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Even if Sylvia hadn’t been forced to tutor Wander, she would have anyway. It was all she could do to curb the guilt she felt when she looked at the sling encasing his right arm.
Sylvia hadn’t intended to beat the little guy that badly in their dueling midterm. In fact, she wasn’t sure how she had managed to beat Wander at all. Wander was one of the best students in the class. He was positive, a contributor, and a good listener. He aced all his exams. He used the right posture. And she’d beaten the stuffing out of him without even meaning to.
“Okay, good, your back is straight. Now you just have to flick the wand the right amount or else it’s going to blow up in your face.”
Wander smiled, nodded, and performed the spell Sylvia had walked him through just as flawlessly as the past five times she’d walked him through it. Energy shot out in front of Wander and hurled the straw dummy back into a tree on the practice range, but left it otherwise intact.
“Alllllright then. Now come at me with that same energy and you’ll do fine on the makeup. Ready when you are!”
Wander turned to Sylvia and his posture immediately broke. He suddenly looked like a freshman who had just found out they were a wizard yesterday. He wand shook in his hand and his face grew pale. This was the Wander she’d seen at the exam.
“What the- oh, come on. Did you forget already?”
Wander shook his head, but his nervous expression remained.
“Then what’s the problem? It’s the same as with the dummy.”
Wander looked down... and shook his head again. “No Syl, it’s not.”
Sylvia’s eyes widened as she understood what Wander meant. The star nomad was absolutely going to fail dueling class, and there was nothing Sylvia could do to help him. Not because Wander lacked ability by any means, but because no amount of pressure could make Wander hurt anyone.