“That’s… bad.”

If Professor Lyall really did notice something off about the First Year boys, she didn’t mention a word about it. As soon as everyone settled, she began again where they had left off last time: fire breathing.

The lesson was anything but stressful, but the trio of Ginger, Reiss, and Caron were more tense than they had been in Professor Mara’s class.

Professor Lyall did not just teach Dragon Biology and Kardia Studies in First Blue. Ginger suspected that if she had any lessons with the other classes today, she had likely sensed something amiss as well.

But how could Ira be so sloppy?

Was Professor Lyall just that perceptive?

Ginger especially was beginning to question the power dynamics between all the staff members who worked at Draggard-Phoenix Institute for the Cinder-Born. His second soul had somehow judged that Madame Agathe was stronger than Ira, but what exactly did that mean?

Was it a measure of Kardia quantity and quality?

Did his second soul have some unique ability to accurately gauge the overall prowess of a dragon – specifying all their abilities one by one – as Caron had guessed?

There wasn’t to be an answer yet unless Ginger got around to registering for Lesser Eved and learning about how souls actually worked – however rudimentary the experience would be.

“What do you think she’s going to do if she really did notice something strange?” Caron asked the two odd dragonlings when they were headed to the Feeding Hall for lunch.

“You’re being pretty optimistic. She knows for sure,” said Reiss with a grave face. His large forehead was dunked in heavy bits of sweat. “I think instructors and general staff tempering with the psyches of students is probably outside the school rules, on top of being morally questionable. Ira hesitated to do it to Vassilis before we knew he was able to snap out of the sleep you induced, Ginger. If I had to guess…”

“Professor Lyall could end up confronting Ira about this immediately,” Ginger finished the sentence for him. He gulped. “But do you think there’s a chance Ira did this on purpose? He could have known someone would find out, right?”

Neither Reiss nor Caron had an answer. Reiss operated the Waiting Furnace to take them to the upper floors once they were inside. He then parted from the two as he rushed to the dormitories for his bowl.

“Why do you think Vassilis was able to wake up from this… sleep my second soul caused while everyone else couldn’t?” Ginger was asking Caron as they picked up their food in the Feeding Hall. They found a free table untouched by the other students complaining about tests and homework.

“He’s supposed to be the special sort, right? Just as Principal Phoenix is a descendant of the Ebony Dragon, Draggard-Phoenix, Vassilis is descended from the Vermillion Dragon, Avecsalot. Maybe he has special powers.”

Ginger bobbed his head left and right.

“That makes sense,” he said, but he felt it was a little weird to hear Caron call someone else the special sort. She was clearly special too – a holder of Totality-type Kardia and a super sleeper besides. “What about that thing you mentioned, about some dragons having special properties from birth?”

Caron took a sip of something that looked like some blue berry juice from her cup elegantly and answered.

“Well, I think Reiss can explain that better than I can. It’s just something I’ve heard about in passing.”

Ginger frowned.

“If you are from a… place that didn’t have dragons,” he said, lowering his voice, “how do you know stuff like this? Dragon stuff, I mean,”

Caron shrugged.

“Oh, right,” she said and coughed lightly. “It’s different for dragons, but most non-dragons have to learn about dragons in detail. There are courses dedicated to thoroughly studying most of the general things known about us. Believe me, most non-dragons probably don’t know about the specifics of how we produce Kardia, but they know all about the four types. They know about Pieyro too. Somewhere between the lessons we had back there, our teachers mentioned some of the more… uncertain things about us to take note of.”

Ginger nodded sagely.

This made sense, but he couldn’t help but feel weird about the fact that non-dragons were forced to learn about the dragons while the dragons couldn’t really be bothered with them all that much. Everything he’d seen so far gave him that impression at least. His first experience with Mana Essence Mechanisms and Manipulation and its instructor, Professor Hennigar was a great example.

“Mhmm…” Caron mumbled, her mouth full. She was pointing behind Ginger.

The plump dragonling turned to find Reiss, bowl in hand, speaking to a tall, familiar upperclassman.

The drooping of Ginger’s shoulders spelled his exasperation.

He grumbled when Reiss gestured towards him and Caron, and then led the upperclassman towards them.

“I knew you’d change your mind eventually!” Dorothea Flohr cried jubilantly, her eyes lancing Ginger’s face. She sat down beside him while Reiss sat beside Caron on the opposite side of the table. “Marvellous Impediments doesn’t sound so bad, does it?”

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This Dorothea might have just been plucked from that same evening last Stride where she had chased Ginger and Reiss to the library. The energy that flowed through her was the same.

“Don’t make us sound desperate,” said Reiss with a frown. “I only said we thought Marvellous Impediments would be useful to us. As you said last time, we might need protection from… bullies.”

“Bullies?” Caron said, a wide grin growing on her face. Reiss tried to reach for her mouth to shut her up. He failed.

“I knew it! There’s already been people making fun of you, hasn’t there? I mean, of course,” she said, pushing up her glasses and turning to Ginger. “I’ve heard some things about you from the others in my class. I mean things other than the obvious. I guarantee no one in Marvellous Impediments will talk down on you on my watch.”

The passion drawn on Dorothea’s long face spoke to the three First Years. She seemed quite genuine. More than an open book, she was a book without a cover altogether.

Evidence of this, as Reiss and Ginger recalled, was that she seemed to be somewhat… pure. Dorothea’s sister, Konstantina Flohr – a follower of Fillys – had said some harsh things about the odd duo to her, likely hoping to get a laugh from her older sister.

Dorothea however had somehow interpreted Konstantina’s words as a cry for help for Reiss and Ginger’s sake. That was why she had targeted them so hotly that one time, encouraging them to learn to protect themselves with Marvellous Impediments.

“Thanks,” Ginger said to the long-faced Out Course hound. He smiled. “I appreciate it.”

Dorothea beamed.

“So, you’ll really be joining too?”

“I can’t,” said Ginger with a difficult expression. He pointed at Caron. “But she will.”

Dorothea turned to the redhead, and then back to Ginger.

“But why not you? I just told you I won’t let anyone—”

“It’s not about that at all. I believe you. There are some… personal reasons involved,” Ginger cut her off. He winched inwardly. He was terrible at conjuring up a quick lie that would put a stop to Dorothea’s misgivings for good.

Frowning slightly, Dorothea gave a nod. Ginger hoped to Ancor she wasn’t trying to guilt him into joining Marvellous Impediments. He was quite immune to such tactics because of the nature of humans in the Wild – unless, of course, it was people close to him doing the guilt-tripping.

“Alright. All the same. I have two new recruits!” the upperclassman said as she looked between Reiss and Caron.

Much to the three’s annoyance, she decided to have her lunch with them.

It turned out to not be the worst thing in the world only a few minutes in.

To their surprise, Dorothea was quite an effective entertainer. She was different from Basilia though. Her type of energy was more mellow. If Basilia was a fun sister-type figure, Dorothea was like a nun who knew how to enjoy herself every other day.

After lunch, Reiss, Ginger, and Caron went for their next course. On the way, Reiss introduced an idea that he had known Ginger would protest against. It was no surprise at this point.

“Didn’t you say your father had already arranged for a Hunting Limb you could join?” Ginger asked, his face like crumpled paper.

“I hadn’t joined yet. Besides, do you really think that we will let you go on future Hunts alone when your second soul could just pop out?” Reiss said with a raised brow.

“It doesn’t just pop out. It is triggered by certain things.”

“We don’t know all of those things yet. We don’t know much about the soul at all,” said Reiss. “Look. Ira would have told us to do this too if he hadn’t already suggested that we join a second Out Course. He didn’t impose this on me and Caron because he figured this should be our choice.”

Ginger was taken aback.

He hadn’t thought about that. He was once again reminded that Reiss was smarter than he was. The dwarfish dragonling had picked up on Ira’s intent swiftly.

But when Ginger reasoned it out, it was plausible. Ira had rejected Reiss’ desire to join Lesser Eved with Ginger, with the excuse that that would affect him and Caron’s studies a bit too much, which was fair.

The gatekeeper had made no further suggestions about how Reiss and Caron could aid Ginger, but not because he couldn’t. Hunting Limbs were different from Out Courses, which had to be attended on a daily basis a majority of the time. While he didn’t suggest that Ginger’s friends join the same Hunting Limb Ginger joined, it was possible that he could have left them to make the choice for themselves.

“I like that. I hadn’t joined a Hunting Limb of my own anyway and I’m too lazy to look through them one by one and make my own choice,” said Caron and she yawned heavily and rubbed her eyes.

Ginger didn’t find it in himself to be timid about this.

“You’re sacrificing way too much for me,” he said with a frown. “I can’t say I hate all this. In fact, I love having you two by my side everywhere. But I don’t want this to cost you a lot of your time.”

Caron punched him. Reiss flinched.

“You’re also going to be sacrificing your time for that deal of ours. So don’t take it too personally,” Caron said.

Ginger sighed and Reiss held in the desire to tell her off about that deal of theirs.

She was serious about it. Three Strides was almost up.

After Ginger relented, the trio proceeded to suffer through the rest of the day’s lessons. Ginger half-lamented the fact that he hadn’t gotten the time to brood about all his concerns. He had been smothered and shielded all day long.

He only got time to wonder about the Perfect Execution again when Dorothea hunted them down and stole Caron and Reiss from him after supper.

‘I hadn’t thought to join Lesser Eved today. Should I look for an Out Course hound right now?’ the plump dragonling thought.

But that didn’t sound like a good idea. He was exhausted since he hadn’t slept.

It was practically manual labor to convince himself to go for Kartile and along the way, his thoughts continued to haunt him.

We don’t know all of those things yet.

Reiss words.

When Reiss had said this earlier, Ginger was reminded of the fact that he hadn’t told him and Caron about the fact that he could use the powers of his second soul.

He hadn’t told them what they were like.

He hadn’t even told Ira how he had used the second soul’s Kardia to critically wound the Blighted he and Alcaeus fought in the Beginner’s Den.

Of course, when compared to yesterday night’s ordeal, all of that had almost seemed like a dream too sweet to be told in the darkness.

…

The next day started a little better than the last. The only thing that tainted it was how Ginger had locked eyes with Kairos for a moment as he left the dormitories for class.

He had nearly forgotten that he still had this loose end. But it couldn’t be helped. Kairos refused to talk to him.

Reiss didn’t hear Ginger when he murmured that he just wanted to apologize to the First Year. He had his own monologue to spill.

“Dorothea wasn’t lying. She was smothering me and Caron through the whole thing yesterday. The instructor is very kind too – not to mention present for the Course. If they buy us beverages once in a while, Marvellous Impediments could be a little better than Kartile in my humble opinion,” said the dwarfish dragonling with a skip in his step.

“That’s good. You’re always complaining about the smallest things. I worried that you’d hate it.”

“I almost did.”

Ginger never got to know what that meant partly because they were then distracted by a group of Third Years laughing at one of them doing an impression of one of their instructors; it was quite funny.

Another part was Ginger’s own fault. He had a few thoughts plaguing him furiously. They were more like the building blocks to a decision, actually, and they were soon to flourish when he went to Professor Hennigar’s class that day.