I launched myself at the next mantis as it chittered and lunged at me with its pincers. I caught its pincers and twisted, putting all the energy I could into my muscles and slamming it into another of its brethren with a satisfying crunch. Immediately another three monsters took their place, and I had to jump back to get some distance between me and them.
“There’s no end to them!” I complained as I loosed a torrent of flames on the three mantises.
Haze’s manic laugh drew my attention for a second, and I looked over my shoulder to see her standing on a mountain of corpses, ripping the head off one of the monsters attacking her and letting the green blood cover her body. “I would fight these things all day if I could! This is so much fun!!” Haze bellowed, launching herself at another group of mantises that were running away from her.
I sighed and grew my violet and light blue wings as I took to the air. Flying over the hoards of monsters, I sprayed them with a wave of fire, killing most of the weaker once as they screamed in pain. All the while, I pondered how Leila and Shersha were doing.
***
Leila woke up early the following day next to her sister. They slept in the dorm building provided by the academy. She shook her sister awake, and they sat up and stretched out their stiff muscles. Then they began their day by refining their chakras. After an hour of refining, they finally reached the desired level-seven cores. They could feel the raw energy within themselves, rejuvenating their bodies and waking them up fully.
Shersha brought her hand over to Leila, palm up, and Leila slapped it with a satisfying snap. Now they just had to figure out how to unlock their second core, or they would have to push through to their second core. Haze had told them to try and unlock it so they wouldn’t get stuck later in their training, so that’s what they’ll do. She also said they would have to figure out what they are at their foundation and what would ground them to themselves.
This proved to be quite the conundrum for the twins, as they didn’t know what that would be. And they only had three weeks to figure it out before Haze and the rest of team Fiery Heart returned. All well. They’ll figure it out later. For now, it’s time for breakfast. Leila and Shersha dressed in their Gis and tied a golden belt around their waists with a light sense of pride. They nodded to each other and left their dorm room to begin their long day.
***
Day 1, Runes and Grammar class.
Leila and Shersha had a test on runes and grammar, which proved challenging because the runes could have so many meanings and connotations that next to no one in the world could know all the meanings other than Guru Shi’en. But they tried their best.
The test started with simple general rune meaning. Water, earth, air, fire, light, dark, etc., etc., and drawing the runes on the pieces of paper, which was the easy part. The hard part was the written spell creations.
Question 1: What combination of runes would allow you to summon a squadron of sword-wielders? Sustain them for one hour? And what level does the spell have to be?
This proved difficult because dozens of rune combinations could create that spell. It could have three runes or five runes. Or it could be level one or level five. Unable to answer all the questions, the twins wrote down their best guesses and moved on.
Leila wrote: Level 4, with four runes. Creation, summoning, sword, chakra, and balance for the first four circles, and mind, body, soul, chakra, and balance for the last four circles. This would create four sword-wielding soldiers with intelligence and a body to use that will pull in enough chakra to sustain them for as long as possible.
The meaning of the runes in the combination is, let there be soldiers that may lay down their lives to preserve the peace and sustain the lives of the innocent with the blood of their enemies. May their blades strike true and their hearts be honorable and cleansed of evil and malice, for their enemies are not to be forgotten or hated for their acts.
Shersha wrote: Level 4, with three runes. Summoning, sword, and chakra. This would create eight sword-wielding soldiers.
The meaning of the runes is, to summon eight soldiers with swords to fight.
The test went on like this for five pages, and the questions kept getting harder and harder as the test progressed. Once they finished, they had the rest of the day to themselves. Luckily they finished by lunch and could explore their foundation and try to figure out who they are at their core.
“Wha’ makes us, us?” Leila asked, unsure how to answer her own question.
“I don’t nu. Maybe we shud ask for ‘elp wi’ this?” Shersha suggested.
“No, we can figure this oyt ourselves.”
“HOW?!” Shershs asked, frustrated and shoveling a big pinch of rice into her mouth with her chopsticks.
“We’ll jist stay calm an’ take it one step at a time,” Leila said calmly.
Shersha scoffed, “Easy for ye. Ye’ve alwus stayed calm an’ tink clearly.”
“An’ ye’ve alwus been impatient, ‘eadstrong, an’ confident.”
They both sighed and spoke simultaneously, “Though tha’s wha’ I love aboyt ye sister.” The moment they said that, they felt something shift within them, just a little shift, but a shift all the same. It felt like someone turned on a faucet and let some air into a water tank. They looked at each other with curious glances as they felt the change. Then shrugged, ignoring the change as they continued brainstorming their foundation.
***
Day 10, Fighting class.
Leila and Shersha had a test in fighting class in their second week of being back at school. Since they were two ranks below everyone in the class, they got special treatment and were graded on a different scale than everyone else, unlike in runes and Grammar class. Shersha scored thirty-seven percent on her test, while Leila scored eighty-five percent. This test was a one-on-one combat test. No spells are allowed, only one core can be used, and no permanent injuries are permitted.
Leila was the first chosen to fight in the test. She walked forward, leaving her sister behind, and into the small, five-meter fighting ring with her teacher Master Maldova. He stood two meters tall and wore an orange Gi with an orange belt and his clean-shaven, short-haired head in his arms. He literally held his head in his arms because he was a Dulahan, a demon with an ethereal green flame where their necks should be and their heads permanently detached from their bodies.
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Master Maldova, looked over at Leila with his emerald-green eyes and asked in his gruff voice, “You ready, child?!”
“Aye, Master Maldova,” Leila said with a bow, once she stood before him.
“Good! You didn’t have a choice anyway. Your opponent will be … Jimal! You’re up!”
Jimal strode out from the crowd of students, an over-eager grin on his purple lips as his galactic violet eyes glared at her hungrily. Once he stood before Master Maldova, he bowed and said, “I am ready, Master.”
“Good! Now, you two know the rules, but I will explain them anyway. You may use only one core for the entirety of the fight, in the name of fairness, only the root core will be used. The fight will continue until I proclaim a winner, one of you surrenders or leaves the ring, or you are knocked out. No death blows, broken bones, or potentially permanent injuries will occur. Do I make myself clear!?”
“Aye, Master,” Leila said, bowing again.
“Yes, Master,” Jimal said, bowing as well.
“Good, get into your positions!”
Jimal and Leila each turned away from each other and stepped three paces away, although Leila took four because of her shorter stride, before turning and dropping into their fighting stances. Leila brought her fists up to her chin and began cycling her core, while Jimal drew his right leg back and closed his right fist with his left palm open in a claw as he cycled his core.
They stared each other down as they waited for the signal to start the fight. Ten agonizing seconds passed before Master Maldova bellowed, “FIGHT!!”
Jimal shot forward, leaving a small indent in the ground behind him as he swung his fist, and a column of stone followed the arch of his fist, shooting straight for Leila. Leila charged forward as well, and before the stone could hit, she split in two, creating an exact copy of herself, and ran in opposite directions. Her clone mirrored her movements as they ran. Both Leila and her clone indistinguishable from each other.
Jimal hesitated and backed up three steps and, with each step, created pillars of stone of various sizes that came up beneath both Leila’s. They jumped over or around each pillar without trouble, mirroring each other’s movements. Then, the Leila on the left tripped on a small pillar that came up, and she fell to the ground, making the other Leila disappear. Jimal scoffed and took the opportunity to attack. He stopped retreating, clenched both his fists together, and slammed them down with a triumphant yell.
A massive stone column came up from the ground and down onto Leila, crushing her. Jimal smiled as he looked at the crushed corpse of Leila. He didn’t care that he would get expelled for this. He just felt happy that he got his revenge on her. But as he waited for Master Maldova to yell at him and restrain him, he noticed that it never came. He looked around and noticed even more things were off. Some of the other students didn’t have faces and weren’t breathing. Others looked off, as though they were staring at nothing.
He blinked a few times as he noticed the things that were off, and then he felt someone knee him in the face, and he fell to the ground unconscious. Then the world dissolved, revealing all the students and Master Maldova watching the fight. What had happened was Leila’s unique chakra ability. With her Imagination core, made of Creation and Dream chakras, she created a small domain that lets her imagination come true. However, it only works in a small area, and she can’t make anything tangible or unrealistic. But creating a situation where Jimal would win is a piece of fiction she could make come true.
Leila raised her fist in exhausted triumph, and Master Maldova yelled, “And the winner is Leila Succrose! Next up, Percival and Corval!”
With a slow stumble, Leila made her way as fast as she could to her sister’s side and collapsed to the ground. “Ye did gran’, sister!” Shersha said as the next two fighters entered the ring.
“T’anks. It wus ‘ard keepin’ ‘imself in range. But I did it,” Leila panted.
“Aye, ye did,” Shersha said with a smile, “’ow’d ye manage it though?”
“I jist tart, wha’ wud me sister do?” Leila said, a slight blush on the tips of her pointed ears. Shersha smiled and wrapped Leila in a hug.
Six fights later, it was Shersha’s turn, and she was up against Jessica. She smiled sardonically at Shersha and didn’t hesitate to cycle her core and charge Shersha, instantly closing the distance. Shersha waited patiently, and as Jessica brought her fist down with a golden glow in the shape of a massive gauntlet, Shersha stepped forward and grabbed Jessica’s elbow and shoulder. She then threw Jessica down to the ground before flipping her over and pining her down with the shining arm pulled behind her and ready to be broken. Jessica yielded almost immediately, thus giving Shersha the win.
When Shersha returned to her sister, the first thing Leila asked was, “’ow’d ye manage tha’?”
“I jist tart wha’ wud me sister do?” Shersha responded with a sly smile. They both chuckled at their joke as they felt another slight shift within them, almost going wholly unnoticed.
***
Day 25, Spell-Casting class.
Leila and Shersha got up early for spell-casting class. They immediately began reviewing all the runes and rules of spell casting needed to pass. After a couple of hours, it was time for breakfast and, after that, time for class. They walked into the empty field where they would be tested with their classmates. Scorch marks, half-dead grass, and tall grass reeds and trees grew in the field from the hundreds of students who have studied here over the years, using the field as a testing ground for their spells.
Shersha slid her hand into her sister’s and said, “Ye ready, sister?”
“Aye, ye ready?”
“Aye,” Shersha confirmed, still holding her sister’s hand.
Leila chuckled, “No nade bein’ nervous. Ye got al’ the trainin’ naded for a passin’ grade. Ye’ll do gran’! I nu it.”
“I nu! I nu! But I still fale nervous!” Shersha whined.
“No need to be nervous, Shersha,” a man said above them. They looked up to see their teacher, Master Vao, relaxing in a nearby tree. He wore an orange Gi with a black belt, a wide-brim wicker hat, and a long grass reed in his mouth. He pushed the brim of his hat up to look at the twins with blue eyes as he said, “You’re ready for the now, ain’t ye?”
The twins nodded and said, “Aye, Master Vao.”
“Good,” Master Vao turned away from them and said, “You two will be the first I test today. So finish quickly, and you’ll have the rest of the day to yourselves. Your test is to get me out of the tree without damaging it. Use any spell at your disposal. You have thirty minutes, and your time starts now.”
The twins immediately began writing spells. Shersha made a level three spell that sent a blade of light arcing toward Master Vao. It immediately shattered on an invisible barrier. Leila created a level-two spell, creating a pink sleep powder that slowly drifted down around Master Vao. He waved his hand before his face, waving the powder away without effect.
The twins gritted their teeth and began to ply their minds for ideas. What could they do to get him down from the tree? Leila created an illusion of a woman at the bottom of the tree, beckoning him to come down, but he ignored the illusion, and it soon dissolved. Shersha increased the temperature around the tree to make him uncomfortable and want to come down, but he just snapped his fingers, and cool air began flowing around the tree, cooling him down.
“Fifteen minutes left,” Master Vao announced, making himself more comfortable as if he were about to take a nap.
Looking at each other, the twins began brainstorming without a word passing between them. Then they both opened their eyes wide as an idea occurred to them. Interlocking their fingers together, they began cycling chakra between each other and using their opposite hands, and they began constructing a spell circle together. They learned how to do this in their spell-casting class last week but were advised against it as it could prove dangerous for the casters if they weren’t in sync. Luckily, they were twins and were always in sync.
They finished creating the circles for the spell, the sixteen circles. Instead of writing the runes within, they chanted, “Spirits av wind an’ force, blow thy enemies away an’ brin’ us victory leavin’ the lan’ unharmed.” As they chanted, they cycled chakra to their voices, imbuing their words with power, and the sixteen circles began to fill with runes as they spoke.
The air hummed with power, and a blast of wind shot toward Master Vao. His head shot up as he saw the blast of air coming, and it hit his side, launching him out of the tree and slamming him into the ground. The twins didn’t have time to celebrate as they both collapsed, exhausted, their bodies drained of energy. Just before they passed out, they felt their second core open within them and a need to find their next core composition with their sister in mind.