Finding Aurora was a challenge in itself.

  I'd hoped she would be at the library too, which would have made things so much easier. But apparently the universe wasn't feeling that generous today.

  I thought about waiting until lunch to talk to her, but having that conversation in front of the entire academy would draw way too much unwanted attention. The last thing I needed was more people watching me make a fool of myself. Again.

  I looked up at the spire where the S-rank students lived, its white stone gleaming in the morning sun. Maybe she'd just stayed in her room? That would make things difficult. I had no idea if we were even allowed up there, and even if I could go, I wasn't sure showing up at her door unannounced was a good idea. That felt like the kind of thing that could go very wrong very quickly.

  Somehow that didn't feel right. Aurora was too responsible, too dedicated. She'd probably see staying in her room as shameful, like she was shirking some duty. If she could manage it, she'd probably attend her classes normally despite everything that had happened.

  So what would someone like her be doing the day after a mission like that?

  It only took me a minute to figure it out.

  I walked through the corridors with purpose now, searching. The infirmary shouldn't be hidden or hard to reach. It was too important for that, needed to be accessible in case of emergencies. And sure enough, it only took about five minutes of navigating the east wing before I found it.

  The infirmary was marked by a simple sign with a healing symbol above the doorway. Through the windows, I could see rows of beds, most of them empty. But one near the far end was occupied, and I could just make out someone lying there, still and pale.

  Anya's brother, with Anya by his side.

  And Aurora was standing just outside the door, staring at the handle like it was some kind of test she wasn't sure she could pass.

  Her silver-white hair caught the light from the hallway windows, and for a moment she looked almost ethereal. But her posture was tense, her hand hovering near the door without quite touching it. Whatever was happening inside her head, it was keeping her frozen in place.

  I approached slowly, not wanting to startle her.

  "Hey," I said when I got close enough.

  "I'm busy right now." She didn't even look at me. Didn't seem surprised I'd found her either. Maybe she'd sensed me coming, or maybe she was too preoccupied to care.

  "I'm sure the door can wait," I replied, refusing to give up that easily.

  She turned to look at me then, and I saw her expression clearly for the first time. It was a mix of irritation and something like resignation. But underneath that, there was something else.

  Whatever was making her hesitate to enter that room was apparently strong enough that she'd prefer talking to me over facing it.

  "We have nothing to talk about," she said evenly, her voice carefully controlled. "I understand you might feel guilty about what happened on the mission, but you don't need to worry. I won't make the same mistake twice."

  Her choice of words stung. She was calling it a mistake. Calling almost trusting me a mistake.

  "I'm sorry!" The words burst out of me, and I bowed down in what was probably an exaggerated gesture, but it felt necessary. "I'm truly sorry for what I did. I was selfish, and I didn't think about how my actions would affect you!"

  I couldn't see her reaction from this angle, but she didn't respond for several seconds. My heart was beating so fast I wondered if she could hear it echoing in the empty hallway.

  "It was my fault," she said finally, her voice still carefully controlled. "I didn't do my job properly. I got distracted." A pause. "But if it makes you feel better, I accept your apology."

  I heard her footsteps starting to walk away.

  I straightened up immediately and started following her.

  "Wait, that's not..." I tried to find the right words while keeping pace. "That's not what I expected."

  "What do you mean? You got what you wanted, didn't you?" She continued walking down the hallway, though at a slower pace than before. Not trying to lose me, then. That was something.

  "No... That wasn't what I wanted at all. I mean, it is, but not all of it." I took a breath, trying to organize my thoughts into something coherent. "I want more!"

  She stopped walking then, turning to look at me with genuine confusion. "More?"

  We were in a wider section of the hallway now, where it opened up near a window overlooking one of the courtyards. The morning light made her eyes seem even more striking than usual.

  "I still want to make you trust me," I said, the words coming faster now. "And I still stand by everything I said that night. I know I made the worst possible choices, but if you'll let me, I'd like to try again. To prove that you don't have to carry everything alone."

  She was looking into my eyes now, her expression unreadable. I could see her processing, weighing my words against whatever thoughts were running through her head.

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  "You wish to continue this..." She seemed to have trouble finding the right word. "This pursuit of yours?"

  "Yes. I do." I met her gaze as steadily as I could, even though my heart was racing. "I'll do everything I can to make you trust me. And I won't let you be alone again!"

  The words came out more intense than I'd intended, and I felt my face heating up as I realized how that sounded. Like some kind of dramatic declaration from a storybook.

  She blushed slightly too, a faint pink coloring her cheeks. But she recovered much faster than I did, her expression smoothing back into something more controlled.

  "I can't stop you from trying," she said, her posture relaxing just a fraction. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly. "But it's a foolish use of your time."

  She turned to look out the window at the courtyard below. A few students were visible, walking between classes.

  "And I must warn you," she continued, her voice quieter now. "This is bound to draw attention. I can't protect you from the consequences that might come from associating with me."

  The way she said it made it sound like she knew exactly what kind of consequences she was talking about. Like she'd seen it happen before. To others who'd tried to get close to her.

  "What do you mean?" I asked, stepping closer to the window beside her.

  "People who associate with me tend to become targets." She kept her eyes on the courtyard. "The Prince isn't the only one who sees value in keeping me isolated. There are factions, politics, expectations, family. Anyone who tries to get close becomes a piece on the board."

  "I'm already a piece on the board," I pointed out. "I'm the unranked student who somehow keeps surviving things he shouldn't. People already watch me."

  "Not like they will if you do this." She finally looked at me again.

  "Are you trying to scare me off?"

  "I'm trying to be honest with you." Her voice was steady, but I could hear something underneath it. Concern, maybe. "You asked for my trust. The least I can do is trust you enough to understand the risks."

  "Not a problem!" I said, smiling despite the weight of what she'd just told me. "I… We'll handle whatever comes!"

  My hand moved without thinking, reaching out to touch hers where it rested on the windowsill. Just for a moment, a brief contact.

  She jumped back reflexively, her eyes widening in surprise. For a second, she just stared at me like I'd done something completely unexpected.

  "Thank you for the chance!" I said, too caught up in the relief of her not completely rejecting me to process what I'd just done. I waved and started walking away, feeling lighter than I had in days.

  I made it about ten steps down the hallway before the realization hit me like a lightning bolt.

  Did I just hold her hand?

  My face burned hot enough that I was pretty sure I could have set something on fire. I kept walking anyway, refusing to look back. If I looked back now, I'd die of embarrassment on the spot. Just combust right there in the hallway.

  I rounded the corner and pressed my back against the wall, my heart hammering in my chest.

  What was I doing? What had I just done?

  But despite the embarrassment, despite the fear of the consequences she'd warned me about, I was smiling.

  The rest of the day passed in a blur of relief and residual embarrassment.

  I tried to focus on other things. Went back to my room and attempted to study some basic spell theory. Grabbed lunch in the dining hall, pointedly not looking at the center tables where I knew the Prince and his group would be. Walked through the academy grounds, trying to clear my head.

  But my thoughts kept drifting back to two conversations. Two bridges I'd tried to rebuild.

  Lina, who'd agreed to help me understand my power despite how I'd lied to her. Who'd looked at the impossible and immediately wanted to study it, to understand it, to help me control it better.

  And Aurora, who'd warned me about the dangers of getting close to her even as she gave me permission to try.

  Finally, everything was falling into place. I'd started fixing things with both of them. The corruption was nowhere to be seen and would probably take a while to return, though when it did, it might be even stronger. I'd have to deal with that when the time came.

  And somehow, the Prince seemed to hate me slightly less than before. Maybe only a medium amount of hatred now instead of maximum. He'd actually looked almost approving after the corruption incident, even if he'd completely misunderstood my motives.

  Compared to my first week here, this was a complete success. Everything was going right, and I actually felt ready to focus on learning again. Perhaps I could finally work on some cool spells instead of just barely surviving day to day.

  I still had a long way to go, of course.

  I still needed to make Aurora trust me. Really trust me, not just tolerate my presence. Needed to prove that I could be someone she could rely on without making her think I was going to die in the process.

  I still needed to understand my power better with Lina's help. The tea cup incident had made it clear that I didn't really know what I was doing. I could rewrite reality, but I didn't understand the rules of how it worked. That was dangerous, potentially catastrophic.

  And I still needed to actually learn proper magic instead of just relying on my reality-bending rules for everything. I was at a magic academy, after all. It would be nice to actually learn some magic.

  Beyond all that, I still needed to find a way to keep my promise. To be worthy of the life I'd been given.

  But for now, it was time to rest. To take some time to actually relax and enjoy the fact that I hadn't completely destroyed everything.

  I lay on my bed as the sun set outside my window, watching the light fade from gold to orange to deep purple.

  Everything looked the same as it had weeks ago when I'd first arrived. But I wasn't the same.

  I'd spent so much time just trying to survive. Reacting to whatever came at me, hoping things would work out if I just kept my head down and didn't cause trouble. That clearly did not work.

  I'd been content to just wait and see what happened.

  That ended now.

  I didn't know exactly what I needed to do yet. But I knew I couldn't keep coasting along, hoping things would work out. I needed to train properly with Lina, understand my power instead of stumbling through it blindly. I needed to actually build that trust with Aurora, become someone she could rely on instead of someone she had to worry about.

  I needed to learn real magic, make real connections, take real action.

  I'd been given a second chance at life in this world. It was time I actually did something with it.

  Outside my window, the last light faded from the sky. The academy grounds grew dark, lit only by scattered magical lights along the paths. Peaceful. Calm.

  I knew it wouldn't last. Something was coming. The corruption, or something else, or maybe just the natural chaos that seemed to follow me around.

  But this time, I wouldn't just react to it.

  This time, I'd be ready.

  End of Volume 1