Final examinations at the Royal Academy came twice a year—practical monster culls counted for most of the score, but the written portion was mandatory.
For the Monster Extermination Unit, it was a nightmare of theory: Aura circulation diagrams, Ether ward formulas, monster anatomy charts, tactical formations, and endless questions about the twelve kingdoms' trade routes.
The hall was vast, rows of desks under watchful instructor eyes.
Ink pots clinked.
Quills scratched.
Most cadets sweated over parchment.
Jade and Kael sat side by side in the back.
Jade stared at her blank sheet as if it had insulted her mother.
"Which one's the stupid river kingdom again? Riven? Quorin? Why do they all sound the same?"
She poked Kael.
"You remember anything from Liran's lecture?"
Kael stared at his own paper.
Most questions blurred.
Diagrams meaningless.
Words too long.
Except one.
Question 14: Name the primary export of the kingdom of Maki and explain its importance to Silpatra's military readiness.
Kael's quill moved.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Maki. Meat.
He wrote it twice.
Underlined meat.
Then stopped.
That was all he remembered.
All he needed.
Jade groaned.
"This is worse than fighting wyrmlings blindfolded."
She flipped her quill, muttering the old frontier rhyme she used for every impossible choice.
"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, Catch a tiger by the toe, If he hollers, cut him open, Eeny, meeny, miny, moe."
She pointed the quill at random answers.
Still wrong.
She tried again.
Still garbage.
Across the aisle sat a small, bespectacled boy—Dill Arlen, second-year transfer, Ether theory prodigy, no Aura strength to speak of.
Thin shoulders.
Nervous eyes.
Always alone.
Bullied relentlessly by the combat cadets for being "book muscle only."
Dill's quill flew—answers neat, complete, strategic.
Jade noticed.
Leaned over.
"Psst. Nerd."
Dill flinched, expecting mockery.
Jade grinned.
"Help us out and we'll make the bullies regret it. Deal?"
Dill glanced at the proctors—distracted at the front.
Then at Kael, who was still writing "meat" in the margin.
Dill's eyes widened in recognition.
The Meat Prince.
And the wild girl who hunted with him.
He swallowed.
Slid his completed answer sheet halfway across the gap.
Jade's grin widened.
She copied furiously.
Kael watched.
Copied the Maki question word for word.
Added his own note: more meat.
When the bell rang, all three handed in papers that—miraculously—passed.
Barely.
Later, in the shaded courtyard, Jade slapped Dill on the back hard enough to stagger him.
"You're officially ours now, smart guy."
Dill adjusted cracked spectacles.
"I… I've never had friends."
Kael looked at him.
Sized him up.
No threat.
Useful.
Like Mira.
Like Jade.
Dill became the third.
That afternoon, under a sprawling oak, Dill began teaching.
He had watched Kael's fights from afar—analyzed patterns, force vectors, recovery times.
"You're strong," Dill said nervously, "but uncontrolled. You waste energy. If you learn to focus—like holding breath before a strike—you can be twice as strong without tiring."
Kael tilted his head.
"How?"
Dill hesitated.
"Practice. Small steps. Control the explosion."
Kael frowned.
Hard.
Dill glanced at the bulging satchel Mira had packed—strips of dried Maki beef.
"I… I could teach you. Daily. If…"
He trailed off.
Kael understood.
Pulled out a strip.
Offered it.
"Bribe?"
Dill's eyes lit.
"Yes! I mean—yes, Your Highness."
Kael nodded.
Agreement sealed in meat.
Jade laughed.
"Welcome to the crew, Dill. You think, we smash."
Days turned to weeks.
Dill's lessons were simple.
Breathe in.
Hold.
Strike a marked tree—only half power.
Kael struggled.
First strikes shattered trunks.
Dill winced.
"Less."
Kael tried.
Still too much.
Dill offered diagrams—force lines, leverage points.
Kael stared.
Understood none.
But when Dill held up meat as reward—Kael focused.
Slowly.
Control grew.
Strength sharpened.
Not wasted.
Dill ate well.
Gained confidence.
Bullies left him alone—word spread: the smart kid belonged to the Meat Prince now.
One evening, after a session where Kael finally cracked only one board instead of the whole stack, he sat with Dill and Jade.
Mira brought dinner—extra Maki cuts.
Kael ate thoughtfully.
Then looked at Mira.
For the first time, he asked—words careful, full sentence.
"Mis Mira… permission… go to Maki?"
Mira paused, plate in hand.
"Maki? The kingdom?"
Kael nodded.
"Meat. More. Better."
Jade whooped.
"Road trip! I'm in!"
Dill adjusted glasses.
"Strategically… dangerous. But fascinating. The ranches are legendary."
Mira smiled softly.
"It's not my permission to give, Your Highness. But… I will speak to Princess Elira. And pack extra supplies if it happens."
Kael looked at her.
Then at his friends.
For the first time, the world beyond the academy walls felt close.
Meat waited.
And friends waited with him.
Far below, Thalion noted the new attachment.
Three companions now. Emotional anchors deepening. The key gathers tools.
He smiled in the dark.
Perfect.