Published at 1st of June 2026 6:30 am

Chapter TWO HUNDRED NINETY: When Wishing Was Having I

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

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Plans for Storytelling Class

Jan 14, 2041

To do:

*Dont humiliate yourself.

*Do figure out how to make a klerm sound

*Visual component?!?!

*Read The Frog Prince and get ideas

In the old version of this story, theres no kissing.

Instead, as soon as the king isnt around to make the princess treat the frog with dignity, she throws it against the wall of her bedroom. Now, you will be quiet, odious Frog!

This assault breaks the curse, and the frog turns into a prince. He thanks her for unfrogging him, never explains what he did to make a witch mad enough to curse him in the first place, and they get married immediately.

Also, the princes loyal servant with a magical heart problem suddenly becomes a character at this point, but I have no clue what his deal is. Ill think about him later.

It seems like a lot of literary people want to interpret all of this as the princesss sexual awakening. Even though theres no kiss, there is a bed. And the princess is so hot that it literally says she astonishes the sun, so I guess we can factor that in.

But why?

I could maybe talk myself into thinking that cruelty to amphibians symbolizes leaving virginity behindif I had to temporarily, for a grade.

But thats a lot of brain contortion. Im sure Warin-doyis wants our stories to make sense without the audience having to try that hard. And I do have to present the story I come up with to the entire class.

With Lute there. Im not giving him the ammunition.

What makes more sense?

Frogs. Princesses. Attempted murder. Stupid princes who dont care about being murdered for some reason.

The frog never asks for a kiss.

It does ask to be seen as an equal.

Let me be your companion. Let me eat at the kings table. Let me have exactly what you do. I am worthy of love. Dont look at me like Im something less than you.

That kind of thing.

The climactic part is when the frog asks to use the princesss bed, instead of staying in the corner where shes put him because she thinks hes such a gross animal. And I dont think hes horny about the request either. He says hes tired and he wants to sleep as well as you. He asks to be lifted up, from the floor to a higher place.

So its about breaking down the barriers between social classes, right?

Then it gets depressing.

The princess cant stand it anymore. How dare a frog ask for her friendship? How dare it demand royal treatment?

It needs to die.

And I think it does. She silences the odious frog thats asked for too much, and once its been shut up for good, thats when the prince finally appears.

Its almost like the story is saying the king was wrong.

He expects a princess to be respectful to a frog. But as long as shes respectful to it, nothing good happens for her. As soon as she blows up and rejects the idea of sharing her world with someone from a different one, she gets a prince.

And the prince doesnt hold any of it against her. Hes glad she attacked. Royalty should live together in palaces. Frogs who try to escape from their ponds should be smashed against a wall.

Its a story about how people react when someone theyve been looking down on asks to be seen eye-to-eye.

Only whoever invented it messed it up. Or they believed something I dont. Or they never intended for people to get that message from it, but here I am.

A self-absorbed princess and a prince who might have deserved to be cursed, riding off into the sunset.I bet all the peasants hated them. Except for that random servant with the heart problem.

Ill do a better version. Maybe something funny thatll make Kibby laugh when she hears it.

If its the right kind of funny and Lute likes it, maybe send it to Boe?

Is The Klerm Prince too obvious for a title?

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The Brutes swing came in from the side, aimed at Aldens left ear.

Catching the strike on his preserved backpack was intentional, but getting the backpack in front of that deadly fist in time felt like luck. Slamming his feet into the gouged dirt and throwing himself backward, landing for just long enough to launch himself immediately forward again, up and over the other boy who had already closed the distancethat was all intentional, too.

But bouncing around this much was a sign of desperation.

The Brute kept getting right up in Aldens face so fast that he didnt have time for anything else. They were twenty seconds into a three-minute duel, and Alden was trying his best to protect his backpack, his body, and run down the time for a draw. But three minutes was too long. Repeated close encounters with a Strength Brute, while using a shield this small, were bad for a persons health.

Im not going to make it doing this.

Hed stuck the knife Ignacio had given him into the elastic water bottle net on the backpacks side before the duel started, preserving it all together because it was the best way to make sure he didnt end up having his weapon stolen and used against him. He unpreserved for a second to grab the knife, then threw himself sideways. Then forward. Sideways.

Always just a fingers distance out of his opponents reach. This wasnt sustainable.

Try something else.

He needed this fight to slow down. To make it slow down, he needed to attack. To attack, he needed to be close. Being unpredictable was one way to stay close and not die to the next punch.

Maybe.

As always in a difficult duel, idea became action without being filtered through the usual thought processes.

Aldens next leap didnt throw him away from the approaching enemy, but straight toward him. Low. Backpack held up over his head hopefully.

The Brute stepped backward so that Alden hit the floor right in front of him instead of crashing into his legs.

This boys name was Rex. Hed spelled it Wrecks on the System name tag hed worn the first week of class. Alden didnt know much about him yet.

And he didnt know much about Alden. Rex brought his fists down together. He should have gone for Aldens body, but instead both of them slammed, a split second apart, into the backpack Alden was holding up.

Strength Brutes. Waving a shield in front of Heloisa was like waving a flag in front of a bull, and Alden supposed it must be the same for Rex. He didnt quite believe he couldnt get through Aldens magic easily. Hed hit it hard already. Surely two more should do it.

He was an A-rank, punching normally, without any skill or spell boosting the strikes, so he was wrong about that. A strain like this would eventually be too much for Aldens skill, but this wasnt an eventually kind of situation.

Alden successfully stabbed Rexs right knee, and tried to do the same to the left. If the Brute couldnt run, then

A hand gripped his gym suit near the small of his back, and suddenly he was flying.

I keep what Im preserving safe. Safe until the last possible instant.

He hit the barrier that formed one of the long sides of their dueling block. He hadnt lost his knife when he was thrown, but he took the brunt of the impact on that arm and felt the blade fall. He fell after it into the dirt. The realism setting was twenty percent. He was banged up. The suit had stiffened around his upper right arm and shoulder. His legs were okay, though.

Run.

He lunged upright, and immediately caught a foot in the chest that laid him out flat.

Really, Rabbit? Rex looked down at him. He was standing on one leg. Hed hopped across the block on one leg and then opted to kick Alden. Yield.

I can go longer! Alden said in a rush. Run the timer out for the practice at last.

The three minute timers were long compared to their usual one-on-ones. A reward of sorts, Alden guessed, for making it to this end of the gym and getting to enter the dueling blocks.

No. Ive got stuff to do. Rex was a large dude. Tall and wide. He had a square head and a haircut that made Alden think of a bust of Julius Caesar his ninth grade history teacher had kept on a shelf. Concede, or I knock you out.

Alden believed it was a dick move to force an unwilling person to hit you more when you were already clearly the loser.

I concede, he said.

The System called the end of the duel. A victory for Rex, who nodded at Alden with a satisfied smile, then turned to look at what was happening in the rest of the gym.

Now that theyd both finished their first duel, they had to run through all the challenges again. Alden was looking forward to it even though a couple had been tougher than hed expected.

Your shields good for a B-rank, said Rex.

Thanks. Its actually a preservation skill. In addition to shielding, it

If we hit the blocks at the same time again, lets hang back and wait for different partners, though, Rex said. I wanted to fight you once to get your measure, but I need more than a B for practice since theyre letting us handle pairings ourselves today. They hardly ever do that.

There were so many ways to make that request without saying Im not good enough to practice with.

Alden wanted to point out that hed just stabbed the guy in the knee. He wanted to mention that he could have stood under a dome-shaped shield and yawned in Rexs face while he banged his fists helplessly against it.

Yeah. Fine. Ill duel someone else.

Good. Thanks. Did you know my older brothers in your Coursing class? His names Ram. Hes a second year.

Really? There was a person with a strangely square head in there. On the all-Brute team. Was that the right one?

Its cool you got on a team. Rex smiled at Alden, like he meant it. I mean a real one instead of that B team that was trying to do runs last term. Youre doing good for yourself, man. Later.

Hes not the worst, but I wish Id taken out his other knee, too, Alden thought as he watched Rex jog around the edge of the gym toward the first starting line.

He went to fill his backpack with a little more sand.

******

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Back to the baton-stealing battle. Instructor Ivanova had stopped passing the batons out now that everyone knew the drill. Instead, shed just left a pile of them at the starting line.

Alden took a purple one and stuffed it into his backpack with the end sticking out like last time. Identifying who you would steal from, and who would think they could steal from you, was half the work. He tried to be a good sport by not standing around waiting for particularly powerful students to clear the challenge, but he did make sure he ran in on the side where Jupiter wasnt surfing six meters above the floor on a lifematter bag, chilling up there while she chose a victim.

She had two batons already. This was her third or fourth run, though, and the challenges were supposed to get harder on repeats. His interface said he only needed two batons to pass, like last time, but she must be after a third.

Good for her, learning to surf the skies with her powers. He hated being attacked by her, though. She always seemed to be doing something quirky, and then wham, he was gruesomely impaled. Or the moldy funk in the lifematter bag was attacking his mouth.

They werent supposed to give each other lethal injuries in this challenge, but still.

He tried to keep an eye on her and keep moving while he looked for someone he could take a baton from.

Olive was available, with her illusions, wearing a fierce expression on three faces as she tried to corner Astrid. Astrid was looking a little tired, but Alden didnt think it was Olives doing. Olive was trying out a spear in class today, instead of her baseball bat, and Alden was having trouble not comparing the way she held it to the way Marsha held her polearm.

Marsha had just run in, too. That was actually a good thing. Shed ignore Alden and distract Jupiter. The mutable haft was already ripping through the air toward the lifematter bag.

I know I can take Olives baton.

Even without the gremlins contribution, he could sense the real her when he tried. The illusions felt like magic. She felt like life.

He was sure Astrid was going to beat her in a minute. She would just figure out which Olives were the illusions by trying to fight them all.

The Morph Brute was sporting a short pink mohawk today. She would be hilariously outraged if Alden dove in and stole Olives baton while she was distracting the Adjuster.

He kind of wanted to do it, but

I wish Olive didnt get her feelings hurt so easily when I beat her.

Theres Max on the other side. Ill go tangle with him. He should be extra challenging by now.

The faculty werent clearing the floor in this section, so there were environmental hazards left behind from previous runs. Everlys super slick ice patch was right in the middle, and people were sliding around on it, either intentionally to escape attacks or accidentally as a result of them.

Max would have laid traps the first time he ran. If they were still around, hed have them as well as whatever hed decided to put down this time.

Alden headed that way, dodging behind Mehdi and Winston, who were very busy with each other. Max caught sight of him coming and nodded.

He does look confident. Should I try to sense where those traps are? I think I can do that, but hes looking right at me and paying attention. Shouldve thought of this while I was still on the sidelines and come up with a plan.

Thisll be good for me to

Something slammed into the side of his left thigh so hard it felt like a miniature explosion.

His suit froze in an instant. Complete immobilization on that leg and full-body movement reduction. He fell and rolled with little ability to control it.

Tuyet? Reinhard? Heloisa throwing something?

Before he could remember that none of them were currently fighting in this part of the gym, he saw a yellow baton rolling away from him across the floor.

Is that what hit me? Huh. Then it must have been

Winston rushed toward the baton, grabbed it, and then ran for the barrier that separated the baton challenge from their next one.

I was beating you! Mehdi shouted. I was beating you, and you know it! Come back here!

He slid across the floor behind Aldens head, grabbed the baton sticking out of Aldens backpack, and ran after the fleeing speedster.

Well, fine then. This was a bad start.

With his baton gone, the gym released his suit, and he sat up. His actual attacker arrived on the scene seconds too late. Shed lost her own baton as well as his, just like that.

Yikes! said Opal, looking at him and laughing. Her wand was in her hand. That didnt go well for either of us. It didnt hurt too much, did it?

No. Good aim if you were going for my leg. He hopped up. But maybe dont take me out a few steps from a Speed Brute and an Agi next time if you want to get my baton?

Sure thing! Back to the start for both of us. She kept her wand in hand as she spun. Her auburn hair was in a tight braid.

Why did you use your own baton as a weapon? he asked. Wouldnt something like a ball of lead or a spikeor just a rockbe better? Ive got stuff you can borrow if you need to.

She smiled back at him. No, Ill stick with the baton. Surprise factor! Sorry to take you down so hard.

Surprise factor? That doesnt make sense. A hunk of lead flying at me from across the gym would have been surprising, too.

Opal had undersold her levitation powers when she was passing out rice balls. The reason she was hre wasnt because she could make small things float, but because she could make small things shed placed under her wands control zoom toward her at high speed. She could basically make bullets the size of shoeboxes, although instead of flying away from her, they flew directly at her and stopped when they reached her. She could also send things away from her, but that was a floaty process. The spell that brought them in was the one she used as a weapon.

It was interesting. He pictured her standing in the middle of a room surrounded by hidden objects shed spelled in advance, and then whenever someone dangerous approached her, theyd get shot by a harmless-looking candlestick or bookend.

But its not practical that she used her baton. That means she had to float her baton slowly away from her or drop it somewhere to set up for the shot and then wait for me to run between it and her. It was at risk of being stolen the whole time. I dont get it.

Did she want us to both have to start over at the same time? Is she planning to practice on me or something?

He regarded her warily.

I can take her baton if I do it right at the start.

She took another yellow baton from the pile, and he picked a green one. They looked at each other.

Im not running in until I see you out there, she said, shrugging. Or unless we start on opposite sides. I know my limits. Dont worry, though. I dont really need to beat you again. Ill go for someone else! Bigger fish. Promise.

You dont have to. Now that I know how youre playing, I can protect myself from you better.

He ran out, and got back to it. He half expected her to break her word, but he had an intense game of chase with Max to distract him for the next couple of minutes. It ended in what was effectively a mutual loss.

Max caught him in one of the treadmill traps, but Max was limping. He was unlikely to make it to the next section with both batons when he was in that state.

You stab people in the legs now?

It might just be a today thing. Are you going to take my baton and let me out of here?

Im thinking about it.

Alden let out a short laugh.

Oh no! I lost it again! The voice from near the starting line made him turn his head.

Opal was leaning over a fallen Olive. And Sanjay was running for the finish holding three batons, wearing an expression that said he couldnt believe his luck.

Thats a ridiculous mistake to make twice. She did the same thing to me.

Shes insecure, said Max. Thats the second time shes lost a baton just against Olive.

That means shes insecure?

Shes really good in this section. Hunting people who are fighting other people seems to work for her. Shes pretending that shes trying something new out and making it harder for herself by using the baton as her only weaponkind of like you switching to a backpack and a knife as if you want to take a beating from everyone in class.

Youre insulting me because you fear me.

But you still want to get through this, Max said, ignoring the gibe. Shes deliberately risking the baton because shes comfortable here. She can even show off and take out high ranks, instead of struggling in the other sections. She got Jeffy earlier. Im sure she knows better than to keep doing it all period.

Max gave Alden a hand and pulled him off the treadmill. You owe me.

For what?

Letting Winston have a baton so easily earlier.

Fair.

******

Eventually, Alden yoinked a baton from Haoyu while Haoyu was taunting Lexi right next to the barrier, and he got to hear both of them swear at him as he practically stumbled victoriously into the next section.

They were calling this one the lily pad game. Light that looked like rippling water covered the floor. Columns about six inches across rose from it and disappeared in random patterns, existing for only a few seconds. They had to cross without touching the water, but the lily pads were usually awkwardly far apart, awkwardly high, or awkwardly occupied by another person. They were allowed to shove people or jump on them if they needed to.

Alden thought Bobby would be proud to see how well he was using bits of sand and all the jumping practice theyd done together to navigate this fun little maze without needing to fight anybody.

He made it to the third challenge almost too fast, considering how much he enjoyed the lily pads, and his arms ached in anticipation.

Mountain rescue. His interface told him to carry a hundred kilo bag up a climbing wall. It had only been fifty kilos last time.

There were grips. The wall didnt mimic earthquakes. The section hed been assigned to climb was easier than what they had at North of North, but it still wasnt easy. He used the backpack straps to hold the weight, and got it done with only one fall.

Good work, Alden! Ivanova called from down on the floor as he stood on top of the climbing wall and dropped the lifematter bag back down.

The instructor was a former Super Olympic speed climber. He expected shed be giving good notes on this one after class.

He had a minute to take a breath up there while he looked at the fourth challenge. It was just crossing regular old floorwhile Instructors Plim and Foxbolt shot at people from the sides. Despite the difficulty of it, it was a pretty spectacle.

Plim was using two jets of water, strong enough to take anyone without a special talent off their feet. And Foxbolt was an Adjuster who worked with illusion spells, like Olive. Unlike Olive, she could make her illusions have significant real effects beyond the visual.

Sound. Physicality. Heat.

She was really stingy about how she used it against them. Alden didnt know if that was a choice or a necessity. She particularly liked fireworks, and usually, hidden in each burst of light, there were a few sparks that you couldnt afford to run into. Because theyd burn through you like lava through wax.

He decided to focus on dodging Plims jets and trusting to luck and the bit of protection his backpack gave him for Foxbolt. He was sure she wasnt adding danger to her illusions at all half the time.

That turned out to be the right decision, but it still wasnt a smooth trip. The water jets seemed mysteriously attracted to him. Both jets came at him, to the relief of several people whod been beleaguered by them. Everly gave him an apologetic look as she made it to safety.

Shed leveled up at the end of break. Instead of new spells, shed taken foundation points with an emphasis on her speed and strength. He thought that choice was really showing benefits for her during a class like this.

Plim washed Alden out twice, while cheering for him, before she let him make his third run in peace.

The final thing before he was allowed to duel again was the most innocent-seeming task of all. They only had to sprint across the width of the gym fast enough to beat a timer.

Some people werent having much trouble with it. Like Everly, who was already gone.

Others were lying on the floor, trying to catch their breath or swearing vengeance against whichever instructor had come up with this. Alden suspected Klein, even though the man wasnt here today.

The time theyd been given to beat was the average of their ten best times crossing this same distance during previous gym classes.

The problem was that they were often at their fastest while they were really fresh at the beginning of class. Or while running for their lives, fueled by adrenaline as a painful-looking death bore down on them. Or, in at least one persons case, when they were racing their most hated rival, who happened to be a higher ranked speedster.

Winston was screaming as he tore across the gym, like he was trying to make Finlay hear him from Li Jean. Plenty of people were wet from getting hit by Plim in the previous challenge, but lden was sure Winstons drenched hair was all sweat.

They were allowed to use their powers of course. The people making it through this one easily either had new points or a new trick to rely on. Or they just hadnt been going their absolute fastest in many of the previous classes. Whether that was because they hadnt needed to or because some of them had been slacking, Alden didnt know.

He did know he had often pushed himself as hard as he could for speed, so this was a beast of a task for him. He stood there, wanting to completely catch his breath before he even tried.

Sand on the floor, launch off of it as hard as I can, dive for the finish.

That had worked last time after a few attempts. Getting the jump right made a difference. Using My Body Becomes My Assistant would help with that, but he had thoughtfully been provided with two timers. One for if he was using wordchains, and one for if he wasnt. So the time he had to beat would just get faster if he chained up, and besides, this was Thursday.

Hed decided to use wordchains on Tuesdays and during Coursing runs. Thursdays were for natural practice. Stuart said knights used them but didnt like to rely on them, so Alden was going for that kind of balance.

If I could just strap explosives to myself, Id blow myself toward the other end, Njeri moaned.

That would kill you, said Astrid, who was holding the other girls foot to help her work out a cramp.

But Im tired. As long as I reached the end before I died

She had Aldens sympathy. Seeing her in that state made him sure he needed to rest for a couple more minutes before he tried it.

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He considered his success on the first attempt that round to be close to miraculous. His foot hit the sand just right, and he landed so well for the next jump. His outstretched fingertips were brushing over the far edge of the finish line as his timer hit zero.

He sprang up and whirled, wanting to shout, Did you see that?! to the room.

But Winston was two feet away, staring at him with a beet face that was sweating buckets.

I am focused on my future, he gasped in Aldens direction. I dont care about you beating a time I could beat in my sleep.

You look like youre going to rupture something.

IM EXCELLING.

Maybe the teachers should lower his time a little. Considering.

Another person sprinted over the line as Winston turned away. Her short dark hair was wet, too, but it was just water in her case. She didnt look exhausted.

Hey, Maricel. Since were both here at the same time, do you want to duel in the dirt block? Looks like its free for us.

She had been really quiet all term. Great in class from what hed seen. Hed wondered if all the publicity might have slowed her down, but Fragments tutoring must have been intense. He couldnt recall her failing or screwing up at anything shed done since she got back. Shed busted down the obstacle course ahead of her team in Coursing in a way that looked reckless, but it had worked. So that might have been strategy instead of a mistake.

She looked at him now like she was surprised to see him. And thenlike she was vaguely uncomfortable. And then she refocused.

Sorry, Alden. But for these three-minute duels, Im only fighting people who might give me trouble.

His eyebrows shot up before he could stop them.

I mean to say

I enjoy making duels a challenge, too, he said. You couldnt be here for a while, so theres stuff Ive learned that you havent seen yet. If you want to make it harder for yourself and you want me to put up more of a fight, there are options.

Of course. I didnt mean to sound like you were no good, butwith all thats happened. You understand? II shouldnt have said most of the things I said to you during the first weeks of school. Im sorry. I wasnt thinking clearly, and I dont want any of the same things anymore.

None of the same things. OkayI can go along with it. You dont have to be sorry.

Im not like that anymore, she said, her shoulders going back. Ive got responsibilities. People are looking up to me. So Im not someone who can be casual with you about things like this. We can have some fun practicing together. But only when the instructors assign it, all right?

Jeez. I know shes not trying to shit on my morning, but this whole conversation feels more insulting than Winston just did for some reason.

I only asked because we both happen to be standing here.

He regretted that he sounded offended, but the regret was wasted. She didnt even seem to notice.

Good. Thanks! I know youre great for what you can do, but I think Ignacios about to get here.

Alden ended up waiting around for a while and then dueling Jeffy.

The Aqua Brute was tired from trying to sprint and hyper about the amazing things he thought he could do by swimming in water in the air, by which he meant he wanted Shapers like Instructor Plim to make high-speed water tubes he could travel through.

Alden lasted almost the full three minutes against him and considered it good practice, but it was kind of like he was fighting and Jeffy was fifty percent daydreaming and fifty percent remembering to tackle him.

Traveling by Shaper highway would be fine, Alden said when they left the block. But I dont think its the best possible use of your water moves.

No. I think the government wants me to find SAL ships. That sounds easy though, so it wont take much time. The Artonans are almost finished with the ocean arches, but maybe theyll build something else out in the water and I can help the divers? Being an Aqua Brutes pretty important.

Alden smiled. It is, man. Im glad you know it.

He was so glad Jeffy was happy with his affixation. Everyone deserves to be.

What happens when you get hit with a Shaped stream of water with the life jacket spell on? I know you tried.

Yeah I tried! Its kind of like it jumps for you. Do you think we could use it in Coursing? That class is next.

I know that class is next. Im going to be there, too.

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