Spellbound Empire: Reincarnated in Balance

They say growing up changes you. Makes you wiser, more mature, and all that philosophical junk. Personally? I think it just gives you better excuses for skipping class. Now, at twenty, I'm officially a college student alongside Nerath, and Zyron is still slogging through high school at seventeen. The three of us are navigating the chaos of life, but hey, some things never change- like my talent for being awesome or Nerath's knack for getting into trouble.

College life for us means Aurexion International College a mouthful of a name designed to make it sound fancier than it really is. The idea is that science and magic are supposed to "co-exist" here, creating the future of human progress. In reality? It's mostly students blowing stuff up and professors pretending it's part of the lesson plan.

Oh, and let's not forget the detention collar. They upgraded it, because humiliation apparently needed a glow-up. Now it's called the Quantum Arcane Restraint Collar (QARC for short), and it still lights up neon pink when you screw up. Nerath wears his so often you'd think it was a fashion statement. "It's talent," he says, proudly. Sure, Nerath. That's what we'll call it.

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It all started on an otherwise normal day in Advanced Transmutation. Nerath and I were slouched at our desks, listening to Professor Vexlor drone on about the interaction between magic matrices and neural pathways. (Translation: boring, complicated stuff.) I was halfway through a doodle of a fire-breathing unicorn when the door burst open.

Enter Talonis Volta. He strolled in late, his funky red hair a mess and shirt slightly untucked, like he didn't just walk into class fifteen minutes after it started. His orange eyes darting around before landing on the seat beside me.

"Sorry I'm late," he announced, dropping into the seat next to me like he owned the place. "There was this squirrel...long story."

I didn't ask for details, but something about him was instantly likable. Talonis turned out to be a hybrid, a mix of mage and technologist. That's rare, like ^finding a needle in a haystack that's on fire° rare. Within minutes, we were swapping disaster stories about failed experiments. He told us about the time his self-brewing coffee wand exploded, and I countered with Nerath's infamous wormhole-in-the-dorm-room incident. By the time class ended, we were already plotting our next bad idea.

Later, Zyron met Talonis and immediately tried to play it cool. Didn't last long, though. Talonis' spell-bound hoverboard had Zyron geeking out in under two minutes.

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A few days later as usual Lyra stood in front of my classroom door with cupcakes in her basket. Now, about Lyra. She's a high schooler Zyron knows and, apparently, my new number-one fan. It started when I ran into her during practice. Literally. She was cornered by a group of bullies near the spell training grounds, and they were doing the usual tough-guy act. I stepped in because, well, I'm Laziel. Hero, big brother, and occasional rescuer of cinnamon rolls.

"Hey," I said, leaning casually against a lamppost. "Didn't know we were hosting a 'losers club' meeting today. Mind if I join?"

The leader didn't appreciate my sarcasm and threw a fireball at me. Cute. I snapped my fingers, and the flame fizzled out like it hit an invisible wall.

"Run along now," I said with a grin. "And try not to embarrass yourselves any further."

They ran faster than Nerath chasing free food.

Lyra looked up at me, wide-eyed. "Th-thanks," she stammered.

"No problem. Next time, just yell louder," I said, ruffling her hair like she was Zyron. I thought that was the end of it. Spoiler: it wasn't.

The next day, she showed up outside my class holding a box of cupcakes shaped like miniature dragons.

"These are for you," she said, smiling shyly.

"Wow," I said, taking one. "Cool design. Thanks."

Lyra beamed like I'd just handed her a winning lottery ticket. That should've been my first clue.

Since then, she's been showing up everywhere- classes, practice, even the library. Always with some excuse, like bringing snacks or asking if I need help studying. (I don't. I'm amazing at winging it.)

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Now, Nerath? He's not taking this well.

"Why is she always here?" he grumbled one afternoon as Lyra handed me another cupcake, this one shaped like a phoenix.

"She's nice," I said, biting into it. "These are good, by the way. Want one?"

"No, I don't want a cupcake, Laz!" Nerath snapped, crossing his arms. "She likes you, you idiot!"

"Of course she likes me. I'm likable," I said, genuinely confused.

"That's not what I- ugh, forget it." He stormed off, muttering something about needing to "punch something."

Talonis, who'd been watching this play out like it was his favorite show, leaned over. "You know, you're kind of a walking soap opera."

"Eh," I shrugged. "Life's better with snacks and drama."

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"Now, dear readers, I know what you're thinking. Laziel, can you really be this oblivious? To which I say: absolutely. My life's already enough of a circus without adding romance into the mix. Besides, isn't it more fun this way?"

And if you're wondering how Lyra keeps sneaking into a college she doesn't attend, well...I'm starting to wonder too. Maybe she's got teleportation magic. Or maybe the real magic is persistence.

Anyway, between Talonis' chaotic inventions, Nerath's barely-contained jealousy, and Lyra's relentless swooning, college life has never been more interesting- or more exhausting. But hey, someone's gotta be the star of this show, right?

"Nerath... I'm thinking Laziel is mentally ill... He keeps talking with the air" Talonis whispered to Nerath as he stared at me laughing and talking with you guys.

"Just leave him be what he's being..." Nerath replied giving up totally.

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_To Be Continue_