Chapter 99: Three Days Left

He glanced at Anna.

The Imperial Princess had stopped looking at Caelus and was now watching their new leader with visible concern.

That was, at least, a better use of her attention.

"We should begin by discussing what everyone can do," Caelus said, keeping his voice level. "We have three days before the battle. If we understand each other’s strengths and limitations, we can decide how to approach the evaluation."

Seren looked toward him.

He continued before she could respond.

"We don’t need a complete strategy yet. First, we establish what each person brings to the team. Then we can work out how to coordinate our abilities and prepare for different terrains."

"Can you stop?"

Caelus turned his head.

Anna was staring at him again.

"What now?"

"She’s barely had time to understand what’s happening, and you’re already giving her instructions."

"I’m explaining what we need to do."

"You’re putting pressure on her."

"I’m speaking to the team."

"You’re speaking over her."

Caelus fell silent for a moment.

He looked at Seren. Her hands had tightened together again, and she seemed to be searching for somewhere to direct her attention that wouldn’t require meeting anyone’s eyes.

Seren was visibly overwhelmed, and Caelus had moved directly to the practical problem without considering whether she was ready to discuss it. But the situation wasn’t going to improve simply because everyone decided to avoid addressing it.

"Would you prefer that we spend the next three days waiting for her to become comfortable?" he asked.

Anna’s eyes narrowed.

"Would you prefer that she never gets the chance to speak for herself because you’ve decided everything before she can open her mouth?"

"I haven’t decided anything. I’m suggesting that we prepare."

"Then try asking her what she thinks instead of taking control of the conversation."

Caelus studied her.

Anna didn’t want Seren to be intimidated into silence, and she was determined to prevent him from treating the team as though it were another problem to solve according to his own preferences.

Unfortunately, Anna appeared to believe that the best way to protect someone from being overwhelmed was to argue on their behalf at a volume that could probably be heard in the next building.

Seren shifted uneasily.

"I... I think..."

Both Caelus and Anna looked toward her.

She froze.

Her lips parted, but no words followed. Her gaze darted between them before dropping to the floor again.

Anna turned back to Caelus.

"See? This is exactly what I’m talking about."

Caelus looked at her. "You’re very loud."

Anna stopped.

"What?"

"You’re very loud," he repeated. "She’s trying to speak, and you’ve been arguing over her head for the past minute."

Her expression changed, anger giving way to a brief, startled silence.

Caelus continued, his tone as measured as before.

"If your goal is to make her comfortable enough to contribute, perhaps shouting at me while she’s standing between us isn’t helping."

"I’m not shouting at her!"

"I didn’t say you were."

"You were implying it."

"I was explaining the result."

Anna’s lips pressed together. For a moment, it seemed she intended to argue again, but her attention shifted toward Seren.

Seren had retreated so far into herself that Caelus was beginning to wonder whether she would attempt to speak at all before the evaluation began.

Anna exhaled through her nose and lowered her voice.

"Fine. I’m not trying to pressure you," she told Seren. "Take your time. You don’t need to answer immediately."

Seren nodded quickly.

"Sorry."

Anna’s expression softened by a fraction.

"You haven’t done anything wrong."

Seren lowered her head again.

Caelus watched the exchange and resisted the urge to point out that Seren’s apology had only reinforced the impression that she felt responsible for the situation. It wouldn’t help, and Anna was at least making an effort to correct herself.

He could give her that much.

The problem remained.

Their leader was too nervous to speak comfortably, Anna was inclined to intervene whenever she thought Caelus was overstepping, and Caelus himself had little patience for discussions that produced no practical results. Ruven, meanwhile, appeared perfectly content to let the others argue as long as no one required anything from him.

What an inspiring collection of personalities.

"Listen," Caelus said, choosing his words more carefully this time. "We have three days. We don’t need to solve everything now, and nobody expects you to have an answer for every situation. But we do need to learn what each of us can do."

Seren glanced at him.

"If you have suggestions, you can make them. If you disagree with something, you can say so. The point of this evaluation is to see whether we can work together, not whether one of us can make every decision alone."

He paused, allowing her a moment to respond.

She drew a small breath.

"I understand."

Her voice was quiet, but it was clearer than before.

Caelus nodded.

"Good. We can start by discussing our abilities when you’re ready."

Anna watched him suspiciously, as though waiting for the moment he would reveal that his apparent cooperation had been a trick. Caelus ignored her.

He would have to learn to give Seren room to lead without letting the entire preparation period dissolve into hesitation. That was a problem for the next three days.

For now, he needed to know what he was working with.

The announcement system chimed across the hall, drawing the attention of the assembled students. Conversations gradually quieted as the Academy officials took their places near the front.

"Team assignments and preliminary pairings will now be announced," one of them declared. "Each team will have three days to prepare together before the evaluation battles begin. Use this time to familiarize yourselves with your teammates and develop a strategy appropriate to the examination’s conditions."

Caelus turned toward the front.

Around him, students straightened as the officials began reading the pairings. Some reacted with relief, others with visible disappointment. A few immediately began discussing what they knew about their opponents, while others appeared to be calculating whether their assigned matchups favored their abilities.

Caelus listened without much interest until he heard the names associated with his own team.

Their opponents were announced.

Lucian Ashborne. Eve. Aelirya. And the remaining student from the Special Abilities Department.

For a moment, Caelus thought he had misheard.

Then he looked across the hall.

The Hero’s team had already turned toward them. Lucian’s gaze met his, cold and unmistakably hostile. Eve stood beside him with her arms folded, her expression carrying the same challenge she’d shown during their previous encounters. Aelirya remained among them, watching the announcement with her usual quiet curiosity.

The fourth student stood slightly apart, still unfamiliar to Caelus.

Caelus felt the last of his patience leave him.

Of all the teams they could have assigned us.

Anna was already looking at the opposing team with a serious expression. Whatever she thought of Caelus, she understood that the matchup was dangerous. Lucian was the Hero for a reason, and Eve was hardly someone who could be dismissed as an ordinary combatant.

Seren stood quietly beside them, her earlier anxiety returning as she looked across the hall at the team they would have to defeat.

Caelus’s expression became still.

If he wanted to win this, he would have to make the team work. Otherwise, he would have to carry everything himself.

He could only hope Veyra accepted his offer and gave him what he needed.