"For an awakened trying a seal for the first time, your performance was exemplary. Given your fearless conduct, you're a natural talent, Cadet Reed."
The last of the shockwaves subsided, and only Professor Pasadin's clap echoed around us. Slowly, the rest of the students tightened the circle, their eyes flicking to the petrified Shrieker, and then to me.
Perhaps it was the energy still surging through me, but I didn't shy away from their gaze.
"That'll be all, Cadet Reed." The professor gestured me back to the circle, and his gaze searched for a new volunteer.
The Shrieker's display of terror had undoubtedly rustled the room; many students willfully avoided his gaze, and those who didn't had no desire to put themselves on display.
I settled back into the crowd and felt a nudge on my shoulder.
"What the hell was that?" Kai whispered.
"Huh?"
"How'd you do that?" He pressed a finger gently behind his earlobe, bracing his ears. "You didn't even flinch against that sound. It was intense."
"I.." Another pained groan reached me, and I turned to my left. Sara Keene cupped both her ears, her face drained of colour as she winced and hissed.
My brows furrowed, I narrowed my eyes, but soon looked away and snapped back to the conversation. "I guess, I didn't really feel it in the moment."
"Impressive. Shriekers are known to disorient and nauseate almost everyone who hears their cry." Nico gave me a nod of approval, but I could tell that he wasn't affected by that shriek either; there was no lingering daze, his mind seemed clear.
"What about you?"
"Not the first time I faced a shrieker." He shrugged.
I filed that away, but my thoughts could only generate more questions.
Nico Sylwyn. As one of the seven, it's a given that he'd be talented. But his experience is far beyond anyone his age. Just who is he? What has he seen?
Col. Galahad's words rang in my ears, and I looked at Nico with a renewed interest.
"I'll do it."
A gruff voice cut through the tension. Darius shuffled through the crowd, his body covered in white bandages from head to toe, leaving only his face and parts of his hands uncovered.
How is he even walking?
Just the thought of every step splitting open those wounds made my skin crawl. I couldn't help but scratch my neck.
The professor shared similar thoughts as he scanned Darius. His brows furled a subtle degree. "Given your current condition, it'll take a toll on you. Are you prepared for that, Cadet Vale?"
Darius frowned, his head tilted to the right, and he glared over his shoulder at Nico and me. His face stiffened, and he turned back to Pasadin. " I can handle myself."
Pasadin's face grew stern, but he said no more, simply gesturing Darius to the circle as the wind dragged forward the last statue from behind him.
"I'm ready." Darius savagely bit the corner of his thumb, piercing his skin with his teeth till blood dribbled down his hand.
The white cloth unravelled layer by layer, shrinking back into the professor's palm as the petrified bulb came to life. Four—no six wiry legs sprouted from beneath its bulbous frame, and Arangi fidgeted nervously, its bead-like head twisted grotesquely, as it spotted Darius.
Kutututut
The Arangi's pincers chattered, its bulb lit up with a sickly green hue that colored the room, but as it scuttled towards Darius, the green shifted to murky purple.
Darius's face contorted in disgust, but he didn't shy away. Mana surged through him as drops of his blood gathered around his palm. I could see him working through the spell.
The Arangi shot forward, lunging at his face like a bullet. Darius flinched, jerking back as the Arangi's wiry legs barely missed the corners of his eyes, but a gust of wind slammed it down.
"Cadet Vale. Don't lose your focus." Pasasin growled, reeling the Arangi back to the centre.
Darius steadied himself and snapped back into action. The blood that had spilt to the floor now spiralled back upward and formed a sphere.
"Ashiante"
The droplets shot forward, binding the Arangi's legs and chaining its frame, ultimately closing around the demon and forming a box. With the Arangi sealed, pain wrecked Darius's body. He gnawed at his lips and pressed a fist to his chest to calm himself down, wrestling against the urge to fall to his knees.
I watched his desperate struggle in awe.
Here was a boy, riddled with wounds, volunteering to face and seal a low-tier demon, the likes of which suffocated others his age with its mere presence. Darius was a brash, rude and maybe even petty bastard. But there was a strange quality to him.
Watching him makes my blood rush.
Was it rugged charisma? Or just foolish bravado?
I wasn't sure, but I knew I wasn't the only one affected. The glances the other cadets gave him were anything but subtle. It was as if they were completely absorbed and hanging on his every move.
Darius wiped sweat from his brow and took a shaky breath, forcing his shoulders straight.
"Well done. Your lack of familiarity with the Arangi's methods is understandable. However, you remained composed even after being attacked and finished the sealing." Pasadin rubbed his thin beard, mumbling to himself. "Commendable effort."
"As for the rest of you." He frowned, and his gaze swept the room.
"You would do well to learn from your peers. When faced with a Demon, you must be decisive. A moment's hesitation, or reluctance, could be the difference between life and death. You must not let yourself be intimidated or oppressed by these creatures."
A ripple of unease worked its way through the room.
I saw the rest of the Cadets deep in self-reflection, though some brushed off the professor's comments.
Mira Hilston, Sara Keene, and even Sylus Dale.
Those three didn't seem to agree. I could see a defiant glare settle in their eyes. Though I wasn't sure who it was directed to.
Before my thoughts could wander any further.
Professor Pasadin cut in.
"For those who have finished, you're free to leave. You've nothing more to learn from this session. Use your remaining time wisely to practice and grow stronger. And for the rest, you will only leave this room once you have successfully sealed a demon at least once. Is that clear?"
His voice rose a tad at the end, shifting to a bark. The Cadets replied in unison with a common salute while Nico and I quietly scuttled out the door that Pasadin eased open for us.
The instant I stepped outside, an invisible weight rolled off my shoulders, my chest heaved for a full breath, and I licked my dried lips, which left a coppery taste in my mouth. I hadn't noticed the oppressive effects because of my [Hero] trait, but that didn't mean I wasn't under a load.
Nico cranked his neck with a sharp exhale. The two of us made our ascent back up.
"I'll go to the cafeteria, it's probably still open. You coming? Or are you gonna hole up in the library again?" He pushed open the doors of the Blackwell Vault as his band gleamed with light.
"Hole up? I don't hole up."
"You spent eight hours there yesterday, and the day before that. Didn't you also go to the library on the first day? That's all you do." He sauntered out and clicked his tongue playfully with his hands in his pocket, "The hell are you even doing there?"
"How do you even know that? Are you stalking me? I'll definitely check every shadow around me from now on. And all I do is read. How else am I gonna learn?" I let out an exasperated sigh.
"Read? It takes ages to understand anything. At best, you've gotta somehow memorise the book cover to cover, or literally find a way to live at the library." He shuddered in thought as if recalling a memory.
"Whatever. Catch you later." I waved him off, not waiting for a reply as I cut straight through the crossroads back to the battle dome.
I had a different plan in mind today.
-
The familiar hiss of the sparring capsule rang in my ears as the door sealed shut.
I took off my jacket and chucked it in the corner while stretching my joints.
Zol, Igrit, Divum and Auger.
I jogged my memory while muttering the four-axis spells.
I had learned how to use Zol, and though I hadn't completely mastered it, I was okay with it. The three remaining ones were the ones I planned to use today.
The next obvious choice was Divum, The Fleeting Step.
According to the book, it was a simple movement spell that allowed a more versatile combat style by allowing the user to dash when triggered. There was no further explanation, so I wasn't exactly sure what 'dash' meant, nor how fast it was in action.
And though I had already learned [Basic Footwork], comparing the two was laughable. A magical movement technique was, without a doubt, far superior to anything purely physical. Which meant that this was truly my first movement technique. If I were to master it properly, I could improve by leaps and bounds.
A thin coat of mana enveloped me, and I forced it to surge further.
The spell called for mana to cover the body completely and then be surged in a particular direction. The user would then be able to 'dash' in the same direction. It was a simple explanation, and with my basic mana control, I didn't think it'd be a challenge.
I took a few steps back from the wall and surged my mana to the front. A vivid image of a flickering step flashed through my mind.
[Divum]
I shot off the back foot like a bullet. And one step later, my palm slammed into the wall, grinding me to a halt.
"Huh?"
I looked down, and I had definitely taken only one step. But covered a distance far more than that.
"Is that how it works?"
It's not what I expected. I didn't actually dash forward, nor did I flicker or suddenly gain super speed. No, the spell was far more rudimentary than expected.
It's like running with the wind on your back.
That was the simplest way to explain it. When I had taken that step forward, it was almost as if the air around me had parted, giving way. No, rather, it was my mana that had created a path for me. As such, the same distance that had taken a few steps only took one.
Almost like I slipped into place
It was an uneasy feeling to get used to.
I pushed off the wall and decided to try a harder variation. How would the spell react to me trying to dash upward?
I once again enveloped myself with mana and surged it upwards, like a plume of blue mist rising from my shoulders.
[Divum]
I braced myself for movement, but as the spell triggered, only the soles of my feet lifted an inch off the ground, and I fell back down.
As expected, the distance I can move definitely depends on how much mana I pour into it. Dashing upwards is way too inefficient for such a spell.
With the spell being easy to master, I shifted my attention to the remaining two.
I started with Igrit.
The spellbook called for a similar surge in mana, but only in the area the user wished to protect. I imagined a typical spar and focused my mana around my abdomen. Picturing a screen of sorts between it and the attack.
[Igrit]
Blue mana sparked from my abdomen and lit up for a brief second in a rectangular shape. I tried again, this time imagining a gauntlet that covered my hand.
[Igrit]
Sure enough, my arm flared with mana and a blue light enveloped it, then faded.
Wait, isn't this?
My thoughts raced, and the instructions for the enhancing spell Auger flashed in my mind. The only difference between Auger and Igrit was the intent of the user. Both spells asked for a coat of mana at a point.
Which meant that if I just flipped my intent.
I tried the same image again, picturing a gauntlet on my arm, but this time intending to attack with it.
[Auger]
A think streak of red mana lined my fist.
My eyes widened.
"I'm smart as hell."
My eyes darted to the wall, and I curiously slammed my fist into the rubber. A termor passed through the wall, my arm shook, but my fist remained completely fine. Even while attacking, the thin film of mana had protected my knuckles from being bruised.
It was a spell that had almost infinite applications in a fight.
It makes sense why the Awakened Corps teach this stuff.
The four spells had been very basic to master. None of them changed the inherent property of mana. They didn't transmute it, nor did they transfigure it. They applied it directly. And the applications they had come up with were simply brilliant.
As the knowledge of all four spells cemented itself in my mind, [Insight] flared. Each of these spells focused on 'enveloping' with mana. Then, applied an actionable intent to the mana. Be it to shoot, defend, enhance, or clear a path.
I entered into a meditative trance. Concepts of mana swirled through my thoughts. Ideas cascaded through my mind. I saw possibilities and connections I had never seen before.
The very nature of magic began to make sense.
It was incredible.
Like I'd been blind and suddenly gained sight. Magic wasn't just mysterious anymore; I could see the logic, the patterns, the underlying structure.
My vision blurred.
[Mana Sorcery: Rank F (Unlocked)]
"Did I just... achieve enlightenment?"