Akari Zeller had never been one for swaggering. More often than not, the girl shuffled around with her eyes on her shoes. Unless she was angry or desperate, then she’d stomp her feet and glare at you.

Today, she strolled into the dojo like she owned the place. And while the others had all been stiff and serious, Akari looked like someone had pulled her out of bed and dragged her here against her will. A few loose strands of hair covered her left eye. and … was she chewing gum? He’d never seen Akari chew gum. Not once.

She was channeling Dream Akari—the version of herself she’d unlocked with her memories. The display wasn't quite enough to look cocky, but the message was clear. This was someone who was eager to get on with her life.

“And here comes the Foundation.” Dansin Roth said. “This should be good.”

Elend couldn’t see his fellow professor from here, but the man made no effort to hide his distaste. Well, the joke was on him. His complaints sent several heads turning in Akari’s direction, which could only be a good thing. Obscurity was the real enemy in this exam.

Akari didn’t look at the one-way glass, much less salute or bow. She didn’t even bother with last-minute breathing exercises or warmups. She simply approached the line and waited.

I can work with that.

From the board’s perspective, she’d already been accepted to her number one school, and KU was her backup. He’d even helped her apply to other schools to reinforce that story. However, Elend never would have advised the attitude. She’d need some truly astounding scores to make that work. Otherwise, she’d just look careless and immature.

A few more seconds passed, then the first target appeared across the dojo. Akari flicked her wrist as if swatting a fly, and her Missile arced across the room, taking the disc straight in the yellow bullseye.

This went on for several more rounds. Akari made lazy swatting gestures at the targets, earning the full five points every time. At Round Seven, she began pacing around like a cat, cracking her neck and rolling her shoulders. She even removed her glasses and polished them on her shirtsleeve.

At Round Ten, she spat out her gum and began searching for a wastebasket. The dojo was empty, of course, and a line of irritation formed on her brow when she realized that. She glared up at the window as if the professors were somehow to blame.

She rummaged through her pocket, pulled out a tissue, and wrapped it up. She did this while curving her mana in complex patterns around the obstacles, earning a perfect score every time.

Elend burst out laughing, drawing several glances from his peers.

Dansin Roth groaned. “Sure, let’s all waste a half hour for Elend’s amusement.” The younger man leaned forward to face him. “We’ve dealt with your bullshit before, but this?”

“Oh, no.” Elend continued chuckling to himself before wiping a tear from his eye. “I told her to work on her showmanship. That’s all.”

He refrained from pointing out the obvious—if Dansin considered this a waste, he could ignore Akari and watch the other contestants. But they all knew she was Elend’s student. And now she had them at the edge of their seats, waiting for her to mess up.

Akari continued her ascent through the rounds, and Elend’s eyes turned to a faint image of Glim in the glass window. She wasn’t really there, of course—a room full of Masters would have sensed the mana. Rather, she projected her image straight into his mind.

‘I know you’re responsible for this,’ he told her.

Glim smiled back. ‘I know that you know.’

Akari reached Round Twenty, and she didn't flinch when the exam shot Missiles back at her. She sidestepped their attacks, letting them crash into the wooden pillars behind her. Then she wove her mana around the offensive Constructs, destroying her targets yet again.

Dansin pressed a button on his earpiece. “Bring out the non-standards for Zeller.”

The non-standard levels were mainly for students re-taking this exam. But they also helped guard against cheaters, or anyone else with insider knowledge. Honestly, Elend had expected this switch several rounds ago. Dansin must have hoped she’d embarrass herself without it. As it was, she’d achieved an average score without breaking a sweat.

Akari kept her face blank as she cleared two of the non-standard rounds.

Elend turned to meet Glim’s smug expression. ‘You ready for what comes next?’

‘You know we are.’

True enough. Elend had predicted his opponent’s next move, which meant Glim would predict it too.

“Switch to generation for Zeller,” Dansin said into his headset.

Sometimes, nonstandard levels weren’t enough. Sometimes, the admissions board would generate new levels on the spot. And these levels wouldn’t be random. Oh, no. They’d counter her strengths and test her weaknesses.

Once again, Akari didn’t react as she faced these new challenges. Good. If she’d changed her tune now, it could have given something away. Masters saw a lot, but he trusted Glim to account for that. As a Dream Artist, Elend knew more about human emotion than anyone in this room, and Glim was an extension of his own mind.

To him, Akari’s act was as clear as glass. Deep down, she might even be more desperate than any contestant they’d seen all year. And if she dwelled on that fear for even a second, this entire plan would crumble around her.

But his peers fell for the act. Not because they were blind, but because people saw what they expected to see. Akari was so far beneath them, they couldn’t imagine the battle she waged behind the mask.

Elend leaned forward in his chair,ready to object if Dansin ordered any more changes. Fortunately, he knew the rules. A third party handled the level design, and the board couldn’t interfere beyond making the switch.

Below, Akari moved with the same nonchalance as before. Like Kalden, she’d outlasted the other two contestants, which put all eyes on her.

‘What have you been doing?’ Elend thought to Glim. It was one thing to memorize a routine, but this? One room was pitch black, forcing her to rely only on her Silver Sight. Another room had no gravity, but Akari adapted to it at once, using Missiles to jolt her body from side to side.

‘Please.’ Glim waved a dismissive hand. ‘They call this a challenge? Remember the training we did in high school?’

Elend gave a slow nod, remembering the torturous setting they’d made with dream mana. He’d trained inside burning buildings, coughing back smoke and feeling the heat of the flames. He’d trained with thousands of insects biting his skin, with war sounds blasting in his ears, and with his lungs full of water.

‘Yep,’ Glim confirmed. ‘Stuff like that. For the record, she’s way tougher than you were at sixteen. Like, twice as tough.’

In that moment, Akari’s bored expression seemed more inevitable than surprising.

‘It’s been so long,’ Elend said. ‘I never thought of using that strategy for her.’

‘It’s a common flaw among humans. The better you get at something, the worse you are at teaching it. You forget what it’s like to be a beginner.’

‘You’re saying I’m a bad teacher?’

‘I’m saying you’re good …’ She struck a pose with her chin resting on her hands. ‘But I’m amazing.’

Elend certainly couldn’t argue with Glim’s results today, but he stopped that line of thought before he could follow it too far. Dansin would confront him after the test. When he did, Elend would prefer to tell the truth.

Round Twenty Nine came and went, but the following round was merciless. Here, the enemy Constructs attacked far faster than ordinary humans. Akari blocked several of these, but her channels were still too weak to keep up. A barrage struck her torso, and the Missile portion ended in a flash.

Still, she’d done it. At 142 points, Akari Zeller had earned the highest Missile score this year.

Unfortunately, the Construct portion brought her victory to a screeching halt. She put up a good fight in the first few rounds, forming the basic shapes with ease. But then came the full-body dome challenge.

Even with the dojo refilling her mana each round, Akari lacked the raw power to make something so large. It wasn’t even her fault—just simple math. The mass of the technique exceeded more than half her total mana, and the strength to move that mana required Apprentice-level channels.

“Pass,” Akari said with a shrug.

Silence followed. One did not simply “pass” a round in the Artegium Admission Exam. But understanding dawned on the room a second later. Contrary to what Dansin had said, Akari hadn’t come here to waste their time. She knew this was mathematically impossible, and the board knew it too.

Besides, this let her stay in control despite her failure. It wasn’t much, but it fit with her carefully crafted persona.

The Construct portion ended, displaying a final score of 79. That was technically below average, but still higher than anyone would have expected.

If the Construct portion was hard for her, then the Cloak portion was downright impossible. Fortunately, Akari's low body weight resulted in a relatively easy test, and she’d trained hard in the gym this past month. This let her cobble together fifty points in the early rounds before failing in Round Six.

Several seconds passed, then golden text appeared in the center of the dojo, displaying a total score of 271.

Akari winced when she saw the number. It was a subtle gesture—a tightening of her jaw and a slight wrinkling around her eyes—but Elend didn’t miss it.

‘She was aiming for 280,’ Glim said.

Elend didn’t ask if she’d hit that number during their training. It didn’t matter now.

‘It’s fine,’ he replied. ‘We can work with this.”

~~~

“I know what you’re planning,” Dansin said as he followed Elend into the hall. The younger man was only a Master, with a chiseled face and a head of overly styled brown hair. But despite their difference in rank, they held equal positions inside the Artegium. Mostly because Dansin filled his day with busy work while Elend spent his time teaching actual students. Not to mention enjoying his life.

“You got me.” Elend held up his hands in mock surrender. “I’m trying to help my students. You know, the one thing all teachers do.”

The other man put his hands on his hips, causing his suit jacket to flare open. “You’ve done more than that.”

“You mean the favors I called in from Moanna and Raizen? Seems only fair when you’re marshaling your own forces against me.”

“Her score.” Dansin’s voice cut the air like metal mana. “No Foundation could pull that off.”

“I’ll be sure to pass on your compliments.”

His brow furrowed as he took a half step forward. “What do you think will happen if we interview the girl?”

“You mean interrogate her?” Elend gave a shrug that put Akari’s to shame. “You’ll find that she’s trained hard and prepared for every possibility.”

“Every possibility, or this specific test?”

“I honestly couldn’t say. I didn’t coach her myself.”

“Of course you didn’t.” Dansin nodded as if he’d just made a decision. “Sounds like we’ll need that interview before we move forward.”

A slow smile spread across Elend’s face. “Let’s say you find what you’re looking for. Let’s say her practice test matches this one exactly. That doesn’t break any rules.”

“No,” he said. “But stealing the test schematics—”

“Wow,” Elend cut in. “First she’s not good enough, and now—”

“You know what I’m implying.”

“What?” Elend pointed to his own chest. “You think I did this?”

“I think you’re a powerful Dream Artist with access to the world’s only mana spirit.”

Ah yes, that pesky open secret. If Elend were to do his life over, he might have hidden Glim from all but his closest allies. Unfortunately, he’d been a child when he made her, and he hadn’t known what she’d become.

“You know what’ll happen if we dig deeper,” Dansin said. “Zeller will get a rejection letter, no matter how well you covered your tracks. I’m giving you a chance to pull out now—protect your reputation.”

“I think not,” Elend said. If Dansin were so confident, then why warn him beforehand? They weren’t friends, and the other man wouldn’t hesitate to take him down. “You want me to show my trump card. You know I have one—that’s why you’re here.”

Dansin put on a show of looking annoyed. “Why bother with this girl, Elend? Why do you need her in the Artegium this year?”

“Honestly?” Elend said. “I don’t. She asked for my help, and I agreed.”

He also had big plans for Akari, but those were long-term plans. Spending a year in the pre-Artegium program wouldn’t have killed her, but he also understood her reasoning. Kalden and Relia were all she had, and friends meant far more to someone without a family.

“Now,” Elend said. “Why are you so keen on opposing this?”

“Aside from the obvious?”

“I’ll tell you why,” Elend continued. “Akari Zeller made some powerful enemies in Cadria. They’d pay well to see her sabotaged today.”

“Bullshit. No one’s offered me a bribe.”

“Not a financial bribe. But certain societies allow advancement to their loyal and hardworking members.”

Dansin’s expression remained blank, but Elend saw the tension in his shoulders and neck.

“Aye, I know about those emails. Curious, isn’t it? First you accuse me of having an all-powerful mana spirit, then you challenge me to a game of detective.”

‘All powerful,’ Glim echoed inside his head. ‘I like that.’

This was only a bluff, but far from a shot in the dark. Grandmaster Raizen had received the same message, but he only feigned interest to infiltrate the group’s ranks. Meanwhile, Dansin Roth was the very picture of reckless ambition.

The other man’s face darkened. “First you cheat on this test, now you try to blackmail me?”

Elend shook his head. “Are you familiar with natural consequences, Dansin? You’re the one suggesting an investigation here, and you’re the one with bones under his bed. Meanwhile, my students and I have broken no rules. What was your theory, again? A mana spirit did it?”

‘Well played,’ Glim said. ‘Even I’m questioning my existence now.’

Silence followed, and Elend clapped his colleague on the shoulder. “Good luck with that.”