“The difference between failure and strength is often just someone refusing to let you quit.”

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  Chapter 3: Flickers of Rivalry, Flames of Friendship

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  The Calm Before the Storm

  The classroom was buzzing with excitement—students chattering, celebrating, and exchanging notes. But amidst the joy, in the quietest corner of the room, sat one solemn figure—Ryu.

  Meanwhile, in Class 2-D, another student mirrored the same eerie silence. Aiden sat motionless at his desk, his face as blank as a washed-out chalkboard. His posture screamed, I do not care, but his eyes—those told a different story.

  As soon as classes ended, Ryu dashed across the hallway toward 2-D like a man on a mission. Unsurprisingly, Aiden was still at his seat, waiting for the classroom to empty out.

  Ryu wasted no time. “Hey, did you hear the news? Finals are next week.”

  Aiden, resting his head on the desk, lazily replied, “Yeah, I heard. No need to panic. Everything’s fine.”

  Ryu narrowed his eyes. “Everything’s fine? How do you even conclude that? Remember last time? You bombed geography and math so bad the teacher gave you a ‘special consultation’?”

  Aiden sighed, rubbing his temples. “Okay, okay… I’ll look into it—”

  Ryu smacked his back hard. “‘Look into it’? No. You’re actually gonna study this time, and I’ll make sure of it!”

  Aiden groaned dramatically. “Ugh, it’s really troublesome having friends like you.”

  Ryu grinned. “What was that? Sorry, I don’t speak lazy!”

  Just then, an unexpected voice cut through the conversation.

  Uninvited Trash Talk

  A tall student strode forward, his posture exuding arrogance. His name was Daniel, a former childhood acquaintance of Aiden.

  With a smirk, he mocked, “Aiden, I almost didn’t recognize you. Your father, Mr. Ryse, used to brag about you being a genius. And now look at you—lazy, unmotivated, and completely pathetic. What a joke.”

  Before Aiden could respond, Ryu stepped up, cracking his knuckles.

  “So what if he’s lazy? That’s his business. But let’s get one thing straight—you don’t get to talk down to him like that.”

  Daniel scoffed. “And who the hell are you? A talentless nobody sticking up for another has-been?”

  Ryu smirked. “Talentless? Maybe. But you know what? Even on his laziest day, Aiden could obliterate you with a flick of his fingers.”

  Daniel’s face twitched with irritation. “You sure talk big for someone without an affinity. If Aiden keeps hiding behind you, he’s gonna be a laughingstock.”

  Aiden, who had been silent till now, finally spoke, “Even if Ryu doesn’t have an affinity, he could easily beat you in a physical fight. Hell, even if he sneezed in your direction, you’d probably pass out.”

  Daniel’s patience snapped. He lunged forward, throwing a punch straight at Aiden—only for Ryu to catch it effortlessly.

  Ryu grinned. “If you’re gonna fight, at least do it properly.”

  By now, a crowd had gathered, students whispering and watching eagerly. Daniel’s lackeys had already arranged a sparring session, even tricking the combat instructor, Aaron Beck, into officiating it.

  Aaron, intrigued by Aiden’s performance in P.E., agreed. “Alright, here are the rules:”

  No full-power attacks. No damaging school property. No serious injuries allowed. First one to touch the ground loses. Aaron took a deep breath " Begin ".

  The ‘Fight’ That Wasn’t a Fight

  Daniel grinned, sparks forming in his hands. “I’ll be nice. You can back down now.”

  The crowd gasped. Fire affinity. A rare element.

  Ryu, ever the supportive friend, shouted from the sidelines, “IF YOU BACK OFF, I’M GONNA BREAK YOUR BONES.”

  Aiden sighed, rubbing his temples again. “Why am I even here…?”

  Then, without warning, Daniel clenched his fists, and the sparks erupted into swirling flames. The heat surged outward, making the nearby students flinch. A few even backed away. For a brief moment, the flames danced wildly, illuminating Daniel’s smirk.

  Then Aiden lifted his hand.

  A sinister orb of flame appeared, raising the temperature instantly. The ground shimmered under the heat. The air wavered.

  The sparks in Daniel’s hands? Extinguished instantly.

  Daniel fell to his knees. His breath came in ragged gasps as the heat pressed down on him, suffocating. He tried to stand, but his legs wobbled. Sweat poured

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  down his face as he stared at Aiden’s completely unbothered expression.

  Aiden finally spoke, “This is just mid-level area heat control. Learned it when I was ten.”

  The teacher murmured, “Fire against fire, huh? But one of them is completely outclassed.”

  The crowd went dead silent.

  For a split second, Aiden’s gaze sharpened, just barely. His usual laziness gave way to something else—awareness. Annoyance. Recognition that this could’ve been an actual fight if Daniel had been stronger. But then he exhaled, rolling his shoulders. Not worth the effort.

  Aaron finally stepped forward and declared the match over.

  “Aiden has won. Fairly.”

  Whispers filled the crowd.

  Ryu smirked. ‘Told you.

  Daniel stormed off, humiliated, his lackeys struggling to keep up. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. This isn’t over.

  Ryu turned to Aiden. “Okay, but seriously. What the hell was that red ball thingy?”

  Aiden shrugged. “Just a basic spell. Nothing special.”

  Ryu blinked. “…That was ‘basic’? Dude, you nearly roasted him like a chicken.”

  Aiden sighed, shaking his head. “This whole day has been nothing but a headache… but thanks, I guess.”

  Ryu grinned, slapping Aiden’s back again. “I know what you’re capable of. Even if you refuse to move forward, I’ll just keep pushing you toward your bright side!”

  Aiden glared. “You are a weird person.”

  Ryu winked. “And tomorrow, you’re gonna be hella famous.”

  Aiden groaned and sarcastically said, “Great. Just what I needed.”

  The next day, Aiden’s popularity skyrocketed—everyone was talking about yesterday’s match. At lunchtime, Ryu approached Aiden, a grin on his face.

  “I made a study group with Karl and Ren. From today onwards, we’ll study in person at your place.”

  Aiden froze, his expression turning to horror. His voice came out shaky. “Why… my room?”

  He slowly lowered his head, and Ryu could practically see the life leaving his eyes. Yeah, he’s dead now, Ryu thought.

  The reason for the study group was simple—midterms were around the corner, and their homeroom teacher had made it painfully clear that anyone failing more than two subjects would have to take remedial classes instead of participating in the upcoming combat trials. For Ryu, that was an absolute no-go.

  Sitting diagonally from them, Alina and Lena overheard the conversation. Lena, who had a crush on Ren for his looks and athleticism, perked up. Alina, ever the opportunist, smirked and leaned toward Ryu.

  “Hey, mind if we join too?” she asked.

  Ryu shrugged. “If you’re comfortable, then no problem.” To ease any hesitation, he quickly added, “We’ll switch the study location to the city library.”

  Aiden, head still down, smirked in relief.

  And just like that, the plan was set—3 PM, city library.

  The Grand Library Chaos

  The library was eerily quiet, save for the occasional rustling of pages and scratching of quills. Sunlight filtered through tall windows, casting a warm glow on the long wooden tables. It was meant to be a productive session.

  Meant to be

  Lena sat beside Ren, but her focus was nowhere near the books in front of her. She kept sneaking glances at him while fidgeting with the corner of her textbook.

  Alina smirked and casually nudged her. “Hey Ren, Lena’s struggling with this problem. You should totally help her.”

  Lena turned red. “I-I’m not struggling that much—”

  “She wouldn’t want to fail, right?” Alina cut in.

  Ren blinked, shrugged, and scooted closer. “Sure, let me see.”

  Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Ryu and Karl were locked in an intense debate.

  “I’m telling you, summarizing notes makes studying ten times easier,” Ryu argued.

  Karl groaned. “Dude, no one does that except you. I just wing it.”

  “Which is exactly why you barely pass.”

  Karl rolled his eyes.

  Aiden, on the other hand, was locked in a different kind of battle. He had tried to solve a math problem. Really, he had. But now, his brain was melting.

  Dragging his fingers down his face, he muttered, “Who even decided math should exist?”

  Karl peeked over. “You good, man?”

  Aiden slumped onto the table. “No. My brain is overheating. If I do one more equation, it’s gonna explode.”

  Ryu, not looking up, sighed. “You say that every time, and yet, here you are. Keep going.”

  Aiden sat up dramatically. “No. I refuse to suffer any longer.” He snapped his book shut with a thud, stood up, stretched lazily, and waved. “Enjoy your numbers. I’ll be anywhere but here.”

  And with that, he was gone.

  For a moment, everyone just watched him leave.

  Karl snickered. “I give him credit for lasting this long.”

  Ryu shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

  The Study Session Falls Apart

  While Lena and Ren were lost in problem-solving, Ryu and Karl continued their war against numbers.

  “Okay, let’s go over this one more time,” Ryu sighed, tapping his pen. “The trick is to break it down step by step.”

  Karl wiped his forehead. “I am breaking it down. The problem is that it’s breaking me down first.”

  Ryu rolled his eyes, effortlessly solving the equation. He pushed the notebook toward Karl with a smug grin. “See? Simple.”

  Karl glared at the solution like it had personally wronged him. “…I hate you.”

  Alina, who had drifted from Lena’s matchmaking mission, leaned against Karl’s chair. “Struggling with math isn’t so bad. We have other strengths.”

  Karl raised a brow. “Like?”

  Alina grinned. “For starters, our music taste is elite. You still listen to that band I recommended?”

  Karl’s face lit up. “Oh, hell yeah. Their new album’s fire.”

  And just like that, the study session derailed further.

  Then—

  Aiden returned.

  He walked in like a battle-worn soldier, moving stiffly, a steaming black coffee in his hand. Without a word, he slumped into his seat and took a slow sip, as if the caffeine was his last lifeline.

  Ryu smirked. “Don’t you think you’re addicted to caffeine?”

  Without missing a beat, Aiden took another sip and deadpanned, “Says the guy who lives on caffeine.”

  The girls blinked. “Wait… what?”

  Ryu sighed. “He means coffee.”

  Lena and Alina exchanged glances before bursting into laughter. “Oh my god, we thought you meant something else!”

  Aiden, slightly more awake, glanced at his math book. Seeing everyone else pushing through sparked a rare motivation in him.

  He picked up the book… opened it… and then slowly placed it over his face.

  “…Nope. Motivation gone.”

  Ryu sighed. “You good?”

  “My brain just short-circuited.”

  Everyone laughed—even Ren cracked a grin.

  Then Alina checked the time and paled. “Oh no.”

  Lena followed her gaze. “It’s past 9?! We’re so dead.”

  With their curfew long missed, panic set in.

  “Time to run.”

  Books were stuffed into bags, chairs scraped back, and the two girls sprinted out of the library, already bracing for the scolding at home.

  Days Pass, Bonds Strengthen

  What began as a chaotic study session slowly turned into a routine. They met up more often—sometimes studying, sometimes just talking. Lena actually studied instead of just staring at Ren. Alina and Karl bonded over music. Aiden still showed up, left, and showed up again—still lazy, but at least pretending to try.

  They weren’t just study partners anymore.

  They were friends.

  The Night Before Exams, the campus was unusually quiet.

  At Aiden’s dorm, the scene was… predictable. He was sprawled on his bed, sleeping in broad daylight, a book lying open beside him, untouched. No stress in sight.

  Meanwhile, across campus— Ryu sat at his desk, deep in his books. His eyes were heavy, exhaustion creeping in. He had pushed himself all day, determined to be as prepared as possible.

  But eventually, his body betrayed him. His eyelids drooped, and before he knew it, his head hit the desk, notes scattering as sleep took over.

  The scene faded to black.

  Exam Week Begins

  The next morning, the campus was in chaos.

  The once-calm study group now faced their greatest challenge yet—the exams. And the week was on fire.

  Chapter End

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  End-of-Chapter Note

  If you enjoyed this chapter or have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them! Whether it’s something you liked, something that felt off, or any suggestions, feel free to share. I’m always open to feedback, criticism, and discussions to make the story even better.

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