Despite the celebrations, part of Ren's mind remained on that look.

On what Luna had been trying to communicate in that single moment before the world intruded again.

♢♢♢♢

When the final battle ended, with Ren's team victorious and Luna's retreating with dignity despite her defeat, Ren's parents remained seated in silence for a long moment.

Around them, the crowd roared with mixed reactions. Some celebrated with the fervor of people who'd bet correctly, others protested with the indignation of those who couldn't accept what they'd witnessed, many simply observed with expressions that oscillated between admiration and fear of what this level of dominance meant for the future.

But they only looked at their son with pride that transcended words.

Who remained on the field, surrounded by companions and beasts, calm and composed as if he'd just completed a routine task instead of demolishing the team of one of the kingdom's most powerful heiresses.

As if this level of victory was expected rather than extraordinary.

In a battle of what basically amounted to the power of more than ten Gold-rank beasts, something you'd only see in groups of highly recognized adults normally, not students yet to be in their mid-teens.

"Do you remember?" his father said softly, his voice barely audible over the noise that continued to wash over them like waves. "When we sold the house. When we used every crystal we had for that tuition, and then we couldn't get but the government financed gray egg…"

"I remember," his mother responded, the memory still carrying huge weight despite years passing.

"We pretended everything was fine, but… I thought..." he stopped, swallowing with difficulty as emotion threatened to overwhelm his voice. "I thought we'd ruined his life. That we'd bet wrong, ignoring that tiny possibility of one in ten thousand. We pretended there was hope so hard… Fearing he would surrender if… I thought we'd condemned him to..."

"I know," his mother took his hand, squeezing with understanding born from that old, shared fear. "Even though we love him, even though we wanted to believe he could make a miracle… I thought it too…"

They remained in silence another moment, watching Ren accept congratulations from his team, from professors, from nobles who suddenly found reasons to acknowledge what they'd denied before.

"We were so wrong," his father said finally, the words carrying relief, pride and happiness mixed together.

"Yes," his mother agreed, smiling through tears that threatened to fall despite her efforts to contain them. "Thank the gods we were wrong."

♢♢♢♢

Small timeskip of three months...

The third trimester exams followed the same pattern.

His Mantis had reached Bronze 2 a month ago, giving him the usual extra bonuses of 50% and 30% plus a small additional elemental control boost of 25, now a total of 550 points for Ren across all elements.

Ren surpassed the level 3 nobility exams with efficiency that no longer surprised anyone. They'd stopped making bets on whether he'd win and now only wagered on how much margin he'd win by, the question shifting from possibility to degree.

The conspiracy theories grew.

Opportunistic nobles whispered about Selphira's intervention, about stolen technology, about pacts with dark forces. Anything except admitting the simple truth that a commoner could simply be better.

The Starweaver brothers stopped making contemptuous comments after the Hydra's evolution. But their expressions every time they saw Ren said enough.

Fear.

Resentment…

And the growing understanding that the boy they'd dismissed was a real threat to their plans, to their assumptions about how the world should work.

Julius observed everything with satisfaction behind his normal diplomatic neutrality. Each of Ren's victories was a victory for the loyal faction, proof that merit could overcome conspiracy. Each delusional conspiracy theory from opportunists was evidence of their growing desperation, of their inability to accept a changing reality.

But things were changing whether they liked it or not…

The balance of power was shifting like tectonic plates beneath the kingdom's foundation.

And the catalyst for all of it was a boy of nearly fifteen years who no longer had glowing mushrooms in his hair, but possessed an understanding of beasts that defied centuries of established knowledge.

♢♢♢♢

Another small timeskip of almost three months...

And finally, inevitable as dawn breaking after the longest night...

They were near year's end.

Final exams were about to begin.

Not the small quarterly competitions that tested incremental progress. Not the mid-year preliminaries that sorted students into rough categories.

The real final exams, the ones that would give points for the last chance to those who lacked them and pressured everyone to their maximum capacity to force mistakes.

The ones that would determine who maintained their rewards and ranks, who ascended or descended in standing. Even who received more rewards than expected through exceptional performance.

Ren was in his dormitory, reviewing notes and preparing with the methodical thoroughness that had become habit, when Liu entered with a serious expression that immediately put him on alert.

"They just published some details," he said without preamble, wasting no time on pleasantries. "The final exams. And brother..." he paused, his hesitation worrying, "Everything will be a bit different this year-end."

"Different how?"

"Different as in the East and West Directors announced that 'we changed some small specific details specifically to challenge even the most exceptional students'." Liu looked at him significantly, the implication clear in his tone. "I think they're targeting you directly."

Ren didn't respond immediately, his fingers drumming against his desk while processing the information and its implications for strategy and preparation.

Of course they would.

He'd dominated too much, won too easily, made evaluations designed to challenge the best students seem trivial through unreal excellence.

The academy had to respond…

Had to show that its exams really tested everyone, that standards remained meaningful even when faced with exceptional talent.

Even him.

♢♢♢♢

Ren hadn't complained to Liu but he didn't understand why this had been permitted.

Changing the rules of final exams mid-year was irregular at best, and completely corrupt at worst. The academy had protocols specifically to prevent this type of manipulation, safeguards built from centuries of dealing with noble interference.

So he went directly to the Director.

Who, after listening to his complaint with a carefully neutral expression that revealed nothing, simply said: "I'll send a letter so you can speak with our Prince Julius Dravenholm."

Which was an answer in itself, pointing to forces and decisions beyond the Director's authority or control.

♢♢♢♢

"You accepted?" Ren asked, incredulous that they'd allow such obvious manipulation.

Moments before...

Julius arrived that same night, with Selphira at his side. Both looked less formal than usual, as if they'd been interrupted in the middle of something more relaxed. Julius still had wet hair, and Selphira wore her hair loose instead of the style she used in public, silver strands falling freely around her shoulders.

"We heard you have questions," Julius said without preamble, closing the door behind them with care that suggested this conversation needed privacy.

"About the three final competitions," Ren didn't bother with courtesies either, getting straight to the point. "It seems they changed the rules. Is that legal?"

"Not normally, but yes this time... Because we permitted it," Selphira responded. "The opportunistic nobles requested changes. We accepted."

"You accepted? Why?" Ren's voice hardened with frustration and confusion. "Isn't this exactly the type of blatant manipulation you fined them for before?"

"Oh, absolutely," Julius leaned against the wall, crossing his arms with an expression that suggested he was enjoying this more than he should. "That was completely blatant."

"But they didn't do it under the table this time," Selphira continued, her eyes shining with something that looked like amusement and anticipation. "That's why, this time... They wagered."

"Wagered?"

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