Chapter 15 - Unwanted Responsibility
By the time the western combat halls finally emptied, evening had settled quietly over Valmere Academy.
Most students had already returned toward the dormitories while crystal lamps illuminated the upper corridors beneath the darkening sky outside.
Inside one of the instructor offices—
Mrs. Bradmore looked entirely unimpressed.
"No."
Across from her desk, Erix remained expressionless.
"You noticed the issue yourself," Bradmore continued evenly.
"That still doesn't explain why this became my responsibility."
"It became your responsibility the moment you identified the flaw correctly."
Silence settled briefly across the office.
Erix already disliked where this conversation was heading.
"She interrupts the astral flow manually," he said finally. "Before reinforcement stabilizes completely."
Mrs. Bradmore nodded once.
"Exactly."
"Forcing reinforcement carelessly could worsen the problem."
"Which is precisely why I assigned you."
"That doesn't mean I should be the one instructing her."
Mrs. Bradmore's gaze sharpened slightly.
"This is not a request, Valehart."
Another silence followed.
Then—
"...Understood."
The answer sounded deeply reluctant.
Several minutes later, Erix walked alone through the academy corridors.
Normally, silence helped him think.
Tonight, it wasn't helping at all.
His thoughts kept circling back toward the same scene repeatedly.
Lyra's hesitation.
The instant her astral reinforcement destabilized.
Fear.
Not uncertainty.
Not lack of skill.
Fear.
Like she genuinely believed the astral itself would consume her if she lost control for even a second.
That reaction wasn't normal.
No combat student shut reinforcement down that violently unless something had happened before.
Erix exhaled quietly.
Then another memory surfaced instead.
Lyra slipping after the reinforcement collapsed.
The brief panic crossing her expression before irritation covered it again.
And the moment her hood had fallen back.
Dark auburn hair falling loosely around her shoulders.
Faded amber eyes wide with humiliation before she immediately tried hiding herself again.
His steps slowed slightly.
Annoying.
None of those details should have remained in his head this long.
Yet somehow—
they did.
"You're unusually distracted."
A calm voice interrupted the silence.
Erix looked up.
Kaelan leaned casually against the corridor wall with his arms crossed, looking unsurprised to find him there.
"You're still here," Erix replied flatly.
"So are you."
Fair enough.
Kaelan pushed himself away from the wall before walking beside him through the corridor.
For a while, neither spoke.
Eventually Kaelan glanced toward him slightly.
"So," he asked calmly, "what happened during the meeting?"
"Bradmore assigned me additional work."
"That explains the expression."
Erix looked unimpressed.
"She wants me to oversee Lyra's reinforcement training."
Kaelan stayed quiet briefly.
Then—
"I expected something similar."
"You seem far too calm about this."
"I'm not the one being punished."
"That's one way to describe it."
Kaelan almost smiled.
Almost.
The two continued walking quietly afterward before Kaelan spoke again.
"You noticed her problem quickly."
"She made it obvious."
"No," Kaelan corrected calmly. "You noticed because you were paying attention."
Silence.
Erix already disliked where this conversation was heading too.
Kaelan glanced toward him briefly.
"You've been unusually aware of her since the entrance trials."
"That sounds inaccurate."
"Does it?"
Erix didn't answer immediately.
Because honestly—
he wasn't entirely sure himself.
At first, Lyra Ashbourne had simply been another strange first-year.
Then another problem.
Then another distraction.
And somehow—
without realizing it—
his attention kept returning toward her repeatedly.
The reckless combat trial.
The dual affinity.
The way she argued without hesitation.
The way she looked permanently exhausted by everyone around her.
And today—
the fear hidden behind her astral reinforcement.
Kaelan's voice interrupted his thoughts again.
"So?"
Erix frowned slightly.
"So what?"
"Why are you actually paying attention to her?"
Silence followed briefly.
The answer should have been simple.
Instead—
"...She keeps making me notice her."
The words left his mouth before he could reconsider them.
Kaelan nodded once lightly beside him.
Like the answer somehow made complete sense.
Which only irritated Erix further.
"You look too satisfied."
"I didn't say anything."
"You didn't need to. I can see it in your face..."
Eventually, the two reached the Black Crest meeting chamber.
Light still glowed beneath the door.
Which immediately felt suspicious.
The moment Kaelan opened it—
noise exploded outward.
"I'm telling you, she looked completely devastated."
"That's because Erix fights like some final-stage boss."
"That sounds biased."
"It's accurate though."
Rivan stood near the center table dramatically reenacting portions of the earlier spar using two wooden practice blades while Seren watched from the couch looking thoroughly entertained.
Meanwhile Lucian leaned across one of the chairs like a man mourning lost opportunities.
The moment the door opened—
all three looked up.
Then Lucian stood immediately.
"There he is."
Erix already regretted entering.
"You missed a historic moment," Seren informed him calmly.
"I KNOW," Lucian replied dramatically. "Everyone in the hallways keeps talking about it like it was some legendary duel."
"That's because it was," Rivan added proudly while nearly losing balance during his reenactment.
"You're ruining the accuracy of the fight," Seren informed him.
"I capture emotion, not precision."
Lucian suddenly narrowed his eyes toward Erix suspiciously.
"So."
"No."
"You haven't even heard the question yet."
"I know the topic already."
"That's fair," Kaelan admitted while walking further inside.
Lucian ignored both of them completely.
"Did she actually fall on you?"
Silence.
Seren immediately looked delighted again.
Rivan looked moments away from collapsing laughing.
Meanwhile Erix looked exhausted already.
"She lost balance."
"That was not the question."
"She slipped."
"That also was not the question."
Lucian placed one hand dramatically over his chest.
"You robbed me of witnessing this personally."
"That sounds like your own problem."
"It IS my problem."
Rivan pointed toward Lucian immediately.
"He almost cried earlier."
"That's slander."
"It's truth."
"I was emotionally grieving."
Seren looked thoughtful.
"Those are nearly identical."
Kaelan quietly sat near the table while watching the chaos unfold with visible acceptance.
Then—
"Starting tomorrow," he said calmly, "Erix will oversee Lyra's reinforcement training."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Lucian blinked once.
Then twice.
"...Instructor?"
Kaelan nodded calmly.
"Yes."
Another silence followed.
Then Lucian looked personally betrayed by existence itself.
"No."
Seren leaned back slowly, looking deeply pleased.
"Oh, this became significantly more interesting."
Rivan looked genuinely thrilled.
"This is the greatest thing that has happened all week."
Meanwhile Erix felt a headache forming already.
Lucian slowly turned toward him again.
"You."
Erix already sounded tired.
"What now?"
"You're telling me," Lucian said carefully, "that after I missed the fight..."
"Yes."
"...you're now becoming her personal instructor?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Then Lucian dropped dramatically onto the nearby couch.
"I hate this academy."
Rivan nodded sympathetically.
"That sounds difficult for you."
"It IS difficult for me."
Seren glanced toward Erix lazily afterward.
"You realize this guarantees future chaos."
"I'm aware."
"And yet you accepted."
"I was ordered."
"That answer is disappointingly responsible."
"Well," Kaelan added nonchalantly, "the training sessions will happen outside normal class hours."
Lucian's head snapped upward instantly.
"...Meaning I can watch?"
"No," Erix answered immediately.
"I wasn't asking you."
"But what about your carefully maintained romantic life?" Seren asked with deliberate malice.
Lucian looked offended.
"Tell them to suffer. My friends require my support."
"That sounds deeply dishonest," Rivan replied.
"It sounds inspirational," Lucian corrected proudly.
Kaelan looked toward Lucian calmly.
"You're far too excited about someone else's suffering."
"That's friendship."
"That's concerning."
Meanwhile Erix quietly wondered how these three will cause chaos.
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