Noah chuckled, a quiet, disarming sound that did little to ease the tension in the air.

"I didn't want to let my skills grow rusty during the holidays," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

Professor Cecilia stood before him, her arms folded tightly over her chest, golden eyes narrowing in disbelief.

The faint shimmer of phoenix fire that always seemed to shroud her flickered as though reacting to her restrained irritation.

"Rusty," she repeated flatly. "You call breaking your ribs and nearly draining your mana pool rusty?"

"Do you want another case of mana fatigue? So soon after your last one?"

She leaned forward. "Be honest with me, Noah. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Noah tried to hold her gaze but found himself glancing aside under the weight of it. "I don't have the luxury of sitting back and relaxing like everyone else, professor."

"You know what I am, don't you? The chosen hero. The one Camelot's been waiting for." His voice hardened, though his tone stayed calm.

"They said I'm destined to fight the Demon Lord. That means I can't just sit and wait around for that day to come. I have to be ready."

Cecilia's expression softened a fraction, the fire in her eyes dimming.

"Noah…" she sighed, pulling up a chair and sitting beside his bed. She took one of his hands between hers, small, soft, but calloused from years of spellcraft. "You don't need to push yourself this hard."

He frowned faintly. "I don't have a choice."

"Yes, you do." Her tone was gentle now but firm. The kind that allowed no argument.

"No one expects you to fight the Demon Lord tomorrow. Even the King himself knows that power takes time to grow."

"Magic, true mastery of magic, doesn't come from brute effort alone. It comes from balance. From patience."

Noah stayed silent, watching her as she spoke.

"You know about soul burn, don't you?" Cecilia continued. "The exhaustion that builds up when a mage forces advancement too quickly."

"It scars the soul, makes mana harder to channel. If you keep pushing your body and your beast beyond its natural pace, you won't become stronger. You'll just… break."

Her eyes softened further, studying him with something that was almost maternal.

"And if you break, all that effort will mean nothing. You'll have no foundation left to stand on."

Noah met her gaze again, the faintest ghost of a smile appearing on his face. "You really think the Demon Lord's going to wait for my foundation to stabilize?"

Cecilia sighed and shook her head. "You sound like your generation always does. Impatient, reckless, and convinced that strength must come now."

She leaned back slightly, her eyes drifting up to the infirmary's glass ceiling, where faint traces of dawn shimmered.

"But rushing ahead never leads anywhere good, Noah. You bend a branch too far, and it snaps. You pull mana too quickly from your soul, and you'll feel the same."

Noah chuckled, quietly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Promise me," she pressed, her hand tightening slightly on his. "Take a break. Rest. You've done enough damage to yourself for one lifetime."

He hesitated. Then, at last, he nodded. "Alright. I'll rest."

Cecilia studied his face, clearly unconvinced but willing to take his word for now. A small, wry smile touched her lips.

"You know," she said lightly, "you really are terrible at pretending to be obedient."

Noah arched a brow. "I didn't realize that was one of your grading criteria."

Cecilia laughed softly, a genuine, musical sound that momentarily lightened the room.

"Maybe it should be." She rose from the chair and smoothed her robes.

Then she looked down at him with a mock stern expression. "If you insist on training, then I'll make you a deal."

He blinked. "A deal?"

"Yes." She crossed her arms again, her smile turning faintly mischievous. "You don't train unless I'm there. If you want to risk your neck, you'll do it under my supervision."

"I'll summon you myself during this holiday, and give you real lessons this time."

Noah blinked in surprise. "You're offering to train me personally?"

"Isn't that what I've been doing all this while?" Cecilia tilted her head. "Or would you rather I assign you to Geldrin instead?"

"Fair point." He smiled faintly.

"Then it's settled." She leaned forward, and to his utter shock, patted him lightly on the head. "You're a good student, Noah. You just don't know how to slow down."

He froze, caught between annoyance and embarrassment. "I see. You don't have to treat me like a child though."

"Then stop acting like one." She turned toward the door, her steps light and confident. "Rest, Noah. Tomorrow will come fast enough."

Noah watched her go, the door closing softly behind her.

For a long moment, he simply stared at the ceiling, watching the way the light of the sun shimmered upon it.

A small exhale left his lips, half full of amusement, and half weariness.

"She means well," he murmured.

He shifted his gaze to his hands, flexing his fingers.

If only Cecilia knew the truth.

He didn't need to worry about soul burn. Not like other mages.

The corners of his mouth curled upward.

Devour, now Feast, wasn't just a spell anymore.

It was a system of consumption, one that took everything it absorbed, whether matter or energy, and repurposed it perfectly.

No waste. No soul burn. And no backlash.

He didn't need years of meditation or patience. He needed prey.

Creatures with abyssal essence.

Creatures like demons.

That was the secret, the forbidden path that set him apart from the others.

The very thing that made his growth unnatural and unstoppable.

He leaned back against the pillow, staring at the ceiling as the sunlight crept across his face.

"Rest, huh?" he whispered.

He wasn't sure he remembered how.

Still, he closed his eyes for a moment, letting the warmth of the light wash over him.

His breathing slowed, and he allowed himself to relax. Not because he believed he was safe, but because he knew what was coming.

The holidays would be short. The hunt would begin soon.

And this time, he wouldn't be the one on the run.

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