Several weeks passed, and Kestevere was entering the last month of his education at the academy. Despite having conquered the rest of the points in his body, Kest knew he was far from his limit. He had to learn how to use his power instead of the power using him. It was growing as he did, and there was concern about the magic overtaking his body. A few different things could occur, with the worst being someone turning into a mana revenant. The revenant would seek out anything with life and drain it entirely of mana until being slain or becoming a mana lich. Such beings were to be exterminated without any sense of hesitancy.

Kestevere began walking into the close combat course he'd previously struggled with in the semester. It was time for the tournament that was set to be at the end of each month. The previous month, all the academy's students had come together during a weekend and faced off against one another. Despite that, and many more knowledgeable students from the academy, Kestevere had gotten to the third of eight rounds. Most of the chaff was eliminated in the first round, and the second round eliminated the remaining fighters who thought they were strong. The third round revealed the actual fighters. Strong young men and women of different ages and strengths fought to continue pushing forward. Kestevere's true goal by the end of the semester was to overcome Trysta, but he was a long way off from accomplishing that. Instead, he had to make his way through the rest of the student body.

The way Kestevere thought of it, he was over sixty spots from being number one in the school. That assumed he was the strongest of the losers in the third round. It was going to be difficult, but Kestevere had nothing but time. He recovered last month, fresh from opening all of his mana points. He'd discovered how to start using them in the past month, although his control had only reached a quarter of his maximum strength. He began stretching to alleviate some of the stress that started to gather. If he couldn't gather the strength to reach the sixth round this month, it would leave him little choice other than to wait for the next month. Liadin approached him, and the two began discussing the upcoming second tournament.

"Hey, if you want to properly train, then this class isn't going to help you much now," he said with a mischievous grin.

"I suppose you're right. After all, there isn't anyone here that can challenge me anymore," Kestevere taunted, and Liadin frowned in response.

"Fine. See if the instructor will allow us to fight all out. Only blunting magic so that no one is actually cut. Real weapons," Liadin whispered in response.

"You're really okay with that? Isn't that too dangerous before this weekend?" Kestevere nearly shouted in response, receiving looks of annoyance from the rest of the class.

"Quiet! It's dangerous, but we need to get stronger before the end of the week, right? I lost in the fifth round, and you only got to the third. I think that's reason enough to take risks. We'll have to get in the fifth round to qualify for graduation and the seventh to graduate with honors. Worse than that, I heard that the people who get to the seventh round have an additional necessary exam. Something that is graded to select the strongest out of the students graduating with honors," Liadin said with a frown. No one knew the final exam outside those who had already graduated. Those students were on the fast track, and from what everyone had heard, the prince himself had never been second to anyone. He was capable enough that no one had ever performed better, including the previous royalty or the prince's older brother.

The two were quiet until the class began, and Kest struggled with the fact that everyone outside of Liadin was weaker than him. The students who'd been at the academy longer took a higher course to strengthen their combat abilities. Despite their skills, newbies like himself and Liadin were in the first semester courses for all the repeating classes. Magic refinement, close combat, obstacle courses, and body conditioning were all repeated courses allotted for the students throughout the year. Those who couldn't reach the point of the advanced academy were placed into a unique academy that would allow them to have the knowledge not to lose themselves and become beneficial to society. Only a tiny percentage of students fail each year, perhaps two percent. The rest go on to be soldiers, officers, generals, and more vital forces known only to the royalty.

The professor, who had told the students after the first class to call him Instructor Pierce, lined everyone up for their matches. The class passed as usual, with Kestevere and Liadin being the last to face one another. It was then that Kestevere decided to test his luck and requested the match that Liadin had mentioned.

"You want to actually fight a real match? Injury and death are covered by the school, but we don't usually try to inflict those ailments upon children for obvious reasons," the instructor said, a maniacal grin playing across his face. "I'll allow it, with one rule. The first one to land a clean strike wins."

"That works for me, instructor. Would that also be acceptable for you, Liadin," Kestevere asked challengingly.

"Fine by me. Hope you're stronger at full power than you normally are," Liadin said with a challenge of their own. The two put on armor made for battle, and the blades were forged for the same. The proper weight of war rested upon the two young men, and they prepared for the fight. As the two fought and got to know one another, Kest discovered that Liadin wasn't just any kid. He was a warrior born on the streets, fighting a war against himself and others. Liadin had awakened younger than most, second only to Prince Theradin. Liadin awoke at the age of seven after his mother died protecting him from a pair of thieves. This allowed him to awaken to a power that had only been seen a few times before, and it was a week before he woke from the exhaustion inflicted upon him after his magical outburst. He was taken in by the same gang of thieves that had killed his mother. They trained him and educated him to the best of their ability. Liadin eliminated the whole gang with his overwhelming power when he was able. He had opened only a few mana points when he arrived at the academy but could use his power to the utmost. Control over that power allowed him to escalate his strength within the academy.

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Kestevere kept this in mind as he got into the ready position. A child assassin who had fought more than most others in the academy, if not all of the others. Now, he was approaching being the strongest among the academy's students. Kestevere began fueling his body with the power of mana as the instructor's arm came down. Twenty-five percent of his power surged forth, and Liadin found himself shocked over the control that Kestevere exhibited. With a parry, he turned and struck the back of Kestevere's knee with the heel of his foot, sending him sprawling onto the ground. The knives dove from above, but Kestevere had already pushed away from the ground and launched his elbow into the chest of Liadin. As he was pushed back, he looked down at the dented cuirass and grinned.

"You have gotten better! Let's see what else you've got, Kest," Liadin said, laughing as he dashed towards Kestevere. Kest had learned better than to try to parry Liadin's daggers, at least with a sword. The twin blades slipped across the gauntlets that Kestevere had tactically decided upon, and Kestevere struck back with a kick. Instead of allowing Liadin to speak again, Kestevere raised his magic output to catch Liadin off guard. The thrust of his blade met nothing but air, and Liadin's blade nearly struck Kestevere's body. It cut through his armor, but as no wound was made, the match was allowed to continue.

Kestevere found himself frustrated, cursing lightly below his breath but still easily heard by the instructor, who gave an unheard warning in jest. Liadin cracked his neck and stretched his arm before Kestevere as if he wasn't concerned.

"Let me show you the difference in control. You'll reach this level one day, but you're far off for now. It was smart to try to increase your output briefly, but allow this to be a lesson," Liadin strode towards Kestevere without his guard up. Kestevere pushed forward, launching himself at sixty percent of his magical strength. None of the students could see what happened within the following moments, but the instructor could.

Kestevere's feet were swept off of the arena floor. Still, before the momentum carried him out of the arena, his leg was grabbed mid-turn, and he was slammed into the ground. Kestevere was on his feet swinging his weapon towards where Liadin was, but he was sent sprawling by a kick in the back. Kestevere tried to stand again, preparing to attack, but found that he could not do so. His armor fell, cut from his body, and his legs were bent at the wrong angle. A roar of rage, loss, and pain filled the room as the instructor sighed with relief. An assassin was a foe who, most times, would employ magic to maintain the high ground in battle. Powers of darkness to prevent being sensed, invisibility, or other such illusions to strike from an unseen angle. It was all part of a repertoire strictly for killing. Liadin taught Kestevere that while a chivalrous knight or soldier was a force to be reckoned with, a warrior wasn't defined by their morals. An actual battle was won or lost based on skill or experience.

Kestevere was moved from the class and into the medical ward, where he was healed from his wounds. The legs were healed within an hour in the most painful way possible to teach him the responsibility of his decisions. Kestevere walked out of the clinic fully healed outside of his wounded pride. Liadin was waiting outside the clinic, having hurried from his other classes. Kestevere walked away from Liadin, ignoring his cries for Kestevere to wait.

"Listen, Kest! Just wait up!" He cried out, and Kestevere turned to him.

"What? What could you possibly want from me? You defeated, injured, and embarrassed me in front of the entire class. What more could you possibly want from me, Liadin?" Kestevere began quietly, nearly shouting at the end.

"Just stop and listen. You're not bad, but you're comparing yourself to someone unreachable. I'm not like you. There isn't a single student that can compare to me," Liadin began with a shrug. "There may be a few actually. Trysta Derain, Gerold Voltin, and maybe Ricard Noct. The top three."

"Ricard isn't a maybe. He tore you apart in the previous tournament," Kest said, frowning at Liadin's false bravado.

"Fine, I'll admit it. Ricard is a monster. He and Trysta are the strongest in the school and have been here the longest. Gerold is only so strong because he had a year to prepare before being sent here. Royalty gets whatever they want for the right price and with a high enough position. I fought to exist, just like Noct and Derain did. Those two are in a different class than us, though. They were brought here having been blessed by magic itself, and no normal person can stand against them, no matter how much experience they have. Not if it is you or I," Liadin sighed. Shaking his head, he raised his eyes from the ground and looked at Kestevere.

"We don't have to be the best. We must be good enough to get out of here within a year. That is your enemy. That is your goal. If you aim to defeat me, you should be aiming higher. A rival's worth is only measurable by the growth they can motivate you to attain. Once you've reached a point where you can defeat me, aim for new heights, but don't forget that those you pass can catch up just as quickly," Liadin said, pausing to hear Kestevere's response. After a minute of silence, Kestevere finally responded.

"So, you're saying that you're the first hurdle in my path then. My first true rival? And you accept me as one," Kestevere asked as tears formed in his eyes.

"Yeah, but don't get complacent! I'll leave you in the dust if you fail to grow," Liadin responded with a soft chuckle and patted Kestevere on the back. "C'mon, you need some food if you're going to really recover. Trust me, I had to recover for a week in bed because of how much I fought coming here."

After getting to the third round last month, the two walked towards the cafeteria, where Kestevere was finally allowed to have some real food. He looked forward to eating something delicious instead of the plain but nutritious food he was serving. As the two walked their separate ways, Kestevere was happy despite his losses. He'd never beaten Liadin in their dozen fights, but he was bringing out more of his surprises. His strength was growing, and he was sure he'd catch up quickly.

Kestevere Avalon

Age: 10

Class: Undecided

Awakening: Undecided

Awakening Level: N/A

Level: 12

EXP: 1320

EXP to next level: 130

VIT: 39

STR: 37

AGI: 42

MAG: 32

INT: 36

WIS: 31

Skills:

Mana Manipulation level 3: The ability to control mana throughout the body. Mana can be used for strengthening or manipulated for attacking. As levels rise, less mana is wasted, and activation is faster.