Chapter 2

The potion display room smelled like dried sage and centuries of dust.

Seraphina stood in the center of the aisle, staring at hundreds of low-tier glass vials. Alden had assigned her here to "cool off and organize." It was a punishment disguised as therapy.

She yawned. Her jaw cracked from how wide she opened her mouth.

The heavy wooden door creaked open. Elara stepped inside. She held a steaming ceramic mug in her hands. Her face was arranged into a mask of sweet, innocent concern.

"Seraphina?" Elara's voice was soft, coated in fake honey. "I brought you some calming chamomile tea. I heard about your... breakdown."

Seraphina didn't miss the slight narrowing of Elara's eyes. She didn't miss the faint blue glow of the system panel booting up above Elara's head. Testing target stability.

Seraphina sighed. She let her shoulders droop, adopting the posture of a beaten dog.

"Thank you, Elara," Seraphina whispered. She reached out with both hands to take the mug.

The ceramic was scalding hot. Elara had clearly boiled it to the maximum temperature.

Seraphina's fingers wrapped around the mug. Instead of using a basic ice ward to protect her skin-something any first-year could do-she let the heat sear her flesh.

Then, she intentionally jerked her wrists.

The boiling tea sloshed over the rim, splashing directly onto the back of Seraphina's hand.

The pain was sharp and real. Her skin instantly turned a violent shade of angry red.

"Ah!" Seraphina shrieked. It wasn't a fake cry this time; she put her full lungs into it.

Elara jumped back, startled by the sheer volume of the scream. The blue screen above her head flickered violently into a string of chaotic numbers.

Seraphina didn't stop there. She flailed her arms backward, pretending to lose her balance from the pain. She threw her entire body weight against the towering crystal display cabinet behind her.

The heavy glass rattled. The wooden frame groaned.

On the very top shelf, a single vial of High-Tier Dragon Blood Potion wobbled. The liquid inside pulsed with a deep, starry crimson light. It was priceless. It tipped over the edge.

Elara's eyes went wide. She instinctively raised her hand, her lips moving to cast a Levitation Charm to catch the falling vial.

Seraphina narrowed her eyes. Deep in her core, she tapped into a microscopic fraction of her true power-Chaos Mana. It was invisible. It was absolute.

She pushed a microscopic fraction of her true power-Chaos Mana-outward in a silent pulse. It locked the surrounding air, suffocating all basic magic within a ten-foot radius.

Elara's spell fizzled into nothing.

The vial hit the stone floor.

CRASH.

Thick, glowing red liquid exploded across the stones. The sheer density of the magic hitting the air triggered the room's highest security wards.

A piercing, high-pitched alarm ripped through the corridor. Red lights flashed from the ceiling.

Footsteps pounded outside. The door flew open, and Professor Alden burst in, his wand drawn.

He froze. His eyes locked onto the shattered glass and the glowing puddle of Dragon Blood. The muscles in his face twitched. His breathing stopped. That potion was worth more than his yearly salary.

Before Alden could open his mouth to yell, Seraphina threw herself onto the floor right next to the shattered glass.

"I'm so clumsy!" Seraphina wailed. She grabbed her hair with her unburned hand and pulled. "I ruin everything! I can't even hold a cup of tea without destroying a masterpiece! I'm useless!"

Elara's face turned purple. "Professor, she threw herself backward! I tried to catch it, but my magic-"

"I don't deserve to be a mage!" Seraphina screamed over her, her voice raw and desperate. She held up her scalded, blistering hand. "Look at me! I'm a disaster!"

Alden looked at the angry red burns on Seraphina's skin. He looked at her tear-streaked face. The fury in his chest hit a brick wall and crumbled into pity.

He remembered her breakdown in his office. He thought her mind was fracturing under the pressure of perfection.

Alden let out a long, defeated exhale. He waved his wand. The glass shards swept themselves into a dustpan.

"Get up, Seraphina," Alden said. His voice was exhausted, devoid of anger.

Elara stared at Alden in disbelief. Her system panel chimed. Warning: Alden's Favorability shifting toward target.

Seraphina sniffled. She reached out and grabbed Alden's pristine white sleeve to pull herself up. She made sure to smear the sticky chamomile tea and floor dust right onto his expensive fabric.

Alden winced at the stain but didn't pull away. He tapped his wand against her burned hand. A cool, blue healing light washed over her skin, pulling the heat out of the burn.

"I need to go rest, Professor," Seraphina whispered, looking at the floor. "My heart is beating too fast."

"Go," Alden said softly. "Just... go rest."

Seraphina turned to leave. As she walked past Elara, she kept her head down. But just as their shoulders brushed, Seraphina let out a low, breathy chuckle. Only Elara could hear it.

Elara stiffened. Her fingernails bit so hard into her palms they drew blood. She couldn't say a word.

Seraphina pushed through the door, flexing her newly healed hand. Breaking things and getting away with it felt incredible.

Behind her, Alden rubbed his jaw and looked at Elara. "I think we need to move her to a lower-stress environment. I'm reassigning her."