The master, Seth Rayn, taught meditation as one of his fundamentals. As such, there was a room dedicated to group meditation.

Aaron looked outside from one of the manor's balconies, the one connected to this room.

He observed the backyard. There wasn’t anyone outside since afternoon classes were ongoing in the orphanage.

A few minutes later, Aaron heard knocking from behind. It was Seth Rayn with his staff.

"So you two decided to stay?" he asked.

"Yeah, for now." Aaron turned to look at nature.

A rabbit hopped out of the green hedges to drink water from the beautiful clean artificial pond. Sunlight shone in the blue sky. The green vegetation and tall trees tried to reach it. The beautiful song of nature echoed throughout the park.

A few breaths later, the master tapped his staff on the hardwood. "Enjoying the view?"

Aaron didn’t answer.

He put his arm forward, aimed at the tall grasses, and fired a gust of wind.

The wind breezed past the rabbit and pushed the tallgrass behind him. A black cat had been hiding behind the rabbit. The cat’s cover got blown away.

A short pursuit later, the rabbit’s neck snapped, and part of its tail tore off. The cat carried its prey in its mouth. It was no doubt in hopes of its giving master a fun present.

Aaron sighed. He had failed.

Seth cleared his throat. “Ahem, your posture isn’t good.”

“Huh?”

"Imagine you're doing a javelin throw. Before letting it out of your hand, building up maximum speed, precision, and strength are crucial for that one shot to reach your target.”

He paused to let Aaron reflect.

“When throwing it, don’t just stand still. Move your whole body. The more muscle you act on, the better the outcome. That is because mana will flow smoother within you. It is a fluid that takes the form that you define."

…

A few days later.

“Raah!” Aaron shouted as he launched his body three metres forward. He landed behind a metal crate and took cover.

*Pow!*

Bullets flew above his head.

‘They stopped!’ Aaron aimed his sniper at his target and released a single shot.

*Bang!*

It fell flat on the ground with a clang without dirtying the clean white wall.

Aaron advanced. He fired bullets out of his pistol while dodging obstacles spread around the course.

*Pow! Pow! Pow!*

Three more were down, ceasing fire.

Aaron climbed up a ramp to the left. There was a gap between him and the other side, so he jumped with his momentum, not thinking twice.

In mid-air, he noticed a figure with a rifle right under him.

*Bang!*

It fell.

However,

‘Oh no!’

There was another one farther away.

Aaron was free-falling. He couldn’t dodge even with his magic.

So he did the next best thing.

His posture straightened, and his muscles flexed. Aaron swung his body along the wind and released a force field of wind magic.

The light bullets hit the wall behind him: their trajectory was completely deviated by his magic.

“I did it!” Aaron exclaimed out loud.

Having completed his objective, he breezed through the rest of the training, defeating every manikin left in the underground room and avoiding their plastic bullets.

…

Aaron took a shower and went up the elevator to the refectory on the first floor.

"I finally did it. My wind magic has improved a lot thanks to his advice."

Isaac and Gabriella were the only ones seated at the table.

“You sure took your time,” said Isaac.

Gabriella nodded. “Everyone has eaten lunch already, and classes start in ten minutes.”

Aaron brought some delicious spaghetti from the cafeteria. He looked at Gabriella Rivampe and Isaac. “So, what have you up been to?”

Isaac cleared his throat. “I’ve gotten pretty good at red magic. I can heal my wounds even better, and my red magic beams have also improved. But I need to find a way to replenish it easily.”

Isaac had to hunt for wildlife or for any dead souls to fill his magic points.

“Be sure to train your body too.”

“I haven't had much time…”

Gabriella sighed. “Well, at least you’re allowed to use the equipment, unlike me.”

“Huh?” Aaron’s eyes widened.

“They won't let me. Especially Ejiro. They just keep me around as a hostage."

"Aren't you an orphan too?"

Gabriella Rivampe clutched her hands. "No, I’m a vampire.”

Isaac observed them quietly.

She frowned. “Aaron, do you know what happened to my mother?"

"Ejiro told me the DA killed her."

Black marks appeared around her eyes as fury started overtaking her.

Her black wings tore out of her shirt. Her eyes glowed black.

"No, Ejiro killed her himself!”