Maybe Ollie should’ve known.
Maybe he should’ve recognized the signs—the glint in Luca’s eyes, the way he bounced on his toes with excitement, the kind of radiant smile that should’ve come with a disclaimer.
Because the brighter that smile was?
The darker his future became.
And as his brother, he really, really should’ve known better.
But he didn’t.
And by the time the realization dawned, it was already far too late to escape.
Not even bringing up his newly-discovered existential crisis—the possibility of someday needing to have a child to fulfill his half of a life-altering contract—could save him. Not even a heart-to-heart about the Nox Family Succession List could buy him time.
Luca had already made a plan.
No—a schedule.
A beautifully color-coded, terrifyingly detailed, spiritually-infused training schedule.
It all started innocently enough. Luca, eyes practically glowing, had clasped Ollie’s hands with both of his and said, "Don’t worry, brother. I’ll help you figure it out. I’m sure we can find a method that works for you."
And for a moment, Ollie believed him.
The enthusiasm in Luca’s face, the energy in his voice, the trust in his words—it had all felt so reassuring. So possible.
So misleading.
Because what he didn’t know—what he should have known—was that each excited bounce Luca took was not a sign of encouragement.
It was a countdown.
A cheerful, smiling countdown to doom.
And the zero mark came as soon as classes ended for the day.
There was no gentle start. No easing into it. No "let’s plan for next week when you’re rested."
No.
It began immediately.
Luca handed him a set of customized tools, calibrated to Ollie’s new energy readings, and practically sparkled as he waved him to the training hall back in his dungeon space.
There were diagrams.
Instructional manuals.
And a holoboard that already had his name on it.
And in the center of the room?
A floating crystal sphere glowing ominously with layered spiritual matrices.
Ollie stared at it, then at Luca, then back at the sphere.
"...Brother?"
"Yes?" Luca beamed, already setting up the interface for readings.
"Are you sure I won’t explode?"
Luca tilted his head thoughtfully. "Pretty sure, brother! I’ve tested it before!"
Ollie let out a wheeze.
And so it began. The first official session of ’Spiritual Manipulation & Material Resonance: A Beginner’s Personal Descent into Academic Torment’
Thankfully, the first session only lasted three hours in dungeon space time.
And not because it was scheduled to end there.
No—it ended because salvation arrived in the form of a familiar figure: Kyle.
To Ollie, it was like witnessing divine intervention.
For one sacred, glowing second, he forgot he had spent most of the day hiding from said savior. The relief was that profound.
Luca blinked in surprise. "Kyle? Why are you here?"
Kyle, ever calm, replied with a simple, "It’s dinnertime."
Those golden eyes widened. "Dinner? Oh no, I forgot!"
Kyle nodded. "You both missed your proper meals earlier. The duchess got worried."
Luca panicked, immediately turning to Ollie. "Brother, I’m so sorry! I got too excited!"
"It’s okay, brother," mumbled the wilted mop weakly, still recovering from the spiritual headache of the training this demonic tutor had concocted.
Luca looked really apologetic, and the two who were watching him knew that he was likely concerned about their schedule and Ollie’s progress. They were about to reassure him when he suddenly brightened and said, "Then we can just continue later!"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]