Cassius Thorn stood about one hundred and seventy centimeters tall. His hair had grown to a flame red over the last year, a clear influence from his fire powers. He was two centimeters shorter than me, despite being a year and a few months older than me. He’d trained strictly as a pyromancer, without any real effort to learn martial skills like grappling, evasion, or even the basics of punching. What I’m trying to say is, he didn’t have any real chance of hitting me in a normal situation. Yet, here I was, holding Morgan for a slow dance, with Cassius lunging right at us.

I was about to react, but Morgan’s pale hand grabbed Cassius’ hand, and then he hit the ground hard enough he bounced up into the air a little and then hit it again, knocking the wind out of him. While there was some grass in the garden, Cassius impacted against stone walkways that had no forgiveness. Without healing he’d be feeling that for a few days. The whole counterattack looked an awful lot like a Skill to me, rather than trained martial arts. For starters, Morgan never really readjusted their body. They stayed pressed against me and had no dramatic shifts in gravity or weight.

Plus, there was flares of shadows and darkness. It happened quick enough I didn’t get a full look at whatever Skill Morgan used, but it reminded me of something Uncle Arkaziel would do.

“You don’t get to talk to me that way, and you definitely don’t get to talk to my friends that way.” Morgan did not let go of Cassius during the throw, they retained control of his arm and held him in a painful armlock. When Morgan shifted his arm, he whimpered and cried out. “Do you have anything else you want to say?”

Wisps of darkness swam around Morgan in a very intimidating way, and even Cassius’ shadow roiled like a mad beast ready to devour him. I had never seen something so beautiful in my whole life. Not only did Morgan have charm and looks, but they appeared to have combat abilities too. Flashy, dramatic abilities, which were the best type of abilities.

“What’s going on over here?” Arkaziel demanded.

“They attacked me for no reason!” Cassius immediately declared to my uncle. Arkaziel rolled his eyes as he stared at Cassius. Arkaziel’s eyes were golden and showed glimpses of the immeasurable amounts of power he wielded. It was hard to look him straight in the eyes, but it was also hard to look away if he locked eyes with you, and he had locked them completely with Cassius. Cassius shook like a leaf, unable to look away from the headmaster’s gaze. People, especially transmigrators, expected Arkaziel to be some wizened and nurturing person. He wasn’t. He was an apex predator, an immortal dragon-cat, and he didn’t like people messing with his food, property, or peace and quiet unless it was funny or interesting.

“I watched the whole thing, twerp. That isn’t going to fly.” Arkaziel shook his head. “Nicely done, Morgan. Your darkness reminds me of something..” Arkaziel rubbed at his chin in thought, but he shrugged, unable to remember where he’d seen similar darkness in the past.

Morgan let go of Cassius’ hand awkwardly, and an impish smile crossed Morgan’s lips.

“Thanks. I came here to learn more about the darkness from you, you know. I’m going to kill Argarg the Barbarian.” Morgan’s eyes practically glittered in excitement at Arkaziel complimenting her. Shadows around us danced in excitement, mirroring Morgan’s tone. I hadn’t expected Morgan’s cool, in charge personality to break so quickly, let alone for it to be over Arkaziel. If Morgan expected Arkaziel to be shocked at someone coming to him to learn to kill, especially to kill Argarg, there was only disappointment to be found. Morgan wasn’t the first person who wanted to kill the Warlord of the North.

“Oh really? Maybe I’ll take you on as an apprentice. Anyway, Thorn, you are expelled.” Arkaziel said it off handedly, as if this threat had been made repeatedly. “I’ve avoided it until now because your father is a decent mayor, keeps the work down for the rest of us, but maybe he’ll sta—”

“Please don’t expel me! I’ll be good!” Cassius cried. Actual sobbing. The teen had seen something while he’d locked eyes with Arkaziel, something brutal and terrible and entirely willing to filet him for lunch, a side of the headmaster that rarely got noticed by his students. Even I could hear the sincerity in pitiful words Cassius cried out. I hated that I felt pity for him. Cassius had spent most of the time we’d known one another trying to bully me or Lilith and failing at it. Why couldn’t he just move on and be our friend, or leave us alone, instead?

“You say that every time, and then you aren’t,” Arkaziel shrugged. To him, the fate of Cassius Thorn mattered less than what Bobbi cooked for main course or dessert. I knew Uncle Arkaziel wasn’t pulling punches, and as much as Cassius was an asshole, he didn’t have anything else. He wasn’t that talented, he was a mid-grade fire mage who hadn’t come to terms with the dangers and limitations of being a mage. He wasn’t dumb, but he wasn’t smart either, but because his dad was mayor he wanted to be a big shot himself.

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“Can’t he take on a Trial of Worthiness to stay?” I asked.

Cassius, Morgan, Arkaziel all looked at me. I felt as surprised as they did. I hadn’t meant to say anything. Life without Cassius would be much more peaceful, or at least simpler.

“He could,” Lilith said, her and Aisha stepping into the growing circle of people around the floor bound Cassius.

“Fine. You can finish this semester, at which point you’ll undergo a Trial of Worthiness. Your teammates will be Alexander and Morgan.” Arkaziel’s eyes gleamed viciously, and he didn’t hide the satisfaction he got from forcing Cassius to work with two people he clearly didn’t like if he wanted to stay.

“Now that that’s settled, I’m off to taste test. Be good, kids.” Arkaziel vanished into the shadows before he’d finished speaking, the last few words emerging eerily from the shadows.

“Where’d he go?” Morgan whispered into my ear.

“He teleports through shadows a lot.” I couldn’t trace him through shadow dives, and apparently Morgan couldn’t either. How good was Uncle Arkaziel at manipulating darkness and light? “He also uses illusions all the time, so he might just be invisible.”

“Where’d Cassius go?” I looked around.

“He fled the moment you looked away,” Lilith answered. “Why’d you stick up for him?”

“Uncle Ark says his dad is a good mayor, so..” I shrugged.

“That’s it?” Morgan asked, disbelief in their tone.

“Alexander stood up for him because my son has a good heart, that’s why.” Momma said as she stepped into the circle. Like Lilith and I, her hair was cascading rainbows. Unlike us, she had a third eye on her forehead that gleamed with holy light and saw everything.

“Too soft for his own good,” Mommy said, from her spot next to Momma. Lilith agreed with a grunt.

“No adults!” I cried, as both of my mothers turned their eyes to me and Morgan. Whom I still had my arms around, as if we were ever going to finish that slow dance. Should I pull them away? Would that insult Morgan? What were my parents thinking of me standing so close to Morgan? They were both smiling, really, but they were also paying as much attention to Lilith and Aisha as to me and Morgan.

“Don’t we get to meet your new friend before you shoo us away? You’re looking lovely tonight, Aisha.” Telos complimented Aisha, before all three of her eyes turned towards Morgan. Something about Morgan made mom happy, because she smiled and laughed, to my confusion.

“Err. This is Morgan. Morgan, this is Telos and Kallos Metanoia, my mothers.” I made the awkward introductions, and Morgan gracefully slipped from my arms to walk over and say hello to both of the taller women.

“No wonder you’re tall Alexander, both of you are giants!” Morgan, like most people, had to look up to meet my parents’ eyes. Morgan seemed unruffled by the black hole like eye in the center of Telos’ forehead and looked more interestedly at Kallos’ wings and halo. Seemed was the keyword. After Morgan shook both women’s hands and returned to stand next to me I held their hand again. Morgan’s hand had become cold and clammy, as if all the life had been siphoned from Morgan. No other sign of their discomfort made it past Morgan’s iron self-control, but I could’ve missed it, since I was also watching my mothers reaction to Morgan.

“Well, don’t let us interrupt your dance. We’re just here to help Bobbi pass out food. Nice to see you, Aisha, and a pleasure to meet you, Morgan. Enjoy your dances, kids.” Kallos spoke gently, and then grabbed Telos by the earlobe and dragged her towards the food. Telos mimed putting up a fight while she was drug away.

“I think your mom is the most powerful person I’ve ever seen,” Morgan breathed out after the adults had been gone for a few moments.

“She has that effect on people who can see,” Lilith agreed with a nod. Morgan seemed to be scoring points with my sister, but I wasn’t sure if that was good or not. “Alexander, you shouldn’t have volunteered Morgan for a Trial of Worthiness without even asking.”

“So that’s a real thing?” Morgan blinked a few times, then laughed nervously.

“Yes,” Lilith said flatly, glaring at me. “It’s a chance for someone who has wronged others to prove their worthiness for a spot at the academy. The Trial is generated by the System, and can be lethal if they aren’t actually worthy of being one of Mythara’s elite.”

I held up my left hand, finger point up.

“But, there’s awesome loot, a massive experience to be gained for the seconds, and if he passes, maybe he’ll pull his head out of his ass. It wouldn’t be terrible to have a pyromancer that owes us favors.” I grinned, hoping Morgan liked experience and loot as much as I did.

“Why? I can invoke fires far beyond his pitiful control, and you have access to heat and flame too, brother dear. Cassius is a nobody who won’t matter once we graduate and hit the road.” Lilith sighed at me, while Aisha gave her a slightly reproachful look. I spoke up first, to save them an argument.

“The value of someone isn’t in the strength of their fireballs, Lilith. Even mom says that all it takes is one act of kindness, one helpful action, to bring redemption on an otherwise wasted life.” I managed to keep a straight face while quoting Telos, in her own voice.

“Ugh. Whatever. Morgan, see how naïve he is? You’d better not hurt him.” Lilith smiled, showing her teeth, before she strode off dragging Aisha with her.

“Your sister is scary,” Morgan whispered once everyone else had dispersed.

“Tell me about it. So, uhm.. we never did get that dance?” I eyed the open areas of the garden, where the music was louder.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Morgan grinned and we danced. We danced until the shooting stars filled the skies, and then we stole snacks and ate them in semi-privacy of a corner of the garden.

The night ended with kisses. Now I understood, at last, why people kissed. It was fun.