ShadowBound: The Need For Power-Chapter 601: Tomorrow Is Going To Be A Pain

"You all did well in this trial," Sir Kaelen said as he stood firmly before the assembled students, his hands clasped behind his back as his sharp gaze swept across the room. "The majority of you proved yourselves capable of responding to sudden and unexpected challenges, as you should." His tone remained even, authoritative, yet not without a hint of approval. "After all, that has been a key focus of your training throughout these past weeks." He allowed his eyes to linger briefly on each student, as if committing their performances to memory.

A short pause followed before he continued. "For now, you are dismissed. Disperse, get yourselves treated if needed, and ensure you are properly rested and prepared for tomorrow."

With those final words, the tension that had lingered in the air slowly dissolved. The students began making their way out of the training hall in an orderly manner, their voices low and subdued as exhaustion settled in. One by one, they departed, leaving behind the vast hall and the figures of authority who remained standing within it.

Once the students had fully exited, and the other instructors and officials had taken their leave as well, Headmaster Thion found himself walking through the academy corridors alongside his assistant, Lucia. The echo of their footsteps filled the otherwise quiet passage as they headed back toward the administrative wing.

"Tell me, Lucia," Thion began calmly, his pace steady as he walked a few steps ahead of her. "Considering this is your first time witnessing how the academy trains and evaluates its students firsthand, what are your thoughts?"

Lucia walked just behind him, adjusting her glasses slightly as she gathered her response. "To be honest," she said after a moment, her voice composed and professional, "at first glance, it does seem rather unsettling—almost excessive, even difficult to bear. However, after observing more closely, it becomes clear that everything done here serves a purpose." She paused briefly before continuing. "It is all designed to prepare these young individuals for the kind of world they will face, and the responsibilities and dangers that come with the roles awaiting them."

Thion listened in silence, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he absorbed her reasoning, clearly amused—and pleased—by her perspective. After a moment, he spoke again. "I see. Then tell me one more thing. After observing today’s trial, what can you say about the students themselves?"

Lucia fell silent, her expression thoughtful as she weighed her words carefully. After a few seconds, she spoke once more. "Frankly speaking, based on what I witnessed today, I’m compelled to say that the first-year students appear to hold more promising individuals than the second years." She lifted her gaze slightly. "No disrespect toward the second years, of course. There are certainly talented students among them. However, within the first years, there are those who stand out immediately—roses waiting to bloom, even at a glance."

At her words, Thion cast her a brief sidelong look before turning his gaze forward again, his expression unreadable. "Is that so?" he said at last.

"Yes, sir," Lucia replied calmly. "The first years possess something... something distinct. A quality that the second years seem to lack."

Thion hummed softly, the smirk on his face returning as he considered her assessment. She will be of great use to both me and the academy in the coming months, he thought as they continued down the corridor.

"Very well, Ms. Greydon," Thion said after a moment. "I appreciate your perspective on the students. It aligns quite closely with my own observations, and I am pleased to have an assistant who views them as I do." His tone remained calm, yet there was an unmistakable weight behind his words. "Let us carry out our duties together as we move forward."

Lucia froze for just a brief moment, clearly not expecting such praise from the Headmaster. A small, genuine smile appeared on her face before she quickly composed herself once more.

"Of course, sir," she said respectfully. "I will do my utmost best."

Thion responded with a small nod and a quiet hum of acknowledgment as they continued walking side by side, their figures gradually disappearing deeper into the halls of the academy.

***

After receiving treatment from the healers in the infirmary, Liam lingered with his friends for a while longer, remaining among them as conversations drifted naturally toward the following day’s evaluation. Speculation filled the air—some confident, others cautious—as they discussed what kind of trials might await them and how the academy would choose to test them next. Once everyone had shared their thoughts and opinions, Liam quietly excused himself, offering little more than a nod before turning away and making his way back toward his dorm.

Upon reaching his room, Liam wasted no time. He closed the door behind him and headed straight for the shower, letting the warm water wash over him as he allowed the grime, sweat, and lingering tension of the day to be cleansed from his body. The steady sound of water did little to quiet his thoughts, but it eased the physical exhaustion that had settled deep into his muscles.

When he finished, he dressed simply, pulling on a pair of black pants before making his way to the bed. Without hesitation, he let himself fall onto it, the mattress dipping beneath his weight as he stared upward and then closed his eyes. Almost immediately, his thoughts drifted back to the trial scheduled for the following day.

"Tomorrow is really going to be a pain," he muttered quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Especially since it’s group-based."

The mere idea of it unsettled him. Liam couldn’t stand the thought of being forced to work alongside a group of peers whose presence he had never once cared to acknowledge. He hated being placed into groups—hated the dependency, the unpredictability, and the unavoidable inefficiency that came with it. The only exception was when he worked alongside his friends, and even then, it was only because they were far less of a liability compared to the rest of their year.

Throughout the past weeks, during the handful of group-based drills they had been assigned, Liam had repeatedly found himself trapped alongside people who seemed determined—intentionally or not—to get under his skin. Some of them had taken it upon themselves to label him the "leader" without so much as consulting him, despite the fact that he despised leadership roles in every form. Worse still, they had tried to shove the entirety of the group’s burden onto his shoulders, acting as though he was meant to drag them all forward while they clung uselessly behind him.

Yet even that wasn’t what had nearly driven him to complete vexation. What truly tested his patience was the constant discrimination directed at him for being a dark mage. They treated him like an outcast, as if his very presence tainted the group, as if he were unworthy of standing beside them as a teammate. That alone didn’t bother him much—he genuinely couldn’t care less about their opinions.

What struck a nerve, however, was the sheer audacity and hypocrisy of it all. Despite their mistrust and disdain, they were always quick to push the group’s responsibilities onto him alone, expecting results while offering nothing in return. That contradiction gnawed at him far more than their prejudice ever could. And considering all of that, even though not all of his peers were like that, if luck turned against him tomorrow and he found himself placed in a group with the same familiar faces who had behaved that way before, there was a very real chance he could fail the group trial entirely.

With those thoughts weighing heavily on his mind, Liam finally opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, his expression flat and distant.

"Hopefully I can handle them better than I did during training," he said quietly to himself. "Or better yet, end up in a group with at least one reliable person. That would be enough."

As he mentally weighed his chances and resigned himself to whatever outcome awaited him, another issue surfaced in his thoughts—one that immediately soured his mood.

Percy.

"That bastard is really starting to test my patience," Liam thought, irritation flickering beneath his calm exterior. "The month is nearly over, and he still hasn’t shown up for the duel. It feels like I’m being toyed with, and it’s getting irritating."

For a moment, his irritation threatened to rise further, but he forced himself to calm down, steadying his breathing as he reined his thoughts back in. "Well," he reasoned inwardly, "if he doesn’t intend to follow through with the duel, then I’ll simply have to find another way to use Sheila as leverage, one way or another."

The thought lingered as he lay there in silence, the weight of the coming day pressing down on him as sleep slowly began to claim him.