Cup of tea

Packing for Brendwyn felt so exciting. One bag. One week. Too many chances to screw something up but felt more like a great chance. Laughter from the first floor rolled up the stairs. I paused. Elka’s name came up. “How’s training with Elka?” Aeter said.

“She’s incredibly talented, and her mind is steady—I think she’ll be able to cast by hand any day now… What about Caelis? I thought he was moved to our dorm,” Emil replied. It’s the kind of conversation I shouldn’t care about, but my foot stops anyway. “That's what I thought. I have to go to his house every time.” Aeter exhaled. “Ooooh, his house, huh? Wonder what Auron would think if he heard that.” Emil smirked, but her eyes lingered like she wanted to know if I cared. “He won’t bother because there is nothing wrong with that,” Aeter said.

“I don’t know about that… Right, Auron.” Emil saw me. “Ahem, I’m ready. How many minutes do we have left?” I said. “Oh, did you guys hear he changed the subject?” Emil made everyone chuckle. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore it, but then I saw Aeter smiling. “Why do you have so much stuff in your bag? Didn’t you put it in your magic inventory?” Aeter asked. "I didn’t learn that…” I said, scratching my head. All eyes turned to Ruri.

“How about we buy a scroll from a shop?” Ruri rubbed her neck. "I’m not sure we have that much time. Why don’t you cast it with your wand? I’ll buy it for you while you give it a shot." “I’ll go with you, Emil-senpai,” Elka said energetically. They both left, and I realized—my luggage was the biggest out of everyone’s.

“We have limited time, let’s start, Auron.” Ruri glanced at me confidently. “Or do you want to teach him, Aeter?” she added. Aeter shook her head. “Why would I interrupt your mentorship? I’d rather just watch.”

“Today, let’s try with your wand, Auron. We have to make it quickly.” I hadn’t used my wand in a long time. I rummaged through my bag, “I think I lost it, Ruri Senpai.” Aeter and I giggled. Ruri sighed. “Give me your hand, Auron.” I raised my hand, she grabbed it. She glanced at Aeter and squeezed my hand tighter. Was it jealousy? Or just focus? Her smile didn’t tell me anything. But it said something.

“Careful, Ruri—you’re going to break his hand,” Aeter said. But Ruri ignored her. “Close your eyes, imagine a big box or luggage.” Rectangular, height, width, and depth. Large enough to put all my belongings in there. I feel a tickling on my hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll draw a magic circle for you—just remember the feeling. You can only use it once.”

“Why? Only once.”

“Since I’m drawing the circle with my mana, it’ll only work once. You can still use the scroll that Emil bought until it expires. Are you ready?” Ruri said. “Don’t forget the picture you imagine and cast it with your hand after opening your eyes.” The image of the box is still clear enough to put everything necessary for the trip. “Go.” Ruri let my hand go. I pointed toward the kitchen, channeling the image as Ruri’s magic circle flared beneath my hand… At the same moment, Emil and Elka came back. “Give back our dining table! That’s our breakfast spot—and my tea is still on it!” Emil shouted from the doorway.

Gone. Table, chairs, tea—all vanished in a blink. Some sort of void, couldn’t tell where it went. “You already got your scroll, didn’t you, Emil? Let him read it,” Ruri said. Emil was on her knee, throwing a scroll at me. “Wait, slow and steady. Don’t break anything. It’s in your mana flow, don’t get too nervous.” Emil said with dull eyes. I get it now… why she was on her knees. There’s a chance… that what we achieve won’t return the same. “Okay, I need to understand the spell so it brings everything back correctly,” I said. Ruri placed a hand on her forehead, exhaling slowly, while Aeter's jaw slightly dropped, eyes lit up with excitement.

“Come here, Auron. Emil's gonna lose it. I don’t think you would achieve the whole table, to be honest.” Ruri said. We glanced at Emil, comforted by Elka. I need to focus. Ruri is holding my hand with a scroll. “Try to imagine the same box. Is there anything in it?”

“Yeah… I could see many of them.”

“Let’s try something less fragile this time,” Ruri said. I smoothly reached the chairs, one by one. The table wobbled, but it made it through. What worried me most now… was her tea set.

Long inhale. Longer exhale. Ruri let go. “Wait—I still need that—” “My hand? Or the scroll? You’ll manage.” Ruri crossed her arms. “Try proving you don’t need it. If you mess up again, you’re breaking Emil’s heart, no pressure.” Her words didn’t help at all. It’s cold this season, but the sweat wouldn’t stop pouring. Aether smiled and nodded, comforting me.

I nodded. Focus. Five cups. Five coasters. One pot. One. Two. I cast the spell. Everything rose into the air at once. In a millisecond, Elka darted forward to catch three sets of cups. Ruri grabbed it in front of her easily. Aeter slowed the pot mid-air with a precise flick of her wand. The last cup spun, trembling just out of reach. I have trained this type of reaction since I was a kid.

Clink. Clink. Clink. The cup landed on a coaster… but it didn’t stop moving. I reached out a second too slow. Aeter reached for her wand. But I could already see it, falling in slow motion. Slipping. Shattering. Broke. Why, at a crucial moment, do I have to be freezing? I lunged to scoop it up, but someone caught my hand. When I saw her face, I froze. No one is getting mad. I saw Emil gently scanning the ground and holding the cup with care.

“It’s fine. Only one cup was damaged. Better than I expected,” Emil chuckled, holding out a cracked piece. A sliver of glass, my name was etched on it. ‘Auron.’ Aeter rubbed my back in silence. I pretended not to notice the cup.

“It was part of our new tea set,” Emil added, with a soft, teasing smile. “I… wanted to surprise you.” I didn’t know what to say. She chuckled, “We’ll buy a scroll to fix it. You don’t have to worry. Ah, did I have to go to the magic shop again?” How would I not? Everyone else moved on. But I couldn’t. It was just one cup—my cup. And the look Emil gave me… that hurt more than anything. It wasn’t just the broken cup. I wanted to laugh. To fix it. To thank her. But my mouth wouldn’t move. Maybe one cup was just a cup to everyone else. But to me… it shattered more than glass.