Chapter 31
I opened my eyes again and looked toward a shelf of books in the corner.
I decided that I would simply pull one book towards me and place it neatly on the table, which seemed controlled, subtle, and unlikely to destroy anything.
I raised my hand and focused.
And then everything went spectacularly wrong.
The books didn't move.
They simply threw themselves off the shelf, all of them at once.
They hit the floor in a loud, chaotic avalanche of paper and leather.
I panicked. Which, as it turned out, was a terrible decision.
The entire shelf began to shake.
I watched it wobble once.
Twice.
And then it collapsed with a magnificent crash.
Silence followed.
I stared at the disaster in front of me.
Then I looked at Theo and offered him a sheepish smile.
"Well," I said, gesturing vaguely at the wreckage, "you should probably replace this ancient furniture anyway. That shelf looked a little wobbly."
Theo looked at me.
I sighed.
"...I really need an off button."
Before the situation could escalate further, Rhaevan stepped in, lifting his hand slightly as everything-books, wood, structure-rose back into place smoothly, effortlessly, like none of it had ever fallen.
Show-off.
I turned back to Theo.
"Told you," I said. "Things break when I participate."
Instead of being horrified by the destruction of his furniture, he looked oddly impressed.
"Impressive," he said.
I blinked. This man had a really odd personalised definition for that word.
"...Excuse me?"
"It is strong," Theo said. "Unrefined and unstable, certainly, but undeniably strong."
That was not the reaction I had expected.
I had just destroyed a shelf.
I had been anticipating concern, alarm, perhaps even a polite suggestion that I should never touch magic again.
Praise had not made the list.
"You simply need guidance," he continued. "With the right help, you will learn to control it."
I frowned.
"...Guidance?"
Theo nodded.
"You will begin your training under the High Arcanist, our most capable instructor."
That sounded reasonable.
Then he gestured toward Rhaevan.
Oh.
No.
I slowly turned to look at him.
Rhaevan, to his credit, looked almost as surprised as I felt.
I looked back at Theo.
"You can't possibly mean him."
"I do."
I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
"No. Absolutely not."
"Cassiane-"
"No," I repeated, shaking my head. "I am still very annoyed with him, and I don't think magical education should be entrusted to someone I am actively trying to ignore. Over my dead body. Nope. Never."
Beside me, Rhaevan looked faintly offended.
Good.
Theo sighed, the sound carrying the weight of a man who had already anticipated this exact reaction.
"Rhaevan," he said, "would you mind waiting outside for a moment?"
There was a brief pause before Rhaevan inclined his head and left the room.
The door closed behind him.
Theo looked at me steadily.
"You knew your magic would become a problem if it was ever discovered."
I didn't answer.
He seemed unsurprised by my silence.
"I'm not here to tell you that your past was unfair," he continued. "Nor am I going to offer empty reassurances."
I didn't particularly like those anyway.
"But what you have is rare."
I looked at him carefully.
"And because it is rare, it is valuable. Which is why I would like to offer you a deal."
That immediately caught my attention.
I leaned back slightly before I could stop myself.
Interesting.
I would never admit that aloud.
"What kind of deal?" I asked.
Experience had taught me that whenever someone with that level of calm confidence said the word deal, it usually involved terms that were inconvenient for me and beneficial for them.
Theo smiled knowingly.
"The kind that benefits both of us," he said, leaning back slightly, like he had already anticipated every objection I was about to raise.
"I'm listening," I said, folding my arms.
"First," he began, "your magic will be legalized under the authority of the Tower. As long as the Tower stands, no one in this kingdom can persecute you for using it."
I blinked.
My magic, inherited from the Ardentia lineage, was considered forbidden. It was the very thing that had led to my exile in the original story.
"Not the court. Not the council. Not even the king."
Hmm.
This man was definitely up to something.
"Second," he continued, "I am not asking you to fight this war, Cassiane. But there is something I need you to find for me and for the kingdom. It is crucial against our enemies, and only you will be able to find it."
I frowned.
"What?"
"When the time is right, you will know. Until then, only you and I will know of it."
He paused before gesturing toward the door.
"Not even him."
I glanced toward where Rhaevan had left.
"Once you succeed," Theo said, "I will help you leave all of this behind. You will have your freedom, your autonomy, and enough wealth to live comfortably wherever you choose. Nobody will know where you are. Nobody will come looking for you."
He paused again.
"Not even Rhaevan."
I stilled.
He was giving me a choice.
Theo let the silence settle before continuing.
"However..."
Of course there was a however.
"If you walk away now, your magic will not remain hidden. It is already surfacing and already being detected. When that happens, you won't have any control over how the world reacts to it."
I didn't like that.
Not one bit.
I looked away, thinking quickly.
Freedom.
Protection.
Control.
Versus exposure.
Chaos.
And losing every choice I still had.
"...And what exactly do I have to do?" I asked.
"Train," he said simply. "Learn to control your magic and, when the time comes, use it."
Of course.
Nothing ever came without a price.
I exhaled slowly.
"Can I have someone else train me?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"What about you?" I added.
If I had to suffer, I would at least like to choose the least annoying option.
Theo chuckled.
"As much as I would enjoy that, I cannot. I oversee the magical barriers across multiple kingdoms. If those fail, we won't have a war to fight. We'll have devastation."
That was inconveniently reasonable.
"Rhaevan," he continued, "is like you."
I frowned.
"He possesses innate magic. It was powerful, unstable, and difficult to regulate when he was younger. He has already faced what you are about to face."
I said nothing.
"His position was not given lightly," Theo added. "He earned it."
There was a brief pause.
"I found him years ago, sneaking into the palace grounds while searching for someone. He fought off trained knights. Not perfectly, but fiercely. That was when I noticed his magic."
I looked away.
Because I didn't want him to see the pieces falling into place.
So that was how it happened.
That was how Rhaevan entered the Tower.
Not through politics.
Not through privilege.
Through raw power.
"He is the best person to guide you," Theo said. "Give him a chance."
I didn't answer immediately.
I thought about it.
Briefly.
Carefully.
"Alright," I said at last.
Then I raised a hand.
"But I want a contract."
That caught his attention.
"A written one," I clarified. "With every term clearly stated."
Theo smiled.
A sheet of parchment appeared in his hand.
Just like that.
I took it and read every line carefully. When I finally looked up, I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Sign it."
He laughed softly.
"You remind me of my younger self. Stubborn. Difficult."
"Survival instincts," I replied.
That seemed to amuse him even more.
He signed the parchment and handed it back to me.
I read it again.
Very carefully.
I wasn't taking chances this time.
Once I was satisfied, I signed it as well.
"I need a copy to keep with me," I said immediately.
"Of course."
Another copy appeared.
I folded it carefully and slipped it into my pocket as though it were the most valuable thing I owned.
At the moment, it probably was.
I looked at him.
"So we have a deal."
"Deal," he agreed.
---
We stepped outside.
Rhaevan was waiting.
There was a subtle tension in his posture that hadn't been there before.
He looked at Theo first.
"Well?"
Theo smiled slightly.
"She will train with you."
The relief on Rhaevan's face was immediate and entirely unmistakable.
Theo left shortly afterward, as though his role in this mess had already ended.
Unfortunately, mine had just begun.
I straightened and turned toward Rhaevan.
"I'll train with you," I said firmly, "but under certain conditions."
He nodded once.
"First, we are not friends."
He said nothing.
"Second, you don't get to boss me around."
Still nothing.
"And third, if you do anything even remotely suspicious, I will turn you into a frog and feed you to a snake."
Silence.
He blinked.
Once.
Then a small smile appeared.
"Understood, my lady."
I didn't trust that tone.
Not even slightly.
"We begin tomorrow morning," he said.
I nodded, turned around, and walked away first.
Because priorities.
A few moments later, I heard footsteps behind me.
I stopped and turned around.
"Why are you following me?"
"I'm guiding you to your room."
"I don't need your help," I replied immediately. "I can take care of myself."
Before he could argue, I turned and walked away.
Straight ahead.
Confident.
Purposeful.
Absolutely certain.
I made it all the way to the end of the corridor before realizing I had absolutely no idea where I was going.