Dripping wet and leaving a faint trail of water behind them, Elias and Hush trudged down the academy corridors under the firm escort of the security officers. The early morning chill bit at their soaked clothes, and Elias, ever restless, found himself filling the silence with idle musings.
"You know," he muttered, shaking excess water from his sleeve, "I don't think the walls in this academy can actually burn."
Hush, who had spent the last several minutes in tired, resigned silence, let out a sharp exhale through his nose. "What?"
"I mean, think about it," Elias continued, gesturing animatedly despite his damp state. "I threw a fireball—well, technically a controlled ignition exercise—and it definitely should've left more than just a scorch mark. But the wall didn't actually catch fire. It was like the flames just… refused to spread."
Hush gave him an incredulous look, arms crossed as he walked. "That's what you're focusing on right now?"
"Well, yeah," Elias said, as if the answer was obvious. "It's a valid question. What are these walls made of? I mean, if I knew, I could maybe—"
Hush raised a hand, cutting him off mid-ramble. "I just got dragged out of bed, I'm drenched, and now I'm probably about to get punished for something I didn't even do. Elias. Shut up."
Elias blinked, then let out a sheepish chuckle. "Fair point."
The rest of the walk was mercifully quiet.
By the time they reached Administrator Dorne's office, the two of them were beginning to dry off, though their damp clothes still clung uncomfortably to their skin. But as they approached the large double doors, Elias immediately noticed that they weren't the only ones awaiting judgment.
Kiran stood just outside the office, arms crossed and looking completely defeated. Next to him, another boy leaned casually against the wall, his sharp grin widening as he let out an amused chuckle.
Elias's curiosity flared as he strode forward. "Kiran! You too?"
Kiran let out a long, weary sigh before tilting his head toward the grinning boy beside him. "It's all his fault."
Kiran rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced around the dormitory hallway, scanning the engraved plaques on the doors. His new roommate—Fenn—stood beside him, quiet and fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve. He had introduced himself with a small, hesitant smile, his voice barely above a murmur.
"Kiran," he had said in return, offering an easy grin. "Guess we're stuck together, huh?"
Fenn had nodded quickly, but Kiran could tell the other boy was nervous. It wasn't unusual—plenty of students were still adjusting to the fact that they had actually made it through the trials. Figuring the best way to ease the tension was to just keep talking, Kiran had filled the walk with casual conversation.
"So, you from anywhere interesting? Or just the standard 'little town, big dreams' type?"
Fenn hesitated before answering. "Not really from anywhere," he muttered, his voice tight.
Kiran raised an eyebrow at the vague response but didn't push. Instead, he just shrugged. "Fair enough. I guess where you're going matters more than where you've been, anyway."
When they finally arrived at their dorm, Kiran immediately noticed something odd. The plaque on the door had only one name—his.
Fenn stiffened beside him. Kiran shot him a confused glance. "Huh. Maybe they forgot to engrave yours?"
Fenn didn't answer. Instead, his fingers anxiously twisted a silver ring on his hand, his entire posture going rigid. For a moment, Kiran thought he saw the nameplate flicker, like a mirage under heat, but when he blinked, it was still just his own name.
Fenn exhaled sharply and forced a small, uneasy chuckle. "Yeah, uh… probably just a mistake."
Kiran didn't think much of it at the time. Weird things happened at magical academies all the time.
The real weirdness started once they were inside.
At first, it was little things. Their dorm assignment parchment, which listed rules and basic expectations, contained one very bizarre line near the bottom:
"Only one of you can exist and graduate from the academy."
Kiran had laughed when he read it. "Weird wording, huh? I guess that's some ominous way of saying 'don't slack off' or something?"
Fenn had gone completely silent.
Kiran had glanced up, expecting some kind of response, but Fenn had just nodded stiffly and muttered something about unpacking.
At that point, the unease had started creeping in.
Throughout the evening, strange things kept piling up.
Fenn had acted too cautious, as if unfamiliar with basic academy customs. When they went to the mess hall, he had stared at the floating trays like they were some impossible magic. He had hesitated to touch anything until he saw Kiran do it first.
At one point, a passing student greeted him—called him by name. But Fenn hadn't responded.
"Hey," Kiran had nudged him. "That guy just said hi to you."
Fenn blinked at him in genuine confusion. "He did?"
"Yeah. Like, by name. You didn't hear him?"
Fenn had only given a weak laugh and quickly changed the subject.
The feeling that something was off never left.
And then morning came.
Kiran had woken up with the same drowsy sluggishness he always had, groaning as he forced himself upright. He stretched, rubbing his face, and blinked blearily across the room.
His eyes landed on his roommate, already awake and moving about near his bed.
Something was off.
The posture was different. The movements were smoother, more confident—not the nervous, twitchy mannerisms Kiran had come to expect.
Still rubbing sleep from his eyes, Kiran frowned. "Did you sleep okay, Fenn?"
"Yeah, fine," the boy responded offhandedly, tugging on his uniform sleeve, adjusting the cuffs with a casual ease that Kiran had never seen before. His voice was the same… but the way he said it? Something about it set off an alarm in Kiran's brain.
He squinted. "…You sure?"
The boy—Fenn—finally turned to face him fully, offering a half-smile. "Yeah. Why?"
Kiran froze.
That was not the same nervous, hesitant smile Fenn always gave.
That was a smirk.
Something cold ran down Kiran's spine. He sat up straighter. "Fenn… you feeling different this morning?"
The smirk flickered, but only for a second. "Nope. Same old me," he replied smoothly.
Kiran's eyes darted downward.
Something was missing.
His stomach dropped.
"…Where's your ring?"
The boy's entire body locked up. His casual stance stiffened, his hands twitching.
"My what?"
"Your ring," Kiran repeated, more forcefully this time. "You always fidget with it. Where is it?"
The boy's eyes darted to his fingers instinctively, as if expecting to find the familiar band there. When he didn't, his entire expression cracked.
"…Oh."
Then—complete and utter panic.
Kiran had never seen someone go from composed to absolute chaos so quickly. His definitely-not-Fenn roommate frantically spun around, scanning the room like a cornered animal.
"Oh—oh gods—wait—where is it—"
Kiran just sat there, watching, his expression a mixture of horrified realization and mild amusement as his so-called roommate ripped apart the room in his desperate search.
He lunged at his bedside table.
Flipped his pillow.
Threw open his wardrobe.
At one point, he upended his entire blanket onto the floor.
Kiran, now wide awake, rested his chin on his hand. "…You, uh, looking for something, buddy?"
"DON'T TALK TO ME RIGHT NOW," the boy snapped, still tearing through the room.
Kiran nodded, making a mental note: Ask fewer questions before breakfast.
Finally—after what felt like an eternity of frantic scrambling—the boy let out a victorious gasp.
"THERE!"
From beneath a discarded uniform jacket, he pulled out a small silver ring, gripping it like it was the only thing anchoring him to reality.
Without hesitation, he shoved it onto his finger.
The shift was instantaneous.
One moment, there was smirking, confident not-Fenn.
The next, there was Fenn, hunched over, looking jittery and guilt-ridden, his usual anxious energy flooding back into his expression.
Kiran stared at him.
Fenn straightened up, dusting himself off, clearing his throat. "…Morning."
Kiran's mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again.
"…NO! You don't get to 'morning' me after that!"
Fenn raised a shaky hand. "Now, hold on, let's—"
"YOU WERE A DIFFERENT PERSON!"
"N-no I wasn't?"
Kiran pointed aggressively at him. "You were all confident, you weren't fiddling with your hands, and you smirked at me, Fenn! YOU! SMIRKED!"
Fenn scoffed, shaking his head wildly. "No, no, that's crazy! Sounds like you're just not a morning person!"
"You trashed the room looking for that ring!"
Fenn gave a weak, forced chuckle. "Uh, yeah, because I really like that ring?"
Kiran massaged his temples. "You were a completely different person! Like—like an alternate version of yourself! Like—" His eyes widened as the realization fully clicked.
Fenn stiffened.
Kiran stared at him, then at the ring, then back at him.
"…What's your actual name?"
Fenn's eye twitched. "It's Fenn."
Kiran folded his arms.
Fenn cleared his throat. "It's always been Fenn."
A long, heavy silence stretched between them.
Kiran narrowed his eyes.
Fenn stared back, unblinking, clearly willing reality to conform to his lie.
Then—
BAM!
Their dorm room door slammed open, and two academy security officers stepped inside.
Kiran startled. Fenn visibly flinched.
One of the officers held up a parchment and began reading aloud, clearly already tired of whatever they were dealing with.
"Kiran Ardent. And—" He paused, squinting at the page. "…Wait, this can't be right."
The second officer peered over his shoulder. "What's the issue?"
"The name keeps shifting," the first officer muttered, rubbing his temple. "Says Fenn. Then Bohdi. Then Fenn again. Then Bohdi."
Kiran snapped his head toward Fenn so fast he nearly pulled something.
Fenn's hands flew to grip his ring tightly, as if that alone could stop what was happening.
"Ahaha," he laughed weakly. "That's—uh—probably a clerical error? Ha ha. Really, who can say what's in a name these days—"
The officer did not care. He reached out, grabbed Fenn's wrist, and yanked the ring right off.
Fenn disappeared.
And standing in his place, mid-smirk, rolling his shoulders like nothing had happened—was Bohdi.
He grinned at the officers. "Well. That's unfortunate timing."
Kiran threw his hands in the air.
The first officer sighed heavily, stuffing the ring into a pouch at his waist. "Both of you. With us. Now."
Kiran slumped as they were led toward the door, completely and utterly drained from dealing with this first thing in the morning.
Bohdi, on the other hand, strolled casually beside him, as if he had personally scheduled this meeting with Administrator Dorne.
Kiran shot a final look toward their dorm's nameplate just before he was pulled away.
Where it once read only Kiran Ardent & _, it now read:
Kiran Ardent & Bohdi.
Fenn was gone.
Like he had never existed at all.