I was arriving about thirty minutes early; it was an old habit from my university days. I was usually so nervous about missing the first day of classes that I couldn’t focus on anything until I was seated. Today was no different. I had eaten a small breakfast with Larissa before the two of us parted ways. Then I walked with a quick gate towards the classroom.

Practical magic was taught in the first slot of classes for the day, probably the equivalent of an eight AM course. Thus, the campus was still quiet on my walk. The classroom itself was, weather permitting, a small outdoor amphitheater on the eastern side of campus. The half-circle of the stoner bleachers was surrounded by columns and a half-roof with moveable canopies.

It was upon rounding one of these large columns that I ran headlong into someone. Both of us fell backward, our book-straps unloading their contents onto the floor.

“Oh god, I’m sorry. Are you alright?” I called out as I began picking up my tomes.

“Forget about, it is my fault-,” the girl began before cutting herself off. “The green-eyed bitch from the party?!” she hissed.

I gave her a good look for the first time. My heart dropped. Of course, it was Caterina. Her silver hair fell over her face, while faded teal eyes stared at me in anger.

“Well, actually I’m a guy. So maybe call me a bastard,” I replied. My eyes darted left than right, scanning our surroundings. Nobody was here except us. I already missed one chance, who knew the next time I would have her alone. Especially now that she recognized me. “So much for making it to class on time,” I muttered as I pounced on top of her.

“What are you doing?!” she screamed, far too loudly for my own comfort. I felt like a bad guy for a moment as I pinned her down.

“Believe it or not, I’m saving you from this cursed ring!” I yelled at her. I pried open her left hand and began forcefully pulling it off her ring finger. Just as I yanked it off, a force blasted into the right side of my face. The ring went flying out of my hands clinking as it bounced down the bleachers. I was lifted off my feet and sent spiraling to the left. I landed and slid across the stone floor only coming to a halt after a few feet.

I checked to make sure my jaw wasn’t broken and looked up. A hooded man with magic crackling up his arms was daintily helping up Caterina to her feet. I spotted the ring about halfway between us and the podium. I gave one last glance towards Caterina as I scrambled up and jumped down the steps. The man was still dusting her off.

“How?” he exclaimed as he realized I was on my feet.

“Ridates, get my ring!” screeched Caterina. That name sounded familiar.

I managed to grab a hold of the ring just as another blast of force struck me in the back sending me falling down the bleachers. I could feel it rip apart my tunic. This time I managed to keep a hold of the ring as I tumbled down the steps. The bruises on my body mounted each time I slammed into the stone.

Thankfully, I still had my wits about me and rolled to my feet at the bottom of the stairs before sprinting away from the two of them. All I really had to do was keep the ring away from her. In a few hours, the curse would melt away from her mind and she would realize what had happened. But it would all be for naught if she put it back on.

My mind raced as I scrambled out of the amphitheater. I glanced behind me only to see the hooded man running down the steps towards me. I could fight or run. I was strong and had already defeated two of her goons.

I slowed my steps thinking about fighting him only for a chunk of the column beside me to splinter apart as a magical force blasted into it. Never mind! I started running at a full sprint again. I at least had a good shot at getting away from the man.

Then an idea popped into my head. I started running towards the other amphitheater on the other side of campus, the other practical magic class.

“Stop! Thief!” Yelled the man, as he ran behind me. Thankfully less than a handful of people were out of the dorms at that point. Even the students who were up were probably too sleepy to bother. We sprinted across the commons, the occasional magical burst forcing me to duck and dodge as we went. He was faster than I had expected and managed to more or less keep pace.

“Larissa!” I yelled, as I spotted her. She was standing outside of the western amphitheater chatting with a few students. Just as she looked up and locked eyes with me, the man let out another magic burst. This time hitting me in the shoulder, knocking me off balance once more. I was sent tumbling towards her.

With a screech, she disappeared from my vision. By the time I got up and turned around I could see her raining blows down on the man.

“Don’t! Ever! Touch! My! Brother!” she said, each word accented with a punch. Holy shit, she might kill him.

“Stop! Stop!” I yelled as I got to my feet and ran over to her. Thankfully she heard me the second time as I pulled her off. The mystery man was a bloody mess, but thankfully still breathing when she was done.

“Thief,” he croaked before passing out.

“Can you pick him up? He needs the infirmary,” I said.

“You need the infirmary!” Larissa cried, “How did this happen?” I looked myself over. My tunic was torn in a few places. My body was bruised from falling about, and the impact zones from his magic had even drawn some blood.

“I’m fine, but he will need some help,” I replied.

“Why did he say thief?” She asked without moving.

I had a choice to make. Or rather, I had the correct choice in front of me that I needed to take. In the heat of the moment, I trusted Larissa to save me. She came through. Now I needed to trust her to believe in me.

“Let’s take him, please. I’ll explain it on the way.”

She gave me a reluctant nod before picking up the man in a princess carry.

“Tell the professor I’ll be a little late from the infirmary. This fool was bullying my brother,” she called to the group of students. They just nodded at us with their jaws on the floor.

On the way, I kept my word and did the best that I could to explain the situation without giving away the fact that I read it in a novel. I also did my best to distance myself from the ring. I wrapped it up in some cloth that I tore off my tunic. I wasn’t sure if it would help, but it felt disgusting to hold the thing in my bare hands so I had no other choice.

“So how long should it be away from her?” she asked after I finished explaining.

“I’m not entirely sure,” I replied. “How long does it take to make it from the Iron Crossroads in the Aenos Forest to the fort city of Eborum?” I said, thinking back to the book. The curse was broken after the bandits took her ring, but not immediately. The passing knight chose to give her refuge at Eborum and she had been attacked close to the Iron Crossroads. It was somewhere between the two places that she became physically ill, and the curse finally broke.

“What does that have to do with anything?” she replied.

“When I was reading…about a…similar curse, it took that long for the person to get over it,” I explained, trying my best to make it believable.

“Well, I have no idea. I don’t even know where the Iron Crossroads is,” she replied. By that point we were entering the infirmary. We were probably the first to do so since the start of the school year, since nobody was around saved for a single worker perusing through a book.

I cleared my throat as we entered the room.

“What happened here!?” She exclaimed when she saw the bloody figure.

“Uh well, I’m not exactly sure. We found him at the base of a large staircase after leaving class,” I said, feeling pretty proud at that believable lie.

“Well place him on a bed, I’ll have a save prepared. But how did you get so roughed up?”

“Oh me?” I asked feigning some ignorance. “Would you believe a spell went wrong in practical magic?”

“Oh honey, it happens all the time! Take the bed next to him and I’ll have you checked out in no time,” she replied. Am I good at lying? That was two for two.

The attendant did a once over on both of us before leaving to prepare to potion.

“Now that I’ve had time to think, it doesn’t matter how long it takes, we just have to wait it out. Eventually, she won’t be able to stop throwing up and probably get carted to the infirmary,” I explained once we were alone.

“So, you just want to skip the first day of classes?”

“Well, I want us to skip the first day of classes,” I replied.

“Fine I’ll stay, but even if you’re right, why did you even bother to help?” she asked.

“I don’t know, I just couldn’t leave it alone once I knew,” I explained. It was just one of the things that had to be done. Once this day was over, she would be in her right mind. Nobody on campus would be given water torture. Then I could safely ignore her and go on with my life.

Our conversation was cut short as the attendant came back in. Larissa helped her peel off the man’s bloody tunic and apply various salves. He had a few bruises on his face, but no broken bones surprisingly. Maybe her self control was better than I thought.

Then for the first time since I was here, I saw real healing magic. Or at least the kind you could see, since Lysians only did it quietly. The woman pushed magic out of her hands into the medicine on top of his body until it began to glow. It was like it activated the salve. Within a few minutes his open cuts were pulling themselves together, though the bruises seemed to last far longer.

She tried to do the same to me, but I declined. My body had already healed the superficial cuts, though the bruises and magic burns remained.

“I’m pretty sure I won’t need it,” I explained.

“Nonsense,” the two of them said in unison, forcing me to relent.

"You're poor face is so swollen," She said as she began applying the salve to my cheek. Soon I was sticky with glowing salve all over my body. It had a soothing warmth to it, similar to a heating pad.

“Can I get your name?” I asked as she was finishing up.

“Helena, and you two?”

“I’m Gettorix and that’s Larissa, we’re both new this year,” I explained.

“Exciting first day, I suppose,” she said with a chuckle.

“You can say that again,” I replied. "Do you know where Eborum is?"