Chapter 102: Alicia’s Private Lesson
Alex walked through the quiet southern corridor of the Magic Department, enjoying the brief lull after lunch, when Alicia Raven stepped out from behind a stone pillar and blocked his path.
She didn't offer a greeting. She simply shoved a glowing runic tablet against his chest.
"I compressed the formula," Alicia declared, her dark eyes flashing with fierce pride. "And I did it without your help."
Alex caught the heavy slate before it could drop, looking down at the intricate circles of fire-affinity equations glowing in bright orange. It was exactly two days before the tournament preliminaries, and the tension among the first-years was rising. But Alicia's attention was entirely focused on him, driven by a mixture of rivalry and an attraction she still hadn't resolved.
Without waiting for his assessment, she grabbed the sleeve of his uniform and dragged him through the nearest iron-reinforced door, pulling him into an unused alchemy practice chamber. The room smelled of old sulfur and chalk dust, with a scorched iron practice target standing at the far end of the firing lane.
Alex leaned against a wooden workbench and tapped the center of the runic slate. "You solved the compression," he said, genuinely impressed by the work she had managed. "But you completely ignored the release channel."
"The density is all that matters," Alicia argued, walking toward the firing line. She raised her right hand, her fingers curling as she drew upon her mana. "If I force the fire into a tight enough point, the release will take care of itself. Watch."
She didn't wait for him to stop her. Alicia snapped her wrist forward, beginning the cast.
The temperature in the small chamber rose sharply. A brilliant spark of white-hot fire formed in the center of her palm, exactly as her formula intended. But without a proper way for the spell to release, the compressed mana had nowhere to go. The spell quickly became unstable.
The resulting explosion sounded like a cannon firing inside the small chamber.
A wave of heat and smoke blasted backward. Alicia let out a sharp gasp, stumbling as the backlash missed the iron target and scorched the stone floor. When the smoke cleared, she stood coughing, her dark hair blown back and the right sleeve of her academy blouse badly scorched from the cuff to the elbow.
"Are you finished ignoring me?" Alex asked, stepping away from the workbench.
Alicia glared at him, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and irritation. She tried brushing the soot from her ruined sleeve, her pride refusing to let her admit the mistake. "The formula was perfect. My wrist angle was just slightly off."
"Your formula was a bomb," Alex corrected gently. He stepped into her personal space, stopping directly behind her.
Alicia went completely still. She remembered the last time they had been this close in an alchemy lab—the intense mana synchronization, the heat of his hands on her body, the way he had pinned her against the wall. The memory sent a sharp rush of embarrassment and desire through her. Her breathing hitched, but she forced herself to focus on the iron target instead.
Alex didn't push her against the wall this time. He reached around her, his chest brushing lightly against her back, and placed his hands over hers.
"You are gripping the mana like it's something solid," Alex murmured beside her ear. He adjusted the angle of her wrist, shifting her fingers into a looser, more precise position. "You're keeping all the pressure inside your wrist. Let it flow through your index and middle fingers instead. Build the channel before you release the spark."
Alicia shivered slightly under the firm guidance of his hands, but she nodded. She drew her mana again. This time, with Alex guiding her, she felt the difference. She compressed the fire, holding its intense heat in her palm, then released it through the narrow channel he had shown her.
A finger-thin lance of blinding, white-hot flame shot across the room.
There was no explosion. No wasted fire filled the chamber. The Needle Flame crossed the room in an instant and struck the heavy iron practice target. The concentrated heat punched a perfectly clean hole through the center of the armor plate.
Alicia lowered her hand, staring at the molten edges of the hole. The rest of the room remained almost completely untouched. The spell was beautiful, efficient, and dangerous.
She turned to face Alex, a brilliant smile breaking across her face. Her dark eyes shone with triumph. She expected him to be impressed.
"Look at that," Alicia breathed.
Alex looked at the target, then back at her. "It's acceptable."
Alicia's smile vanished instantly.
"Acceptable?" she repeated, her voice dropping into an offended tone. She stepped toward him, her pride burning hotter than the spell she had just cast. "That was perfect, Edelhart. It pierced two inches of solid iron without wasting heat. Say it was perfect."
She had accidentally let the truth slip into her voice. She didn't just want to become stronger. She wanted him to acknowledge her strength. His opinion mattered to her far more than she wanted anyone to know.
"It was a good start," Alex teased, testing the limits of her temper.
Alicia didn't step back. She stepped completely into his space, reaching up and grabbing the lapels of his uniform jacket with both hands. She pulled downward with surprising strength, forcing him to look directly into her eyes. The frustration in her gaze was quickly turning into something much heavier.
The tension in the quiet chamber rose sharply. Their faces were inches apart. Alex could feel her warm breath against his jaw and see the slight tremor in her hands as she held his collar.
Alex rested his hands lightly on her waist. He didn't pull her closer, and he didn't lean down. He waited. He knew what she wanted, but he wasn't going to make the choice for her. If she wanted to take that step, she had to do it herself.
Alicia hesitated. Her gaze dropped from his eyes to his lips. Her chest rose and fell heavily against his. She parted her lips, her grip tightening as she finally leaned closer, just a fraction of an inch away from sealing the kiss—
The heavy iron door of the practice chamber swung open with a loud metallic clatter.
Sylvia walked in, carrying a wooden supply crate. "Alex, I found the delivery manifest—oh."
The alchemy professor stopped dead, staring at the two students standing together in the center of the room.
Alicia instantly released Alex's collar and took a smooth half-step back. She began brushing nonexistent dust from her scorched sleeve, her posture immediately returning to composed noble arrogance, though her cheeks were burning crimson.
She glared sideways at Alex, her voice a sharp whisper. "Her interruption just saved your life."
Alex smirked, adjusting his collar. "I appreciate the mercy."
Sylvia cleared her throat loudly, walking over to the nearest stone workbench and setting the wooden crate down with a heavy thud. She looked troubled, her attention shifting from the awkward situation to the manifest in her hand.
"The delivery records from the secured stores don't make sense," Sylvia said, tapping the clipboard against the crate. She pulled out a roll of shimmering metallic fabric. "I requested the frost-silver mesh we need for your heat-sink. But the amount delivered in this box is exactly half of what the records say was checked out."
Alex's amusement vanished, replaced by the sharp focus that had kept him alive since the Arc-Cannon.
"Half?" Alex asked, stepping toward the workbench.
"Exactly half," Sylvia confirmed, her brow furrowing. "The ledger says Director Maelor Vane signed out the entire bulk roll for barrier repairs. But this is all that was left in the vault."