Emil

The afternoon was occupied by mana evaluations. Every first-year student was gathered in the auditorium, waiting for their turn to be called onto the stage. A group of examiners composed of Academy staff and professors were available to measure their competency in the four mana parameters that had been discussed in class—Capacity, Sensitivity, Processing, and Interference range.

Capacity was the only parameter that Emil’s cohort hadn’t covered yet. The measurement itself was self-explanatory, describing the amount of mana that an Exalted can use without suffering from the onset of Overclock.

Emil was standing near the center of the auditorium observing the first set of students that were called. One by one, they passed down a station of examiners responsible for measuring a particular parameter. The examiners would vocalize a set of instructions and then student would comply—usually by invoking their Gifts and demonstrating their ability to control mana. The examiners would then note down their observations and pass the student down to the next station.

There were no measurement machines. No tools. No equipment used to ensure accuracy and precision. Just a simple eye-test from each examiners—devoid of any semblance of objectivity.

The methods are surprisingly archaic.

Ardair wasn’t the most technologically advanced kingdom on the continent, but it certainly wasn’t some backwater country. It had plenty of state-of-the-art tools and machinery built by artisans and skilled workers within the kingdom for mining and metallurgy.

I guess even the most prestigious Exalted institution in the kingdom hasn’t figured out a way to reliably measure and detect mana yet.

There was still a lot of fundamental knowledge lacking when it came to their understanding on the mechanisms of mana. The secrets of the ethereal energy remained elusive largely because of two main factors.

One, humans were the only living beings known to be able to perceive and manipulate mana. Two, Azurite was the only substance known to be able to store and conduct mana at will. The stone, however, was non-malleable and difficult to shape with traditional metallurgy methods, making it nearly impossible to fashion Azurite into meaningful objects aside from simple accessories. These two limitations made studying mana excruciatingly difficult.

Emil decided to find a seat. The boredom of waiting for his turn made it impossible to ignore the lingering pains ravaging his body. In the midst of his search, he found Anna by herself off to the side of the auditorium.

It's kind of obvious she’s avoiding me. Was I being too harsh back there?

Once Professor Harold left, the two of them ate in silence. Things got considerably tense and awkward after their little spat.

I don’t think I was in the wrong though. Anna’s alarming lack of caution towards secrecy placed both of them in danger. He needed to be firm and forceful—otherwise, her rebellious personality would never have allowed her to listen.

“Emil Milligan!”

He rose from his seat. In his periphery, he saw another classmate approach Anna. The two of them instantly began chatting. Emil walked towards the stage, somehow unable to shake the bitter feelings spiraling in his chest.

***

The results of his evaluation came back.

Capacity: A-

Sensitivity: A

Interference Range: B-

Processing: C-

The Academy used the standard A to D letter system to evaluate the mana proficiencies, with A+ being the highest and F being the lowest.

Emil clicked his tongue, grimacing as he stared at the letter grades. The battles at the sacred grove already gave him an inkling that he needed to work on improving his skills with Bulwark. Seeing the evaluations firsthand, however, revealed just how lacking he currently was. His Processing, in particular, was abysmal.

Would I have scored better if I used Blaze instead?

…

No. It’ll be worse, actually.

His mastery over both Gifts left much to be desired, but each one suffered from opposing issues. If Blaze was a rampaging bull that he struggled to control, then Bulwark was a sloth that took too long to get going.

The only silver lining was that his innate parameters were high. His Capacity and Sensitivity had always been strong, likely due to the tampering Steiger did with his body using forbidden knowledge from the Bestowed Project. The Awakening that he experienced while fighting Decim only strengthened those attributes further.

Still, Emil clenched his fists, furious with himself.

It’s not good enough!

Against most adversaries, he had been able to make up for his weaknesses with his combat experience, tenacity, and Blaze’s innate destructive capabilities. If he were to evaluate himself objectively, however, most of his victories against other Exalted were because he was able to catch his opponents off guard.

If he wasn’t able to end a fight after shortly activating Blaze, his chances of victory plummeted.

He got lucky against Decim due to his Awakening of Bulwark.

He survived Professor Callum due to a series of miraculous coincidences.

As he replayed the fight in the sacred grove in his head, he arrived at an irrefutable conclusion.

I should have died that night.

If Anna hadn’t returned to help him in time. If Professor Callum had been serious about killing him. If the headless statue hadn’t collapsed at a fortunate timing to buy him time.

So many things had to go right for him to be standing right here alive.

A scalding pain flared in his palms. Emil hadn’t realized it but his nails were dug deep into his skin. His jaws were clenched, teeth bared, eyeing at his evaluation. His throat burned with shame.

I have to get stronger.

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***

“Ha!”

His Azurite pendant shone a brilliant blue as he stomped the ground. Mana traveled down the length of his body, using it as a conduit to reach the earth. Soon, a section of the ground before him rumbled as an array of stone projections shot into the air.

Immediately, Emil followed up by slamming his fist into his palm. The ground stirred in response, shaking until cracks emerged. As the fissure grew wider, the ground eventually caved, forming a small crater.

Dammit!

Emil cursed silently as he slumped against the bench. He took in a gulp of air—his breaths haggard as his burning lungs were finally able to relax. He grabbed his water pouch lying on the side and drank without a care for dignity.

He was using one of the training grounds available on campus. It was an outdoor facility near the student’s dorms composed of a flat field that had been divided into segments for individual use. Emil occupied one of the segments by the corners. A group of students passed by, shooting him curious glances. He tried to ignore the probing eyes. It seemed like his celebrity status on campus still hadn’t faded yet.

It’s too slow.

He sighed, staring at his hands. His clothes, soaked in sweat, clung uncomfortably to his skin. He would have taken them off by now, but showing off his bandages and the nasty scars on his body would only draw more unnecessary attention.

You’re getting distracted. Focus.

He let a solemn breath and squeezed with his left hand. Mana flickered. In a fraction of a second, a gauntlet of stone emerged over his hands. Then, he eyed a spot on the ground. The earth in the vicinity rumbled before a stone projection erupted outwards about two seconds later.

Yeah, it’s magnitudes slower.

Taking two seconds to manifest his stone projections was a death sentence against competent Exalted. This was unacceptable. It was effectively unused unless he setting up an ambush.

But I don’t understand. What’s the difference between creating a gauntlet and a stone projection?

The inconsistency confounded him. Blaze had always manifested instantaneously on his command. The difference in speed with Bulwark was the first time Emil had encountered this problem. In theory, a stone gauntlet around his hands should have been slower to manifest. The phenomenon was more complex—Emil had to consider the thickness, weight, and shape of the stone structure such that it would fit his hands properly while also allowing freedom of motion. With a stone projection, he simply had to choose a spot on the ground and decide on the power of the attack.

If complexity of phenomenon is not the limiting factor, then what?

Absent-mindedly, he eyed another spot on the earth and channeled Bulwark. This time the stone projection shot out noticeably quicker.

Hm? That was half a second faster. Emil raised an eye. But I didn’t do anything different.

He stared at two projections he created, confused. Wait. An idea came to mind. To confirm his suspicions, he focused on another place on the ground.

Crack!

The earth split immediately as a column of stone erupted skyward with vicious force. Emil flinched, nearly startled by the speed of his own Gift. The processing speed was near instantaneous. Intrigued, he tried a few more times just to confirm his suspicions.

Huh, interesting.

His heart raced, swelling with elation at the discovery. The projections closest to him were the ones that manifested the fastest.

It was the proximity of the phenomenon in relation to his body that determined how fast it could be created.

It checks out. It would explain why creating a stone gauntlet around my hands would be faster than conjuring a stone projection a meter away from me.

Suddenly, it was obvious. The same principles also coincided with his usage of Blaze. Each time he invoked the Gift the flames would always erupt from his torso. While the flames would move and spread on his behalf, the origin of manifestation was always himself.

I doubt this is some groundbreaking discovery. But it’s strange that I haven’t heard about this before. Even Steiger’s Exalted training regime never mentioned this behavior.

Likely, there were Exalted who were aware of this concept on an instinctual level. But with how diverse each Exalted’s Gifts were and the massive variations between their mana parameters, it was probably difficult to formalize a conclusive observation. This sort of insight was only possible from someone like him who possessed two Gifts and could use one as a precise frame of reference for the other.

Emil leaned back against the bench. He closed his eyes, basking in the glow of accomplishment, until his mind began to complain.

Well, that’s good and all, but how do I use this knowledge to improve?

“Yo!”

Someone suddenly called out to him before he could think of a solution. Emil turned, finding himself eye-to-eye with a tall male student on the outskirts of the training grounds.

…Do I know him?

He squinted, trying to recall if he was acquainted with a dark-skinned male on campus. After two seconds of contemplation, he gave up.

“Emil, right?” the male student approached him nonchalantly with a conniving smile. “It’s rare to see you alone without your red-haired girlfriend by your side. Tell me, did something happen? A disagreement? A verbal spat? Another little brawl to commemorate what happened during the opening ceremony?”

“Excuse me?” Who the hell is this person?

“Oh sorry, was I not supposed to pry?” the male student smirked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “My apologies. I must have gotten overly excited from the chance to meet the infamous Emil Milligan. Don’t you know? You and Anna are the talk of the campus right now. Everyone’s very curious about your actual relationship, especially after the two of you got into that kerfuffle on the opening day. Tell me, what’s your secret? How exactly did you go from enemies to lovers?”

Emil narrowed his eyes, still unsure why this bizarre conversation was taking place. “…We’re not dating.”

“Now that’s a surprise. The name’s Kai, by the way.”

Kai extended a hand, which Emil reluctantly accepted.

“If you’re not dating Anna, then mind if I shoot my shot?” he asked with a nasty smile.

Emil gave Kai a quick scan. He had a conventionally handsome face with short, curly hair. He was tall, almost half a head higher than himself, without any noticeable deformities on his body. Physically, he was a looker. His attitude, however, reeked of someone who enjoyed playing around.

“…Be my guest.” Despite his own reservations, he didn’t want to overstep his boundaries. Whoever Anna chose to date was none of his business.

“Oh?” Kai’s tone suddenly turned sinister, “You’re just going to let me do what I want?”

His right arm suddenly lashed out, knocking Emil’s water pouch onto the ground. Some of it splashed against Emil’s leg, leaving his shoes drenched. Kai didn’t take his eyes off of him the entire time.

“How awfully nice of you.”

Okay, now everything makes sense. He’s trying to pick a fight. Emil sighed. I guess this is the one downside of being viewed as a delinquent. There are always idiots who want to challenge you for notoriety.

The arrogant smirk on Kai’s face was beginning to wear on his patience. But he didn’t want to act too rashly. There was a number of curious eyes glancing in his direction. He was already treading thin waters with the Academy after the opening day and he did not want to attract anymore attention to himself.

Still, he wasn’t about to let someone who disrespected him so openly off the hook.

Emil crouched down to pick his fallen water pouch. The witch’s voice echoed in his head.

If you ever get in the mood to pick a fight, find a dark-skinned man and ask if he’s Gharian. Nine out of ten, it’ll escalate into a brawl.

“You’re a Gharian, aren’t you?” he sneered as he made the snide remark. Kai’s eyes instantly turned cold. The smile on his face disappeared.

“Half, actually,” Kai replied, baring his teeth. Emil noticed that his hands had balled up into fists.

“Interesting. Then I wonder…” Emil rose, casually dusting off the sand that had clung onto his water pouch. He approached Kai with an eerie nonchalance. He stopped right as their faces were mere inches away from each other.

“…which half of you is the barbaric side?” he whispered, deliberately stretching out each word, coating each syllable with venom.

Bloodlust flashed in the air. Kai’s eyes narrowed into a vengeful glare. His teeth were clenched, rattling, barely clinging onto his composure. Emil’s smile widened at his growing hostility.

“Go on. Hit me. Strike me down. Make me take back those words,” he taunted as his eyes danced with madness, “This is what you wanted, wasn’t it? A fight against the number one delinquent on campus in front of a bunch of spectators.” He tilted his face, tapping his cheeks. “Come on. Right here. One solid punch. Show me just how angry you are.”

Kai stared at him—angered but taken aback, slightly startled by the shift in his attitude. Emil noted more spectators stopping by to stare at a potential fight.

“…Not bad,” Kai finally said. He backed off a step. He forced himself to grin, the side of his mouth quivering with difficulty. “Not bad at all, Emil,” he said once more as he spun around and stomped away. The crowd that had gathered groaned with disappointment.

Emil watched as Kai faded from his sight. The spectators in the vicinity quickly dispersed to go about their day once it was clear that nothing was going to happen. As his head cooled, he was only left with confusion.

Okay, seriously, what the hell was that all about?

He had an inkling that Kai was either trying to get his attention or evaluate him in some capacity, but what for?

Drawing a blank, he sighed, suddenly thirsty. He raised his water pouch to his mouth—only to find the container empty. He glanced at the ground, realizing that most of the water had been spilled earlier from Kai’s provocation.

…Damn, bastard. Now I really wished he had hit me.