Chapter 28: Moving Up

The return of the Bright Sail Academy team to school was like a festival of its own. When they left the stadium, a massive audience of townspeople who couldn’t attend the final ceremony were waiting for them. Men and women threw flowers in celebration. Children laughed and ran alongside the procession, waving and calling out for attention. Vendors hurried over with freshly baked offerings of food, or clothing, or whatever else they offered. They wanted the winning team to be seen eating, wearing, and otherwise enjoying their products. 

The Academy War was a big deal. Winning it meant more students would come and study here, and tourism would only benefit as well. People wanted safe places to live and enjoy. With a school as successful as Brightsail in town, they’d feel safe. 

It was part of the reason Mayor Tobias worked so closely with the dean and the school. Their success was his success. He was taking full advantage of that now. He walked among the faculty, waving back at the people, soaking up as much positive attention as possible. Sen and the other victors sat in an open carriage that seemed more fitting for royals than academy students. There were long garlands hanging from it, and the sailboat symbol of Brightsail Academy was painted on its side. Two majestic horses pulled them through the streets.

Milim waved at some of the children. A woman threw a bouquet of pink orchids, and Milim’s eyes lit up upon seeing the flowers. But the bouquet fell short. Without a thought, Sen lifted it with his mana before it hit the street, and the bouquet hovered toward him. He grabbed it out of the air and offered it to her.

Milim stared at him, her cheeks flushing.

Susanna giggled. “That’s so cute.” 

[Master, you really ought to think more before acting. A simple analysis shows humans will perceive this as—]

I get it. 

“It looked like you wanted them,” Sen explained so his intentions weren’t misconstrued. 

Milim nodded and took them. “I’ve always loved orchids,” she said, holding them close. 

A magic scan ran over Sen. 

[Warning.]

Sen scanned the crowd. Someone was watching him. Of course, hundreds of people were watching; they were moving down a crowded street of people celebrating their victory. But this gaze was different. The magic probe passed over him like a fleeting inspection. Someone had swept their senses over him. Someone powerful. He acted casually, as if he hadn’t noticed. It was possible they were inspecting everyone, but there was a chance he specifically had been targeted. 

Was someone from the cult of Harpis here? Or was it someone else? He’d taken great care to mask his power, and it was unlikely anyone could see through the Galadrian Bracer artifact he wore that kept his power hidden. Even so, the people of this time had impressed him more than once already. Marin had slipped through his mental wards, there was a chance she wasn’t the only one capable. The school was within sight now, though, and whoever it was wouldn’t make a move so close.

Many students waited for them outside in the courtyard, and the faculty were lined up to receive them in the streets outside the gate. These might be students, but they were some of the top students in the country. Attacking the winners of the Academy War in broad daylight, with an army of town guards and mages moving around them, would be foolish. He relaxed at that. Or he should’ve. But after everything that had happened recently, he knew trouble could still lurk on the horizon. 

The rest of the student body welcomed them with raucous applause and celebration. A spell lifted the benches of the wagon into the air and removed them from the carriage. Sen looked down at the audience as they flew. 

At the insistence of some students, Girch jumped off the bench and into the crowd. Someone had cast a strength enhancement over the crowd to ensure nobody would be crushed by the man’s large weight. It was amusing to see a group of first-year girls pass Girch closer toward the school all on their own. He wondered who had cast the spell. Magic truly was amazing. 

They were sat down just in front of the gate, and the first thing Sen noticed when he walked in was the updated school rankings. His name hadn’t been hard to find at all. 

25. Sen Locke 

He’d moved up fifty-three spaces. He was entitled to two of the rewards. One on one tutoring with a professor of his choice, and access to the special library to select a spell tablet. He would cash those in as soon as he could.

He wasn’t the only one who had moved up the list. Milim had climbed up as well. From number ninety-eight, all the way up to forty-seven. She’d receive tutoring with a professor of her choice as well. 

After the last few days, though, he wanted to get away from the crowd. He sensed Milim next to him, staring at the board. Her eyes lit up when she saw her rank. “We—”

Sen smiled. “I know, congratulations. I’m going to sneak away for a bit, wanna come?” he asked.

She nodded, and he took her hand. “Invisibility Maxima.” He wrapped Encapsulation around them and they moved through the crowd until they’d escaped. Once they were beyond the other students, invisibility faded, and they ran toward his room. The door guardian sensed his approach, and the door opened on its own. He stopped, letting her go inside first, and realized they were still holding hands. His mouth fell open. “Sorry, Milim. I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s alright, come on, before anyone sees us,” she said.

They slipped inside and the door shut behind them.

Samara, Ilm, and Mori were waiting in the room. 

Samara quirked a purple brow. “Why exactly don’t you want anyone to see you? Should we not be in here?” she asked.

Mori’s eyes opened. “Apologies master! Would you like privacy? We can hide under the beds or—”

Sen held a hand up before the discomfort could get any worse. We just wanted to get away from the crowd. I figured you’d show up shortly. We have a lot to talk about.”

Sen caught everyone up. He told them what had really happened during the second and third rounds, and Milim perked up when he started talking about the fight after she’d been sent back to the entrance. He also told them about the cultists’ camp, and what he and Ano had discovered. 

When he finished, Mori sat there thoughtfully. “So, Orttha was right. It really is the cult of Harpis,” he said. 

Sen nodded. “And I don’t think this was the last time we’ll run into them. Attacking during the Academy War was bold, and they’ll likely only get more desperate in the future.”

Samara crossed her arms. “So what exactly do we do about it? We don’t have any way to flush these guys out, and even if we could, they obviously have a lot of manpower. There’s only a few of us. The academy won’t even come out publicly against a cult.”

Everyone turned to look at Sen. “They may not declare against the cult of Harpis publicly, but they’ve learned they can’t ignore the threat any longer. Regardless of what they do, our path forward is simple. We train. We get stronger, and when these men come for Brightsail again, we'll wipe them out for good.”

Professor Calabari 

He caught Dean Withershade leaving his office for the night and hurried over. 

“Dean! Do you have a moment?” he asked.

The dean frowned, looking at the timepiece wrapped around his wrist, but reluctantly nodded. Calabari took no offense; his old friend was probably looking forward to getting home to relax. He wouldn’t take up much of his time. 

He continued. “Well, the festival went well. I was hoping we could talk more about…my probation?”

The dean sighed. “Calabari…”

“You said this was my opportunity to prove myself, to show I could contribute to the academy. We won. We won for the first time in years, in no small part to the student I recruited,” Calabari said. It was all he could do to keep desperation out of his voice. He’d done everything that had been asked of him. He’d proved himself. It had to be enough.

“Listen, you have done so much for the academy. And we thank you, all of us. We’re truly grateful. But…things have been adding up for years. Your methods are extreme, and this isn’t the first time you’ve put students in danger. I mean, Calabari students died during the Academy War.”

“None of ours!” Calabari protested. He could hardly be blamed for the work of a cult. “You can’t possibly blame me for that.”

“I’m aware. But only because of a particularly exceptional student. I know you like to take credit for recruiting him, but Calabari, we both know the truth. You were trying to take the poor boy for his gold. You never expected him to win that little gamble of yours. Without permission, you had him face the creature we’d captured for Academy Wars. Any other student would’ve been killed.”

“We had plenty of faculty on standby! There were several who could’ve resurrected him, and besides, he survived! He walked through fire and came out even stronger than before!” 

The dean shook his head. “Even now you defend your actions instead of admitting fault. If you had sent the student away, he would’ve returned next year. Instead, you risked souring our relationship with a recruit of such potential. A first-year now ranks 25^th overall in the entire school. It’s a miracle if a second-year student even grazes the list, and this student has done so in his first year. You risked that for fifteen gold.”

Calabari started to protest. “I—”

The dean shook his head. “You’re compensated very well. But your greed, time and time again, gets you into situations that harm all of us. Your peers. Your students. This very Academy that you claim to love. Listen, you ensured we were represented well at the Academy War. I was surprised when you swallowed your pride to recruit Sen, and I had my doubts about making Snake team leader, but you showed excellent judgment on both fronts. And so, I am willing to write you a letter of recommendation. However, I will make note that we’ve had some problems in the past. Still, it should be enough to get you on at another academy.”

Calabari scoffed. The dean had no intention of letting him stay after his year of probation was up then. It had been a farce from the start. The attempt at consolation somehow only made it worse. “A recommendation with reservations. I’d be lucky to end up at a third-rate academy, if that!” he spat. 

“Maybe, but with your intelligence, you could elevate any academy in which you work. You could become a dean yourself!” Withershade said.

“I don’t have time to build a second career on the grave of my old one.”

“Calabari, this is the best I can do.” The dean’s expression was serious.

Calabari’s rage kindled. “You have the final say in this!” He slammed a hand into the wall.

“And if I use that authority, we risk losing valuable members of the academy. You have been on the wrong side of Crosp and Sikar for a long time. Crosp is from a noble family. Their influence in Bright Sail affords us many privileges, and Sikar’s wife is a major investor in our academy. We can’t afford to lose the influence the two of them bring us.”

Calabari couldn’t believe his ears. Surely this was a joke, or someone was casting a nightmarish spell on him. Surely he wasn’t experiencing betrayal of the highest degree from a lifelong friend. “You once said I was valuable too.”

“And I meant it, friend, but even the best of us can overestimate our values at times. You overplayed your hand, and you forced me to choose a side. On one side, Brightsail flourishes, and on the other, students’ lives are placed in danger. The choice is easy, regardless of friendship and our past.”

“You wouldn’t even be dean without me,” Calabari spat. 

It struck a nerve with Dean Withershade. Both men knew it was true. Calabari lied, cheated, and manipulated his way into getting Dean Withershade into his current position. In return, all he had asked for was tenure and future support to become Dean when Withershade retired. If it hadn’t been for Calabari’s hard work, Crosp or even Ladia would be running the school now. 

The dean was silent. 

Yet here his former friend was, betraying him. “Very well,” Calabari said, walking away. “You’ve made your position quite clear.”

“I will write you the best letter I can,” the Dean promised as he walked away.

“No need. I will find my own path forward,” Calabari said. 

As Calabari walked down the quiet, nighttime streets of Bright Sail, he was already thinking of pouring a strong drink as soon as he got home. His steps echoed on the pavement as he walked the streets. “Plans are ever shifting, and opportunities ever failing, but new ones rise in their place,” he said, if only to make himself feel better. 

Someone cleared their throat. 

Calabari spun, turning to see a man leaning against a wall. He wore long black robes with purple runes on them, and a hood was pulled over his face. 

Calabari’s hands opened, and he readied a spell. Two flaming green spheres formed in either palm. “Who are you?” he demanded. 

The man laughed. “Me? Well, some would call me…opportunity.”

Calabari squinted, and the flames faltered in his hand. 

“Speak quickly.”