The Anomaly's Path

Several days had passed since the ceremony where Elian had announced our tournament win and changed the rankings.

The initial chaos had died down, replaced by the harsh reality of school life. Today was supposed to be normal. I had planned to stay quiet, enjoy the day, and do nothing.

Instead, my brain decided to take the day off, and I completely forgot that today was the final deadline for submitting those damn elective forms.

Of course, Morgana had reminded us.

In fact, during our combat class this morning, she hit me harder than usual — because I walked into her class without the paperwork done. The only good thing was that Roan had made the same mistake.

So we both got dragged across the training hall until our uniforms were covered in dust and our pride was gone.

”Pick your electives wisely,” Morgana had snarled, slapping the sheets against my face. ”If you pick useless classes, you will end up on a useless team.”

To clear my head, heal my pride, and escape Roan’s loud complaints about his ribs, I went to the quietest place I could think of.

Which brought me here.

To the library, sitting at a long wooden table, staring at a piece of paper that felt heavier than a cursed object. And to make things worse, I was not alone.

Sigh.

I twirled the silver pen between my fingers, watching the light from the high windows catch on its shiny tip. Spin, catch, reverse. Spin, catch, reverse. After the fifth spin, the cap slipped from my grip, clattering loudly on the dark wood table.

Sigh.

I dropped the pen, slumped forward, and let my forehead hit the polished table.

”If your plan is to break the furniture with your head, Leo, please let me know. I will move my tea out of the way.” The voice was flat, and dry.

I rolled my head to the side, my cheek pressed flat against the wood, and blinked up.

Sitting across from me was Princess Cordelia. Her strawberry-blonde hair was pinned up neatly, and her green eyes were perfect and royal — except for the deep tiredness on her face.

Next to her sat Julia, her bright pink hair brushed neatly, holding a thick book on Advanced Mana Wave Mechanics like a shield. She looked nervous but focused, with a stack of neat notes in front of her.

”What are the stars of Class Audax doing in the library during lunch break?” I asked, my voice muffled by the wood.

”Drowning,” Cordelia replied flatly, rubbing her temples with irritation. ”Professor Eleanor is trying to kill us. I am sure ’Elf Math’ is just a fancy way to torture students. If I have to calculate mana arrays one more time, I will use my Sovereign Wind to throw the syllabus out the window.”

”It really does take a lot of pages to map out a single spell, Princess,” Julia added, letting out a soft sigh. ”But if we do not get the basics right, the mana flow gets messy. I have been redoing the fourth formula just to make sure we pass the next lab.”

”See? At least Julia is making progress,” I said, pushing myself up from the table. ”You think your class is hard? You should see what Morgana is doing to us in Class Ascendant. She does not use math. She just walks in, skips the lesson, and beats us until we cannot move.”

”Sounds like her,” Cordelia snorted, leaning back and taking a sip of her tea. ”I saw Roan dragging his feet through the yard earlier. He looked like a dead body.”

”He was,” I sighed, finally pulling the crisp paper toward me.

I stared at the lines. The rules said we had Mana Theory and Practical Combat Training as Mandatory classes. Beyond that, we had to pick at least three electives.

My eyes slowly tracked down the printed list:

— ELECTIVE SELECTION FORM —

Required Courses:

Mana Theory — Mandatory

Practical Combat Training — Mandatory

Elective Options:

History of the Gates

Runes and Arrays

Advanced Swordsmanship

Elemental Fusion

Monster Anatomy

Forbidden Zone Survival

Spirit Communication

Battlefield Command

Potion Crafting

Aether Theory

_

The list didn’t stop there.

It went on and on, filling page after page with tiny writing. There were over a hundred different electives, from specialized tracking to heavy academic theories.

What the hell should I pick here? I asked myself, rubbing my neck as I read a few more titles. Monster Anatomy... Beast Logistics... Every single one looks like a trap designed to steal my sleep.

I stopped, my eyes stopping on Runes and Arrays. It was a high-level class taught by Professor Zane, an old scholar known for failing half his students in the first two weeks. I tilted my head, looking at Cordelia.

”Hey,” I said, tapping my pen on the desk. ”What do you think about this Runes class? Is it worth the trouble?”

Cordelia tilted her head, her green eyes scanning my paper.

”Professor Zane is very strict. He does not accept mistakes. Most students fail his class within the first two weeks because they lack the patience and mental control for proper rune inscription. But if you can keep up with him, you learn how barriers and high-level spell formations are built. Why? Are you thinking of taking it?”

”Hmm,” I said, tapping my chin.

I need something that trains the mind too. This class isn’t just about drawing lines — it’s about precision, focus, and understanding how magic is structured at its core. Most people fail because they treat it like memorization, but it’s more than that.

It’s about understanding how mana flows and how to bend it without breaking it. That kind of control would help me with my other affinities. And honestly? If I can learn to build arrays, I can learn to break them too.

”You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” Cordelia asked, her eyes narrowing.

”Yeah, maybe,” I said, ticking the box. ”Learning arrays could help me deal with traps and barriers. And it trains the mind, which I need.”

For the second slot, I picked Elemental Control and Theory.

I needed better control over my affinities, and this class was both theory and practical — learning how to balance unstable elements, refine my affinities, and use them without destroying myself. It seemed like the perfect choice.

For the last slot, I picked History of the Gates.

It covered maps, geography, and the origins of the Gates — where they came from, what they connected to, and the dead worlds beyond them. It would also teach me about the places and names across Aetheris.

Honestly, it sounded like an easy class where I could sit in the back, look at old maps, and sleep.

”Finally...,” I sighed, tossing the completed paper toward the center of the table with relief.

”What are you two taking?” I asked, leaning back.

”Advanced Swordsmanship, Battlefield Command, and Tactical Vanguard Dynamics,” Cordelia answered at once, sitting up straight. ”I am focusing on the knight path.”

I raised an eyebrow. Advanced Swordsmanship and Command? It was the same from the game. Even though she was a royal princess who could stay safe, her stubborn wish to fight on the front lines next to her brother had not changed.

”A princess who wants to be a frontline knight,” I said, a small smile on my lips. ”You really do not make life easy for your guards, do you?”

”My brother gets to lead from the front, so why should not I?” Cordelia shot back, her eyes flashing with pride. ”I am not going to be a decoration in the capital while everyone else fights.”

”Understood,” I nodded, respecting her drive. Then I looked at the pink-haired girl next to her. ”What about you, Julia?”

”I am taking Spatial Theory, Monster Anatomy, and Scouting and Tracking,” Julia said, her tone serious as she fixed her notes. ”Since my Spatial Pressure lets me sense disturbances in space, I want to improve my tracking skills. That way, I can give better scouting and early warnings for you during missions.”

”Good choices,” I said, leaning forward. ”Actually, speaking of missions, there is something we need to talk about. You know who was on my team during the tournament?”

Julia nodded, her eyes focused. ”Miss Malva?”

”Yeah, Malva,” I said. ”She is under me now. She will be around a lot. Make sure you get along with her, alright?”

Julia nodded. ”Understood.”

Before I could reply, I felt a sharp glare on the side of my face. I turned my head slowly. Cordelia was staring at me with a mix of amusement and judgment. Her green eyes were narrowed, and her lips curved into a sharp scowl.

”What?” I asked, confused. ”Why are you looking at me like that?”

”You really are something, are not you, Leo?” Cordelia said, her voice dripping with fake disdain as she crossed her arms. ”Look at you. Just collecting women left and right. First Amelia, then Julia, and now you have officially hired this mysterious Malva. What are you trying to do? Build a harem at the school?”

I almost choked. ”A what?! What do you think I am, a romance novel character?!”

”I am just stating what I see,” Cordelia said smoothly, raising an eyebrow. ”The evidence is against you.”

”I am not running a harem!” I hissed.

”Hmm,” Cordelia hummed, clearly not convinced, though a small, amused smile played on her lips. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. ”Alright, let us test this ’professional’ boss-employee thing. If you are so focused on your team... what do you actually know about them? What do you know about Julia here?”

”What do I know about her?” I scoffed, leaning back with confidence. ”Please. I hold her contract. Of course I know about her.”

”Oh? Tell us,” Cordelia challenged, gesturing at Julia.

”Well, um...” I started, confident, but as I opened my mouth, a horrible realization hit me. I blinked. I stared at Julia. Julia stared back, her amber eyes wide with quiet expectation.

Wait.

What do I actually know about her?

”Her name is... Julia Moss,” I began slowly, my confidence draining fast. ”And... she has pink hair. Very pink. Her power is Spatial Pressure. She likes... books? Because she is in a library.”

Julia’s face slowly dropped from focused attention to calm, sad disappointment. ”Lord Leo... is that really all?”

”No, wait! Hold on!” I stammered, panic setting in as Cordelia’s smirk grew into a victorious grin. ”I know things! It is just... details!”

Damn it, I realized, I barely know anything about Malva either. I know a bit about Lyra... Oh god, do I actually know nothing about my own people?

”Brilliant,” Cordelia clapped her hands slowly, letting out a delighted laugh at my breakdown. ”A true master of leadership. You treat your employees like nameless tools.”

”Shut up!” I said, ”I have just been distracted by Morgana classes.”

Before I could dig my grave any deeper, the heavy doors of the library’s floor burst open, slamming against the walls with a loud crash.

”LEO!!!”

The loud shout shattered the mood instantly. I jumped, turning my head toward the entrance.

Roan came running through the rows of bookshelves like a wild animal. His hair was a mess, his uniform jacket was half-open, and his eyes were wide with crazy excitement.

”Huh? What the hell is—”

Before I could finish, Roan lunged forward, grabbed me by the collar, and lifted me out of my chair with his crazy strength.

”No time to talk, you bastard! You need to come with me right now!” Roan yelled, dragging me across the stone floor toward the exit with a wild laugh.

”Hey! Let go of me! What the hell happened?!” I hissed, trying to plant my feet as Cordelia stared in shock and Julia gasped.

”Arthur!” Roan barked, his grin widening as he hauled me into the hall. ”Arthur went crazy! He just walked to the arena and issued a Challenge! He is fighting a second-year right now!”

My mind stopped. Arthur? The hero? Didn’t the challenges just open today?

”Son of a bitch,” I cursed, my resistance shifting as I stopped fighting and started running beside him.