The limit, ostensibly intended to curtail the proliferation of high-tiered awakened individuals across the continent, has instead proven to be an ineffective measure, akin to a futile experiment that has surpassed its utility and purpose. While ostensibly aiming to mitigate the emergence of powerful awakeneds, it has predominantly disadvantaged those residing in the lower sectors, where access to evolved cores remains limited, impeding their evolution and perpetuating core imbalances. Although outliers in the first sector also experience constraints, they constitute a negligible minority within the broader context. The pertinent inquiry now pertains to alternative strategies for managing the awakened populace within our continent.”
Paul Magby Somerset,
Minister of Population and Census.
Ragnarok, 2147.
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Gym was just as hellish as it was the previous day, and although they’d arrived on time, Aodhán still felt like dying by the time the second lap was over.
He collapsed to the ground, panting as the null cuirass was taken off him. His lungs burned, and his heart beat frantically.
After the two-hour mark, the coach, whom he now knew as Harvey, led them through a series of stretches that caused his thighs to burn and his arms to wobble.
When it was finally over, Aodhán and Daruk shuffled to the bathroom, leaving Andrew, who was still panting on the gym floor,.
Meredith glared at him as they walked past, but Aodhán was too tired to care. The atmosphere in the house was tense, to say the least. Marcellus was using Meredith for one sinister motive or the other, most likely to stick it to the nobles of the first year, but Meredith was also using him for reasons Aodhán would rather not speculate.
Eren, on the other hand, was obviously nurturing feelings for Meredith, perhaps for a long time now, and although he’d overlooked her excesses before, Marcellus seemed to have been the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
Imani was the only one without issues. It hadn’t exactly brought them together, but it had broken the silly tension between them. She wasn’t as flighty in his presence anymore, which Aodhán considered a good thing. He liked Imani, and even if they couldn’t become friends, they could at least be civil to each other.
Fifteen minutes later, Aodhán and Daruk made their way to the cafeteria for a short breakfast. Control training had been a disaster yesterday, as the students had suddenly been possessed by an urge to one-up each other, with more than five students already pushing past the twentieth weave.
Their teacher, Master Lamarr, was ecstatic, but Aodhán cursed their enthusiasm. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the teacher realized that he, Andrew, and Daruk weren’t participating in the weaving exercise, but he was reluctant to reveal his technique to anyone. It wouldn’t be an edge if everyone had access to it.
Andrew joined them in the cafeteria a few minutes later, and after a short but filling breakfast, they made their way to the same hall where they’d had the class on awakened combat yesterday. A lot of students were already seated when they arrived, which wasn’t surprising as the class was compulsory for everyone.
Awakened advancement theory could be considered one of the most important courses for first-year students as well as the most complex. Aodhán had read a few more pages in the textbook this morning, delving deeply into the intricacies and complexity of spirit cultivation. It had been extremely enlightening, he had to admit, but it was just too much.
This time, they made their way to the middle row, as Andrew no longer had any intention of drawing the teachers attention.
“When do you intend to challenge the tower?” Andrew asked him as they sat down, and he shrugged. “This weekend, I want to see how much change will be made to the leaderboards by then.”
Daruk chuckled lightly. “Show-off. I also intend to create and perfect another skill too, but in preparation for the challenge matches that’ll be starting this weekend.”
“Oh yes, I almost forgot about that.” Andrew responded. “I’m working on something also, but it’s in line with the assignment on limitations.”
Daruk hummed. “I thought about that, but with my new skills, I think I’ve managed to circumvent most of my limitations.
*That reminds me.” Aodhán turned to face him curiously. “I haven’t seen the {Drain Heat} skill in action yet.”
“It’s better to show you than tell you.” Daruk chuckled. “Maybe when next we train, but for now, I’ll keep it’s surprise.”
“Pfft.” Andrew shook his head in envy and asked. “What about you, Aodhán? Have you figured out your limitations yet?”
“Yes, I think.” Aodhán replied with a slight frown. His greatest limitation for now was how easily his skills were countered against earth and sound, and he was yet to find a way to overcome that.
He was explaining this to Andrew when Cyrus and his friends walked past them.
Cyrus’s gaze swept across the seated students, his expression dismissive until it landed on Aodhán. His purple pupils flared for a moment before he sniffed and turned his attention back to his people.
Aodhán had nothing against the boy, not after his half brother had saved him from Bethany and her posse. But Cyrus was the first student on the Forge list, and more importantly, he was his competition.
Asides the fact that Cyrus was a genius, with control even better than his own, he was also the son of a duke, which made him more important than anyone else in the first year. It was a little exciting to know that he was considered a threat by someone as strong as Cyrus.
The noise in the hall grew as more students arrived and chatted with their friends, but it suddenly came to a stop a few minutes later, and absolute silence descended on the hall.
Aodhán turned to the stage, where he found a woman dressed in a gown as pale as moonlight. Her waist-length hair was as white as snow, and her skin emanated an ethereal luminescence that swirled around her like a halo.
The woman was beautiful, exceedingly so, and the lack of pupils in her milky white eyes identified her as a mythic class Awakened. She smiled as she gained their attention, and a collective sigh echoed out as a feeling of peace and serenity washed over the entire hall.
“Good morning, students.” She said in a voice like the gentle chime of bells. “My name is Faelar Dubois, and I’m the lead professor in the department of awakened studies.” She turned towards the screen, which displayed the name of the course, before proceeding. “Unfortunately, this is the first and last time you'll see me this semester.”
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A chorus of disappointment rang out, and she chuckled. “But I promise to make more of an appearance next semester. Now, let us begin.”
Aodhán took out his note and nudged Andrew, who was staring at the professor with open-mouthed shock. He leaned closer to Aodhán and whispered. “By Raol, that’s the lady of moonlight. She’s considered an ascendant candidate; do you even realize what that means?”
Aodhán did. Ascendant candidates were mythic individuals who were closing in on the 200th tier. It was a title usually given once they crossed the 150th tier.
Az had been called an ascendant candidate in his day, even though he was reported to have hated the title.
“Our skills, she began, grant us the ability to shape the reality of our elements or concepts, transforming them with our own understanding and imposing our will upon them. The skills are manifestations of our desires in the physical world, guided by the energy that flows around us.
Awakened advancement theory is a very broad course, as most of you might have noticed, and for the rest of the year, we’ll be exploring the principles and practices involved in the advancement of one’s core, spirit, and abilities. Today, we will begin by studying the underlying principles of elements and concepts, as well as the subtle laws guiding and governing our activities.
First, we have the four major elements and their numerous sub-elements. These elements shape our reality. They're the building blocks that make up our world, and whenever we manipulate them, we're affecting the very fabric of reality that surrounds us.
The concepts are even more complex, as unlike the elements, which are physical, they are abstract and make up the unseen parts of our world.
It is important to note that although concepts and elements are separate affinities, one can barely exist without the other.
As the lecture progressed, Professor Dubois spoke on almost every topic he could think of, ranging from advancement to milestones to even the limit.
The moment she mentioned it, though, Aodhán’s heart shook, and he was reminded of the ethereal chains wrapped around his core. He grimaced. The academy was supposed to tell them the true nature of the limit and then force them to take the oath of silence, but they were yet to do so, and somehow he’d forgotten about the entire thing.
Several students shifted awkwardly in their chairs; no doubt, the nobles were just as uncomfortable as he was concerning the topic, and Aodhán grimaced as Professor Dubois began speaking.
When they’d arrived at the 8th Sector, Aodhán had sensed a large number of dull cores that meant those individuals had reached their limit, but due to the large number of evolved and advanced citizens in the 5th Sector, he’d only sensed a few people who had reached their limit.
The number of these limited individuals was so small that they’d practically been non-existent to his core sense, and he had allowed himself to be carried away by the beauty and marvel of the sector.
He had to visit Rahim immediately after this class was over to tell him that he knew and that he’d already taken the oath. He sighed again, but as his thoughts spun, he found Cyrus and one of his friends staring at him with shock.
When they noticed his attention, they turned away and began whispering to each other. He was already uncomfortable as a result of the current topic, and the fact that Cyrus and his friend were obviously speaking about him only made things worse.
Cyrus turned once again, and this time, when their gazes collided, he didn’t look away. Instead, his eyes narrowed in confusion, and Aodhán sighed.
He already had an idea of what was going on, but he forced his attention back to the topic at hand and pretended to listen.
The class continued for another thirty minutes, with several students asking questions regarding the limit and ways to avoid or prevent it. Unsurprisingly, all of them were commoners, and Professor Dubois expertly circled around the entire topic, answering questions without really answering them at all.
Immediately after she dismissed the class, Aodhán rushed out of the hall without saying anything to either Daruk or Andrew, but he’d barely taken more than a few steps away from the hall when Cyrus slammed into him and pressed him against the wall.
He reacted instantly with a surge of lightning, but space rippled, and his attack failed to reach its target. Cyrus pressed harder against him and growled. “You know. You are a commoner; how do you know?”
Rather than respond, Aodhán released his aura and imbued it with all five strands of energized willpower that his technique allowed. Glass cracked, runes flared, and Cyrus gasped as he was forcefully pushed to the ground, but a purple haze of willpower burst out of him, and he disappeared the next moment, only to appear behind him.
Aodhán dodged as a purple-coated fist rushed towards him, and before Cyrus could reorient himself, a storm hammer smashed into him. Once again, his attack failed to reach Cyrus as space stretched to ludicrous degrees.
Cyrus grinned and released his aura. Space rippled dangerously, but before he could attack, a furious voice suddenly rang out. “I’m disappointed to see my best students fighting in the hallway like savages.”
Aodhán turned to see Rahim standing only a few feet away, and the next instant, a sense of vertigo hit him as Rahim grabbed them and disappeared.
They arrived in the principal’s office the next instant, and both boys stumbled to the floor from the force of the teleportation. Aodhán recovered a second after Cyrus, and he turned to see principal Zatya standing by the window alongside Rahim and glaring at them.
Aodhán had wondered what affinity Rahim possessed, and now he knew, but couldn’t he have been a little more gentle?
“Explain yourselves, starting with you, Cyrus.” Principal Zatya commanded, and after a glare in his direction, Cyrus straightened and replied. “He knows. This commoner knows about the true nature of the limit. Kellan sensed his emotions during Professor Dubois’s class, and he’s sure of it.”
Principal Zatya’s gaze darted towards Aodhán immediately, and she asked. “Is this true?”
Aodhán swallowed nervously as he took in her alarmed expression and nodded. “Yes.”
“How? Who told you?” Rahim asked calmly, but Aodhán could sense the worry and alarm brimming beneath his calm visage, and he stuttered. “No one, I—I figured it out myself.”
Principal Zatya and Rahim exchanged a glance, and a moment later, Rahim turned to Cyrus. “Next time, if there ever is one, it would be better to call my attention rather than take matters into your own hands. Attacking a fellow student within the school’s premises is an offense, and I will not condone such an action, regardless of your station.“
Cyrus’s chip flashed as Rahim continued. “For this reason, you have lost fifteen points. Note that I am only deducting such a small amount because of the sensitivity of this situation. I assure you that things won’t be so easy next time. You may go.”
Cyrus glared at Rahim for a moment before leaving, his face red with anger and embarrassment, but he surprisingly managed not to slam the door on his way out. After Cyrus left, though, the tension in the room thickened as principal Zatya and Rahim focused their attention on him.
Aodhán took an involuntary step back as the principal walked towards him. She stopped a few feet away from him, but his heart beat frantically as he wondered what would happen next.
“As for you, Aodhán, I want you to tell me the truth and nothing but the truth.” She waved a hand, and a rune-scripted device appeared on it. “This is a truthseeker talisman; it can sense any falsehoods you speak, so I suggest you avoid them and tell us the truth.”
Aodhán sighed and told them the truth, recounting the events that led to his finding out and how Aldric had made him take the oath of silence. He omitted the part where he’d foolishly told the council, as he had no idea what consequences that might incur.
“Ever since I took the oath, I haven't spoken to anyone about the limit, not even my younger brother. In fact, I haven't even thought about it since I came to the fifth sector.” Aodhán finished, and when the truthseeker gave no indication of falsehoods, the principal exchanged a surprised glance with Rahim.
There was a moment of silence before Rahim spoke. “By Raol, he’s telling the truth.”
Principal Zatya gazed at him with an expression of fascination and disbelief, and the next moment she said to Rahim. “Give us a moment.”
Rahim hesitated for a moment, his gaze darting between the two, before he finally teleported out. Principal Zatya observed him for an extra moment before she suddenly moved back to the window and shook her head. “You know, it has been said that there are some people who come to the realization on their own, special people, but I never thought I’d meet one of them or that he’d be my student.”
Aodhán frowned. “I don’t understand.”
"Oh, come on.” Principal Zatya laughed and turned to face him once more. “It’s impossible for anyone in Lutia to understand the nature of the limit on their own; we have to be told. The curse does not permit us.”
Aodhán stilled as his heart picked up a more frantic pace. He took a step back and then another until his back was flush against the wall. “What curse?”
Principal Zatya smiled. “I mean you no harm, Aodhán; I’m merely curious.” She took several steps forward until she was standing only a few feet away. “Tell me? Is Daruk really your brother? Are the Brystions really your parents? But more importantly, what world are you from?”