The regular classes and Zhao's sessions were a bit more demanding, but nothing extraordinary.

Zhao had been methodical, as always, drilling him on Arturo's written knowledge about territorial management and resource gathering. Maps spread across tables, documentation requirements, legal frameworks that made sense only when explained properly.

It was intense but straightforward. Just Zhao being Zhao.

That night, when he returned to his room, (which they had named with a poorly made sign by Min's hand "the Fancy Gray Wing" in honor of their first quarters), he found his roommates in various states of emotional trauma.

Min was lying face down on his bed, groaning dramatically. Taro looked pale, his eyes somewhat glassy, staring at nothing. Liu simply shook his head slowly while reviewing mountains of notes.

"What happened?" Ren asked, dropping his backpack. The sound seemed to startle all three of them.

"My tutors showed their true face," Min groaned without lifting his face from the pillow, his voice muffled by fabric. "They're demons. Demons with fans and unrealistic expectations about my spine's flexibility. They made me practice one bow five hundred and forty-seven times."

"Five hundred..." Ren repeated weakly.

"I counted," Min said with bitter pride. "Every. Single. One."

"Foundations are the most important thing to get perfectly right," Taro said with a hollow voice, like someone who'd had their soul partially extracted. "Because apparently my left side was 0.3 centimeters less deep than my right side. The Professor has me writing essays on territorial zoning, civic responsibilities, and 'ethics in shared resource collection'."

He paused, looking at his notes with disgust that bordered on hatred.

"Five pages by tomorrow. About sewage basically."

"At least they're teaching you," Liu collapsed onto his desk. "I have no idea where to even begin understanding so many things."

The three looked at Ren expectantly, waiting for his own horror story. Their expressions were almost hopeful, in that misery-loves-company way.

Ren felt something twisting uncomfortably in his stomach. He'd anticipated this moment would come, but now that it was here…

"It was brutal," he said finally, forcing exhaustion into his voice. "Zhao has me preparing for the gathering expedition. Says I need to be ready to collect much more valuable things in the interschool competition, not just theory."

It wasn't a lie. Zhao was preparing him. It's just that this part wasn't what had him worried or tired. Meeting Aldric had also been intense. Just not in the way his companions probably imagined.

"Brutal how?" Taro asked, looking up with morbid interest.

"What kind of new preparation does Zhao give?" Liu also asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Identification of dangerous zones, emergency protocols, how to evaluate unstable terrain..." Ren listed things Zhao had actually taught him. His mind pulled up the afternoon's lessons, all legitimate information. "And for me too, like Taro, I have to understand earth element rules. Arturo also wants me to understand all the legal responsibilities of my new territory soon."

"That sounds horrible," Taro said with sympathy, reaching over to pat Ren's shoulder.

"It is," Ren responded, and this time he didn't have to fake the exhaustion in his voice. The guilt was its own kind of tiredness.

"At least we're all equally screwed," Min muttered against his pillow, the words coming out slurred.

"Yeah, you know," Ren gestured vaguely, "lots of rules. Protocols. Expectations."

Also not a lie. Aldric had mentioned all those things. He'd just presented them as "not as complicated as they seem".

"So your tutor was very strict?" Min finally lifted his head, his expression showing solidarity of shared suffering.

Ren thought about Aldric telling him to take it easy, that there was no rush, that it was easier than it seemed.

"He has... high standards," he said, which was technically true. Aldric clearly had standards. He just seemed to think Ren would reach them easily. "Expects a lot."

"They all do," Taro sighed, slumping further into himself. "The Professor told me my understanding of territorial zoning was 'deplorably inadequate for someone who will soon be considered an adult'."

The words were clearly a direct quote, burned into Taro's memory by sheer humiliation.

"One of the old ladies made me hold a teacup in perfect position for twenty minutes," Min added with bitterness that seemed to go bone-deep. "Twenty. Minutes. My hands are still shaking."

He held them up as proof, and indeed, there was a slight tremor in his fingers.

Liu simply groaned and grabbed his head.

"At least we're all in this together like Min says," Ren said finally, which was technically true though not in the way his companions would think.

"Yeah," Min sighed, his face going back into the pillow. "Shared misery and all that."

"Well," Ren said, searching for a topic change before he had to explain more, "at least training with Lin was the same for everyone."

"True," Liu perked up slightly, like a drowning man grabbing a rope. "That woman doesn't discriminate. She hates and tortures everyone equally."

"It's almost refreshing," Taro admitted, and there was genuine appreciation in his voice. "At least there we know the suffering is genuine and has no hidden agenda."

They spent the next hour complaining about Lin and Yang, safe territory where everyone shared similar experiences. Ren participated enthusiastically, grateful to be able to talk honestly about something.

He watched his companions, feeling an uncomfortable sensation growing in his chest. They were clearly being tortured by their tutors. Pushed to their limits. Stressed to the point of breaking.

And him... he had three slim books and a tutor who told him to relax.

He felt a strange guilt settling over him like a heavy blanket.

If he told them he had it easy while they suffered, how would they feel? Would they think he was showing off? Would they resent him? Would it damage the friendship they'd built over years of shared struggles?

♢♢♢♢

In a different part of the academy, in quarters as luxurious as the Fancy Gray Wing, another conversation was happening.

"I can't take this woman anymore," Liora's voice sounded frustrated in a way she rarely showed. Her usual playful demeanor had been stripped away, leaving raw irritation. "Three hours, Larissa. Three hours making me repeat the same step because my foot 'rotates half a centimeter too much'."

"Lady Daphnia is known for being... meticulous," Larissa responded with diplomacy.

"Meticulous is an understatement," Liora practically growled. "She's a control-obsessed maniac disguised as a protocol instructor."

"At least you know what Daphnia wants," Luna's voice sounded tense, tired in a way that went beyond physical exhaustion. "Morgain corrected my hand posture forty-eight times. And every time I thought I'd finally gotten it right, she found something new. The angle of my pinky. The curve of my thumb. The distance between fingers."

"Morgain was humiliated by us then," Larissa said softly, referring to events during the defense where certain nobles had questioned Luna's authority. "Of course she's going to be difficult with you."

"Difficult I can handle," Luna responded, her voice carrying steel beneath the exhaustion. "But she's trying to sabotage me."

"That's why I told you to study beyond what she teaches," Larissa insisted, leaning forward in her chair. "You can't rely solely on her instruction."

"I am. I learn with you, not with her," Luna responded with obstinacy that was both admirable and worrying. "I'm not going to give her the power to control my education."

"Luna," Larissa's tone became more serious, more maternal despite being the same age. "That's fine for now. But after the first round of exams, things are going to change."

"Change how?"

"Once they finish the first ten exams, they'll have real data. They'll know exactly how you're performing. And then they'll adjust their strategies."

There was a brief silence, heavy with implication.

"If they see you're succeeding despite their pressure," Larissa continued, her voice taking on a warning quality, "they're going to intensify their efforts. They're going to look for different ways to sabotage you."

"Let them try," Luna said with defiance.

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