmed up, and the arena already seemed to grow hotter from his presence. The proctor, a burly older mage with years of tournament experience, raised his hand and called out, "Begin!"
The fire mage attacked immediately, lashing out with a long tendril of flames. The crowd gasped as the whip of fire hurtled toward Aeron—but Aeron didn't move.
Instead, his hand shot forward, summoning a wall of compact earth in front of him. The whip collided with it, sending a burst of light and sparks scattering in all directions. As the wall crumbled under the force of the attack, Aeron was already moving, closing the distance between himself and his opponent.
Jinx adjusted the focus on her goggles, watching as the runes on Aeron's gloves shimmered faintly when he struck. He wasn't summoning massive spells or relying on overpowered attacks. Every move was deliberate, efficient, designed to outwit rather than overpower.
The fire mage jumped back, narrowly dodging a strike as Aeron pressed him with unrelenting force. His flames roared to life again, twisting into a ring of fire that surrounded him in an attempt to keep Aeron at bay.
Jinx scribbled furiously. Circular defense formation, sustained mana flow… but inefficient energy expenditure. A properly placed water strike would dismantle the formation… or earth could tunnel beneath it…
Before she could even finish her thought, Aeron proved her right.
With a sweep of his hand, a burst of sharp stone shards erupted from the ground beneath the fire mage's feet. The mage yelped, stumbling out of his protective ring and breaking his focus. In that instant, Aeron darted forward, a fist crashing into the mage's side with just enough force to knock him off balance without causing serious harm.
Smart. Precise, Jinx thought. He's holding back—barely.
She leaned forward as the fire mage scrambled to his feet, growling in frustration. He hurled a fireball directly at Aeron, a move born of desperation. Aeron sidestepped with ease, his movements fluid as water.
And then she saw it.
For a brief second, Aeron's hand hovered over the hilt of his blade—his true weapon. The one she had spent hours sketching in her notebook after sneaking a closer look at it earlier. The intricate runes etched into its surface still swirled in her mind. Aeron's grip tightened ever so slightly, but he didn't draw it.
She exhaled slowly, realizing her hands had frozen mid-note. He's saving it. He doesn't want them to see…
The fire mage made one final attempt, summoning a massive plume of flames that surged toward Aeron like a wave. The crowd roared, rising to their feet to witness what they thought would be a decisive moment.
Aeron, however, remained calm. With a single gesture, the ground beneath him shifted, raising a protective dome of earth around his body. The flames crashed against it harmlessly, burning out in an instant. When the dome collapsed, Aeron was already on the move, closing the distance again.
This time, he didn't hold back.
A powerful wave of stone and dirt surged upward, throwing the fire mage into the air before pinning him to the ground. The match was over. The proctor raised his hand, signaling Aeron's victory as the fire mage groaned, defeated but unharmed.
The crowd erupted into applause, chanting Aeron's name as he stepped back and offered his opponent a respectful nod.
Jinx, however, barely noticed the noise. She was too busy furiously jotting down her observations, her mind racing with ideas.
Back in the private observation box, Aeron found Jinx waiting for him, her goggles still perched on her head. She had her notebook open, pages filled with sketches, calculations, and annotations.
"You're going to wear that thing out," Aeron joked, gesturing at her quill as he wiped dirt and sweat off his face with a towel.
She looked up sharply, her eyes narrowing. "I would, but someone keeps giving me more data to work with." Her tone was sharp, but the small grin tugging at her lips softened the jab. "That was... impressive."
"Just doing my best," Aeron said with a shrug, taking a seat across from her.
Jinx snapped her notebook shut, leaning forward. "No, really. That last move—the wave of stone to pin him? Flawless execution. Minimal mana drain, maximum efficiency."
He quirked an eyebrow at her enthusiasm. "You're making it sound more impressive than it was."
"Don't do that," she said firmly, pointing the quill at him. "You've got a natural instinct for magic, and it shows. But there's room for improvement."
Aeron chuckled. "Of course there is. That's why I'm here."
Jinx's grin widened, and she pulled the goggles down over her eyes again, fiddling with the lenses as she inspected him. "Your energy signature fluctuates when you're holding back—when you're measuring your opponent. It's subtle, but I caught it." She flipped her notebook open again. "And your earth magic—while ridiculously strong—could be sharpened. Refined."
"Isn't that what sparring matches like this are for?" Aeron replied, leaning back in his chair.
She lowered the goggles and fixed him with an intense look. "What if I could help you with that? You've seen my inventions. What if I created something to enhance your focus—make your casting smoother? A gauntlet, maybe, or something woven into your tunic…"
Aeron raised a hand to stop her. "I appreciate it, Jinx, but I need to strengthen myself first. If I rely on tools too much, I won't grow."
"Fair point," she admitted, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "But I'd still like to study the runes on your hilt." Her voice grew softer as she added, almost to herself, "They're unlike anything I've seen before."
Aeron hesitated. He wasn't sure why, but the thought of showing her the hilt in greater detail made him uneasy. Maybe it was because the hilt felt like a piece of his soul—or maybe because he wasn't ready for others to fully understand the ancient power behind it.
"I'll think about it," he said after a moment.
Jinx nodded, clearly not wanting to push him too hard. "Fair enough. But don't take too long. The longer I stare at those runes, the more questions I have, and you know I hate unanswered questions."
Aeron smirked at that, standing and stretching. "I'll keep that in mind. For now, I should probably rest up before the next fight."
"You do that." Jinx waved him off, already scribbling furiously in her notebook again. "And maybe think about some of my ideas while you're at it."
Aeron chuckled as he left the observation box, heading for the waiting room. Behind him, Jinx adjusted her goggles once more and watched his retreating figure.
---
Left alone in the box, Jinx sat back in her chair and let out a deep sigh. Aeron was a puzzle—a frustrating, fascinating puzzle she was determined to solve. His natural connection to magic, his control, and his reluctance to fully unleash his power—it all spoke of untapped potential far greater than most mages she'd seen.
The goggles whirred as she zoomed in on the arena below, sketching rough ideas of modifications for her designs. In the back of her mind, she kept replaying that moment when Aeron's hand hovered over his hilt, as if the blade called to him. It wasn't fear that had stopped him from drawing it—she was sure of that. It was strategy. Caution.
"Why are you holding back?" she whispered to herself.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Jinx turned her attention to her notebook. If Aeron wouldn't ask for help, she'd just have to work in the background, designing ways to complement his strengths and minimize his weaknesses. Her quill scratched furiously across the page as ideas blossomed like sparks from a forge.
She wasn't just observing anymore. She was preparing.
And whether Aeron knew it or not, she was determined to help him become the strongest mage this academy had ever seen.