The lecture ended with a low hum as the holographic display flickered off. Students shuffled out of their seats, some meeting colleagues and catching up from summer, while others just seemed eager to move on with their day.

  Daniel and Mark left the lecture room.

  Mark grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, his mind still turning over the professor’s reaction. There was something off about it.

  "Oi, blockhead."

  Daniel bumped his shoulder as they exited the hall, his usual smirk in place. "What are you thinking about this time?"

  Mark exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "It’s just... that whole thing about ether and mana. Didn’t it seem like the professor was holding something back?"

  Daniel gave him a flat look, then dramatically stretched his arms over his head. "You’re overthinking it."

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  Mark rolled his eyes. "Maybe. But I’m not sure."

  Daniel grinned. "You’ll figure it out like you always do—just don’t get too obsessed."

  Mark sighed, but before he could press the thought further, Daniel suddenly pivoted in front of him, walking backward with a glint in his eyes.

  "And I have the perfect remedy for that. Wanna go spar?"

  Mark blinked. The shift in topic wasn’t surprising—Daniel wasn’t exactly the type to sit around and theorize about the universe—but the offer still caught him off guard.

  He hesitated.

  Growing up, sparring—especially ability sparring—had been off-limits for him. His parents had made sure of that. Too dangerous. Too unstable. Too easy to lose control. He had gone through childhood watching others hone their abilities in training grounds while he was forced to sit on the sidelines.

  But last year, that changed.

  The first time he set foot on the Ability Sparring Grounds, something clicked. It was like a switch flipped inside him, a part of himself that had been locked away finally given room to breathe. The fear of losing control was still there, lingering at the edges—but so was the thrill.

  He loved it.

  Mark exhaled, then smirked. "You’ll see how much I’ve improved this summer. Don’t cry when you can’t keep up."

  Daniel scoffed. "You wish. Let’s go."

  And with that, they made their way toward the sparring grounds.