Picking up the gem in my room, I say, , and it shrinks from its original size of a beach pebble to a small earring. Then, casting , I attach it to the side of my inner ear. Right now, it appears the office is completely silent.

I glance over at the cloak and backpack on my desk that I summoned back. Doubts plague me, but since the dog tag could only have been made by Teacher Broffenberg, I lock those doubts in a chest and throw away the key. Jakos should be on her side, so therefore he should be on my side. I’ll trust his information, at least.

After stretching, I leave the room and head to class, arriving just as the teacher turns into the hallway. Settling down in my seat, I proceed to my usual routine. While reading my book, I hear feedback from the gem.

The fake Price’s voice follows the sound of a door slamming shut. “The dogs led you to that hut. There are traces of magic, but you can’t even trace it? How incompetent are you?”

“Apologies, Sir.” It’s Lethos’ voice.

Fake Price sighs heavily. “What happened?”

“We used a seeking gem and followed it to a city, where it suddenly spun out of control before disintegrating. I suspect that Jakos created or entered a jam zone at this time. From there, we used dogs and kept going in the direction. When the dogs finally caught scent, we were in a wide plain with nothing for miles. The dogs led us to a hut that was surrounded by fog. We aren’t sure what kind of magic the fog was, but the dog’s couldn’t sense anything from there. There are traces of a person living inside the hut.”

“You tried tracing the magic, but it didn’t work. I brought you along because of your ability to trace magic.”

“There are traces a jam stone was in the vicinity until not long ago. He somehow fled, but the traces of magic don’t match. Magic tracing works by taking remnants of the mana used to form the spell in the air to-”

Impatiently, fake Price interjects, “I don’t need your lesson on magic tracing. Give me a one line summary.”

There’s a moment of silence. Lethos clears his throat before saying, “Either the spell used was too complex, or it didn’t use the magi language. I’m prone to the latter explanation.”

“It didn’t use the magi language? That should be impossible. You know full well how inefficient any other language is.”

“Sir, I am after all, the-”

Right on time, the teacher up front calls my name. Distracted, I quickly scan the last line of my notebook before giving a concise response.

Frowning, the teacher says, “Nova, this isn’t like you. If you need to, you may go to the nurse’s office.”

“I’m just a little exhausted, nothing serious,” I reply quickly.

Pursing his lips, the teacher nods. “Don’t push yourself too hard. We wouldn’t want such talent to go to waste.”

“Thank you for your concern.” Turning my attention back to the voices from the gem, I feel like throwing something when nothing more comes out. Lethos seemingly revealed his existence and I was too preoccupied to hear it.

Class ends and the girl who tried to splash me with water back in Chapter 18 appears in front of me yet again. “Don’t get too cocky because you’re talented and smart,” she says, taking a stance and crossing her arms.

My jaw almost drops. “When was I being cocky?”

“Obviously, just now. Teacher Marnek was obviously advising you to take a break, and you brushed off his advice. You even shouted a spell yesterday to get attention for saving a few people from injuries.”

I am definitely too tired to deal with kids right now. Packing up my things, I reply, “If you think I am being cocky, then I will show you what being cocky really is. If you’re up for the challenge, bring all of your little clique and battle, me against all of you. I guarantee that none of you can even scratch me.”

The girl’s eyes widen in anger. “Fine. Do you dare do it now?”

“Whenever you want.” I finish packing and sling my pack over my shoulder. “Shall we go to the courtyard and create a spectacle for the others, or do you want to do this in private?”

“Courtyard!” She turns on her heel and stomps away. Teenagers.

Feeling the stares of the students still in the classroom, I hold my head high and leisurely walk out the door, where I bump into Jennis. He raises a brow at me. “Need help?”

“No need. It’s better if I’m the tall tree in the forest. This way, at least, they will know that wind can’t knock me over.” I can’t help my eighth grade syndrome. I’ve always wanted to say something cool like that at least once, and this world is perfect for those cliché lines.