Grace sat quietly in the white expanse.
"I was able to overcome a dummy that was a higher Grade than myself purely off of utilizing superior tactics. However, a real human will move differently than this." It can replicate spells and combat movements akin to real humans, but it did not have any unique magic to itself.
Which made it an inferior method of training. Of course, the benefits of fighting was present--fighting a real person yielded results that challenged the human mind to think in a different manner.
Grace looked at the infinite ceiling of white.
I still have a way to go until I break through to the next Grade. Summoning a blade of light and dematerializing it--his light had mass. Which meant that it was a mere replica.
"I need to cast faster," Grace told himself. Scrunching his hand, he summoned a blade. It fully materialized within 1.45 seconds.
"Too slow..."
If I recall, Ivan was able to cast an ice spell that covered and froze multiple acres of land in .89 seconds a year or so after graduating. Compared to the future and what was demanded--1.45 seconds to summon something so small was not ideal.
"Just summoning three simultaneously takes about 2.5 seconds. Hmm... yeah, I'll reduce the time to summon one blade to 1.25 seconds or less by the time I break through to Normal Grade 9 or 8." Grace sighed as he looked up at the ceiling of white.
A small smile graced his face.
"Before rewriting the end, I'll make sure that one day I'll cover the skies with my light."
~~~
Walking out of the training pod, Grace was smothered by his own sweat. It would seem the mental strain was making his body work on the outside, too.
Fwaaamm!
A column of fire exploded from a nearby arena.
"Holy shit!"
Voices crowded.
Curious, Grace wiped the sweat off his forehead before walking towards where the commotion was happening.
It seems to be that time. Grace found what was going on.
At the center of the arena, Alice stood before her opponent, her sword wrapped in an elegant fire. It was calm, yet swayed with subtle rage. Her eyes gazed down, piercing the soul of the boy in front of her.
"Yield." She pointed the blade of fire towards the center of the boy's forehead. Then with conviction, she spoke another.
"Or face my fire."
She started out at Normal Grade 8 instead of 10. And she was quick to learn the basics of the Ascending Eternal Deity of Flame. And a very minuscule amount for the Thousand Layer All-Encompassing Sword God. It is only after she experiences a breakthrough to her understanding of the latter she she begins to truly explore it.
But for now, the flames that clad her blade with might were proof of her devotion to the Ascending Eternal Deity of Flame.
"I-I yield!"
The irrelevant student gave way. Alice hummed in amusement and turned around, walking out of the arena and leaving the building deftly but also filled to the brim with hr unbridled confidence.
Truly...
Even if it's only momentarily--
She has no fear etched in her heart. Grace thought as walked out of the building, feeling the precious wind kiss his cheek.
He followed the trail back to the dorms.
~~~
"Wakey wakey, sleeping beauty!" A foreign, but at the same time, familiar voice rung through Grace's ears.
Rufus stood at the doorway wearing his uniform and threw a pillow at the sleeping Grace. Hitting his side, the pillow felt as if a large rock had been smashed into his ribcage.
"!!!"
Getting up, Grace shot Rufus a glare. He brought his hand down to his side, caressing his ribs.
"You reinforced that pillow with mana..." He gritted his teeth quietly as his gaze tightened. Rufus merely chuckled.
"Well, a sleeping rock can only be woken up by another rock of equal stature. Your great ancestor - Edward Walker - did indeed say: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Edward's Law."
Grace's eyes twitched.
Great... my ancestor is just a con-artist. Grace clicked his tongue.
"And as your sole and only friend in the entire academy, I decided to be well to you and wait!" Shaking his head, Grace got up from his bed and pushed Rufus out of the doorway and shut the door down.
Grace walked to the bathroom and took a quick and easy rinse in the shower. As he had showered the night before, the light rinse was all that he truly needed. Stepping out of the shower a few minutes later, Grace went back to his room and took out his uniform.
Going to the living room, he saw Rufus waiting by the entrance.
"Keep up!" He gestured as he ran out of he door. Grace clicked his tongue as he put on his shoes and followed Rufus out of the dormitories. Along the way, there were many people who were also running late.
It varied from the first-years and a few of the upperclassmen.
However, they might be the only first-years who are running late that belong in the top 10 ranks. And the sight of two individuals who should be leading as an example being tardy to their homeroom would prove to be a nauseating sight.
"Why did you wait for me?" Asked Grace as he ran a little bit behind Rufus. The crimson-haired boy looked back and offered a small grin.
"You looked quite lonely, Grace Walker," he responded. "Headmaster did say that we should form camaraderie amongst ourselves. So when we met--it was like looking into a mirror." He laughed.
"The only difference being: your mirror was murky. So I decided to invite myself into that world of yours. You know... to brighten it." His laughs continued to resound loudly through Grace's head.
For a moment, Grace felt himself completely submerge into something unknown.
Until now, despite dipping his toes into the story, he was always trying to maintain an even gaze with the plot. He was an outsider, after all.
However, as he ran behind the boy who flashed with potential and promise, Grace could only see himself begin to be overtaken by the narrative.
Grace Walker was not only an individual.
He was a character within the novel.
~~~
Paul looked at Grace and Rufus as they entered the room just a few seconds before the bell rung.
RING!!!
Rufus smiled absentmindedly, rubbing the back of his head unapologetically.
"Grace... Rufus... please be aware of how to manage your time. I understand that it is the first day at the academy and campus can be confusing; but you are top ranked students. Lead by example."
Grace nodded, bowing slightly.
"Of course," Grace said before taking an open seat. Rufus did the same, but his seat was not close by. Rather it was further along to the front and left of the class. While Grace was at the middle-right.
Well... isn't this quite the predicament. Grace mused. When he chose the seat, he did not take a single glance at who was sitting to his sides.
Grace looked at Ivan.
Ivan widened his eyes.
"Umm... my name is--"
"Ivan Sawyer."
Ivan gulped.
"You know my name?" Ivan observed Grace's gaze. It was cool, collected, and the depths of which he observed was like a bottomless pit.
Grace nodded.
"I remembered everyone's name and faces." Grace then looked to his right and saw a gorgeous girl sitting silently.
Alice White.
How dangerous. Mused Grace.