A few hours after the incident.
"Are you two trying to get expelled! Or just simply trying to kill each other! I thought it was nice for you two to hang around each other like this but as it turns out before me is the iconic duo of dumb and dumber! Helen! You know it's against academy conduct to engage in battle without supervision or protection! And you Markus! Do tell me how you think it's reasonable to detonate a wind bomb on academy grounds!" The headmistress shouted
'Honestly good job- your battle gave Markus the last push needed to advance. Now you are the top of your year- you both… well- Markus is the new leading power of the cohort. If he was able to overwhelm a learned Aquabourne… as a learner… then his potential is incredibly high as a wind user- nevermind an emperor!' Charlotte thought inwardly but not allowed to share her thoughts
Markus and Helen who were in side by side beds groaned in pain from both their injuries and ears.
The door opened and Bailey walked in.
"You two idiots actually did it? Ha- you fought without regulations and not only that- Markus- you brat— you advanced to learned already!" Bailey exclaimed, praising them
"Are you kidding me right now! My office— go!" The headmistress shouted at Bailey, her voice getting visibly red
Both women left.
"Finally some peace and quiet—" Markus groaned
"You advanced huh… we're the same rank… equals." Helen said, letting it settle in
"Equals? Hold on- I just beat you before I advanced! I'm stronger!" Markus exclaimed before another wave of pain shot through him.
"… not for long. I will advance to expert next year!" Helen said with confidence
"Me too… I have to." He said, with a certain sadness
"If you do— then I don't know- I'll forever refer to you as my superior." Helen said, staking her pride on it.
"It will be a nice continuation of our president and vice president dynamic." He said with a painful chuckle
"Shut up—" she replied
The year finally concluded and the summer period arrived.
A week had passed since Markus' advancement. Helen had not yet completely recovered but she was close, Markus meanwhile was brimming with power.
With his new rank, his authority over the wind had increased significantly, allowing him to exert his influence for longer before trusting the wind to do the rest.
Although trusting the wind was not a bad thing, it meant that he would have to be more reactive rather than proactive. Moreover if he did not directly control the wind, someone of the same rank or higher could begin to usurp his passive wind. Overall, he was not only stronger spiritually but in terms of pure essence, he could perform devastating attacks due to the higher level.
"So where are you going over the summer?" Markus asked Helen
"Home… my family wants to see my progress…" she said, seemingly sad.
"Sounds… complicated…" he said, awfully blunt
"What about you?" Helen asked
"Well- orphan and all that. So no family is interested in me. Plus- I'm under direct supervision from my benefactor who put me at the academy. She won't let me roam freely and most likely has something planned." Markus said, painfully blunt once more
"Who is she?" Helen asked
"… it's better to not know. Sorry…" he said, turning away
"I get it. Everyone has their own problems- I suppose that's why we were sent to a boarding school for 9 months of the year." Helen said, a dry chuckle leaving her lips
"Yep… nothing is ever simple. How about I visit you if I'm allowed! Where is your home?" Markus asked
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to meet my family—" Helen said, deviating away
"Oh come on-" Markus said, turning to face her
"I'm serious Markus. My family is… rough. If you were to get caught up with them- nothing good would come out of it. So please just stay away." She said, looking him in the eyes with conviction
"Okay relax- I didn't know it was such a big deal— " he said, not pushing it further
"Do you know… who my family is?" Helen asked, hesitantly.
Markus was not really aware of the wider world but he knew history, especially history tied to the voice in his head which he had not yet found out it was the fallen emperor Anax.
"You're a descendant of Relix Aquabourne right?" Markus asked, tying the name of the hero to her
"Yes… I am the daughter of the duke's brother." Helen said, with a hint of sadness
"Wait, so you're a proper noble?" Markus asked
"Daughter of Count Argos Aquabourne…" she said
Right then several troops walked in, escorted by guards. The troops were accompanying a tall man wearing a noble blue outfit.
"Talking about me? You've changed then- or maybe it is the audience who has changed." Count Argos said, looking at Markus up and down.
"F-father— what are you doing here..?" Helen asked, shakily
"I was in the region and thought I'd pick you up before returning. Say goodbye to Markus Windwave and come along." He said, his tone monotonous and cold.
"Y-yes father— see you next year Mark…" she said before turning to walk to her father.
The count's eyebrow shot up.
"Don't tell me- this is your boyfriend?" He asked humorously
"Hey boy- am I right? Are you two entangled?" The count teased
"He's just a friend…" Helen said, quietly
"He's clearly more. You said goodbye and talked back. Tell me, Markus, how do you plan to make yourself worthy of my daughter? An orphaned commoner needs to be extremely powerful to compensate for his lack of political power. But alas, you do not know of that." Count Argos said with humour.
As he glanced at Markus before leaving, he saw a wicked look filled with anger.
'Everest Windbourne!?' He thought, a deeply settled fear reigniting in his chest as he walked
'No- I must be imagining it… no white hair. No background. No emblem on his right hand- cannot be a Windbourne. But I'll be damned- it was the exact look Everest Windbourne gave me when I killed his best soldier… I barely escaped with my life from that tyrant—' the count thought, taking step after step.
Then he stopped.
"How old are you boy?" He asked Markus
"Thirteen." Markus answered
"Helen's age then. Since you two are friends, why don't you come over for the summer. You can train together." The count said
"…" Markus was stuck.
He wanted to go. But on the other hand… spending time with nobles who could do inquisitions on him was a danger. Not to mention the danger of angering the queen…
"I…" he tried to say before being interrupted
"Markus is already committed to private training within the academy Count Argos." The headmistress, Charlotte Windbourne, said.
"I see. Forgive me then, I did not mean to intrude on the academy's plans. We shall take our leave now." He said with a slight bow.
"Have a safe trip." She said, slightly bowing in response.
Markus and Helen parted ways for the first time in months.
After the Aquabourne party left, Charlotte and Markus spoke.
"You're heading to the capital region for the summer. Her majesty has mandated you be brought to the capital city and be trained under the tutelage of her council." She said matter of factly.
"Is it bad?" Markus asked
"It's not good… be on your best behaviour and perform your best. Now that you have advanced to stage 3 you need to focus on getting to stage 4 within the next year and a half." She said
"I know… any tips?" He asked
"A few things. Seamless weapon manifestation. Full body shell. Around 10 constructs of wind- maybe less if they're strong constructs. And finally… whirlwind. Ask your instructors about the last one… but if you get ahold of all of those, then you should be able to advance." She said, giving her parting gift of knowledge.
The next day Markus left for the central region.
Meanwhile Helen was on her way to the Aquabourne region with her father who was in deep thought sitting at the back of a large transporting unit.
It was a large land vehicle with a driving cabin in the front separated from a spacious main body that was configured like a living space. The sides of the vehicle had an emblem on them, a deep blue snake threading ocean waves, symbolising the greater spirit of water, The Leviathan.
'Thirteen years… that matches the age he would've been. If he is able to match Helen in strength then… he is exceptionally talented. Can it really be? The third heir to the Windbourne dukedom is alive? His background is unknown. And the only two factors are his exceptional use of wind and sharing an uncanny look to Everest Windbourne… if only he had white hair then I could say for certain he is that lost child. But alas- it's unlikely and just a hypothesis. Either way- he's someone to keep an eye on. And I have the perfect proxy to do so.' He thought, glancing at Helen.