Ryujin moved towards the door, boots heavy on stone. Thane grabbed his arm, holding him back with both hands. Ryujin turned to him, eyes sharp and filled with impatience, jaw tight. Thane shook his head, his eyes delivering a silent plea. Ryujin’s nose flared and he grabbed Thane’s hand, ready to forcefully shake it off. “You might come from a family where you aren’t scared of failure,” Ryujin hissed, voice low but cutting. “You have lots of people to prep you up, wealth and power to fall back on. Even if you failed to join the tournament, your grandfather can simply pull some strings to get you into his regiment. You can still be somebody worth knowing without going through the rigours.” Ryujin scoffed, eyes bitter. “Some of us aren’t that privileged. We have to crawl our way up, inch by painful inch. We have to calculate every move, training till our tendons tear and our bones crack. I’m not like you, Thane. You can afford to be reckless. Protecting him is only natural because

The air in the bunker was cold and damp. It clung to Ragnar’s skin and sank into his lungs. Thunder cracked above, rolling through the stone even though he was buried three levels below ground. Each boom vibrated in his teeth. He was in the final stage of the reversal ritual. The previous six phases had been spread across three days, and every hour of it was filled with suffering and agony that had no name. He had screamed until his voice broke. Wished he would go numb, it didn't happen. After the boiling water herbal bath that peeled the top layer of his skin, he also endured a freezing ice bath with an ice element treasure. Frost spread across the room in seconds. His breath crystallized and fell. Then came the series of incantations, formations, and spells that carved themselves into his memory like scars. Twice he nearly failed. Twice the ritual bucked and tried to spit him out. He passed both times by a margin so thin it felt like a lie. Now this was the most difficult step

Ragnar looked away, turning towards the window. Vireille glanced at him. His lips were pressed into a thin line, brows furrowed, making his answer obvious. “Ragnar, you indeed know you're acting very suspicious, don't you?” Her eyes darted between Ragnar and the road before her. “Focus on the road. If you crash into something, that would be the end of the tournament for me.” Ragnar’s tone was sullen, pitch low. “Petty.” Vireille hissed. “I even took you to my family's secret emergency shelter, but you wouldn't even let me look at one artefact.”Ragnar turned to her, irritation seeping through the cracks in his composure. “It's confidential and was secretly borrowed from someone. What if after seeing it, you get drunk one day and spill everything, what am I supposed to do then? Not just me, the person that secretly snuck it out for me will be in danger too. Please stop asking.”Ragnar's words made her scoff. “Your mouth is full of excuses. You always have something to say, guarding

EMERALD LAKE LODGEThane didn't sleep a wink that night despite lying in the bed and staying perfectly still, like he was merely breathing. Not his brain running round in panicked circles. He was afraid that if he dozed off, he would miss Ragnar's return, and make him get caught by patrols, the Lodge's watch guards, or fellow students. He needed to be awake to pick him up. ‘It should be around three thirty now. Why hasn't he returned? Could he have met with a mishap or got caught at the gates?’Thane exhaled a slow breath, trying to calm his heart which was becoming increasingly tight by the second. His phone pinged at that moment. ‘I've entered the academy.’His heart jumped. Ragnar had moved past the gates? That was good. Since he could defeat the gate's security, sneaking into emerald lake shouldn't be that hard. They lived on the second floor, a lift wasn't necessary. He could move around without anyone noticing. He's done it before. Hopefully, this time too, he will outsmart

Ragnar’s throat felt tight. Thanks couldn't form, neither could the words I'm sorry. “What? Still in shock and unable to speak?” Vireille chuckled. “I guess I overestimated you.”Nika's eyes were fixed on him. His blue eyes had turned slightly red, as if it was holding back a lot. Ragnar's hand trembled a bit. In his past life, when his sister died, Nika had desperately tried to see him. Thinking back, she'd probably discovered something and wanted to warn him, but the over cautious Aria blocked her at every turn, frustrating her efforts. Aria even made it seem like she intended to come and seduce Ragnar. Mathilda and everyone else had criticised her, and him in a bid not to break the family peace, ignored messages from her assistant and didn't meet up. He hadn't wanted people to misunderstand their relationship. He had truly wronged her a lot of times but he never stopped caring about him. She might act cold and heartless, but whenever it truly mattered, she always showed up for