Thirtyx entered the classroom hoping all the rumors about Professor Dexerro’s capstone were exaggerated, but if anything, he left thinking they’d been toned down. He was staring at his syllabus with such intense dread that he completely forgot about his query for Seerla and almost walked plumb into her.

"Hey, Thirtyx?"

He startled. "Oh, Seerla. Sorry, I—"

"Tell Rhea I'll do it." Her mouth twitched into a nervous smile. "And if anyone has questions I can't answer, I'll tell them to track her down and pester her later."

Thirtyx grinned. "I'll leave that part out so she doesn't track you down and pester you later. But anyway, thanks. We both appreciate it."

"Glad to help. But I still don't see why you can't—"

Thirtyx raised an eyebrow. Seerla cut off abruptly as she realized, and her protests died in her throat. "Well. I'll see you there, I guess."

"Thanks again, Seerla."

Thirtyx met up with Benn in the hallway outside their final class. He was glad to see he wasn't the only one staring at a syllabus like it was an ancient hydra. "You alright, there?"

Benn looked up with wide, panicked eyes. "You know I've never been afraid of hard work, but this... this is..." He swallowed hard. "There's a reason Wydewood is so highly ranked."

"I guess we'll sleep when we graduate," Thirtyx sighed. “I’ve got something that should make Rhea feel better, at least. Can you tell her Seerla is onboard for the activities fair? Judging by the state she was in when we left the library, she may go catatonic if she doesn't get some good news soon.”

Benn snorted as he brought his hand up to his right earlobe. “Nice work. You may spare her the two fingernails she didn’t manage to gnaw off during our last class.”

Armed with yet another horrifying syllabus, Thirtyx and Benn left their final class en route to the courtyard. "At least it can't get any worse," Benn grumbled. "It's over. We know the damages now."

"And we can conveniently ignore them for the next few bars." Thirtyx forced his voice into an overly cheerful tone. "You can accost underclassmen. I can get a good meal. Everyone wins."

Benn rolled his eyes. "I'm not accosting anyone. Sigraexil is good for the mind, body, and animus. You really should get back into it, you know. Our impending graduation should remind you that we won't always be there to defend you."

He deflected the disturbing truthfulness of Benn’s statement with a scoff. "I might take you up on that if it wasn't just an outlet for everyone to pound me to a pulp."

Nevertheless, Thirtyx helped Benn set up the Sigraexil booth alongside a few classmates who had indeed enjoyed pummeling him during his time with the practice. He peered down the courtyard to see how Rhea was faring, but she appeared engaged in a gossip fest with the other DHS members. More students were making their way in now. Thirtyx relished the rush of energy with a contented sigh. He was still hungry, despite a full day around his anxious classmates, but his mind was clearer than it had been in weeks.

By the time he turned back around, Benn had struck up a conversation with a potential recruit, so Thirtyx decided to take a lap and soak in some more energy before heading back to his room. Earlier that day, he'd toyed with the idea of joining another club or two to pad his resume—he'd need more help getting a job than most—but that was before the mountain of syllabi had rained down on him. How did Rhea and Benn expect to survive this term with all their commitments, plus palace responsibilities and learning an entirely new system of magic?

He wove his way toward Rhea's table, but she was entertaining a whole throng of onlookers. Thirtyx didn't mind. In fact, his incredibly satisfied stomach encouraged him to stay a bit longer while kids with no remote interest in magic (much less the aptitude to join an honor society dedicated to its practice) flocked to catch the future queen in action. But if he was caught gawking, he'd ruin everyone's fun. They'd all scatter, including the few with a genuine interest.