CHAPTER 19: PRANK

The walk back to my quarters was quiet. Too quiet.

Even the usual late-night chatter of students had died down. Maybe it was just my paranoia acting up, but after that meeting, I felt like the academy itself was holding its breath.

I reached my door, pushed it open, and stepped inside. The first thing I did was lock it.

Then, I exhaled.

Three days.

That wasn’t enough time. Not for a normal class, and definitely not for Class C.

I shrugged off my coat and tossed it onto the chair. My desk was still cluttered with books and rune sketches from earlier. I ignored them and leaned against the wall, arms crossed, thinking.

Black Stone Mountain.

In Sword of Radiance, this camp had been a mess. Most players either suffered through it or quit. I still remembered the forums raging about the difficulty spike.

And now I had to deal with it in real life.

I rubbed my temple.

First problem—the terrain. The lower regions weren’t stable, but that wasn’t the real issue. The real issue was what lived there. Beasts, rogue mana zones, and—if the game was anything to go by—something worse.

Second problem—my students.

Julien? Smart, but reckless. Mira? Cunning, but unpredictable. Felix? Useless in a fight. Wallace? He’d try to invent his way out of trouble. Leo? He’d complain the entire time. Garrick? Durable, but dumb. Cassandra? ...She was a problem all on her own.

They weren’t weak, but they weren’t prepared either.

I needed a plan.

I pushed off the wall and grabbed a blank parchment. No time for complicated strategies—I had to focus on what was possible.

Step one: Basic survival drills. If they couldn’t navigate, or set up camp properly, they were already dead weight.

Step two: Combat preparation. I wasn’t expecting them to fight off a full beast swarm, but they needed to know how to react when things went wrong.

Step three: Teamwork. Right now, they were just a collection of misfits. If they didn’t learn to watch each other’s backs, this camp would eat them alive.

I tapped the quill against the parchment, staring at the list.

It still wasn’t enough.

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.

I frowned. It was late. Who—

Another knock, more insistent this time.

Sighing, I walked over and cracked the door open.

When I opened the door there were no one there, I narrowed my eyes.

The hallway was empty. Not a single student or staff member in sight. Just the dimly lit corridor stretching into the distance.

A prank? Possible. But something felt off.

I stepped out slightly, glancing both ways. Still nothing.

Then, just as I was about to close the door—

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A sound, faint but distinct, like fingertips rapping against wood.

I turned my head sharply. It came from further down the hall, near the stairwell.

I wasn’t an idiot. If something was trying to lure me out, it was doing a good job. But I wasn’t planning on walking into a trap.

Instead, I stayed in the doorway, one hand resting on the frame. "If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, I’m shutting this door."

Silence.

Then—

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A little closer this time.

Then I heard giggles, it sounds awfully familiar.

I exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of my nose.

Of course, it was him.

I should’ve known.

"Felix," I called out, voice flat. "You have exactly three seconds to explain yourself before I decide you need extra survival training."

Silence.

Then, more giggles—this time, slightly nervous.

A moment later, a head peeked out from behind the stairwell. Messy brown hair, wide eyes filled with poorly contained amusement.

Felix.

I crossed my arms. "You enjoying yourself?"

He cleared his throat, stepping out into the hallway. "Well... I was." He grinned sheepishly. "But now I feel like my life might be in danger."

"Correct."

Felix held up his hands. "Okay, okay, in my defense, I was just passing by and thought—’Hey, wouldn’t it be funny to see how paranoid our dear professor is?’"

I stared at him. "And?"

He coughed. "Turns out, very."

I sighed. "Felix. Do you have any idea how close I was to actually setting a rune trap?"

His face paled slightly. "Uh... no?"

I stepped forward. He stepped back.

"Wait, wait, wait—"

I lunged.

Felix yelped, spun on his heel, and bolted down the corridor.

Too late.

I caught him by the back of his collar and yanked him back like a misbehaving cat. He flailed for a moment before giving up, going limp in my grip.

"Professor," he whined, "violence isn’t the answer."

"You’re right. Violance is never the answer it’s a question and the answer is yes."

Felix groaned. "That’s not how that works."

I patted his shoulder. "It is now."

He sighed dramatically, sagging in my grip. "Okay, okay, I surrender. No need for—ow, ow, okay, I take it back!"

I had flicked his forehead. Lightly. Mostly.

Felix rubbed the spot, pouting. "You’re really committed to the whole ’scary professor’ thing, huh?"

"Oh Felix you hurt me by saying that" I clutched my chest while acting like I was hurt. "For that I’ll feed you that cookies."

Felix froze.

His eyes widened in pure, unfiltered horror. "Y-You wouldn’t."

I smiled. Slowly.

His breathing hitched. "Professor. Let’s be reasonable. There’s no need for—"

I started dragging him back toward my quarters.

"WAIT! I WAS JUST JOKING! I—NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

His legs kicked uselessly against the floor as I hauled him inside. I shut the door, locked it again for good measure, and turned to face him.

Felix was already pressed against the wall, hands raised like a hostage. "Professor, please. I have a weak constitution. My stomach is fragile. My ancestors were allergic to bad food. My—"

I strolled over to my desk, where a small tin of those cookies still sat. The ones Gregor had forced onto me last week. The ones that had nearly ended me.

I picked up the tin and shook it lightly. The contents rattled ominously.

Felix whimpered.

"You wanted to test my paranoia," I said, opening the lid. "Now I get to test your endurance."

His eyes darted to the door. "I—uh—um—"

I held out a cookie.

Felix let out a strangled noise. "C-Can we talk about this?"

"No."

"Professor—"

"Eat."

"I have a family—"

"Then they’ll mourn you."

Felix swallowed hard, staring at the cookie as if it were a death sentence. Which, to be fair, wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

His hand trembled as he reached out, hesitating just before his fingers made contact. "You wouldn’t actually let a student die over a prank, right?"

I smiled. "You’re right. I wouldn’t let you die."

Felix relaxed—

"Just suffer a little."

His face crumpled. "That’s worse."

I tapped the cookie against the tin, and Felix was already crying recalling his stupid decisions. I put that cookie back into the tin.

"I’ll let you go for this one time."

Felix exhaled in pure relief, sagging against the wall. "You’re merciful, Professor. Truly benevolent. A beacon of—"

I shut the tin with a snap.

Felix flinched.

"Don’t push it," I warned.

He straightened, nodding rapidly. "Of course. Not pushing. Consider me the most obedient student you’ve ever had."

I arched a brow. "That’s not saying much."

Felix grinned, but there was still a lingering nervousness in his eyes. Good. He should be afraid.

I leaned back against my desk, arms crossed. "So, tell me, why were you really sneaking around at this hour?"

Felix scratched the back of his head. "Uh. Well... I wasn’t actually sneaking around. I was coming back from the workshop. Wallace roped me into testing something, and let’s just say it may or may not have exploded."

I sighed. "Of course it did."

"And then," Felix continued, "on my way back, I saw your light was still on, so I thought, ’Hey, our dear professor must be overthinking again. Maybe I should provide some lighthearted entertainment.’"

He spread his hands. "You know, as a generous and considerate student."

I stared at him. "So your idea of ’entertainment’ was making me think I was about to be assassinated?"

Felix coughed. "Uh. When you put it like that..."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You do realize I almost blasted you with a stun rune, right?"

His eyes widened. "Wait, really?"

I gave him a look.

Felix paled. "Oh. Wow. Okay. Lesson learned. No more late-night pranks on the professor."

"Good."

I pushed off the desk and gestured to the door. "Now, get out before I change my mind about the cookie."

Felix didn’t need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet, practically throwing himself at the door.

"Goodnight, Professor!" he called hastily before slipping out and shutting the door behind him.

I shook my head.

Idiot.

But at least he wasn’t a coward when it came to facing me. Maybe—just maybe—he’d survive Black Stone Mountain.

I sat back down, staring at my unfinished list.

Tomorrow, training would begin.