The morning breeze of Exilia caressed the tall grass with the delicacy of a sigh. In the last few hours, the meadow surrounding the cabin had become Hayjin's open-air study. The boy was sitting cross-legged, surrounded by scattered parchment sheets and stone fragments engraved with complex diagrams. Although his ribs still sent him a few residual twinges, his mind knew no rest.
On the main parchment, Hayjin was tracing the integration between fluid dynamics and thermodynamics. He was no longer satisfied with just wind.
"If water mana can be manipulated not just as mass, but as a heat vector..." he thought, nibbling the tip of his charred pencil. "I can create a phase-change cycle. Turning water into instant steam through expansion, increasing the wind pressure. A sort of magical thermal propulsion."
Beside him, Rhaegalur offered an almost comical contrast. The imposing former Dragon God was lying on his back, hands interlaced behind his head and a long stem of a wildflower dangling lazily between his lips. His golden eyes were half-closed, lost in the infinite blue of the Alian sky, enjoying the peace that only that clearing could offer.
"Stop torturing your brain, Hayjin," Rhaegalur murmured without moving a muscle. "The world won't run away if you take ten minutes to look at the clouds."
"Clouds are masses of water vapor suspended by convection, Rhaegalur. Looking at them properly is part of my next training session," Hayjin replied with his usual gruff tone, though a small smile curled his lips.
Just as Hayjin was about to calculate the density of a pressurized water bubble, an unusual rustle came from the edge of the woods. It wasn't the heavy step of a predator, nor the flight of a bird. It was a light, rhythmic step, almost like a dance.
"Hayjin!"
The boy sprang to his feet, sending his notes flying. Zhilian emerged from the brush like a sunbeam piercing the fog. She wore a traveling tunic more practical than usual, but her black hair and golden eyes shone with a pure, almost childlike joy.
"Zhilian?" was all Hayjin could manage to say before being overwhelmed.
The princess was upon him in an instant, wrapping him in a hug so tight it made him lose his breath (and made his still-sore ribs protest). After a moment of hesitation, Hayjin returned the embrace with a warmth he would never admit in words. The scent of jasmine and Opes marble she carried with her seemed to restore a balance he had been missing.
"Look at you! You're all bandaged up!" she exclaimed, pulling back just enough to scan him, caught between a laugh and a worried look. "Did you try to headbutt a mountain while I was gone?"
"Something like that," Hayjin joked, trying to recover his composure. "Welcome to my 'humble' clinic for reckless mages. I missed you, kid."
"I missed you too, Grumpy!" she replied, giving him a playful shove on the shoulder. Then she turned toward the giant who was beginning to stand up, bowing before him. "And good morning to you, noble Dragon of the Heavens who soars through the skies of Alius with mighty wings and infinite omniscience; it is always an honor to see you."
Rhaegalur spat out the flower and rose to his full height, greeting Zhilian with an unusually warm nod. "Princess. Your presence makes this clearing decidedly noisier, but less boring. I missed you too, little light."
Zhilian hugged him briefly, laughing. "You guys are incredible. I think coming here is the only way I have to not feel pressured by princess duties, exams, being the future queen, and so on and so forth."
The three of them sat on the grass amidst Hayjin's physics papers. Zhilian listened raptly as Hayjin with a pride he tried in vain to hide behind technical terms recounted the fight with the Gabbro-Bear.
"...so I realized the crystal couldn't withstand rapid molecular contraction. I created a thermal differential between the absorbed energy and the mist at Joule-Thomson temperature. It shattered like a defective piece of tempered glass," Hayjin concluded, gesturing with his hands.
Zhilian watched him with wide eyes, a mixture of amazement and pride. "A Gabbro-Bear? Hayjin, those monsters are usually tackled by teams of two or three support mages! And you took it down alone... using water and cold? You're... you're an intellectual monster!"
She seized his hands, squeezing them tightly. "It's magnificent; I knew you'd find your way. I knew that weird brain of yours would work miracles and be good for something useful, hahaha!"
Hayjin looked down, slightly embarrassed. "It was just a field experiment, nothing much. Rhaegalur says I still need to improve my variation."
Rhaegalur, who had observed the scene with an amused smile, decided to get to the point. "So, Zhilian. I'm glad you escaped your guards to visit us, but I feel there is something more beneath that enthusiasm of yours. What brings one of the future Queens of Opes here in such a hurry?"
Zhilian suddenly turned serious, though her eyes continued to shine. She cleared her throat and looked Hayjin straight in the eye.
"You're right, Rhaegalur. I came because... well, first of all, because I couldn't stand being away from you both anymore. But second... because I need a favor. A huge favor. And only Hayjin can help me."
Hayjin arched an eyebrow. "A favor? For me? Look, if it involves your kingdom's business, thanks, but I'd rather stay out of various political matters."
"No, don't worry," she replied, ignoring the provocation. "Basically, in less than two weeks, I have to take the official Mages' Association exam to obtain a Professional Grade license. It is the fundamental step to be officially recognized as an heir to the throne worthy of leading the Kingdom of Opes."
"And? You're the Princess of Opes; you're incredibly strong. You'll pass it blindfolded," Hayjin said.
"The practical test consists of an official mission in hostile territory," Zhilian continued, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. "The Association's rules are strict: for the first mission, every candidate must have at least one 'Support.' A companion who ensures the mage doesn't die if something goes wrong. Usually, they send Magic Knights or paid mercenaries... but I don't want them."
She leaned toward him, taking his hands again. "Hayjin, I want it to be you. I want us to be registered together. I want my first official mission to be with you by my side. Your logic and my strength... no one could stop us."
Silence fell over the clearing. Rhaegalur looked up, intrigued by the turn of events.
Hayjin remained motionless. His brain was processing the information: leaving the safety of Exilia, registering with the Mages' Association, facing a real mission... all under the eyes of the world. It was the definitive leap out of his comfort zone.
Seconds passed that felt like hours. Then, Hayjin's mouth fell open, and a scream of pure shock and panic mixed with excitement pierced the air.
"WHAAAAT?! YOU WANT ME TO BE... A SUPPORT?! BUT I ALMOST GOT KILLED BY A BEAR TWO DAYS AGO!"
Zhilian burst out laughing, a clear laugh that filled the meadow. "Exactly! That's precisely why! Because you're the only one who knows how to survive when normal magic fails! So, scientist... do you accept the challenge?"
Hayjin looked at Rhaegalur, who gave him an almost imperceptible nod of approval, then he looked back at Zhilian.
The silence that followed Zhilian's proposal was so thick that one could almost hear the hum of magical insects among the wildflowers. Hayjin felt the blood pulsing in his ears, an accelerated rhythm he couldn't calm. His heart hammered against his still-bandaged ribs, as if to remind him that his last "adventure" had reduced him to a mass of bruises and wraps.
He rose slowly, shaking his head. The initial shock was giving way to his typical analytical coldness, that protective cynicism he used as a shield against the world.
"No. Absolutely not," Hayjin said, crossing his arms. "Zhilian, let's be serious. Look at me. I'm literally a child I'm not even ten years old yet. I can barely launch a puff of compressed air without nearly fainting from the effort. You are the Princess of Opes. You have the best mage-warriors of the kingdom at your disposal; you probably have veterans who have faced demons and wars. People who know what it means to be on a battlefield."
He took a step forward, staring into her golden eyes, trying to make her understand the gravity of his point of view. "Even though I now know how to use a shred of magic, I am not a warrior. I'm not strong, I'm not fast, and I'm not experienced. Choosing me as the support for your official license would be like asking a mathematician to act as a human shield in a trench. It's bureaucratic suicide. I'm sorry, but I refuse. I don't want to be the reason you fail your life's goal."
Zhilian did not flinch. There was no trace of disappointment on her face, only a calm, steel-like determination. She rose in turn, standing directly in front of him, ignoring the warning look from Rhaegalur, who watched the scene in silence.
"I knew you'd answer like that," Zhilian began, her tone of voice brookng no argument. "Do you think I'm some sentimental girl who wants to bring her friend along for fun? Listen to me carefully, Hayjin. The Mages' Association exam is one of the most important milestones of my career so far. If I fail, my credibility as a future Queen collapses. If I die, the Kingdom of Opes loses its heir. Do you really think I'd risk all that just for the sake of a liking or our friendship?"
Hayjin was caught off guard by the harshness of her words. Zhilian continued, stepping even closer, invading his personal space.
"You're right: in Opes, there are mages stronger than you. There are giants who can pulverize rocks with a punch and fire mages who can incinerate entire valleys. But they all have one fatal flaw: most of them are predictable. Despite their studies, many almost never follow academy patterns once they graduate; they pray to the elements and hope that brute force solves every problem. In real missions, Hayjin, brute force is only half the battle. The other half is made of strategy, adaptability, planning, and pure, simple intelligence."
She pointed to the sheets covered in equations scattered on the grass. "What you did with the Gabbro-Bear is something only a few mages would have done. They would have tried to hit it harder, dying in the attempt. You analyzed its structure, understood the thermodynamic weak point, and took it down with a shred of mana. That is why I want you. I want a Support who thinks while I am fighting. I want someone who sees the variables everyone else ignores. I don't need a meat shield; I need a brain that knows where to position the shield before the blow is even struck."
Hayjin tried to counter, but she interrupted him again, lowering her voice slightly, making it more confidential but no less serious.
"And don't think this is a one-way favor. If the mission succeeds, your name will be recorded in the Association archives. When you present yourself at the gates of the Magic Academy in a month, you won't be just 'some kid without magic.' You will be the official support of the Princess of Opes who completed a Professional Grade mission. They will open the doors for you with a bow, Hayjin. You'll have access to funds, libraries, and laboratories that you can only dream of now. We all win. I get my license, and you get the prestige necessary for your academic career."
Rhaegalur, from his corner of the meadow, let out a grunt that sounded like approval. "The princess is right, Hayjin. It's a cost-benefit calculation that even you should appreciate. It's not friendship; it's an investment."
Hayjin looked at Zhilian, then at his bandaged hands. The princess's logic was impeccable. It was cold, pragmatic, and terribly Earth-like. It reminded him of the way researchers chose their assistants in the most prestigious laboratories: not the friendliest, but the most useful.
Hayjin sighed deeply, running a hand through his messy hair. Silence reigned again for a few moments, broken only by the wind.
"You're an exceptional manipulator, you know that?" he finally said, with a bitter half-smile. "You hit exactly the right points."
Zhilian smiled, but it was a serious smile. "So?"
"So, I accept," Hayjin replied, squaring his shoulders.
Then Rhaegalur stepped in, with a half-smile of satisfaction, walking toward Hayjin. "Excellent, Hayjin. I believe this first mission could be very useful for your ultimate goal."
"Thanks, Rhaegalur, but..." Hayjin said, more serious than usual. He grabbed Rhaegalur by the collar and said to him:
"Let's get one thing clear, Rhaegalur. I've only died once, and I have no intention of doing it again here on Alius. I want to go home, and I will do everything to make it happen. If I should die again... just know it was still nice being on Alius."
Rhaegalur looked at him for a good minute without saying anything, listening with a gaze that mixed concern with satisfaction.
"Zhilian, if I am to be your support, I won't just watch you. I will fight. I'll give it my all, I'll study every inch of the mission, and if I see that we are headed toward a disaster, I will drag you away even at the cost of sabotaging your exam. My priority will be that we both return home in one piece. If you're okay with that... then I'm ready."
Zhilian held out her hand to him, her eyes shining with a new, intense light of triumph. "I'm perfectly okay with that, Hayjin. Welcome to the team."
The hug that followed was no longer just an affectionate greeting, but the seal of a tactical alliance. Hayjin felt the weight of the mission already pressing on his shoulders, but for the first time since arriving on Alius, that weight was not oppression. It was the fuel his cerebral engine needed to run at maximum RPM.
"Alright then," Hayjin said, pulling away, already in operational mode. "Tell me everything. Where are we going? What kind of threat will we face? I need maps, climate data, and local creature types. If we're going to do this, we have to do it perfectly."
Zhilian laughed, shaking her head. "Hahahaha, easy, easy. I'll explain everything as the days go by; for now, you can just stay calm."
Hayjin turned to Rhaegalur with a look full of happiness. "Rhaegalur, I think we'll have plenty to discuss tonight..."