The match ended soon after Kalden destroyed the power plant. Unlike the qualifier rounds, which kept going until the last group of survivors, this exam focused more on the major objectives. Now that Kalden had blown up the plant, it was impossible for any faction to win.
Moon Army had been tasked with maintaining the status quo, which was obviously impossible. And Sun Army couldn’t detonate their bomb without the plant’s mana source. As for Blood Army, they’d been tasked with disabling the plant, and this explosion didn’t technically count.
And so Raizen set a thirty-minute timer, giving the remaining teams a chance to complete their smaller objectives. Many of them succeeded, especially the ones who’d been clear of the blast.
The Grandmaster’s reaction was exactly what Kalden had expected. Destroying the plant was technically a valid move to prevent his opponents from winning, but Kalden wouldn’t be rewarded aside from the kills he’d scored, which actually numbered in the dozens.
Tori and Lyra seemed to understand, too. Rushing into the plant had ended in disaster, but who could have guessed they’d run into Akari there? Her team never would have made it that far if they hadn’t found that Alchemy Shack.
Everyone got a break once the thirty minutes were up, then Raizen gathered them in the field for his post-exam thoughts. He replayed key parts of the match on several screens of dream mana, discussing which tactics worked and which ones didn’t.
He showed Akari’s team raiding the alchemy store and her subsequent series of portals that brought them into the power plant. Several other teams used Wind or Gravity Artists to get in early, including the team Kalden had fought when he first arrived. Others commandeered trucks or construction equipment as makeshift tanks. Arturo Kazalla had even used a train to get behind Moon Army’s lines.
Unfortunately for Kalden, this recap ended with the scene of him destroying the power plant from the control room. Most people hadn’t known who to blame for that, and he felt dozens of eyes on him as Raizen spoke.
~~~
“Trengsen,” said a gravelly voice. Kalden turned to see Zukan Kortez, the massive half-dragon with dark green scales stomping toward him. He wore a black fedora, with a golden necklace peaking out from his shirt. Kalden couldn’t make out the pendant from here, but it looked like an Angelic star.
Zukan’s teammate, Arturo Kazalla stood on his right, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses despite the cloudy gray sky. Elise Moonfire stood on his left with her blonde hair in a tight braid.
“What was that?” Zukan demanded as he closed the distance.
Kalden raised his chin to look at him. “Don’t tell me you’re a sore loser.”
“You ignored the spirit of the game,” Elise said.
Kalden gave her a flat look. “You’ve known me for half a semester now, Miss Moonfire. What made you think I’d play fair today?”
“That’s your problem,” Zukan said in a low voice. “You rich little humans—you think you can take whatever you want. But some of us are training to be soldiers.”
Zukan probably didn’t mean “soldiers” in the traditional sense. He would have joined the military if that were the case. But while Espiria’s main branches answered to the prime minister, the other Mystics commanded private forces of their own. These groups a fine line between actual soldiers and civilians, depending on who you asked.
“We fight to make this world better,” Zukan continued. “That means following our orders.”
“I can respect that,” Kalden said. “The world needs people like you.”
“And it has enough people like you,” Zukan retorted. “You caused an explosion in a populated city.”
“It’s a game,” Kalden said. “There were no civilian casualties.”
“You killed members of your own army!”
“Yes, and my tactics would change in real life.”
“These games prepare us for real missions,” Zukan said. “If the Artegium had any integrity, they’d disqualify you now. You and your Death Artist friend.”
“This was a game,” Kalden repeated, drawing out the last word. “Do you lecture crowns players who sacrifice their pawns?”
Zukan narrowed his reptilian eyes. “You darken your soul every time you do this. You become more ruthless. More likely to do this in real life.”
Kalden shook his head. “Raizen said it himself—this was nothing like a real battle. What kind of bomb needs a power supply just to explode? It was a contrived scenario for three factions to fight each other. Besides, your team was planning to detonate a bomb. What’s your conscience say about that?”
“I was playing a role for the sake of a lesson. What were you doing?”
Kalden ignored that. He didn’t need to justify his actions to Zukan Cortez, and there were no prizes for trying. Instead, he turned his gaze to Elise Moonfire who loomed a few paces behind the massive dragon. This self-righteous idealism wasn’t her style at all. She literally won duels by showing people their most traumatic memories. Even Elend drew the line at that.
The Dream Artist put on a show of looking stern and affronted, and every muscle of her face had been carefully arranged as part of that image. All except her eyes, which flashed with a triumphant smile.
“I see,” Kalden muttered. “You two plan to gang up on Blood Army.”
Despite all their plotting, no one had seriously considered an alliance until now. Kalden and Elise would have both betrayed each other, and they both knew it. Meanwhile, Zukan was too noble for anything unfair or unbalanced.
Now, Zukan saw Elise Moonfire as the lesser of two evils, and Elise could trust him to keep his word.
“We will join forces against you during the qualifying rounds,” Zukan confirmed. “That alliance will last until you’re eliminated.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Kalden asked.
“Because I don’t stab people in the back. I’m telling you to your face, and I’m telling you why.”
Zukan and Elise went their separate ways after that, but Arturo hung behind. He shrugged as if to apologize for the whole discussion. “I like you, shoko. But I also wanna win.”
“You know she’ll betray you,” Kalden said.
“Yeah, well, two can play at that.”
Kalden almost laughed. “You think you can beat a Dream Artist at her own game?”
“I’ve beaten her before. And honestly, shoko? You seem way more ruthless than Moonfire.”
~~~
Kalden got home around eight o’clock that evening. He’d driven himself back from the airship port, while Akari had gotten a ride with Relia. Elend and Irina were both out tonight, so he headed straight for the pool house in the backyard.
He’d probably have to move to a regular guest room once winter set in. Otherwise, he’d be trudging through the snow just to get to the main house. But he’d appreciated the extra privacy over the summer. Especially when he’d been dealing with his injuries.
Kalden pulled off his t-shirt, then he headed to the bathroom to turn on the shower. He’d already showered once after the match, but this was more to relax and clear his thoughts
And yes, he was capable of relaxing, despite what everyone seemed to think.
No sooner had he reached the bathroom than the poolhouse door swung open. Kalden popped his head out to see Akari storming inside.
“Ever heard of knocking?” he asked.
“Your door has a lock, doesn’t it?”
Kalden sighed as he returned to the dimly lit bathroom. Akari followed him straight inside, ever the soul of decorum.
“Why’d you chase me down?” she demanded.
Kalden took his time putting his t-shirt back on. “And here I thought this was my room …”
She glared at him. “You know what I mean. During the match.”
“I had to put up appearances,” Kalden said with a shrug.” I couldn’t pull my punches with all of Blood Army watching.”
“That’s bullshit,” she said. “I watched the replay on the ride back. Your objective was nowhere near the control room.”
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He frowned at the sudden outburst. “I wasn’t trying to help Blood Army win today. I wanted all three armies to lose. No faction gets the starting prizes this way.”
Akari crossed her arms but didn’t meet his eyes.
“And I have all three armies fighting each other,” Kalden continued. “This is exactly what we wanted. They’re focused on me instead of—”
“I don’t give a shit about the armies,” Akari snapped. “Or your little plots. It’s just another stupid system. Like the badges on Arkala, or the marks in Creta.”
“But I’m not part of it,” he said. “I’m trying to take them down from the inside. And you know what? It’s working.”
“Working for you. You actually got a starting prize.”
Kalden raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re pissed because I didn’t go easy on you.”
“Yeah right,” she said. “We tied.”
Traditional dueling rules would have declared Kalden the winner, but he kept that to himself. “Then what’s really going on?” he asked. “Why are you sailing around the storm?”
“Look who’s talking,” Akari said “You wouldn’t say two words to me all summer.”
“I’m here.” Kalden spread out his arms. “I’m listening.”
“Fine.” Akari took a step closer. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’re a zombie all year, and now you suddenly care?”
Kalden blinked. Whatever he’d expected to hear, it wasn’t that. And yes, he might have thrown himself too deep into training earlier in the year, but he’d gotten better as the weeks went on.
“I saw you.” She gestured up at his face.
“You’re not making any sense.”
“Forget it.” Akari rolled her eyes.
“No. Why are you really here?”
“I said forget it.” She turned as if to leave, but Kalden slid to block her path.
“Tell me. What’s wrong?
Akari let out a breath, then her jaw hardened as she glanced up to meet his gaze. She swallowed hard, and her lip quivered as she spoke. “You cared about this. I saw it in your eyes while we fought. You finally cared about something, and it was all for that stupid army.”
Then Akari pushed him away with her new Apprentice strength. His back collided with the towel bar, and she stomped toward the doorway.
He grabbed her by the wrist, and her dark hair bounced against her shoulders as she whirled back to face him. She held his gaze with fire in her eyes, but she didn’t break away. Her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths, and he felt the pulse in her arm where he held her. She really was beautiful when she looked like that. A part of him had thought so before, and it was even clearer in this moment.
They hadn’t been this close since before they’d arrived in Koreldon, but something had changed today. As if fighting had finally broken down some invisible barrier.
Kalden took a long breath before he finally spoke again. “It was never about them.”
Akari sprang toward him again, closing the distance. Their lips met, and it was impossible to say who started it. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and his own hands grabbed her waist, pulling her closer.
Words often came slowly for Kalden. Too late, or not at all. But battle was a true form of expression—all the complex musings of the heart reduced to simple motion. Mercy, anger, fear, and sacrifice. They’d felt it all in the match today, and it was worth more than ten thousand words.
Akari felt like a coiled spring for the first few seconds, which honestly didn’t surprise him. Her jaw was tight, and he felt more teeth than lips when he kissed her. But she adapted quickly like she always did. Their lips met and parted, and she relaxed more each time. Still, he felt a current of ferocity beneath it all, from her beating heart to the heat of her breath.
She lifted his t-shirt and dug her hands into the muscles of his lower back. Kalden’s own hands wandered below the hem of her hoodie and tank top, feeling the soft skin of her stomach. His hands crept upward, but Akari must have gotten impatient because she grabbed his wrist and brought it all the way to her breast.
Well, she certainly knew what she wanted.
A sensation like cycling mana flowed through him at the touch. Everything became a blur, and thoughts faded to raw sensations—her lips against his, the warmth of her skin, and the way she fit into his arms. He wanted her more than he'd wanted anyone before.
Kalden reached down and grabbed her by the thighs, lifting her up and pinning her against the granite counter. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer and rocking against him. A satisfied sound escaped her lips, and she shrugged out of her hoodie, letting it fall on the counter. She grabbed the hem of her tank top next and began pulling it upward.
“Wait.” Kalden reached out and stopped her. “We shouldn't move too fast.”
“Yeah.” Akari took several long breaths as if she’d just recovered from a long training session. She lowered her tank top, avoiding his eyes. “That’s cool.” Her words were casual, but he couldn’t mistake the desperation in her voice. It was just like the day he’d refused to dance with her at Arturo’s party.
Kalden took a step back, trying to get a grip on his racing thoughts. “I want to,” he said, “believe me. But there’s no reason to rush things. I wouldn’t want to sleep with you before we’ve even gone on a real date.”
Akari met his eyes in an unspoken challenge. She didn’t believe him, which was actually fair, considering he’d spent the whole summer in denial.
“It’s okay.” He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. Her body melted against his, and she squeezed him as if she never wanted to let go.
“I'm still here,” he told her. “No matter what.”
~~~
Kalden opened his eyes as beams of sunlight streamed in through the blinds. He normally woke up well before the sun, but he’d been distracted last night and forgot to set his alarm.
Akari breathed softly in the bed beside him. Her face was half-buried in her pillow, but the citrus scent of her hair filled his nostrils, and her skin was warm where their bodies touched. She looked so small and peaceful while she slept. Nothing like the dangerous Apprentice he’d fought.
Nothing serious had happened last night. In fact, they’d talked for less than an hour before collapsing here together. Airship travel was always draining, not to mention the midterm exam. Battle was the surest way to push past your limits. Not just your body’s limits, but your soul and your channels.
Kalden sat up when he caught a glimpse of glowing blue mana in his bedroom mirror.
“Oh.” Glim made a grand show of confusion as if she’d floated in here by accident. “Good morning, you two.”
“For Talek’s sake,” Akari muttered into her pillow. “I told you to lock your door.”
“Yeah …” Kalden had forgotten to do that, too. The Darklights had Grandmaster-level wards around their property, so he rarely thought about mundane locks. However, those locks had other uses. For one thing, Glim wasn’t allowed to enter locked rooms without explicit permission. She also couldn’t enter rooms when people were undressed, but he and Akari had both worn their clothes to bed.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” the mana spirit said with feigned innocence. “But Elend told me to wake you up. It’s already seven o’clock, and—”
Glim’s words cut off as a piece of dark clothing struck the mirror. No sooner had it hit than she vanished entirely.
Kalden turned to see Akari’s bare back as she snuggled back into the blankets. She’d definitely been wearing a bra last night, hadn’t she? Not anymore, apparently.
They lay there for a few more minutes, then Akari stretched her legs, letting her feet brush up against his. Finally, she grabbed her glasses from the nightstand and propped herself up on the pillow, using the sheets to cover her chest. “Guess we should get up.”
“Big day ahead,” he agreed.
She stretched like a cat, and the sheets came dangerously close to falling free. For someone who acted so shy in social situations, Akari was surprisingly confident about being half-naked.
“You’re doing that on purpose,” Kalden said.
“Yeah?” She shrugged. “Maybe I like making Kalden Trengsen blush.”
He wasn’t exactly blushing, but he also couldn’t take his eyes off her. “I can’t believe we waited all summer for this. You were right in front of me this whole time …”
His self-confidence had taken a hit after his injury—that much was clear now. And he’d overcompensated for that by throwing himself into his training. But he’d ignored the problem rather than accepting it. He’d pushed away the very person who could have made him happier, which seemed so stupid in hindsight.
“You’re telling me.” Akari put her back to him as she hopped out of bed. Then she threw on her dark gray hoodie and zipped it up. “Guess we should have fought a long time ago.”
She spent a few seconds digging through the pockets of her hoodie, then she pulled out a vial of transparent mana, uncorked it, and took a long swig.
“What’s that?” Kalden asked.
“Liquid space mana.” Akari winced as it went down her throat. “Feels weird on an empty stomach.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Should I even ask why you’re drinking that first thing in the morning?”
Akari crept across the room and slid open a window that faced the house, letting in a burst of cool air. She extended a palm outward and shot a space Missile toward the upper levels of the Darklight’s estate. With that done, she shot a second Missile at Kalden’s floor, forming a portal, roughly two feet in diameter.
Kalden stood up, peering through the portal to see a bird's-eye view of Akari’s bedroom. She kicked her shoes unceremoniously through the opening, and the rest of her clothes followed.
“See you soon.” Akari stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. Then she jumped through the portal and landed on her own bed.
Kalden spent the next half hour showering and getting dressed for the day. With that done, he headed into the main estate where he found Relia sitting on one of the kitchen barstools.
Various Jumpstart bags sat on the granite countertop, along with two foam carriers of disposable coffee cups. Kalden and Akari wouldn’t be able to eat for eight hours after this, so the Darklights had sent their drivers to pick up a giant breakfast.
“Morning,” Relia said as Kalden rummaged through the nearest bag. “Have you seen Akari?”
“Yeah,” Kalden said. “She’s upstairs in her room” Kalden opened a styrofoam to-go box which contained a three-egg omelet and a side of hash browns. He pulled a fork from the silverware drawer, and took a bite, filling his mouth with the tastes of peppers, onions, and bacon. He normally started the day with more traditional mana-building foods, but he’d get plenty of mana during today’s ritual.
“You sure?” Relia glanced up at the ceiling. “I checked last night, and …” she trailed off, narrowing her eyes. “And how would you know? You just came from the poolhouse.”
“I know why.” Glim appeared in the nearest mirror, a smug smile on her blue face.
Before the mana spirit could say anything, Elend passed through the room wearing his workout clothes. He paused when he saw Glim’s expression, and the two shared an enigmatic look.
“No one likes a tattletale.” Elend held out his hand and sucked her into his soul as he headed toward the basement dojo.
“Wait,” Relia said. “What?”
Akari strode into the kitchen a second later. She must have actually dried her hair this morning because it only looked slightly damp rather than dripping wet. Her face looked a bit too casual as she grabbed a cardboard Jumpstart cup and took a sip.
“Wait,” Relia said again. “Are you two finally a couple?”
Kalden kept the surprise off his face as he took another bite of his omelet. Relia might be clueless about some subjects, but this wasn’t one of them, and he hadn’t truly expected to keep this a secret for more than a few minutes.
As for her question … well, that was more complicated. He and Akari had started discussing their relationship last night before bed. They’d even arranged to go on their first date the following weekend. Still, they’d need more time to properly discuss—
“Yep,” Akari replied.
Okay, never mind.
“Seriously?” Relia sat up straighter on her barstool. “What happened last night? Tell me all the details!” Then she wrinkled her nose as if realizing what she’d said. “Actually, no. Not all of them.”
“Not much to tell.” Akari’s lips curled up in a grin. “But I guess—”
“No misleading innuendos,” Kalden said.
Her face rearranged itself into a glare. “I didn’t even say anything.”
“You were about to. I know that smile.”
Relia’s eyes darted back and forth between them as she ate. “It was that dramatic exam fight, wasn’t it?”
“That might’ve been a factor,” Kalden admitted.
“Darn it,” Relia muttered. “I duel hot guys in class all the time. How come I never end up in their beds afterward?”
“Try letting them win next time,” Akari suggested.
Kalden didn’t even dignify that with a response. She’d gone all out in that last fight, and they both knew it. Then again, if she’d had a bit more experience with her Apprentice body … well, all the more reason to keep training as hard as he could. They needed to push each other.
Akari leaned against him as they ate, smiling all the while. Normally, Akari smiled in a cocky or sarcastic way, but this looked far more genuine. He’d never seen her smile like that in all the time he’d known her—from their first meeting in that supply closet, to all their training and travels afterward.
But they had a busy day ahead. Their midterm exams were finally behind them, along with all the time-consuming distractions.
Now, they were finally ready to aspect their mana.