The walk to Instructor Seraphina's office was surprisingly uneventful.
Not because people weren't staring.
They absolutely were.
By the time I left the classroom, word had probably already spread across half the academy.
A freshman had beaten another student unconscious on the first day.
A fairly impressive achievement if you asked me.
Though judging by the expression on Seraphina's face as she led the way, she seemed to disagree.
The woman looked tired.
Not physically.
Mentally.
As though she had already begun regretting every decision that had led her to becoming an instructor.
Honestly, I felt a little sorry for her.
A little.
Not enough to apologize.
But enough to acknowledge her suffering.
Eventually we arrived at her office.
The room was simple.
A large wooden desk occupied the center while shelves packed with books and documents lined the walls. Several enchanted crystals floated near the ceiling, illuminating the room with a soft white glow.
Seraphina sat down behind her desk.
Then pointed toward a chair.
"Sit."
I did.
For several moments neither of us spoke.
The silence stretched.
Then she sighed.
The kind of sigh a person made when they already knew they weren't going to like the conversation that followed.
"Do you understand why you're here?"
I considered the question.
"Because I won?"
The look she gave me suggested that was not the correct answer.
"I see,because he lost," i said with over exaggerated excitement.
Her eye twitched.
"No."
A second twitch followed shortly after.
"Benjamin."
"Yes?"
"You assaulted another student."
I blinked.
Then frowned.
"Assault is a strong word."
"It is the correct word."
"He insulted my bloodline."
"And?"
I stared at her.
She stared back.
For several seconds neither of us spoke.
Then realization struck me.
"You're from Kaligon."
The statement caught her off guard.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything."
I leaned back in my chair.
Suddenly the entire situation made much more sense.
No wonder she thought I had overreacted.
We weren't even operating under the same set of cultural assumptions.
"In Elarion," I began, "bloodlines aren't simply powers. They're family, history, heritage, and pride. To insult someone's bloodline is to insult everything they are."
Seraphina folded her arms.
"That still doesn't justify violence."
"Perhaps not here."
I shrugged.
"But where I come from, if someone insults your bloodline to your face, they're either looking for a fight or too stupid to understand the consequences."
The instructor rubbed her forehead.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
As though trying to prevent a headache before it fully formed.
"And launching someone through three desks was necessary?"
I thought about it.
Honestly.
Carefully.
Then I answered.
"I only kicked him once."
Her stare intensified.
I quickly added,
"I showed remarkable restraint," my nose practically getting pointy at this point.
That didn't help.
Not even a little.
A few moments later she opened a drawer and removed a stack of papers.
Witness statements.
Interesting.
She slid them across the desk.
"Read."
I picked up the first page.
Most were exactly what I expected.
One student described the incident as excessive.
Another called it barbaric.
One particularly dramatic individual referred to it as savage.
That student was almost certainly from Kion.
Then I reached the statements from the Elarion students.
Those were significantly shorter.
He was warned.
Another.
Deserved.
Another.
Shouldn't have insulted a bloodline user.
Simple.
Direct.
Reasonable.
I looked up.
"These ones seem sensible."
Seraphina looked moments away from throwing the papers at me.
"Benjamin, do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
I considered her question.
Then nodded.
"You are attempting to explain that academy regulations supersede regional customs while on academy grounds."
She froze.
For the first time since entering the office, she looked genuinely surprised.
Apparently she hadn't expected me to understand.
The truth was I understood perfectly.
That didn't mean I agreed.
"Then why are we still having this conversation?"
"Because," I replied, "understanding a rule and liking a rule are two very different things."
For a brief moment the corners of her mouth twitched.
Not quite a smile.
But close.
Progress.
Then a knock echoed through the room.
"Enter."
The door opened.
A familiar face stepped inside.
Adrian.
The dark-haired boy from earlier.
He carried several documents under one arm.
The moment he noticed me sitting across from Seraphina, he visibly hesitated.
"Sorry," he said. "I was asked to deliver these."
Seraphina accepted the papers.
"Thank you."
Adrian nodded.
Then his gaze shifted toward me.
There was curiosity there.
And caution.
Mostly caution.
The boy had witnessed exactly one fight involving me and had already developed excellent instincts.
A promising sign.
As he turned to leave, he paused.
"Oh, right."
Seraphina looked up.
"What is it?"
"The student from earlier woke up."
The room fell silent.
I nodded.
"How delightful."
Adrian almost laughed.
Then I continued.
"It would've been embarrassing if one kick had put him in a coma."
Seraphina stared.
The room itself seemed disappointed in me.
Adrian slowly backed toward the door.
"I'll... leave now."
"A wise decision." i said waving him an overenegetic goodbye.
He left immediately.
The door closed behind him.
Silence returned.
Eventually Seraphina lowered her head into her hands.
I watched for a few seconds.
Then asked the obvious question.
"So am I being punished?"
The instructor looked up.
There was a strange look in her eyes.
One usually reserved for natural disasters.
"Benjamin."
"Yes?"
"If you start another fight during your first week, I will personally throw you out of a window."
I thought about it.
Then nodded.
"That seems fair."
And strangely enough—
I meant it.