Finally!! I've finally finished the chapter!! :saveme:

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"Drink it" Sky points at the cup placed on the table. "It tastes best when it's hot" He grabs his own cup and elegantly takes a sip from it.

"..." Chase stares into the reddish liquid. "I like it warm" He says as he eyes the strings of vapor rising off the tea. "Why don't you tell me what's going on now? We're already in your room" Chase looks around and takes in the interior of Sky's room. The basic design is similar to his own, but the absence of layers upon layers of curtains and wallpapers plus the presence of Sky's personal belongings give it a different style.

"Everything has it's own pace. Relax" Sky replaces the cup on the table and fixes his sight on the boy who is sitting across him. "Rushing would do you no good, look at what happened in class just now" The corners of his lips curve slightly as he remembers the event. "All in all, I thought that counts as a good lesson" He brings his palms together and places them under his chin, while he waits for the younger boy's reaction. A little harassment would toughen up a person, if he or she manages to get through it.

"Which part of that was good?" Chase tightens his grip on the table. "I did nothing wrong. I didn't earn the rights for a head slamming session, nor did I want to. If he wasn't a teacher, I would've, I would've...!!" His shoulders rise up and down in accordance with his chaotic emotions. He takes in a deep breath and calms himself. "You. Which one is the real you?" He returns Sky's inquisitive gaze with his own silver eyes.

"Real me? Whatever are you talking about?" Sky raises an eyebrow at the question. "I am who I am" He pats his chest twice to assure Chase. He had always been Bolt Skylar, from day one till now.

"Don't play me for a fool, your change in behaviour is too drastic to-" Chase intensifies his gaze into a glare.

"I understand what you mean, but listen to yourself for a bit. Do you really claim to know me, as in every part of me just from your observations during the past couple of days?" Sky challenges Chase with that statement. "I didn't instantly assume you to be a wimpy crybaby, did I? So I expect you to refrain from making hasty assumptions, young master" He crosses his arms and puts his foot on the table, shoes and all. Manners are like clothing, there are different ones for different occasions and within his own room he requires almost none of it.

"I am not a wimpy cry-" Chase snaps at him.

"Yes, yes, you were frustrated because the power of authority disables you from lashing back appropriately" Sky places his index finger in front of his own mouth to silence the boy's retort. "Let's move on from this topic and talk about what you came here for" He lifts his slim finger and jabs it in Chase's direction, bringing the conversation back on track.

"When I look through your eyelids, all I see is a...... concentration of light" He fiddles his thumbs as he searched for an appropriate word. "That is strange, as common sense and fourteen years of life had shown me that behind the eyelids are the eyeballs. Now why are yours different?" He readjusts his sitting position and leans forward with interest. There is no doubt that Chase is an individual like him, someone born with an ability.

'Eyes, and light....? Is it because of Mana Manipulation changing my eye colours?' Chase stares blankly in Sky's direction. 'Crap, gotta cover up quick before he finds out anything about it' He collects himself and prepares a reply.

"You tell me, I thought you knew something about it!" Chase replies hotly, faking anger and frustration. Hopefully, the other interlocutor would not realise it.

"......." Sky rubs his smooth chin as if he is deep in thought. "You know how I can see through up to four layers of objects?" He shows four fingers as an emphasis. "The heart is one of the things that I can see, 'heart' as in the organ" He draws a cross with his finger on top of his left breast, right where his heart is. "There's this one funny thing about it. When people lie, their heartbeat changes... so you get what I mean, don't you?". Differentiating a person's heartbeat rate to determine their emotions is so natural for him.

'That's one annoying ability.... Well, it's not like he knows the details of mine' Chase keeps his mouth shut, keeping back any information that could be a clue to his own demise.

Sky studies the boy, waiting for something, anything, that would sate his curiosity but finds none. "Well, I suppose everyone has their own secrets" He sighs and leans back his body. "Obviously, you know the reason behind it, and there must be a reason for it being a secret as well" He stands up and moves towards the door.

"I'd hate to keep you occupied as you try to avoid my questions, so why don't I be generous and open the door for you?" He states just as he swings the door inward.

"....." Chase raises himself from the seat and ambles past Sky, stopping short of the open entrance. "Yeah, I have good reasons to withhold information" He mutters softly without looking at Sky.

"You know.... could you act normal like this everyday? It's more preferable than the annoying behavior you put on" He pays Sky a sidelong glance and tells him something that had been on his mind for quite a while.

"Ahahahah, there are no 'acts' involved" He chuckles briefly and produces an explanation. "People have different attitudes when working and playing but they're still the same person" A strict and unforgiving teacher at school could be the kindest parent when they are home.

"I take that as a no to my request, then" Chase walks out and heads to his room, just several feet ahead.

"I suppose I can tone it down a bit, if you insist" He grins in a devilish manner, no doubt finding it hilarious to act like an idiot all day long. He does have his own reasons for doing it, after all.

"Oh yes, try to avoid taking Scar's abuse to heart" He calls out to Chase who had entered his own room and is closing the door. "Just like you, he is also restrained by authority. If you follow his orders, he should run out of excuses to dish out punishments"

With his ability deactivated and his irises a bright shade of pink, Sky watches silently as the door swings shut and blocks his view. Even if he activates it now, he would not be able to see through the layers of curtains behind the closed entrance.

'Commoners are great, they have such unique personalities' To keep up good diplomatic relationships, members of nobility received training in etiquette and manners which masked their true nature. It is rare to see one being so open about themselves.

Humming a merry tune to himself, Sky retreats to his own room.

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Chase stares intently at the reflection on the mirror. It is the same boyish face that he sees everyday. Medium length-black hair with bangs that almost covers the eyes; a few thin strands of straw are mixed in with his hair. He eyes his slightly pale skin tone, the result of being mostly kept at home for ten whole years. A face that might or might not be good looking but certainly not ugly, and his violet eyes which could shift colour to silver at any moment.

'I wonder... would he be able to see them this way?' He focuses on them and finds his reflection to stare back at him. 'Well, it's not like I'm ever going to show it to him anyway' He finds no reason to do so.

Chase opens the tap underneath the mirror and cleanses his face using the warm water gushing out. With his face soaking wet, he grabs a fluffy towel hanging nearby and dabs himself dry. He exits the bathroom as he finished washing off the facial oil that had been building up.

He extracts his notebook and borrowed books about Magic from his bag and places them on his study table. Setting them open, he starts to pour over the pages in an attempt to fathom the secrets of the arcane. However, he finds himself lingering on the first paragraph, rereading the sentences again and again without registering their meanings.

'And so the four elements were born from the spirits of nature, bringing forth prosperity and....' Chase reads the passage aloud within his own mind. '...I can't do this. Nothing is sticking in my brain' He replaces the bookmark on the page and gingerly closes the delicate book. Damaging library property might cost him quite a fair bit of money.

He dives into the pool of comfort and relaxation, his bed. Hugging a pillow and rolling around on the mattress, he starts to think about the issues distracting him. Just like usual, he is a boy who is full of worries and doubts.

'Why did I come here?' He begins with the most fundamental question in order to start his inner monologue.

'To get stronger' Yes, that was the answer he gave to himself and Marcus.

'Why do I want to get stronger? To protect those I care for' Indeed, he is no saint that strives to protect all of humanity. He only wishes to protect those that matters to him as best as he could.

'Have I gotten stronger?' He had been here for a few days. True, change could not happen so rapidly but has he gotten stronger at all?

'What counts as strength?' Is it how fast you can run? How many times you can swing the sword? How powerful your spells are?

'Have I changed?' Unable to answer the previous question, he widens the scope and reduces the difficulty.

'It's been over a year since I started training, I've gotten a lot more proficient in battles but... as a person, have I changed?' Sure, in terms of fighting he had already achieved a high offensive capability but is that all there is to being stronger?

'I'm still scared of talking in front of people. I worry too much. I cry a lot... Damn, I'm a wimp. I haven't gotten stronger at all' Then who is it to blame for his lack of progress? Could it be the absence of a teacher that should teach him all of these or is it himself?

'Ahh.... I'm lame. There's no way anyone would look up to me this way' Regardless of who the blame falls on, he has to change. He does not possess the quality belonging to the heroes and adventurers he look up to.

Everyone has at least one moment in their life where they aspire to be better. Yet, not all of them succeed in doing so. This can be caused by many things, a couple of examples being a vague goal or lack of conviction. Whatever the reason may be, a failure is still a failure and people can only provide excuses for themselves to soothe their own heart.

Chase does not know whether he would be able to improve himself, he cannot foresee the success or failure waiting at the end of this path, but he shall attempt to travel on it nevertheless. Even if he fails halfway, or perhaps a quarter of the way, he would have made progress. He could always pick himself back up and try again. Eventually, he would succeed.

'I need someone to teach me' Chase sits up on the corner of his bed.

'Someone strong and intelligent. Someone that can laugh off anything that comes at them... someone...' Chase slaps his forehead hard in realization.

'Garion' The stinging pain on his freshly hit skin embellishes the details of the person he just thought up.

Chase checks the time on his pocket watch.

'It's going to be sunset in about one more hour... maybe I should just go tomorrow...' What if Garion had already left his workshop?

'No, no, no, no, no!' Chase slaps his cheeks repeatedly. 'Postponing the first step is no good, I've got to go now!' He jumps off his bed and rushes out of his room along with his sword and daggers, just in case they are needed.

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"Ga Ha Ha Ha! so that's how it is?" Warren's voice echoes from beneath the metallic body of a four-legged golem.

"Yes so I was hoping whether you'd have the time to be my ment-" Chase restates his request.

"Can you pass me the wrench?" Warren's hand pokes out from the dark and directs Chase's sight to a box of tools set on the floor.

Chase complies and starts to search for the requested tool. "There's three of them, what size do you want?" He inspects each of the wrench, trying to figure out their specific use.

"Just give me all o' them" The inventor extraordinaire gestures impatiently with his hands. "I'll need the others later anyway"

Chase slips the tools into Garion's hand and sees it disappear into the shadows cast by the hulking figure of the machine. A loud, grating noise tells him that Garion is tightening a few nuts with the wrench and might be a bit too busy for a proper conversation.

Chase decides to look around to kill some time while he waits. He barely feels hungry anyway, so he could put off dinner for a couple of hours.

He strolls among the various deactivated golem models which had been systematically arranged. He had never really entered the workshop during his last visit, so the sight of all these automatons are fresh for him to behold.

'Ah, this is the one that was in the test.... War-78...' Chase reads the bright-red inscription painted on the human-like golem's husk.

'And this one's the spider from the other day, War-72..' He takes a good look at the machine as he circles around it. 'Just how did he get all these ideas?' There are too many forms that Chase could see, each one just or more incredible than another. Even for a genius, there must be a limit to his innovation and creativity.

'So far I could see two types, War and Law.. I guess War is self-explanatory' All the War models had been equipped with some sort of weapons which indicates their intended function. 'Laws are built to be more human-like.. I guess they're for peacekeeping?' The number of Law types is way lower than the other.

'War-1 to War-17 looks like classic golems, with stone as their building blocks' He taps his knuckles against the grey stone armor of the gigantic guardian. 'War-18 and upwards have some drastic change in design and materials, I wonder what happened?" The level of technology differs too much, as if Garion had changed into another person.

He comes upon a sealed entrance of a vault room. Crackles of electricity and beams of light bar the way ahead, preventing him from investigating the door at close range. The door is built in a spiral design with no doorknob in sight. Instead of a keyhole, a translucent palm-shaped screen is attached to the wall right beside the vault.

'He keeps his golems outside, so what in the world would require all these security to prote-' Chase squints his eyes and try to search for a plaque or sign of some sort.

"You're still here?" An iron-smelling hand taps the boy on his shoulder, disrupting his train of thought and forcing him to turn around. "Come along now, touch one o' the lasers and I won't take responsibility if you maim yourself" He gives a hand signal to Chase, telling the boy to follow him as he walks down the aisles. They enter a storage room that has rows of preserved food on shelves. Apparently it doubles as a dining room as well, judging from the table and chairs in the middle.

Warren picks out a couple of transparent containers from the shelves and toss them accurately onto the table. "Beef jerky, I've got no spoons and forks though, so just use your hands" He says to Chase who had already seated himself.

'Uwah, this is ..cold?' Chase touches the container and feels the warmth of his finger flowing out. The glassy surface of the container fogs up as he opens the lid.

*Munch* *Munch*

"What, you don't eat meat? I've got some frozen fruits and vegetables around, if you want them" Warren speaks to the boy who had yet to touch the food.

"Wha-? Oh no, I was just wondering how this works" Chase grabs one strip and takes a bite. 'Not bad, not bad at all'.

"Oh... nothing complicated. Just isolate the food from most spoilage factors and they could last for a couple of weeks or so" The inventor waves the strip of jerky in his hand as he clarifies the concept. "So, what was it that you wanted?" He stuffs the remainder into his mouth and rubs his hands on his work pants.

"I was wondering.. if you could teach me" Chase mutters under his breath, his words barely audible. He looks at Garion hopefully with upturned eyes.

"Teach you? Like what, make you stronger?" Warren receives a nod from Chase.

"No" He scratches his beard and gives a lopsided smile coupled with furrowed eyebrows.

"Why?" Chase did not put all his expectations on a 'yes', but he did not expect to be denied straightaway either. "Is it because I'm too weak?" His legs start to tremble, and his heart clenches tightly. 'Does he mean I'm too weak to train or I have no potential to get stronger?' Chase begins to debase himself with needless negative thoughts.

"Huh?" Garion frowns in puzzlement. "That's not it. You said you want to get stronger so you can protect everyone you care about right?" Warren obtains another nod of confirmation from Chase. "Then you have to be the strongest... and in order to do so, you've got to figure out how on your own" because Warren knows that he himself certainly did not deserve the title of 'strongest swordsman under the heavens'.

"I don't understand, what do you mean?" Chase shoots a look of confusion at the professor. "Isn't it logical to learn from those stronger than you and climb your way up?" That is how it had always been, people seek out masters and train under them to absorb knowledge and techniques or maybe their insight.

"Those who held the title of 'strongest' are always those who carve their own path with sheer tenacity" Warren declares confidently. "If you learn under the strongest, wouldn't you just end up being the second strongest?" In order to exceed his superior, he would need something else, a component that exists only in himself.

"I'm not telling you to refuse knowledge from others. What I'm trying to say is, you've got to be independent because the road that another had taken is not necessarily paved for you as well"

"So, I should only take in things that I deem necessary and build myself up based on my own evaluation?" Chase presents a question.

"Exactly. Only you know yourself best. Therefore the greatest guide can be no other but you" Warren grins, satisfied that he said something profound. "Okay, I'll help you a little bit so you can find out what you need. Follow me" He gets up and exits the room with Chase in tow.

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Out in the testing area, Chase and Warren are standing at a distance of approximately a hundred meters apart. Some form of artificial lighting keeps the area bright, pushing away the darkness of the night. The solenoids that the professor had experimented with had been cleared up and placed into stacks, probably stored for later use. Chase sets aside his heavier sword and takes out his father's daggers, spinning them in both hands to rehabilitate himself with the weapon.

"Just try to score a hit on me!" Warren cups his hands around his mouth and calls out to Chase. "You get the first move, you can start anytime you want!" He stands casually without a stance.

Chase does not need to be told about the extreme gap in capabilities between them. Warren's absolute confidence and composure punctuates his overwhelming strength and experience. Chase knows, that even landing a hit on this simple 'inventor' would be a hurdle much more difficult than taking on a Zenithian Knight. As such, he would not waste this opportunity presented to him.

Streams of Mana spill out of his body and envelop their battlefield like an extensive net. Whether Chase's opponent could sense the rippling energy or not, he shows no sign of worry. A drop of sweat slides down his nose, and falls onto the soil.

A booming chorus of sound and a blinding flash of radiance blasted throughout the area. Thick, brown pillars of earth shot out of the ground and attacks Warren from eight different directions. A stream of intense white light flew at his eyes like piercing needles. The firm foothold underneath his feet has degraded into a puddle of soft, sinking mud. Chase intends to accomplish his objective by robbing Garion of his sight and mobility in one fell swoop using the two elements available to him.

Warren's figure blurs as he throws a shower of jabs at each of the pillars breaking them into tiny, bite-sized pieces. Dragging his foot through the heavy mud, he kicked up a violent wave of wind, soil and pebbles in Chase's direction. Chase could hear popping sounds in his ear due to the sudden change in air pressure. Chase is lifted up by the gale and tossed backwards, bouncing like a pebble as he crashes against the cold, hard ground.

He spies a shadow high up in the sky with his dull, glazed eyes. The figure gradually grows bigger as it descends down. Chase's eyes shot wide open as he regains some sense. He launches himself to safety with an Earth Pillar just as Warren's foot stomps the ground like crashing thunder. The earth cracks and sinks into a crater within a ten meter radius around him like it had been hit by a falling meteor.

Chase who had landed considerably far away could feel the shockwaves eating the distance to his position. He stabs his daggers into the soil and grips the hilts as hard as he could to anchor himself. He grits his teeth as he receives the impact. Despite being slammed with nothing but air, Chase felt as if a rain of blows had hit his body. Suffering multiple bruises and cuts, Chase managed to endure it. It was absolutely crucial for him to avoid shielding himself with an Earth Wall, because now his counterattack can begin.

Chase pours in all his strength and thrusts his right dagger at the empty space in front of him without letting his opponent get out of sight. He did not want to rely on this move because it would dull his skills but he is also interested to see how it could be countered. With the sharp tip of the blade a millimeter away from his targeted spot, Chase shifts the earth and manipulates the battlefield to suit his purpose. Warren's faraway figure flickers like the flame of a candle and reappears full-sized right where Chase wants him to be.

'Counter it. Hit it to the side. Dodge' Chase fervently hopes that he had not gone overboard, fearing that he might seriously injure the opponent.

The tip of his dagger stops at a hair's breadth from the worn-out fabric of Warren's cloak. However, it was not a voluntary stop. His right hand falls limply to the side as if the muscles had been tranquilized. Unable to understand why, Chase swings his other hand at Warren, trying to score a hit with a desperate attempt. This time, Warren easily dodges to the side and returns his attack with a kick aimed at his stomach.

Chase twists his body at the moment of impact to nullify the blow, but he could not perfectly execute the technique. The kick still possessed enough power to knock the wind out of Chase and send him falling down on his knees.

'I think that's enough' Warren said at the boy who is clutching his stomach in a painful grimace.

"You... were.. holding *Gasp* back!" Chase squeezes out the words with difficulty in-between gulping for air. There were too many pauses in Garion's movements, presenting openings for Chase to slip an attack in. His speed also varied from time to time, in order to accommodate Chase's assault.

"Of course I was, do you want to die? Didn't I tell you, I was helping you look for what's missing?" Garion comments as he lifts the boy and allows him to lean on his shoulder. "You've got a loooong way to go before you can make me seriously go at it" A long way indeed, he did not even have to use Magic to fight. Well, maybe a trickle of numbing electricity.. but that was because the other alternatives were deadly.

"Ugh...." Chase grunts in dissatisfaction while being carried inside.

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'What I need...' Chase places the tip of the quill on the parchment without moving an inch. 'Obviously I need to get stronger but that's too vague.. I need to break it up into more manageable goals' He drops the quill and ruffles his hair with both hands, trying to find some inspiration.

He scans the rolls of bandages wrapped around various parts of his body. The bandages had been doused with healing potions to speed up his recovery but the fact remains that it would still take days to recover, potions are just medicines after all. A light tap on the bruises would cause him to wince, whether he admits it hurts or not. Chase is used to physical pain though, he is far more resilient to it than emotional or mental pain.

Garion had warned him about using Ground Shift after the brief 'fight'. Not because it is a cheat, but it is due to the double-edged nature of the spell. It might startle amateurs and dull their movements just enough for Chase to strike, but when dealing with opponents that have incredible reflexes, it is nothing more than a ticket to death. Garion said that he could have killed Chase twenty-three times before the dagger could pierce him. The highly realistic number told Chase that Garion was not kidding and that only sent shivers down his spine.

'First, I need speed?' He crosses his arms together and scrunches his brows as if he is trying hard to bore a hole through the parchment. 'Casting speed? No, it's already instant... then it should be physical speed and also mental speed, so I can switch up spells and dodge faster' One of the things that he realised is how much time he actually took to adapt to the current situation. ' Garion was fast.. both in body and mind' Moving at those ridiculous speed is one thing, but to actually be able to think at the same pace?

'Second is... flexibility' Chase had read something about absolute damage nullification if you can pull back at the exact moment the impact lands on the body and let the force flow harmlessly without any resistance. That was what he tried to imitate in the battle, but he could not twist fast or far enough, resulting in significant damage to his stomach. If he knew it would end up that way, he would have tried to dodge instead.

'Third and fourth, I need more power and endurance!' Things would be much, much easier if he could fight without worrying about receiving a couple of blows from Garion. 'If I can slug it out with him, while using Magic to support, the situation would've tilted to my favour' A frontal exchange of blows and spells attacking him from multiple directions would definitely force Garion to retreat or reveal openings in his defense.

'I can't think of anything more.. maybe I should figure out how to acquire what I've already picked out' Chase grabs the Academy Handbook and flips to the 'offered courses' section. 'Speed, speed, speed..' He leafs through the pages to find the relevant class. 'Found it!' He stops at the one describing the swimming class but.. it is not swimming that he wanted. What he needed, is the location of the pool.

'Speed, power, endurance, stamina, all of them can be gained by training underwater' To Chase, this is perhaps one of the most effective and fast methods to train. The water resistance would weigh him down and act as weights, the lack of oxygen would train him to hold his breath longer. He could also swim to improve his pacing skills, so he would not get tired too early in combat.

'But that only covers physical speed, and I might need to work on other muscle groups' There is a good reason why many fighters choose to do a variety of tasks in their training routine. One of them is to train different muscle groups for a greater integrated effect. 'How do I think faster?' Chase continues to look through the book for a suitable course but finds it hard to pick one. 'Math class, debate class, violin class or should I stomach it and go for meditation?' Common sense would dictate the classes he listed to be of use in speeding up brain processes, but something seems wrong.

'.... I think the 'speed' I'm looking for is a bit different' Chase closes the book and shuts his eyes. 'In the end, wouldn't the most effective training be real-sparring?' The practice of sparring had been unchallenged for thousands of years, simply because it works. It is the safest and most efficient way to gain experience in combat and Chase knows just who to spar with and how to get them to do it, duels.

The Academy had a system in place for students to settle their differences, and that is 'duels'. Like the name suggests, it is a classy way to say 'beat each other up in a brawl' but a bit safer than that. Duels do not necessarily need to be associated with combat of any kind, it could be a simple harmless contest such as a race or a music recital. However, it is most often used for battles. Duels can be commenced as long as both sides agree to the rules, and there are two teachers or two student council members along with twenty students present to spectate the match.

Chase had not given a damn about this system since he wanted to lay low, but now he understands how foolish he had been. He has three opponents that could be just as strong or stronger than him in the Academy, why would he waste the opportunity to challenge the other Scholarship Beasts? Opponents of the same level or slightly higher are the best ones to train with. Chase pens down 'dueling' on the parchment, along with the other points he had written down.

'But that's not enough.. I need to maximize the effects of everything' The scene of a burly man swinging his hammer down with great force and technique plays out in his head. The sheer amount of power that can be focused on a single point, flowing smoothly like water, is what he wants. 'Guess Smithing is a 'yes' after all' Chase pens down smithing alongside his other points.

'Flexibility... flexibility.. oh crap' A feeling of unease crawls up on his back, like skittering bugs. 'There's got to be something else!' He proceeds to search with bated breath, for anything that would prove to be more effective, anything at all. 'No, no, no, damn it!' He turns the book upside down and shakes it vigorously, hoping for a hidden advertisement leaflet to fall out and save him but none did. Realising how futile his effort is, he halts his harassment of the book and resigns himself to enroll in his only choice. 'I hate you, yoh-ga..'

'Did I cover everything? I think I did, sort of..' He looks over the list or training menu that he had concocted.

Training to get stronger!!!

Underwater Physical Training

Swimming?

Duels with the three other guys(?)!!!! (got to learn about who they are first or where to find them)

Smithing (better be careful)

Yowh-Ga YohhhGa YOHGA (was that how it's spelt?)

Will be added accordingly

'.....' Chase blinks a few times.

'......' He goes over the list once again.

'.....' He puts it back on the table, right where it belongs.

'Now why does this look like some grocery shopping list instead of an epic training schedule?' He stares long and hard at the piece of paper, occasionally tilting his head to observe it from different angles. 'Will this even work? I mean shouldn't I be going to some mountains or travel around the world... and do crazy things like doing push-ups with giant boulders on my back?' So far, there is nothing in his plan that could be considered out of the ordinary. 'On second thought, I might just break my back if I do that.. oh well, I guess it's worth giving a shot. Not like that crappy combat instructor could teach me any better anyway' Chase stifles a yawn and turns off the light.

'It would be nice if I can just fast-forward things and see the results....' He commences his customary random thoughts before going to bed routine. 'I mean, why not just put a 'five months later' and have a time-skip?' He tries to visualise himself, an improved version of himself to be exact. 'Nah, that's lame.. it's not like I've got nothing better to do than train all the time' His eyelids grow heavier with each passing moment. 'Oh yeah, better return that uniform tomorro...zzzz...'

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"Umm.. here's your uniform" Chase passes the neatly-folded clothing to the silent boy. Doing laundry is never a hard task when you have magic, all he needed to do was use water to remove the stains and dry it with some torrid air.

"....." Ethan Hall nods in acknowledgement and stores the returned uniform into his own backpack. He returns his attention to the book in his other hand.

'....' Chase leans back and tries to get a look at the content of the pages, without intruding upon Ethan. 'oh...so he likes reading, huh?' As an avid reader himself, Chase is interested in just what sort of genre Ethan is taken with. 'Wait a minute...isn't that..' He reads off a few sentence and checks the page number on the corner. 'It's a different cover, but this is a copy of..'

"Gale Tempest's Journal?" Chase said. The boy turns his head and slightly opens his mouth as if he is startled, and he probably is. Maybe it was the fact that Chase had been spying on what he is reading or simply because Chase suddenly spoke in an excited tone. He recovers himself and nods, banishing whatever semblance of emotion that had been harbored on his face.

'Woah, he likes the same book as I do! Wait, maybe... maybe this is a chance to make....' Chase gulps. 'a FRIEND?' Yes, making friends. Chase has only one friend, and that is Alice. Sure, he is quite close with other people but they are more like close acquaintances or caretakers. Sky, who is sitting on his other side, is too suspicious and strange for him to befriend.'Okay, take this easy now.. got to make some light conversation, that's it' Without realising it himself, he had been giving a tense look at the pale boy.

"Uhhh.. I like that book too. So, umm.. who's your favourite character?"

'Oh crap, what sort of question was that? There's only one character who's fleshed out in the journal, Gale Tempest himself!!' The journal is written with a slightly narcissistic tone, with 99.9% of the story centring on the writer's life. Side characters had names and one or two sentences mentioning them, minors were simply described as 'that man with a moustache or that woman with curly hair' so there was not much to love about them. However, Chase finds it to be a good read.

"...." Ethan's lips quiver slightly.

'Oh, he's going to speak!' Chase waits with full anticipation, for the first words that shall be uttered by the mysteriously quiet boy.

"Gale" A rough, sandy voice that would suit a hardy war-veteran is emitted from the small boy.

"...." They share a moment of silence together.

"Oh, me too" Chase did not expect that. He actually felt bad for forcing Ethan to answer an open question, now. '... I think I just understood why he doesn't speak much' Chase lets the conversation drop, and the other boy eagerly buries his face between the open book.

"Nice move, young master" Sky gives a condescending frown at Chase, making him feel worse about himself. The blindfolded fellow had been acting the same way as usual, but his personality slightly differs when talking to Chase. Chase suspects the fourteen year-old teenager is respecting his request to a certain degree, and Chase finds it to be slightly more comfortable this way.

Professor Miria walks in and takes their attendance for the second Theoretical Magic Class of the semester. Practical Magic class is only conducted once a week as compared to Practical Combat classes which occupies three slots per week.

Meanwhile, Chase can still sense the intense glare shot by Aaron Deniro stabbing at his back. Chase had yet to find an explanation for the blatant hostility he is receiving, and he ought to get some information from Sky after this.

-------------------------------------------------

*Clang!!* *Clang!!*

Chase never got the opportunity to do so, as all sounds are drowned out by the clanking reverberations in the smithy. Even if it was quiet, he could not afford to break his concentration now.

Chase was very relieved that Master Kurt did not remember about his previous abrupt withdrawal from the classroom. Hence, Chase had no need to apologize and could go straight into apprenticeship without any awkward moments.

As usual, Sky is still tagging along with him everywhere he goes to. Bystanders might interpret them to have a master and servant relationship, but Chase feels like he had been marked by a camouflaged predator. Chase had yet to peel off all the layers of Sky’s personality; the teenager seems to have more layers than an onion.

Master Kurt gave them a little information about smithing before immediately giving them a crash course. He provided sufficient explanation about the important points they need to know and what tools are needed. He really stressed on how accuracy is more important than power, and the art of smithing is not just about mindless muscle-work as some people say.

“THAT’S NOT HOW YOU DO IT, FOOL!” Master Kurt bellows, his loudness obscuring the line between anger and frustration. “I TOLD YOU, THE FORCE GOES UP FROM THE CALVES, PASSES THROUGH THE WAIST, THEN YOUR BACK, FLOWS INTO YOUR ARM AND FINALLY RELEASED FROM THE BODY!!” He demonstrates it once more, unifying his strength in one fluid movement and striking the iron ingot with terrifying accuracy.

Chase wipes the sweat on his forehead and attempts to imitate Kurt’s technique. ‘Up from the calves, waist, back, arm and then out!’ He feels the violent vibrations from the hammer as a loud clanking noise is produced.

“WRONG, DO IT AGAIN!!” Kurt shouts, but Chase already knew that without needing to be told. This is not something to be mastered in five minutes or a couple of days. After trying it out for himself, Chase’s respect for Master Kurt increased by leaps and bounds. ‘That much raw power and that high degree of control… this is definitely a form of art’

The lump of metal Chase is using for practice has started to cool down, making it harder to shape. Thus, Chase grabs it using a pair of suitable tongs and chucks it into the furnace. He steps on a line linking to the Magic Diagram inside the furnace and channels his Mana into it, increasing the temperature in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.

Master Kurt nods in approval. He would have knocked Chase’s head if the boy continued to hammer mindlessly without reheating the iron. He glances at the other pair, his senior apprentice Dave and the blindfolded boy. ‘The other lad’s doing well… he might be better if he could remove the blindfolds and directly observe the metal core’ Master Kurt scratches his butt as he thinks so.

He looks back at the black-haired boy he is overseeing. Chase had already replaced the red-hot iron on the anvil and is concentrating hard before striking. There is an unapproachable atmosphere around the boy, as if the world only consisted of him, the anvil, and the lump of metal to be shaped. Master Kurt is nothing more than a whisper in his mind, giving helpful advice from time-to-time.

‘This one would go far…’ Kurt remarks to himself, admiring the boy’s focus.

----------------------------------------------------

*Blub* *Blub*

Bubbles of air escape through his mouth as he swings the sword against the water. They rise with great haste, touching the surface of the pool and bursting out of their prison to join their fellow brethren. They breeze through the doors and windows, rustling leaves and branches as if they are laughing with glee. Laughing, at the boy who chose to be underwater.

‘209!’ Chase counts as his muscles contracts and expands, moving the heavy sword against the resisting water. ‘210!’ He swings again, creating small ripples at the bottom of the pool.

‘!!!’ His lungs ache, foreshadowing an imminent explosion. It had not even been two minutes since his last gulp of air and he is already running out of oxygen. He transfigures the stone shackles he fashioned out of the pool’s floor and let go of the sword, releasing himself from their bind and rises up with the aid of his natural buoyancy.

“Puhahhh!!” He greedily breathes in the sweet, sweet air above. He swipes his matted wet hair that is sticking to his forehead and looks around at the other students. Only a few even bother to turn their way at him, as compared to an hour earlier.

Chase caused quite a stir when he first entered the pool. For once, Sky did not tag along because he had to pay a visit to the Farming Class but even without the blindfolded fellow, the students’ eyes followed him all the way from the locker room where he changed clothes to the edge of the swimming pool. The swimming athletes halt their strokes and idly floated as they curiously observe him.

‘Is he going to swim?’

‘What sort of style is he going to perform?’

‘Damn, is he fast? Should I make a move now and invite him to the swimming club?’

‘What’s that sword for?’

‘Haa….Haa...that nice, pale skin….. it’s giving me a nosebleed’

Various thoughts raced the bystanders’ minds. Most were healthy anticipations regarding the Scholarship Beast’s swimming skills. A few of the athletes paled as they look at the possibly strong contender, the regular students lick their lips while waiting in excitement, the professor working as a lifeguard wanted to see Chase’s performance for himself and use him as a benchmark against his own record.

With a loud splash, Chase dived into the pool.

‘….’ The audience watches on with bated breath.

‘Oi, he’s not coming back up, is he?’

‘Hey, hey, hey, don’t tell me he’s drowning?’

“Puhaaaahhhh!!!” Chase’s head reappeared on the surface, gasping for air. He gazed around for a moment while catching his breath, and sunk back into the watery depths.

The audience blinked in confusion, mouth agape with incredulity, unable to comprehend the situation. A few swimmers took a deep breath and submerged themselves to see what Chase was doing. They resurfaced with bulging eyes and spared a look at each other.

Heaving sighs of relief, they continued to leisurely practice, not worrying about any competitors that would dethrone them. The other bystanders imitated them and saw what Chase was doing for themselves. Some kept their eyes on the boy for several minutes, hoping for something incredible but even they gave up and went about their own business when Chase gave no sign of giving a show.

Now, having stored just the right amount of air in his lungs, Chase plunges down to the bottom of the pool and anchors himself to the floor yet again. He picks up the strapless sword and holds it tight between his wrinkly fingers. He had detached the penguin strap earlier and stored it in his room for safekeeping.

‘211! 212!’ He resumes his training without missing a beat.

------------------------------------------------

’22,23,24!’ Charlie counts the gold coins and replaces them into three separate money pouches hidden all over his robust body. Grinning from ear to ear, he twirls his newly bought cane and fixes his top hat in front of the tall, oval mirror.

“Father, would you stop doing that? It’s embarrassing..” Erin says while combing her long locks of hair that looks like strands of moonlight. “I really think you should stop wasting that money” She eyes the lavish room they are currently staying in. Sure, the father and daughter are sharing it to save up on costs but they could have found a cheaper inn in the city.

“Wasting? No, no, Erin… I am saving up quite a lot. Hell, we’d be dead if I don’t find a job soon!” Charlie’s eyes bulged in shock at his stepdaughter’s accusation. Erin stares him up and down in response, from the tip of his pointy leather shoes to the peak of his classy top hat and rolls her eyes.

“What… this?” He gestures pointedly at his attire. “This is absolutely necessary since we’re going to meet the King!” The former miner explains loudly, justifying himself in the eyes of his beautiful daughter. “I bought you a dress as well, didn’t I?”

“Exactly, you didn’t have to! It was lovely, I admit… but we could have picked something cheaper!” Erin retorts. True, she really loves that pearly white dress; it made her look like the princess in her maidenly dreams. However, it was a luxury and not a need.

“Oh come on… Sir Lawrence left us with the task of informing the King about the corruption, didn’t he?” He gently takes hold of the silver lion medallion hanging off Erin’s neck. “All this gold, it’s all the money we got by selling off the gold dust I scraped off his armour. I’m not spending it on whatever I want. I am buying things that we need”

“But still…why the high-class inn?” Erin could agree with the other points except for this one.

“Because of you” Charlie replies.

“Me….?” Erin knits her eyebrows and frowns. Faint creases appear on her milky white skin, failing to besmirch her beauty in any way. “I never recalled asking you to pick this inn” They had been staying here for three days now, looking for the items her father needed to buy.

“Of course you never did” Charlie sighs. “Think about it for a second. Would it be safe for a pretty girl to stay in some rundown inn with poor to absolutely no security?” The fact that Erin does not think too highly of her own attractiveness is charming, but she really ought to realise how much danger she might attract.

“Now I’m not saying that I’m weak or anything… but a miner won’t be able to do much against some skilled fighters” Not to mention they are in a city, and those types of people are virtually everywhere. “At least with these attire we can scare them off by pretending to be someone high-up” That would ward off cautious robbers in the city. When travelling outside, they would switch to their poor old clothing.

“….” Erin remains silent. Pangs of guilt hit her hard now that she realises that she is partly to blame. “How are we going to meet the King later?” They are not that far away from the capital of Bosco. It should be about ten days from their current location by horse.

“I asked around, and they said anyone can have an audience with the King for five gold coins. Seems to be some rule made by the Grand Priest after he got that position” If Charlie is not mistaken, the reasoning behind the need for payment had been something like divine donation to the one chosen by God to rule.

“How did we get into this…?” Erin mutters softly. “I mean, we were just simple villagers. Now..... now we’re on a quest to prevent the Demon King from breaking free of his prison..” She clenches the lion medallion tight in her fingers, summoning courage from Lawrence’s keepsake.

The Cycle is a whirlpool, and they are nothing more than stray leaves that have wandered too close to its swirling currents. Barely anyone had ever volunteered to be involved in the Cycle. Those who did, did so for their own reasons and beliefs. No matter how noble or wicked, how glorious or insignificant, they would certainly get sucked into the Cycle. As long as one is a denizen of this world, they are connected to the Cycle in some way.

Charlie moves to hug his daughter in a tight embrace, stroking her hair with his rough callused fingers. “It’s okay..” He whispers softly into Erin’s ear. “It’s going to be okay” He repeats it again. “We’re going to meet the King, warn him about what Sir Lawrence told us about, and then go back to our normal lives”

Erin buries her face on her father’s wide shoulders, hiding her vibrant green eyes that had started to heat up.

‘Sir Lawrence… Are you doing fine in heaven now?’ She pictures the image of the handsome blond man surrounded by angels and white puffy clouds. She chuckles, thinking how ridiculous it looks like.

“Hmm? Something funny?” Charlie tilts his head and raises an eyebrow. His daughter that was in a gloomy mood just now suddenly cheered up.

“No, I was just thinking about how Sir Lawrence is doing now up in heaven and *pfft!*” She broke into another bout of tinkling laughter. Charlie only watches her while smiling, satisfied that his daughter is no longer sad.

She gradually stops and starts to fiddle with the medallion in her hand. Her previous angelic face contorts into an angry frown. “Warren Gale. Wherever you are, you better be working on fixing this mess you’ve made!” She spat angrily.

‘…. Must be that time of the month’ Charlie notes from the emotional swings his daughter is having.

------------------------------------------------

“And that, is how cyclones are formed” Warren ends his class with a flourish and proceeds to erase the blackboard using a dusty rag.

‘And all this time I was just spinning the air around..’ Chase thought. ‘Got to keep this in mind, it might make things a lot easier for me’ He underlines the important terms and steps in tornado formation, eager to apply his newly acquired knowledge when he has the chance.

The students shuffle out of class whereas Chase and Sky bide for their time. Garion’s class is a particularly popular one, given how unique it is. Thus, the wave of students exiting the classroom would create a temporary blockade at the doorway. Chase deemed it better to wait for the crowd to subside before leaving.

Chase approaches Garion with the intention of having a little chat. Ethan is going through a stack of papers that the professor gave him, most likely as part of his assistant job. ‘I wonder how he got that job?’ Chase wonders idly. Just what sort of encounter did the petite boy and the vagabond professor had?

“Hm? You got something to talk about?” Warren comments, seeing the two boys standing near his table.

“Yeah, I’ve started on doing that whole ‘improve yourself’ thing we talked about” Chase replies, excited to share about his current findings. He wanted to ask whether his choices are right but something tells him that Garion would just inform him to continue and see the results for himself.

Sky’s ears twitch as he gleams the new piece of information. Chase’s sentence had also drawn Ethan’s attention, causing the boy to lift his head from the papers and stare at Chase.

“Ga Ha Ha Ha! Good, good, so how is it? Do you think it’s going to work so far?” Garion systematically arranges the coloured chalks he have into a small box, taking care not to mix them up or accidentally break one.

“I…can’t really tell” Chase furrows his eyebrows and frowns. “I mean, I haven’t even got through one day of the routine plus there’s a few classes that aren’t scheduled for today but…” Chase grins widely, baring his teeth. “It’s fun. Experimenting with these methods by myself” Who knows, maybe he would end up developing the best way to train. If anything bad happens to his body, he could always seek out Terrence for a special dose of Healing.

‘A pity I don’t have any free slots to look for sparring opponents today..’ There is only so much time in a day. Classes start as early as eight in the morning and end around seven in the evening, by latest. ‘That’s not even half a day.. and then there’s their schedules to consider. I don’t think I can spar that much with them, in this case’ He would have to draw out a detailed timetable as soon as possible.

“Well, it’s good if it’s fun” Garion packs up his briefcase and tucks it in his arm. “People can lose motivation if they keep doing boring things, so make sure to keep yourself entertained” He takes the stack of paper that Ethan had neatly arranged for him. “I’ve got to get going to the workshop , you three shouldn't dally here. Don't you have any class now?"

“Yes, there is a slot for Practical Combat scheduled in forty minutes. Come now, young master, let us make haste!” Sky pinches the back of Chase’s uniform and urges him to move.

“Yeah, see you later Garion” Chase bids farewell and leaves the classroom along with his excited looking companion.

‘….’ Warren studies the two students’ backs. ‘What’s wrong with that one..’ His gaze lingers on the taller and presumably older boy. He looks at his assistant, Ethan who is still standing beside him. “Aren’t you going as well? It’s Practical Combat so you should be with them, no?”

Warren’s inquiry elicits a nod from the silent boy. Ethan saddles his bag and scurries away to catch up with the other two.

-------------------------------------------------------

“So what’s the deal with Deniro? He’s been giving me the eye for the past couple of days” Chase asks while sitting in their daily transportation vehicle. The only difference this time is the addition of Ethan in the corner, who is trying to erase his own presence.

“Oh, did he? Why, I never realised!” Sky gasps and feigns ignorance. “What could be the problem, I wonder?” He crosses his arms and frowns in consternation, as if he is thinking hard.

‘Damn poser…’ Chase grits his teeth in frustration. ‘You obviously know something, don’t you?’ Sky is being the usual annoyance, perhaps due to Ethan being in close proximity. Chase catches the shadow of a smile at the corner of Sky’s lips, no doubt the reflection of his true emotions.

“Well now, have you offended him in any way?” Sky asks. “It could be something subtle, one that you did not realise” He leans forward, giving full attention to the conversation. Even Ethan is looking at them from the corner of his eyes.

“No I didn’t” Chase trashes the theory straight-out. “I’ve never seen him in my entire life and I assure you I don’t have any memory problems of any kind” Not that he would know if he had any.

“I see, I see…. But that would be nonsensical because Aaron Deniro is known to be well-behaved. Not the friendliest person you’ll meet, but he is civil and he has only a small dash of arrogance to paint him as a noble of the most powerful House in Armitage, besides the King’s family that is”

“So, you’re saying he’s an okay guy with everyone else?” That did not make Chase feel any better but a faint idea sprang up at the back of his mind.

“Precisely” Sky nods.

“Then it must’ve been something in our first encounter that pissed him off… but what?” Chase palms his face and tries to recall yesterday’s Theoretical Magic Class. “Is it how I look?” They both have black hair, and if Chase deactivates Mana Manipulation their eye colours would match.

‘But black hair and violet eyes aren’t that rare… I’ve already seen a few in the Academy’ It does not fit, somehow. His appearance is not likely to be the trigger for that perpetual hostile reaction.

“…Talk to him…” Chase and Sky hears it once again, that gruff voice that makes one think of an eye-patched war veteran drinking a tankard of ale. The petite owner of that voice looks away when the two stares at him.

The carriage slows down and comes to a halt. The driver descends and opens the door for them, bowing at ninety degrees at the side of the stairs leading down.

‘Talk to him, huh?’ Chase thinks as he moves towards Gymnasium no. #77. ‘That’s scary, but I guess that IS the easiest solution..’

-------------------------------------------------

“Take your weapons and repeat yesterday’s routine!” Scar shouts at his students, or cadets as he refers to them in his mind. Spittle sprays out of his mouth, flying over his yellowed teeth. The students rush off to the weapon racks so as to not anger the instructor.

“Hey, you there! Yea, yesterday’s wimp!” He calls out to Chase. “You sure you want to play around with these weapons? You might get a boo-boo!” He rubs his eyes with his knuckle and pretends to cry. Several students snigger and chortle at his insult.

Chase lingers in front of the wooden swords rack with his back turned at the instructor. He reaches out towards one of the blades… and stops. He grins widely and moves away from the rack towards another one placed beside it. Scar cocks his head and knits his eyebrows as he observes Chase from behind.

Chase grabs a long, stout pole weapon, an untipped quarterstaff instead of the sword. Without doing any push-ups, he takes a leisurely stroll to the straw dummies and swung his weapon. One, a leg sweep aimed at the bottom. Two, a jab thrust in the middle. Three, a vertical chop from the-

Scar grabs Chase’s hair and yanks it back along with the boy’s head. Chase winces slightly and his eyes begins to water from the sharp pain. “What. The. Hell. Do. You. Think. You’re. Doing?” Scar hisses the words angrily into Chase’s ear. Not only did the boy not pick up a sword, he even blatantly disobeyed his order. This is not something that he can ignore, his orders are absolute.

‘Student Welfare Act, article 4 states that the educators of the Academy may not inflict any excessive or unnecessary physical harm upon the students. Should any physical proof be found, the perpetrator shall be sacked from his or her position’ Chase recites one of the rules of the Academy within his head. His pained grimace turns into a mirthful smile. In the space of one breath, he strongly tugs his own head forward.

Scar is bewildered by the sudden action and hastily lets go of Chase’s black hair. If he had held on to it, it might have ripped off some of the skin on the boy’s scalp and doubtlessly draw blood. ‘I would've been in deep shit if that happ..’ His eyes bulge as he sees the gleeful expression on Chase’s face. The boy twirls the quarterstaff overhead and strikes a dummy like nothing ever happened.

‘That little runt… he did it on purpose..!!!’ Scar’s face flushed in response to his boiling fury. His fingernails dig into the skin of his palms as he balls them into solid fists. A trickle of blood crawls down his lips as he bites down on it in frustration. "I'M TELLING YOU TO STOP RIGHT NOW!" He roars uselessly at the boy who had chosen to ignore him.

Seeing that reaction, Chase’s grin spread even wider and his eyes shrunk even smaller. ‘So, how does it feel? A taste of your own medicine, I mean’ Chase resumes his training with the pole arm, acting oblivious to the steaming Zenithian Squad Leader. 'You might think I'm powerless, but so are you' Faced with the rules, they are both equal.

With his only weapon, violence, turned against him, Scar could only watch Chase in frustration. He could crush the boy’s skull, shatter his windpipe or severe all of Chase’s limbs… but he would lose his job if he did that. Scar knows just what sort of injuries count as ‘excessive’ and it seems that the boy knows as well.

“You’ll regret this, runt” He turns away and walks off to yell at the other students, letting off some steam. 'I'll break you, boy.. just you wait for it' He fans the flames of his own irritation.

Chase had given this class some thought. Being a scholarship student, it is compulsory for him to attend both Magic and Combat classes therefore skipping is not a viable choice. He had also weighed upon Sky's advice, to obey without question and avoid trouble. Indeed, that is a logical and safe course of action... after all, why create problems for himself? However, that would not solve the core issue at hand. Chase is a wimp when it comes to harassment.

So how would he mentally strengthen himself? There are obviously no classes that would teach him how to deal with his current predicament. The answer he stumbled upon is simple and he belittled himself for not thinking it up earlier. What better method is there to improve than facing your problems? He should just fight back at every single attempt at hurting him but he shall do so intelligently. If he cannot inflict harm on the teacher, what about the other side? Can the teacher harm him? With that train of thought he scanned over the rules for some sort of Act or Article that would assist him.

'That's it.. plot, hate, try and bring me down' Chase thought. 'You can't teach me, but I'll use you to improve... in my own way' He braces himself for anything Scar would throw at him. In this case, every single one of them would only serve to make him stronger.

His dice had been cast, his decision had been made. In this path he trusts, so he leaves it to fate.

---------------------------------------------

So yeah, the chapter was late (Hey, I did say it might be late). As usual, I update the date on the fiction synopsis in accordance with the last day I worked on the story so just pop there to check whether I'm still alive or not.

-I changed the style a lil bit. (you don't have to scroll that much and I think it's a bit more fluid)

-You don't necessarily learn the subject you are being taught in class. Sometimes, interaction and observation with teachers and friends could give you important life lessons that are far more useful than knowing how to find 'x'

-You don't need a teacher to learn everything you want

Is What You Know Real? Armus Glitter in the Dark

For The Curious Mind