The bell for third period had barely faded when Aetherborne Academy felt the shift in the air. Hyunjin strode down the hall, fire licking at his palms like it belonged there. Students pressed themselves against the stone walls, whispering about the boy who once burned an entire practice field to ash just to “make a point.”

Across the courtyard, a ripple of blue light cracked reality open. Felix stepped out of nothing, teleporting with the lazy confidence of someone who never needed to walk. His freckles glinted under the sun, his smirk almost as sharp as the laser beams he’d carved into the training dummies last week. No one dared stop him, he was a moving target in every sense of the word.

They knew of each other. Everyone did. Hyunjin, the fire-born flyer. Felix—the teleporting sharpshooter. But they’d never actually collided.

That changed in Advanced Combat Arts.

Professor Myles announced the pairing without looking up from his clipboard, like he’d been waiting for this explosion. “Hwang Hyunjin. Lee Felix. You’re together.”

Felix’s eyes found Hyunjin’s. He didn’t look impressed. “Try not to burn my hair,” he said flatly.

Hyunjin tilted his head, flame sparking along his fingertips. “Try not to vanish before I hit you.”

The duel started with no warning. Hyunjin shot into the air, wings of fire cutting through the dim light of the arena. Felix blinked out of sight, reappearing at Hyunjin’s flank to fire a laser that grazed his shoulder.

They moved like predators, Hyunjin circling from above, Felix darting in and out of space, both refusing to give ground. Spells cracked against the warded walls. The heat and light blurred into chaos.