The familiar and painful sound of a beeping alarm woke me up, and I groaned and slapped my alarm. It made a cracking sound, and I sighed defeatedly.
It had been a couple of weeks since I'd sacrificed Samani's artefact and received my 2 new skills: {Destructive Aura I} and {Elemental Fist}.
I'd glossed over the new available skills throughout the week and was pleasantly surprised to see what was there:
○ Skill: {Destructive Aura II}
○ Skill: {Elemental Body}
These two skills looked quite promising, especially {Elemental Body}, which was a required skill to access {Elemental Vortex}.
The destructive aura series went up to {Destructive Aura IV}. It was a scary idea that a single skill could level and shatter the ground in a wide radius just by being activated and with the correct requirements, that being an unwavering resolve to use such power.
However, this was all just a distant dream for now as I was nowhere near close enough to achieving those skills at that moment.
Something else that had happened during the past weeks was the entire lockdown of the university since a student had been killed on site. The PAP, Private Artefact bearing Police, for the University had interrogated each student. It was easy for me to lie. I'd been interrogated thoroughly with beatings and the lot as training in the RMMT. I'd passed the interrogation with flying colours, and all senses of doubt were thrown halfway across the world away from me.
Although this was the case, there was a skill in the {Stealth} path, according to Orebrul, that would allow me to persuade anybody that anything I said was the truth. I thought it was a little terrifying to have that power of absolute truth. To be able to convince anyone that what you said was law was a power I didn't think anyone was deserving of.
Jessica had also not been caught. Even though she wasn't the one who had actually killed Samani, she had still been tasked with doing so, and this fact reminded me that I'd stolen her kill and her family, the Black Household, must have been either very angry or very disappointed in her. This made me feel a little guilty, which was easily quenched by the truth. That she had willingly accepted the assassination of Samani Seisyll as a race between me and her, with the prize being his artefact.
Finally, I got up out of bed, took a shower, and got dressed into a pair of joggers, a t-shirt, and an unzipped jacket. I walked back into the bathroom and looked at myself. I grabbed the bobbel that Jessica had leant me, and I tied my longish hair up.
I couldn't tell if I looked even more like an idiot or if I actually looked more attractive. Since gaining the ring and training my body and mana reserves, my muscles had strengthened and increased in proportion. My skin was still smooth and perfect thanks to {Regeneration}, and my azure eyes still had the sapphire and ocean shine they always had, mixed with the maturity that had been forcefully accumulated, not to mention I'd grown in height to 5 foot 8 now.
It was well known that mages who train their magic and body simultaneously are more likely to improve in physique and growth. Something to do with the way mana acted upon your body created the phenomenon that scientific mages called 'The Growth Phenomenon'. While quite unoriginal in name, it was a well thought out idea and a good theory for what was happening to mages across the continent.
After checking myself out for much longer than I should've, I left my room and locked the door, applying my spells to the door and wandering off to class with a small skip in my step as my mood was still ecstatic after my new skills had been unlocked.
----------------------------------
Combat class was first that day, and I was prepared to try out my new {Elemental Fist} skill. Of course, it would be the fire type since I was supposed to be a fire mage.
I'd briefly talked to Jessica on my way to class, and we'd talked about the interrogation and how it went for each other. I'd known she hadn't been caught but I was surprised to find out that they actually believed her right away since they knew she was a member of the Black House, a notorious house that was usually contracted for assassinations. They knew that if she had said yes, then there was likely nothing they could do. However, since she had said no, they believed her instantly on the basis that she had no reason to lie.
Pushing all other thoughts aside, I stepped into combat class right as the professor, who had made only 2 appearances since the semester started, was about to begin.
"There is a tournament being held for all the combat classes in this University, it's the annual Aurora Constellations Tournament. This class, Celeste, along with the other 2 classes, Helarctus and Crocuta, will fight one-on-one battles in randomly selected brackets. Those who wish to enter, please come fill in a contract now." That was all the professor said before he left the room through a second exit at the back and vanished.
I noted that all the class names were the names of constellations that were well known among the Laexanad Empire residents. Helarctus was the constellation that represented war and battle, whereas Celeste was a constellation that showed grace and eloquence. Crocuta was a new one for me, though, but that didn't bother me in the slightest. I stepped down the stands and grabbed a contract, a thin sheet of browning paper that you had to apply your artefacts mana to as a method of signature. I activated the ring and pressed it the contract.
Is this a good idea? I heard Orebrul's voice in my head, but I outwardly showed no difference in my expression.
Yeah? Why wouldn't it be? It's a chance to copy and analyse everyone's skills. I answered back while making sure my signature was fine before letting the parchment crumble to dust and ensure my participation.
Yeah, that's cool and all, but you run the risk of showing too much of your abilities, he responded. I could understand his reasoning. If I was too skilled in the tournament, they would ask me about my ring, and I'd have to come up with a lie. That wasn't the hard part. However, what was difficult was not showing too many skills to the entire university that would be watching this annual event.
Trust me a little more, will you? It'll be fine, besides if things do go wrong, we can just leave the city and go some place else. I quietly replied as I sat back down in the stands of the class' arena.
Fine fine. I mean, I'd be surprised if you managed to miscalculate something like this anyway.
Are you calling me smart? Orebrul how kind of you. I laughed audibly to myself and quickly looked around to make sure no one saw me.
Shut up, you're a dumbass! He retorted quickly, but I could sense through our minds that he was joking.
As I was about to continue my banter with Orebrul, Darius waved me over to the arena. Looks like a certain assassin needs me. I thought to Orebrul.
So he does, have fun with your duel, and don't be an idiot and show off everything, ok? He reminded me. He then further added. I'm going back to sleep now, then, since you're such a busy guy.
Alright, seeya later then. I said mentally, with a grin, to him before I felt him fall asleep, and our minds had a thin 'wall' put between them.
Darius walked over to me as I entered the arena. He gave me a wry smile and a sharp nod. I returned the gesture. "Want a duel then?" I asked.
"If you promise to go easy, I definitely underestimated you the first time. Knowing who you are now... well, I would lose if you went all out." He answered with a heavy sigh.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and chuckled. "I can't go all out here. And I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just a fire mage, right?"
His eyes gave me a knowing look, and he laughed. "Yeah, suppose you're right there." He replied.
We took a few steps away from one another and faced each other in stances, ready to have our duel. I remembered that I couldn't copy another one of his skills since I'd already copied one from Darius.
We eyed each other, and after a few seconds, I activated {Elemental Fist: Fire}. My hands blazed to life and roared with burning flames. They flickered dangerously, and I held them up in front of me.
I focused, and my breathing became calm and light. The flames that coated my right hand began to move, and the flames were guided towards my fingertips. From my fingertips, the flames coalesced and formed a fireball that was created in the palm of my hand. Then I raised the fireball and, using my left hand, still coated in flames, I punched the fireball towards Darius.
Darius' eyes widened, and he narrowly avoided the ball of flames. His body began to shimmer out of existence as he used his {Fade} skill. My jaw grounded in annoyance since I couldn't use it myself right now with all the viewers around. In my state of annoyance, I dashed towards a still vanishing Darius, and my hands burned with the flames again. As he was disappearing, we entered into hand-to-hand combat.
He kicked at my hip, but I swatted his leg away with my fire encased hand. A jab to the neck, avoided. An uppercut to the stomach, narrowly dodged. We kept up like this for a bit, and I was surprised by how fluent Darius' movements and technique were. His martial prowess was not something to scoff at or joke about.
Our scuffle of flaming and invisible hands, mixed with shins, elbows, knees, and every other appendage that could be used for combat, lasted until Darius fully vanished. Then there was nothing in front of me. I spun around trying to sense where he was, but since I had the skill myself, I knew it would be harder than just sensing him. I pushed mana out of my ring in pulses to see the disruptions, but I got nothing. My lips turned up into a grin, and I held my hands up. "It's over, I forfeit," I resigned aloud.
Darius appeared again next to me with a huge smirk on his face. "Well well well... It looks like I finally bested you," he taunted with a smug look.
"We can always do an all-out battle later on," I responded with an equally smug grin, which turned into a gleeful smile as I watched his face drop and turn a little white.
Our teasing and tormenting of one another lasted the rest of the lesson until we had to diverge to our own respective lessons.
Then I was alone.
All of a sudden, I felt a sickening sensation, panic from Orebrul, and the shifting of Space as the university around me blacked out. The world became empty, and when I blinked, I was standing in a city. The buildings were tall and cut through the clouds. Each building was just a strange grey-like material that swirled around like it was a liquid trapped in glass but opaque and very solid. The vertigo hit, and I wretched on the floor, sinking to my knees and vomiting all over the murky grey floor.
Footsteps echoed through the city. Wiping my mouth and using {Apply}, I slowed my heart rate and built back my mental fortitude with my mana. I looked around for the source of the footsteps, as I stood up, but couldn't see anyone.
Then, a pressure unlike anything I'd ever experienced before hit me. I dropped back to my knees as they crumpled, and I kneeled before this being that had appeared before me. I couldn't stand, and a sickening dread burrowed its way through my stomach. An icy feeling ripped and clawed at my spine, and my face drained of colour as I slowly looked up at the being before me with wide and fearful eyes.
What stood before me could only be one thing...
A God.
----------------------------------