Aidan glanced at the map of the university grounds and was relieved to see a spot circled in red. He assumed that was his destination and made a mental note of the distance. 

Thunder boomed in the distance, causing Aidan to frown. He let out another sigh when he realized there was no other way.

He was going to have to walk thirty minutes without using magic to stay dry. And that’s exactly what he did.

After stepping outside in the pouring rain, Aidan did his best to stay dry and make his way down one of the paths. The rain was coming down harder than it had been earlier in the morning.

It looked as if most students and professors had bunkered down in some random building. It was hard for Aidan to make out what the rest of campus looked like through the sheet of water blocking his vision.

What seemed like an eternity later, Aidan finally spotted a tiny house located near the woodsy part of campus. Aridella hadn’t been lying about it being small. The house looked as if it could barely contain one person in a comfortable manner, let alone two. But it did look just as grand as the rest of the place.

Wiping water from his eyes, Aidan quickly made his way to the front door and tried his key. He let out a yell of success when the lock turned and he swung the door open.

Once inside, he quickly shut and locked the door. Water dripped from his clothing and pooled at his feet. Thankfully, the floor looked like faded gray stone. Upon further inspection, he noticed that the house was more of a confined apartment. There was a small kitchen area in the far right of the room and it looked like a small laundry unit had been set up on the other side.

He was currently standing in the entryway and was looking at what resembled a tiny living room. There were only two other doors in the house and Aidan assumed it led to a bedroom and a bathroom.

Taking off his shoes, Aidan checked out the door closest to him and discovered the bathroom. He took a look inside the other room and discovered two beds, two nightstands, and two small closets.

It was more than he had hoped for. Pleased with what he found, Aidan quickly dropped his things next to the bathroom and stripped down to his underwear, grabbing a towel he found on one of the racks and drying himself off. He quickly pulled out a set of fresh clothes, happy to note that his water-repellent magic had worked on the inside of his bag.

He pulled on a plain green t-shirt and black pants. He debated about swapping out his shoes but figured it to be pointless since it was still raining outside.

He cast a glance at his watch and silently cursed his luck. Class would be starting in forty minutes and he had to clean up the trail of water and unpack. Taking what felt like the billionth calming breath of the day, Aidan picked up his bag and suitcase and set them at the foot of his bed. He could unpack later.

Grabbing another towel, he stepped back out into the main room and nearly had a heart attack. His eyes met piercing silver and his body felt frozen in place. Those quicksilver eyes were daunting as the man who owned them strode forward in measured steps.

Aidan forced his body to work as he took a few steps back. “You’re the person from before.” He was surprised at how steady his voice was.

“Yes,” the man replied in a voice that carried power. “I’m Fabien Zale, your roommate.” He held his hand out to Aidan.

Aidan glanced at Fabien’s hand with slightly narrowed eyes. He didn’t particularly trust this man. “I’m Aidan Aleta,” he replied back, shaking Fabien’s hand.

It felt as if time stood still. Two hearts beat in unison as piercing silver and hard brown eyes met and assessed the other in a battle of wills. Understanding passed between the two men before both looked away, breaking the strange connection.

Fabien’s eyes sparked with hidden knowledge as he watched Aidan’s eyes narrow in distrust. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Aidan Aleta.”

Aidan’s eyes snapped back to Fabien’s in annoyance. Rather than continue the empty pleasantries, he stepped around Fabien and started mopping up the water he brought in. It took him a second to realize that Fabien wasn’t dripping with water.

“How long have you been here?” Aidan’s voice was cool as he wiped away the last bit of water before standing.

“I’ve been here this entire time.” Fabien’s voice was just as cool, if not slightly indifferent. “It’s your own fault for not being observant.”

Anger bubbled just below Aidan’s control. He hadn’t seen Fabien when he walked in. The house was much too small for him to overlook another human. Aidan didn’t feel as if the other man was lying, but he also didn’t think his observation skills were lacking. Instead of offering a reply, he neatly folded the used towel and set it next to the door.

“I’ll be off,” Aidan stated before pulling open the front door. 

“Might I suggest an umbrella?” Fabien asked in a smooth voice. “Or perhaps you could use your magic to stay dry.”

Aidan’s entire body tensed as he turned to face Fabien, rain hammering into his back. “What are you trying to say?”

Fabien offered Aidan a cool smile as he strode forward until he was inches, rather than feet, away from him. “Don’t let the others find out.”

He didn’t wait for Aidan to respond as he pushed past him and strode into the pounding rain, not a drop hitting him.

Aidan watched him leave with anger fresh in his eyes. It had been a long time since he had met someone he couldn’t stand to be in the same room with.

Letting out a sigh, he doubled checked that he had his house key before shutting the door and hearing it lock in place. Ignoring Fabien’s taunt, Aidan let the relentless rain hit him where it may. He didn’t want to chance the others finding out how strong he was.

It wasn’t just a matter of people knowing he was strong. It was the simple fact that people who were stronger had a large target on their backs and became an enemy to those not wanting their authority challenged.

He hated politics.

It didn’t take long for Aidan to find his way back to the main building. His first class was combat training. He glanced at his watch and noted that he had ten minutes until nine which meant that he had ten minutes to figure out where he was going.

The sheer size of the castle threatened to overwhelm Aidan as he securely shut the front door against the rain. He turned around to meet mocking silver eyes.

“Do you know where the training arena is?” Fabien’s dark voice asked in masked annoyance.

Aidan raised an eyebrow at Fabien. “I thought you were using magic to shield yourself from the rain.”

“That’s beside the point.” Fabien snapped as he readjusted the black jacket he was wearing. “We’re going to be late.”

Aidan ignored those piercing eyes as he pulled out the map he had received earlier from his back pocket. He opened it and felt Fabien inch closer until they stood shoulder to shoulder, looking at the map.

Aidan was surprised to see that they were the same height. The other man’s sheer magical power made him seem more intimidating. Granted, being the same height as Aidan still provided enough intimidation by others not gifted with height.

“It’s in the far back corner,” Fabien stated in a crisp voice as he yanked the map from Aidan’s hands before folding it up neatly and stuffing it in his jacket pocket.

“Hey!” Aidan protested. “I need that for the rest of my classes.” 

Fabien gave him a chilling stare before striding forward. Aidan forced himself to take a deep, steadying breath and followed after, all the while convincing himself why it wasn’t a good idea to chuck the nearest vase into the back of his head.

It took the two of them a few lost turns and ten minutes later to finally reach the training arena. They could hardly take in the grandeur of the place before a harsh whistle pierced through the arena.