Soya sat alone beneath the gnarled branches of a towering ghost gum, savoring the quiet. He liked having the new arrivals around—Kalsei and Tiana had slotted into their group easily—but with more people came more noise, more energy, and sometimes, more than he had the patience for. Weekends were his excuse to step away, to find a moment of stillness.

His sketchbook balanced on his lap, ink-stained fingertips moving with practiced ease as he captured the way the wind wove through the leaves. The world faded around him, the sounds of the school dulling into nothing as he lost himself in the lines and shading. The strokes took shape almost on their own, the beginnings of a scene he hadn’t fully decided on, just letting the image emerge as it wanted. Drawing had always been his escape.

A group of students walked past, their conversation fading as they cast brief, uninterested glances at him. No one truly paid him much attention.

Which was why, when the sharp voice cut through the air behind him, Soya felt a cold prickle run down his spine.

“Surprised you’re even still here, Muggle-born.”

Soya didn’t react at first, keeping his head lowered as he continued sketching. Maybe if he ignored it, they’d lose interest. Maybe if he acted like he didn’t hear—

“Flipendo!”

A sudden burst of force yanked his sketchbook from his hands. It flipped through the air before landing on the dirt with a thud. Ink smudged across the page, the scene he had been working on ruined by the careless impact.

Soya’s breath hitched, his hands clenching into fists.

The boy standing before him—Orin Thorn, if he recalled correctly—grinned, wand still raised. “What’s the matter? Didn’t see that coming? Maybe you should’ve drawn yourself with a bit more of a spine.” He chuckled, glancing back toward his two snickering friends, emboldened by their presence.

Soya exhaled slowly. He wasn’t about to give them the reaction they wanted. Keeping his movements deliberate, he bent to pick up his sketchbook, brushing the dirt from the ruined page. His fingers trembled slightly, but he kept his face neutral. “You done?” he muttered, turning the page as if none of it mattered.

Orin’s smirk faltered. “Oh, we’re just getting started.” His grip on his wand tightened. “Let’s see what happens when we give our little Muggle-born artist some real inspiration. Depuls—”

But he never got the chance to cast it fully.

A crackle of energy split the air, and then—

“Confringo!”

A violent burst of orange-red light shot from behind Orin, slamming into his back with the force of a whipcrack. He was thrown forward, sprawling face-first into the dirt with a strangled gasp. His wand tumbled from his grip, rolling uselessly across the ground.

Silence fell.

Soya stared, heart pounding, as a figure emerged from the shadows of the trees. She moved with the deliberate, languid grace of a predator, her blue eyes gleaming with barely restrained fury. Lykaios.

The atmosphere shifted, the weight of her presence pressing down like a suffocating force. Even Orin’s friends, who had been so quick to laugh before, hesitated now, their eyes darting between their fallen leader and the girl approaching with slow, measured steps.

Orin groaned, pushing himself up, dirt streaked across his face. “What the hell—”

“Did I give you permission to speak?” Lykaios’ voice was soft, but it carried a dangerous edge, coiled tight like a serpent waiting to strike.

Orin turned, his expression twisting with anger, but before he could fully regain his bearings, Lykaios raised her wand again, her blue eyes flashing with venomous amusement. “Furnunculus.”

A sickening squelch filled the air as painful, swollen boils erupted across Orin’s arms and face. He let out a strangled yelp, clutching at his skin as the welts spread, bubbling grotesquely across his flesh.

His friends took a step back, their confidence evaporating.

Lykaios tilted her head slightly, watching Orin writhe. There was no hesitation, no ounce of regret. If anything, she looked as though she were merely admiring the effects of her work, cold and calculating. “You like using magic to play games with people who don't fight back?” she asked, her voice silky smooth. “Not so fun when it’s turned on you, is it?”

Soya finally found his voice. “That’s enough.”

Lykaios blinked, her attention shifting to him for the first time. The sharpness in her gaze dulled just slightly, but the amusement remained. “Is it?”

Orin wheezed in pain, still clawing at his skin. His friends looked frozen between wanting to help him and knowing that stepping in might bring Lykaios’ wrath upon them next.

Soya exhaled through his nose, closing his sketchbook with a snap. He wasn’t about to plead on Orin’s behalf, but he also wasn’t comfortable standing by and watching this escalate into something worse. He looked back at Lykaios, meeting her gaze. “You made your point.”

For a long moment, she simply stared at him. Then, with an almost disappointed sigh, she flicked her wand lazily. “Finite Incantatem.”

The boils began to shrink, leaving Orin gasping in relief as the pain faded. He didn’t thank her. He simply grabbed his wand and scrambled to his feet, face burning with humiliation as he backed away.

Lykaios smirked. “Run along now.”

Orin didn’t need to be told twice. He and his friends turned and hurried off, their bravado shattered.

Once they were gone, silence settled between Soya and Lykaios. The tension that had coiled so tightly around her seemed to ease, but only just.

She studied him, as if assessing something unseen, then clicked her tongue. “You should be more careful. You attract pests.”

Soya stared at her for a beat before exhaling a laugh. “Yeah, well… thanks, I guess.”

Lykaios said nothing. She merely gave him one last unreadable glance before turning on her heel and walking away. As she did, her voice drifted back to him, cool and assured.

"You're not as weak as you think. Maybe you don’t even realize it yet, but I do."

After a moment, he let out a slow breath and rose to his feet, brushing stray leaves from his robes as he turned toward the castle. The crisp afternoon air clung to his skin as he walked, his steps quiet against the stone pathways leading back inside. His mind was still racing, replaying every moment of what had just happened—Orin’s sneering face, Lykaios’ effortless cruelty, the way she had looked at him like she knew something he didn’t.

The familiar hum of the castle surrounded him as he moved through the halls, the murmur of weekend conversations drifting from open doorways. A few students passed him, lost in their own worlds, their laughter and idle chatter a stark contrast to the storm still churning in his head.

Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the entrance to the Thylacea common room.

Soya pushed open the heavy wooden door to the Thylacea common room, stepping into the familiar warmth of flickering lantern light and the low hum of students talking. The scent of parchment, wood smoke, and the faintest hint of someone’s stolen bakery snacks lingered in the air. A few younger students were curled up in oversized armchairs, while others huddled over their textbooks, pretending to study while sneaking glances at a raucous game of Wizard’s Chess happening near the fireplace.

But Soya wasn’t focused on any of that. His heart was still hammering, the weight of his sketchbook pressed tightly to his chest as he scanned the room for familiar faces. He spotted them instantly—Davonte, Draven, Kalsei, and Tiana—seated around their usual corner table, deep in conversation.

Before he could make his way over, Davonte’s eyes flicked up, immediately narrowing in on him. “Mate, what happened to you?” he called, sitting up straighter. “You look like you just saw a bloody Bunyip.”

Soya sighed, dropping into the empty chair between Kalsei and Draven. “Not saw one,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “More like… barely avoided being fed to one.”

That got their attention.

Kalsei leaned forward, golden eyes glinting with curiosity. “Oh, this I gotta hear.”

Tiana didn’t say anything, but she quietly set down her quill, giving Soya her full attention. Draven merely steepled his fingers, waiting.

Soya exhaled, shifting his sketchbook onto the table. “Orin Thorn and his little band of idiots decided to make my afternoon their personal entertainment.”

Davonte groaned, already looking annoyed. “That absolute tosspot. What did he do this time?”

Soya hesitated, then tapped the closed cover of his sketchbook. “Flipped this right out of my hands with Flipendo. Ruined my drawing. Then tried to hex me.”

Silence. Then—

Kalsei blinked, a slow grin spreading across his face. “And you’re sitting here? Not buried in the dirt somewhere? What happened?”

Soya hesitated again, fingers tightening around his sketchbook. He wasn’t sure how to explain what came next without making it sound even more insane than it already was.

“…Lykaios happened,” he finally said.

That got an immediate reaction.

Draven’s normally impassive expression shifted just slightly—sharp, calculating.

Tiana straightened. “Lykaios Verelle?”

Davonte visibly paled. “You—wait, what?”

Even Kalsei, who had been fully prepared to enjoy whatever revenge story was coming, stopped grinning. “Hold on. Lykaios? As in Sevrin’s terrifying, ‘I-might-stab-you-just-to-see-what-happens’ older sister?”

“The very same,” Soya muttered.

Another round of silence. Then—

“Oh. Oh, that’s bad,” Davonte groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

“She hexed Orin,” Soya continued, ignoring Davonte’s dramatics. “Knocked him flat with Confringo before he could finish his spell. Then hit him with Furnunculus for good measure.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Tiana let out a quiet breath through her nose. “That’s excessive.”

“That’s Lykaios,” Draven murmured.

Kalsei whistled, looking almost impressed. “So, what? She just—what, saved you? And then strolled off?”

Soya hesitated again, remembering the way she had stared at him, like she was searching for something only she could see.

“Not quite,” he admitted. “She said something before she left.”

Draven’s gaze sharpened. “What?”

Soya glanced between them, feeling a faint sense of unease even as he repeated it.

“She said, ‘You’re not as weak as you think. Maybe you don’t even realize it yet, but I do.’”

Another silence fell over the group.

Tiana’s brows knitted together in thought. Davonte looked deeply uncomfortable. Kalsei just looked amused.

Draven, however, was studying Soya, his grey eyes unreadable.

“That’s… interesting,” he finally murmured.

Davonte made an incredulous noise. “No, that’s bloody terrifying.”

Kalsei smirked. “I dunno, I kinda like her style.”

Tiana sighed. “This isn’t about style, Detra.” She turned to Soya. “It sounds like she’s paying attention to you. That’s… not exactly a good thing.”

Soya let out a tired laugh. “Trust me, I figured that out about five seconds after she nearly flayed Orin alive.”

Draven finally spoke again. “Whatever she sees in you, you should be careful. Lykaios Verelle doesn’t give compliments. And if she’s taking an interest in you…” His fingers tapped idly against the table. “It means she thinks you’re useful.”

That thought didn’t sit well with Soya at all.

“…Yeah,” he muttered, staring down at his sketchbook. “I got that feeling too.”

The weight of the conversation still lingered, hanging over them like an unseen specter. Soya traced absent-minded patterns on the cover of his sketchbook, his mind looping back to Lykaios’ words, to the way she had looked at him, as if she knew something about him that even he didn’t.

Kalsei suddenly smacked his palms down on the table, breaking the silence with a loud crack. “Alright! Enough brooding! It’s Saturday, and I refuse to spend the whole day sitting in here listening to Soya mope about his new personal stalker.”

Soya blinked. “Excuse me?”

Davonte immediately perked up, leaning forward with a grin. “Ohhh, I like where this is going.”

Kalsei pointed at him. “See? Davonte gets it.”

Draven sighed, already looking exhausted. “Kalsei, what exactly are you about to suggest?”

Kalsei leaned back in his chair, grinning like he had just thought of the greatest idea in history. “We need a proper distraction. Something fun. Something thrilling. Something that’ll make Soya forget all about this ‘Oh no, why is the scary Verelle girl looking at me like I’m a cryptic puzzle she wants to solve’ nonsense.”

Soya scowled. “That is not how I phrased it.”

Davonte was already fully on board. “Yeah, yeah, I’m with you. What’s the plan? Please say it involves something stupid.”

Kalsei’s golden eyes practically sparkled. “Oh, it absolutely does.”

Tiana, who had been quietly observing, let out a slow sigh. “I can already feel a headache coming on.”

Draven pinched the bridge of his nose. “If you two idiots get us banned from something again—”

“Oh, that was a one-time thing,” Davonte interrupted.

Tiana gave him a pointed look. “It was not a one-time thing.”

“Alright, fine, but it wasn’t my fault last time!”

“It was absolutely your fault last time.”

“Okay, that’s fair.”

Kalsei ignored all of them, standing dramatically and pointing toward the common room exit. “Tideball Stadium. Right now.”

Soya stared. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious.”

Davonte slammed his hands on the table too, mirroring Kalsei’s energy. “I love this. Let’s go.”

Soya exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples. “I hate this.”

Kalsei grinned. “No, you don’t.”

Draven muttered something about regretting every life decision that led him to this moment, while Tiana merely resigned herself to the chaos unfolding before her.

“Fine,” Soya finally said, standing up and grabbing his sketchbook. “But if I die today, I’m haunting all of you.”

Davonte slung an arm over his shoulder. “That’s the spirit! Let’s go ruin our knees and make some bad decisions!”

They all left the common room, making their way through the castle towards the outside, towards the stadium.

The Tideball stadium was alive with movement, the dome-shaped underwater arena shimmering beneath the magically reinforced surface. Blue light refracted through the water, casting shifting patterns over the students gathering along the floating platforms at the edge of the pool.

A few older prefects lounged near the entrance, keeping a loose watch over things, but otherwise, the game was entirely student-run.

Kalsei grinned, stretching his arms as he surveyed the floating goal vortex shifting unpredictably in the center of the field. “Alright, Soya, since I’m basically doing you a public service by dragging you here, we’re making this interesting.”

Soya raised a skeptical brow. “And by ‘interesting’ you mean ‘a terrible idea that will get me drowned?’”

Kalsei laughed, throwing an arm around his shoulder. “Come on, we’ve been here two weeks now, and you haven’t even let me show off yet. That’s just rude, Buddy.”

Tiana sighed from where she was adjusting the straps of her Dolphin Sprite’s saddle. “I hate that you said that as if the school should be grateful for your presence.”

Davonte perched on the edge of the dock, already bouncing with excitement. “Oi, we picking teams or what? Let’s go, let’s go.”

Draven, who was standing very pointedly on dry land, crossed his arms. “I’ll watch.”

Kalsei scoffed. “No faith in your athletic ability?”

“No faith in your competence.”

Davonte clapped his hands together. “Alright, let’s do three-on-three. Me, Soya, and Tiana versus Kalsei, Micah, and Alya.”

Micah, a tall Ningaloo student, grinned as he climbed onto his Manta Ray, while Alya adjusted the water-resistant gloves on her hands, already eager to play.

“Fine,” Kalsei smirked, hopping onto a Seahorse mount like he’d done it a hundred times before. “But when we wipe the floor with you, I want full recognition of my greatness.”

Soya rolled his eyes, settling onto his own Dolphin Sprite. “You’ve been here two weeks and you already have an ego about this game.”

Kalsei’s grin widened. “Of course I do.”

The Tide Orb pulsed with energy, floating weightlessly as the game started.

Soya shot forward, his mount cutting smoothly through the water, while Kalsei immediately shot past him with unnatural speed, casting a Speed Surge charm mid-dive.

“Tiana, cover me!” Davonte called, intercepting an early pass from Micah before spinning his mount sharply to evade Kalsei.

Tiana, ever precise, altered the water currents with a quick flick of her wand, making it harder for Kalsei to maneuver.

Soya kept his eye on the floating vortex, tracking its erratic movement. He was playing as a Shooter, meaning it was his job to score—not get tangled up in chaos.

Unfortunately, chaos was Kalsei’s specialty.

“Oi, Soya!” Kalsei called from directly behind him, right before bumping his Seahorse mount just enough to throw Soya off balance.

Soya nearly lost his grip on the orb, turning just in time to see Kalsei grinning like a madman.

“Oh, you absolute menace—”

Kalsei stole the orb right out of his hands.

“KALSEI!”

Davonte laughed mid-dive while Kalsei shot forward toward the vortex, weaving through shifting currents with obnoxious ease.

Micah sent a boost charm his way, and Alya cast an Orb Shield spell, making it harder to intercept.

Kalsei launched the orb toward the vortex at an impossible angle—

And scored.

The magical arena flashed with golden light, signaling the point.

Kalsei spread his arms as if he had just won an international championship. “I AM A LEGEND.”

Soya groaned, already regretting this.

Tiana, ever composed, merely sighed. “I hate that he’s actually good at this.”

Draven, watching from the sidelines, shook his head. “I told you.”

“Oi, round two!” Davonte called, already grabbing the resetting Tide Orb.

Soya took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders. Fine. If Kalsei wanted a match, he was getting one.

The Tide Orb reset, floating weightlessly in the center of the field as the players circled it like predators waiting for the right moment to strike. The water shimmered with enchantments, currents shifting at unpredictable intervals, forcing players to constantly adjust their positioning.

Soya gripped the reins of his Dolphin Sprite, eyes locked on the orb. He wasn’t about to let Kalsei get the upper hand again.

Kalsei, of course, was grinning like a menace. “Round two, Let's go!.”

Davonte cracked his knuckles, his Manta Ray flexing its wings as it glided beside him. “Alright, let's make this hurt.”

A whistle from the prefect watching the game signaled the next play, and—

The Tide Orb dropped.

Soya moved first.

With a burst of speed, he shot forward, narrowly beating Micah to the orb. He scooped it up with one smooth motion, his mount twisting under him as he changed direction.

“Pass me!” Davonte called, already dipping low beneath a strong current.

Soya faked a pass—then jerked upward, spinning his mount sharply as Micah lunged to intercept.

Micah missed.

“Oi, Soya’s actually playing properly now?” Kalsei taunted, cutting through the water with frustratingly natural ease.

Soya threw the orb to Tiana just before Kalsei barreled into him, nearly knocking him off his mount.

Tiana caught the orb one-handed, her expression as calm as ever, before whipping it straight at the vortex.

Alya moved to block but Davonte shot forward, pushing through a strong current, and knocked her trajectory off with a last-second spell.

The orb slipped through and scored.

The vortex flashed blue—10 points.

“Yes!” Davonte pumped his fist. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

Soya smirked, catching his breath. “Not bad.”

Kalsei snorted. “Alright, alright, you got lucky that time.”

Tiana, ever precise, simply flicked the water off her gloves. “Luck had nothing to do with it.”

With the score tied, both teams went all in.

Kalsei played like a complete showboat, weaving through defenders with effortless speed, even tossing the orb behind his back just to taunt Soya.

Micah used his Interceptor role perfectly, stealing passes before Soya or Davonte could react.

Tiana kept the game under control with calculated water-current spells, making every play as efficient as possible.

At one point, Alya nearly scored with a tricky side-shot, but Davonte deflected it last second, sending the orb spinning away.

Soya dove after it, grabbing it just before Micah could steal.

“Oi, Soya, don’t choke!” Kalsei called, right on his tail.

Soya ignored him, adjusting his position, waiting—

The vortex shifted mid-play, moving slightly to the right.

Soya saw the opportunity.

He angled his mount upward, faking a shot. Kalsei went to block—

And Soya flicked the orb behind him, right into Davonte’s waiting hands.

“Gotcha.”

Davonte grinned.

He shot forward, aimed, and fired.

The orb curved perfectly through the moving vortex—bonus points.

The vortex flashed gold—15 points.

Kalsei groaned loudly. “OH, COME ON.”

Davonte let out a victorious laugh, fist-pumping the water. “That’s how it’s done!”

Soya smirked, finally feeling like himself again.

With only a minute left, both teams pushed their limits.

Kalsei, determined to even the score, went for one final play.

Micah blocked Tiana, giving Kalsei the opening he needed.

He stole the orb mid-pass and immediately cast Speed Surge, launching his Seahorse mount forward.

Soya saw it happening and moved to intercept.

But Kalsei was too fast.

He dodged two defenders, launched himself upward, and threw the orb—

The vortex shifted at the last second.

Everyone watched as the orb curved—

It caught the vortex at an impossible angle—

And went in.

The vortex pulsed bright red—20 points.

The game-ending whistle blew.

Kalsei, floating in the water, threw his arms up like he had just won the World Cup. “THAT’S RIGHT! YOU CAN’T STOP ME! I AM THE TIDEBALL CHAMPION!”

Davonte groaned. “I hate that that actually worked.”

Soya sighed, rubbing his temple. “I hate that I’m impressed.”

Tiana exhaled sharply, shaking her head. “That should not have gone in.”

Draven, from the sidelines, simply shook his head. “You’re all insufferable.”

They dragged themselves out of the pool, exhausted but buzzing from the match.

Soya ran a hand through his wet hair, breathing hard but feeling better than he had in days.

Kalsei threw an arm over his shoulder. “See? Told you this was a good idea.”

Soya rolled his eyes, but there was a small smile on his lips. “Yeah, yeah.”

Davonte stretched his arms. “Alright, who’s up for snacks? I need food after that.”

“Seconded,” Tiana agreed.