A couple weeks later, I scrambled into the carriage, my hands and face slick with sweat and a frustrated Alphonse and Esteban glaring at me from the opposite bench. I had been testing the limits of my mana manipulation in an early morning session with Doctore, trying to shape a cube of shadow mana into a pyramid. Though it sounded simple enough, the slightest miscalculation could cause a dangerous disruption in the mana structure—an obstacle I had yet to overcome. My stubborn refusal to give up resulted in me being late, which also made Al and Esteban late. All in all, it wasn’t a good start to the morning.

Esteban ran to his own class while Alphonse and I snuck through the empty halls of the academy, thankful that the other students were already in their classrooms. However, as we were rounding the corner that led to our Lair Team meeting room, I caught the acrid scent of anger mixed with a metallic tang of freshly minted coins and burned paper. I instinctively tugged Alphonse back as I heard Seth and Sam’s voices, their argument getting louder and more hostile. I hesitated, not sure whether we should intervene in their dispute or not.

“We’re going to be later than we already are,” Al complained softly.

“Better late than getting in between those two,” I argued, then with a small smile added, “Besides, I want to listen in.”

“Fine, but you’d better tell me what they’re saying,” Al rolled his eyes but nodded, a mischievous smile of his own tugging at his lips.

“Sam, when are you going to get it that this is a mistake? You’re going to end up dead if you keep this up. Wasn’t it enough when you lost your fingers and an ear? Or will it take losing your head for you to finally get it?”

“Seth,” Sam growled, “First, the healers were able to restore them. Second, you still don’t understand. This is important. More important than anything I’ve ever done. Why can’t you see that?”

“Because I’m not some stupid self-sacrificing moron,” Seth roared back. “My father didn’t pay for you to come here so you could throw your life away.”

“Oh yes, your father. From what my father tells me, he’s on the verge of disowning you for dishonouring the entire family line.”

“My father knows it was the right decision, but appearances must be kept up,” Seth protested. “You're just lucky he still sees value in you, or you might have died at that party.”

My fists clenched and my temples pulsed as my temper rose. What did Seth know about the disastrous party?

“What are you talking about?” Sam asked. “I wasn’t even there when everything went bad.”

“And why do you think that is? My father spends a lot of money to make sure he is informed, and in turn so am I,” Seth boasted. “You should be on your hands and knees thanking me for getting you out of there. My father wanted to leave you at that party, hoping it would teach you a lesson.”

“But . . . Sabila . . . no, she said she wanted to be alone with me. She likes me,” Sam protested.

Seth scoffed, “Sabila’s a Salim from the main family. Her father owes my father a great debt. She did as she was told.”

“But wait, then you knew about the attack?” Sam demanded.

“I don’t care about some attack on an heiress that has nothing to do with my family or me. Besides, she lived, didn't she?” Seth said, disregarding his cousin's outrage.

A wave of fury surged through me, and I took a step towards the two as I growled, “I’m going to kill him.”

“Wait, what did they say?” Alphonse asked, trying to hold me back. After I conveyed the gist of their conversation, his expression darkened but he said, “If you kill him, we won’t get any information out of him.”

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Before I could voice a response, a loud boom sounded and a blinding red-orange light flashed across the hall. I stepped into the hallway and saw the two.

Sam's face was distorted in rage, as he clutched a staff tightly in his hands and lunged towards Seth. "You traitorous bastard!" he screamed before the staff made an echoing thud against Seth's skull.

"What... What are you doing?" Seth stammered, clutching his head while trying to take a step back.

"You could have gotten the hero killed!" Sam bellowed and swung again, attempting to make contact with the other side of his cousin's head.

“Stop,” Seth pleaded, his hand raised to protect his head, “My father—”

“Stop with your father already! Do you have any idea what would have happened to the world? Do you even care? Have you ever once thought about anyone but yourself?” Sam snarled before slamming the butt of his staff into Seth's forehead. The other snakeboy collapsed to his knees, unconscious, and yet Sam still took a moment to kick him a few times for good measure.

As I watched the two, I considered just letting Sam beat his cousin, but Alphonse ran ahead of me, “Sam, that’s enough. He’s had enough. We need to get him to the dean. She’ll get answers out of him.”

Sam spat at his unconscious cousin. “I can’t believe this. I knew my cousin and his father were . . . I don’t even know the words. I can’t believe they would be so stupid.”

My teeth ground together, and I had to restrain myself from kicking Seth in the face. I felt my blood boiling with rage. However, something that Sam said slowly began to sink in. "Wait... What if this isn't stupidity or ignorance?"

“What do you mean?” Al asked.

“Comrade Alphonse, what if they are part of whatever you are meant to fight?”

Sam shook his head, “No, they couldn’t be. They just don’t want to be involved.”

“And yet, they didn’t see fit to warn anyone,” I countered.

Sam cursed and looked from Al to his cousin helplessly.

“Let’s get him to the dean,” Al said, roughly pulling Seth from the floor.

We rushed up the stairs of the dean's office, our feet pounding on the stone steps. The secretary glanced up in surprise as we raced past her desk, but recognizing the unconscious body of Seth that Alphonse carried, she quickly ducked into the dean's chamber. A few moments later, the old goatwoman emerged, and her face was pinched with displeasure as she saw us. "What is the meaning of this?” she demanded. “Why have you brought an unconscious student into my office?”

Sam cleared his throat nervously, “My cousin found out about the attack before it happened.”

The dean sighed heavily and gestured for us to come in. “Very well then, tell me.”

We stepped inside and laid Seth carefully on a couch before Sam proceeded to tell her the story with minute details.

“And where do you two come into this?” The dean asked, looking at Alphonse and I when Sam finished.

“We were running late, and overheard the conversation,” Al answered.

Dean Weber sagged in her chair. “This is troubling. I do not know much about the Sarong family history. Only that they are very successful businessmen, ones who have not been afraid to get their hands dirty to deal with a rival.”

“Do you think they may be involved in my . . . Job?” Alphonse asked, seemingly unsure of exactly how to word his question.

The dean slowly nodded, “It is possible. I will question mister Sarong when he wakes.”

“Will you tell us what he says?” I asked, worried about my own mission.

The dean frowned and shook her head. “I want you to focus on your studies and the upcoming lair. I have . . . acquaintances that will investigate whatever I find out.”

I briefly wondered if she was talking about the Shadow Agency or maybe my Handler. Had she revealed him yet? I almost wished I could be an insect on the wall for that conversation.

Al tried to protest, “But I need to know. I need to know what’s coming.”

“And you will, when the time’s right. And right now, it isn’t. You are not strong enough yet. Now, for the last time, go to class,” the dean ordered.

Alphonse looked like he wanted to protest again, but the severity of the look the dean gave him ended it.

Lair Class that day was one of distraction. Sam was distracted by his cousin and the fate of his family. Al was distracted by the fate of the world. And I was distracted by the fate of Bella.

Thankfully Coach Liv was there to pull us out of our collective funk with some good old-fashioned yelling, “Pull your heads out of each others’ backsides before I put my foot up in them! We’ve got just two weeks to prepare for the Hazardous Laboratory, which doesn’t leave us much time to ensure everyone has gained Fire Resistance and Ice Resistance. Have you gained it yet? Didn’t think so.”

I made the quick decision to think about Bella later. I didn’t want to contemplate Coach's massive boot and the harm it could inflict.