"Look! There he is."
In the year 736, a red-haired man stepped foot into Blackheart Academy. He held his head high and walked with an uncaring expression. Hundreds of students watched, whispering to one another.
"Do you think it's true what they say about him?" A young man asked his friend.
"What part? They say a lot."
"..."
"You know... about him being the strongest human ever?"
"Tskkk." The friend shrugged. "Other than his height, and red hair, he seems normal. All of the strongest students have had unique features."
The other nodded his head. "You're right. Like Sky and his White Wings. Or Rose and her burning hair. Compared to them... this man seems normal."
The Red-haired man, who was the topic of their conversation, heard every word that they said. Not just theirs but also the words of hundreds of other students standing in the academy's main zone, watching him.
As he walked solemnly, he filtered out the unwanted sounds and focused on those that interested him. Some conversations he heard were pointless, so he brushed those away with a mere thought.
Others were about him. About his looks, or what The Empire had told the world about him.
No one seemed to be discussing matters that he actually cared about, such as information on the academy.
This annoyed him.
The Red-haired man let out a sigh as he continued walking through the bustling Main Zone of the academy.
"E-excuse me." A voice suddenly came from beside him. "Are you Adonis?"
In an instant, the red-haired man erased all sound and focused on the one speaking to him. As he looked to the side, he found a girl with a cute face, and brown hair staring at him. She wore a black Victorian dress and twiddled with her fingers nervously.
Others in the room watched in disbelief, surprised that such a simple-looking girl dared to approach him.
"Yes," Adonis responded calmly. "Who are you?"
He noticed the woman let out a sigh, relieved that she was not ignored. Her eyes then lit up with joy.
"O-oh, I am Raphilia. I'm not anybody important, I was just wondering if you might be looking for a partner?"
Adonis raised an eyebrow towards the young lady.
A Partner? He thought to himself, as his eyes glanced over to the ten portals at the center of the giant room. She must be talking about those.
This was The Ground Floor of the Blackheart Academy. An institution created by the gods, whose mysteries had yet to be uncovered. For centuries, thousands of students have entered the academy in hopes of climbing to the top and discovering its secrets.
And yet, no one that has made it past the ground floor has ever returned.
Adonis' eyes met with Raphilia's once again.
"You do not have a partner already?"
There were hundreds of students in the Main Zone, purchasing equipment from merchants, eating food from stalls, attending training lessons, or simply lounging around.
All of this was done so that they could prepare to enter the portals, which was where the trial of the First Floor would lay.
Raphilia shook her head.
"M-my Blessing is too weak. No one wants me on there—"
"What is your blessing?"
The young lady's face went still after being interrupted.
"I'm sorry?"
"Your blessing. Show me your blessing."
At first, Raphilia continued to stare at him. Her pale cheeks blushed red, and she bit at her lip nervously. After a few moments, she let out a sigh.
The young lady reached into her pocket, and took out a copper coin, placing it into her palm and closing her eyes. Adonis watched with his arms crossed, as did others around the room who wondered what was going on.
After a few moments, the air around Raphilia's hand grew cold, and change began to take place.
It was the copper coin. It began to vibrate, before a layer of ice formed around it, creating an icicle the size of her palm.
Once done, Raphilia opened her eyes with a smile on her face, staring down at the ice with joy. Silently she cheered to herself.
Yes! I didn't fail. Using a physical object as a target definitely helps me focus my blessing.
Adonis, however, was not as pleased, though he tried his best to remain respectful.
"I'm sorry, Raphilia, but I cannot take you as a partner."
The young lady's face lost its smile, and the ice around the coin began to melt. She knew that her blessing was weak compared to others, but surely this man could help her work on it, and become strong enough to climb the academy floors.
"Why? I promise I can work hard. I inherited the Blessing from my father, and he managed to reach rank B before entering the Academy. With help, I might even be able to reach A!"
At this point, she was out of breath and desperate. But it was as though her words fell on deaf ears. Adonis' face displayed no amusement.
"The problem is not with your blessing, but rather with mine." He responded, which only brought more confusion. Those that were nearby muttered questions to each other beneath their breaths.
"What do you mean?"
Adonis let out a deep sigh. He really would have preferred not to explain, but Raphilia seemed to be a nice woman. It would be best if he could let her down easily.
In his mind, he altered his powers so that they best suited his current needs. His ability to control the concept of sound was wiped away, and replaced with another.
Afterwards, he held out his hand so that his palm was facing towards the ceiling.
Then, he let the flames roar.
In an instant, they erupted from his palms like a pillar of orange fire that spiralled to great heights, casting a faint hue over those nearby.
Instantly, the attention of everyone in the academy was drawn towards it, as they felt the heat of the room rising. The flames stretched high into the ceiling, curling around themselves in impossible ways.
Raphilia instinctively took a step backwards, afraid that the flames would burn her. Of course, Adonis made sure that they wouldn't. Temperature was a concept that he had much control over.
After he felt that his point had been made, he allowed the flames to vanish into the air, as though they were never there.
The watching students began to cheer, and applause, but Adonis did not care.
It was not supposed to be an act of spectacle.
Raphilia swiftly realised the point that the man before her was making, and she hung her head low in disappointment.
"Flames..." she whispered. "Your blessing counteracts mine. I wouldn't be able to use ice around you."
Adonis shrugged his shoulders. "Do not be so disappointed. There are many other students whose Blessings will complement yours."
And with that, he walked off, continuing through the Main Zone.
Raphilia watched as he left, confusion running through her mind.
Fire... but I heard that his blessing was linked to ice. Was that only a false rumour?
———
As Adonis continued through Blackheart Academy, he switched his controlled concept back to sound, trying one last time to hear valuable information spreading around him. However, all he was met with was a headache and further gossip.
Adonis then allowed his mind to rest. His eyes landed on the portals at the centre of the room.
They were a mixture of a blue and black essence, encircled by an unbreakable metal unknown to the natural world. Their heights stretched tall, and their destination was known only to those who dared to step inside and face the trial.
Adonis yearned to jump inside but controlled his desperation.
Rest first... I should get rid of this headache before daring to step inside.
And with that, Adonis made his way to the dormitories, ready to spend his first night within the Academy walls.