I weaved a wild haymaker and ducked the jab, throwing an uppercut of my own. My feet snapped into a stance, and I sprang up from knee height to slam my balled fist forward. Elias swiftly whipped back with his elbow and struck down on my knuckles.
'Kkh'
Pain cracked through my hand. My fingers went dead for a second, then lit up with heat. I jerked back, sucking in a harsh breath as I shook my hand, trying to force feeling into my hand.
"Ooh, sorry about that." Elias shook his head, still wearing that shit-eating grin.
This bastard.
I barked out a laugh and bounced on the balls of my feet, sliding forward to throw a rapid jab and cross. Elias countered with a turtle shell stance. I ramped up the speed of my combo, relentlessly targeting his forearms, trying to find a gap.
"Missed me!" He peeked out and shrank back in.
"You little shit!" I fell for his provocations and slammed my front foot down to clock in a strong jab that cracked through his arms and struck him square in the jaw.
Elias tumbled back, his eyes went wide.
I instinctively took the chance. My hips twisted, and I pushed off my back foot, darting in with a finishing cross, but before my arms had even moved, Elias stumbled into balance, slamming the heel of his boot into my face.
I had seen it coming. There was just nothing I could do against that devastating blow.
I skidded face-first into the snow and collapsed.
Spitting to clear my mouth, I wiped my lips and brushed away the snow caked on my brows. I brought up one knee and splayed my arms out wide to push myself back up.
"F*ck, I actually lost."
"Told you." Elias chuckled and extended his hand.
I shook my head and squinted while digging out the rest of the snow from my eyes. A warm sigh escaped my lips and became a plume of white mist that trailed along my face.
Losing to Nico and Kai is one thing. But him?
Elias cleared his throat and wiggled his hand. I snapped out of my stupor and rubbed my nose as I grabbed his hand. I peevishly flicked my eyes up while grumbling and paused as my eyes narrowed.
I yanked.
"Wha—" Elias's face planted into the snow, I frantically scooped a new handful of snow and shoved it down his shirt as he mumbled.
"Serves you right, you dog."
"That's unfair!" He shrieked and sprang up, shaking snow out of his collar.
"Good fight." Nico extended his hand, and I grabbed on to get to my feet. "You got a bit cocky there, though."
I dusted the snow off my jacket and shook my boots, "I didn't think he'd get back on his feet that fast. I was sure I had him."
The bitterness in my voice leaked through as Kai helped Elias up and clicked his tongue, "No, the real problem was not using a kick to the body when he shrank into a shell."
"Don't worry about him, he's just a sore loser." Elias stuck his tongue out and tossed his hair back with angst.
I shot him a glare. "Says the guy who spent ten minutes whining about Kai's 'cheap shots' this morning."
"That was different!" Elias protested, brushing more snow from his sleeves. "He kept using low-kicks. That's basically cheating."
Kai snorted. "That's called technique, dumbass."
"See? Even Kai agrees with me—wait, what?" Elias's face scrunched up in confusion.
Nico chuckled and started walking toward the edge of the training area. "Alright, enough. We've been at this for two hours. I don't know about you guys, but I'm freezing my ass off. Plus, we've got demonology in an hour."
I flexed my still-sore hand, testing the grip as I followed Nico back to the dorms. "Yeah, my fingers are going numb."
"That's what you get for punching like an Ogre," Kai said, falling into step beside us. "You telegraph your power shots too much."
"I don't telegraph—"
"You dropped your shoulder and pushed off your back foot three times before every strong shot," Elias chimed in, jogging to catch up. "Even I saw it coming."
I whipped around. "Then why didn't you dodge it?"
He shrugged, grinning. "I wanted to see how hard you could hit. Worth it, honestly. You don't really pack that strong a punch. Like an angry fox."
"An angry fox?" Nico raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, you know—lots of conniving glares, but no bite."
Kai actually smiled at that. "Not wrong. Noah, for a smart guy, you fought with your emotions too much. That's why Elias got under your skin so easily."
The truth of it stung more than my bruised hand. I kicked at a clump of snow. "It's his squeaky voice. It's really hard to ignore it when he acts like a little shit."
Kai sighed. He didn't immediately agree, but I could see the corners of his lips curl into a subtle smile.
Elias nodded sagely, "Please, if you really want to shut me up, you could always try winning."
I lunged for him, but he was already sprinting away towards his own dorms, laughing like a maniac.
"Tomorrow!" I shouted after him. "Same time, same place!"
"You're on!" his voice echoed back.
Nico shook his head, but he was smiling. "You two are idiots."
"Yeah," I muttered, watching Elias disappear around the corner. "But at least I'm not the one who's going to get his ass kicked tomorrow."
Kai clapped me on the shoulder. "We'll see about that. Use that big head of yours in the fight, I'm sure you'll win."
I clicked my tongue, even though I knew that by playing it slow, I was guaranteed victory. Because, unlike Nico and Kai, the difference between Elais's martial skills and mine wasn't too far off.
He relies on magic too much. With that said. His landing of that kick was just too impressive. I acted carelessly because victory was within reach.
I rubbed my jaw and felt a dull ache rising to the back of my neck.
-
Nico and I walked side by side to the Blackwell Vault and descended to the first floor. A familiar shift in atmosphere settled over us immediately—the terrifying and gloomy darkness that radiated from the abyss at the centre of the vault's spiralling steps.
I leaned towards the stone door etched into the wall, waiting for my band to buzz.
Huh?
I looked down at my wrist and frowned.
Nico chimed in, reading my confusion, "The class is on the fifth floor this time."
I groaned, "Of course it is."
I turned back to the spiralling steps and continued the descent.
Our footsteps echoed against the stone steps as we spiralled deeper. A gelid chill crept up from the depths. At first, it was a cool breeze, but by the third floor, it had become biting cold that cut through our clothes.
By the fourth floor, flakes of ice had condensed and caked onto the walls around us. The darkness overwhelmed all our senses. The only thing guiding us now was the light occasionally reflected by the dancing runic scriptures that illuminated our path for fleeting seconds before vanishing again.
I stumbled and caught myself on the railing as we reached the fifth floor.
A heavy stone door loomed before us, its surface covered in scripture that I could not read or identify. It's as if it disappeared the moment I set eyes on it. I could only glimpse them from the edges of my vision.
Nico carefully pushed the door open.
The rest of our class had already gathered. Their eyes turned to us, with eerie murmurs, and ours to Professor Pasasdin, who stood at the centre of a circle of students. His dark green robes blended perfectly with the shadows that danced around his figure like tongues of raging fire.
When we joined the circle, the door locked behind us with a flick of the professor's wrist.
It was then that my gaze fell on the three linen-wrapped statues tucked behind his figure. They were draped in white cloth, stained and discoloured through time. Odd patches of red and blue riddled the wrapping's surface, as if whatever being was inside had bled through the fabric.
"Those statues," I murmured, but the unsettling silence of the room caught my words and reverberated them until they echoed endlessly through the chamber.
The entire room flinched.
Professor Pasadin raised a finger to his lips, his eyes boring into mine.
I nodded hesitantly and looked at the statues again.
[?????????????]
It was the first time my [Insight] had failed to identify what I was looking at. The familiar blue text that usually appeared in my vision remained blank, filled with nothing but question marks. Yet somehow, instinctively, I knew exactly what creatures were wrapped in that cloth.
Demons.
My stomach dropped. Real demons.
Professor Pasadin extended his hand, and an orb of shimmering air materialised above his palm. It expanded rapidly, growing larger and larger until it encompassed our entire circle, creating a translucent barrier that isolated all sound from within. The air itself seemed to thicken, pressing against my ears with a subtle but noticeable pressure.
"Now," Pasadin's voice carried clearly within the barrier, though I noticed he kept it deliberately low, "we can speak freely without disturbing our... guests."
He gestured toward the wrapped figures, and I swear I saw one of them shift slightly, the linen cloth rippling as if something beneath had drawn breath.
"Today, you will learn the fundamental difference between theoretical demonology and practical application." His eyes swept the circle, lingering on each of us. "These specimens have been carefully prepared and bound."
"They cannot harm you, provided you follow my instructions precisely. They are all low-rank demons. Sealed using an advanced technique." Professor Pasadin took out a book from his robes.
"Your task is simple. I will unseal the demon once for each student. You will be exposed to it and learn how to seal it on your own. I will not be interfering during the sealing process, so I urge you to take this very seriously."
His sombre words gripped our hearts.
Professor Pasadin flipped open the ancient book, its pages rustling like dead leaves. "The sealing magic you'll be using is called the 'Cursed Blood Seal.' It's a technique that uses your blood to bind the demon into a metaphysical cage." He paused, letting that sink in. "It is perhaps the easiest sealing technique possible to learn. However, using it multiple times is strongly discouraged."
"Why?" Sylus chirped; the question had slipped out of him before he could notice.
The professor's gaze fixed on him, "Because, Cadet Dale, each use of the Cursed Blood Seal creates a permanent connection between you and the entity you've bound. Use it too often, and those connections begin to... accumulate." His lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "The human soul can only sustain so many demonic links before it begins to change."
The air within our barrier seemed to grow heavier. Around me, I could hear the subtle sounds of my classmates swallowing hard, adjusting their positions, trying to process what we'd just heard.
"Who volunteers to go first?"
The silence stretched for what felt like an eternity.
"Cadet Sylwyn. Would you do the honours? I am sure the Sylwyn family has already taught you the basics of the spell." The Professor's gaze landed on Nico next to me.
Nico crossed his arms and paused.
"Fine."
He stepped into the centre of the circle with practised confidence, though I caught the subtle tension in his shoulders.
The professor stepped away to reveal the statues in full, "Pick one. Sliteye, Shrieker or an Arangi. Whichever one you choose, you must also explain your actions leading up to the spell."
"Give me the Sliteye. The other two are just too creepy." Nico frowned.
Pasadin moved the chosen statue to the centre of the circle with a casual gesture, while the rest of us instinctively took several steps back, forming a wider ring around it.
"Ready?"
Nico nodded, rolling his shoulders once.
Pasadin flexed his fingers, and the cloth wrapping the statue was sucked into his palm like smoke, revealing a grotesque, petrified orb of mottled flesh. Fleshy tendrils wrapped around its diameter like arteries, pulsing with a sickly bioluminescent glow. And there, running vertically down what I assumed was its front, was a single massive eyelid. It was currently sealed shut.
The instant the binding cloth disappeared, the thing began to twitch.
Around me, I heard sharp intakes of breath. Someone to my right made a choking sound, as if they were fighting not to vomit. The very air seemed to thicken with an oppressive and undescribable stench.
"Firstly, do not hesitate", Nico announced, his voice steady despite the horror floating before him. "Never let the fear stop you." He drew a small dagger from his belt.
The Sliteye's massive eyelid began to flutter, and waves of pure malevolence rolled off it like heat from a forge. Students around the circle began pressing closer together, their breathing becoming shallow and rapid.
Nico made a precise cut across his palm without flinching, though sweat beaded on his forehead. Blood welled up immediately, darker than normal in the vault's strange light. "The key is fresh blood only. Dried blood won't hold the binding."
The demon's eye snapped open.
The effect was immediate and devastating. The slit-eyed vertical pupil was like staring into an abyss that stared back. Rings of sickly yellow and green that seemed to contain all the suffering and rage of the damned. Its gaze swept across our circle, and wherever it looked, students shrank back as if trying to make themselves smaller, their faces pale and drawn with terror.
It was not a fear that could easily be countered. No, it was a primal instinct.
Students hugged themselves, shoulders hunched, backing away from the centre while staying pressed against each other for comfort. Some covered their faces with trembling hands, others stared with wide, horrified eyes, but seemed unable to look away.
The tendrils around the demon's body writhed with increasing violence, and the very air around it began to distort, as if reality was being stretched and twisted by its presence. The temperature plummeted, and frost began forming on the nearby walls.
But as that malevolent gaze passed over me, something extraordinary happened.
I felt... nothing.
No terror. No overwhelming dread. No urge to shrink back or hide. Instead, a warm sensation spread through my chest, and familiar text appeared in my vision:
[Hero Trait (Active)]
If anything, I felt energised, like I was standing in sunlight after weeks of darkness. I met the Sliteye's gaze for a second, and its attention lingered on me before it sensed something and turned away.
"The last thing you need to do is envision a cage. One that can perfectly trap the demon." Nico pressed his bleeding palm forward. Crimson droplets began to float in the air between him and the creature, forming intricate geometric patterns that glowed with their own inner light.
"Ashiante," He spoke.
The floating droops of blood suddenly snapped together into a complex bird cage around the slit-eye. The demon writhed in frustration that made all the students except me flinch, before the cage contracted, compressing the creature back into its petrified state.
The moment it was sealed, the oppressive atmosphere lifted like a weight being removed from everyone's shoulders. Students straightened slowly, drawing in deep, shuddering breaths as colour returned to their faces.
Nico lowered his hand, sweat dripping from his face despite the cold. "And that's how you use the cursed blood seal," he managed, though his voice was a bit hoarse.
Professor Pasadin's eyes swept the recovering students before settling on me with obvious curiosity.
"Interesting," he murmured, just loud enough for me to hear. "Cadet Reed, would you like to try next?"
The silence that followed was filled only with the sound of recovering breaths and nervous shuffling as everyone turned to me.
The energy that had filled me dissipated. It was strange.
[Hero Trait (Dormant)]
That was the Hero Trait? It felt strong.
I wanted to feel it again. "Yes." I snapped in response.
The sudden answer seemed to surprise the rest, but I immediately brushed past Nico and moved to the centre.
"Since Cadet Sylwyn has shown you the sliteye, why not try another option? Shrieker or an Arangi."
Shrieker
The demon that had started everything for me when I got caught in that blast on the first day. I couldn't deny that I felt a little vengeful.
"The Shrieker."
"Good choice." Pasadin moved the petrified Sliteye to the back and brought the first statue to the front. "But I should warn you. A shrieker is very dangerous. If it overwhelms you completely, it will erupt, erasing you with it."
"I understand." I looked back at Nico, and he seemed to catch on as he tossed me another dagger.
"I'm ready."
Professor Pasadin was pleasantly surprised by my bravado. But I couldn't blame him, as I had never experienced such an urge before. It felt like the heat of a thousand stars flowed through my veins, and my heart drummed against my chest.
The professor undid the cloth's seal, and it unravelled, revealing a ghastly phantom.
The Shrieker was nothing like the grotesque flesh orb of the Sliteye. This creature was translucent, its form shifting and wavering like smoke given substance. What should have been its face was instead a gaping maw that stretched impossibly wide, filled with rows upon rows of needle-sharp teeth. Wisps of spectral energy trailed from its constantly shifting form, and where those wisps touched the stone floor, the ground began to crack and blacken.
The moment it materialised, the vault filled with a pressure that grated on the ears. The phantom's presence tried to weigh on me.
But again, I felt that warm surge in my chest.
[Hero Trait: Active]
I stepped forward without hesitation, drawing the dagger across my palm. As my blood rose into the air, I visualised the perfect containment.
It can't be the cage Nico used, but something more suited to this creature. A bottle. No, a lamp. Something to keep it fully sealed or contained.
My blood began to swirl, forming the intricate shape in my mind.
The Shrieker's maw opened wider, preparing for its devastating cry.
[Ashiante]
I completed the incantation just as the creature's scream erupted. A sound that shattered the air itself and sent every other student reeling, blood trickling from their ears. The sound tried to tear through me, but the Hero trait held firm, and my lamp-shaped seal snapped closed around the phantom with a decisive finality.
The Shrieker imploded, its cry cut off mid-wail as it was forced back into its petrified form.
Silence crashed down like a wave.
I lowered my hand, breathing heavily but unmarred. Around the circle, students slowly picked themselves up, staring at me with expressions of awe. Professor Pasadin looked ecstatic, one hand pressed to his chest.
"Excellent. Absolutely excellent." He clapped.