Chapter 23: Teaching

It had been two days since the expulsion was cancelled and his little escapade with Jane Chatwin. Since then, Kai found himself spending more time away from the moody walls of Brakebills and instead in the more chaotic, mismatched vibe of Julia's apartment which was an odd blend of incense, research notes, and half-finished pizza boxes.

Currently, Kai was perched on the couch, legs stretched out, fingers tapping the worn fabric as he watched Julia kneeling before a book, trying to perform a levitation spell.

"Slow and steady, Julia. Calm down," he said softly, his tone equal parts patient mentor and someone trying very hard not to laugh.

He stood and moved closer, squatting beside her. His eyes locked with hers, low and warm. "Somewhere inside of you is a well of power. You've done magic before I can see it. You've felt it. Magic moving through you like a second heartbeat. Remember that feeling. Channel that intent, Julia. Make the world hear you. Then cast."

Julia smiled suddenly.

Kai blinked. "What?"

"You're… good at this."

"Good at what?"

She shrugged with a playful tilt of her head. "Teaching."

Kai raised a brow. "Huh. Guess I missed my calling as a sexy Hogwarts professor."

His tone was teasing, but Julia chuckled, visibly more relaxed.

She turned back to the book, took a breath, and focused. The edges of the book began to tremble.

"There it is," Kai said, eyes narrowing in approval. "Speak to the world. Tell it what you want. Pour your feelings into the weave. Now cast."

Julia's breathing slowed, her hands barely moved, eyes closed. The book floated, first an inch, then two.

When she opened her eyes and saw it suspended mid-air, she gasped.

"Holy shit."

Kai grinned. "Congratulations. Now lift one more."

Julia's face fell. "What...?"

---

One Week Later

"That's it… you're getting it," Kai said, his voice softer than usual.

It had been a busy week. Between his daily back-and-forths to Brakebills, ongoing magical evaluations, and dodging the "expulsion watchlist," he'd somehow found time to become Julia's personal tutor.

His own Brakebills discipline results? Same as Quentin's Inconclusive.

'Well,' Kai mused to himself as he leaned back in the kitchen chair, watching her focus intently, 'for a siphoner with a unique magical signature, pinning down a discipline might be like trying to label a shapeshifter's favorite face.'

Besides, there were... other issues. Like the incident with the two students at the Van Pelt fountain. The entire zone was now sealed off, the faculty whispering words like "residual psychic damage" and "containment breach." Nothing too exciting.

His gaze returned to Julia, cross-legged in front of her desk, hands hovering over a glass cup and a wet handkerchief.

She was chanting softly.

"Les lames colligo. Ad me gluttuli. Les lames colligo. Ad me gluttuli..."

Tiny droplets began to separate from the fabric, floating delicately toward the cup.

'She'd come far,' Kai thought. 'Like, disturbingly far for a week.'

Marina of course was covering the gesture magic. And Kai? Well he took over with what he called TVD magic which was Intent-driven.

And Julia was the perfect*

student. Genius-level IQ, hyper-focused, naturally curious, and equipped with an oddly applicable logic for magic.

'Probably the damn loops,' Kai thought with a smirk. 'Groundhog Day makes for a killer SAT score.'

She didn't just listen when he spoke to her, She absorbed every information, every incantation, every shift of intent and every bit of nuance he delivered. And best of all?

He only had to explain something once.

She'd already mastered levitation and Incendia the fire-starting spell.

'That one was ridiculous,' he recalled. 'I show her once and boom living flamethrower. Could've roasted a turkey with that first attempt.'

Kai leaned forward, watching her now. "Steady..."

The droplets accelerated. Her focus sharpened.

"This spell's delicate. It trains precision and patience. Two things most magicians lack." He smirked. "Also helps in… collecting evidence," he added, tone dry.

Julia glanced at him mid-cast, the liquid still funneling into the cup.

Her eyes met his steady, determined with a sparkling look

Kai almost gulped.

'Damn.'

He kept his voice calm, pleasant, and unintrusive. "Self-casting is nearly impossible for most casters. Dangerous, too. Healing, enhancements... it's usually done to you, not by you. You need extreme control, or you'll end up incinerating your eyebrows."

Julia tilted her head. "What about rituals?"

Kai snorted. "Yeah, not gonna happen anytime soon, Jules. Rituals are advanced. Complex. Often dangerous. Not for " he made a sweeping gesture, "you, not yet."

Then she grinned. And with that grin, all the liquid ripped from the handkerchief and splashed into the glass like a victorious mic drop.

She looked smug.

Kai's eyebrows shot up. "Show off." He grinned. "Talking and casting. Flex much?"

"I gotta admit," he added, crossing his arms, "it's a bloody shock that in just a week you're where most would be after years of work. Even I…"

He paused. "Well, not exactly true but hey. Let the girl have her moment."

"You didn't have you to teach you," Julia said with a small laugh. "You're a very good teacher, Kai."

Kai tilted his head, half-grinning. "Why thank you, Jules." His sarcasm was light and playful, though something about her voice had stuck with him.

He checked the time. "Gotta head back to Brakebills. I'll be back soon."

Julia stood, her simple loose t-shirt and yoga pants brushing as she moved. Her hair fell around her shoulders, and those damn eyes the kind that could drag kingdoms to war. looked at him.

"Oh. Okay." It was quiet. But… not just quiet. Disappointed?

Kai caught that.

"I'll see you later, Jules." Then, with a teasing tone: "Say hi to James for me."

As he stepped out of her apartment, he mulled over that last look.

'Maybe I should ask her about the tattoo. And the hedge witches. But… if she's not saying anything, I'm not dragging it out.'

He pulled his coat tighter and disappeared down the hallway.

'One week down. One mind sharpened. And a whole lot more coming.'

Patreon./Fredozy