The lesson continued and some students asked questions about the previous explanations. Corin barely listened to them. His thoughts were still revolving around the fact that he had never consciously gone through rank 1. He had been rank 2 from the beginning.
'Why?'
He knew that Viviana had never told him a lie, but she had never said everything either. Had she been hiding something? Or did she not know everything herself? Before he knew it, he was so deep in thought that he only became alert again when Professor Dorne continued in a firm voice.
"Let's leave the questions aside. I would like to discuss one last rank today, an essential and special step on the path."
He let his gaze wander over the students.
"The jump to rank 3: Path Bearer."
A low murmur went through the hall. Dorne didn't ask any questions this time.
"A Path Bearer no longer follows the path, he carries it within him."
His words were calm, but their meaning was heavy.
"This is the point of complete resonance. Here the aspirant binds his fate to the constellation. He lives and dies with it."
Corin felt his chest tighten. This was a serious difference from the previous ranks. It was no longer progress, it was a decision, an inescapable bond.
"A Path Bearer is the backbone of a domain," Dorne continued.
"Its existence strengthens it. They give it stability and power. Without them, a domain would become unstable and possibly perish."
He paused, letting his gaze glide through the rows again.
Then, with a slow movement, he turned to the board and wrote a single word on it with a bold stroke:
"The forgotten ones."
Some students straightened up. They had remembered the word from yesterday.
"Your task for next time," Dorne explained without turning around.
"Find the connection between the Forgotten Ones and today's lesson. Don't be superficial. Think."
With a loud clack, he placed the chalk on the desk.
"That concludes today's lesson."
The room remained silent for a moment while the students began to pack their things.
Corin sat motionless.
After a while he entered the dorm and slumped down on his bed. His thoughts revolved incessantly around today's lecture. The revelations about the path ranks and his own condition had confused him. He knew the Raven Stone mattered, but why was he rank 2 directly? What had he overlooked?
He shook his head. There were more important things to worry about. His stay at the academy was not an end in itself. Viviana had given him a clear mission: He had to establish himself in the circles of the nobility. And if he wanted to achieve that, he had to prove himself.
His gaze wandered to his spear, which lay around his wrist in its shrunken form as a bracelet. The many stares he had felt in the refectory and in the corridors made him realize that he stood out, and not necessarily in a positive way. The nobility would not simply accept him. He had to find a way to earn respect.
Corin thought of Cearen. His smile, his insouciance and his words about the disciplinary committee. It was an honorable and influential position in the Academy. A place in its ranks meant recognition. But above all, it meant that he could assert himself through strength.
The combat faculty was his favorite target anyway. But to be accepted into the committee, he had to prove himself.
A test?
A challenge?
Cearen hadn't said much, but Corin was certain that if he wanted to go down this path, he would soon have to prove himself. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. The first step had been taken, now he had to put his plan into action.
Corin stood at the window of his room and let his gaze wander over the campus. The last few days had not only brought him new insights about the academy, but also about himself. The theories from path lore were beginning to link together in his head, his Blessings were becoming clearer, and with every moment he became more aware that he was not without a chance.
He unconsciously clenched his fist. Part of him wanted to test how far he could go now. Cearen had spoken of the strongest fighters in the academy, of students like Ines and Blues, whose control over their Blessings was almost perfect. But were they really untouchable?
What he had seen in the last two days made him doubt it. Many of the students, especially those from noble families, had talent but little real combat experience. They relied on their Blessings as if they were a protective shield, as if it were a given that nothing could happen to them.
Corin knew better.
His fights in the slums had taught him that survival had nothing to do with talent. It was about instinct. About adaptability. About the will to win.
And now he had something he didn't have before, a connection to the ravens. They were always near him, seemed to respond to him as if they were part of him. He couldn't control them directly yet, but he could feel them.
That meant he could become even stronger.
His gaze fell on his spear. The first step had been taken, he had a plan. Now he just had to put it into action. He made his way to the nobles' training ground.
---------------------------------
Corin was training on one of the open training grounds. He was training in the sight of other nobles. Thats was with an intention in mind. He suddenly heard a sharp hiss, an attack. Reflexively, he turned to the side, just in time to dodge a swift sword strike. The attacker, a black-haired nobleman with golden eyes, smiled superiorly.
"Not bad. I just wanted to see if you had any reflexes at all."
Corin narrowed his eyes. A student like the most. Arrogant, fixated on honor and bloodlines.
"If you had asked, I would have shown you," Corin replied coolly.
The noble laughed.
"Let's save the formalities. I wanted to see if someone like you had the right to be here."
Without hesitation, he attacked again. But it was no challenge for Corin. His instincts kicked in, his body moving before he could think about it. A dodging step, a hard strike with his forearm against the opponents sword arm, then a quick foot sweep and he lay on the ground, the blade clinking beside him. It was almost too easy. However he was full of openings with almost no guard.
"Interesting."
Corin turned around. The blond boy from the cafeteria stood with his arms crossed, a slight smile on his lips.
"So you're more than just a shadow in the halls of the academy."
Corin scrutinized him. A worthy opponent? Perhaps. He knew this was his chance. So he provoked:
"If all the nobles are on his level, then yes, this is easier than expected."
"Lucien represents and not everyone. My name is Vealmont. However, you.... may call me Aldric."
A murmur went through the audience. Lucian's face turned red. Aldric, on the other hand, continued to smile, a dangerous, disparaging smile.
"Then we should probably find out how high your level really is."
Corin let his gaze wander over the assembled nobles. Lucian was still lying on the ground, the expression on his face a mixture of anger and shame. Some of the other students were whispering to each other, others were eyeing him with disparaging glances. But Corin knew that this was not enough. Defeating a few low-class nobles would get him nowhere.
He needed an audience. A fight that would attract the attention of the right people. And for that, he needed an opponent who meant something.
His gaze slid to Aldric Vaelmont, who was still looking at him with that cool, calculating smile. The way he stood, the calmness in his eyes, Aldric was different from Lucian. He was controlled, secure in his position. Even in the cafeteria, Corin had noticed that Aldric was the center of his group. If there was anyone he had to defeat, it was him.
But not here. Not now.
Corin suppressed a grin. He had to make Aldric believe that he was safe. That Corin was just an outsider who could fight, but was nothing more than another insignificant in the academy.
"Maybe another time," Corin said calmly, his voice deliberately emotionless.
Then he turned and left the training ground, without waiting for another reaction.
Behind him, there was another murmur among the students. Lucian jumped up as if he wanted to say something else, but Aldric raised a hand slightly, stopping him.
"Hoh?" Aldric's smile deepened slightly. His eyes sparkled slightly.
Corin felt the look at his back, felt the impact of his decision. Aldric would not just let him go.
He had made him curious now. And soon he would provoke him.