CHAPTER 34: The Thirty-Fourth Fracture

No students. No duels. Just the four of us standing beneath a sky bleeding into amber and violet.

Saaya leaned against the old fountain, arms crossed, her eyes fixed on the horizon like it was whispering something only she could hear. Alric sat on the stone basin, legs dangling, flipping a coin that caught the dying light with every turn.

Karna stood a short distance away, back straight, gaze lifted toward the highest spire of the academy. His golden artifacts hovered behind him, glowing faintly as the sun dipped lower.

I stood between them, feeling the silence settle—not uncomfortable, but charged. Like dusk itself knew something was coming.

The breeze shifted, cooler now. It tugged at our clothes and hair, carrying the scent of scorched stone and distant rain. The sky deepened into gold. Then orange. Then a quiet, endless blue.

I clapped my hands once and spoke.

“I haven’t asked this before—too focused on recruiting Karna and figuring out our fourth member—but who are we actually facing? That blonde-haired kid never even gave his name. He just tried to show off with a little static.”

Saaya and I looked to Alric and Karna.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Alric said, his tone low. “They’re one of the four major academies on the planet, but I’ve got nothing on their student body.”

Karna crossed his arms. “I don’t know much about them either. But I do know one name. And I can say with near certainty that Vodyanoy will be participating.”

We all looked at him.

“Vodyanoy?” I asked. “Why does no one in this world have simple names? Every time someone shows up, it’s like they’re ripped from a myth book.”

Karna chuckled. “Of course that’s not his real name. It’s an alias. According to rumors, he’s a water mage who was trained by a demon—or maybe the devil himself. If the stories are even half true, he uses some kind of cursed water magic. Or worse.”

I stared. “Curses? And when you say ‘demon water magic,’ you’re actually implying devils exist?”

“Why not?” Karna replied. “We live in a world with gods. Fractal layers. Systems no one understands. If gods exist, then demons do too. And one of them may have left behind their magic in that academy. If the rumors are true, Vodyanoy is the one using it. I’ll probably be the one fighting him.”

Saaya stepped closer to me and took my hand.

“This brawl is happening because of you. You’re the target. And if a demon arts user is involved, this might be more than just a match. It could be a trap.”

Karna glanced at her. “No one’s laying a hand on him outside the brawl. Anyone in this academy is under my protection. Especially him. With you around, I doubt he’ll even get seriously hurt.”

Saaya turned to Karna. “You know about my ability?”

He nodded. “Lyra told me. And I’ve heard you’re good with a spear, too.”

Alric, silent until now, finally spoke. “Let’s break this down. One opponent uses lightning—we saw that in the cafeteria. Another, possibly Vodyanoy, uses demon water or cursed magic. That leaves two we know nothing about.”

Karna scratched the back of his head. “Yeah. Kind of a shame. But it goes both ways. They don’t know about Saaya’s power, and while they might suspect Sukara’s abilities, they don’t know what he’s fully capable of.”

I looked at Karna. “I’m not going all out in this battle. I’m going to prove that science users have a place in a magical world. That the art of science can evolve into something even magic can’t explain. And I’m going to make sure that blonde-haired showoff knows it.”

Karna smiled.

That’s when we heard the sound of heels clacking against stone. Faint at first—then louder. Someone was approaching.

It caught all of us at once. Alric, Saaya, and I moved into position. We couldn’t sense her presence at all, and that made it worse.

Karna didn’t flinch. He simply floated into the air and laid back like it was nothing.

And then she appeared.

“Hello, Sukara.”