Jett leaned in a bit, whispering, "The Trials? Where did that come from all of a sudden?"

"I'll tell you when we're done here," Rey muttered without looking at him, eyes locked onto the instructor.

Jett leaned back in his chair, trying to pay attention to the lecture, but Rey's words echoed in his head like a ticking clock.

What could he mean by that? What's up with the Trials? Am I missing something?

He kept darting glances toward Rey, hoping to catch some clue in his expression, is but Rey was stone-faced and focused, as if nothing had happened.

'What's with the sudden secrecy?'

Jett rested his chin in his hand, bouncing his knee restlessly under the desk. No matter how hard he tried to focus, the itch of curiosity refused to leave him alone.

*****

Finally, class ended. The instructor dismissed the students with a wave of his hand, and the room began to empty quickly with the usual clatter of chairs and footsteps.

But two figures remained seated, Rey and Jett.

"So," Jett said as he rose and folded his arms. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Rey stayed seated for a bit, then slowly stood, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Don't you find anything about the Trials suspicious? Or weird?"

Jett raised an eyebrow but didn't speak. Rey continued.

"Up until recently, they were completely random. No pattern, no structure. I still don't know what the Trials are truly meant to test… but one thing I'm sure of..."

He took a step forward until they were face to face, his voice low but intense.

"You need to be especially careful. Something tells me you're being targeted by those Trials."

There was a long pause. Tense. Heavy.

Then...

Jett suddenly broke into laughter.

"Pfft... Oh man, that's what this is about?"

Rey's brow twitched.

Jett started mimicking him in a hushed, theatrical tone. "'You need to be careful, Jett… You're being targeted… The Trials are after you…'"

"Are you being serious right now?" Rey snapped, clearly annoyed.

Jett grinned ear to ear. "C'mon, is that supposed to be one of your new hero perks or something? You get divine whispers now? Some kind of 'Foresight of Fate' skill?"

Before Rey could retort, Jett casually slung an arm around his neck and started dragging him toward the door with a chuckle. "Relax, man. You don't have to worry about me."

He flashed a smug grin. "I'm unkillable."

And just like that, he pulled Rey into a loose submission lock with a laugh. "And even if something does happen… I've got you to protect me, Hero."

Rey groaned in frustration, trying to pry his arm free. "Get off me, idiot!"

Jett laughed louder. He wasn't taking Rey's warning seriously.

"You really shouldn't take what I said for granted. It's not like you can't handle that much, right?" Rey said, his brow creasing with mild concern.

"Sure, sure. I'll keep that in mind going forward. You don't have to worry," Jett replied casually, giving Rey a reassuring pat on the back.

"Oh, right..." Rey suddenly remembered something. Without warning, he smacked Jett on the back of the head.

"OW! What the hell was that for?" Jett snapped, spinning around with a scowl as he rubbed the sore spot.

"That's for breaking Cedric's sword," Rey said coolly, a smirk tugging at his lips as he clearly enjoyed the payback.

Their loud exchange quickly turned into a spectacle. Several students slowed down to watch, while others openly stared, whispering to each other as the tension between the two created a buzz through the corridor. Even a couple of upperclassmen paused mid-step, amused by the first-years putting on such a dramatic show.

"I... It was an accident!" Jett stammered, trying to salvage some dignity.

"It wasn't even me! The sword, seriously, it took over my body!" he insisted, pointing an accusatory finger at the blade strapped to his side.

Rey blinked at him. "Yeah... and my mom was the Queen of England in a past life."

"Alright I get it!" Jett groaned. "I know how it sounds, but I'm not lying."

"Whatever," Rey muttered, already turning away. "Let's just get to the next class before we're late."

But before they could take a step, five third-years stepped in, forming a loose circle around them.

"Hey, first-years. Stop right there," one of them said with a smirk.

Rey sighed, already annoyed. "You're not exactly giving us a lot of room to go anywhere," he replied flatly, eyeing them with growing irritation.

The tallest of the third-years stepped forward, arms crossed, a cocky grin on his face. "You two caused quite the ruckus back there. Think you can act like clowns and not draw attention?"

"If you're feeling left out you could have just asked to join us.," Jett smirked as he gave a ride reply. "This is just our natural charisma."

Rey didn't laugh. He narrowed his eyes. "What do you want? We're in a rush."

Another third-year, this one with a jagged scar across his chin, scoffed. "So you're one of Verena's Divine Lords? Word spreads fast, even for your kingdom, that's a lot of nonsense."

Jett blinked. "So you're jealous you weren't born special? That's why you stopped us? To whine about it?"

The leader ignored him, stepping closer to Rey. "Your friend's got a sharp mouth. Let's see if your skills match it."

Rey's jaw clenched. "We don't have time for this."

"Tough. Make time," the leader snapped.

More students began to gather, sensing something was about to go down. The energy in the hallway shifted—static, expectant. Whispers floated around them like smoke.

"Should we... like... run?" Jett asked out of the side of his mouth.

Rey's eyes never left the leader. "Even if we do that they'll still try picking a figt with us sooner or later?"

Jett shrugged. "In that case I could send you to class and take them on myself. Since they bear some kind of grudge on your titles, let's not feed into their ego.

Rey's lip twitched. "Do that, and I'm breaking your sword next."

"Joke's on you," Jett whispered. "It won't budge."

Before Rey could respond, the third-years moved. Not to attack, but to block the path more aggressively, making it clear this wasn't a casual confrontation.

"I want to see the power of a Divine Lord for myself," the leader said, voice lower now. "You've been making waves. People are watching, won't you give them what they want?"

Rey's expression darkened. "Then let them watch."

The tension snapped tight.

Jett exhaled slowly, hand hovering near his weapon. "I don't see us getting to class anytime soon."

Reyfolding his arms, "I am going. They'll just have to move."

"If you're not going to give in I'll just have to make you." The leader said with a smirk, facing the student next to him "Do it."

The boy walked up to Rey pointing his sword, "I challenge you two to a team battle. I rank is lower so you both an reject."

"Please don't rope me into this."

"Alright you win. I accept."

"Are you even listening to me?"

Rey continued, ignoring Jett in the process, "We'll make it easy for you. But to make it fair, you've five can face us at once and we'll use whatever weapons you pick for us. Hell we won't even use Aura. Since you want to get beaten up so badly, I'll gladly help you out."

'He didn't even ask me if I've used any other weapon besides a sword and spear.' Jett sighed asked he knew he had no choice in the matter.

*

*

*

Slow but steady