CHAPTER 213: CEDRIC VALTIERI [3]

"Whoa... it’s big," Kyle muttered under his breath, whistling softly.

A small smirk tugged at Cedric’s lips.

"It’s not that big. And I know yours is bigger."

Kyle gave him a look. "Don’t say it like that. It sounds... weird."

"You’re the one making it weird," Cedric said, his voice quiet as he shut the door with a soft click.

"Well, living with Aurelia has its perks. Instructors housing is basically a luxury suite."

It really was a nice dorm. Way better than the other top 10 students dorms.

The ceilings were tall, windows wide, and sunlight poured in, cutting clean lines across the floor. A deep blue couch sat in the middle, surrounded by a pair of armchairs.

Kyle dropped onto the couch like a sack of bricks, making the whole thing groan under his weight.

"Damn. This is comfy."

Zalrielle, still in her Mochi form, jumped up beside him, all grace and poise.

She folded herself neatly into a loaf, her tail curled tight, golden eyes scanning the room like she owned the place.

Cedric eyed her for a second, head tilted.

"Your cat’s looking at my room like I owes her money."

"That’s just her face," Kyle said, scratching behind her ears. She leaned into it without breaking her stare.

Cedric shook his head. "You want something to drink? I’ve got coffee, tea..."

"Coffee. Lotta sugar."

Just as the words left Kyle’s mouth, Zal’s voice echoed in his head. ’Cake.’

Kyle sighed. "Also, uh... you got any cake?"

Cedric blinked. "Cake?"

"Yeah. You know. Frosting. Layers. Cake. For the cat."

He pointed at Mochi, who was now licking her paw like she hadn’t said a thing.

Cedric looked between them both.

"Right... Of course she eats cake." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Might be some left from yesterday."

He disappeared into the kitchen, and Kyle grabbed the remote from the table.

The TV buzzed on, flooding the room with fake laughter and background noise. He wasn’t really watching. Just didn’t feel like sitting in silence.

A few minutes passed.

The smell of coffee drifted in from the kitchen, warm and strong.

Then Cedric came back with two mugs and a plate holding a slice of vanilla cake.

He handed Kyle the mug, just like he asked, and set the cake down on the table.

Mochi’s ears twitched.

Without a sound. She hopped off the couch and made her way to the plate.

She sniffed once, then started eating, tiny bites, like she was being polite.

Cedric just stared. His brow twitched.

"She’s... really something."

Kyle let out a small laugh and dropped three sugar cubes into his coffee, stirring without much care.

"Yeah," he said. "She is."

He took a sip, paused, then made a face. Still bitter. Another sugar cube went in.

Cedric’s coffee wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t good either.

The room was quiet for a while. Just the low hum of the TV and the soft crunching sounds of Mochi chewing on something in the corner.

Then Kyle reached over and clicked the TV off. Silence settled over them.

"So," he said, setting the mug down. "You starting, or should I?"

Cedric exhaled. "Fine. I’ll go first."

He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. His voice was calm, but there was weight behind it.

"On my fifteenth birthday, I had a dream. Goddess Solmora—the Goddess of Sun and Judgment—was there. She said the world was tipping into darkness. That I had to be ready when the time came. And that I had to protect this world"

A small flame sparked to life in his open palm. It twisted and changed, into a ball of earth. Then a soft glow of light that pulsed like a heartbeat.

"She gave me her blessing," he said. "Three new elements—fire, earth, and light. On top of the two I already had."

He closed his hand, and the light disappeared.

"After that, everything changed. Mana came easier. Spells didn’t need long chants or complex calculations. They just... worked."

His gaze dropped to the floor.

"I never told anyone. Not even my family."

Kyle gave a slow nod. "So Duke Valteri only knows about the five elements?"

Cedric nodded. "Now it’s you, Serena, Cassian, and Eleanora."

Kyle took another sip of coffee and set the mug down with a soft clink.

"My story’s kind of the same. I got my blessing from the Storm Goddess. No idea what her name is. Happened just before the entrance exam."

Cedric blinked. "That late? And you’re already this strong?"

Kyle shrugged and said nothing.

A pause settled between them. Then Cedric leaned back slightly, eyes sharp but uncertain.

"...How do I unlock it?" he asked, voice quiet. "My partial blessing."

The question hung in the air for a few seconds. Neither of them said anything.

Kyle let out a slow breath through his nose, fingers rubbing the back of his neck where the muscles had gone stiff.

He already knew how it would play out...

Cedric was supposed to awaken his blessing fully once he hit Platinum rank. That was how it happened in the original story.

But maybe it was worth nudging him now. Things were getting messy fast, and Kyle knew he wouldn’t be able to handle everything on his own. Not for much longer.

"I don’t know how the blessings works," Kyle said finally, voice low. "But I do know one way to get stronger."

He met Cedric’s eyes, letting the weight behind his words settle in.

"There’s a place. But we’d need to be at least Gold rank to survive it." A beat passed.

"Maybe Silver Grade 1, if we’re lucky. Should take us both about a month to rank up."

Cedric’s hands tensed on his knees. His fingers twitched, like they were itching to grab something.

"...Where?"

His voice was sharper this time, leaning in slightly. The coffee mug between them gave a faint rattle.

Kyle didn’t answer right away. He gave his coffee one last swirl before tossing back the bitter mess. Even with six sugar cubes, it still tasted awful.

"Not telling you," he said, setting the mug down. "You’d die if you went there alone."

Cedric didn’t like that. His jaw clenched, grinding hard enough that Kyle could hear the faint scrape of teeth.

His shoulders stiffened, hands curling tighter on his legs. But he didn’t argue.

Eventually, the tension in his frame eased. A little. He dropped his gaze, staring down at the floor like it had answers he’d missed.

The silence was starting to drag when Kyle reached out and jabbed him in the shoulder.

"Oi."

Cedric blinked, barely reacting.

"Don’t start sulking," Kyle muttered. "We’ll get there."

He lifted the empty mug and pointed it between them.

"Together."

Kyle said, his tone turning serious.

"And since I’m basically under house arrest after the hospital mess—can’t even take a piss outside the academy without a damn babysitter..."

He let the words hang as he swirled what was left of his coffee.

The silence that followed dragged on, thick and awkward.

Then, without warning, Kyle shifted gears.

"So. Marriage meetings. You’ve done those, right?"

Cedric froze, teacup halfway to his lips. His brow furrowed, confused.

"...What?"

"You know," Kyle waved his empty mug in a lazy circle,

"...those stupid noble matchmaking things. Where they line you up like cattle and let old bats judge you based on your bloodline and how straight you sit."

"I—yes, but why are you—"

"Perfect." Kyle’s grin stretched wider, sharp around the edges.

"Since I’m helping with your blessing mess, I want something in return."

He leaned forward, voice dropping just slightly.

"I’ve got twelve of those hellish appointments lined up. Guess who’s going in my place?"

The blood drained from Cedric’s face. His teacup hit the saucer with a loud clink.

"No. Absolutely not. There’s no way in the seven hells I’m doing that."

He shook his head, eyes wide.

"I’m not going to one of those stuck-up tea parties pretending to be you."

"Do it."

"No!"

Kyle’s eyes drifted toward the corner of the room, where an old stuffed bear sat slumped on a shelf.

He pointed with his chin.

"Do it," he said again, slower this time.

"Or I’ll tell everyone in class—including Serena—that the great Cedric Valteri still sleeps with his stuffed bear."

Cedric’s face went red in an instant.

"That was one time!" he snapped, voice cracking. "My sister sent it as a joke! It’s not—I don’t—"

Kyle leaned back, arms tucked behind his head.

He didn’t need to say anything else. The look on his face said enough.

Mochi, their cat, finished licking crumbs off her paws and, without a care in the world, jumped into Kyle’s lap.

She curled up with a loud purr, flicking her tail like she knew exactly what was going on.

Cedric let out a groan and rubbed both hands down his face.

"I hate you," he muttered.

Kyle just laughed.

As Cedric muttered curses under his breath. Kyle shot a look at Mochi. Her golden eyes gleamed with what looked like approval.

Yeah. This was going to be fun.

———————