“Why are you always talking to yourself?”
While bandaging her chest to hide the hideous black crystal, Amelia asked Jonathan, who never pacing around the dimly lit basement and mumbling to himself.
Her question, which came out of the blue, made him momentarily stop and look at her with half-surprised half-confused face.
“It helps me concentrate… and it doesn’t concern you. Continue your training or else I will find someone else to use the Crown.”
As crazy as he always seemed, Jonathan could sometimes be reasonable and calm. Now was such a time, which was why she mustered her courage and asked him. Then again, as they were allies, more or less, he wasn’t particularly harsh on her.
“What even is the Crown? Is it just this crystal to my chest?”
He stared at the thick bandages wrapped around her chest, barely hiding the crystal. After a slight hesitation, he sighed and fiddled with his yellow headband,
“The Crown is an otherworldly artifact. It’s what will help me get what I want.”
“And what do you want?”
“No!” He yelled, but at himself, not at her.
His voice turned screechy as if he became a different person.
“The Crown is needed… not wanted! Think of the sacrifices made! In the end, they all need to be purged! Retribution is upon us!”
Now that she had spent quite a bit of time with Jonathan, Amelia knew that he had serious mental problems, including but not limited to a personality disorder and severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Seeing him return to his nonsensical rambling, Amelia walked to the broken couch and sat down, looking at the now-controlled black lightning dancing around her fingers. It took her painstaking effort and excruciating agony, but she managed to subdue it and even manipulate it to an extent.
‘It’s similar to Zeke’s. Uncannily similar…’
She stole a glance at Jonathan but didn’t voice her thoughts.
‘However, Zeke did not have a crystal stuck to his chest. I wonder if they are somehow related…’
----------------------------------------
‘This should be far enough.’
The First Year Dormitory for male students was regularly patrolled by a few teachers, but after midnight, it became significantly easier to slip outside unnoticed.
When he saw a group of first years sneak outside and head to a quiet spot to enjoy their time, Zeke did not hesitate to imitate them and head to the small forest adjacent to the campus.
Staying in the room and doing absolutely nothing made him feel as if he was wasting time… time which could be spent doing something beneficial, such as the Daily Tasks.
The forest was a distance away from the dormitory, but reaching it and finding a suitable spot wasn’t particularly difficult.
What he failed to notice, however, was a silhouette tailing him from the shadows. It kept staring at him even when he started meditating and using Aether Control.
Time crept by and after two hours, he finished the Daily Tasks, including the long-distance running, which he did by lightly running between the trees while trying to make as less sound as possible.
Lightning emanated from his hands, swirling around him and then slowly changing shapes. He was trying out ‘Rune of Life: Voltage Manipulation’, which wasn’t as taxing as he had initially expected. With its current state, it would be a stretch to consider deploying it in battles, nevertheless, it could be used to enhance skills like ‘Fists of Furry’.
His glowing fists were wrapped in thick blue lightning as they hammered on the tree, shaking it violently and leaving deep imprints and random scorch marks.
When he was finally out of breath and Aether, Zeke sat on the ground to recover and wait for the numbness in his hands to disappear.
As he was deep in thought, footsteps came from behind, causing him to jump to his feet.
“Did I not tell you to stay in your room, Mister Orland.”
The Dean approached him while softly chuckling, his mood contrasting his words.
Zeke tried to come up with an excuse but the tree behind him was more than enough proof of what he had been doing.
“Still, it was kind of interesting to watch you. Your training method is peculiarly basic, to say the least.”
Upon hearing his statement, Zeke lowered his head and maintained silence, deeming it too late to cook up a believable lie.
The Dean stopped in front of the tree and examined the fist marks and the lingering lightning effect.
“Still, you didn’t go outside to cause mischief like the rest, so I am willing to turn a blind eye… on one condition?”
“Which is?”
“Near my shed, there is a better spot for an inconspicuous training session. As long as you stay out of trouble, you can come there to train. How about it?”
Although it was the perfect opportunity, Zeke did not jump at it. He was suspicious and confused by the Dean’s behavior.
After all, this kind-looking old man was notorious for his unreasonable punishment and extreme tendencies to enforce the school’s security.
“What? You don’t want to? It’s either that or staying in your room.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to, sir. I just can’t guess your motives.”
The Dean smiled and walked away, his cane periodically tapping on the ground as if by habit. “And I thought no one could be more of a cynic than your brother Edward. When I offered him the same deal, he accepted on the spot.”
“...”
The elderly half-turned his head and added, “It’s your choice to make.”
Left alone, Zeke pondered about the Dean’s offer for a long time. When the cold night breeze snapped him out of it, he dragged his tired body back to the dormitory.
Samuel and Alan were sleeping but, surprisingly, Azmer was absent.
Only much later did the blond-haired youth appear. He looked exhausted and immediately jumped on his bed, not even noticing Zeke eyeing him suspiciously.
----------------------------------------
“I knew you’d come.”
The Dean beckoned Zeke, who stood at the edge of the open area and, flabbergasted, stared at Azmer.
“Hm? I never said you’re the only one.”
“...”
Zeke had deliberated the offer’s for a whole day and finally decided to accept it as it was the safest way to train. However, never did he expect to find Azmer here too, but, unlike him, the latter still refused to acknowledge his presence and was minding his business.
‘Why should I leave just because he’s here? It’s not like I’m afraid.’
As he stood next to the shabby hut, the old man pointed at a poorly-made leather dummy.
“This is better than mindlessly hitting trees. Suit yourself.”
After saying that, he proceeded to ignore Zeke and busied himself with Azmer. He stopped behind the blond youth and, after a moment, raised his cane and hit the back of his knee, making him fall to the ground.
“How many times do I have to tell you? Concentrate and don’t activate your ability immediately!”
With gritted teeth, Azmer solemnly nodded and stood back up. He kept getting hit, which was an enjoyable sight for Zeke.
Once he had his fill, he walked to the dummy and began performing ‘One-star Side-kick’. It was going to reach complete Mastery soon, which made him hope it would subsequently unlock another skill.
Overall, the training session was peaceful and devoid of any interruption, either from Azmer or the Dean. They left him to do his thing and barely spared any glances in his directions, which was what he had wanted.
[One-star Side Kick has reached 100% Proficiency!]
[+2 Strength]
[+1 Agility]
[+5 EXP]
[Daily Tasks 3/3 Completed]
[+2 EXP]
[+3 EP]
Unfortunately, there were no unexpected and generous rewards, but it was always a good thing to see his stats steadily increase.
Zeke returned to his room before Azmer and slept like a baby.
The next couple of days were uneventful; Zeke would sometimes hang out with Samuel or get followed by Julia Lopmore. Nevertheless, he wasn’t challenged again by Rodrick, nor was he approached by Fylard or Francesca.
He was left to his own devices, studying during the day and training at night. Zeke was saving up EP, planning to raise his Level so he would get access to the Sreyzhanian Arts.
Morning of Saturday, right after Professor Nayro’s practical class came to an end, there was a surprising turn of events when Azmer challenged someone.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Challenges were most common amongst the second-years as a higher rank could fetch you enticing rewards, whether it was money or useful scriptures.
The challenger was none other than Fykarld, who, as was his wont, came to ‘pick up’ Rodrick. He had integrated him into his circle and was treating him amicably, which was enough for Rodrick to forget about Azmer and start concocting a plan to ridicule and beat down Zeke.
However, he didn’t resort to his old bullying tactic as that would only work on Defects. Moreover, ever since its lock-down, Erys’ security increased by several folds, rendering it impossible to corner someone without attracting attention.
“What? Are you for real?”
“I am.”
Azmer stepped into the ring before he even heard a response. As for Fylard, he mockingly scoffed and nodded at Nayro.
“Psst!”
Julia lightly tapped Zeke’s shoulder and motioned at Azmer and Fylard.
“Wanna bet who’s going to win?”
“I already know who’s going to win.”
“Really? Enlighten me!”
“It’s Azmer, for sure.” Declared Zeke while shrugging his shoulders.
Fylard held the 19th spot, while Azmer was 24th, but the former’s real strength ranked him in the top 10… he contented with the 19th spot just to make others underestimate him.
“Oh? I thought you’d cheer for Fylard.”
“Correction: I’m cheering for no one. I’m just stating facts.”
“How can it be a fact if it didn’t happen yet? I thought you hated Azmer.”
Zeke looked at her as if she was a dumb person, which made her roll her eyes.
“What?”
“Judging from your attitude, you also know Azmer would win.”
“Haah!” She sighed and nodded while grinning, “Don’t let his dislikable behavior fool you. He’s completely different from that idiot Rodrick. Azmer is quite strong… not as strong as I am, though.”
“Do you always have to praise yourself? There is something called humility, you know.”
“I’m also stating facts! There’s only one person I can’t beat and He’s at the top of the ranking. Then again, if you stopped being so unfriendly and helped me for once, I’m confident I can win.”
Zeke was about to retort but she waved her hand and urged him to look at the fight instead.
Soon, Professor Nayro’s signaled the beginning of the fight. A wave of fire exploded from Azmer’s body, cascading on the motionless Fylard, who snapped his fingers.
The resplendent flames were literally cut in half by something invisible. Still, Azmer wasn’t fazed as more flames burst from his body and formed a gigantic ball.
Its size exponentially grew, along with the suffocating heat it was emitting. When it was about triple his size, it slowly flew at Fylard, who crouched down and swiped with his two open hands, clawing the air itself.
Invisible Wind Blades clashed against the fireball, but this time, the latter emerged victorious as it crashed against Fylard.
Surprisingly, when it exploded into a sea of fire, Fylard looked relatively unscathed. More astonishing was seeing him fly upwards and conjure a tornado that absorbed the remnant flames to strengthen itself.
With the tornado closing in on him, Azmer clenched his fists and invoked his fire, though this one was darker than usual.
He ran straight at the tornado, and though his speed was unimpressive, it was still quite the sight to see someone rush straight into danger.
“Huh?”
Even Fylard was dumbfounded to see this, going as far as controlling his tornado and trying to pull it back. Alas, it was too late for that as Azme banged his fists together and manifested a longsword made of brilliant golden flames.
With both hands, he swung downwards, splitting the tornado and hitting the mid-air Fylard with an invisible and unstoppable flaming blast.
In comparison to the fight Zeke had been or witnessed so far, this one was by far the most spectacular. Whether it was Azmer’s impressive and powerful Pyromancy or Fylard’s flexible Aeromancy.
In fact, the sight made Zeke want to invest in the Pyromancy Main Path. Then again, it would be safer to unlock its opposite, Hydromancy, as that would help him defeat Azmer when the time was right.
‘I knew he was strong but it seems I still underestimated him.’
He stole a glance at the excited Julia, genuinely more impressed by her. Her ability wasn’t flashy, but she was the 2nd strongest First Year, so much so that Fylard and Azmer were somewhat fearful of her.
The light from the golden flaming sword reflected in everyone’s eyes, awing everyone, including Nayro.
“That’s something new! I guess he has been working hard, after all!”-Julia
While enveloped in rapidly-spinning Wind Blades, Fylard shot at Azmer like a cannonball, resulting in an explosive clash of Wind and Fire. His relatively lacking physical prowess notwithstanding, Azmer managed to overpower Fylard and push him to the back.
The fire raged around and slithered on the ground, burning the youth’s uniform.
“I get it I get it!”
As he half-knelt on the ground, Fylard raised his hand towards Azmer and shouted atop his lungs.
However, Azmer paid him no heed, he just glanced at Nayro and when he saw no response, he slashed with the longsword again.
In retaliation, Fylard chuckled and clenched his raised hand, which sent Azmer flying in the air, his body spinning like a ragdoll.
Before he could utilize his sword, Fylard laughed and pulled the air, thus releasing a violent gust, multiple times stronger than that of Rodrick’s.
Again, Azmer’s body was blown to the side, crashed on the ground, then rolled a couple of times. He pushed his hands against the ground and coughed blood, struggling to stand up.
“You think I’d lose to the likes of yo-”
Before he could finish, a small spark of vermillion flames exploded in front of Fylard’s face, blackening his face and knocking him to the ground. His body twitched a couple of times but as he tried to get back to his feet, his body wobbled and he was at the last second by the Zyth.
“The victory goes to Azmer.”
“I… I still…”
Fylard tried to object but he lost consciousness thereafter.
Azmer wiped the blood leaking out of his lips and turned his gaze to Rodrick, who, like the rest of Fylard’s group, was stupefied by the unexpected result.
“This is who you sought for help. Are you satisfied now?”
In response, Rodrick mumbled something under his breath and then ran to Fylard. He offered to take him to the infirmary and did not even deign to answer his old friend.
As he saw him act like this, refusing to see reason, Azmer sighed and quietly said,
“So be it. Never say I was the one who had forsaken you, Rodrick.”
With heavy and unstable steps, he walked out of the training facility, his eyes cast down and containing a mix of sadness and regret.
“19th spot, good for him. Though, I reckon he can climb all the way to the 7th spot with that power.”-Julia
“...”
Zeke did not speak, he looked a bit gloomy as he watched Azmer disappear from view. Although he was confident in his skills, it was still worrying to see what Azmer’s Pyromancy was capable of. In comparison, the basic skills like ‘Fists of Fury’ and ‘One-star Side-kick’ would do nothing against Fire.
‘Hydromancy might help me counter him…. But to invest it just because of him might not be worth it. I’ll have to think about it a bit more.’
With the fight over, the students went to the cafeteria for a short lunch break. Zeke headed there too, but mid-way, he was stopped by the ashen-haired Vanessa.
“We need to talk.”
“Hm?”
Julia, who was next to him, frowned and gave an unfriendly and rare look at Vanessa.
“About?”
Vanessa eyed him for a moment then added, “It’s best to talk privately.”
“Always so secretive! Hmpf!”
Julia did not shy away from commenting, but she didn’t linger there for long, unexpectedly. She snorted and walked away, not even hiding her dislike of Vanessa.
Although confused, Zeke still followed the girl, feeling a bit embarrassed with all the cursory gazes he was getting from the students.
After all, Vanessa was famous for her prowess and distinguishable beauty. She was the crush of many pure-hearted youths, whose jealous eyes were piercing through the walking Zeke.
‘I mean… she’s indeed pretty and quite cool-headed, especially considering I ruined her plan last time.’
Zeke was led, specifically, to the top floor of the Third Year Building. He found himself in a spacious and cozy room equipped with a large chimney, random stuff, and a nice view of the entire campus.
In addition to himself and Vanessa, James was there, talking with an unfamiliar girl no less pretty than Vanessa.
She was sitting behind a large table at the center of the room and fiddling with a pen, but as soon as he entered, she laid her eyes on him, a seductive smile plastering on her face.
“Who do we have here? It’s Max’s little brother!”
On the surface, she seemed amicable, but Zeke couldn’t help but have goosebumps. Being stared at by her was an uncomfortable experience, one that made him suspicious and slightly unsettled.
“It’s basic courtesy to introduce yourself, little boy.”
“Zeke Orland, and who are you?”
“Celestia Black, Fourth-year Student and Vice-President of the Student Council.”
‘So it’s her.’
The Student Council was a big part of Erys, and though its members were solely students, they had their authority was equivalent to the teachers and other employees. Unlike the rarely seen President of the Student Council, Celestia Black was quite known for her past achievements. Ever since joining Erys, she never lost a fight and had always remained at the top of the Ranking.
Furthermore, she was amongst the handful of Third-Year Students that were accepted to the special Fourth-Year program.
“Come here and sit down, Zeke.”
He did as told and sat opposite Celestia. As for Vanessa, she sat next to James and the two kept staring at Zeke while whispering to each other.
“Before we start, do you know why we called you here?”
“It’s obviously because of the recent incident, no?”
“Yes and no.” She responded, winking at him playfully. “Max, your sister, was against the idea of calling you here, but we’re running out of time and we want to avoid any more unnecessary casualties.”
“Does that mean you need my help? Or information from me? Because if it’s the case, you’ll get neither.”
“And why is that? I promise a reward of at least three Golden Stars. You know highly-sought they are, right?”
“...”
As the youth sat there, stone-faced and eerily silent, Celestia chuckled and leaned back, her dangerously revealed leg rising upwards and catching his attention momentarily.
“You were one of the five Defects in Erys, isn’t that right? Pray, tell me how your awakening proceeded.”
“No.”
His immediate response made her furrow her brows, her smile almost disappearing.
“I’m under no obligation to recount anything. Mind you, not even the teachers in charge of the test could do that.”
“I’m not asking you as the Vice-President of the Student Council, but as the Captain of the Special Investigation Team personally made by the Principal. If you refuse to cooperate, I can punish you.”
Zeke softly laughed at her words, seemingly unaffected by the tense atmosphere.
“Let me get this straight; You and your squad are incapable of finding the killer, so you resort to threatening a First-Year student just because of his accidental involvement? Phrase it however you want, but it is what it is.”
“You’ve got quite the vicious tongue, Zeke Orland. Not even Maxine would dare talk to me like that.”
Celestial stood up and walked to him, moving her hand closer to his and touching the Rune of Death.
“This is a very serious matter. I know that your friend has been sighted with our quarry, but I promise to be lenient.”
“Isn’t this ludicrous?”
Zeke moved his hand away and got to his feet, sweeping his eyes across Celestia and the other two.
“Promise to be lenient? Please don’t make me laugh. I know people like you… once you get what you want, you wouldn’t care about anything else. Miss Celestia Black, your reputation precedes you, and to be honest, you would’ve been able to convince me if Max or Miss Vanessa did the talking instead of you.”
He turned around and walked away, much to the girl’s surprise. Just as he was about to leave, he looked at her one last time and, with a clarion voice, added,
“Also, your gaze gives me the creeps.”