My throat ached as the dry air pushed its way into my lungs. Amanda’s joyful shouts resounded across the corridor and the students cheered alongside her. Alexis’ powers spread out uncontained and the warmth was starting to get to me.

The students didn’t mind it, they were in the presence of something great. A moment that might live on in history.

Bloodline inheritors were rare. Sometimes they didn’t appear each generation, and instead households would suffer without a strong inheritor to lead the house or protect it. To have two inheritors was rare, for them both to be young was a boon that any family would kill for.

Amanda and Alexis would lead their household to further glory.

I could see that Amanda didn’t care about that. The smile on her face as she raised her brother's hand into the air in celebration held only love and affection. She was happy for him, and he was happy as well.

Alexis spotted me.

I had been dragged to the edge of the inner circle with Amanda, and now they all stared at me as I stood awkwardly on the side, trying to make myself less noticeable.

“Amanda, you made a friend?” He stepped towards me. “Hey there, I’m Alexis.”

He held his hand out towards me. I looked for any signs of deception, but his eyes were clear, and his smile was genuine. He didn’t know who I was.

“Andross.” I shook his hand.

Alexis smiled. “Look at that, Amanda, Alexis and Andross. Triple A. Hopefully it reflects our grades.”

I nodded. “Here’s hoping.”

I hadn’t made a big impression on him in the Dome. That didn’t surprise me. We had only crossed paths for a second.

Did that mean he wasn’t involved with what had happened to me?

Alexis’ eyes flashed. “You should come over to our house sometime. I’m sure our dad would love to get to know our new friend.” He turned towards his group of friends. “All of you should come to my house for a party.”

Amanda’s smile faltered. “I’m sure dad’s going to be too busy celebrating your accomplishment to organise something straight away.”

I saw her fingers curl into a fist, and then release. She took a deep breath and then dragged Alexis towards her.

“In a week then!” Alexis shouted into the air. “All of my friends will be invited.”

A cheer rose in the air in response, and I was overwhelmed by the crowd of students as they rushed towards Alexis. Half of them had manic glints in their eyes.

It was like they were looking at Gerial.

This was a chance to get to know a bloodline inheritor before they became guarded against gold diggers. Alexis had already gained a reputation from the fight and with his awakening he would be riding a wave to school popularity.

I left the crowd behind and felt a rush of cool air against my face as I finally made it out of the range of Alexis’ abilities. I didn’t know if he was doing it on purpose, or if he didn’t have control of his bloodline, but the air had grown too hot in the small amount of time I’d been next to him.

I made my way down the hallway when something rushed past me. A small red bird.

“Agni?”

I held out my hand and Amanda’s phoenix landed on my palm. Gold looked at her and chirped. Agni chirped back and then hopped up to my free shoulder.

Now I had a bird on both of them.

I wasn’t sure what Agni wanted from me, but she didn’t seem fussed as I moved further away from Amanda. In fact, she grew calmer the further away we walked. I took the time to go over the strange events of the day in my head. Something wasn’t adding up.

My face masked the emotions I felt inside. Surprise. Worry. Unease. Suspicion.

There was a benefit to having high intelligence. I could put together patterns and connections. It wasn’t magic, and it didn’t happen automatically, but if I put my mind to something then it was easier to work out what was happening.

The green mana.

Alexis.

The bloodline.

I could still remember the words I had heard Alexis speaking as I’d passed him in the dome.

‘Fine, I’ll accept your help.’

Bloodlines and magic weren’t as simple as wishing for it and getting it. Most people never unlocked magic and spells in their entire lives. Bloodlines were even rarer to see, and that was with the inheritor households pouring all their resources into unlocking them in their family members.

It was impossible to inherit a bloodline on purpose in a couple of decades, let alone a couple of hours.

Nobody should be able to help Alexis unlock his.

If something could unlock a bloodline on purpose, then that would change the world. It couldn’t be that easy. There had to be a piece of information or knowledge I was missing.

Did it matter enough to interfere? No. The faculty knew, and Alexis wasn’t being quiet about it. They would investigate him with the information I had given Gerial. This wasn’t my drama to intrude on. But I was still curious. Especially after my encounter in the dome.

More information couldn’t hurt.

I fed Agni a snack. “Why aren’t you with Amanda?”

Agni chirped and I frowned. I couldn’t understand the bird.

“Can you understand me?” I asked.

Agni nodded.

“Well, you’re welcome on my shoulder any time, little buddy.” She chirped at my words. “Are you here because you don’t feel comfortable around Alexis?”

Agni nodded. Then she started chirping. She ruffled her feathers, and I saw Gold staring at her intently, nodding his head.

“I can’t understand you.” I spoke.

“She’s saying there should be a phoenix.” A voice called out from beside me.

I turned around and my eyes widened. Amanda looked like she’d fought her way out of a rabid horde of dogs.

“Now everyone wants a slice of my family’s pizza.” Amanda grumbled. “Agni.”

Agni chirped happily and flew onto Amanda’s head. Amanda adjusted her jacket and disheveled clothes before stepping beside me.

“There’s no phoenix?” I looked at her. “What does that mean?”

“You have no idea about our bloodline, do you?” Amanda smiled. “I’ll have you know we’re a pretty impressive household, thank you very much.”

“I believe you, your highness.” I bowed and tipped an imaginary hat towards her. “Please enlighten this lowly subject more.

“You pit donkey.” Amanda laughed and elbowed my ribs.

I flinched. Hard. It was more of a jump.

Her eyes widened. “Did I hurt you? Holy Fue, I’m sorry.”

She scrambled to help me, unsure if she should step back or move in. She settled on a gentle pat on my back.

“I’m fine.” I stood up straight to show her I was okay. “That’s… a sensitive spot. Old injury. It’s healed now.”

So old that I hadn’t gotten in this lifetime.

She sucked in a breath. “You worried me. Phew.”

The tension was drained from the air and I chuckled. I was worried she was going to start spewing about how the nobles were superior.

Now I could see she was just putting on an act.

“So, the phoenix?”

I didn’t want to linger on the subject of my ribs.

“Our most famous trait.” She fed Agni a treat.

The phoenix didn’t even tell Amanda about the snack I’d given her. She was as greedy as Gold.

“Whenever our bloodlines manifest themselves in our inheritors, a phoenix appears. It’s what we’re known for.” Amanda touched a finger to her cheek. “There have been a lot of different manifestations of our bloodline, and we always scream about them from the highest roofs when we show off. Fire legs, fire eyes, even fire wings with one of my grandparents. The only common thread…”

“Is a phoenix.” I finished her sentence. “You think he might be faking it?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time something like that has happened. It’s hard to not be something that your whole family wants you to be.” Amanda’s voice softened. “Magic exists that can mimic our abilities, and I’m worried that he’s going to get hurt if he’s shouting it to everyone in earshot.”

“What happens after that?” I asked.

I had never heard of a person faking their bloodline before.

“Social death and embarrassment for our family.” Amanda’s hair grew streaks of flames as she spoke. “Our family will test Alexis today, and trust me, they will be thorough.”

I shivered at her tone.

The crowd of students we had left behind were congratulating him now, but I knew they would quickly turn their backs on him at the slightest incentive. If he was faking, then his future school life would be rough.

“Is it okay to tell me this stuff?”

She put her hands behind her back, and her shoulders hunched. I let her think her words out, neither pushing nor rushing.

“Agni trusts you.” Amanda’s voice was quiet. “And I guess I needed to get my worries out of my head. It’s… nice having someone to talk to. It’s hard being a hot commodity sometimes.”

“Don’t I know it.”

She raised an eyebrow at my response.

“I have to hang out with this guy all day.” I pointed at Gold. “Everybody wants to be his friend. I’m just tagging along.”

Gold preened and puffed out his large belly and chest. Amanda giggled, and Agni chirped in amusement.

We walked for a while in silence. I thought back to when I had approached her. She had been alone, but I had only done it because she had a bird. I’d been too nervous to pay attention to the surroundings, and the students that weren’t talking to her.

Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that Amanda had been alone in our classroom.

I couldn’t imagine other students letting an opportunity for making a connection pass by them voluntarily.

Gerial walked around invisible, William was watched like a hawk, and Alexis drowned in false praise. Having power didn’t work out for everyone.

“I didn’t know who you were.” I spoke.

Amanda took my words in stride as the grassy hills came into view. Portals were opening up as students passed through and went back home. Some walked through the entrance gates, heading into Koshima city.

“I still don’t know.” I admitted. “Call me a country bumpkin, but I don’t know all the noble families around.”

Learning the noble houses and families was like learning the dictionary except each word had a dozen children with a dozen different mistresses.

I could only cram so much into my head before I got a migraine.

She skipped ahead and turned to face me. “Good. That means you can get to know the real me.”

“The horror.” I smiled.

“I was right. You are a pit donkey.” She poked her tongue out. “Before we get interrupted again, tell me, do you have a texting device?”

“I do.”

I brought my texting book out of my bag. I’d kept it there the whole day. It took me a while to learn how to properly put new things into the inventory in a way that didn’t cover them with dirt, and a bag was more convenient for appearances.

I didn’t want everyone knowing I had an inventory. They would find out, but I’d prefer it to be gradual for my own peace of mind.

She brought out her own texting regent, a golden ball that hovered over mine and lit up when they came into contact.

“Awesome.” She nodded to herself. “Ah, looks like mister popular has shaken off his fans.”

I looked to my side and saw Alexis with a friend. One of his normal group members. He touched the boy's shoulder and smiled. I blinked as I saw something…

Was that a flash of green?

I shook my head. It was too far to see properly, and I could see other flashes of light across his body as flames appeared and disappeared.

I should still confirm it.

I closed my eyes and quickly recreated the memory in my mind. It was fresh, but that didn’t mean I could see every detail. I hadn’t been paying attention, and the exact moment was blurry.

I could also be seeing things.

When I opened my eyes, Alexis was striding towards us. A wave of heat washed over my body as he approached.

“Turn that off.” Amanda chided. “You’re going to ruin the grass.”

She walked up to chat with her brother and didn’t mention anything we had talked about. I could see hints of worry in her actions. Her hand tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and Agni was silent as Alexis talked.

I temporarily pushed aside my worries. This wasn’t a situation I could solve. If he was faking his bloodline somehow, then he would be exposed, and it would be a footnote of drama in my school life.

Gerial and William knew about the situation, and they had connections much higher up the chain than I did. I would let them know about what I thought I’d seen.

I hummed as the two siblings talked and thought about my own plans. The Zodiac library in Koshima was a prime target for exploration. I also wanted to visit my grandmother for the first time later this week.

I needed to get permission to sleepover at her place before I could do either. Probably through a letter. I didn’t know how to activate the portal to get back home after leaving the school grounds, so I would have to stay at her house overnight and come to school in the morning.

I wanted to buy her a present beforehand. There wasn’t much variety in Yêlat, but it would be different in Koshima.

Maybe I could make her a metal statue.

Amanda and Alexis waved goodbye to me and walked past the gates into the city. I waved back and then walked straight back into the school. Gerial would be around, and there was no reason to delay telling him about my suspicions.

It had been an interesting day.

The next morning, I met up with Amanda at the front of the school. She was visibly buzzing, and her hair bounced in excitement. Flames darted around her head with a life of their own and spilt into the air.

“Andross! Alexis passed all the family’s tests. And the city’s too. Even the headmaster came to watch.”

There was a radiant smile on her face, and she zoomed through the corridor as she talked.

“My brother is a genuine bloodline inheritor.”