Chapter 32 –

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully.

We had an early supper in the dining hall, then visited the library where I lent my notes from Prof. Novil's lecture to my friends. I also made sure that the window I placed a spell upon was still safe. We would have to enter through that window later, after all. We went back to the dorms after studying at a quarter to seven, and went to the 5th floor baths at eight o' clock.

"Look!" Elliot moaned as we were getting ready for a dip. "Look at how loose my clothes are getting! I'm telling you, Senior André's drills are killing me!"

"Y-you should try lifting weights," Lycan suggested, "It turns fat to muscle, you'll get big again."

"But I like being fat!" he sulked.

"Well, at least, it's not just your fat that's disappearing, your blemishes are mostly gone now, and your skin is getting noticeably brighter, too!" Arman pointed out.

"Pat's also getting fatter!" said Cat while pointing at me. "I don't see your ribs as well as I did the first time we took a bath."

"His hair is getting longer and shinier as well!" Arman said proudly as he handed me a new bottle of maple smelling oils for my hair. "Now, Lycan, don't forget to use this lotion on your skin to get rid of the scaling."

"T-thank you," replied Lycan who handed it to Cat.

"I've got this!" Cat cheerfully applied the lotion on the burn marks on his skin and scalp while standing over him. Lycan beamed and held on to Cat's small body as he did, a sweet smile playing on his scarred lips.

"Ah, it's nice to soak in warm water after a tiring day..." sighed Darius as he entered the pool and sat beside me, holding his towel tight around his body.

He haven't taken a bath naked ever since he came to the dorms, but I once saw several scars on his back while he was dressing, including a mark near his right hip in the shape of a signet ring – the same mark that was etched on the left side of Lycan's scalp, just above his mutilated ear.

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked as he sighed.

"Much better," he smiled, leaning his head back with his eyes closed. "I've been feeling pressured all day, thinking about our second challenge. At least now, we have another week to rest our nerves."

"Me, I can't wait `till we meet our masters next week!" Arman said excitedly as he sat on my other side. "By the way, my friend back home just sent me a new batch of concealing cream, we can make more of your 'magic mask' cream and give it to Prof. Novil to get rid of his suspicions. Maybe we can even sell them to his friend for some pocket money!"

"What would we need money for?" asked Cat. "Everything in campus is free!"

"Well, you never know when you might need cash, particularly during emergencies," replied the merchant in, Elliot.

"That sounds like a good idea," I replied, "but I would only be able to make one daily, since my senior told me not to use magic too often."

"Oh, right, he told you to be careful, right?" Arman said absentmindedly.

"Yes, apparently, using too much can be harmful to my health..."

"It is?" Arman, Darius, and Elliot cried out in unison.

"How?" asked Cat who was suddenly in front of me, his big eyes full of concern.

"It seems that using too much magic can drain the mana in the vicinity and force my core to use my body's innate mana instead."

"I don't get it, but that's bad, isn't it?" asked Cat.

"I think I heard something like that before," said Darius. "Mana needs to be processed in your core to be used in magic, so if the mana in your surrounding isn't enough, your core will take mana from your body itself in order to process it."

"I feel you," said Elliot, patting my shoulder. "It's like, when my body feeds on my fats whenever Senior André overworks us." He sobbed as he stood in front of me, and I couldn't help but notice that his mid section had indeed become slimmer. "I can't wait to be apprenticed to a masted chef and leave Senior André's hellish training!" he muttered.

"Then... that time when you stayed all night just to perfect the magic mask..." Arman trailed off, his face going pale.

"Don't worry, I'm quite used to it," I assured him.

"But still..."

"It was inevitable back then," I interrupted him, "and I've hardly used any magic for a while now, aside from the small inconspicuous spell I used last Saturday to meet with my senior."

"You still don't know who he is?" asked Darius in a flat tone.

"No, he still haven't bested me in a game of chess. We promised to introduce ourselves properly when he beats me. All I know about him is that he's a second year who can also wield magic, that he's under probation for a month, and that he's acquainted with Senior Rian."

"Oh, Senior Rian? He's that senior who gave us access to these baths, right?" asked Arman. "I guess he can't be that bad, if they do know each other."

"You still shouldn't trust him blindly," Darius said with a frown. "You never know what someone's really thinking until they spring a trap on you."

I gently touched his hand and smiled at him.

"I'd like to believe that I can trust him, though," said I, "he's just this eccentric guy who's obsessed with chess and likes to draw human anatomy. Particularly from a walking skeleton," I added with a laugh.

"Still, it would be better if he finished drawing you and finally leaves you alone," Darius squeezed my hand.

"He's still a great chess companion, though," I replied, earning a scowl from him.

Something tells me he won't be happy if he finds out that I plan to meet with my senior later that night.

"Lycan is good at chess too!" Cat thankfully piped in. "I've never won a game with him before!"

"Speaking of chess," said Arman, I never got the hang of it. I could never remember how the pieces are supposed to move."

"I could teach you if you like," I volunteered, glad for the change of topic. "I saw some chess boards in the common room back in the dorms."

"Then, let's borrow one and play it back in our rooms!" suggested Elliot.

"Good idea," I looked at Arman, "but first, let teach you a simple meditation to improve your mana sense."

"Oh, that's right..." Arman got out of the water. "What do I need to do?"

"Meditation?" asked Cat.

"It's a practice of clearing your mind to improve your mental and physical prowess," Lycan said beside him. "It's like the breathing exercises father makes us take before and after training."

"Senior Lycan, you're pretty knowledgeable, aren't ya?" Darius asked him.

"I-I do some meditation myself, every night before sleeping," he said shyly.

"I wanna meditate too!" Cat cried out, his arms high in the air.

"Sounds interesting, let us join too!" said Elliot.

Soon, all five of my friends are lined up in front of me, sitting on the edge of the pool. I touch their backs, two at a time, to let them feel the flow of mana in their body.

"Ha-ha! That tickles!" Cat squirmed as soon as I touched his small body.

"Woah, that's hot!" cried Arman. I touched him last on purpose so that I may focus on him more.

As expected, he was the only one who felt the flow of my mana immediately. I wouldn't be surprised if he manifests soon.

I only hope that he doesn't get caught using magic and get dragged to the ivory temple before his 4th year.

"Can you feel it traveling through your veins?" I asked Arman when I stopped the flow of my mana.

"Yeah... it's like when I drink my tea too fast and the heat passes down my throat... this heat... it's traveling throughout my body... right down to my toes..."

"Breath slowly in and imagine more heat from around you, entering your body..."

I watch as Arman breathed in. I could feel the mana in the air, get attracted to his body, like water seeping into an empty vessel.

I guess I would need to place a spell of concealment on him as well, even before he manifests a mana core.

Before someone else finds him.

Before it's too late.

That night, Cat fell asleep with his head on the chess board.

Darius and I took turns teaching Arman how to play. He was even able to beat Lycan once before Prof. Whitman sent the both of them back to their respective rooms.

"Off to bed with you now," grunted Elliot as he picked a sleeping Cat up and placed him on his bed. "Our little's Cat's getting bigger and heavier each day."

"That's right, he might even get as big as Lycan some day!"

My two friends stared at me.

"I don't think he could actually grow that big," Darius chuckled as he continued cleaning the head of the dire wolf carved on the hilt of his family's sword.

"It'd be a shame if Cat grew too big for me to carry," sighed Elliot.

"That's right, he's cuter this way," I said with a laugh, "wouldn't it be nice if he can stay this cute forever?"

"Well, we can't really tell what the future brings. I only hope I don't get any thinner with all of Senior Andre's training," Elliot grumbled.

"Don't worry, you'll probably gain everything back after you get apprenticed to a master chef," Darius told Elliot with a grin. "You," he pointed at me, "need to gain some more weight, too!"

"Ahh, I can't wait `till next week!" said Elliot, rubbing his hands together. He looked at us with a grin. "I better go sleep so tomorrow comes sooner."

With that, Elliot lay on his bed and was soon snoring loudly.

"Are you still working on something?" asked Darius as he put his sword aside.

"I plan to finish this book I borrowed from the library." I raised the book I was currently reading as I sat on my bed.

"Can I..."

Darius' words trailed off.

I looked up and saw him pouting at me, his face going red, and I couldn't help but feel my face burn as well.

I moved to my right, not saying a word, and held my left hand out to him. He took it in his and climbed next to me, holding on to my chest and leaning his head on my shoulder.

We have been sleeping like this ever since that Friday night, when I first held him.

"Are you almost through?"

His hand trail down my chest, making my body quiver. I held it and gently kissed his fingers.

"Are you sleepy?" I asked back, placing the book I was reading on my study table.

"You know I can't sleep without you."

He reached up to caress my face. I bowed down to meet his lips in a gentle kiss.

We have shared several kisses since last week, but we never got any further than this.

"Ughn..." Darius gasped as my hand slipped around his waist.

He pushed away from me and pulled my hand from under his shirt. That was as far as we can go.

He still can't take anything further, it seems.

"Should we call it a night?" I smiled gently.

"Just... a little bit more..."

Darius kissed me once again.

This time, he didn't simply press his mouth against mine. He opened his mouth and bit me with his lips.

"Can you hold me tighter?" he asked me, his eyes filling with tears.

"A-are you okay?" I embraced him, pulling him closer, feeling his raising heartbeat against mine. "Don't force yourself."

I felt his body shiver, heard him sob a couple of times, yet he kept his arms around me and wouldn't let go.

"I'm not..." he whispered in my ear. "Y-you can touch me again..."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

I started rubbing his back.

"Where do you want me to touch you?"

Darius simply shook his head.

I trailed my hands lower and touched his waist once more.

I heard him whimper, particularly when I touched the place where I saw the mark on his back. I could feel the deep scars with my finger tips.

"Can I kiss you some more?"

He nodded in reply.

I nuzzled his hair and kissed him gently on the neck.

"Ahh!" he gasped, and we both stiffened when we heard Elliot mutter in his sleep.

We stayed still until his snoring started once again.

I gave a deep breath and placed an inaudible spell around my bed to play it safe.

"That was close," I said, laughing softly. "I guess we should go to sleep as we–"

I was silenced when Darius kissed me yet again.

I was surprised as his tongue slipped inside my mouth and his lips covered mine in a passionate kiss that left me literally breathless.

I slipped my hands beneath his shirt once more, feeling his warm body all over, wanting to envelope him in my arms even more.

He moaned as I touched his chest. I couldn't help but pull his shirt up and stare at his toned body.

"You're so beautiful..."

I take note of every hill and crevice made by the muscles on his chest and abdomen. I trailed them with my finger, disregarding the marks left from past events we would rather forget, particularly the deep round scar around his nipple.

I pulled him closer to taste him there.

"Ah!" he gasped.

I licked around his nipple and enclosed it with my mouth, tasting his salty skin. Suckling him.

"Don't!" he gasped louder, pulling at my hair.

I looked up and saw the frightened look in his eyes.

I had to pull away.

"Sorry... are you okay?"

"I... I'm fine..." He leaned his head on my shoulder. "I'm sorry... it's still too much..."

"It's okay," I rubbed his back and pulled the covers over the both of us. "We don't need to rush it."

"I really want you to hold me..." he whispered as we cuddled underneath the covers. "I want to do... so much more..." he started to sob again.

"Shh... we'll get there soon enough..."

I rocked Darius to sleep that night.

His tears didn't seem to want to stop falling, so I chanted a sleeping spell to help him rest as well.

It was past midnight when I slipped away from my bed, leaving him there with a pillow in his arms before I headed to the 5th floor to meet my senior.