Walking to breakfast while trying not to accidentally incinerate the Academy was proving more challenging than expected. Leo-Raelian kept his hands firmly shoved in his pockets and made a conscious effort not to look at anything flammable.
Which, unfortunately, was most of the Academy.
"You're walking like you swallowed a live fish," Garrett muttered beside him, looking equally uncomfortable.
"I'm walking like someone whose magical energy might explode at any moment," Leo-Raelian replied through gritted teeth. "Because that's exactly what's happening."
Garrett winced as a nearby wall sconce flickered in response to his emotional state. "Right. We're both magical disasters waiting to happen. Got it."
Helena, somehow managing to look perfectly composed despite her friends' obvious distress, smiled diplomatically. "You're being overly dramatic. Magical growing pains are inconvenient, not life-threatening."
"Tell that to my breakfast," Leo-Raelian said darkly. "Yesterday I tried to warm some porridge and turned it into what could only be described as lava oatmeal."
"Lava oatmeal?"
"Hot enough to melt the spoon I was stirring it with."
They reached the dining hall, and Leo-Raelian immediately felt his stress levels spike. Dozens of students, hundreds of potentially flammable objects, and his magical control about as reliable as a drunk pixie with a wand.
*This is going to be a disaster.*
"Just... stay calm," Helena advised quietly. "Strong emotions make magical overflow worse."
"Stay calm," Leo-Raelian repeated. "While surrounded by people who might notice if I accidentally set the breakfast buffet on fire. Sure. Easy."
**[Victor's POV]**
Victor Blackstone was enjoying a perfectly civilized breakfast when he spotted Leo-Raelian and his pathetic friends entering the dining hall. The supposed Academy prodigies looked like they were walking to their own execution.
*How delightfully promising.*
He'd been planning to restore his dignity after the humiliating glitter incident, and Leo-Raelian's obvious distress suggested some kind of magical incompetence was involved.
Victor rose from his table with practiced elegance and intercepted their path to the breakfast line. This was too good an opportunity to waste.
"Good morning," he said with false pleasantness. "You all look rather... tense this morning. Having difficulties with your studies?"
Leo-Raelian's jaw tightened, and Victor noticed with satisfaction that several nearby serving dishes started steaming slightly.
*Excellent. Magical control problems. Even better than I hoped.*
"We're fine, Victor," the nervous one - Garrett - said quickly. "Just tired from training."
"Tired?" Victor let his smile sharpen. "Or perhaps struggling with magical techniques that are beyond your actual abilities?"
Leo-Raelian's hands clenched into fists, and the steaming from the serving dishes intensified. Victor felt a surge of vindictive pleasure.
"You know," Victor continued conversationally, "I've been thinking about your recent adventures with Academy security. Quite impressive for first-year students. Perhaps... too impressive?"
The implication hung in the air like a challenge. Victor watched Leo-Raelian's face flush with anger and the nearby breakfast platters begin to bubble ominously.
*Perfect. One more push and he'll have a magical meltdown in front of half the Academy.*
"What exactly are you suggesting, Victor?" Leo-Raelian asked, his voice dangerously quiet.
"I'm suggesting," Victor said with deliberate malice, "that perhaps your success wasn't entirely due to your own capabilities. Perhaps you had... external assistance... that Academy officials don't know about."
**[Leo-Raelian's POV]**
*He's accusing us of cheating. In front of everyone. While my magic is about to turn the entire breakfast service into a volcanic disaster.*
Leo-Raelian could feel his magical energy building in response to anger and humiliation. His fingertips were tingling with the familiar sensation of impending magical overflow, and he was pretty sure the scrambled eggs on the nearest serving tray were actually starting to smoke.
*Don't react. Don't give him what he wants. Don't prove his point by setting the dining hall on fire.*
"That's quite an accusation," Helena said coolly, stepping slightly forward. "Are you questioning Academy security's ability to evaluate student performance?"
Victor's confident expression flickered as he realized Helena had just trapped him in a political corner. Either he backed down, or he'd be insulting Academy authorities who could make his life very difficult.
"Of course not," Victor said stiffly. "I simply find it curious that some students advance so rapidly while others struggle with... basic magical control."
He gestured meaningfully at the now-definitely-smoking breakfast dishes surrounding Leo-Raelian.
*He noticed. Of course he noticed. Everyone's probably noticed by now.*
Leo-Raelian took a deep breath, fighting down both his temper and his magical energy. "Perhaps," he said with careful control, "we should all focus on our own development rather than questioning each other's progress."
It was diplomacy worthy of Helena herself, and Leo-Raelian was privately proud that he'd managed it without actually cooking anyone's breakfast a second time.
Victor looked like he wanted to continue the confrontation, but Helena's political maneuvering had effectively neutered his attack. He couldn't push further without looking petty or risking Academy disapproval.
"Of course," Victor said with cold dignity. "Though perhaps some students should be more... careful... about magical accidents in public spaces."
With that parting shot, he stalked away, leaving Leo-Raelian standing in a cloud of steam from various overheated breakfast items.
"Well," Garrett said after a moment, "that could have gone worse."
"How?" Leo-Raelian asked, carefully moving away from the serving line before he could accidentally cook anything else.
"You could have actually set him on fire instead of just thinking about it really hard."
Helena smiled. "Also, you handled the political aspects quite well. Victor expected you to lose your temper and prove his point about incompetent magical control."
"Instead, I just proved his point about incompetent magical control without losing my temper?"
"Baby steps," Helena said diplomatically.
Leo-Raelian looked around the dining hall, where several students were now staring curiously at the steam still rising from the breakfast buffet.
*Great. Nothing draws attention like accidentally cooking food that's already been cooked.*
"Come on," he said with resignation. "Let's find a table far away from anything that can overheat, explode, or otherwise demonstrate why my cultivation thinks everything is a potential fire hazard."
As they made their way to a relatively isolated corner of the dining hall, Leo-Raelian reflected on the encounter. Despite his magical control problems, they'd actually handled Victor's confrontation reasonably well. Helena's politics, his own diplomatic response, and even Garrett's supportive presence had worked together effectively.
*Maybe we're getting better at Academy social dynamics, even when my magic thinks breakfast is a combat situation.*
It was a small victory, but he'd take it.