Today is the day the classes of the Academy officially began .
Aries got up early in the morning . His habit while at home was to wake up before everyone for early morning training . He didn't want to skip his schedule while at the Academy .
It didn't matter because the classes are at 9 a.m. and the training grounds are open for 24/7 for the students in the Academy . He quickly got up from the bed and took a quick shower , changed into his training outfit and headed towards the 'Training Gym' .
He had an idea in mind and he wanted to try it out before continuing his progress . The problem is the idea which had struck him had never been attempted by anyone in the history and he is most likely the first person to ever try this method .
He could be said to be excited but not overly excited as there is a chance of failure in his process . He just doesn't want to take any risks .
...
Rena was walking down the Academy corridors . She had to spend the whole night in the Student Council Room for her pending works . She was elected as the Student Council President due to her past records and accomplishment .
She was the Apex in both First and Second Years while she achieved Rank 6 in her Second Year . She could well be said to be the Apex of both the Third and Fourth Years as well because the goal of the Academy is to raise everyone to Rank 6 until graduation but she had already achieved that level .
She could well enough be said to be the Strongest in the Academy . She has immense potential which didn't even exhaust after she reached Rank 6 in her Second Year . She was referred to as the person who had the highest possibility of achieving Rank 12 among the New Generations .
She was also offered an early graduation but refused on the note that her younger brother would soon attend the Academy and she wanted to study together with her brother . So , she was made the Student Council President , a post offered to the most elite among the Final Year students .
"Hah !" she let out a sigh while walking .
Everyone knew her talent and has expectations for her and this is the reason why she cannot slack off even if she wanted to . She had to meet their expectations . She often pulled all-nighters due to the work and her trainings . The only one who truly understands her is Aries .
Although , he shows a distant attitude towards everyone but Rena knows that pure-hearted people like Aries are rare even among these countless humans .
Rena was headed towards the Training Gyms . It was already morning when she left the office and knows that if she sleeps at this hour then it would be impossible for her to attend classes for the day . She decided to train her skills and techniques as a timepass and also to keep herself awake .
She entered the gym areas when she heard a sound which made her stop .
Bam— Bam—
It was the sound of someone punching something . She was surprised to hear someone training at this hour . She started to walk towards the location from where the sound was coming .
Bam—
As she went closer , the sound started to increase .
Bam— Bam—
She quicked her steps and entered the gym from where the sounds originated .
Bam—
She heard it again but this time she heard another sound .
Crackle— Crackle—
It was the sound of someone using lightning abilities . The sounds of punches were followed by the sounds of lightning which filled the brightly lit gym .
Bam— Crackle—
She grew closer and closer and soon reached a place from where she can observe the person training in the gym . She had already cancelled her energy signatures along with her presence , so no one can notice her . She looked towards the origin of sound and was shocked .
Standing there was Aries . He was covered in sweat as he was punching the bag in front of him with great speed .
Bam— Bam—
But , surrounding Aries was sparks of lightning and a gust of cold wind . She observed him and the more shocked she became . His hands were bleeding as drops of blood were dropping on the floor . The sweat and blood was getting mixed but Aries didn't seem to have any effect .
His lightning and ice abilities were also activated . He was covered with black lightning and frost particles . Suddenly , Rena seemed to realise what Aries was trying to achieve .
He was combining his abilities . As soon as the thought originated she wanted to stop him but immediately held back . The look in Aries's eyes weren't normal . It was focus . His expression was indifferent and his eyes were cold like ice itself .
Rena was surprised once more . Her mother once mentioned to her that some experts after fighting in the battlefield against demons achieve a state of absolute focus . This state allows one to overcome the fear and fogs in one's mind and achieve great results .
The state allows it's user to have absolute focus , it lets to make you clear decisions and not be clouded by emotions and the most important part is that your presence becomes sharp as a blade which cuts down an opponent mentally before the blade even reaches them .
"T..The Phantom state ?!" she exclaimed in surprise .
She was fantasised when she heard her mother mention of this special state of mind and dreamed of achieving it on the battlefield . Evelyn even believed that she could achieve it faster than others thanks to her potential but here was Aries who achieved this state even without going to the battlefield .
'Aries . You are becoming more and more mysterious'
Rena's expressions changed . She had always dreamed of protecting her younger brother when they were kids but didn't realise that Aries had went so far . It could be said that if she didn't work harder , Aries might one day surpass her in both talent and potential .
"I cannot slack off" she said while wiping off the tears which came in her eyes .
But …
…At this moment , she saw it . The punch which headed towards the punching bag was different . Aries energy flow was different and the most shocking part was the light white lightning aura surrounding him .
The lightning had turned white . Even from such a distance , she could feel the chill in the air around him . His punch struck the punching bag .
Bam—
And , it exploded . The bag exploded on impact with his punch as Aries retracted his hand . His knuckles were bloody and he was standing in a pool of his own sweat but the look in her eyes told otherwise . It was the look of someone who achieved something they dreamt of .
"Ha..Ha Ha Ha Ha !" the next moment she heard Aries's hysterical laugh . He fell down on the ground as his laughing continued . The laugh of success .
…..
Aries was laughing hysterically on the ground . He must admit that even he wasn't sure he would be able to achieve it . The combination of abilities . It was a unknown fact that abilities can be matched with one another . It not only increases the speed but also power between each punches .
As soon as he dropped on the ground , a pale blue window popped up before him with a series of notifications .
[Congratulations Master for achieving 'Perfect Harmony' with your abilities]
[You have been rewarded a passive skill]
[Passive Skill : Void Mind (SS)]
[Void Mind]
[Rank : SS (Upgradable)]
[Description : Upon activation , your mind will become completely void of emotions . It will help you to increase your brain capacity and not let emotions cloud your judgement . This skill provides absolute focus and increases your defense against mental attacks]
[You have achieved additional trait]
[Trait : Ability Merger (SS)]
[Ability Merger]
[Rank : SS (Upgradable)]
[Description : Increases your ability to combine elemental abilities by 200 % . This skill would continue to evolve as you unlock more affinities . Once you achieve all elemental abilities , it would let you combine them with 500 % efficiency and create an absolute element]
Aries stared at the notifications and was stunned . He just wanted to try and combine his abilities but didn't think that the system would give him a reward to combine more elemental abilities . And it also said about awakening other affinities .
Aries had noticed during his time of Awakening that his conciousness has the seals of all the elements . He confirmed it through his system later on that he could awaken abilities related to all the elements which is rare even among all the races .
Aries was checking his notifications when he sensed a presence nearby . The passive ability 'Void Mind' didn't just let him have a clear mind but even his senses had increased several times . He can easily detect Rena who was hiding in the hall with her presence hidden .
Aries called out :
"How long are you gonna keep watching me , dear sister ?"
Rena who was hiding was shocked . She had hidden her presence fairly well and any normal person or even a Rank 5 expert would not detect her presence but Aries did it immediately . She gave up her hiding spot and slowly came out .
"How long did you know I was here ?"
"Well , didn't notice you at first but did eventually…" Aries replied with a smile .
'Monster' this was the thought which came to her mind after hearing Aries's reply . This was the comment of someone regarded as the prodigy of the New Generation . No one ever would think that someone can be a genius who could surpass her but here in front of her was a person .
He had the same bloodline as him and the same resources . Even their superpowers weren't much apart but she was calling him a 'Monster' . A label used for someone who can be called an elite even among countless geniuses .
"What are you trying to achieve here ?" she asked after regaining a bit of composure .
"Ability merging" replied Aries without hesitation .
'Does he not realize that the thing he is doing is unimaginable by anyone ?' she thought as Aries's reply struck her .
"How did you do it ? No one has ever managed to…"
"Past is for change , sister . We don't know how many threats we will face in the future and we have to increase our power as well" Aries continued . " We should always be ready for the next . Just because no one has ever managed to do it , doesn't mean that we shouldn't try"
Rena listened to Aries's words with concentration . She had to agree that he was right . Rules are meant to be broken and past are meant to be changed . Clinging onto your past will only hinder you to achieve success .
"But .. Just because I did it doesn't mean that you should do it either" said Aries .
"Why not ?" asked Rena .
"I am just in the initial stage . I don't even know if I succeed and if I do , I will create a method through which everyone can do it but ..safely . It could take days , even months or even years . Until then don't attempt it" said Aries with an indifferent expression .
Rena wanted to argue further but she realized that Aries's word held weight . He had confidence in some places which Rena lacked . Though , it didn't discourage her . In fact , it motivated her to move forward . It was good to know for Rena that she also has gaps .
The perfect human which people claim her to be isn't the real truth . She had gaps in many places and she would try to fill those gaps with her own strength . She didn't really care what people called her but she knows the truth herself .
It is a known fact that there is no awakener who has his hands clean . The job of an awakener is to protect lives at any cost and it often leads to a path where killing someone is inevitable . During the Great War , her father and mother killed countless demons on the battlefield .
Aries was also mentally prepared to fight . He doesn't hesistate to kill if it means protecting someone . He fights not for justice but for protection , she understood that much . From childhood to now , the two siblings have some kind of connection within them .
They understood each other and could feel each other in a way different as compared to others . She was 4 years older than Aries but none of it mattered to her . She has a place to protect and a family to keep safe . Aries was walking the same path though , she doesn't know which path will lead them to the end .
Aries noticed Rena was lost in thought . He let her be . He also knows the burden of expectations on him and her . More on her as she was older but Aries didn't care . He learned a lesson from his past life and that is 'somethings are meant to be once and no matter how much you try it can't form again' . These were not words but feelings .
He lost his family in his past life and he swore to protect them in this life even if meant sacrificing everything . He would protect them . He doesn't care what the world thinks of him or his sister but he himself knows that everything would lead to an end . He would see that end , even if meant growing so strong that he had to take responsibility of an entire planet in his hands .
...
Rena suddenly came back to her senses . She noticed the time which was almost 8 a.m . She turned towards Aries and saw that he was looking at her with an unreadable expression . She cleared her throat once to bring him back to his senses which worked .
"Do you realize the time , Aries ?" asked Rena .
Aries noticed the time and was surprised but not much . He replied casually :
"Just a few minutes to 8 . Perfect . Let's head's back and do our classes"
Aries turned to leave the hall while Rena followed .
They split up when they left the hall and headed towards their own dorm rooms . Aries was living in the highest floor of the dorms for the First Years while her sister resided on the highest floor of the dorm meant for Second Years .
Aries came back and took a shower . He came out and wore the official uniform of the Astralis Academy . The uniform was a black shirt along with black pants . The blazer was white with golden embroidery . It was cool and aesthetic but also provided enough defense . On his chest was the emblem of Astralis Academy , a legendary sword wrapped in flames and feathers .
He went out and headed towards the elevator . Being in the highest floor was an advantage while also a disadvantage . He entered the lift and pressed the button for ground floor . The doors closed as it started descending but stopped just a floor below .
The doors opened again as a beautiful lady entered the lift . She wasn't looking at the front as she focused on her armband while scrolling something . As soon as she entered the lift , she heard a voice .
"Aurelia ?"
She suddenly lifted her head due to the familiar voice . She looked in front an saw Aries waving his hand towards her with a smile . She didn't get excited too much as she left a sigh .
"What are you doing here ?" she asked .
"Well , going to the class" replied Aries .
"Which one ?"
"HCS-1"
"Same here . Guess we will be classmates"
"Guess so"
...…
"Hah ! People really do choose the best time" Aries exclaimed towards Aurelia .
They had just left the dorm buildings and were heading towards the Academy . They thought that they were early for the classes and most of the students should only be getting ready for the day but when they arrived , they were surprised .
Almost all the students are heading towards the Academy building at this time . Fortunately , the way to the Academy was broad . Otherwise , it would have been really crowded .
Aries and Aurelia didn't talk much during their way to the Class . Aurelia just glanced at Aries some times and saw he was walking beside her with an unreadable expression with his hands inside his pocket . She could tell from just a glance that Aries wasn't focused and was lost in thought .
'He really does think a lot'
'I wonder what he is thinking'
They reached their class 'HCS-1' and entered . What greeted them upon entering were countless glances of students around the classroom . They saw Aries and Aurelia together as a wave of murmurs rung out in the room .
Aries could clearly hear all of them but chose to ignore them . He scanned through the entire classroom but didn't find any known faces . It was obvious . After all , only Aries and Aurelia were the people of the ducal families in their first year .
Though , he knew that the people ranked from first to sixth are all in this class . Sadely , he doesn't know their faces and was unaware of their presence . He could only guess when it comes to recognition .
Aurelia looked around as well as she had planned to create some friends in the Academy . As she was from Rainhafer Family , she didn't have many friends from childhood .
Her only friends were Aries and Rena along with her sister Astria . But , she ….
Aurelia shaked her head . She didn't want to remember her sister . It was a memory she tried to bury down in her heart even though she knew it was less likely to be possible .
She suddenly noticed that Aries had already started walking and thus , she followed him . Aries quietly went to the top row of the classroom and took a seat beside the window . Aurelia sat beside him .
…..
Soon , the class started .
Tak— Tak—
Everyone heard the footsteps of someone entering the classroom . It instantly quieted down as a beautiful lady entered . Everyone present here already saw her in the entrance examination hall the day before .
Instructor Elena .
She had a calm and confident demeanor as she roamed her eyes through the classroom . Her gazes stopped five times on five individual students . These five gazes fell on the top five students of the entrance exam .
Her gaze locked at Aries as he smirked a little while maintaining the eye contact . Elena felt amused by his performance and a smile also formed on her lips before becoming serious once again .
She said in a cold and icy voice :
"Today , I will not talk about your class lectures which are sure to be boring"
"Instead , I will be telling you about the [Rift] which you will explore"
Everyone in the class started talking in murmurs except for the top six people . They all come from noble families and thus , they are already aware of the existence of [Rifts] .
[Rift] is also artificial but is much more dangerous . Each [Rift] has 30 floors . The main purpose of [Rift] was to create a training ground which is unpredictable even before entering . The creatures inside the [Rift] are genetically modified . These creatures grow stronger as we head down the floors .
This was mostly built to develop pratical experience before heading towards the battlefield .
Aries didn't react as he quietly listened to Instructor Elena . He knew somethings about [Rift] but wanted to hear more about it from her . It was because of only one reason 'extra information can be advantageous' .
Elena smiled at the class while she tapped her space ring and a glass container came out . There was a creature in the glass container which was a worm .
This creature confused the whole class but …
Crash—
Suddenly , the sound of a chair crash sounded a heat spread throughout the class . Everyone turned to look at the direction and saw that a young man had kicked his chair to the ground and was ready to attack as his sword was covered with flames .
"Calm down , Student Leon . Everything is within control"
Instructor Elena's commanding tone sounded in the classroom . Aries noticed a girl was trying to calm him down but Leon was unwavering . Finally , after a few seconds , Leon calmed down as he put his sword inside the sheath .
Leon's face was pale and he was sweating profusely . Everyone in the class except seven people started laughing towards Leo as if he were a fool . Instructor Elena's tone sounded again but this time it was louder and a hint of irritation was in her voice :
"What are you fools laughing about ?"
"In fact , you should have reacted the same as Student Leon when you have seen this creature . This is a Void Worm . If I and this glass container were not present , you folks would have been dead meat"
"This Void Worm has the ability to control minds . If you come in contact with them , they will penetrate your body and make it's way to your brain . After that , you would have been in control of this creature with no escape of returning . Do you understand ?"
The class instantly quieted down . All the students had a bit of pale face from the description of the worm . It was true that Void Worms are the most weakest creatures of the demon race but they are also said to be one of the strongest . The ability of this worm to control minds was disasterous and even a Rank 9 expert wouldn't be able to escape from it .
Moreover , they don't have a [Core] and that makes their presence close to zero and you can't sense them .
There is one incident when a Upper Rank 9 expert was controlled by it and the expert had wrecked havoc in the entire battlefield , killing allies and destroying mechanisms . Fortunately , the expert was killed in time to avoid furthur damage .
"And , Student Aries , you can lower your sword . I have everything under control"
Aries was surprised as he looked towards his hands . He saw that his right hand had subconsciously placed on his [Void Breaker] as if ready to attack any moment . The whole classes shocked expressions were directed towards him .
Aries didn't become embarrassed as he calmly removed his hand under the shocked gazes of the class . He put his hands up in a surrender position as he said :
"I apologize . It seems my instincts kicked in"
"There's no need to apologize . Your and Student Leon's actions were the exact thing you should do when coming in contact with a Void Worm "
"Thank you"
Instructor Elena continued to address the class . As Aries lowered his sword and hanged it on his waist . Aurelia leaned and said with her usual tone towards him :
"You sure have good instincts"
"Thanks"
"But seriously , what is your deal ?"
"You see those two ?"
Aries said as he pointed his finger towards Leon and the girl beside him . Aurelia was slight surprised as she said :
"They don't look like from noble families"
"Correct but that boy sure has a strong personality"
"So , what do you want me to do ?"
"Make friends with them . They will come in handy"
"You serious ?"
"I am"
"Alright"
Aurelia didn't argue further . She could hear it from his voice that Aries was serious this time . Even she found those two special . Well , it collides with her goal of making friends and thus , she didn't reject him .
The class continued as new thoughts emerged in Aries's mind .
'These people are interesting'