Prelude to Paired Evaluation VI

Rachel didn't want to be here. Every rational part of her mind screamed at her to turn around, to let this disaster of a partnership collapse under its own weight. But the competitive part—the part that refused to let Cecilia win by dragging her down—kept her feet moving.

She stopped in front of the door, exhaling slowly, as if she could release all her irritation along with her breath.

Then, she knocked.

And waited.

The door slid open with a quiet hiss.

Cecilia blinked at her for half a second before a slow, delighted grin spread across her face. "Oh my~" she drawled, placing a hand over her heart like she'd just been presented with a rare delicacy. "Ray-Ray is visiting me! What an honor!"

Rachel stared at her, unamused. If looks could kill, Cecilia Slatemark would have been nothing but a memory by now.

"Cecilia," Rachel exhaled through her nose, her grip on patience hanging by a thread. "We need to talk."

"Oh?" Cecilia leaned against the doorframe, feigning curiosity. "Is this about your undying admiration for me? I understand, Rachel, truly, but you must contain your—"

"Inside." Rachel pushed past her, stepping into the room without waiting for an invitation.

Cecilia shut the door behind her, clearly entertained. "Well, well. Ray-Ray is being bold today."

Rachel ignored her, scanning the room with mild surprise.

It was… neat. Unreasonably so.

She had expected something chaotic, a reflection of Cecilia's unpredictable personality. Instead, the room was meticulously arranged, the furniture sleek and minimalistic, dark tones accentuated by soft golden light panels embedded into the walls. A subtle but undeniable regality lingered in the air, a reminder that no matter how unhinged Cecilia acted, she was still a princess.

Rachel took a seat on the plush black sofa, crossing her legs as Cecilia sauntered over, perching herself on the opposite end with all the grace of a lounging cat.

"So, Your Holiness," Cecilia purred, stretching her arms over the back of the couch, "to what do I owe this wonderful pleasure?"

Rachel pressed her fingers against her temple. "We need to work together, Cecilia. The paired evaluation is going to tank our rankings if we don't."

Cecilia waved a dismissive hand. "And?"

"And?" Rachel repeated, incredulous. "We'll get ranked down."

Cecilia made a noise somewhere between a scoff and a yawn. "Oh, Ray-Ray, it's adorable how you care about these things. Even if we fail, we're not getting kicked out of Class A." She stretched, arching her back slightly before grinning lazily. "We aced the first two evaluations, we'll ace the midterms, and you're, what, Miss Perfect Scores in theory? You're fine."

"The theory exams don't affect rankings," Rachel reminded her through gritted teeth.

"Details, details." Cecilia waved her off. "Anyway, I don't want to, so I won't."

Rachel inhaled sharply, gripping the edge of the couch to keep herself from summoning a beam of pure light and cleansing Cecilia off the face of the planet.

Cecilia smirked, clearly enjoying herself. But then, something in her expression shifted. A flicker of something sharp, calculating.

She chuckled softly. "You know what, Ray-Ray? I just had a brilliant idea."

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "What?"

Cecilia leaned forward, crimson eyes gleaming. "Let's do it. Let's ace this evaluation."

Rachel stiffened, thrown off by the sudden change in attitude. "…Why?"

Cecilia's smirk deepened. "Oh, wouldn't you like to know?"

Rachel was annoyed by her response, yet she didn't argue. 

'This is all for my grades,' Rachel reminded herself as she glared at Cecilia.

Honestly, she disliked how professor Nero put Cecilia and her in the same group. Yet she also understood the reason very well.

That was because even with someone like Ren, Rachel could adapt to him with ease and they would score high. The only person she would not be able to adapt to was Cecilia.

'But then, he should put Ren with Arthur,' she thought, confused why professor Nero opted to not go for that.

"Anyway, let's get started shall we?" Cecilia said, snapping Rachel out of her thoughts.

This was not going to be easy.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Spellcasting III wasn't a class you just wandered into on a whim. It was an advanced Mind aspect course, a high-stakes arena where only the most exceptional spellcasters dared tread. Designed exclusively for White-rankers and above, it wasn't a place for rookies or dreamers. And yet, here I was, walking through the door as a late addition, still technically a high Silver-ranker but wielding a Gift that had catapulted me straight into the deep end.

The room was smaller than I'd expected—compact and starkly futuristic. Holographic diagrams floated lazily in the air, displaying intricate spell matrices and mana theories that would have given lesser minds a headache. Every surface gleamed with a faint metallic sheen, the walls pulsing softly with embedded circuitry that seemed to hum with latent mana. Even the lighting had a purposeful sharpness to it, as if to remind us we weren't just in any classroom. This was where the best of the best sharpened their craft—or, occasionally, burned out spectacularly.

Six seats were arranged in a semi-circle around a central dais, where Professor Caelum stood, his silver hair defying gravity and his coat lined with glowing runes. He looked like the kind of man who could incinerate you with a flick of his finger but would lecture you on your inefficient mana usage first. His eyes scanned me as I entered, their sharpness making me feel like a lab specimen under observation.

"Ah," Caelum said, his voice carrying the peculiar mix of exasperation and curiosity only a long-suffering genius could manage. "The late arrival. Arthur Nightingale, yes?"

"Yes, Professor," I replied, stepping forward.

The other students turned their heads toward me, a mix of curiosity, skepticism, and disinterest flashing across their faces. I could feel their scrutiny like a weight pressing against my chest. They weren't hostile, but this was clearly a group that had already established itself, and I was the newcomer disrupting their rhythm.

Professor Caelum gestured to an empty seat. "Take your place. And since you've so graciously joined us mid-semester, why don't you introduce yourself?"

I cleared my throat, feeling the weight of five pairs of eyes on me. "I'm Arthur Nightingale, first-year. I'm still a high Silver-ranker, but my Gift, Lucent Harmony, allows me to cast some five-circle spells and manipulate ambient mana with precision. I also have light and dark affinities."

There was a beat of silence, broken only by the faint hum of the holographic displays. One of the third years, a tall guy with a perpetually bored expression, raised an eyebrow. "Light and dark affinities?" he repeated, as if I'd just claimed to have discovered a new element.

"Correct," I said, keeping my tone steady.

Kali Maelkith, the second-year prodigy I'd encountered during the VR mock war, leaned forward slightly, her dark eyes narrowing in interest. "You're the one who took down the six-star beast during the last evaluation," she said. It wasn't a question.

I gave a small nod, resisting the urge to flinch under her piercing gaze. "With help."

Lucifer, seated at the far end of the semi-circle, smirked but said nothing. Typical.

Professor Caelum clapped his hands, cutting through the charged atmosphere. "Good, good. Now that introductions are done, let's move on. Today's lesson will focus on high-order spell weaving. As you all know, this involves combining elements into constructs far beyond the limitations of standard spellcasting."

He turned to one of the holographic diagrams, which expanded into a dizzying array of geometric shapes and glowing sigils. "Mr. Nightingale, since you're new, I'll keep an eye on your progress. Everyone else, show him why you're here."

The class got to work, each student diving into their personal mana constructs. The room came alive with the hum of concentrated energy, spells forming and dissolving in intricate patterns. Lucifer, of course, was obnoxiously smooth, weaving flames and ice into a construct so precise it looked more like art than magic. Kali worked with an intensity that seemed to draw shadows toward her, her dark magic coiling and snapping like a living thing.

I focused on my own task, steadying my breathing as I began to shape a simple light-dark construct. It was a delicate balance; the two elements resisted each other like oil and water. But I could feel the threads of ambient mana responding to Lucent Harmony, fine-tuning the flow and smoothing out the rough edges. Slowly, painstakingly, the construct took form, a shimmering orb of light and shadow that pulsed with an eerie glow.

"Interesting," Professor Caelum said, appearing beside me without warning. "Your control over oppositional elements is… unconventional. Not bad for a Silver-ranker, though far from perfect."

"Thank you, Professor," I said, biting back the urge to ask what "perfect" looked like.

As the class continued, I couldn't help but notice the dynamics between the students. The third years were polished, confident in their abilities but clearly wary of anyone encroaching on their expertise. Kali was sharp and efficient, her movements precise, her expressions unreadable. Lucifer was, well, Lucifer—effortlessly commanding attention with every spell he cast. And then there was me, trying to carve out a place in this new environment without tripping over my own feet.

By the end of the session, my head was spinning with new techniques and theories. Spellcasting III wasn't just a class—it was a battlefield, a place where only the most adaptable survived. But as I packed up my things and prepared to leave, I felt a quiet determination settling in my chest.

I had a long way to go, but I was here. And I wasn't planning on being left behind.