Chapter 10: The Other One
Lucien Drex was eating toast. Upside down.
Not the toast—him. He was hanging from a levitation trap he accidentally triggered while trying to make tea using kinetic sigils and zero motivation.
Renn walked in and stared. "Why are you floating?"
Lucien stared back, chewing slowly. "Defying gravity. Emotionally."
Renn sighed. "They're calling another assembly. A big one."
Lucien blinked. "Is it about how toast always lands butter-side down?"
"No. It's about a new transfer student."
Lucien narrowed his eyes. "Are they hot?"
"They're terrifying."
"Same thing."
---
Main Assembly Hall – One Hour Later
The entire student body buzzed with tension.
The stage was dark. House banners fluttered. Professors stood in corners like ominous statues.
Then the lights dimmed.
And he walked in.
Caelum Virell.
Platinum-ranked. Year Three. House Umbra.
Cold, silver eyes. Clockwork sigils trailing like aftershadows. He moved like a storm trapped in a human's spine.
And Lucien? Lucien was already halfway through a muffin.
---
Headmistress Elenora spoke.
"Due to rising instability and arcane interference within our ranking system, Arcanum Academy welcomes Caelum Virell into full administrative dueling authority."
A gasp rippled.
"Wait," Lucien whispered, swallowing. "Is that code for he gets to beat us up legally?"
Renn nodded. "Yes."
Lucien leaned back. "Cool. I'm unavailable."
---
Later that day
Lucien lay on the roof of the Alchemy Tower, feeding crumbs to sky-birds. He was avoiding eye contact with responsibility.
Caelum appeared out of nowhere.
Literally. Time magic is rude like that.
"You've been avoiding me," Caelum said.
Lucien yawned. "I avoid a lot of things. Commitment. Pants. Existential dread."
"You read the file."
Lucien sighed. "What gave it away? My trauma or my breakfast habits?"
"You remember what we are."
Lucien stretched. "You're a glowing reminder of repressed therapy bills."
"I'm not here to hurt you."
Lucien sat up. "You're not here to hug me either, Cael. So let's not lie to each other."
---
Flashback – Obsidian Project Lab #3
Two boys. One cell. One broken clock. One sigil drawn in salt.
Lucien and Caelum weren't enemies then. They were experiments. Observed. Measured. Graded.
One day, Lucien stole the time key. Gave it to Caelum. Said, "Run faster than they can reset us."
Caelum asked, "What about you?"
Lucien smiled. "I'm too lazy to run."
---
Back to Now
"You saved me once," Caelum said.
"I was delirious and probably high on chalk dust."
Caelum sat beside him. "They want both of us. For their ends."
Lucien pulled out a small pastry. "I'm not ready to be a pawn. I'm barely ready to be awake."
"We could burn them down together."
Lucien took a bite. "Sounds dramatic. What if we prank them instead?"
"…Prank?"
"I'm thinking mass hallucinations. Sigils that smell like toast. And maybe a fake ranking board where I'm Number One."
Caelum stared. "You're insane."
Lucien grinned. "And lazy. Don't forget lazy."
---
The Next Day – Chaos Begins
The entire academy woke to find:
The ranking board had Lucien at #0. With sparkles.
All announcement glyphs played elevator music.
Several professors temporarily forgot their own names.
Caelum's file now listed his rank as: "Emotionally unavailable, time-addicted, sparkle immune."
Lucien sipped tea in his favorite socks.
Renn screamed, "WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?"
Lucien replied, "A mystery wrapped in sarcasm. Dipped in sleep."
---
The Pale Sigil's Response
Meeting Room. Ten cloaked figures.
> "Lucien Drex is unstable."
> "Lucien Drex is dangerous."
> "Lucien Drex is deliberately wasting our time."
> "And yet… he knows everything."
One figure laughed. "He's playing a different game. One where no one knows the rules."
Another whispered, "Not even him."
---
Seraphina Vale's Dorm
She stared at the false ranking board.
Lucien: #0
Under his name: "Do Not Disturb Unless You Bring Cookies."
She clenched her fist. "Why… why can't I stop thinking about him?"
Her room began to smolder.
---
Marcus Vale's Training Ground
He destroyed three sparring golems.
"Why does he keep winning without trying?"
An assistant said, "Maybe that's the point?"
Marcus exploded a fourth golem.
---
Evening – Lucien and Caelum Again
"Why are you like this?" Caelum asked.
Lucien shrugged. "Because I'm free."
"You're controlled by the Pale Sigil."
"Only if I care."
Caelum leaned closer. "One day you'll stop joking."
Lucien smirked. "Let me know. I'll oversleep through it."
---
Final Scene
The stars above Arcanum flickered like faulty lanterns.
Lucien stood on the balcony, arms behind his head, staring at the sky.
Beside him, Caelum stood silent.
"You know," Lucien said, "you're the only one here who doesn't underestimate me."
"I can see what you are."
Lucien's smile faded for just a second. "Yeah. Me too."
Caelum blinked.
"Scared?"
"Terrified," Caelum replied.
Lucien yawned. "Cool. You'll fit right in."
Fade to black.