Corin was still lying half-erect, his body aching from the inside out as if after a thunderstorm. The reverberations of the second blood rose treatment ran through his nerves like poison. No pain like any other, it was deep, demanding, corrosive. But he was awake. And that was more than he had expected. Viviana had demanded another session after their dance training.
She sat next to him, immaculate as always. The red dress was gone, replaced by one of her usual black gowns, her long hair neatly draped over her shoulders. Her posture was relaxed but alert. And her gaze, gentle and a little... proud?
"It will get easier," she said, with a slight, almost conciliatory smile, as if she had just given him a cup of tea instead of pain.
Corin screwed up his face, not necessarily in pain.
"I hope so. Otherwise I'm going to start hating flowers."
Viviana cocked her head slightly to one side. "Flowers only hurt if you touch them wrong."
He snorted softly. "So they're like you."
A narrow look from her, but then the smile came back, wider now, briefly almost feigned. "Maybe."
Then she fell silent. Her eyes rested on him for a few seconds, during which only the distant wind could be heard against the old windows of the manor.
"Tell me about the next steps," Corin demanded, his voice rough but firm. He had a feeling that was exactly what she wanted to hear.
Viviana's smile slowly disappeared, giving way to the expression he now recognized: Focus. Serious. This was no longer the Viviana who played with her words.
"Next week, you will go on a first mission with me," she said quietly.
Corin slowly straightened up further, gritting his teeth. "Sounds like more than just another walk through the gardens."
"It is." She paused for a moment, as if considering how much she was allowed or wanted to tell him.
"It's a large-scale operation run by me. It's about a movement in the periphery, the slums."
"What kind of operation?"
Viviana didn't answer immediately. Then only: "You'll find out next week."
He sensed it, her tone had changed. Sharper, cooler. It wasn't just a mission. It was important. Not just for her. For more.
"You'll learn what it means to operate outside the walls. Beyond rules, committees and classrooms. You get the rest of the weekend off. Train and prepare."
Corin nodded slowly. The exhaustion was there, deep in his bones, but he could also feel the fog lifting. The game was getting bigger.
"And what if I'm not ready?"
Viviana looked at him for a long time. Then she said in a calm voice:
"Then you'll learn it out there. Or not come back trying."
Silence. And then, in her usual silky tone: "Remember to put on something black, Corin. We'll keep the red for the flowers."
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Corin was earlier than usual. Not out of a sense of duty. But because the week was packed: blood tournament preparation, committee tasks and his own training. Lessons would have to wait.
No room for mistakes. No room for rest.
He pushed back his hood as he reached the main building and saw him. Cearen Veil, relaxed as ever, sitting on the wide balustrade of the stairs. A croissant in one hand, a coffee in the other.
Cearen took a bite.
"You look like you're on your way to the gallows."
Corin's gaze was dry. "Wasn't it you who said sleep is weakness?"
Cearen pointed to his coffee. "Caffeine is the noble compromise."
He jumped lithely from the parapet. "Long time no see, Corin."
"Been busy beating up five people at once?"
Cearen played surprised. "Oh, you've seen it? I thought you avoided crowds."
"I was... Invited. And then you stood there like you were late for your own massacre."
Cearen raised an eyebrow. "Were you impressed? Admit it. A little bit?"
A slight smirk made its way onto Corin's face.
"I saw you fly five meters across the arena with one kick. Is that your fighting style or a personal statement?"
Cearen grinned. "Both. I call it polite dominance behavior."
He looked more serious for a moment. "But seriously, they deserved it. It wasn't a spontaneous show. There was more going on in the background."
Corin seemed interested.
"Just forming groups of five like that is rarely spontaneous."
"Mhm. Internal connections to a professor who wanted to replace someone on the committee. I took that as an... An invitation."
Corin laughed. "So political cleansing with extra kicks."
"Exactly. It's meditative, you know? And now... I'm officially the new year's favorite threat."
Corin looked at him appraisingly. "And you're not enjoying it one bit."
Cearen leaned back. "I do love it. But not for the attention."
He pauses briefly. Then, almost casually:"I knew you'd get it eventually, too. How the world really works."
Together, Corin and Cearen made their way to the committee meeting. The main corridor to the East Wing was still in the morning shadows, but the murmurings in the corridors revealed that the day was already in full swing.
"I still have to get Serena," Cearen said casually. "She's not very good at remembering appointments herself if she reads beforehand."
Corin raised a brow. "I take it that happens a lot?"
"Regularly. She nearly missed an exam once because she couldn't put down a volume on magical minerals."
The path led them to the female students' dormitories, a place where two good-looking boys like them could hardly go unnoticed. And as expected, a few glances lingered on them. A giggle. A hesitant wave.
Cearen responded with a casual nod. "Wait, it's about to get even better."
A few seconds later, the door opened. Serena stepped out, neat as ever. Her uniform was perfect, her hair neatly tied, a pile of books at her side.
"You're late," she said quietly.
"We're early. You're in the red because you still haven't gotten used to memory spells."
"They break my concentration," she replied dryly, without faltering.
On the way to the committee room, they inevitably came to talk about the upcoming events. Blood tournament, opening ball, shift plans.
"We're going to have to work well together," Serena said, her tone serious. "Especially you, Corin. You're new. But you've proven yourself."
Corin nodded curtly. "As long as I know what to look out for, I'll be fine."
Cearen grinned. "You will. And if you don't, Riven has a special training program for beginners."
"I think that's a threat," Corin muttered. But he grinned.
When they arrived at the committee room, Nomen was already opening the door. His green eyes scrutinized them with quiet calm.
"Welcome back," he said. "It's going to be a long week."
The room was filled with concentrated silence. The members of the disciplinary committee sat around the oval table while the afternoon sun streamed through the high windows.
Serena, calm and focused as always, let her gaze wander around the group. This time two new faces joined them. Corin had alrady been intorduced to them, but it was the first meeting with all executive memebers.
"The tournament starts tomorrow. And like every year... We expect incidents."
Leora calmly leafed through a folder, the corners of which were neatly folded.
"The numbers speak for themselves. In each of the last three years, there have been at least six deliberate breaches of the rules in the preliminary round alone. Four of them by participants from the high nobility."
Cearen leaned back and relaxed, folding his arms behind her head. "And yet everyone acts surprised when someone suddenly uses something that doesn't officially exist."
At the other end of the table, Riven let out a low, approving hum. His bulky body barely seemed to move, but his dark eyes flashed. "Or when blood flows before the first blow is even struck."
Corin frowned. "Does that mean we intervene directly? Or observe and report as usual?"
Nomen, who had been sitting there in silence until then, raised his eyes. His voice was calm but clear.
"We intervene. Immediately. Anyone who oversteps their boundaries is not just trying to win. They are sending a signal. And we must not let such signals go unanswered."
Leora nodded in agreement. "Some families see the tournament as a stage. It's about influence, not just fighting."
"And that's exactly why we're there." Serena straightened up. "The arena is not a bloody battlefield. At least not as long as we can stop it."
Cearen gave Corin a grinning side-eye. "Rejoice. You'll learn how to pull a fighter out of the arena today without getting your arm broken."
Corin raised a brow, his voice dry. "Sounds like a fulfilling day."
A slight grin twitched across Riven's face, who leaned forward a little. "Wait and see. Some people are really begging to be kicked out."
"We rotate in shifts," Nomen explained further. "Deployment, observation, debriefing. And we pass the worst cases straight to management. No mercy for repeat offenders."
Leora closed her folder with a soft click. "I've prepared a list. Suspicious names, known incidents. I'll share it with you later."
"Good." Serena rose slowly. Her gaze lingered briefly on Corin, then on Nomen. "We'll meet tonight for the final briefing. We leave tomorrow morning. Come well-rested."
Cearen stretched and grinned at the group. "And hungry. There's nothing like a tournament breakfast with a scion of nobility who thinks rules don't apply to him."