Ray gave a simple, calm nod. He walked to his desk, his hand moving to the hidden master rune he had inscribed on its underside. He pushed a small, focused pulse of his own Aether into the trigger.

The effect was instantaneous. The Silent Warden Array activated .

A shimmering, silvery-white barrier snapped into existence, sealing a part of the study locking in the headmaster with a soft, resonant hum. The air vibrated with a power that Headmaster Andrade could feel in her very bones, a thrumming, vital energy that was completely alien to her.

“It’s… beautiful,”

she breathed, her analytical gaze sweeping the room.

“And it draws no ambient Mana.”

She was impressed, but she was also a 6th-Circle Master Mage. A pretty light show meant nothing. She needed to know its strength. She would test this ‘homemade’ ward herself.

“Stand back, Initiate,”

She commanded.

Andrade extended her casting hand. From a belt pouch, she took a pinch of precious saffron and sprinkled it over a small, desiccated piece of snakeskin in her palm. The saffron ignited with a tiny, bright flash. She clenched her fist, her arm tensing as she fixed her gaze on the center of Ray's barrier.

Her voice was not a whisper, but a shout of pure command, forcing the world to obey.

"Manus Arcana, exsurge! Per Meam Voluntatem, forma et pare!" (Arcane Hand, arise! By My Will, form and obey!)

As she shouted the final word, the air in front of her tore open. A shimmering, blue-white, 10-foot-tall hand materialized, crackling with the low, audible hum of pure, barely contained force.

Ray watched, his face a mask of calm, scholarly interest. But inside his mind, a silent, secret victory was taking place.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: 6th-Circle Master Mage combat spell detected. Analyzing and recording...]

[SPELL IDENTIFIED: ARCANE HAND (5TH CIRCLE)]

[SYNTAX, SOMATIC COMPONENTS, AND ENERGY SIGNATURE RECORDED.]

[NEW SIMULATION PROFILE ACQUIRED: 'ANDRADE - ARCANE HAND']

He had just captured the data for a 5th-Circle spell from a master practitioner. It was an immense secret victory.

Andrade, concentrating on her spell, jabbed her own fist forward. The giant Arcane Hand perfectly mimicked her, streaking across the study and slamming into the silvery barrier like a magical battering ram.

The impact was deafening, a sound like a thunderclap in the small room. Sergeant Svane, who had been standing silently by the wall, tensed instantly, his body shifting to shield Ray from any potential shrapnel or backlash.

The study door burst open, and Rina stumbled in, her face pale with terror, her own hand gripping the dagger hidden at her waist, clearly expecting to find them under attack. She froze, her eyes widening at the scene: the Headmaster, arm extended; the massive, crackling magic hand pressed against a wall of glowing runes; and Ray, standing calmly at his desk, watching the event with the detached curiosity of a scholar.

The Silent Warden Array’s runes flared violently, and visible cracks spiderwebbed across the barrier’s surface.

But then, the impossible happened. The cracks healed. Drawing on its own internal Aetheric source, the array repaired itself quickly, the silvery-white light returning to its steady, calm hum.

Headmaster Andrade stared, her jaw slack. Svane let out a low, disbelieving whistle. Rina, still trembling from her adrenaline spike, looked from the impossible, self-healing glowing wall to Ray's perfectly calm demeanor. Ray saw her take a deep, shuddering breath. The raw panic in her eyes faded, replaced by the dazed, focused calm he recognized from their training. She was consciously activating her 'Meditative Stillness', anchoring herself in the eye of the storm.

The 5th-Circle spell, a spell that could shatter a castle wall, had been tanked, and repaired, by a twelve-year-old’s ‘homemade’ ward. Andrade let the Arcane Hand dissolve, her expression a mixture of profound shock and grudging awe. She turned to Ray, her eyes sharp.

“The incapacitation feature. Show it to me,”

She demanded.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

This was the power move. Ray met her gaze, his expression one of polite, almost apologetic, regret.

“I’m afraid I must decline, Headmaster,”

he said calmly.

“The cognitive and Aetheric cost to activate that function is… significant . I nearly tore myself apart using it on K. I cannot risk such a drain for a simple demonstration.”

He was setting a boundary. He was stating, in the politest way possible, that his most powerful weapon was not a toy to be demonstrated at her convenience.

Andrade’s eyes narrowed. She knew she was being managed, but his reasoning was flawless. She couldn't argue.

With a quiet thought, Ray deactivated the array. The shimmering barrier vanished, leaving the study in its normal, quiet state.

Headmaster Andrade was silent, her mind completely reassessed. She had confirmed Ray’s trap was real, invisible to her most advanced spells, and strong enough to stop a 5th-Circle assault. The boy was a paradox: a master of ‘heretical’ Aether-based warding, yet officially, a magical blank slate. She turned from the now-inert wall, her gaze fixing him with cold, analytical intensity.

“One last thing,”

she said, her voice flat.

“The Fire Bolt spell you casted during the K’s incursion, my Shadow Guards reported. How were you able to cast it when your profile clearly states you are magically inert, with no Mana affinity at all?”

This was the question. The final, critical piece of the puzzle. Ray’s internal committee went into an immediate, high-stakes debate on how to frame the answer.

Courtier: "This is the critical moment. She needs an explanation. The Genesis Crystal event is the perfect ‘deus ex machina.’ It's a 'miracle' she already half-believes."

Healer: "It's the truth, or close to it. The reforging ‘did’ change your physiology. The Aetheric Leak was blocking your affinity. The seal allowed it to manifest. This is a plausible, medically sound explanation."

Conman: "Yep, and it's a ‘great’ story. ‘I was just as surprised as you, Headmaster!’ I was healed, and suddenly... ‘poof! Magic!' She'll eat it up. It makes you an anomaly, not a liar."

Before Ray could deliver this carefully constructed, truthful-yet-deceptive explanation, Andrade cut him off, her patience clearly gone.

“Show me,”

she commanded.

“Show me your affinity. Now!”

Ray was on the spot. His archetypes immediately pivoted from explaining why to how.

Weaver: "Finally! The main event! Unleash the golden fire! Show this arrogant hag what real power looks like! Burn a hole in her precious chest!"

Courtier: "Idiot! She is terrified of your power. Do ‘not,’ confirm her fears. Show her weakness. Show her a power she ‘understands’ and believes she can control."

Conman: "Exactly! She's the mark. We're not here to win a duel; we're here to win her ‘trust.’ Make her think she's got the upper hand. Give her the 'pathetic rookie' performance."

Ray made his decision. He would "perform" the role of a "Normal Learning Initiate."

He looked up at Andrade, activating the Charismatic Conman’s ‘Performance (Acting within Acting) skill,’ his face a perfect mask of nervous, childish concentration. He furrowed his brow, his small hand trembling. He took a breath and chanted the simple incantation for a Fire Bolt.

A wisp of smoke, and... nothing. The spell fizzled on his knuckles.

Ray looked up, his face flushed with perfectly feigned embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster. I am still learning... It's... new. I can't always... control it."

Andrade’s expression was impatient.

"Try again."

Ray nodded, his face a mask of strain. He closed his eyes, his whole body seeming to tremble with effort. He chanted the word again, his voice cracking slightly. This time, a tiny, pathetic, orange flicker, pointedly not

his potent, golden Aether-fire, sputtered from his hand and died in less than a second.

He looked up at her, breathing heavily from the effort.

"It must have been the situation last time,"

he said, his voice breathless.

"The adrenaline... I was able to cast it without issues during that time."

Headmaster Andrade watched the tiny, pathetic orange flicker sputter and die. The immense, suffocating tension in her shoulders visibly released. She let out a slow, quiet breath. This, she understood.

This wasn't the ancient, terrifying power of a rival. Likely a chaotic side-effect from the Genesis Crystal ritual. He wasn't a new massive power; he was just another initiate, a damaged one at that. He might be gifted in runes and runic arrays but there is still a flaw. A glitch. A weak, unstable fire affinity.

"I see,"

She said, her voice losing its hard, interrogative edge, replaced by a cool, clinical finality.

"It is... as I thought. A lucky side-effect. Congratulations, Initiate Croft. You are now a typical initiate mage."

This revelation changed her entire plan. Ray Croft was not a rival to be feared; he was a unique, damaged asset that was already under her leash and needed to be studied more.

"I will add a new tutor to your schedule for the next school year,"

She declared, her authority fully restored.

"I will personally select an instructor for you. You will learn the fundamentals of Mana control, to ensure you do not... accidentally harm yourself."

She fixed him with a pointed look.

"And the instructor will report your progress directly to me."

As she spoke, a triumphant, silent notification bloomed in Ray's mind.

[SKILLED APPLICATION DETECTED]

[EVENT: STRATEGIC DECEPTION (PERFORMANCE OF WEAKNESS)]

[PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: INSPIRED]

[ANALYSIS: Host successfully de-escalated a high-stakes confrontation with a superior authority. By deliberately performing the role of a 'Normal Initiate' with a 'weak, unstable' affinity, you perfectly exploited the target's pre-existing biases and fears. This masterful performance of weakness successfully reframed your status from an 'uncontrollable threat' to a 'valuable asset to be managed,' achieving all primary strategic objectives. Largest Mastery Gain awarded.]

[MASTERY GAIN: Deception +20% (CAPSTONE already reached, adding half of mastery gain to the next archetype skill 'Etiquette & Protocol'), Performance (Acting within Acting) +15% (CAPSTONE already reached, adding half of mastery gain to the next archetype skill 'Lie Detection (Body Language)'), Persona Crafting +10%.]

Ray processed the system's approval, his expression remaining one of humble, almost grateful acceptance. He gave the Headmaster a respectful bow.

"Thank you, Headmaster. I will not disappoint you."

He had just won his greatest victory yet. He's been given a master-level tutor in the very subject he needs to master, all while convincing his jailer that he is no threat at all.

END OF ACT 3