Brace yourselves...

FOR AN 11K WORDS CHAPTER!!!!

:punch: [th_0box.gif] [th_0fire.gif] [th_0kick.gif] :angry:

GROOOOOOOARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

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The sound of metal horseshoes meeting the gravel road reverberates in the night, tearing through the peaceful symphony of crickets and owls. Starlight and moonlight joins and shines upon the carriage moving on a path flanked by trees.

Outside, an Academy staff wearing a hat that resembles a beret could be seen to be leaning forward with a wild look in his eyes. The perfect cuts and sharp turns he made at the perfect moment tells plenty of his horsemanship.

Inside the car on the other hand, is a boy who is fidgeting while staring at the hands of a silver pocket watch.

'I'm late, I'm late, I'm late' He repeats in his mind like a certain white rabbit which had slipped into Wonderland.

Despite the great speed they are moving at, there was no way to reach their destination within the measly five minutes he had. He knows, for he had read before, that the Academy values punctuality which is the very reason he was given the pocket watch in the first place. Arriving late, even by one minute, would be inexcusable.

Since arriving early had already slipped into the realm of impossibilities, he has to focus on what he can do. He is sure there would be others who would be late like him, at least one including Skylar. Thus, he starts to formulate a plan in his head.

'Should I keep myself hidden when I arrive and observe the situation? Maybe they aren't really that strict with tardiness? Or maybe I should try to slip in somehow... but that depends on what sort of security or whether there are any other openings to enter the Hall. The building should definitely have windows but the problem is their location and elevation from the ground. If he has to break in, he has to choose a very discrete entrance.

The Great Hall, a section of the Main Building is where the Opening Ball is held each semester. Within the vast expanse of land available to the Academy, constructing a hall that could easily fit in over ten thousand people is not an issue. For such a big event with a high concentration of nobles, they would obviously have tight security.

'Wait... even if I sneak in.. won't they have an attendance and identity check or something at the main entrance?' If so, even if he somehow made it inside he would still be officially absent from the event. There are too many unknowns for Chase to formulate any plan.

"Excuse me! What happens If I'm late to the Ball?" Chase shouts through the clattering sounds of the wheels and heavy breathing of the horses.

"Well, as a form of punishment you would have to stay outside for the entire event" The staff answers without turning back his head. Doing so could be fatal when travelling at high speeds.

"What if I did not attend?" If he would only get punished by attending, would it not be better if he just skipped?

"This semester... should be.. one week of service in your dormitory, I believe it was something like being the butler of your front-door neighbour to teach humility"

'Wait, what? Front-door neighbour? Why is the punishment so specific? Heck, why does it sound like it was tailored specially for me to suffer?!' The image of a certain pink-eyed weirdo starts to take form in his head but he scrambles it to pieces before it materializes fully.

"Don't worry though, you could probably get in if I tell them the carriage had a problem and slowed us down along the way" He adds in considerately. If there was a technical problem, the fault would not lie with the student. He wonders why but he just felt like helping this boy. The boy seems to have a different atmosphere compared to his usual passengers.

'If we did that, I can probably get in without a hitch but..' Chase considers the option. While a technical problem would not be the fault of the driver or himself, he is pretty sure the driver would be penalized in some form for improper maintenance of the vehicle. An extremely high-class facility like the Academy is sure to have considered the safety of their provided vehicles, there must have been some regular check-up of some sort.

"No, it's okay" Chase decides to decline the offer.

"Well, if you don't want to do that what about saying you felt sick earlier today and you feel better now? That should work" He provides yet another suggestion. He had heard hundreds of different excuses used by the nobles he drove to class or practically anywhere on campus during the past several years.

"Shouldn't I bring along some sort of letter from the physician if I want to do that?" There was a hospital wing in the dormitory, it would be ridiculous to say he did not go to see a doctor because it was too far away. Not to mention the physician would come to the room should he call for one via the pipes.

"....Right" True, he never really saw the results of the many different ideas he overheard. For all he knows, all the excuses might have been rejected.

"How do they check the attendance? Signatures on paper?" If so, he could probably do.... nothing. He has nothing that he can do if that was the case.

"Yes, there are counters set up inside according to your respective dormitories"

"Wait, inside? Does that mean they just let anyone with a uniform enter and THEN check their identity?" That would be too lax of a security, wouldn't it?

"There's a weapons check at the entrance and then yes, you may enter as long as you have a uniform. Though it's already too late for that now. Since the number of students are too high, they are given the opportunity to fill in the attendance at any time during the event" If not, the reception alone would take ages to complete.

'So sneaking in is still a viable option... now the issue is, does being late REALLY matter to me?' Chase ponders over the heart of the issue. This could be risky, he needs to determine whether it is worth it to attempt an infiltration.

.

.

.

.

.

'Of course it is! I'm a scholarship student and this is my first day, show a bad impression and they might even revoke my funds!' Although the Academy would never do that, Chase is quite paranoid of breaking rules in this institution. He has plenty of hope riding on his back.

Before a concrete plan could take form however, the Main Building has already entered their line of sights. It would be less than one or two minutes before they reach the destination.

"Say, if I want to peek in and see what's happening inside without entering the Hall, where is a good spot?" Chase is not sure whether the driver would know of any such place, but there is nothing lost by asking.

"Ah... you don't want to miss out on what's going on inside. I see, I see, then you should try out one of the windows near the back of the Hall. You should be able to see things from behind the stage. I'm pretty sure the stage curtains are still closed for now but it won't be long before it does open, so you'd be able to see the rest of the Hall then" How does he know this? Being a driver of a semi-soundproof carriage has its perks.

"Oh, if that's so, can you stop here?" The carriage is way too noisy, getting any closer with it would be equivalent to hanging a burning sign on his head.

*Neiiiiigh!*

With a strong tug on the reins, the driver manages to make the horses gallop in a small circle as it progressively slows down. By the time the circle is complete, the carriage comes to a perfect halt within a cloud of dust.

"Thanks!"

*Clack*

Hastily opening the door, Chase mouths off his gratitude and proceed to run... into the cover of trees to the side of the road. The sound of rustling leaves shrinks smaller and smaller as he moves away from the carriage and makes his way to the Hall.

'I forgot to mention there might be a couple of Zenithian Knights guarding the back... but they should be kind enough to grant such a simple request like allowing him to peek, wouldn't they?' The driver takes off his beret and brushes off the dust on it.

Putting it back on, he shrugs and firmly grasps the reins. Since he is already all the way here, he might as well wait in front of the Hall for returning passengers.

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Chase starts to slow down his steps and adopts a stealthier way of moving around once the Hall could be seen clearly. Despite not having seen the building before, he could tell that it was the correct one. The large concentration of empty carriages outside added with the gay lights inside acted like tattletale signs. Strangely, no sounds are emitted even though music is a crucial part of these type of ceremonies.

'I see no students there... damn it, am I really the only one late?' Chase parts the leaves of some bushes and peers at the entrance of the Hall. Despite being a bookworm, he has relatively perfect eyesight.

Sinking back into the shadows, he gingerly jogs through the patches of trees encircling the circular compound of the dome-like Hall. He had never been given stealth training but he had read the basics of it, at least. He simply avoided stepping on dried leaves, twigs or fallen branches.

'There would most likely be guards at the back' He deduces after spotting a few people in gleaming light-blue armours guarding doors to the side of the Hall.

A pair of Zenithian Knights appears to be present at every single opening. Technically, if all the entrances or openings are guarded, Chase would not need to circle back since breaking in through anywhere would be just as hard. However, entering backstage has its own merits, especially if the curtains are still down. That way, it would not attract the eyes of anyone if he suddenly barges in.

It took him quite some time, but he finally reached a hidden spot among the trees opposite to the back of the Hall.

The 'windows' told by the carriage driver looks to be something built for emergency ventilation instead of sightseeing. Placed three meters above ground level, they ominously display the dark interior behind its glass.

'The stage curtains are still closed, I can still make it!' The row of windows should be flooded with light otherwise.

'Now.. how do I get in?'

The Zenithian Knights are still as statues and seems to be as immovable as a couple of boulders. Chase could not see their faces because of their hawk-like helmets but he assumes them to be male.

If he does not manage to pull them away somehow, his chances of entering is practically zero.

'Wait, I've read stories like this before! I should just start a diversion far away, and then they would go to check it out' That is exactly how it works in the countless tales he had read about. It should hold some credibility to it since it is an overly used technique, right?

Deciding to try it out, Chase tenderly places his palms on the ground and sends in streams of Mana. Having done that, he scatters the energy to several spots a considerable distance away from him. The plan is to make loud sounds that will pique their curiosity and prompt them to move away from their spots and enabling him to sprint forward and leap inside via the window.

'Okay... here goes!' Putting the plan into motion, he activates one of the Mana spots he prepared.

*Crackle* *Crackle* *Boom*

He created several spikes of earth that cut through tree trunks. The cut off parts break and fall onto the ground, adding even more noise to his distraction.

'And this is the part where they leave to check!' Is what Chase thought.

"INTRUDER ALEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERT!!" One of the Zenithian Knights shout with his full lung capacity.

The other Knight equips the bow which was previously slung on his or her back and nocks three different types of arrows on it. The person's head dart to the left and right and finally settles on the spot where Chase is hiding.

'Eh? No way, no way, no way!!' Chase starts to panic. Within minutes, more Knights would arrive and he would definitely be detained once they seriously start to search. Should he run or stay and try again?

'There's no way they can see me behind these bushes right?' The bowman has yet to fire, perhaps it is merely a coincidence that he is looking this way.

Chase tries to assure himself of his safety and activates another diversion.

*Crackle* *Crackle* *Boom*

An almost identical cacophony of sound comes from the same direction of his earlier attempt. That should be able to fool the guards and give them the impression of the enemy moving around.

'No, no, noooo!' It did not work.

Although Chase could see a few Knights from elsewhere approaching the spots he activated his spells, the Knights guarding the back of the Hall did not move. To make it worse, the one wielding the bow has already pulled his or her bowstring back.

With a sharp whip-like crack, all three arrows are released.

The air shrieks in pain as the arrows tear through its resistance.

One flies straight and true, just like a proper arrow should. It creates a puff of smoky white halo behind it as the speed exceeds that of sound.

Another swerves and circles to the left, Chase lost track of it as soon as the arrow enters the cover of trees.

The last one soars to the sky and catches on fire after a bright red spark.

All three shafts fly with different trajectories, threatening to skewer Chase like a satay.

'Damn iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!' The stories lied. They lied to him.

He had not even gone through day one at the Academy. He had not even chose his subjects. He had not attended even one class.

Now he is being hunted down by the Zenithian Knights, masters of battle worth more than a battalion each.

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Zenithian Knight POV

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Today is a dull day.

'Again with this guarding a ceremony with a bunch of shitty brats crap!' She curses her bad luck to have been chosen for the third consecutive time to guard the Ball.

'I'd take on a day of hard sparring over this any time, not to mention I'm working with Sam of all people tonight..' She never liked Sam. The look he gives her when she is not in armour, it made her feel like taking a shower ten times over. Just why, why did she get placed into squad 42 of the Zenithian Knight corps along with this man?

*Crackle* *Crackle* *Boom*

The sound of something heavy breaking and falling disrupts the flow of complaints going in her head.

'!!!'

"INTRUDER ALEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERT!!" Sam calls out immediately in that stupidly loud voice of his, alerting the nearby sentries. The same message is repeated again and again by those who heard it until it eventually reaches the ears of every single guard posted around the building.

'In case of possibly harmful elements approaching the Hall, proceed with step one. Alert all members of the threat'

Thankfully, the Hall was built to be soundproof. Otherwise they might accidentally induce a widespread panic inside the building. The rare few latecomers are led to a room inside the Hall and barred from the festivities, also making them oblivious to the state outside. There are the ventilation openings behind them, but all of them are closed.

She heightens her senses and scans the area. It did not take her long to detect a presence doing a poor job of hiding in the woods. It even surprised her that the intruder was so easily found.

She takes 'Ferocious' off her back and holds it in her hands. The regular-looking bow is notoriously hard to pull back, she had seen proud warriors and muscular soldiers sprain themselves just to pull the bowstring halfway.

Taking out three specially made arrows from her quiver, she nocks them and prepares to fire.

'Step two, wait for reinforcements or immediately defuse the threat if aid is unnecessary'

The reinforcements would only be half a dozen units at most. Sending in too many at once may leave gaping holes in the security at other spots, which might be working towards the enemy's favour. Should the situation prove to be impossible to resolve with the current number of personnel, more reinforcements shall move in to help and further assistance needs to be requested from the Headquarters.

'... Why is there only one intruder, and an amateur at that? Is this possibly a distraction for an elite team to move in?' She hesitates to fire her first volley. The brief time she needs to reload and fire could possibly spell her death if the enemy elite team is skilled enough. Sam probably shares the same thought since he has yet to make a move despite already holding his claymore.

*Crackle* *Crackle* *Boom*

Again, the intruder does the same thing. Similar sounds are heard in the same direction as the previous one. A few Knights that came over because of the alert goes over to check the source of the sounds, probably because they do not realise that the intruder is so close. Among the Zenithian Knights, she may be one of the best in terms of hunting skills.

'... No. If they had an elite team good enough to avoid my detection in the first place, they should have attacked us without announcing their presence like this' Making up her mind, she fires.

Attempting a feat that had proven to be impossible for countless men, she fully draws back the bowstring in half a second. With an ear-splitting sound, her arrows are released to hunt down her target like faithful hounds.

Thankfully, Sam has enough common sense not to rush in and block her path of fire. No, perhaps it would be better if he did and die as a result.

The Piercer, her favourite arrow which is forged of special alloy, punches through the sonic barrier and heads straight towards the target at breakneck speeds.

*Wham!*

It strikes home at the designated spot, but not before a thick wall of earth covered by surrounding bushes rises out of the ground. However, what ever defense the wall gave should hardly be mentioned since the arrowhead is designed to pierce through thick armour. Like a hot knife slicing through butter, the arrow penetrates the wall with ease and crumbles it to pieces.

'Fast. Was that instant invocation or was he already prepared to fire the spell?' Whoever this intruder is, he seems to be pretty good with Magic.

She could see a small figure being blown to the side by the impact of the blow. Before the Sneak, the arrow that swerves and hits the enemy from the shadows could hit, she had already reloaded and prepared to fire another volley made up of a different combination.

*Twang!*

And another three envoys of death are shot.

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'Ouch! What sort of arrow was that?!' Chase tries to get up after having his feet knocked off the ground by fragments of his own Earth Wall.

'!!!'

Before he could fully get up, he abruptly ducks low to avoid an arrow coming in from the side by a hair's breadth.

'That's two, and there's one mo-'

Looking up to locate the third projectile, he sees the bulky, fiery tip of an arrow about fifteen meters above him.

"Tch!" Moments from having his life flash before his eyes, Chase jumps back with all his leg strength and accidentally hits his back against a tree.

"Oof!"

A part of the bark splinters and bites into his skin but the worse part is he did not create enough distance between him and the falling missile. Having no time to evade, Chase crosses his arms in front of his head like a shield.

*CRASH!*

The flaming hammer-like arrow lands on Chase's previous spot and creates a large dent on the ground. The impact creates a strong gust of wind that fans the fire to nearby vegetation, forming a crimson scene before him.

If it was not for his Terrameleon coat, he would have suffered some terrible burns. Thankfully, the uniform protected him from the worst, resulting in only a few strands of his hair being singed.

From behind the wall of flames, another arrow comes for his head.

'I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't wanttodie, Idon'twantodie,Idonwant-' Chase's basic desire to live manifests itself in the form of the repeated cry in his head.

He sees it, the forked arrow tip a couple of inches from his eyes.

He smells it, the scent of burning wood.

He could taste it, the copper-like taste of his own blood.

He hears it, the whistling sound of the wind, like the call of the Grim Reaper.

But he could not feel it, the touch of death.

Instead of striking his head and squishing his brain, the arrow knocked to the side by a tree that seems to have placed itself in front of Chase.

Not that the tree moved, nor was it a magical living tree.

What moved, was the ground itself.

'What..?' Chase looks at the dark brown bark of the tree, still clueless as to what is happening.

The land itself, besides the square area he is standing on had shifted its position at a high velocity, outstripping the speed of the projectile. Maybe it was a fluke, maybe it was his unconscious mind that did it, but in his would-be final moments, he applied Magic in a way that preserved his own life.

'Hnng!' He launches himself to the side and hides behind a thick tree trunk. Another arrow that followed suit pierced through the tree that previously shielded him, creating a spray of sawdust as it does so.

Another crushing sound is heard a distance away, possibly made by the third arrow hitting a moved tree.

'..I'm alive!' He thought while breathing in large amounts of air as if to savor the fact that he is alive. One second, two seconds, three, five, with each passing moment, Chase grows more and more thankful just for the fact that he could live.

'Got to get away from here before I get killed for real' Finally getting himself together from the shock, he analyses his own newly created spell and tries to comprehend it further.

'I see, rather than having myself move, I could just shift the ground itself and position objects where I want them to be!' If an opponent is caught within his area of effect, it might seem like he is teleporting. What they would not realise is the fact that they are the ones moving and not him.

'However, the arrow is an airborne object so it's not very useful for this situation' Even if the ground moves, something that is not touching the soil would not be affected. It does not help that some of the arrows could mow down tree trunks and Chase does not even know what effects all of them have.

His strange new spell might have shocked his opponent since no further arrows are coming over. What they saw was probably a nonsensical spectacle where the patches of trees rearranged themselves.

However, he knows that more Zenithian Knights would reach him in less than a minute if he stays put.

'Now where do I run to?' He tries to find a place to hide in. Some sort of establishment where he could possibly blend in without being mistaken for an intruder.

And then he saw it, a rectangular building with lighted windows quite a distance away from his current location. He does not know what it is but it is his best bet since he could not see other options around. Worst case scenario, he could just say he got lost while exploring the Academy and could not find his way back to go to the Ball.

'If I want to outrun the Knights I have no choice...' He does not have the physical capability to defeat them in a race. He does not wish to harm them in any way because it is all just a big misunderstanding.

What he can do now is...

*Sigh*

"Here goes!" Placing himself in a three point stance, he fires a surge of Mana to the ground beneath him.

*Boom*

A pillar of earth pops out at a slanted angle, launching Chase up into the air, above the canopy of trees and flying in the direction of the building.

"ARRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Chase screams in horror as he flails about wildly.

Humans are not meant for flight, and an eleven year-old boy is no exemption.

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"So, which house do you belong to? I am from.." A boy tries to start up a conversation.

Whatever the rest of the words were, Terrence Light did not hear any of it. No, perhaps it is more accurate to say he did not pay any attention to it.

He had lost count of the number of similar conversations that had been started with him in the past hour.

He could see that the students are quite restless. Every single person seems to be moving about creating conversations and breaking off to approach another person every five minutes or so. Nobles or children of wealthy merchants, all of them seem to be utilising this time to the fullest by creating connections. Whether it be for political or business reasons, Terrence doubts he would find a single person here that honestly wants nothing more than to have a friendly conversation to kill time.

Realising that Terrence is not paying any attention, the boy who might be older or younger than him frowns and walks away. As soon as he walks up to another person, a business smile returns to his face.

'This is getting boring...' He yawns and looks at the musicians playing their instruments by the side of the Hall. He does not recognise the piece being played and he does not care for the name but he likes it.

Despite the wonderful song being played, none took the opportunity to dance. Granted, there is a slot for dancing later on but Terrence finds the actions of the other students to be a waste of time.

'They have music to dance to, but they don't. They have food and drinks to fill up their stomach with, and they barely touch them' Before he could criticise more, a girl smiles and comes to talk to him.

"Hello there, you seem to be alone? I'm..."

Another one.

Since everyone is dressed in their uniforms, the only distinguishing features of the students are their own natural physical characteristics. Terrence is tall and handsome with straight blonde hair and emerald green eyes. Men could feel his charisma whereas women would fall for his looks alone.

"I see, nice to meet you, sunshine. Forgive me, but I have someone to see. Do excuse me." Terrence is annoyed but he had been taught to be a gentleman since young.

Giving a wink that causes the young girl to blush furiously, he walks away to wander around the Hall to nowhere in particular.

'Unnecessary high ceilings, much too spacious rooms, just what are they doing with the peoples' money?' Terrence is no noble nor a rich man's son. He is no unfortunate person with a tragic past either but he was 'just' the most talented person in the world when Justice appeared before him. As a person, he is not fond of this excessive luxury.

'The things you humans do in pursuit of comfort and pleasure.. sometimes I question myself why I chose to side with all of you. Yet the die had been cast and I am left with no choice but to continue till a victor emerges in this never-ending cycle' Justice comments dryly.

'So you're still this chatty even when I left you back in the room? Talk about no privacy' Terrence clicks his tongue and knits his eyebrows. He grabs a glass of refreshment from a passing waiter and sips it.

'You and I, we cannot be separated by something as insignificant as distance. Leaving that aside, why do you not search for potential allies here? You have already wasted one whole hour' Out of these thousands of students, there must be some that has great potential and talent to join the fight against the Demon King.

'Don't act like you haven't realised it. I know you can sense them just like I could' Terrence moves his eyes around to survey the Hall. Even through the walls of humans between him and them, he could feel the difference in atmosphere.

'There were two from last year, wasn't there?' Two scholarship students this year and two from last year.

Terrence moves around and slips through the gaps in the crowd to view the two people he spotted from the moment he entered the Hall.

One is a man. Taller than Terrence by half a palm, moderately well-built with some lean muscle mass. He looks incredibly out of place in the Academy uniform, an incredible feat since all the uniforms had been tailored to suit the wearer's physique. The most distinguishable feature is his hairstyle. Terrence has no idea how much wax was applied to prevent it from drooping, but the man's hair is styled into a splendid long pompadour that hangs stiffly in front of his forehead.

Something less eye-catching but strange nonetheless, is the fact that the man is reading a book while burying his nose in it, showing diligence. It might give the impression of intelligence at first but once Terrence saw that the book was a children's storybook written for five-year-olds, he scraped the thought from his mind.

He caught the name 'Damien' and 'Strongest Imbecile' from the whispers and gossip going around the vicinity. Even though he had not even spoken to the man, he could readily agree with the 'imbecile' part. It seems to really fit, somehow.

The other, is a girl. The top of her head is at a level approximate to Terrence's chest, which means she is of average height at best. She is a blonde just like him, but her hair extends halfway down her back in elegant straight lines. If put side-by-side with Terrence, he could have claimed her to be a little sister as even the colour of their eyes match.

Although lacking any physical characteristic that stands out, Terrence could tell she is different from the rest and it seems so can others. Holding a half-filled glass in her hands and leaning her back against the wall, she looks just like a normal girl. Yet, just like Damien, there is a territory around her that is not encroached by others.

'She has no openings, and the glass seems to be deadly in her hands' Terrence notes how the girl is vigilantly blocking off any attacks from behind by putting her back against the wall. The seemingly casual way she holds the glass is a deception. Terrence knows that she could turn the harmless dining ware into a deadly weapon at any instant.

'If I'm not mistaken, her name was... Ariane, the Weapons Queen' A fitting title to one so deadly that anything could turn into weapons when handled by her.

'If you have spotted them, why don't you go to them?' Once again, Justice does not understand the actions of his chosen champion. It could not fathom Terrence's thought pattern. Perhaps it is due to how it chose to fully focus on potential alone this cycle, causing a deviation in personality compared to its usual pick.

'Because they don't want to be bothered. Just like how I was able to detect them, I'm pretty sure they could detect me. Yet, neither of them shows any interest when I come closer. You're a sword so you probably wouldn't understand, but I respect people's personal space' Terrence admonishes Justice for doubting his choice.

'Personal space, what of it? I am no sword, I am an entity that exceeds humans by many levels, an immortal. Something like personal space means nothing when you are fighting in a battle that decides the fate of an entire world' Justice had repeated itself many times, about how it is not a sword. However, Terrence does not seem to catch on that fact or perhaps he is intentionally doing so to spite it.

'Blah blah blah, the Hero gathers allies at his own pace and defeats the Demon King. That's how the story goes, now be quiet while I look for one more' Since the two from last year are not interested in him, he should look for the other from this year. The problem is, where is that boy?

'You are looking for that boy? Forget it, take my advice and just kill him the next time you see him' Justice grumbles once it realises Terrence is searching for Chase Blackstone.

'Shut up' Terrence silences the talking sword.

'My apologies to all humans for choosing such a hopeless person' Justice says, knowing that only Terrence could hear it.

'Hey, I'm going to risk my life for the world won't I? Regardless of how I perform, no one has a choice but to just accept it since I'm the one busting my ass to save the world' Terrence presents his valid point.

'Now where is that kid.. did he decide to not go to the Academy? No way, then maybe he got-' before Terrence could arrive at another deduction, he is interrupted.

A silence abruptly spread throughout the Hall. Every single musical instruments cease to make any more sounds. Terrence turns his head to the stage and sees a wizened man with long braided white hair making his way to the podium. With a voice amplified by clever application of Air Magic, he starts to talk.

"Welcome back and greetings to returnees and new intakes! I am the Headmaster and I hope everyone had eaten their fills for tonight. Finally, it is time for-" The Headmaster begins to deliver his prepared speech.

Terrence moves away and heads for a side entrance to the backstage behind the currently closed curtains. Along the way, he spots that not a single student is looking away from the Headmaster.

It is not that his speech is too interesting to ignore, it is more of the fact that they are all anticipating the part that follows this speech.

The part where the new scholarship students are going to be introduced on stage.

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"Sir Scar, the target is retreating at high speed towards Ga's workshop! Should we give chase?" A Zenithian Knight requests for further orders from his superior as he sees the silhouette of the intruder flying through the air. It would be difficult to emulate the same speed on foot and there is still the possibility that the target is a diversion for something else.

"D'you have to ask?" Scar scolds his squad member as he keeps the target in sight. A pity the moon is partially shrouded by clouds a the moment, he could not clearly see the finer aspects of the intruder's form. The only thing he could observe is that the target is quite small.

*Bam*

Squad Leader Scar slams a bundle of tied-up metal javelins in front of him. Although not his specialty, the javelin is his best expertise in terms of ranged weapons.

"Request no reinforcements from the HQ, we'd be a laughing stock if we can't even catch one intruder. Move in to recover the target's body once I shoot that bastard down. Surround the workshop if I fail to do so, but I doubt that would happen" He adds in details to his order to prevent further questions.

"Yes, sir!" Answered the four subordinates he brought along as they dash through the patches of trees ahead.

There is the possibility of the target taking the professor hostage once he or she lands but there is also the possibility of the target being mutilated by the various insane mechanical automatons in the compound. Not that he cares, he has no love for the professor who defiles the very concept of training the human body. Resorting to mechanical strength instead of tapping into the unlimited potential of humans via constant hardships is disgusting. The professor's research is an insult to all warriors in the world.

Not that the professor could be taken hostage, anyway.

"Now...." Scar grips the rope tying the stack of javelins and unravels it with a strong tug. The bundle scatters and falls on the ground with loud clangs and thuds now that they are no longer held together.

He quickly grabs several javelins and tosses them up. The heavy weapons spin around in mid-air and stops once they reach a certain height. They then descend on Scar as gravity takes over.

As the first javelin nears his head, Scar whips up his right hand and grabs it. Without a moment of pause, he throws it towards the airborne target a few kilometers away.

At the very instant the javelin leaves his right palm, he twists his upper body and brings his left fist forward to punch the butt of the thrown weapon, adding more speed to it.

The second javelin closes in on him from above and he grabs it again. He repeats the same process again and again for each javelin that successively falls.

Within the space of a few seconds, eight of the heavy thrown spears have been shot with high precision.

'....' Scar does not continue on rapid-fire and chooses to wait.

The target has entered the second half of his or her flight arc and is on the way down. Even if he throws more javelins now, they would not make it in time. Even if all his shots are successfully evaded, the intruder would probably avoid moving through the air again. Since the target chooses to send himself or herself flying like a projectile instead of moving on ground, it is most likely that the bastard cannot outrun the Knights.

'In that case..'

It is their victory.

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"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" Meanwhile, Chase is still screaming in fear. Although he had stopped flailing about, he is no doubt still scared of flight. It takes a lot more than one attempt at this to conquer the terror of possibly falling down on the ground and turning into a bloody splatter.

*Shooooom*

'What's that sound....?' Chase spins his body around in response to the loud roaring sound assaulting his eardrum.

'Damn it, again?!' His heartbeat quickens as he spots the reflective heads of the javelins gleaming under the weak moonlight. He barely survived the arrows before due to the aid of his life-preserving instinct but he is not so sure he could survive this time.

'They're gaining on me, damn they're fast!' Despite having a lead, the distance between him and the projectiles is shrinking at a ridiculously fast rate.

'What do I do? what do I do?' As he is under great pressure once again, his mind starts to work in turbo mode.

'Should I use Earth spells? No, I'm too high up. Sending down my Mana to the ground is one thing, having it rise up to my current elevation would take too much time' Earth element is out.

'Light? No, it's too late for that now. If I used that earlier I could have temporarily blinded them and prevented this from ever happening' Light element is eliminated.

'Should I risk lifting the ban and use other elements?'

Even if he does survive this situation, there is no guarantee he would not be captured. Once he had been detained, they would surely find out his details and try to reason out his purpose for an infiltration attempt into the Great Hall. Along the way, they would find out the fact that he has mastered more than two elements. This would give rise to questions and he might be imprisoned for an indefinite time to satisfy someone's curiosity. There is no way out if that happens, they have a valid reason to detain him now.

'Yes, I should' However, his life takes precedence above all else. Hence, Fire, Water and Wind are unlocked.

'Fire? I don't think I can burn them to ashes in such a short time' Fire is disqualified.

'Water? And do what, wash them properly before they could kill me?' There is the option of attaching icicles to the javelins in order to increase their weight and throwing off their trajectories but the process of drawing moisture from the air and freezing them takes a bit of time.

'That leaves me with Wind. I can probably tilt them slightly so they would miss' He could have just created a cyclone but he is not sure whether he could make it on time and there is still the question of whether his Mana capacity would hold out. The earlier Earth-Shift spell drained a lot out of him. As an added bonus, if he could do this subtly enough, they might not realise he had used Wind Magic to tamper with the javelins at all.

Maybe it is due to his panic, but Chase fails to realise that he could have just moved himself with Magic instead of going all the way to intercept the projectiles.

'Here they come!'

At a speed approximately twice as fast as the arrows, the cluster of spears approach him like hungry piranhas. A slight error and Chase would lose a good chunk of his flesh and perhaps bones, too.

The first javelin enters a distance of around twenty meters away from him. Chase creates a small but strong current of air and hits the missile from the side, tilting its head slightly. He repeats the delicate procedure four more times and exaggeratedly moves his body as the projectiles harmlessly passes beside him to give the impression that he evaded the thrown spears.

However...

'Goddamn it, I knew that was too easy!' The sixth, seventh and eighth javelins are slower than the initial five. Not because Scar pumped less power into them, but because all three are linked together by a large net made out of linked iron rings.

The net spreads out in a triangular shape over the three points of attachment it has with the javelins. Altering the trajectory of the spears would not work here, not when they are linked together in that way. He had almost reached his destination. In fact, he has already entered the workshop's airspace but he would go down here.

'That's it, I'm going to be expelled. Sorry dad, I'll get a job and help you out when I get back home..' Seeing no way out, Chase resigns to his fate. Oh, how can he stomach his embarrassment when he faces Alice later on? After he had that emotional farewell just a bit over a week ago and all!

'Now how do I land once I get caught..'

Before Chase could figure that out, he hears a loud humming noise. The javelins and the net is strongly jerked towards the ground by some unseen force.

'What?' Chase's eyes follow the falling metal projectiles as he tries to locate the source of his timely rescue.

'Tch!' He could not see clearly due to the poor lighting but he is already quite close to the ground and would land in a few seconds.

With a slight hand movement, Chase raises a part of the ground and creates a wide, slanted slide.

He lands at the tip of the slide and immediately begins to roll his body down in order to neutralize the impulsive force. He could only do the maneuver because he did not bring along his sword or daggers. Otherwise, he might accidentally stab himself as he spins again and again.

Absolutely dizzy and covered in dirt, Chase stands up in his slightly tattered uniform.

'Ugh... I feel like throwing up..' Chase stretches his face into a grimace as he bends over on the ground.

"Ga Ha Ha! How did you get yourself into that mess, Chase my boy?!" A voice greets him as two silhouettes come closer.

".. Garion..?" What is that self-proclaimed inventor doing here?

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"I didn't miss, I'm telling you lot I did not miss!" With his veins popping on his temples, Scar shouts at his subordinate.

"Yes, sir, the last three javelins were obviously interfered with" The Zenithian Knight replies to calm down his raging Squad Leader. He and the other three had done their job and surrounded the workshop to prevent the intruder's escape as ordered.

"...You stay here and keep watch. I'll go in and check" Scar answers after taking in a deep breath and relaxing himself.

There are plenty of workshops conducting various researches in the Academy. Out of all the ones he had seen, Professor Ga's is the most peculiar one. The entire compound of the building is surrounded by wire fences crackling with lightning, something Ga called 'electricity'. The only way to enter besides jumping over the fences is the main entrance which is a metallic archway. All these new, rapid advance in his research only started at some point about a year ago, sometime after returning from his vacation.

"Bzzzt.... Halt. State your identity... and business..." A human-shaped automaton marches over and stops Scar from setting foot in the compound. The red light that substitutes a pair of human eyes glows and scans over Scar's heavy-plated body.

"Squad Leader 42 of the Zenithian Knight Corps, Scar. I have come to capture an intruder" Irritating. This walking pile of scrap metal in front of him is an insult to all living beings.

"Bzzzt... Your name.. is not in the list.. of appointments. Entry barred" It positions itself in the center of the archway and spreads out its arms to act as a wall.

"ENOUGH!" Scar could no longer hold his temper in check. How dare this contraption tries to play human? He grits his teeth, tightly clenches his fist and throws a punch at the golem.

*Bam!*

His full-powered punch is stopped by a palm. A figure that was nowhere nearby suddenly appears in front of him. Sporting a lively grin and an unkempt beard, the vagabond-looking professor himself shows up to greet him.

"Ga Ha Ha! No need to be rough, now" Warren Gale laughs heartily as he pats Scar's outstretched fist. The latter is still looking at him with his mouth wide open.

"You! Let me in, I'm here to catch an intruder!" Scar demands to be let in.

His attack had been stopped without any effort. There is not so much as a bead of sweat on the despicable professor's face, it is as if he is no stronger than an infant. No, he is not weak, but the professor is strong, very strong. This is the second reason he has for hating Ga. For someone who has acquired such strength through physical training, how could he delve into this idiotic golem business?

"An intruder, you say? I did not realise anything of the sort... I suppose we could go in and check to satisfy your curiosity" Warren answers while scratching his beard and knits his eyebrows.

"Law-1, let us in" The inventor gives his order to the mechanical golem, causing it to jerkily move to the side and opening the path.

"After you, then" Warren extends a hand and invites Scar inside.

"..." Accepting the gesture, Scar passes through the archway and peers at his surroundings to look for the intruder.

'Damn it, there's no way he did not realise what was happening. Is he hiding the intruder? If so, should I report to the higher-ups about this? I have no proof though' This is a troublesome situation for him. For someone who mostly relies on aggression, trying to force out information from the much stronger person is impossible.

'Wait, I might be able to do this' There is something he could use to corner Ga into admitting he is harboring the intruder.

"Did my javelins fall down here, by any chance? I threw several of them at the intruder" From what he saw earlier, they definitely fell somewhere inside the area of the workshop. If Ga denies it, he can look around for it and accuse Ga of harboring a criminal once he finds them. If Ga says yes, he should have seen the intruder as well since his javelins and the intruder were pretty close up in the sky before they were tampered with.

"I'm not sure... but if it did then I have a good idea where it could be" A safe answer, at least for now.

Warren leads the Zenithian Squad Leader to an isolated area at the back of the building. A large metal rod wrapped with coiling wires stands upright in the middle of the clearing, the throwing spears Scar threw is lying on the ground beside it. Right next to the strange rod is a couple of boys wearing the Academy student uniform.

"This is my testing area. Oh look, there are your jav-"

"So it was you! You, you did something to my javelins! Where is the intruder? Is it one of the boys?!" Scar bellows at Warren, his spittle flying out and spraying the latter's face.

"Calm down, there is no intruder... maybe my electromagnet interfered with your weapon but my workshop had not been infiltrated in any way and are you seriously accusing my assistants of being intruders?" Warren wipes the spit on his face with his sleeves and explains.

"Electro..what? More of your electricity thing!" Whatever it is, Scar does not like it.

"If not them, then you are hiding that person somewhere in here, I'll look around till I find them!" After staring at the couple of boys, Scar eliminates the possibility of any of them being the intruder. Firstly, they are far too young. Secondly, their uniforms bear no signs of damage. Thirdly, if the infiltrator was a student, he or she would have entered through the front entrance of the hall instead. However, since they are the Professor's assistants, Scar would memorize their faces and place them at the top of his hated persons list.

He fearlessly stomps off to search the area for his intruder. If this is a huge operation of some sort, he might be killed then and there by Ga but he is pretty sure that would not happen since every Zenithian Knight at the Great Hall is aware of this event. If he is to suddenly disappear, they would be able to figure things out.

"Ga Ha Ha! Stubborn man. Now then, let's send both of you to the Ball. War-72, come out!" Warren gives Scar a free rein to do as he please. There was nothing confidential to be taken away, all his important items have been carefully stored and sealed.

In answer to his summons, a large mechanical spider jumps down from the rooftop and lands beside him. Using the Arachnid Kings as his inspiration, Warren modeled the golem into something similar. Rather than having pincers and a large abdomen, the body is modified into a semi-transparent sphere to house passengers and some important circuit and batteries. War-72 bends its legs to lower its body and opens a hatch, allowing Warren to step inside and seat himself.

"Ethan, Chase, get on!" He beckons the two boys to get in, which they obediently follow. Ethan enters without batting an eye, the boy had that perpetually downcast look on him for a while now. Chase took a few seconds as he ogles the machine before stepping inside and taking a seat.

"Buckle up!" He advises them while fastening his safety belt as a demonstration. The two imitates him without any questioning. War-72 lets out a hiss of steam as its hatch closes.

"Get us to the main entrance of the Great Hall!" As he says that, all parts of the mechanical spider excepting the body flip themselves, resulting in the spider balancing itself on only four legs attached to one side of its body. Chase is surprised by the sudden change and thought there is a malfunction. He is proven wrong as the eight legs align themselves in a vertically standing circle like the spokes of a wheel.

The folded blades attached to each leg opens up and links the spokes to each other, forming a deadly ring. Chase shivers in nervousness as he realises they are riding on a golem designed for warfare. Once the golem has finished transforming, it starts to rotate in a circle and rolls out of the compound towards the Great Hall. A shocked Zenithian Knight yelps and leaps to the side as they exit the workshop area.

'What the hell is that..?' Bryll, the Zenithian Knight in charge of guarding the entrance of the workshop eyes the bladed mechanical wheel as it tears through trees with relative ease.

He could have tried to stop it but he chose not to as he saw professor Ga and a couple of students riding in that machine. Scar would have dealt with them inside if they should not be allowed to exit, so it should be fine to let them pass.

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Before Scar's arrival at Warren Gale's Golem Workshop

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"What? All this just because you were late for the Opening Ball?! Ga Ha Ha Ha!!" Warren or Garion or Ga holds his stomach tight to prevent it from bursting. Who in the world would be so scared of breaking rules that they would rather face off against the Zenithian Knights?

"Like I said, it wouldn't have turned out this way if my diversion had worked!" Chase defends what little pride he has left. Why, just why did he put so much trust into those books?

"Diversion, Ga ha ha! From which stupid book did you read that from?" As if such a crude technique would have worked. The perquisites to be affected by such a distraction might be a high sense of curiosity and excessive stupidity.

"There's plenty of them, one of them is Gale Tempest's journal!" Yes, his favourite book. That is why he had so much faith in the method.

"Wha-"

*Cough* *Cough* *Hack!*

Warren almost choked himself after hearing the answer. Now that he thinks about it, he does recall sprucing up the journal a little bit for publishing purposes. The reason is the real incident was too dull and devoid of difficulty. He broke into a bandit's hideout through the front door without being detected because he was too fast but that would not have made a good story to read.

"Hmm.. I can't blame you then. Well, leaving that aside let's get you changed before anyone comes over. Ethan, you had a spare set of uniform somewhere in here, didn't you? Would you mind lending it to Chase?" He speaks to the boy who had been silent for the whole duration of the conversation.

Chase observes Ethan leaving to fetch his uniform and gets an awfully awkward feeling as a result. From what he saw in the past few minutes, the boy is very quiet, and also lacking in emotions. That would have resulted in an easily ignored and forgettable character but the problem is, Ethan's hair colour. For the most part, it is a normal brown colour but the newly-grown bottom parts are pure white. It is extremely noticeable and that makes it worse. People could sense him and they would realise just how quiet he is the whole time, producing a higher level of awkwardness than necessary.

Ethan returns with a uniform draped over his arms and offers them to Chase.

"Thanks.." Chase takes it and moves behind a corner of the building to change.

"Hey, Garion, what did you do with the net? I still can't figure it out!" Chase calls out from his current position while buttoning the coat.

"Hmm? Yeah, let's go and have a look for yourself after this. Better be quick, someone is coming closer" He is quite satisfied with the strength of the electromagnet. There is still the problem of its harmful fields affecting normal humans though.

Warren brings Ethan and Chase to the testing area and shows them the solenoid from a distance. He manages to demonstrate its use once by charging the magnet with a bolt of electricity coming from his palm. The iron nets and javelins is lifted from the ground and stick to the solenoid like they are pressed by an invisible power. Chase is startled more by the fact that Warren is producing lightning compared to the electromagnet.

"Ah, the visitor is here. Excuse me" He cuts off the power and dashes away to the entrance.

Chase and Ethan stares at the magnet as it gradually discharges and weakens its pull on iron. The javelins and nets falls to the ground with a thud once the solenoid had been fully discharged.

"Hmm... so.. you are late for the Ball, too?" Now left alone with Ethan, Chase tries to make some conversation.

"..." The boy turns his head to look at Chase and stares blankly into his eyes.

'Damn it. Another weirdo' Chase is sure of it now, he must have been cursed somewhere along the way here.

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"And so, let me introduce you to our new scholarship students for this year!" the Headmaster announces the most-awaited part of his speech. The students start to clap vigorously in excitement. People always gather themselves around those who are stronger and more talented than they are and in this place the top of the hierarchy is no doubt the scholarship students or as they call it, the Scholarship Beasts.

'Oh so now you clap. What was my speech then, some meaningless noise?' the Headmaster grumbles in irritation due to the clear contrast in reaction compared to earlier.

"Without further ado, I present to you Terrence Light and Chase Blackstone!" At his signal, the curtains are drawn open to reveal... one person. The round of applause that should have continued for half a minute died as they realised they are missing one person.

'...Where is Chase Blackstone?' The Headmaster's eye twitches as he stares at Terrence Light. Terrence shrugs and makes an expression that says 'I don't know' in response.

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"Oh, oh, they're already starting with the introductions!" Warren says as he sees the light coming out through the backstage windows.

"Introduction? Introduction to what?" Are they going to introduce all the professors to the students? That seems unlikely since there are hundreds of them.

War-72 had already reverted to its original spider form once it exits the patch of trees and is skittering quickly en route for the protected windows Chase tried to sneak in through earlier. While still moving, the hatch opens up to reveal the three passengers to the couple of alarmed Zenithian Knights. Seeing Professor Ga's face, they lowered their weapons and moved to the side.

"Now, get inside!" With a lightning-fast movement, Warren unfastens Chase's safety belt.

"Wha-?!" Chase gazes at his unfastened safety belt with widened eyes.

Before he could process what is happening, he is lifted off the seat and thrown at the closed window as the mechanical spider performs an extreme imitation of a bucking horse.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Three times. That marks the third time he screamed today.

Shielding his face with his arms and curling up into a ball, he braces himself for impact.

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*CRASH!*

Accompanied by shards of broken glass, a small figure flies in from behind the stage and lands in a three-point position next to Terrence.

"........." The entire Hall remains silent from shock.

'Is this some new gimmick? Maybe I should've allowed them to create their own entrance style?' The Headmaster starts to consider about it. Maybe the current event protocol is too dull for the younger generation, this could be a new breath of life for things.

"And... these are Terrence Light and Chase Blackstone!" Deciding to go along, the Headmaster continues the introduction like everything had been planned beforehand.

A louder round of applause added with cheers of excitement comes from the crowd. They are quite pleased with the dramatic entrance. The new Scholarship Beast has a fine sense for the performing arts.

'Huh? The introduction is for the scholarship students?' Chase stands on his feet and looks at the applauding students.

His feet starts to tremble and cold sweat rolls down his back as he feels the thousands of eyes glued to him. This new environment is not something he could take. Before his legs give up in fear, a hand strongly pats him on the back.

"Hey, that was pretty cool! You should've let me in on the plan, too! Hahahahaha" Terrence laughs at Chase's nerve to do something like this. There is no doubt the kid is gutsy to attempt something like this at an official ceremony on the first day.

"Uhh.. heh.." Chase weakly responds, his palms still sweating profusely.

'God, this is torture.. let it end..' Out of the fire and into the frying pan. Although his situation has changed, it is still just as bad.

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His prayers were not answered and the event continued with the dancing ceremony which might have been the longest two hours of his life. For one reason or another, he was pulled into a dance by various girls. He could only smile nervously as they try to get close to him. He had lost count the number of times he had to apologize for stepping onto a girl's toe. From knowing absolutely nothing about dancing, he became moderately skilled within the space of two hours of intense concentration.

The Opening Ball ended at midnight and Chase rushed out as soon as he could after signing the attendance in a flash. Leaving no glass slipper behind, he enters a carriage and takes a ride back to the Alexander dormitory.

Now, Chase is back in one piece in his own room thanks to Terrence healing him up back to normal. He did not have the time to properly explain what happened to the tall teenager but he would keep in mind to do so the next time they meet up.

'I got my attendance checked without a hitch but what is this uneasy feeling I'm having?' Chase rolls around on his comfy bed as he tries to locate the source of his anxiousness.

'Probably some aftereffect of a couple of near-death experiences..' Chase brushes it off and starts counting sheep.

"Mumble.. mumble..zzz" Finally, his trouble-wrought day ends with a peaceful resolution.

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Waking up to a soothing symphony of birdsong, Chase swings his legs off his bed and opens the window for a gust of moist, fresh morning air. Just as he grabs a towel and prepares to have a relaxing warm shower, a series of knocks stops him in his tracks.

*Knock* *Knock*

Still moderately drowsy, Chase strolls over to the door and parts the layers of protective curtain before swinging it open.

"Salutations, my friend!" A pink-eyed Sky appears.

*Wham!*

Chase slams the door shut and palms his forehead.

'Oh yeah, there's still that guy..' For the next five years, he would be stuck with that odd creature as a front-door neighbour.

"Your one week butler, Bolt Skylar is ready to serve!" Sky calls out from outside.

.

.

.

.

.

'He did not attend the Ball, did he?' Chase's legs give away and he slumps down onto the floor.

'Even after going through all that, I still get punished?' He clutches his head with both hands and stares at the painted ceiling.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!" Cramming all his frustration into one syllable, he expresses it by screaming his heart out.

*Huff* *Huff*

Feeling a bit better, Chase touches his sore throat and tries to take in some air.

"Is there something wrong, young master?" Sky asks in a concerned tone.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The sound he produced on that morning and many mornings to come is so dreadful that none but the bravest of souls dare to venture near room L4-01, and fewer still would be brave enough to approach the one who resides within that room. One of the four Scholarship Beasts, Chase Blackstone the Howling Demon.

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If you are getting unhinged by the abrupt appearance of technology, I warn you that there shall be more to come. I promise that I have an explanation that shall be.. partially.. given sometime in this arc and fully revealed at the final chapters of this story.

Since I've been making it look like Magic is so much more powerful than classic-old Close Combat(as in No-Magic Combat), I presented this chapter which shows that it is not so.

Oh yeah, and if you are wondering about:

"What's up with all this Chase has no time to cast this and that business? I thought he has instant invocation up his sleeve?"

Since I haven't gotten to the chapter that explains Mana yet (most likely chapter 24), it might seem confusing. You can just skip this part and read chapter 24(okay, MAYBE 24) once it comes out (or if it already came out by the time you are reading this). Just don't scold me if the chapter feels tedious later on.

Spoiler :

I portray Mana as a form of raw energy that can be transformed into any types of energy. Just as we learn in Physics, energy cannot be destroyed, it can only be transferred. Hence, there is a never ending supply of Mana.

If so, why do people have such a thing as Mana capacity?

For the same reason they could not use someone else's Mana to activate their own spells. In the human body of the denizens of Armus (yes, including Aaron Blackstone) lies a phantom organ called the Mana Source. It acts as a filter that takes in the ambient Mana and makes it usable by the human body. Each Mana Source is unique and the filtration is different for each individual which also explains why Chase is unable to absorb others' Mana.

The process of spells that utilises Mana is as the following.

Sending the Internal Mana on a specific pathway ---> Transforming it into the relevant type of energy ---> Activating the desired physical phenomenon

So in this story, Magic that uses Mana is Science-based.

However, I do keep the Magical aspects of Magic intact. Things like Curses and many more (which I have in mind but haven't gotten to name yet) exist as Magic in its true arcane form but are less well-known and are rarer to find because unlike Mana, the things required for these types of 'True' Magic are not available to everyone.

The Invocation Speed that I wrote about refers to the first two steps of a spell activation. Namely sending the Mana on their specific pathways and transforming them into the relevant types of energy which usually takes time. For Chase, it is an immediate process.

The physical phenomenon that follows suit, is governed by the laws of physics. For example, Chase cannot create an Earth Pillar that moves at the speed of light because he lacks the Mana to do so and the very fact that the Earth Pillar would disintegrate at that velocity. Neither can he create an underwater Fire Ball(unless he creates an isolated airspace which prevents the fire from directly contacting the water) for obvious reasons.

Someone once asked me "Why didn't Chase just reabsorb the Mana he spend on all the spells he fire off?"

Good question. I once wrote in Chapter 7 that Chase reabsorbed his Light Balls. Here's the thing, Light Energy is what... gives light. Basically, the very reason those Light Balls were still glowing is because they still have Light Energy in them.

However, in case of spells that involve moving loads of solid mass around, the Kinetic Energy is already spent by the time the objects move. If for example, Chase pumps in Mana into a spot on the ground and chooses to pull it back before he casts a spell, yes he could do that. For others (excluding Blackstones), they cannot retake the Mana that has already exited their body.

Touching back on Mana Capacity, let's just say some filters are better quality and some are just crappy. They could improve but that also depends on their potential. I assure you Chase is not one of those protagonists who seems to be the only one with a crazy shitload of Mana capacity because they appear to be the only one smart enough to try something like 'training' although I make him seemingly appear so. I got an explanation in store for that as well.

As for How Magic Diagrams work, they are also divided into two types. I'll just keep that for later chapters.

Oh, I almost forgot. Mana Backlash.

This is what happens when the Mana Source is overworked. This is how I picture it, Mana enters the body of every living beings in Armus as it is present everywhere. That is the reason why I say every human has a Mana filtering phantom organ named the Mana source.

Even if the Mana Source is so terrible that the owner could not conjure the simplest of spells, it is still a vital part.

When it is overworked, it ceases its function and the Mana that could not be filtered would damage the owner's body like what happened to Chase in chapter 13 pt.2 (because the energy could not be converted into a form that is compatible with the owner).

See you next week!

Note: A three-point position is one of those cool landing styles that the Heroes in Marvel movies always do when they fall from the sky.

Friendzoned? Armus A reptilian tale or should I say tail?

For The Curious Mind