Nil jumped back, holding their blade up in a defensive stance.

“What are you even saying? Of course I’m human.”

“I don’t believe you,” Durai said, stepping closer, preparing to lunge at them.

Then, Corwyn put himself in the middle of the two and snatched the director’s weapon out of his hands. He frowned at Durai.

“Could you please restrain yourself from fighting in my office, Director? I store sensitive equipment here. And I would appreciate it if you at least waited for me to be done talking to my guest before killing them.”

Durai clicked his tongue and sheathed his rapier after taking it back.

“I apologize,” he said. “That was unbecoming of me.”

Nil raised their voice. “An apology won’t cut it! You tried to kill me!”

Durai glanced at them. “No, I didn’t. If I had, you’d be dead.”

Nil felt their jaw tightening by itself. They shook their head and put away their sword.

“If I hadn’t blocked the blow, your rapier would have gone straight into my head. You call that not trying to kill me?” They wiped their cheek with the back of their hand, leaving it bloody, before showing it to Durai.

The director scoffed. “You startled me by pulling out your blade so early. It should’ve missed you completely.”

Nil crossed their arms, glaring at him.

Corwyn smiled nervously and held out his arms. “Nil, it would be nice if you could forget about this little incident. Our director is an eccentric man, but I’m sure he meant no harm.”

Nil glanced at Corwyn before sighing.

“Sure,” they said. “But I want an explanation for his words.” They turned to Durai. “Why did you say I’m not human?”

The director stared at them, as if he was trying to decide whether they were trying to trick him or not. Finally, he bowed down, much more formally than the first time around.

“I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions,” he said, his head still lowered.

“Spare me the pleasantries,” Nil said. “You can straighten your back. I only want to know why you thought what you thought.”

Durai stopped bowing, but still looked down.

“I still think you’re suspicious. We keep careful records of every person who sets foot in this place. There’s no one by the name of ‘Nil’ in the latest batch of arrivals.”

Nil narrowed their eyes. “How do you know my name?”

“As the director of the Academy, I hold certain privileges.” He waved his hand outward in front of him, and a message window appeared, with the words ‘Academy Records’ written at the top. A list of names followed, each linked to a certain achievement. At the very bottom, Nil saw their own name.

[‘Nil’: Highest Mana Conductivity Ranking at Level 0.]

Durai waved his arm again, and the window vanished.

“Now you know my reason,” he said. “Care to clarify how you are nowhere to be found on the list of newcomers?” His eyes were locked with Nil’s, questioningly.

Nil looked away defensively. “It’s probably just a mistake. They must have missed me when I arrived.”

Durai furrowed his brow further. “I have serious doubts about that. I put several members of the faculty in charge of welcoming this month’s arrivals. You wouldn’t have been able to go anywhere without running into them.” It almost looked like he was about to reach out to grab his sword again.

Out of panic, Nil decided to be honest. They glanced at the floor. “The truth is, I failed the Tutorial.”

Durai’s factions did not soften at all.

“If that was the case, I find it even harder to believe that you would be here.” He started moving his hand.

“Listen to me!” Nil said, holding up their arms. “I was left stranded in the last phase, with no way to advance, but then someone saved me. They contacted me through the system, and transported me here. That was right before I went to get evaluated.”

Corwyn chipped in excitedly. “Someone talked to you through the system?”

Durai raised a hand, telling Corwyn to shut up.

“Did they say who they were?” he asked.

Nil shook their head. “From the way they spoke, it seemed as if they knew me, but… I don’t know.”

“How would you have met someone back on Earth who could use the system like that?” Durai said.

Nil gulped. Should they just spill the whole truth, and tell them they didn’t remember their time on Earth? No, they could probably find a way to explain it without revealing so much. They parted their lips, preparing to speak, when—

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

[If you don't trust anyone, you will never accomplish anything.]

A voice talked inside their head. Nil stared blankly ahead, mouth half-open, for a few seconds. Then, they sighed.

“I don’t remember anything about my life before the Tutorial.”

Corwyn couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“Are you saying you have amnesia?” Durai asked.

Nil nodded. “I think so, at least. I remember my name, but that’s it. I can’t even recall what my face looks like.”

Corwyn stepped closer, examining their face. “Could the effects of the transportation have caused retrograde amnesia? I’ve heard some people get dizzy after going through the portals.”

Durai seemed unconvinced.

“It’s all too convenient for you. Despite failing the tutorial, someone with at least partial access to the system saved you, acting as if they knew you, but you have amnesia, so you can’t remember who it could possibly be?”

“To be fair,” Corwyn said. “That all comes from their own story. I’m sure they could have come up with something more believable if they wanted. Why would they come up with such a far-fetched explanation? I think they are telling the truth.”

Durai shook his head. “That reasoning is flawed. Maybe the story is unbelievable because they are bad at lying.”

Corwyn chuckled. “If they are bad at lying, that makes them even more trustworthy, don't you think?”

Durai frowned. “That’s not—” He rubbed his forehead in frustration. “Whatever. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt for now.”

Corwyn winked at Nil. They smiled at him awkwardly, trying to convey how thankful they were.

Suddenly, Durai turned around and headed for the door. As he grasped the doorknob, he looked at Nil.

“Come with me,” he said.

As he saw Nil’s confused expression, he sighed. “I’ll give you the chance to prove you can be trusted.”

Nil raised an eyebrow, but they decided to follow Durai. Soon, they realized the path they were walking felt familiar.

“We’re going to the training grounds?” they asked.

Durai nodded.

“How exactly am I supposed to prove my trustworthiness?” Nil said, suspicious.

“We will fight,” Durai answered nonchalantly.

Nil stopped in their tracks. “What?”

Durai stopped as well and turned around. “Do you have an issue with that?”

“Well,” Nil said, smiling anxiously. “Aren’t you much stronger than me?”

“Sure,” he said.

“And you don’t see a problem with that?”

“Not really. It’s not like it’ll be to the death. Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.” For the first time, Nil saw Durai smile slightly, but it was not comforting in the least.

They felt themself starting to sweat as they arrived at the training grounds. The crowd from earlier had already dispersed, but there were a few people using the mannequins to practice. As soon as they noticed the director, however, they all pulled back to the sides of the room.

Seeing they had been given plenty of space, Durai instructed Nil to prepare for the battle and positioned himself, although he didn’t bother taking out his rapier. His clothes didn’t seem very comfortable to move in either, but Nil suspected neither of those things would particularly matter if they were to have a serious fight.

Trying to quell their nerves, Nil breathed in and out slowly, gently pulling out their sword and bracing themself for what was coming.

Durai raised an eyebrow. “Your stance is surprisingly solid. Have you ever practiced fencing?”

“...I don’t know,” Nil said.

“Oh, that’s right.” Durai chuckled. “Amnesia.” It almost felt as though he had been testing them with the question.

“Before we start,” the man continued, “I’ll be generous and give you a few tips. Since your control of mana is your most remarkable attribute, you should take advantage of it. Don’t attempt anything too complicated, though, or you’ll probably cause an explosion. Stick to strengthening your limbs for now.”

The uncertainty in their face must have been obvious, because Durai sighed.

“I forget you haven’t taken any lessons yet. Hear me out, this is important. Close your eyes.”

Reluctantly, Nil obeyed.

“Good. Now, remember the feeling you got when you sensed the energy from the crystal. Hold out your palm and see if you can get that same feeling from the air around you.”

Nil raised their free hand, and focused on the sensations surrounding them. The temperature of the room, the hushed whispers coming from the spectators, the—

Mana. It was a hundred times subtler than the dense current of energy flowing from the crystal, but it was there. Like particles enveloping their hand—no, their whole body. The entire world. They breathed in and recreated the moment when they sucked in the magic from the crystal, and the particles started drifting into their palm. The current picked up speed, moving from the tips of their fingers through their arm and coalescing around their chest.

Nil opened their eyes and stared confidently at Durai.

“I like that look,” he said, smirking. “You were even faster than I expected. I suppose the fact your conductivity is so much higher than your capacity means you get filled up quickly.”

Nil moved their arms around slowly, taking in new sensations. They hadn’t stopped to think about it the last time, but while they had mana inside them, the whole world felt different. They felt more alert, steadier, more powerful. More in sync with the cosmos.

[You have awakened to the Skill ‘Mana Absorption’.]

Was even this a skill?

“Now,” Durai said, “while we fight, try to use mana to empower your arms as you swing your weapon, and your legs as you dodge my attacks.”

Before giving Nil the chance to process it, Durai charged at them at an implausible speed, still unarmed. Nil felt the energy rush to their legs as they dashed to the side, evading him by a hair's breadth.

“Hah!” Durai exclaimed. “You get the hang of things quickly. I like that.” He unsheathed his rapier and didn’t waste a second before going on the offensive again.

Nil activated Insight, and a current of mana suddenly began flowing from their chest to their head and into their eyes. A shadow shot from Durai’s body, and in a fraction of a second it pierced Nil’s shoulder with its ethereal blade. Nil moved out of the shadow’s path, and immediately afterward the real Durai aimed at the same spot, but his blade only met air.

[‘Insight’ has temporarily evolved into ‘Precognition’.]

Durai’s eyes opened wide when he realized that he had missed. Nil took advantage of the opening and sent all their mana to their sword arm before swinging it at full force against Durai’s side. The director’s coat was cut, and the blade touched skin before he managed to jump away.

Durai stepped back and smiled. “It seems I underestimated you.” He chuckled. “Maybe I should get a bit serious. I won’t use mana, so don’t worry.” He gripped his weapon more tightly, and changed his stance. It seemed he was getting ready for a proper fight.

Nil tried to smile back, but they suddenly felt a wave of nausea hit them.

[The effects of ‘Precognition’ have ended.]

[You have run out of mana.]

Their sword slipped out of their hands and they toppled to the ground, fully exhausted.

They could just barely make out the figure of the director rushing to aid them through blurry eyes, before finally falling unconscious.