Chapter 198: Pinned Under Him

Elara:

Lorien’s eyebrows lifted, and then he smiled. Unfortunately, it was the kind of smile that made me suspect he knew precisely what I was doing and had decided to indulge me anyway.

"Physical combat might not be essential for every noble child, Starlight, but it was mandatory for me. Growing up as one of the Regents, I had to learn how to defend myself without relying entirely on magic. The same applies to the heirs of the other Regents."

My curiosity immediately sharpened. "Wait. Are you telling me that all the Regents know physical combat?"

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t picture Darren Valemont punching someone. Same went for Annika Ashbourne considering how she’s always dressed for an expensive tea party. They looked exactly the kind of people who would not think much of physical combat when they had magic.

Lorien shook his head to confirm that I wasn’t being judgemental about the other Regents. "None of them know physical combat."

I frowned, trying to make sense of that answer. "Then who decided physical combat should be mandatory in the first place?"

His smile widened as he answered, "I did."

For a moment, I simply stared at him. "You?" I repeated, certain I had misheard. "You made physical combat mandatory for the Regent heirs?"

"I did so the moment I became a Regent." He sounded entirely too pleased with himself. "The five of us trained together growing up."

He paused for a moment before adding, "And when I became Headmaster, I also expanded the academy’s practical combat requirements. Magic is a powerful advantage, but it can become a weakness when someone relies on it too heavily. A person who loses access to their magic in the middle of a fight should still know how to defend themselves. And someone who can fight without magic becomes considerably more difficult to defeat when they have it."

The words struck a chord deep within me, reminding me of the accident, of the terrifying moment when my magic had disappeared and Jasper and I had been left with nothing but our physical abilities to survive.

I had always believed that my martial arts training was one of the few things I could depend on regardless of the circumstances. Now, I was beginning to understand why Lorien had insisted on teaching me more than just how to control my elements.

Most importantly, it also made sense why most of the students at the academy looked like newbies in the combat arts class.

I became so absorbed in the conversation that I completely forgot why I had started it.

We discussed the difference between fighting someone who relied on brute strength and someone who used magic strategically, and Lorien explained how the academy’s training requirements had changed over the years. I even found myself asking questions about the techniques he preferred, genuinely interested despite the absurd circumstances in which I was receiving this lesson.

It wasn’t until he tilted his head and asked, "Have you finished satisfying your curiosity, Starlight?" that I finally remembered the fact that I was still pinned beneath him.

My eyes widened. Oh, you have got to be kidding me. I had deliberately started a conversation to distract him, and somehow, I had become so interested in his answers that I had distracted myself instead.

The realization was so humiliating that I briefly considered asking Crazy to bury me beneath the gym floor and pretend I had never existed. Lorien’s quiet chuckle only made matters worse.

"I believe you had something else you wanted to accomplish," he reminded me, his gaze dropping briefly toward our restrained hands before returning to my face. "Unless you have decided that this is a perfectly acceptable way to spend your morning?"

Heat rushed into my cheeks. "You wish," I muttered, turning my face away for half a second before forcing myself to look at him again. I had survived far worse, and I refused to let this man defeat me through a combination of physical skill, irritating charm, and distracting conversations.

I assessed my position again, searching for an opportunity. His right knee was positioned close to my hip, while his left side appeared slightly less anchored. If I could free one wrist, I might be able to turn onto my side, use his momentum against him, and force him to shift his weight.

Alternatively, I could drive my heel against the mat, lift my hips, and attempt to destabilize his balance before twisting out of his hold. Neither option was guaranteed to work, but I had learned long ago that a fighter didn’t need a perfect opening. Sometimes, they simply needed to create one.

Before I could put any of those plans into action, Lorien spoke again, his voice quieter this time. "There’s something you are forgetting, Starlight."

I paused, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. "If you are about to tell me that I should appreciate the view, I might actually try to break your nose."

His smile returned, but there was a seriousness beneath it now. "I’m talking about your magic."

The words settled between us, and for a moment, I could only stare at him. My magic. Of course. Somehow, in my determination to escape him using the skills I had spent years mastering, I had completely forgotten that I possessed something far more powerful than physical strength alone.

The seal that had suppressed my abilities for most of my life was loosening, my ice had awakened, and I had already begun learning to use illusion to get done things I needed to be get done. Yet I still approached every confrontation as though the only weapon I had was my own body.

But perhaps that was understandable. Martial arts had been my refuge long before I learned the truth about my identity, and I trusted what I knew. Magic, on the other hand, was new, unpredictable, and sometimes frightening. It responded to emotions I didn’t always understand, and the thought of losing control over it made me uneasy.