I spent the next few hours in the training room, squeezing every last minute out of the free period before the rooms became paid the moment classes dismissed.
And...
It was stupidly productive.
Not only did I refine the light magic I had already learned, I even discovered what the cloak was used for through some not-so-careful experimentation.
Turns out, it was an anti-magic cloak. As for its design, it was completely inconspicuous, something you’d expect students to wear to look fashionable or fend off the cold rather than anything magical.
It was honestly perfect.
And as expected of another Fey artifact, I didn’t have to worry about it getting stolen either. The cloak and the Fey Core shared some kind of compatibility, letting me summon it back from anywhere.
I’d only tested it within the training room so far, but nothing suggested a range limit.
Still, I’d be careful. No sense getting careless with something Titania had given me personally.
"Now then..."
I checked the clock. Four in the afternoon, right on the mark. The academy bell would start ringing any second, and with it, classes would officially end.
Time to meet Anna again.
And this time, I’d have plenty to show her.
✧ ✦ ✧
"Have you seen Reyn Brimstone anywhere?"
Anna had been asking every student she passed for the last ten minutes, roaming the academy halls after dismissal like a woman on a mission.
By the time I stepped out of the private training room, the rumors had already beaten me to the exit. It was the first thing I heard.
She really needed to be more careful...
But I’m definitely not stopping her. At this point, she’s basically training herself to become an obsessed villainess for me.
"Hey, Anna."
I rounded the corner and found her pacing up and down the hall, her eyes scanning every direction I could possibly be.
"R-Reyn!"
She sprinted toward me, nearly crashing into me before skidding to a hard stop.
"Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Did you visit the physician again—"
"I’m fine, Anna."
I said with a small laugh, lowering the hand she’d been hovering over my forehead before meeting her eyes. And then...
"Wait... Reyn?"
Her expression suddenly twisted with confusion.
"Is something wrong?"
"Y-Your face..."
"What?"
Anna pulled a mirror from her handbag and immediately thrust it toward my face.
And...
Wow...
Did I always look this good?
"Whoa..."
I muttered, genuinely caught off guard.
"What do you mean, Woah!? You lost most of your body fat in the span of one P.E. period! What the hell happened?"
Could this be... from the Fey Core? Or was it a mix of exercise, magic usage, and the core?
Honestly, I had no idea. I didn’t even think Lucius had a transformation like this, but he wasn’t a good benchmark. Unlike me, he was already physically fit and handsome when he obtained it.
This was...
Completely uncharted territory.
"Guess my trainer’s better than I thought."
Anna let out an exasperated sigh and grabbed my bicep, squeezing to check if the change was just in my face.
It wasn’t.
Her fingers met firm muscle. Not bulky, but definitely not the soft arm she’d held onto in the hospital.
"Even your body feels different..."
"Well, I feel fine, so all’s well, I think."
"I-Is that supposed to make me feel better!?"
Anna’s fingers stayed wrapped around my bicep. Her pink eyes were wide, darting between my face and the arm she was still squeezing.
"This isn’t normal, Reyn."
She finally let go.
"People don’t just... lose half their face fat in two hours. That’s not how bodies work."
I couldn’t exactly argue with her. She was right. Normal bodies didn’t transform this quickly.
But I wasn’t working with a normal body anymore. Empty vessel, dual souls, and a Fey Core bound directly to my chest. If this was normal, then this entire country should be in chaos by now.
Not that I could explain any of that without sounding insane.
"Maybe I was just holding onto a lot of water weight?"
Anna stared at me like I’d just suggested the sky was green.
"Water weight. You think you lost... what, fifteen pounds of water weight? Through sweat? In one session?"
"...A lot of water weight?"
She smacked my shoulder. Lightly, but with feeling.
"This is serious! What if something’s wrong? What if the head injury caused some kind of delayed reaction and your body is... I don’t know, consuming itself?"
"Anna."
I caught her wrist before she could wind up for another smack. Her pulse was racing under my fingers.
"I feel fine. Better than fine, actually. I feel great."
And I meant it. The exhaustion from P.E. had faded completely. And my mana reserves were now better than ever. Even my thoughts felt sharper, clearer, like someone had wiped a layer of fog off my brain.
Whatever was happening to this body, it was far from negative.
"You sure?"
She searched my face, looking for any sign that I was lying. The same face that had apparently been sprinting across the academy, interrogating strangers about my whereabouts.
"Positive. But if it’ll make you feel better, you can check me yourself. Full diagnostic, whatever you need."
I spread my arms, offering myself up for inspection.
Anna hesitated for only a second before pressing both palms flat against my chest. Warmth bloomed under her hands, light magic spreading through my torso like sunlight through water.
And I just watched her face as she worked.
"Your mana channels..."
"What about them?"
"They’re wider. Almost twice as wide as yesterday. And your core..."
She trailed off, and her cheeks colored slightly, probably realizing how long she’d been holding her hands against my chest in the middle of a public hallway.
"Your core is... denser. It’s like someone took your magical capacity and just... cloned it."
The Fey Core’s work, almost certainly. The ambient mana absorption must have already started creating its own reserves.
"So... good news?"
Anna pulled her hands back, though she didn’t step away.
"It’s unprecedented news. Again. For the third time in two days."
She shook her head, pink hair swaying with the motion.
"At this point, I should just start expecting the impossible from you."
"That might save time."
"Don’t get cocky."
But she was smiling now, the worry slowly easing from her expression. Whatever her diagnostic had shown, it clearly hadn’t flagged anything dangerous.
"Fine... if you say you’re okay, and my magic says you’re okay, then... I’ll believe you. For now."
"So, will you be teaching me more magic again today?"
"Well... obviously."
All’s well that ends well, really.