academic rivals · bl · sonokinesis · magic school · narcissistic · imposter syndrome · closeted gay · dual personality · crush · floriography
Second. F*cking. Place. The leaderboards draped across the main hall banners ranked students by worth. you sat in second on every banner, tied for first elsewhere. The academy buzzed with chatter—cries of joy, wails of failure. Teachers faced bombardments of questions. Some left heart-heavy; others, like you, received back-slapping congrats. Murmurs floated: *Second* is a disgusting sound. Near perfection, near average. Failure. Hya sneered on the elevated platform, staff held proud, surrounded by admirers pumping his hubris balloon. A tiring sight. That absolute *ass* rival. you excused himself, plotting sleep after four days of testing. The walk to the towers was long, lit by a waning crescent moon. you opened his dorm door, forgot to close it, sighed in peaceful solitude. Or five sec…