The rest of the day passed in a blur.

I drifted from classroom to classroom like a ghost, answering when spoken to, writing notes I couldn't remember taking, and staring blankly at blackboards covered in symbols that might as well have been another language. If Professor Kaidros had called on me during Combat, I certainly didn't hear him. Thankfully, he seemed content to ignore my existence, sparing me another public humiliation in the combat arena.

By the time we returned to the dormitory, I was utterly exhausted. All I wanted was a few hours of sleep before I had to meet my reluctant trainer again.

But sleep never came.

And I'd tried.

I'd buried myself beneath the blankets the moment my head touched the pillow, convinced exhaustion would eventually drag me under. Instead, every time I closed my eyes, I found myself back inside Professor Malachi's lecture theatre.

The scream.

The slow scrape of the scalpel.

The sharp cracks of ribs breaking.

I opened my eyes.

The room was still there.

Rivena had collapsed onto her bed almost the moment we returned, barely managing to kick off her boots before she was asleep. Lilith disappeared into the bathroom, and before long soft humming drifted back through the doorway, accompanied by the gentle splash of water. Across the room, Eryx lit the cedar-and-mint candle before settling into his chair with a book, the warm amber glow dancing quietly across the pages.

My stomach twisted.

Yep, sleep definitely wasn't coming tonight.

Eventually I threw the blankets aside and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing tired hands across my face before glancing towards the darkened window. Judging by the silence beyond the glass, midnight couldn't have been far away.

Careful not to wake anyone, I pulled on my boots, slipped quietly through the dormitory and eased the heavy wooden door shut behind me.

The corridor beyond was deserted.

Cold air greeted me the moment I stepped outside, carrying with it the sweet floral scent that always lingered over the academy grounds. Somewhere in the distance, unseen insects chirped softly beneath the crimson glow hanging eternally above Gehenna. At night, Crowley Academy almost looked peaceful.

I drew a slow breath. If I couldn't sleep, I might as well head to the training grounds early. At the very least, I wouldn't be waking up with another bucket of freezing water dumped over my head.

My boots echoed softly across deserted courtyards, the sound swallowed by the towering stone buildings surrounding me. Long shadows stretched between statues and gardens until, eventually, the familiar clearing appeared beyond the trees.

I slowed.

Voices drifted through the stillness.

One belonged to Kian.

The other...

I frowned.

I'd only heard it once before, but I recognised it immediately.

Zaquiel.

Instinctively, I slipped behind the broad trunk of a nearby tree, peering cautiously around the bark. If they weren't bothering to keep their voices down, then technically I wasn't eavesdropping... I was simply standing nearby.

Kian stood with his arms folded, his posture as unmoving as ever.

Opposite him, Zaquiel looked anything but calm. His black wings twitched restlessly behind him, feathers rustling as he paced a short circle before turning back again. One hand dragged impatiently through his dark hair while the other cut sharply through the air with every sentence.

"You have to be careful," Zaquiel said, his voice low but edged with frustration. "I'm telling you what I smell."

Kian's expression didn't change. He spoke in a voice too soft to hear.

"It does matter." Zaquiel took another step forward. "You know it does."

Silence.

Zaquiel exhaled sharply through his nose before shaking his head. "I don't care how impossible you think it is."

His jaw tightened. "I know what I smelled."

For the first time, Kian spoke loudly enough for me to hear. "...Enough."

Zaquiel stared at him for several long seconds before throwing both hands into the air. "Fine." His voice dripped with resignation. "It's your funeral."

He unfurled his enormous black wings. Just before he pushed himself into the air, his head turned. Straight towards my tree.

Our eyes met.

Ice flooded my stomach.

Had he—

No. Surely not.

"You can come out."

Kian's voice carried across the clearing before I had a chance to panic.

His sigh followed a heartbeat later. "Did no one teach you that eavesdropping is rude?"

Heat rushed to my face.

"How the hell was I supposed to know?" I muttered, stepping sheepishly out from behind the tree. "You weren't exactly whispering."

Zaquiel watched me for another brief moment.

There was something strangely searching about his gaze.

As though he expected to find something every time he looked at me.

Then, without another word, he beat his wings once. The force of it sent grass bending flat beneath him. A second later he disappeared into the crimson sky.

I watched until he vanished. "What was that about?"

Kian didn't answer immediately.

His eyes lingered on the empty sky before finally settling back on me. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"That sounds suspiciously like it was about me."

"It wasn't your conversation."

"So it was about me."

Something unreadable flickered across his face. Gone before I could place it.

"If you beat me tonight," he said at last, turning towards the centre of the clearing, "I'll answer."

I stared. "You know that's impossible."

"I do."

"...You're the worst."

"I've been called worse."

The corner of my mouth twitched despite myself. I stepped into position opposite him.

"I swear to you..." I pointed directly at his face. "...tonight I'm finally hitting you."

"Is that so?" His lips curved ever so slightly. Not quite a smile, but close enough.

"Right there." I jabbed a finger towards his jaw. "That smug face of yours."

"If you think you can." He folded his hands neatly behind his back. "The Nine Kings."

This time I didn't hesitate. "Paimon. Belial. Asmoday. Zagan. Bael. Beleth. Vine. Purson. Balam."

The names left my mouth before I even realised I was speaking them.

For the briefest moment, Kian simply looked at me. His eyebrows lifted ever so slightly.

"I'm right." I couldn't stop myself grinning. "I actually remembered."

"You did."

"I told you I'd remember." I folded my arms across my chest. "So... you're impressed."

"No."

"Liar."

"I'm surprised."

"I'll take surprised."

"You shouldn't." He shook his head once. "I'd have been impressed if you'd remembered them the first time."

"Oh, that's unfair."

"I've repeated them to you thirty times."

"You threw me into the ground after every mistake!"

His golden eyes lingered on mine for another heartbeat. Long enough for the silence between us to become strangely comfortable. Then he tilted his head ever so slightly. "Are you going to attack?"

I blinked.

He wasn't even in a stance. His hands rested loosely by his sides, his posture relaxed enough that he might have been waiting for a conversation instead of a fight. There wasn't the slightest hint of tension in his shoulders. As though I wasn't dangerous enough to warrant taking seriously.

Which...

Unfortunately...

Was probably true.

"Right." I pushed off the ground.

After everything he'd put me through over the last two nights, there was only one place I wanted to punch. His stupid smug face.

I drove my fist straight towards his jaw.

But it never reached him.

Barely an inch from his skin, my knuckles slammed into something invisible. A ripple spread through the empty air between us, shimmering like disturbed water before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. The impact jarred all the way up my arm. Then it threw me backwards.

The ground disappeared beneath my feet before my back slammed into the grass hard enough to drive every breath from my lungs.

"...What?"

I lay there for a second, clutching my throbbing hand.

"What was that?"

"A barrier."

I pushed myself upright, glaring at him.

"That's cheating."

"No."

"It absolutely is."

"You're assuming your opponent intends to fight fairly."

I opened my mouth. Then shut it again. "...I don't like that answer."

"I know." He looked entirely unbothered. "Besides, I promised not to defend myself physically."

His gaze met mine.

"I never said anything about magic."

I groaned. "Fine."

He nodded once. "Next question. The Trial of Allegiance."

I frowned. "That's the next question?"

"It is."

I bit the inside of my cheek while trying to remember what people have told me. "It's... the trial every first-year has to complete."

"And?"

"The Nine Kings use it to choose students for their Houses." I looked at him hopefully. "Right?"

Kian sighed. Not dramatically. Just enough to make it painfully obvious I'd disappointed him. "That's the answer they teach children."

"Hey." I frowned."I got it right."

"Fundamentally."

"What part did I—"

The words caught in my throat.

Kian moved.

For the first time I actually saw it. His weight shifted. One foot dug into the earth. Then he exploded forwards.

My body reacted before my mind did. 

I threw myself into a roll.

Wind rushed over my head as his hand swept through the space where I'd been standing less than a heartbeat earlier.

I came up on one knee. Before I could think myself out of it, I drove my heel towards the back of his knee.

The impact shot straight back through my leg. It felt like kicking solid stone. Pain flared from my ankle to my hip. I hissed through clenched teeth.

Kian hadn't moved. Not even an inch.

"Ow..."

He reached for me.

Instead of retreating, I threw myself past him. One arm hooked around his shoulders while the other slipped beneath his chin.

If I couldn't beat him with strength, maybe I could stop him breathing.

For one glorious heartbeat...

I thought I'd actually done it.

Then his hand caught my wrist. The other rested lightly against my shoulder.

He turned.

That was all.

The world flipped upside down.

The night sky spun across my vision before the ground crashed into my back hard enough to burst stars across my eyes. Every scrap of air left my lungs in one pathetic gasp.

Before I'd managed another breath, Kian settled over my hips. Two fingers rested lightly against the side of my throat.

His golden eyes met mine as he leaned over me. "Dead."

I forgot about the cold ground beneath me. His face was closer than it had ever been before. Close enough to notice the loose strands of dark hair that had fallen across his forehead. Close enough to see the faint scar running beneath his jaw.

His breathing was faster than usual.

So was mine.

Heat crept into my cheeks, which was ridiculous. He'd just flattened me.

Neither of us moved.

It lasted no more than a heartbeat. But somehow it felt much longer.

Kian looked away first.

He withdrew his hand and climbed to his feet before offering it towards me. "You survived longer than I expected."

I blinked. "Was that a compliment?"

"No."

"It absolutely was."

"It was an observation." He waited patiently, hand still outstretched.

After a moment, I slipped my hand into his.

His grip was warm and steady as he pulled me effortlessly to my feet. The instant I was standing, he let go again.

"The Trial of Allegiance."

I let out a dramatic groan. "I've already told you everything I know."

"You know what children are taught."

"How am I supposed to know anything else?"

He began walking slowly around the edge of the clearing. Without really thinking about it, I fell into step beside him.

"The Trial isn't simply an entrance examination," he said quietly. "It's the foundation of demon society."

The breeze stirred the grass around our boots.

"Every first-year enters the Labyrinth."

"Labyrinth?"

He nodded. "It's a maze located deep below the academy. For nine days."

I stared at him. "Nine days?"

"There are nine trials." His gaze remained fixed ahead. "Each represents one of the Nine Kings."

"What kind of trials?"

"They change every year." His voice remained calm. "But one thing never changes."

"The Nine Kings watch everything that happens in there."

A chill crawled across my shoulders.

He stopped walking. "When the Trial ends, the Kings decide whether you're worthy of joining their Houses."

"And if none of them thinks I am?"

His expression became unreadable. "You'll be expelled."

The word settled heavily between us.

I hesitated. "What happens to students who are expelled?"

Kian's shoulders stiffened. For several seconds he said nothing. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than before. "You don't want to know."

After another long silence, he continued walking.

"You have another problem. House Gaap serves House Paimon."

"So..."

"As a member of House Gaap, you're expected to earn a place in House Paimon."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "So I have to impress Dmitri."

"You do."

"That's... Impossible."

For the first time since the conversation had turned serious, the corner of Kian's mouth lifted. "That's why I'm beat, I mean teaching you."

I narrowed my eyes. "You almost said beating me."

"I didn't."

"You absolutely did."

"I think you're imagining things."

I snorted. "Sure."

I stepped back into the centre of the clearing, raising my fists once more. 

"Fine." I settled into the stance he'd drilled into me. "This time I'll hit you tomorrow."

Kian regarded me for a moment before the faintest hint of a smile touched his face. "You're welcome to try."