"Brilliant," Selene murmured, her voice low but clear, carrying through the chamber like a soft bell.
"Indeed," Telamon agreed. "How did you escape the tent?"
"Fergis found an exit portal. I was against taking it," Cane admitted.
"We voted," Dhalia cut in. "The original plan was to stealth in and gamble while I suppressed any watchers we found."
"The stealth rune on my heartguard was shattered by Terror's blast," Clara said, biting into a biscuit like it owed her money.
"No good options," Telamon mused, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "You were going to cut off your arm, weren't you?"
Cane blinked. "How'd you know that?"
"You're selfless," Telamon said simply. His eyes shifted to Clara. "Let me guess. She volunteered to make a run for it."
Cane nodded. "She's very courageous."
Clara sputtered mid-chew, her face turning crimson down to every last freckle.
Fergis chuckled. "They both are. But we weren't letting Cane cut off his arm. So… we chose the portal."
Brammel snorted, clearly moved. "You lot have grit. I'm so damn proud."
Telamon turned thoughtful. "The portal led to Kra'lor?"
"Yes," Cane replied. "There were six exit portals. We gathered every scrap of intel and object we could find and picked the one linked to Tyrant Bex. I figured it might lead to Vesh—this fortress used to be his before the Alliance reclaimed it a few months ago."
"You're forgetting something," Telamon prodded.
Cane blinked. "Hmm? Oh—right. Fergis overloaded the power core. Bought us enough time to escape."
"Amazing," Telamon said, activating the runes on Cane's arm. "Should be good as new in about a day."
"Thank you, Uncle."
Telamon waved off the thanks. "You've struck a decisive blow against the Zuni Empire. In a few hours, you eliminated Commander Terror—who was about to lead the offensive on the new front—and destroyed their command center. They'll be scrambling for weeks, maybe months."
Brammel clapped his hands. "Well done! This might be bigger than Cane's Folly."
—
A short while later, a rift opened in Vesh, linking to the Magi Academy. The group stepped through.
Cane kept his arm covered, slung to give the illusion of injury.
"How many points was today's mission worth?" he asked casually.
Telamon raised an eyebrow. "Points? Well… let's just say the team point competition ended early this year. Congratulations."
Fergis grinned. "And compensation?"
"Substantial," Telamon said with a smirk. He had already received everything from their storage rings—including the tactical table map. Not only was it still active, but the Zuni likely believed it destroyed. That gave the Alliance a rare advantage.
"Let me know when you regain access to your ringworld. I'll start unraveling the dark tether inside Jonas," he added. "But don't worry. I'll return him in good condition."
"Thank you, Uncle."
Telamon turned to leave, but paused mid-step. "Clara. Dhalia. Move your things to Seven Tower."
Clara blinked, staring after him. "Seven Tower? B-but… that's where Cane and Fergis live. That's where they put the geniuses. Why would I…?"
Her face twisted, voice thick with sudden emotion. "Why would I live there?"
Dhalia gently draped an arm around her shoulders. "Aren't you the best?"
Clara grinned, wiping at her eyes. "Okay… I'm gonna go pack."
Cane touched the psi-rune behind his ear.
Cane: We're back, Sophie. All of us.
Sophie: Are you in your room?
Cane: Almost.
Sophie: On my way.
She appeared at his doorway moments later, her eyes landing on the arm sling first. "How bad is it?"
"It's not too bad. The Archmage says I'll make a full recovery in a day or so." Cane hugged her with his good arm. "Don't look so worried."
Sophie hugged him tighter. "Did you guys get Jonas?"
Cane nodded, grinning. "Yeah. Uncle says he needs to treat the darkness corrupting him, but he'll recover."
Sophie let out a breath and gently cupped his cheeks. "How bad's the arm, really?"
"It withered a little—part of what I did to kill Terror."
"Wait… Commander Terror? You killed that Terror?"
Cane nodded. "That's the one. We also destroyed the command center."
Sophie blinked. "The one on the frontier? I didn't think they'd even established one yet."
"No, the one in Kra'lor. Where the dark council meets."
"Kra'lor?" Her voice climbed an octave. "You don't mean the Kra'lor?"
Cane shrugged. "Is there more than one?"
Sophie stared. "Cane… you killed Commander Terror and destroyed the Zuni Empire's command center?"
"All in a day's work," he said, utterly serious.
"Half a day, actually," Fergis called from the hallway.
Sophie leaned in, brushing a kiss against Cane's lips. "You're not pranking me?"
"No." Cane gently closed off her retreat with his good arm, grinning as she settled against him.
"Hi, neighbor!" Clara's voice rang out as she passed Cane's door, her bright smile lighting the hallway like a rising sun.
A beat later, Dhalia followed with a casual wave. "Neighbor."
Sophie blinked. "What's going on?"
"Huh? Oh, those two were moved to Seven Tower. Also... we won the cadet team competition."
"Won?" Sophie blinked. "You were in third place yesterday."
"Yeah," Cane chuckled. "Like I said months ago—those third-years would choke on our dust."
That evening, bells rang in the capital—and in every major city of the Allied Realm.
Shortly after, official proclamations were read: a daring mission had started on the Western Front and ended deep inside Kra'lor. Commander Terror—slain in his tent, surrounded by an entire Legion. The tactical command center of the Zuni Empire—utterly destroyed.
The names of the cadets were released to the public.
The next day was declared a national holiday.
Back at the Academy, the rune in Cane's room buzzed—classes were canceled.
Sophie stayed until late, recounting her day while curled beside him. Eventually, she slipped away.
Cane drifted into sleep, restless and tense. He grimaced whenever he rolled onto his arm.
At dawn, pain ripped through him—sharp, excruciating, like fire under the skin.
Then, just as suddenly, his connection to the ringworld flared back to life.
Breathing a shaky sigh, Cane sank back into sleep, finally at peace… until the morning announcements.
Good morning, everyone!
This is Sophie Sweetwater with the morning announcements.
On the war front: The Zuni Empire has requested a three-month delay in opening the western and southern fronts. This request was denied, as King Hellion reaffirmed his intent to end the war within his reign.
In other news: In an unprecedented turn of events, our very own cadets eliminated Commander Terror and successfully infiltrated the Zuni Tactical Center in Kra'lor, sabotaging the facility as they made a safe retreat. All four mission team members will be knighted in a special ceremony—date to be announced.
Locally: The 1st-year cadet team captained by Cane Ironheart has been declared the winner of this year's team competition.
Archmage Telamon was quoted as saying:
"Simply brilliant. Because of four academy students, the Zuni Empire has felt our reach—and now tremble behind their walls."
A mandatory meeting will be held at 1000 hours in the commencement hall.
Elsewhere, in the Magi Academy—
Zen lay on her back, her bald, tattooed head covered with a wool sleeping cap. She yawned, staring at the ceiling as Sophie's voice echoed through the room.
"Heavens," she whispered. "They really did it. Even killed Terror. And… how'd they reach the capital?"
The psi-rune behind her ear chimed.
Beto: You hear that?
Zen: Pretty sure everyone in the Academy heard that.
Hondo: They won the competition. I'd love to hear the third-years choking that one down.
Lume: I heard they got back yesterday. Cane was injured—bad enough to need a few days off.
Zen: They're good. And they invited us to help them because we're decent too.
Hondo: They train together every morning. Run with bags of rocks. Dhalia told me she ran until her feet bled.
Beto: And she's cute. Bet you offered to heal her up.
Hondo: Guilty.
Lume: We should train more.
Zen: Then let's go. Twenty minutes. Back gate.
Hondo: Wait… you're serious?
Zen: Dead serious.
Meanwhile, in the dining hall—
Eight third-year cadets sat in silence, pushing food around their plates without taking a bite.
"So... that's it, then," Siya said, glancing up at the captain, who should've been his fiercest rival for the top team slot—Yuta.
Yuta let out a heavy sigh. "I want to protest or something... but damn. Taking out Terror, destroying the dark council's command center? How do you even assign points to that? They earned it."
Zio pressed her lips together and glanced down at the RED band on her wrist—crafted by Cane to help her control the electric surges she'd struggled with since year one. "It's not like we could've topped that. Honestly? I clapped so hard when I heard—I think my hands still hurt."
Siya finally chuckled. "Yeah. It's legendary."