"I don't care what those rankings say, Ray. Today is the day I beat you." Desmond said. Ray's grin only grew wider "he's really going to break something if he keeps smiling like that" Lee grimaced.

"Well we'll just have to see won't we?" Ray said, laughing immediately after.

There was no signal to begin. Desmond stopped stretching and that was it, he was off.

“BLADE.”

Desmond's Aura coalesced into a blue-tinted almost see-through sword, His aura enhancement following shortly after as he sped toward the still-standing Ray. He didn't have time to question why he hadn't made a move, “I'll cut him down right now!” he snarled internally. He raised his sword and began to drop it with all his weight onto Ray's head.

Ray's head abruptly raised to meet the blade “Too slow!” He said. “FORCE.” It was almost a whisper. There was a sudden gust as Ray was suddenly multiple feet in the air. “What?! Did he control the blast to only his feet? That should be impossible for first years!” Desmond thought. His blade hit nothing but air and his weight began to tip forward.

Quickly he landed and rolled forward to his feet. Wasting no time He channeled his Aura using his sword swiping it at the slowly falling form of Ray. A sharp blade of pure energy whistled toward Ray.

“FORCE.” “You are MUCH too slow Desmond.” Ray laughed. Moving in the air, he used force to alter his trajectory. “Stay still!.”Desmond snarled. His arm became a blur as he sent Blade after Blade at the floating boy.

Ray continued to Flash away from most of the Blades, but as Desmond began to pick up speed he was getting nicked. Desmond managed to draw blood. He couldn't keep up the Aura expenditure of keeping himself afloat like this either, he was beginning to flag. “Well, I've had my fun. But it's time to end this.” Ray said, his eyes going wild. He used Force to send himself higher, just outside of Desmond's effective range. As he began to descend He angled himself down, face aiming at the platform.

Ray altered his course to come speeding right for Desmond, Force after Force sending him like an arrow. He pulled his arm back and a word echoed in the room. “DOME.” a dome appearing only above his fist.

Desmond's eyes widened at this. There was no use evading, Ray’s immense control meant he could simply use Force on the way down and track his movement. He would have to take this blow fully. He braced his feet, raising his arms as he pointed at the incoming Ray.

“ABSORB.” A suction force immediately came from Desmond. His gaze was determined. “I will not lose here today!” He felt an immense force crash into him and the world went black.

Ray slowly rose from the dust his attack had kicked up, dusting himself off he glanced at the still form of his opponent on the platform ground. He looked towards Professor Thorne “Too much maybe?...” He asked, Rubbing his head.

Professor Thorne sighed “I’m getting too old for this.” He thought to himself. “Just take him to the healer. Anyways, onto the next. Can I have…”

Lee tuned him out as he thought back to the fight he had just watched. He had seen Ray fight before. But he had never truly paid him attention till today. His control over Aura was nothing short of incredible. He could project it outside his body with such speed and control that he was already able to alter TWO first-year spells. That was practically unheard of.

Lee took a glance at the ever-changing rankings on the far wall. He saw Ray’s rank remain unchanged at number 2, he had just trounced number 3 so thoroughly. It made Lee wonder if he would ever get to that level. He looked down at his fist and clenched it. No. I can't keep thinking like that. I have a genuine chance now. And if I can figure out how to unlock this second Boon I’ll be right in the top 5 with them.” He glanced up at his number 10, burning it to memory as he internalized his promise.

“Lee. What's got you so down?” He heard a voice ask. Looking up he saw none other than Ray. “Nothing important, how about that fight?” He said, choosing to change the subject. “Your control is crazy Ray, how do you even do that?” He asked, genuinely curious.

“Ehh let’s leave the boring stuff for when we work out, I'm sure we can learn a lot from each other then. But for now, why don't you come sit with me? We can watch the rest of the fights.”

“Oh, well sure,” Lee said, together they walked down to the seats nearest to the platform. Their fellow students' eyes followed the entire time. He heard whispers. “What a sight, the invalid and the number 2 in our year chumming it up.” His eyes darkened slightly at that. Even after his win, they refused to drop that word.

Ray seemed to have heard the whispers. “FORCE.” He appeared in front of the two students. Their clothes ruffled in the wind. Ray’s Cheshire grin appeared. “It seems I still have some energy after my match. Would you both like to step outside for a…spar?” He said. Their faces blanched.

Lee looked at his new friend’s back as the students stammered out a response. Friend huh? He liked that word.

As they sat and continued to watch the rest of the fights, Lee used this time to reread the System prompt.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

{Match Won}

Loading summary…

Damage dealt: Poor

Control: Good

Progress to BOON 2: 2%

“I wonder what boon is coming next.” Lee thought excitedly. The first boon hadn’t made him a perfect fighter all of a sudden. But it had pushed him past the limits of what a first year should be capable of through pure enhancement. Although he started to frown when he looked at the Poor rating on the damage dealt.

{Host did not deal actual damage during the match. The opponent experienced Aura depletion.}

The sudden voice in his mind causes Lee to flinch, catching Ray’s attention. “You okay, Lee?” He asked, concern written across his usually grinning face. “Yeah man, I’m fine,” Lee said dismissively. He looked back at the prompt.

“Well that's fair, what does control mean though?” He wondered. At least he had gotten a Good rating on whatever that was.

{Control is a rating of how well the Host controls the flow of a fight.}

Lee gave it thought. He had a feeling that this knowledge would be very useful in the future. He had one more thing to ask the system.

“Where did you come from?” Oddly, as he asked this question his heart beat faster and faster. Although he knew the system wasn't normal by any stretch of the imagination. He had a strong feeling it was more than just unique.

{Host attempting to access background information…}

Pre-Recorded message Loading…

Transportation to Liminal space…

The Nexus of Understanding: ACCEPTED.

Lee's eyes went wide as he read the prompts. His heart almost beat out of his chest as he looked around waiting for something to happen. Abruptly time seemed to stop. A black haze overcame him as he passed out in his chair.

Lee awoke in a formless place. He realized he should be terrified. But he found he was unable to, something wasn't letting him. He looked around the space.

The sky above was a swirl of colors, constantly shifting and changing, and the ground beneath his feet was made of a strange, ethereal substance that seemed to ripple and flow like a dream. It was as if the space existed in a state of flux, never quite solidifying into a single form or shape.

As Lee looked around, the surroundings would shift and change, creating a new landscape with each turn. He found himself walking through a lush forest one moment and then found himself standing on the edge of a bottomless abyss the next.

He looked forward and found something strange. The only thing unchanging in the constant flux was a grand palace. Somehow he knew he was meant to enter.

As Lee entered the palace, he was greeted by a hall that seemed to stretch out endlessly in all directions. The walls were made of shimmering, translucent crystal that glowed with a soft, ethereal light. The floor was polished marble and inlaid with intricate patterns and designs that seemed to shift and change as he looked at them. The ceiling was so high that it seemed to disappear into the sky, and the air was filled with the sound of gentle music that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

As he walked further into the palace, he could see that the walls were adorned with intricate carvings and sculptures of beings he couldn't quite see. The sculptures seemed to be alive and were constantly changing as if they were reflecting moods and emotions.

At the end of the hall, there was a large throne made of pure aura, where a being quite like the ones in the paintings was seated. It radiated an air of immense power and wisdom.

Lee stopped in his tracks. An immense weight seemed to grasp his soul as he saw this…Thing. He was stuck, unable to do anything as he just stood and stared. A heavy voice coming from the throne followed soon after.

“Well if you're seeing this it means I'm not completely hopeless with formations.” The being chuckled.

“Now I don't have much time, your frail mind can only take so much of my presence. That's why you're probably seeing well… Not much of anything. Any item in this liminal space could rend your soul into pieces were it not for the formations in place.”

“Some introductions are in order. I am the Master of Elements. One of the four progenitors. I and three others, The Keeper of Time, The Weaver of Illusion, and The Guardian of Souls We’re the first blessed by Aura millennia ago. Our souls changed. Aura washing over us and makes us practically timeless.”

“I say practically because at the time there was a growing threat to our world's peace. A great evil from the void, powerful enough to harm even I, and my kin. It thrashed through our lands, killing many. Until with the combined might of us four did we manage to seal it away. For good.” They paused.

“But if you are seeing this. It means we have failed.” Although the voice didn't change, Lee could feel the crushing weight grow at those words.

“Niamh, and Kairos. Guardian of souls, and Keeper of Time respectively. Sealed it away as I and Vega held it back. Their combined powers are hopefully enough to keep the thing sealed away for all eternity. But we were wrong.” With each name the crushing weight began to grow, cracks, in reality, beginning to form. Lee could feel something in him beginning to break.

“The thing we didn't factor in was that the beast can somehow siphon aura. At first, we rejoiced but then Kairos and Niamh felt the strain, a slight pull on their souls into the formation. Immediately we knew something was wrong. From the time you see this, your world has a mere 10 years until the beast breaks free.” The cracks continued to spread faster and faster.

“We tied the formation that continued to leach Kairos, and Niamh’s power to all of our souls. In hopes of sustaining it for longer. Knowing it would kill us. By the time you see this we have been long gone, our souls unable to sustain our bodies under the depletion of the formation.”

“We created something that would hopefully give Humanity a fighting chance. It is an amalgamation of all the power we could spare, a thing of pure aura. Kairos sent it through time in hopes it would reach someone that could save humanity. We have no clue how it will present itself. “Time is a fickle thing.” Kairos would say.” Another chuckle.

“Anyone with a modicum of talent in the aura can make use of it, With intent training, you can stand toe to toe with us in time. But it won't be enough. You'll need allies, people you can bring along with you, people you can trust with your back. Because trust me, that beast will not be easy to feel. And after years of siphoning our power, we have no clue the heights it could have reached by then.” The cracks were occluding his vision now. Still, he peered through them.

“It seems I am running out of time. May your aura guide you, protect you, and empower you to achieve greatness, in this world and beyond.” A screeching sound started, the cracks reaching a crescendo. If this space wasn't messing with reality itself Lee knows the weight he was feeling would have long crushed him.

The voice was starting to fade, the cracks, in reality, reaching its throne. “But before I forget. My name is Eira…”