When William opened his eyes, the ceiling was unfamiliar.
That was becoming a pattern he disliked.
White stone.
Silver lines running through it like veins.
A chandelier floating three inches too high for comfort.
And somewhere nearby, something beeped in a rhythm that sounded expensive.
He stared upward for several seconds.
"…If this is death," he said hoarsely, "the decoration choices are strange."
A voice answered immediately.
"You are not dead."
William turned his head.
Mara sat in a chair beside the bed, arms crossed, posture perfect, expression built entirely from disapproval.
He sighed.
"Then I'm disappointed."
"You collapsed for six minutes."
"That sounds dramatic."
"It was medically inconvenient."
He blinked slowly.
"Where am I?"
"Infirmary."
"Of course."
He tried to sit up.
Pain shot through his ribs, shoulder, and pride.
He dropped back onto the pillow.
"…Right. Body still involved."
The infirmary was larger than expected.
Several beds lined the walls, separated by curtains embroidered with runes. Shelves held glowing bottles, folded bandages, and instruments that looked either healing-related or illegal.
A healer in green robes walked past carrying a tray of floating needles.
William chose not to ask.
Mara watched him carefully.
"How do you feel?"
"Like I was folded incorrectly."
"Specific."
"Honest."
She stood and moved closer.
"Your pulse destabilized."
"My pulse and I are going through something."
"The ring failed."
"I noticed the dramatic explosion."
"It was designed to suppress overflow."
"That sounds safe."
"It was."
William frowned.
"Was?"
Mara did not answer.
Never a good sign.
The door burst open.
Kai entered first.
Naturally.
"You're alive!"
"Unfortunately."
Kai pointed accusingly.
"You collapsed beautifully. Very theatrical."
Behind him came Jonah, calmer but visibly relieved.
Then Rowan carrying fruit he had almost certainly not paid for.
"You missed lunch," Rowan said.
"That's the first cruel thing said to me today."
Jonah stood near the bed.
"You scared them."
William looked at Mara.
"She hides it well."
Kai gasped.
"He meant us."
"Oh."
That was less fun.
William glanced at Jonah.
"…Sorry."
Jonah shrugged.
"Don't repeat it."
Which, from Jonah, was practically emotional vulnerability.
Kai dropped into a chair backward.
"Bro, when the floor cracked, people screamed."
"They were overreacting."
"The stone turned old."
William paused.
"…What?"
Rowan nodded while eating an apple.
"It wrinkled."
"Stone doesn't wrinkle."
"It did."
Mara finally spoke.
"Localized temporal decay."
William looked at her.
"Those are dangerous words."
"They are accurate words."
"I preferred ignorance."
"No, you didn't."
She was annoyingly correct.
Kai leaned in.
"And then your hand lit up."
"It did not light up."
"It absolutely did."
"It shimmered."
"That's light with ego."
Jonah almost smiled.
William noticed.
"Don't encourage him."
"I'm not."
"You looked amused."
"I blinked."
"Liar."
Kai laughed so hard he nearly fell again.
The door opened once more.
This time the room changed instantly.
Vale entered first.
Selene behind her.
Even Mara stood straighter.
William considered pretending to be unconscious again.
Too late.
Selene approached the bedside calmly.
"You look better."
"I respect your low standards."
She smiled faintly.
"That helps."
Vale held up the broken remains of the ring in a cloth pouch.
"You owe the academy money."
William stared.
"I'm bedridden and being billed?"
"No," Vale said. "I wanted to upset you."
"That worked."
Kai whispered loudly:
"I like her more each chapter."
Selene dismissed everyone else with a glance.
Even Kai obeyed after three attempts to remain.
Soon only Selene, Vale, Mara, and William remained.
That felt terrible immediately.
Selene pulled a chair beside the bed.
"We need clarity."
"I need soup."
"You may have both later."
She folded her hands.
"What did you see when the ring broke?"
William's humor faded slightly.
He looked at the blanket.
"…I don't know."
"Try."
He hesitated.
"Buildings."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"Who?"
"A man."
"What man?"
William looked up slowly.
"Someone who knew me."
The room went still.
Vale exchanged a glance with Mara.
Selene's face revealed nothing.
Which somehow revealed too much.
William noticed instantly.
"…You know something."
Selene answered carefully.
"We know possibilities."
"That is a fake sentence."
"It is a cautious one."
"I hate cautious people."
"Yes," Mara said. "We know."
William forced himself upright despite the pain.
"No more half answers."
Vale stepped forward.
"You are in no state—"
"I'm in exactly the state where people stop lying to me."
Silence.
Then Selene nodded once.
Fair.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
"Very well," she said.
She rose and walked to the window.
"Long before this academy existed, there were individuals whose abilities did not follow the known schools of magic."
William listened carefully now.
No jokes left.
"They did not wield fire, storm, shadow, or mind. They altered systems beneath reality itself."
He swallowed.
"…That sounds bad."
"It often was."
Vale spoke quietly.
"They were called Fractured."
The word landed heavily.
William repeated it.
"Fractured."
Selene turned back.
"Rare. Unstable. Historically catastrophic."
"Great."
"You may be one."
"Fantastic."
He leaned back slowly.
"No."
Selene said nothing.
"No," William repeated. "Try again."
Mara crossed her arms.
"Denial is common."
"I'm not denying. I'm rejecting."
Vale almost smiled.
Selene continued.
"Your ability interferes with sequence, momentum, age, and probability in brief localized ways."
William blinked.
"That sentence should be illegal."
"It is incomplete."
"Worse."
He looked at his hand.
Normal skin.
No glow.
No answers.
"So what now?"
Vale answered first.
"Containment."
William looked offended.
"Rude."
"Training," she corrected.
"Better word."
Mara added:
"Observation."
"Worse word again."
Selene finally said:
"Choice."
That made him pause.
"…Choice?"
"You can cooperate and learn control."
"And if I don't?"
Selene held his gaze.
"Then others will decide for you."
The room went cold.
No theatrics.
No raised voice.
Just truth.
William hated truth when it arrived like that.
There was a knock.
A healer entered carrying a tray.
Soup.
Blessed timing.
William pointed immediately.
"I choose that."
The healer blinked.
Selene stood.
"We will continue tomorrow."
Vale placed the pouch with the broken ring on the bedside table.
"A reminder."
Mara headed for the door.
"Rest."
Kai's voice immediately sounded from outside:
"Can we come back now?"
"No," three people answered at once.
William watched them leave.
Then looked at the soup.
Then at the broken ring.
Then at his hand.
"…Fractured," he muttered.
He took one spoonful.
Paused.
"…This soup is terrible."
From outside the door, Kai shouted:
"See? He's fully recovered!"