Weeks have passed, in the quiet forest outside the Balmount Kingdom, our cozy little cottage looked as peaceful as ever—if you ignored the pile of books that had invaded the dining table. Seriously, it looked like someone had emptied out an entire library onto it. Old, dusty tomes sat side by side with bright, shiny new ones, and some of them were so big I was half convinced they'd been used as makeshift anvils at some point.
Syl was slumped in one of the chairs, her ember eyes drooping as if they were being dragged down by invisible weights. Next to her, Lily wasn't much better off, her head bobbing like a sleepy pigeon. I was already half-asleep myself, cheek smushed against some weird old book that had symbols I couldn't even begin to decipher.
Just as I was getting real comfortable in dreamland, BAM!
Sora's hands hit the table like thunder, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Syl let out a little squeak, blurting, "I wasn't sleeping!" while Lily sat bolt upright, mumbling, "I'm not done reading!" As for me... well, I might've mumbled something about a magic spell, still halfway in dreamland.
Ignis's voice instantly echoed in my mind with that cold, judgmental tone of his. "Oh, what a spectacle. Truly, you're the pride of your ancestors—a lazy, drooling brat who can't even handle basic study. I'm in awe."
I bit back a groan. Not now, Ignis. Give me a break.
"A break? You've been napping longer than a hibernating bear. At this rate, the only magic you'll master is sleep magic. How tragic."
My face heated up as I noticed everyone staring at me, and I hurriedly sat up, pretending I hadn't just wiped a puddle of drool off my cheek. Sora, of course, wasn't buying it, giving me that disappointed look that cut deeper than any blade.
"I don't see why you're all so tired," she said, her tone icy. "You're supposed to be studying!"
Syl, naturally, was the first to whine. "But Aunt Sora, the book you gave me is really hard! You gave Lily and Kibo the interesting ones to read!"
Adjusting her glasses, Sora gave her one of those looks that could make a grown man cry. "And what, exactly, do you mean by that?"
Syl hesitated, like a rabbit caught in a snare. "This one is so boring! It's all about politics and managing a kingdom. Why do I have to learn this? Lily got a book about magic spells, and she doesn't even use magic! And Kibo's book... well, we don't even know what language it's in!"
Lily glanced up, looking a bit hurt. "I know how to use magic..."
Syl instantly switched gears and hugged her, patting her head. "Of course you do, Lily! I was just saying I'd rather read what you're reading."
Lily tilted her head, clearly confused. "You sure?"
Syl nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes!"
Sora just pinched the bridge of her nose. "There's no point in complaining. The books I've assigned you are tailored for each of you. They're for your benefit, and you will read them."
As she glanced at me, I realized I'd somehow fallen asleep again. She slammed her hand right next to my head, and I shot up like I'd been struck by lightning.
"I'm awake! I'm awake!" I blurted, feeling like my heart had just run a marathon.
Lily smiled softly. "You look funny, Kibo."
Still trying to collect myself, I glanced at her, then at Syl, who was laughing like she'd just witnessed the funniest thing on the planet. "What's so funny?" I grumbled.
Sora just sighed, clearly losing her patience. "Why don't you remove the page from your face?"
I touched my cheek and—yeah, sure enough—there was a damp, crumpled page stuck to it. I peeled it off, trying to look as dignified as possible.
Ignis's laughter practically burned in my mind. "Ah, yes. Nothing screams 'powerful warrior' like drooling on an ancient text. You've truly reached new heights of disgrace, brat."
I groaned internally. Can you just shut up for once?
"Oh, how adorable. The cub thinks he can roar. Face it, you're an embarrassment to even your own shadow."
I shot back. And you're an embarrassment to every dragon in existence. What's your point?
His voice turned colder. "My point is that your incompetence is a stain on my legacy. If you had even a fraction of my resolve, you wouldn't be such a pathetic excuse for a warrior."
Lily was still giggling at my face, and Syl was clutching her stomach from laughing so hard. I glared at both of them. "You two think this is funny, huh?"
Syl just smirked. "Well, when you sleep like a baby and drool on ancient texts, what do you expect?"
"Yeah? Well, at least I don't whine like a spoiled princess," I shot back.
Syl gasped dramatically, throwing herself into Lily's arms. "Why do you have to say such mean things to me? It's not fair!"
Lily patted her back sympathetically. "Shame on you, Kibo. That's not how you talk to a lady."
I blinked, totally caught off guard. Wait... what just happened?
Ignis sneered. "Ah, the brat's being outwitted by a toddler. How mortifying."
Sora cleared her throat, making us all jump. "Stop messing around and focus. You all have potential, but you're wasting it. I'll be training you personally, and it's not going to be easy."
Lily hesitated. "Aunt Sora, who's going to train us?"
Sora turned back with a wicked smile. "Who else but me?"
We all froze, and Syl whispered, "We're doomed. Really doomed."
I shrugged, burying my face back into the book. "That's what you get for complaining."
"I didn't complain!" Syl snapped.
"But you didn't like the book you were given," Lily pointed out softly.
Syl pouted at her, and I just rolled my eyes. "Honestly, Syl, considering your situation, you're more like a spoiled child than a princess."
Her gasp could've shattered glass. "You're so mean!" she whined, clinging to Lily like I'd kicked a puppy.
Lily just gave me a disapproving look. "Kibo, that's not nice."
I rubbed the back of my neck, muttering under my breath. Great, now I'm the villain.
Ignis snorted. "You've always been the villain—just a very boring, useless one."
Syl leaned over, smirking at me. "Thinking perverted thoughts again?"
I raised an eyebrow. "You wish."
Her face turned red. "I—I didn't mean it like that!"
Lily looked between us, confused. "What's a perverted thought?"
Both Syl and I froze, then glanced at each other. Syl fumbled for words while I just buried my face in the book. Yeah... this day was going great.
Just then, a loud crash from Sora's direction made us all sit upright. "I hope you three are reading," she called out. "There will be a test!"
We all paled. Instantly, I glued my eyes to the pages, pretending to be an honor student.
Syl whispered, "We're doomed..."
No kidding.