Chapter 17 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
AERIS
“Ow Rhea, gently..gently! I need those limbs!” I hissed through clenched teeth as another bolt of pain shot up my arm.
Rhea ignored me.
Of course she did.
She dug her thumbs into the tight knot in my shoulder with the merciless precision of a battle-hardened healer… or a vengeful goddess.
“Stop whining,” she said, her voice annoyingly calm. “Your muscles are locked up like stone. If I don’t loosen them, you won’t be able to lift a spoon tomorrow, let alone a blade.”
“I’m not whining,” I gritted out as another sharp press made me jolt. “I’m… expressing discomfort.”
“You’re expressing dramatic suffering,” she corrected, pushing her knuckles deeper into the muscle. “There, see? It’s loosening.”
“What’s loosening is my soul from my body,” I wheezed.
“Good. Less weight to carry.”
I groaned and let my forehead drop onto the pillow in front of me. The dorm room was dim except for the enchanted orb hovering by the window, casting a soft lavender glow across the beds. Outside, evening wind rattled the crystals strung along the balcony railing.
Inside, it sounded like someone was being murdered.
That someone was me.
Rhea moved behind me, working on my shoulder, then my upper back. “Aeris, what did he even make you do? You look like you fought a mountain and lost.”
“I did lose,” I muttered. “Repeatedly. To a wooden dummy.”
Rhea snorted. “Captain Neris does not believe in moderation.”
“Captain Neris doesn’t believe in mercy,” I corrected.
She hummed thoughtfully. “Is he really that strict?”
“Strict? STRICT?” I lifted my head just long enough to glare at her, wincing when a sharp tug ran down my spine. “He made me repeat the same swing over and over until my arms felt like wet dough. And then—get this—he said I have no stamina, no balance, no discipline—”
“Well…”
“Rhea,” I warned, narrowing my eyes.
She raised both hands in surrender, but her smile was way too amused. “I’m just saying… he’s extremely perceptive, and you’re lucky.”
“Lucky?” I flopped back onto the bed, exhausted.
“Yes… lucky. Honestly, I’d do anything to train under him. And have you seen him? Silver hair, blue eyes…ugh. How do you even sign up to be his personal trainee?”
I rolled my eyes. “Uhm… maybe have an unstable magic power?”
She laughed, full and easy. Somehow, I hadn’t thought I’d ever hear laughter about my magic instability but with Rhea, it felt effortless.
Rhea hit another spot that made me yelp. “You’ll get stronger,” she said, gentler now. “You really will. And he wouldn’t bother training you if he didn’t think you could handle it.”
“…maybe,” I whispered.
“You will,” she insisted. “Trust me.”
A knock interrupted us. No one ever came to our room.
Rhea paused, hands hovering over my back. “Who…?”
Before I could answer, she stood and crossed the room. The knock came again…impatient this time.
Rhea opened the door.
“Oh,” she breathed, her eyes widening the slightest bit.
Kaelia stepped inside as though she’d been invited.
My breath caught.
We hadn’t spoken properly once since arriving at the Academy. I’d only seen her from a distance. Always immaculate. Always radiant. Always the picture of what a Thalorian heir should be.
So what was she doing here?
“Twin sister,” Kaelia purred, her voice sweet as spun sugar, tilting her head just enough to let her silvery hair slip over her shoulder.
A greeting that could mean anything. A warning. A performance. Or maybe… something else entirely.
Her sharp grey eyes narrowed slightly, scanning me with that familiar mix of amusement and subtle judgment. “Less than a week at the Academy,” she said, the faintest lilt of teasing in her tone, “and you’re already looking like a wreck. Honestly, Aeris, I expected better from my twin.”
I blinked. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out immediately. I had expected her to pass by, ignore me, or perhaps—if she felt particularly generous—give me a polite nod. But this… this felt deliberate. Calculated.
She stepped closer. “I’ve already been chosen for a mission,” she continued, her voice calm but edged with a sort of pride that made my stomach twist. “Alongside the highest-ranked second years. I’ll be guarding Virelia’s borders.” She let the words hang, letting the weight of them press against me like an accusation. “And here you are…” She gestured vaguely at my messy hair, flushed cheeks, and sore arms, “still struggling with drills. After all, your squad… the Storm Owls… is the least ranked,I don't expect much”
I flushed, instinctively straightening despite my fatigue. My fists clenched at my side.
“Maybe,” I said carefully, forcing my voice to steady over the tremor in my chest, “But your squad is much better at showing off than actually working hard”
Kaelia tilted her head, lips curving into a sly smile. “Is that supposed to sting, Aeris?” she asked, voice silky, dangerous. “Because… I have to admit, you almost make it sound like you think you could keep up. Almost. I know you will… eventually. But for now, enjoy being little Aeris. The one who’s still learning to swing a sword without nearly breaking her wrists.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And you,” I shot back, “aren’t infallible just because you were chosen for some mission. Everyone has to start somewhere.”
Kaelia’s smile widened. “True,” she said lightly, almost breezily. “But some of us were… ready before the Academy even opened its doors. You’ll catch up, I’m sure. Eventually. Don’t let the small stuff get to you. But for now…” Her gaze flicked to my aching muscles, the sweat on my forehead, the exhaustion in my posture. “…It’s painfully obvious how far behind you are.”
I huffed, trying to suppress a groan, part frustration, part embarrassment. “Well, I’d rather be behind than flaunting my rank and looking down on everyone else.”
Kaelia tilted her head, the faintest trace of a smirk in her eyes. “Fair enough,” she said softly. But don’t think this means I won’t be watching. Keep up, Aeris. Or don’t. I’ll know either way.”
And with that, she turned, gliding toward the door with the same poised, untouchable air she always carried.
Rhea let out a low whistle, shaking her head slightly as the door clicked shut behind Kaelia. “Okay,” she said, half-laughing, half-exasperated. “I actually did my very best not to interrupt… I almost said something, but…” She waved a hand vaguely, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “…I’m sorry. Is your sister always that… bitchy?”
I froze, gripping the edge of the bed so hard my knuckles turned white. My cheeks burned, half from embarrassment and half from frustration. “She… she’s Kaelia,” I muttered, voice tight. “She’s always like that. Always perfect. Always… untouchable. I—” I shook my head, letting out a shaky breath. “I don’t even know why she’s here.”
Rhea perched on the edge of the bed, leaning forward. “To show you up?” she asked bluntly. “Yeah, I can see that. Next time? I won’t let her work over you like that. Not Kaelia, not anyone. You are my friend now. I won't let other squads or their perfect little prodigies intimidate you. I don't care if it is your sister or not”
I blinked, caught between gratitude and embarrassment. “Rhea… it’s not—”
“Not that you can’t handle yourself,” she interrupted quickly, her expression softening. “You’re tougher than she gives you credit for. The only thing that matters is you don’t let her or anyone make you doubt yourself.”
I let out a shaky laugh, feeling some of the weight lift from my chest. “I… I’ll try. I really will.”
Rhea’s lips quirked into a proud, almost fierce smile. “Good. Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure you get double drills until you learn to hold your ground. And you know I mean it.”
Before I could reply, she leaned down suddenly, eyes flashing with mischievous menace. “And Aeris?”
I froze.
“You let Kaelia think she can intimidate you again, and I swear—”
WHAP!
Her hand connected with the back of my shoulder in a light but firm smack. I yelped, stumbling forward onto the bed with a startled squeak.
Rhea straightened, hands on her hips, glaring at me like a storm about to break. “Try me. Next time, you don’t flinch.”
I pressed my hands to my chest, wide-eyed, panting lightly. “Y-yes… I’ll… I’ll remember.”
Rhea’s lips quirked again, just barely, and she shook her head. “Good. Now rest. Tomorrow, we start early and I don’t want excuses.”