Angel pulled away first. “You didn’t see that.”

Reina glanced to the side innocently. “Eh?”

Angel glared. “I’m serious. This didn’t happen.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Reina supplied.

Angel smiled. “Good.” Standing up, Angel scanned the surroundings as Reina had done. “Where are we?”

Reina remained sitting. After what she had to do, she believed she deserved to be able to sit. “I have no idea, I followed the sound of your groaning.”

“You followed my groaning? That’s stupid, what if I’d been a bunny or a turkey? You would have gotten lost for no reason.”

Reina snorted. “Yeah, no, that was a human moan. Besides, why turkeys? I get rabbits, they’re awesome and everything but turkeys? Talk about random.”

“Speaking of random things, what happened to your pet rabbit?” Angel asked. Reina’s hand automatically went to her head to check on him before recalling that she hadn't brought him to the auditorium in the first place.

“He’s safe, thank god for that.”

“That’s a pity, might have been better company if he was here,” Angel stated.

“Rude.” Reina crossed her arms and a jolt of pain shot up her limb, cutting through her adrenaline. She uncrossed them, having forgotten about her broken arm. “That’s uncalled for. Would you rather have him trapped as well?”

Having Rabbit’s frail little body crushed underneath a frame or wall? Reina shuddered at the mere thought of it. Even if he somehow survived, Rabbit would be too lazy to call for help or get out on his own.

“Can you find your way out of here?” Angel asked. When Reina shook her head, Angel continued. “Your rabbit may have been able to help with his nose. He could have caught a scent."

Reina scoffed. Not really. “He’s lazy. Also, his name is Rabbit.”

Angle blinked. “What?”

“His name is Rabbit,” Reina repeated. Despite her careless tone, her cheeks still flushed when Angel stared at her disbelievingly. She'd chosen that name when she was 9, sue her.

“He’s a rabbit and his name is-you know what, forgot about that. Do you know what happened?” Angel asked.

Reina looked over Angel's body, scanning her for any immediate concerns. “You seem to look fine for somebody caught in an explosion. You knew it was happening, didn’t you?” Reina accused.

“Yes.” Angel didn’t flinch as she said so. “What? Are you going to say I planted the bomb?”

The thought had never crossed Reina's mind. “Nah, you wouldn’t have risked getting hurt. You'd probably be on the other side of the school,” Reina said, motioning towards Angel's slight burn marks.

“As much as I appreciate your opinion on my Art, I’m not sure even with proper preparation I would have been able to block the entirety of the attack. And what about you? You don’t have a single burn on you. In fact, none of your injuries are burns. Why is that?” Angel asked.

“Let’s just say I have a knack for not getting burnt. Fire Artist, remember? Since we both determined that we're obviously not responsible for the explosion, let's get to more important things. Case in point: do you think you can find a way out?” Reina checked.

“Why do you think I can?” Angel asked.

“You can’t see, right?" Reina motioned at the milkiness in Angel's eyes. "There must be a different way you’re moving so fluidly. Technology, drugs, or your Art. Whatever it is, I’m wondering if you can use it to get us out of here.”

Angel scrutinized her for a bit. Reina refused to show any signs of getting intimidated. “You impress me, Reina. Very well, I’ll try to find a way out. In the meantime, do something useful.”

“Like what?” Reina asked, disgruntled. “Was saving you not useful?”

“Yes it was, and I’m very grateful.” Angel’s dry tone and dismissive expression said otherwise. “You should take care of yourself first though. I see that broken arm, I’m not plain. Can’t you make a better cast?”

“Aw, you do care. And no, this is fine. Just do your stuff and I can handle things on my end.” Reina reassured her.

“Very well.” Angel closed her eyes and Reina snickered at how much she looked like a telepath. If she placed her fingers on her temple, that would complete the image.

“What are you laughing about?” Angel asked dryly, popping open one eye.

Reina erased any sign she had been laughing from her face. “Nothing. Did you find us a way out?” Reina asked.

“Yes,” Angel said.

Reina pumped her fist. She knew saving Angel was the right call! Not that she would have left her alone if she couldn’t help her but it was a definite bonus.

“However. . .” Angel began, her expression mellow.

“However?” Reina asked, her mood plummeting. That was never a good sign.

“It’s a difficult task. You have a broken arm, can you do it?” Angel wondered.

“As much as I’m enjoying this sudden care, I think you’re forgetting I saved you with this broken arm. I can handle it.” Reina chided.

“Are you going to keep bringing it up? Very well then, let’s be on our way.” Angel set off, making large strides with a clear purpose. She maneuvered her way through the debris, and Reina hastened to catch up.

“You know where we’re going, right?” Reina checked once she was right behind Angel.

“I thought I’m the guide and you the muscle?” Angel asked.

“Ouch. That makes me sound dumb. I’m curious though, how do you "see"? It’s always been difficult for me to figure out.” Reina asked. The mystery of Angel's vision was somewhat infamous among the first years; Reina and her friends had spent quite some time trying to figure it out. A brief wave of melancholy hit Reina; her friends. . . . Shaking her head, Reina pushed herself to focus on Angel only.

Angel turned back to face her, an unreadable look on her face. Finally, she sighed and set off again. “Don’t tell anybody else this,” she ordered.

“My lips are sealed.” Reina mimed locking her lips up and throwing the lock away.

Angel did not look comforted as she said, “One of your guesses was right. I used-“

“Drugs?” Reina intervened. Angel glared at her and she ducked her head. “Right, sorry. Zipping up.”

“-Arts. I used my mastery over the wind. After practicing a lot, I gained a skill: [All Seeing Eye]. When I finally mastered the technique, the ranking went up to a C. It allows me to-” Reina blinked as what Angel said registered with her and she flailed her arms, cutting her companion off.

“What?” Angel grumbled.

Reina forced herself to remember. That weird voice had said she’d gained a skill called [Fortitude Rank D]. Was [All Seeing Eye] something similar? “What do you mean by ‘gaining a skill?’” Reina inquired.

Angel shrugged. “When I was young, a voice called out to me saying that I’d received [All Seeing Eye]. I had no idea where it came from, still don’t, to be frank, but afterward, my efforts in ‘seeing’ with my Arts increased a lot. I think. . .these skills are given to us when we prove ourselves by doing something.”

“Us?” Reina caught. Others had gotten this? A thrill shot through her, and Reina’s heart started pumping. What were the limitations of this? What kind of Skills could be produced under the right circumstances? Could Skills be combined to make something more potent?

It allows me to ‘see’ things but not in the color spectrum. I feel the air and manipulate it so I could know where objects are. I gained an uncanny connection and relationship with the air because of that. I needed it to see, after all." Angel cocked her head as if a thought struck her. "I guess that's why I'm so much stronger than the other Air Artists our year." There was no arrogance or cockiness in her voice; she was speaking plain facts.

Reina nodded along. “I don’t see how this allows you to see,” she admitted.

“I was getting to that. Pushing part of my subconscious into the air, I could tell small things. Like the air warped around certain areas and I realized that meant there was something there. I feel the vibrations in the air to enhance certain sounds and block out others. I can detect the temperature of things. If something moves through the air, I can see that too. For example, I know your arm's broken into three parts."

“Huh, that’s a cool power." Reina brushed aside the knowledge about her arm, it checked out. "Doesn’t it take a lot of focus to split your mind into two?”

“Yes, but I’ve had years to master this skill,” Angel said. "Ever since I unlocked my Circuits, I've been honing my Air Art to make up for my lack of sight."

Reina ruminated on this. “So if you lost your focus, would you also lose your sight? If somebody hit your head with a bat, would you not be able to see until you reached out with the air again?”

Angel glowered and kicked at the floor. “I don’t appreciate you talking and coming up with ways to counteract my abilities but yes, I suppose so. Do keep in mind, I’ll see you coming.”

Reina raised her hand. “Understood, got it. Still, these skills. . .” The mere idea of them made her skin prickle. Didn’t they make the Arts obsolete? And if Angel was [Rank C] and she was [Rank D], what was the highest rank? What level of power did it bestow? It went up to B, she knew that for certain.

“You know, I always thought you were using a skill as well,” Angel commented.

Reina whipped her head around. “What?”

Angel shrugged. “Mind the stalagmite. I mean, your physical strength. There’s no way that’s natural, and you’re not an Energy Artist; you can’t imbue your body with more power. The only possible option is that you gained a skill that enhances your physicality. What skill that is, I have no idea. But it's definitely a skill."

Reina lowered her gaze, her mind swimming. Could that be true? She was always super strong, her strength rivaling that of accomplished Energy Artists who actively enhanced their body. Her strength had always been a facet of who she was, so she'd never really thought about its origins. Then again, her stats had stated her strength was a B.

"How do I know for sure?" Reina questioned. Angel turned around a pillar and Reina hastily followed, catching her within line of sight again. "How do I see my Skills?"

Angel sighed. "You're doing this now? Fine. Just reach out with your mind and ask to see your Skills. It's not hard. Hold off on seeing your stats though until we're out of this mess. I don't need you getting distracted on me."

"I already know what my stats are," Reina said. "Bunch of letters."

"There's more to stats than just those six basic categories. I'll tell you about them later if we survive." Angel said.

There was more? Shaking her head and purging the temptation to look at her stats, Reina concentrated. I would like to see my Skills. Um, please. System. Thing.

{Notice} Current number of Skills: 2

[Perfect Body Rank B]

[Fortitude Rank D]