He did not understand why they needed to stage this display, why must they parade themselves before commoners and lesser houses like treasured relics. But it was required of him. And Father would not bend on it. So, Siegfried stopped thinking about it and did his duty, exactly as he had been taught.

  When they reached the plaza, the crowds grew larger and louder. But it was not only for them this time. In the middle of the road, cutting cleanly through the tumultuous crowd of commoners, walked a lone boy. Cassian.

  The city guard had redoubled their efforts in the plaza, forming disciplined lines that kept the masses from spilling into the main avenue. Now Siegfried understood why. It was not merely to allow the Viamnova carriages to pass. It was to ensure that the crowd would not surge forward and disrupt the path of the boy who had chosen to walk among them.

  That same uneasy feeling rose again in his chest. The way he walked… just like Father. Measured. Straight-backed. Unhurried. As though the street belonged to him. Why did he think he deserved that?

  Father was a great man, second only to his elder brother, who in turn stood just beneath the Sorcerer Supreme himself. That walk had been earned through discipline, legacy, power. So why did this boy think he had the right to imitate it? To carry himself with that same quiet regality?

  It was wrong. And something about it stirred anger in him. As if the posture alone were a claim. But what was it claiming?

  To complete the aura of perfection around the small figure, his uniform had been altered. Draped over his shoulders was a deep green cape that fluttered in the morning breeze. The Viamnova coat of arms gleamed proudly upon its back. The fabric did not ripple like cloth should. It caught the light and fractured it.

  Siegfried recognized it at once. Precious stones woven into thread. Emeralds forming the body of it, other gems embedded to shape the sigil’s details. An extravagant piece. A statement. He wondered again what the boy had done to deserve such an honor.

  Nothing, he answered himself. Nothing at all.

  The carriages rolled forward, and soon they passed him, leaving the emerald shimmer behind in the wake of their wheels.

  However, they did not leave the boy behind for long.

  When the carriages reached the Tower of Wisdom, the faculty of the academy stood assembled at the grand entrance. Professors in layered robes of differing colors, assistants with scrolls tucked beneath their arms, even members of the administrative staff had gathered to receive them. They were welcomed with warm words and solemn nods, then politely asked to wait until the three members of the party had assembled together. It did not take long.

  Cassian arrived on foot, his emerald-threaded cape catching the light as he stepped into the open space before the tower. For a brief moment, the three of them stood apart, a quiet triangle beneath the vast archway. Then, father let out an impatient click of the tongue, the three looked at one another and they moved to stand side by side. Father nodded once, approving.

  The headmaster himself emerged shortly after. Tall, robed in deep violet trimmed with silver, the surrounding faculty parted for him, and the murmur of the gathered crowd softened into respectful silence.

  The three of them lined up before him.

  He spoke at length. About honor. About legacy. About the trust the academy placed in those selected more than once. About how the Special Quest was not merely a trial of strength, but of character. Siegfried listened in stillness, hands clasped behind his back, gaze fixed forward. Most of it slid past him. Words of encouragement, words of pride, expectations of excellence. He had heard variations of them before.

  It was only when the headmaster’s tone shifted that Siegfried’s attention sharpened. This year, he announced that the Great Hall would not only host alumni as observers. In recognition of the rarity of this event, outsiders beyond the participants’ parents would be permitted entry. Select members from the lower houses. Even a limited number of common citizens. A special occasion deserved a broader witness pool. A ripple passed through the faculty at that. Siegfried’s gaze flicked briefly toward Cassian. His parents were not present.

  Was their quest so urgent that they could not spare a day to see their son undertake such a trial? Or did they not consider it important enough to attend? In the end, it did not matter. Their presence or absence would not change the outcome of the quest. When the Headmaster finished, the three were instructed to follow the faculty inside.

  Before they entered fully, attendants approached, each carrying a small satchel. The bags were simple but finely made, each in a distinct color. A green one was handed to Cassian. A blue one to Athena. A red one to Siegfried.

  Supplies permitted within regulation, he assumed. With that, they were guided through the towering doors and down the familiar corridors of the Tower of Wisdom toward a waiting chamber. The Great Hall would soon fill. And when all was ready, the three of them would step forward into the trial grounds once more. Siegfried noticed something, for the first time the three of them were alone.

  Athena acted on this at once, tossing her satchel at Cassian. “Carry this for me, little cousin,” she said dismissively.

  The way she addressed him made Siegfried doubt, for a fleeting second, whether there truly was an alliance between the two. But then she continued.

  “It is only proper for the Arbiter to carry the supplies. I’m sure my brother will want you to carry his satchel too.”

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  She looked at him sweetly as she said it.

  Was this their goal? Had they somehow learned that these satchels contained something of importance, and were they trying to take his away from him? But how would Athena have come by that information? Was he simply being paranoid?

  No. Athena was trying to provoke him. That much was plain.

  He noticed Cassian glance at his satchel, then at him, as if expecting him to hand it over. That look, calm and unreadable, only fed the suspicion coiling inside him. Siegfried shifted the bag slightly behind him, shielding it from that steely gaze, and turned fully toward his sister.

  He was sick of this game she insisted on playing.

  “Will you not drop this farce even now, sister?” he asked, striving to sound weary rather than irritated.

  “What are you talking about, dear brother? I was merely suggesting that Cassian perform his duty as our Arb-”

  “Enough,” Siegfried cut in. “Why would you make a mockery of our quest? Of me?”

  Athena paused. Her face changed into that same look of bewilderment she had given him years ago, the one that suggested she could not fathom how someone might fail to grasp something so obvious.

  “Don’t tell me you don’t understand something so simple, brother.”

  His anger flared at once, why would she treat him that way, as if he was…

  “Can’t you see how unfair this is for both of us?” she continued, her tone still honeyed, though something sharper slipped beneath it. “Any other year, we would be the main attraction. The ones everyone would speak about. Just as you were two years ago.”

  Her smile thinned. “But now we are treated as nothing more than your support. You are stealing our chance at honor and glory, and you dare ask why I mock you?”

  “I did not ask to be chosen again!” Siegfried shouted, the restraint snapping.

  “Yet you did nothing when you were,” Athena replied smoothly. “You did not speak to the faculty. You did not ask to be recused. No. In your greed, you desired more glory and fame for yourself, and your family be damned.” Her eyes gleamed. “That is why I mock you. That is why I am angry. Oh, and that is why Cassian is quite angry at you too.” She finished.

  At the mention of the name, Siegfried turned his face toward Cassian. For the first time, the blue eyes of his cousin were readable to him.

  Panic.

  The instant their gazes met, the boy stiffened. His shoulders went rigid, his hands shot behind his back as if to conceal something, and there it was again, that flicker of fear. Not the cautious calculation Cassian usually wore, not that distant composure. Fear. As though he had been caught doing something he should not have. Confirmation.

  They resented him. Both of them. Resented him for being chosen again. For standing at the center of what should have been their moment. They believed he had stolen their thunder. And so, they had allied.

  Good. That was the first thought that crossed his mind.

  This simplified everything. No more doubts. No more pointless speculation. He understood. He did not have to think anymore. His course of action was set.

  “What do you think of that, brother?” Athena asked lightly.

  He turned to look at her, and for once he was grateful. He would not have to waste another word on her. He shifted his body slightly toward the door. His ears had already caught the soft footfalls approaching the waiting room. They also picked up a long breath that escaped the boy’s lips. A sigh of relief.

  Premature, Siegfried thought.

  The boy had no idea what was in store for either of them. The doors to the waiting room opened. Siegfried stepped forward first, unflinching, and led the way outside.

  Professor Lauren looked genuinely startled when Siegfried strode past her without so much as a pause. He did not wait for instruction. He did not ask for permission. He simply pushed the doors open and stepped into the hall beyond as though it already belonged to him. Athena followed at once, composed and elegant as ever, her expression unreadable. Cassian came after her, a half-step behind, but no less silent.

  For a brief moment, Professor Lauren remained where she stood, watching the three heirs of the Viamnovas advance ahead of her. She did not attempt to stop them. Instead, she gathered herself and followed.

  When they reached the Cognit, she extended her hand and activated it with a precise motion. Before they departed, Professor Lauren extended a hand towards Cassian. The boy understood what she wanted and took off his cape, handed it over to her. Then the runes beneath their feet answered, igniting in a cool aqua glow. The mechanism recognized its passengers and began its ascent, lifting the three of them smoothly toward the trial grounds. No one spoke during the rise.

  Then the Cognit opened once more. Once again, Siegfried moved with a purpose and soon stood before the gates of the trial grounds, which opened instantly once the three had gathered before it.

  They stepped into the vast chamber.

  The air felt charged. The three archways no longer stood dormant. Each one overflowed with restrained energy, teleportation spells humming across their surfaces. The left arch shimmered in green light. The right radiated blue. The central one burned red, steady and commanding.

  As they approached, small crystals rose from the floor and aligned themselves in midair. They fused together seamlessly, forming a single polished surface. Light gathered across it. Then the image of Professor Semperoblitus appeared, his eager expression filling the crystalline display.

  “Welcome,” Professor Semperoblitus declared, his voice brimming with barely contained excitement. “Welcome, brave party members, to the Special Quest of Draíochta Acadamh.” His image shimmered faintly across the smooth crystalline surface. “I will now explain the conditions required for the quest to be considered complete. Before you stand three teleportation gates. Each will take you to a distinct challenge, aligned with one of the three disciplines taught at this academy.”

  He gestured somewhere beyond the frame. “The red gate leads to the Knight’s Challenge. The green to the Arbiter’s Challenge. The blue to the Sorcerer’s Challenge. At the end of each trial, you will find a slab matching the color of its discipline.”

  The green glow from one arch pulsed faintly in the chamber. Athena began passing the room looking at each portal closing the distance.

  “To complete the quest, you must combine two slabs of identical color. When merged, they will transform into a single white slab. When your party possesses three white slabs, you shall be declared victorious.” His smile widened. “You may now be wondering where the second slab is to be found. The answer is quite simple. You already possess it. The satchels given to you contain the slab corresponding to your chosen discipline.”

  The red arch flickered brighter for a brief instant. Athena stopped her pacing at once, her eyes shot back towards Cassian.

  “You may enter the challenges in any order you wish. However, you are bound by a strict time limit of three hours.” His expression grew just a touch more serious. “Should the faculty determine that your life is in imminent danger, or that you risk serious injury without a reasonable chance of avoiding it through your own merit, you will be forcibly teleported out of the trial grounds and disqualified. Keep that in mind.” Then, as though remembering something delightful, he perked up again. “Oh, and one more detail. If any single participant comes to possess a red, a green, and a blue slab simultaneously, that individual will be declared the sole victor. Best of luck on your quest.”