The melted metal was still smoking on the floor.
That was the problem with dramatic moments.
They looked impressive for three seconds.
Then someone had to clean them up.
William stood in the center of the room holding what remained of the band, which was now less of a training tool and more of a bad decision.
The class stared.
Vale stared harder.
"…In my defense," William said, "you said do not force it. I felt very relaxed."
No one laughed.
Then Serena did.
That was enough to start the room again.
Vale held out her hand.
"Give it to me."
William placed the ruined metal in her palm.
She examined it once, then looked at him with the calm disappointment of someone reconsidering their career.
"Class dismissed early."
The room erupted in approval.
Daren pointed at William.
"I like him now."
"That feels temporary," William replied.
"It is."
Students filed out quickly, already whispering.
William caught phrases as they passed.
New one broke it.
Spatial type?
No, unstable output.
He's the late arrival.
He hated titles.
Vale spoke once the room had cleared.
"Come with me."
"Those words never lead anywhere fun."
"They do today."
"That is suspicious."
She was already walking.
So William followed.
---
The administrative wing was quieter than the rest of the school.
No students shouting in hallways.
No doors slamming.
No one attempting violence before lunch.
A peaceful atmosphere.
Which meant it was probably dangerous.
Vale led him through a pair of carved wooden doors into a circular office lined with shelves, maps, and objects William was certain should not be floating.
His aunt was already there.
So was Mara.
And seated behind a broad desk was a woman with silver-threaded black hair tied neatly behind her head.
She looked older than Vale.
Not weak.
Not soft.
Just composed in the way storms sometimes were before they arrived.
William's aunt glanced at him.
"You're late."
"I was detained by education."
Mara rubbed her temple.
The woman behind the desk smiled faintly.
"So this is him."
William frowned.
"This keeps happening."
She gestured toward the chair in front of her.
"Sit, William."
He sat.
"Am I in trouble?"
"Yes," Mara said.
"No," said the woman at the desk.
They both looked at each other.
William pointed.
"This feels like a management issue."
That earned an actual laugh from the woman.
Good sign.
Maybe.
"I am Headmistress Selene Arkwright," she said. "You may call me Headmistress."
"That was my first guess."
His aunt coughed to hide a laugh.
Mara looked offended by the existence of humor.
---
Selene folded her hands.
"You caused a minor systems failure in your first class."
"Minor sounds positive."
"It is not."
"Then I reject the label."
Vale stepped forward.
"The output was uncontrolled but not malicious."
William looked at her.
"Thank you for describing me like weather."
Selene's smile returned briefly.
"You are here because we need to discuss what happens next."
"That sentence never improves a day."
His aunt finally spoke.
"He can't return home."
William turned sharply.
"What?"
She held his gaze.
"The Hunters know where you lived. They know me. They know the street. Going back now would put everyone around that house at risk."
The humor left the room immediately.
William leaned back slowly.
"So that's it?"
"For now," she said.
"For how long?"
"I don't know."
That answer hurt more than a lie would have.
---
Selene spoke gently, but not softly.
"You have a place here. Food, housing, training, protection."
"Protection worked great so far."
Mara's eyes narrowed.
Selene ignored the comment.
"This school was built for students exactly like you."
"I still don't know what that means."
"That," said Vale, "is why we are meeting."
Selene rose and crossed to a tall board mounted on the wall. With one touch, symbols lit across its surface.
A diagram appeared.
Seven circles stacked in ascending order.
William stared.
"…Please tell me that isn't a religious chart."
"It is a ranking model," Selene said. "The Seven Circles of Arcane Development."
Kai would have called it dramatic.
William silently agreed.
---
Selene pointed to the lowest circle.
"First Circle – Ember. A spark of power. Minor sensing, weak output, unstable control."
Second.
"Second Circle – Current. Controlled energy flow. Basic combat utility. Reliable casting."
Third.
"Third Circle – Forge. Power can be shaped into forms, barriers, weapons, constructs."
Fourth.
"Fourth Circle – Crown. Domain influence begins. Users affect environments around them."
Fifth.
"Fifth Circle – Rift. Space, mind, advanced elemental authority."
Sixth.
"Sixth Circle – Sovereign. City-level threats, rare masters, national assets."
Seventh.
"Seventh Circle – Mythic. Recorded in history more often than in reality."
William blinked.
"…You people ranked magic like a game."
"It helps students survive," Vale said.
"It also helps administrators budget," Mara added.
That was the funniest thing she had said.
No one reacted.
Maybe she hadn't meant it.
---
Selene turned back to him.
"Most students here arrive between First and Second Circle."
She tapped another symbol.
"Talented students may reach Third before graduation."
"And me?" William asked.
Silence.
Always suspicious.
Selene answered carefully.
"You are not measurable by normal standards yet."
"That sounds fake polite."
"It is accurate," Vale said.
"Your power manifests without a stable channel," Mara added. "It reacts to pressure rather than command."
"So… bad?"
"So dangerous," Vale corrected.
"Which is worse."
"No," said Mara. "Danger can be trained."
That was probably meant to be encouraging.
It failed.
---
William looked toward his aunt.
"And my cousins?"
"They were assessed this morning."
That got his attention.
"What happened?"
"Relax," Mara said. "No fires."
"I wasn't worried about fires."
"You should have been."
Selene opened another display.
Two names appeared.
Kai Adeniran – First Circle / Wild Affinity
Jonah Adeniran – Second Circle / Veiled Nature
William stared.
"…Veiled Nature sounds evil."
"It sounds expensive," Mara said.
Vale explained.
"Kai possesses volatile affinity. Fast-learning, low discipline, emotionally reactive."
William nodded slowly.
"That is the most accurate sentence spoken today."
"And Jonah?" he asked.
Selene's expression changed slightly.
"Jonah has dormant concealment traits."
"That means?"
"He hides power naturally. Even from instruments."
William looked toward his aunt.
"You knew?"
"I suspected."
"That family really needs to start sharing information earlier."
No one argued.
---
He stood and walked to the window.
Students crossed the courtyard below.
Normal laughter.
Normal movement.
A normal scene built inside a world that wasn't normal at all.
"So what now?" he asked quietly.
Selene answered from behind him.
"You stay."
Vale added, "You train."
Mara added, "You follow rules."
His aunt said nothing.
That was the loudest part.
William turned.
"And you?"
She met his eyes.
"I handle what's outside these walls."
That meant danger.
That meant secrets.
That meant leaving.
He hated all three.
"How long?"
"I'll return when I can."
"That sounds like something people say before disappearing."
Her expression cracked for just a second.
Pain.
Regret.
Then it was gone.
"I'll return."
He wanted to believe her.
That was the problem.
He did.
---
Selene clapped once.
"Good. Crisis managed."
William frowned.
"That feels premature."
"Then let us worsen your day."
She handed him a folded paper.
He opened it.
Class One-A Combat Schedule
Arcane Theory
Runic Mathematics
Controlled Channeling
History of Catastrophes
He looked up slowly.
"History of what?"
Vale smiled for the first time.
"You'll need that one."
William stared at the page.
"I miss danger in the streets."
Mara opened the door.
"Excellent. Your next lesson starts in five minutes."
He looked at his aunt.
She was already standing to leave.
Of course she was.
"…This place is terrible."
Selene nodded thoughtfully.
"It grows on people."
William sighed.
"That sounds like mold."