Journal entry: 56

So, a lot of stuff happened.

I haven’t been able to make a journal entry for the past few days. In the last entry I told about how I was sent back to Earth on a scout mission. The target, a lonely boy called Yuki Tachibana.

“It seems it would be quite easy to get him here.”

“It’s not like he has much reasons to resist.”

“This will be a short and easy job.”

Oh boy, I was so wronggg…

Reading back at what I wrote makes me feel so dumb…

Even tho I had started scouting only recently, this was probably the most difficult job in the history of Avalon!

First off, Yuki isn’t just some lonely boy—he’s a stubborn, impulsive, anime-obsessed trouble magnet! And let me tell you, convincing someone like that to leave their world behind and come to Avalon is NOT as easy as it sounds. No matter what I tried, he had a million questions, and his curiosity was practically insatiable. But that was just the beginning.

When we finally got to Avalon, I thought things would calm down. Wrong again! He’s barely been here for a few days, and he’s already managed to stir up more chaos than I’ve seen in my entire time at the academy. He got into a fight with John (of course, he would pick the most notorious bully), and somehow—somehow—he managed to knock John down. I was both impressed and horrified. But, of course, Yuki didn’t come out of it unscathed. He’s still figuring out how to control his Crux Aura, and right now, it’s like handing a sword to a toddler—dangerous and unpredictable.

And then, to top it all off, Miss Yuan… Miss Yuan gave me the task of making sure he doesn’t blow up the whole academy with his reckless use of magic. It’s like I’ve been promoted and demoted at the same time!

Now, luckily for me, Yuki has made a few friends now, giving me some time to myself, a luxury I haven’t gotten in a long time. But still… Every time I close my eyes, I see Miss Yuan’s disappointed face if we mess up again.

But… if I’m being honest, there’s something about Yuki that makes me think it’s worth the trouble. Maybe it’s that stubborn determination, or maybe it’s because he’s a little lost, just like I was when I first got here. I guess I’ll just have to keep an eye on him and hope that he starts to get the hang of things before we both end up in serious trouble.

For now, I’ll just keep trying to do my best. It’s not like I have much of a choice! Here’s to hoping tomorrow is a little less stressful…

Well, I've been talking about him too much. I'll just end this entry here. Bai-Bai!

Naomi~Chan

07/08

8th August

The view from the verandah of Block A was nothing short of picturesque. The expanse of the training grounds stretched out below, a meticulously maintained field where students honed their skills under the open sky. Across the way, the imposing structures of the other academic blocks stood tall, their stone facades catching the light of the early morning sun. To the right, a neat row of classrooms designated for first-year students lined the path, their windows reflecting the vibrant greenery that surrounded them.

The tranquil scene was suddenly interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps echoing through the corridor. It was Yuki, his usually composed demeanour replaced by an air of frantic urgency as he dashed towards his class. His heavy footfalls disrupted the peaceful atmosphere, the sharp clatter of his shoes against the polished floor contrasting sharply with the serene surroundings. Heads turned as he passed by, some students offering amused smiles, while others simply shook their heads at the spectacle.

Yuki’s uniform was slightly askew, his tie loosened and his hair tousled from the rush. As he ran, his backpack bounced haphazardly against his back, adding to the chaotic image. Despite his hurried pace, there was a determination in his eyes, a clear focus on reaching his destination no matter the disruption he caused.

On the opposite side of the verandah, Yuki caught a glimpse of Miss Yuan, her sharp eyes scanning the corridor. His heart sank as panic gripped him. “Oh shit! I'm dead today. She's going to kill me for being late. I need to think of something.”

Yuki pushed himself harder, running faster in a desperate attempt to reach the classroom before Miss Yuan could see him. The walls seemed to close in as he sprinted down the hallway, every step louder than the last. As he neared the door, he glanced back—Miss Yuan was still at the far end of the verandah. Maybe, just maybe, he could make it.

But in his frantic haste, Yuki misjudged the turn. Instead of slipping into the classroom smoothly, his foot caught the edge of the doorframe. He stumbled forward, arms flailing, and crashed into the room with a disastrous thud.

The classroom, despite its grand size, felt strangely empty. Rows of desks were arranged in a tiered formation, stretching far back toward the walls, but most of them were unoccupied. The room could easily fit fifty students, yet only a fraction of the seats were taken. Those present turned to see the source of the noise, their attention drawn away from the vast, empty space around them.

At the front of the room was a massive board, flanked by a table and chair that stood ready for the teacher. A large, open area between the first row of desks and the board seemed designed for demonstrations, but now it played host to Yuki’s ungraceful entrance.

For a moment, silence hung heavy in the air, the sound of Yuki’s crash still echoing through the cavernous space. Then, as if on cue, the stillness shattered into uproarious laughter. The noise reverberated off the walls, amplifying Yuki’s embarrassment.

John, the one who initiated the laughing. “IS THAT THE NEW ASIAN KID? HAHAHA, SERVES HIM RIGHT, HE'S DOWN ON TO HIS STATUS!” he jeered, his voice dripping with mockery. As if on command, his cronies chimed in, “HAHA, YES YES, DOWN TO HIS STATUS.”

Yuki, however, had no time to dwell on their taunts. His sole focus was on getting to his seat before Miss Yuan entered. Scrambling to his feet, he darted to an empty desk and slid into his chair just as the classroom door creaked open and Miss Yuan stepped inside.

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She paused, her gaze sweeping the room with the precision of someone who missed nothing. Her eyes locked onto Yuki for a brief, icy moment before she addressed the class. “I heard some students screaming as I was entering the class. Will you have the courtesy to tell me who they were?” Her voice was calm, almost too calm, sending a chill through the mostly empty room. “Or should I use my own methods to find out, as you all know I very well can?”

The room fell into a tense silence. Even the few students present were too fearful to speak, including John and his gang, who had suddenly lost their nerve.

Miss Yuan’s lips curved, “Fine,” she said with a resigned sigh, "I’ll look into it later." She walked to the front of the room, placing her materials down on the table with deliberate precision. "We will begin today’s lecture. I don’t want to waste our class time because of a few students."

Her tone shifted seamlessly into that of a seasoned educator, commanding the attention of the sparse class. “Today, we’ll be discussing the basics of handling your Aura and Crux particles. As you may know, Crux particles are the fundamental components of your Aura, and learning to control them should become as natural as breathing.”

Yuki shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his heart still racing from the earlier chaos. But he forced himself to focus as Miss Yuan’s voice filled the vast, mostly empty room.

“Now, do as I say,” she commanded, her eyes briefly flicking to Yuki as if daring him to falter again, making him straighten in his seat.

Miss Yuan’s voice filled the classroom, her calm yet commanding tone ensuring every student paid attention. "First, keep your posture straight. This is crucial. A straight posture allows the energy within you to flow more freely. Then, concentrate on your breathing—steady and even, as if you were meditating."

The few students present in the vast room mirrored her instructions, their movements precise and deliberate. The silence in the room grew thick as they focused inward, trying to find the rhythm in their breathing.

"Now, relax your body," she continued. "Relax to the point where you can feel even the slightest movements around you—the air shifting, the vibrations from outside, even the subtle pulses within your own body. The goal is to become acutely aware of your own aura."

The students followed, their bodies loosening as they tuned into the subtle energies surrounding them. Some closed their eyes, trying to sense the intangible aura that Miss Yuan spoke of.

"Can you feel it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, yet it carried clearly across the room. "Your own aura—imagine it as something malleable, like clay in your hands. Now, visualise yourself grabbing hold of it, shaping it, moulding it. Gather it together, and compress it as tightly as you can. Do not let it leak out. Concentrate. The tighter you compress it, the more pressure you will feel. This is your first step in learning control."

A hushed intensity filled the room as the students did as instructed. The temperature began to drop gradually, the air growing cooler with each passing second, though the students hardly noticed. Instead, they felt an intense, internal heat rising within them, as if their bodies were burning from the inside out.

Miss Yuan walked among them, observing their efforts. "You must be feeling hot now," she noted, her voice cutting through the oppressive warmth they felt. "This is because, in compressing your aura, you have not only harnessed your internal energy but also absorbed the Crux particles—the energy particles—around you. This absorption draws energy from the environment, which in turn cools the room, much like how a refrigerator absorbs heat to cool its contents."

The students began to understand, the metaphor grounding the abstract concept in something familiar. They were amazed by the phenomenon they were actively creating.

"You can release your hold now," she instructed. As the students let go of their concentrated auras, the temperature in the room gradually returned to normal, the coolness dissipating as the Crux particles were released back into the environment.

Miss Yuan stood at the front of the class, her presence calm yet commanding as she delivered the next part of her lecture. "As you may have realized," she began, "Crux particles are everywhere. They exist in every object, every living thing, and the air around us. These particles make up your auras, which collectively we refer to as Crux Auras. Today, you will attempt to create an energy string using these Crux particles. Focus the particles around you and guide them to your fingertips, layering them one by one to form a string. This requires intense concentration and precision, which is why it’s a great exercise for novices. However, I do not recommend using this technique in combat—it’s not practical for those situations."

She moved to the table at the front of the room, where an assortment of objects lay: teaching tools, a small cylindrical container with a lid, a few rings adorned with different coloured stones, her sheathed Dao, and a hand fan. With deliberate care, she opened the container's lid, revealing a soft, glowing light that emanated from within. The glow was captivating, yet Miss Yuan's attention quickly shifted back to her students.

Around the room, the students were straining to follow her instructions. Beads of sweat formed on some foreheads as glowing threads began to materialise at their fingertips, some mere millimetres long, others stretching up to two centimetres. Yuki, though a novice, pushed himself hard and managed to form a string roughly 2.5 centimetres in length. Meanwhile, John, who had some prior experience with magic and energy concentration, managed a slightly longer thread, nearing three centimetres.

Miss Yuan walked among them, her sharp eyes taking in each student's progress. Her gaze paused at the back of the classroom, where one student was excelling far beyond the others. "Very good, Miss Austin! You’re doing exceptionally well," she praised, her voice carrying through the room.

Heads turned immediately, including John's, who had been basking in his own progress. The moment their concentration wavered, their energy threads snapped, dissolving into nothingness with a collective groan of disappointment. Yuki resisted the urge to look but couldn't suppress his curiosity for long. Slowly, he turned to see what Austin had accomplished. His jaw dropped as he took in the sight—her energy thread was a staggering 9 centimetres long. In his shock, Yuki lost focus, and his own thread crumbled away just like the others.

"Class, we're done with today's exercise," Miss Yuan announced, drawing everyone’s attention back to the front. "We'll be practising this every day before starting our lectures. For now, you can relax and cool off. But don't get too comfortable—we still have today's lesson to cover."

Yuki felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. What? The class isn’t over yet? He thought, dismayed. I'm already so tired, I don’t know if I can even focus on the lecture… The image of an angry Miss Yuan flashed in his mind, jolting him upright. No way… I’d better focus. He shook his head, forcing himself to stay alert.

Miss Yuan continued, her voice steady and precise. "As I mentioned, Crux particles are omnipresent. In normal conditions, one could create an energy string a few meters long. However, all of you were simultaneously trying to extract Crux particles from the environment, which is why you struggled. This brings us to an important point: while manipulating Crux particles from your surroundings, you must be careful not to overdraw. Your aura acts as a reserve for Crux particles—not directly usable in most cases, but it’s through your aura that you influence the environment."

She paused to let the information sink in. "When your aura is fully charged with Crux particles, you can then manipulate the environment to perform magic. This brings us to elemental affinities in Crux magic. Some of you may have encountered this topic before," she said pointedly, her eyes locking onto Yuki. He felt a shiver run down his spine as her gaze lingered on him.

Miss Yuan continued, "The basic elemental affinities you’ll learn about are Heat, Water, Ice, Earth, Sound, Gravity, Light, and Dark. While theoretically, there are no limits to the types of elemental affinities, we will focus on the basics for now. These affinities are broad categories, and many are interconnected. How you use them depends entirely on your skill and wisdom—the more clever and efficient you are, the more you can accomplish with minimal energy expenditure."

She glanced at the class, making sure everyone was following. "There are even organic affinities, but it’s too early for you to learn about them."

Moving to a more practical explanation, Miss Yuan raised her hand. "To use the Heat affinity, for example, you must use your Crux to excite the particles around you. As you may know, heat is generated when the oscillation of atoms increases, that is, when kinetic energy is applied. By speeding up these movements, the oxygen around you can reach its ignition temperature, causing combustion."

A small flame appeared on her fingertip, flickering steadily. The students watched in awe.

"In the case of Ice," she continued, "you do the opposite. You use your Crux to slow down the particles around you, reducing their movement to the point where they freeze." The flame on her finger extinguished, replaced by a small, intricate ice sculpture in the shape of the flame that had been there moments before. She crushed the ice between her fingers, letting the shards scatter. "Any questions so far?"

A hand shot up from a seat directly in front of Yuki. He recognized the face immediately—it was his roommate, Antonio Giò Prada.

The sight of Antonio triggered a memory in Yuki’s mind, taking him back to the day they first met...

It was an exhausting sunny evening when Yuki had just finished moving the new stuff he bought with Naomi from the city complex market into his dorm, Naomi had left for her room leaving Yuki to set up his own room. The weight of the day’s events bore down on him as he lugged his belongings down the hall, his thoughts scattered and frazzled from the stress of settling into a new environment...

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