Chapter 14
The Academy tournament ends, and the new rankings hit campus like a second wave of shock.
People crowd around the bulletin boards and screens displaying the rankings, pointing, arguing, and taking pictures for group chats. Jess climbs to forty second. Reya jumps to thirty fifth. Bull rockets up to eleventh. Sonny rises from dead last to ninety eighth. Ellie breaks into the top ten at eighth after her deep run.
The Academy’s representatives for intercollegiate are set, and the rest of the student body heads into winter break. Everyone else will get to watch from home.
A month passes, and the intercollegiate tournament arrives.
The venue is larger than anything the Academy hosts. The campus here feels like a small city built around multiple arenas. Banners for the top four schools hang from poles. Guild logos are everywhere. Students wear their uniforms like badges of honor.
Sonny rooms with Bull in the men’s dorm. Ellie stays in the women’s dorm. As Ellie unpacks, her phone buzzes. It’s her father.
Ellie answers, "Hi, Dad."
"There she is," her father says. His voice is warm, proud. "Congratulations. Your mother and I are proud of you. Jon’s proud too."
Ellie appreciates the family praise. "Thank you."
"We’re already in town for the tournament," he continues. "We want to take you to dinner before things get crazy. Your mom made a reservation at 7pm."
Ellie’s is not prepared for this. "Tonight?" She reiterates.
"Tonight," her father confirms. "And we have an extra seat. We wanted Jess to come, but realized she didn’t make the top eight. If you want to bring someone, bring them. I’d rather not waste the seat."
Ellie hesitates. Although AM has eight representatives at the intercollegiate tournament, she isn’t exactly close with many of them. The only real candidate among the eight given the short notice, is Sonny. The problem is the implication. Bringing a boy to dinner with her family looks like something. Not to mention, he can be socially awkward.
"I’ll think about it," Ellie says.
"Text me when you figure it out," her dad replies. "You sound stressed. It’s just dinner." They hang up.
Ellie stares at her phone for a moment, then exhales and heads straight for the men’s dorm.
She finds Bull and Sonny in a common room, talking quietly. Bull has a bracket sheet open and keeps pointing to names like he’s trying to solve a puzzle. "If you draw this person, you should fight from a distance," Bull says. "If you draw this earth user, you need angles."
Sonny listens without reacting. "Got it."
Ellie storms in. "Sonny. Come with me."
Bull lifts his hands. "Hey. We’re talking."
Ellie grabs Sonny’s arm anyway with a scowl on her face and pulls him out of the room. Bull’s voice follows them. "You’re stealing my coach."
Ellie doesn’t slow down. She drags Sonny into a quieter room and finally lets go. "My dad called. My family is here. They want to have dinner with me tonight. They have an extra seat and asked me to bring someone from AM."
Sonny inclines his head. "What time? I’ll make it."
Ellie blinks. "What?"
"I assume you are asking me," Sonny says. "I will go."
Ellie is caught off guard by how fast he agrees. "...7pm. How did you know I was asking you?"
Sonny tilts his head. "You came to me. I also assume you’re close with the other AM representatives." Ellie exhales.
"Fine. Just show up to my dorm lobby at six. Wear something decent. And most important, act normal."
"Can you define normal for me." Sonny asks.
Ellie glares. "Don’t make me regret inviting you."
Sonny nods once again. "Understood."
Dinner time arrives. Sonny meets Ellie at the dorm lobby, cleaned up and dressed neatly. Ellie is already nervous. She keeps smoothing her hair and adjusting her clothes like she can remove stress by fixing wrinkles.
Sonny studies her. "You seem anxious."
Ellie forces a smile and insists. "One thing I should make you aware of. My brother Jon is a very talented magician who is trying to enter the top 15. He’s Guild Grimm’s strongest member. However, he likes to tease and can be a pain. Just don’t let him get under your skin."
They walk to the restaurant together. The place is nicer than Ellie expects, the kind of restaurant with soft lighting and quiet music, where the host speaks like every word costs money. Her family is already there.
Her father stands first, smiling. Her mother rises beside him, eyes bright. Then Jon looks up. Jon is taller than Ellie by a lot. He carries himself like a fighter even when he’s sitting. His gaze hits Sonny and stays there.
Ellie steps forward. "Dad. Mom. Jon. This is Sonny. He goes to AM. He’s here for intercollegiate."
Sonny bows politely. "Thank you for having me for dinner."
Ellie’s mother clasps her hands. "He’s very polite."
Jon smirks. "Oh, this is going to be good."
Ellie’s eyes narrow and nudges him. "Jon."
Her mother swats Jon’s arm. "Be nice."
They sit at their table. Her father starts with the easy questions, the ones parents ask because it feels normal. How are the dorms. Are you eating. Are you sleeping. Ellie answers, trying to keep her voice light. Sonny sits quietly, hands folded, listening like he is studying them.
Soon, her mother turns her attention to him. "Sonny, where are you from?"
Sonny answers honestly. "The mountains. In Bronzeland. A pretty remote area."
Ellie’s father chuckles politely. "The mountains. That’s a new one."
Sonny plays along. "Yeah. Not many people from there."
Ellie’s dad glances at Sonny. “So, Sonny. What do your parents do for a living?”
Sonny answers without hesitation. “I never met them. They passed when I was young.”
Ellie’s mom’s expression shifts immediately. “Oh. I’m so sorry.”
Ellie’s dad nods. “Yeah. I’m sorry to hear that.”
Sonny gives a small nod. “Thank you for the condolences.” He looks down at his water for a moment. “My past is… complicated. It’s a sore subject.”
Ellie’s mom nods, respectful. “Of course.”
Ellie’s dad lifts his hands slightly. “No worries. Won’t bring it up again.”
Jon leans back in his chair, amused. "So we’re supposed to believe you’re some orphan who grew up in the mountains."
Ellie kicks Jon under the table.
Jon grunts. "What"
Ellie whispers through clenched teeth. "Stop."
Her mother gives Jon a warning look. "Seriously."
Jon raises both hands. "Fine. Fine."
Her father clears his throat and tries again. "Sonny, why did you choose to attend AM?"
"To meet new people and try and learn some new things about magic, energy, and ether," Sonny says.
Jon snorts. "He means what do you actually do. Ellie says you can’t use magic."
Ellie’s face heats. "Jon, you are being a jerk."
Sonny answers anyway. "You heard correctly. I am an ether user. I cannot use magic or energy." The table goes quiet. Ellie’s father blinks.
"Ether?" Jon laughs. "That’s not possible. An ether user doesn’t make it to intercollegiate. Not from AM."
Sonny’s voice stays calm. "Well, I did. Ether is misunderstood."
Jon leans forward, grin sharp. "Objectively, it’s the weakest power. That’s common knowledge."
Ellie’s mother tries to soften it. "Jon, don’t start a debate at dinner."
Ellie jumps in, voice quick. "When you say it out loud, everything Sonny said sounds ridiculous, but it’s all true. He was ranked three sixty one going into the AM tournament and he made the top eight."
Her father looks between them. "How do you even get selected if you were ranked that low?"
Sonny answers. "Dean selected me to participate in the Academy of Magic tournament." Jon’s smile fades slightly. The Dean’s name carries weight.
Her mother tilts her head. "So you must be strong."
Ellie nods. "Very strong. He’s also excellent at battle strategy. He’s helped me with my match plan. He was helping Bull earlier today."
Jon studies Sonny like he is trying to see through him. Then Jon asks, completely blunt. "Are you two dating?"
Ellie almost chokes. "No!"
Jon raises an eyebrow. "You brought him to dinner."
Ellie’s face goes red. "My father offered an extra seat and Jess isn’t here and Sonny was available and it would have been rude to waste it. That’s all."
Sonny looks at the table. "There you have it."
Ellie’s mother laughs softly, but her eyes stay interested. "Well. On the topic of dating. Asher Warren is here too. He’s representing Merlin’s Magic College. We’re having dinner with his family while we’re in town."
Ellie goes pale.
Jon smirks again and faces Sonny. "Old boyfriend."
Ellie kicks him again. Jon winces. "What. It’s true."
Sonny’s face does not change from the same sad, blank expression. If he feels anything, he does not show it.
Food arrives, saving Ellie from having to answer more questions. Plates land. Conversation shifts to safer topics. The tournament. The atmosphere. Jon’s predictions. Through it all, Jon keeps watching Sonny, the way a fighter watches an opponent.
When the meal ends, they stand near the entrance to say goodbye.
Jon pulls Sonny aside, voice casual, but eyes sharp. "I’m looking forward to watching you fight. Ether users don’t get this far. You must be special."
Sonny gives a short nod politely. "I am honored you will watch."
Jon asks. "How far do you think you go?"
Sonny answers like it is a fact. "Fourth place."
Jon chuckles. "You’ve got spunk. I’ll give you that."
As Jon walks away, Ellie’s father leans toward Ellie, voice low. "Be careful with him. He’s polite, but something feels off. Kind of awkward."
Ellie looks down. "Yeah. He’s a bit of a basket case."
Her mother also whispers to Ellie to piggy back on her husband’s remarks. "He’s kind. But he’s carrying something heavy. It's all over his facial expression."
Outside, Ellie and Sonny walk back toward the dorms. Ellie exhales a long breath. "That went better than I expected."
Sonny looks at Ellie. "Thank you for inviting me. Your family is fun and the food was great."
Ellie glances at him. "Sorry about Jon."
Sonny looks genuinely puzzled. "He asked many questions. Is that normal for family?"
Ellie laughs despite herself. "Not like that." They reach a split in the path where the men’s and women’s dorms diverge. Sonny pauses, then does something he rarely does.
He asks a question. "Who is Asher" he says.
Ellie freezes, unsure what to say. "It’s none of your business," she starts, then remembers she already said that once. She groans. "He’s someone I dated for a couple months in high school. It wasn't serious."
Sonny thinks for a moment. "Did you like him?"
Ellie shakes her head. "Not really."
She squints at him. "Are you jealous?"
Sonny looks honestly confused. "I don’t know. I don’t think I understand jealous yet."
Ellie’s cheeks warm again. "Whatever. Get some sleep."
Sonny nods once once. "Good night."
They split off into their dorms, and the tournament waits for morning.
