"Dude, what is wrong with you?" Rey called out, his voice laced with concern and mild annoyance.

But Jett didn't respond right away.

Instead, he flinched hard, clutching the side of his head as a sudden, sharp pulse of pain knifed through his temple.

"Why does my head hurt all of a sudden…?" he muttered, barely audible.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and started walking away, his pace fast but unsteady, almost frantic.

"Where are you going now?" Rey asked, raising a brow.

"Bathroom," Jett answered flatly while waving goodbye, not even turning around.

"…You didn't have to sound so offended," Rey muttered under his breath, frowning while the rest of the group exchanged looks.

Something was off. Jett's usually composed demeanor was replaced by a strange, almost disoriented walk. His steps were all over the place like someone barely holding it together. Like a drunk forcing himself to stay upright.

*****

The bathroom door clicked shut behind him.

Jett leaned over the sink, gripping the edges tightly as he splashed cold water onto his face. Droplets clung to his jawline, but they didn't ease the pounding in his skull.

"Is this… some kind of status ailment?" he muttered, panting softly. "I'm not supposed to get sick though. My skills don't allow it. And even if something did get through, it shouldn't last this long…"

He looked up, catching his own reflection in the mirror. His eyes seemed duller, tired. He knew something wasn't right within him.

His gaze dropped to the sword, resting in its sheath near his side.

'This all started… after I heard that voice. Could it be…?' He frowned. 'No. I'm overthinking this.'

Still, the unease in his chest only deepened.

With a tired sigh, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes. 'You got any idea what's going on here?' he asked inwardly.

The red translucent screen appeared before his eyes.

[[ You seem to be deficient of Aura at the moment due to an explosive utilization not too long ago. ]]

Jett blinked.

"Aura?" he echoed. "I didn't use any Aura… not even when I supposedly cut that sword. And even if I did, how the hell did I use it all?"

He stared at the screen, frowning hard. The memories were fuzzy, blurry, even. He remembered the slash… the power… the strange voice echoing in his head…

And then everything after that felt like a haze.

[[Well, something used up all your Aura. You're only standing now because you also have Mana and Lumix to support you.]]

Jett blinked at the screen, feeling a cold chill crawl down his spine.

"That's… terrifying," he muttered. "I still don't know what came over me."

He paused, then narrowed his eyes slightly. "You didn't hear the voice back there?"

[[I heard nothing.]]

Jett leaned against the wall and exhaled slowly, his breath still shaky.

"Never mind then," he muttered. "It's probably just a bug in the system or something…"

The screen flickered. But no new words appeared. Just three dots.

[[…]]

Jett raised a brow, frowning. "What?"

The dots remained for a few seconds.

[[…You're hopeless.]]

Jett's eye twitched. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" he snapped. "How am I…"

The door creaked open and a student entered. Jett froze like a statue, mid-rant, his mouth still open in an awkward half-word while the student just stood there.

Both of them stared at each other in complete silence.

One confused as he couldn't see anyone else in there with him. The other caught mid-conversation talking to himself.

"…I'll… come back later," the student said, slowly backing out.

The door closed with a soft click. Jett blinked once. Twice. Then sighed, dragging a hand down his face.

"Great. Just great. He's going to think I'm crazy now."

*****

"Well, that was embarrassing," Jett muttered, walking briskly down the hallway toward his next lecture, trying to forget the awkward encounter.

He cleared his throat. "So, Red, where were we? I can call you Red, right?"

[[It doesn't matter.]]

"You don't really have a name, and calling you 'Hey, Screen' feels weird."

[[I was created to aid the successor of the Throne of Destiny. Trivial things like names do not concern me.]]

Jett rolled his eyes. 'I'm pretty sure if I called you something stupid, you'd throw a fit.'

[[I can hear your thoughts, you malformed fruitcake.]]

"…Mal… what?" Jett blinked. "What does that even mean?! Who even uses fruitcake as an insult?!"

[[I do. Because you are one.]]

Jett sighed heavily, dragging his feet a little. "Instead of throwing shade, how about you use that brain, or chip, or whatever it is that helps you think to figure out what happened to me back there?"

[[Thank you stars that I can't take you out myself.]]

Jett smirked. "Now we're bonding."

*****

The classroom was already in motion when Jett arrived, the low murmur of the instructor's lecture filling the space. Not wanting to draw more attention than necessary, he quietly slipped in through the side door and scanned the room.

'Empty seat… empty seat… there.'

He spotted Rey and Finn seated toward the back and casually tiptoed his way to them, slipping into the seat beside Rey.

Rey gave him a glance out of the corner of his eye. "You're late."

"Trust me," Jett muttered under his breath, brushing a hand through his slightly damp hair. "You do not want to know what I had going on."

"Good thing no one asked," Finn said flatly, not even turning to look at him as he waved him off like a mosquito. "Now shut up before you get us in trouble again."

Jett exhaled heavily, sinking into his chair. "I haven't even done anything…"

Before he could sulk any further, the teacher's voice cut through the room like a knife.

"Well, nice of you to join us, Jett," the instructor said, not even bothering to hide his disdain.

Jett offered an awkward smile. 'Wouldn't miss it for the world."

The teacher just shook his head and continued. "As I was saying before being rudely interrupted, you'll be able to go home for your midterms next week."

That got the class's attention. Eyes widened. Conversations sparked in hushed tones.

"Ahem. It lasts for a month," the instructor clarified. "Then you'll return. Preparations for the academy festival will begin immediately after. And before you ask, I'm not telling you who's handling the planning. You'll find out soon enough."

"You hear that?" Aiden leaned over, elbowing Elora repeatedly like an overexcited kid. "We're finally going home."

"Shut up and listen," Elora growled, smashing her elbow into his ribs hard enough to make him gasp.

Meanwhile, Jett leaned forward and tapped Cedric's shoulder.

"Hey."

Cedric didn't even flinch.

Jett tried again, whispering this time. "Hey. Don't tell me you're still mad about the sword thing."

Nothing. Not a glance. Not a sound. Cedric sat straight, eyes locked on the instructor as if Jett didn't exist.

Jett leaned back with a raised brow, clearly unimpressed.

Matthew, seated beside Cedric, noticed the exchange. "You really gonna ignore him like that?"

"It's not ignoring," Cedric replied in a low, focused voice. "It's called being wary."

"Still pissed off about the sword?" Matthew asked, tilting his head curiously.

Cedric's lips curled slightly, not in a smile, but something closer to discomfort. "No. Of course not. But did you not notice?"

Matthew blinked. "Notice what?"

"That sword," Cedric muttered, his voice just barely above a whisper. He had an unsettling smile written all over his face, "It wasn't even enchanted. It had no Aura. No special enhancement. Nothing. Yet it sliced through adamantium like paper."

Matthew visibly tensed. "You're… scaring me, man."

Cedric clenched his jaw. "I'm going to figure it out, and I'll forge a blade that won't lose to his. Not now, not at his peak. Just wait."

A few seats back, Jett leaned in toward Rey, still confused. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"Beats me," Rey muttered, arms folded. "But more importantly… we've got something we need to talk about."

Jett tilted his head. "Yeah? What's that?"

Rey's eyes narrowed slightly. "The Trials."