"Adad," Ryuji muttered, his voice steady as he worked to regulate his aura. A faint chill swept through the air—cold, slow, almost prickling.
Elara shivered slightly before sneezing, her expression scrunching in mild irritation. "Where is this aura coming from? It's like Anna's skill," she said quietly, sniffling. "It doesn't exist but still messes with you—achoo!"
Ryuji tilted his head, absorbing her words as Anna gave Elara a light smack on the back of her head. "Stop sneezing on purpose," Anna chided, more exasperated than annoyed.
Leaning closer, she lowered her voice. "What they're doing is releasing their Rasvian energy—channeling it through emotion." she explained, her accent shifting slightly with the word.
Aether, crouching nearby, leaned in with a grin. "Oh? channeling it through emotion?"
Anna jumped, startled by his presence. "A-Aether?" she stammered, stepping back.
"Not my fault if you're loud," Aether teased, standing and stretching.
Elara giggled, wiping her nose as the chill deepened. Ryuji's focus remained fixed on Adad, his aura now fully stabilized, a quiet intensity radiating from him.
"Enough," Anna said, regaining composure. She stood, brushing her hands off. "Let's not get caught in this mess again."
Aether froze mid-step. A figure was sprinting toward them—the wind parting for the man's relentless pace. He turned to Ryuji, who already had his katana drawn, stance firm despite the bandages wrapped around his right arm.
"Who is he—" Aether began, then stopped as his eyes widened.
"Oh," he whispered, voice heavy with realization.
Adad charged like a tempest, dreadlocks whipping in the wind, electricity crackling around him.
Ryuji rushed forward. Their clash was inevitable. But before impact, Adad vanished, reappearing at Ryuji's side in a flash.
The blow landed hard—a brutal strike to the ribs. A sickening crunch followed as Ryuji collapsed, gasping.
"Ryuji!" Aether called, stepping forward.
Tears streamed down Ryuji's face as he gripped his katana tighter.
"No way, dude. Are you actually crying?" Adad scoffed, walking toward him, lips twitching in disbelief.
Before he could say more, Ryuji's trembling left arm guided his blade upward. The katana grazed Adad's cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. Adad staggered, his expression darkening.
Ryuji stood, wavering, katana glinting as he surged forward again. Adad snarled and met him with lightning-infused fists. Sparks erupted as their blows collided.
Elsewhere, with Anna and Elara
Anna crossed her arms, watching the chaos. "So... where'd you even meet Ryuji?" she asked, skeptical.
Elara tilted her head, thoughtful.
"Father's going to be here a while," Anna muttered, sidestepping debris. "Before we help, where do you want to go after?"
The word home lingered in Aether's mind. After a moment, he muttered, "We should go to the playground."
"Oh yeah," Elara brightened. "Mei mentioned it—almost everyone's going." She glanced at Aether. "By the way, did you get everything you wanted?"
Aether nodded, brushing dust off his jacket. "Yup. Learned about the original ancestor and got a very detailed explanation of Rasvian energy."
A brief silence. Then Aether added, almost absentmindedly, "Ryuji's going to follow us. Or actually, we're going to follow him."
"What?" Anna raised an eyebrow, but a katana cut through the air before she could say more. Aether ducked instinctively.
Ryuji staggered nearby and retrieved his blade. Adad stood a few feet away, eyes narrowing at the bandages on Ryuji's arm.
"Is his arm bandaged?" Adad muttered, shaking his head.
Ryuji ignored the pain, drew a breath, and muttered, Yagyu Shinkage-ryu (柳生新陰流). His eyes burned crimson as he charged again.
Anna pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're joking, right? Crying one second, dramatic sword technique the next?"
Aether chuckled from his crouch. "Come on, he's kinda cool, isn't he?"
"Cool?" Anna rolled her eyes. "His unsta—"
A sudden pulse of energy burst from Adad, lightning flashing overhead. They shielded their faces.
"Stop that," Aether groaned, raising his hands. "I… really don't like judging."
Anna sighed. "Alright, I'll stop. He did score the highest in the exam..."
"Exam?" Aether looked to Elara.
"Me?" she blinked.
"You explain better than Anna," Aether teased.
Anna crossed her arms, scowling. "You're joking."
The Fight
Ryuji's blade met Adad's fists. Sparks flew. Adad moved like a storm, attacks coming from impossible angles. Ryuji parried, barely keeping up.
"Your form's sloppy," Adad taunted, punching toward Ryuji's shoulder.
Ryuji twisted away, the punch grazing him. He slashed downward in return, missing by inches.
"Yagyu Shinkage-ryu isn't just for show," Ryuji growled.
"Oh?" Adad smirked, sweeping low. Ryuji jumped, slashing downward. Adad somersaulted back.
The ground cracked under them. Ryuji's bandaged arm trembled as he gripped his hilt tighter.
Adad laughed darkly, blood dripping from his cheek. "You're full of surprises. Where's the Ryuji spark I like? Let's see how long you last."
Aether wiped sweat from his brow. "Are they actually going all out? Like… trying to kill each other?"
Elara laughed hard, nearly doubling over, her eyes growing inky black. "What'd you think? They'd just shake hands and spar lightly?"
"Haha," Aether replied dryly, eyes glued to the fight. "Wait here. I'll try to sto—"
He stopped mid-sentence. The intensity of the battle stole his breath. Ryuji and Adad fought like elemental titans.
Adad's fists crackled. Ryuji's blade deflected blow after blow. The Grand Bibliotheca echoed with thunderous parries.
Then, a whisper passed behind Aether—cold and sharp like an icy breeze.
"Uh, there's a fight going on?" he called out.
The whisper replied coldly. "Do we look like guards?" Then silence.
Elara cracked her knuckles. "I got this," she said, eyes glinting.
"You do?" Aether shouted. "Wait, stop!"
She ignored him, crouched, shifted her weight, and launched forward. Her punch slammed into Adad's ribs with explosive force.
He flew across the Bibliotheca, crashing into a mirror. The impact echoed like a struck gong.
Ryuji paused, breathing hard. His eyes darted to Elara, then to his blade. He smirked. "Oh, right. I've got an unwritten skill too—thank you."
Elara stepped back. "You're welcome?"
Ryuji exhaled onto his blade. His breath turned to frost. "Ascend," he whispered.
The sword's glow shifted from gold to icy blue. Frost crawled along its edge, and the temperature dropped.
Adad groaned, getting up slowly. He eyed the transformation. "That's definitely his unwritten skill..."
Ryuji vanished, reappearing in front of Adad. Frost and lightning collided. The combatants skidded across the marble floor, leaving trails of raw elemental energy.
Adad grinned, fists crackling. "Your hand's still bandaged? Can't wait to break it more."
"It's just been a week and he's already used to it," Elara muttered, envy creeping in.
Frost and lightning danced, the air alive with arcs of energy. A section of the Bibliotheca transformed into a chaotic arena.
"They're insane," Aether said, stunned.
"They're the peak of adepts," Anna replied, walking toward him and Elara, her tone mixed with awe and frustration. "Alright, Aether—stop Adad. Elara, knock him out the moment he's staggered."
Aether nodded swiftly, turning his gaze to Adad.
The fighters blurred past them again. This time, Aether made his move. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the back of Adad's coat mid-sprint.
[Adaptive Evolution Taking Effect]
The words flashed in his vision as his body strained against the momentum. Adad staggered as he tried to dodge another swing from Ryuji, and Aether used the opening.
With a roar, he shifted Adad's weight, hoisting him into the air with one arm before slamming him into the ground with bone-shaking force.
The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the room. Adad groaned, his vision swimming.
As it cleared, he looked up at Aether in disbelief. "You did that with one arm?" he asked, his voice laced with awe and a hint of laughter.
His aura began to fade, the crackling lightning around him dissipating.
Ryuji dropped to one knee, blade reverting to normal as he gasped for breath.
Adad sat up, still grinning. "One arm, dude! One arm!"
Elara's fist crashed into his jaw, knocking him flat. Before he could recover, Anna added an imaginary weight, pinning him with a strike.
Adad twitched once, then went still. The room fell silent—only distant books falling and heavy breathing remained.
Elara wiped her brow, smiling at Aether.
"I got the job done, didn't I?" Aether replied, flexing sore fingers.
Anna smirked, glancing at Adad. "Well, that's one way to settle a fight in a library."
Ryuji chuckled weakly. "Next time, I'll bring popcorn."
Both Anna and Elara shared the same stunned expression.
"Is this really Ryuji?"