While the three of them sat on chairs in the central garden—after Razin had summoned Verina and Tark—Razin spoke with a troubled look on his face,
"Verina... the same problem... it's come back again..."
"Really? That's unfortunate. Is there a different feeling this time? Anything new you sensed?" Verina asked as she relaxed into her chair.
"No... the same feeling. Words are said to me, but I don't feel like I agree with them. It came back when I started training... It broke my focus and I couldn't continue," Razin replied with frustration, placing his hands on his knees and staring ahead seriously.
"This is really not normal. How can voices come into your mind but you don't agree with them? That's very strange," Tark said, looking at Verina before adding, "Verina, do you have any ideas or solutions?" he asked anxiously.
"Calm down, Tark. I'm fine. It's not a huge problem," Razin said, trying to calm him as he looked over.
"But it's disrupting your training!" Tark shot back quickly. Tark and Razin continued talking while Verina remained deep in thought.
"Razin," she finally said to get his attention. "To be honest... I have no idea. How about we go ask the professor?"
"But... will Professor Arnolds believe our theory?" Tark asked in doubt.
"Let's just go. Trying is better than nothing. If there really is a technique that allows someone to control another mentally, he'll believe us. If not... he might not take it seriously," Razin answered seriously, getting up from his chair and offering his hands to Tark and Verina to help them up.
The three of them headed to the teachers' building on the right side of the school—opposite the cafeteria. They weren't sure exactly where to find the professor, so they went to the room where teachers usually sat—their offices. They knocked, and someone opened the door.
"Excuse me, is Professor Arnolds here?" Verina asked respectfully as she stood at the door.
"Are you his students? Do you need something?" the man asked.
"Yes, we'd like to speak with him about something," Tark said confidently.
"It's rare to see first-year students come to talk. Come on in," the professor at the door replied.
They entered the room—it had a simple design. Six desks faced each other in the center, a few paintings hung on the walls, and some flowers were placed in vases by the windows.
"You can wait a bit; your professor just went to the restroom... but he'll be back soon," the man who welcomed them said.
The three nodded and waited near the corner of the room, a bit tense—Verina the least of all.
Razin and Tark were glancing around nervously. Verina noticed this and grabbed Razin's wrist.
"What's wrong with you two?" she asked, a bit teasing.
"N-Nothing," Razin replied nervously with a weak smile.
After a short wait, the door opened and their professor walked in. He was surprised to see his three students.
"Hmm?... Razin... Verina... Tark?" he said, puzzled.
Some of the other teachers noticed him call out their names.
"Wow... is this Razin?" one of the female teachers said.
"Yes, that's him," Arnolds responded.
The female teacher then addressed Razin,
"You have abilities we've never seen before at this school. Make the most of them... train hard and study well, young man."
"Ah... yes, thank you, ma'am," Razin replied, slightly flustered but composed.
"So, what do you want from me?" Professor Arnolds asked in a calm tone.
"We came to talk to you about something concerning Razin," Verina answered.
"Hmm? Razin?" the professor said in surprise as he pulled up chairs for the three to sit on.
"Razin... talk," Verina said.
"Right..." Razin began, directing his words at the professor.
"Lately, when I start my training... I hear voices inside me," he said.
The professor looked intrigued.
"Voices that try to distract me, to stop me from progressing. They tell me I've lost... that I'll lose again... that I shouldn't continue with the techniques. I hear these voices as if they're my own thoughts, but the truth is... after they fade, I realize I don't agree with any of them. These aren't my thoughts. I don't believe the words I'm hearing... so they can't be mine."
The professor placed his hand on his chin, listening carefully.
"So we came to ask you... what's going on? We couldn't figure it out. We tried so hard to find an explanation, and the best we could come up with is... maybe someone is using a technique to control people's minds. Or maybe some kind of external force is interfering with my thoughts," Razin said.
"Hmm... In truth, techniques are limitless... boundless. But... there's one limit we humans know," the professor said.
"All techniques are bound to the material... they only affect the physical."
"That was Verina's analysis," Razin added.
"Alright... in all registered technique records, there's no such thing as a non-material technique. That's the limit of human knowledge. As I told you before, humanity still doesn't fully understand techniques. Most of what we know comes from... hints given by this world itself," the professor said with some frustration.
"Hints from this world?" Tark asked, confused.
"Don't worry. We'll talk about that another time," the professor replied while still thinking about what Razin had told him.
"So... there's no technique that lets someone control the mind?" Razin asked, disappointed—it just got harder.
"That's right. There isn't," the professor replied firmly.
"What about our second theory?" Verina asked, looking at him.
"I wouldn't rule it out... Our world is strange... full of mysteries we don't understand. A truly fractured world," he said.
"But even if it's true... there's nothing you can do about it."
Frustration overtook Razin's expression.
"So there's nothing I can do? This is holding me back... I can't focus, and these thoughts invade my mind," he said, looking down.
"Hey, Razin, we'll find a solution for sure!" Verina said, trying to encourage him.
"I'm sorry, Razin... I don't have a solution to your problem. But I have a suggestion—even if it's difficult and unrealistic. You could call it a last resort," the professor said.
"Try to ignore it. I know that's really hard... but maybe, just maybe, if you do, it'll go away over time."
"But... there's no evidence it will disappear," Verina replied with concern, clenching her fists.
"True... that's why I called it a 'last resort.' There's no guarantee in what I'm saying. But maybe, if you can overcome it, face it head-on, and activate your core... it will vanish," the professor said.
"B-But... it throws off my focus. I can't progress while hearing voices in my head," Razin said, looking down in sadness.
"I understand you. Yes, it's very hard... but it's not impossible. I'm not saying just anyone can do it—of course not. But we're talking about you. You're not just anyone. You can do it," the professor said in a motivational tone.
"So I need to overcome my thoughts... continue training while echoes of voices bounce inside me? Can I really do that?" Razin asked.
"You can. Even if 99% of people can't get through this, I believe you're in the 1% who can," the professor said, patting Razin's head.
"Really?" Razin brightened a bit.
"Yes... You and Verina are truly geniuses. Some of the most exceptional students I've ever taught. Even you, Tark—you're incredible. Keep it up and keep working hard," the professor praised the three.
"Thank you, sir," Tark responded.
Razin began thinking...
Can I really do it? Am I really that amazing? I haven't found the answer yet. I won't know until I activate my core.
He continued,
"But literally everyone—everyone I know—says I'm special. Is it possible they're all just being nice? I don't know... but during these times... I'll try my best. My effort to solve this crisis will determine whether I'm truly special or not."
Verina stared at Razin, surprised by the shift in his expression.
"Razin?" she asked.
"I'll give it my all," Razin said with resolve.
The professor smiled.
"Good. I'll be waiting for the day you activate your core. Promise me you'll succeed," he said, holding out his hand.
Razin shook it, his eyes determined.
"Before you go... Razin, I want to tell you something," the professor said. Razin turned his head toward him.
"In the worst-case scenario... failing to activate your core isn't the end of the world. You'll still have your family, your friends—everything else will remain... only the core will be dormant. So the consequences aren't that bad."
"Also, even if you don't succeed this year... you can still activate it later. So failing now doesn't mean it's over. I'm not saying you will fail—but I'm saying this so you don't overthink it. Still, deep down in my heart, I believe I'll see a wind wave burst from your body one day," the professor said, encouraging him.
"Yes, thank you, sir," Razin replied with a smile.
"The point I want to leave you with is this: 'As long as the consequence isn't death, there's no need to fear failure.'"
The professor's eyes were sharp.
"Yes, we understand. Thank you for your time, sir," Razin said, his gaze sharper than before.
They all left the building and returned to the garden where they always sat.
"Razin, how do you feel?" Verina asked, checking on him.
"I don't feel bad," Razin answered plainly and simply. He said no more than that.
"As the professor said, I'm sure you can do it," Tark said, placing a hand on Razin's shoulder.
"Yeah..." Razin's expression shifted to sadness and regret. A tear fell down his cheek.
"I wish I could talk to my father right now," he said, gripping his head and hair as tears began falling heavily.
"I can't take this... it's too much."
Razin thought,
I don't want this... it's too much... I feel so much pressure. Everyone expects so much from me... I can't handle it. Even if I succeed, I'll be late. No one will care about my achievement because I'll do it late like everyone else. I won't be special.
The tears continued to fall from his eyes.
Tark and Verina tried to calm and encourage him with their words.
"Razin, please calm down. You can overcome this—I believe in you," Verina said gently.
"Verina, do you have a tissue?" Razin asked. Verina was surprised he calmed down that quickly, but she handed him one.
"How long will it take before my father visits me?" Razin asked, staring at the ground.
Verina and Tark looked at him with sympathy.
"He said he'd visit once this month... but when? I hope it's soon," Razin said with a gloomy look.
"I don't know when your father will visit... but until then, give everything you've got to overcome this problem," Verina said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Tark wanted to change the mood and remembered something.
"Oh right! The tournament between second- and third-year students is about to start! How about we go watch it?" he said excitedly.
"I'm fine with that. What about you, Razin?" Verina asked.
"Yeah, let's go." Razin's expression began to brighten more and more.
Verina smiled at that.
"Alright then, let's go."
They all headed to the same arena where Verina had previously activated her energy core. A large crowd had gathered around it — clearly, something was about to happen.
The three of them arrived and joined the gathering, watching attentively. The event hadn't started yet, but it was just about to.
"It'll be friendly matches between second-year and third-year students," Tark said.
"That's exciting," Razin replied, then suddenly realized, "Wait… does that mean Colin is participating?" he asked, surprised — but then laughed.
"He's supposed to," Verina responded.
One of the instructors stepped into the middle of the arena.
"The friendly battles will now begin. The only rule is: no aggressive combat. If we see any dirty attempts — like trying to kill your opponent — you'll be immediately disqualified the moment we suspect you," the presenting instructor said.
He continued, "The matches will be one-on-one. The first round will be between the student Valon Valistra, first beat: 15, and the student Lieora Melor, first beat: 18!"
Razin turned toward the two students, Valon and Lieora.
Valon was a boy with black hair, much taller than boys his age — 7 to 9 years old. He wore a long blue coat that reached down to his knees, decorated with white engravings around the collar, along with black pants.
As for Lieora, she was a girl with white hair. She wore a green cloak and gray pants.
Naturally, all of them were still kids — no student in this school was older than 9 — but they were intelligent and powerful for their age.
The countdown began... and when the instructor shouted the start signal, the first friendly match between the third-year student and the second-year student began.
The match started with Valon summoning a rock. Lieora quickly took a defensive stance.
"Fire!" Valon launched the rock, but it missed. It hit the ground to the left of her feet. The misfire distracted Lieora and made her lose focus of what was in front of her.
When she looked back up, she saw Valon right in front of her, his fist flying forward as he charged at her.
"Enhance!" Valon enhanced his fist and delivered a powerful blow to her torso, sending her flying backward.
Lieora crashed to the ground, and without waiting, Valon attacked again — leaping with his foot aimed at her. She quickly rolled away — she was fast. Just before his punch could land, she managed to enhance the targeted area with a bit of energy. There wasn't enough time for full enhancement, but it reduced the damage significantly.
While she was rolling on the ground, Valon remained standing at the spot where he had landed after his jump. In one swift move, Lieora twisted her legs and struck at Valon's feet, sweeping him off balance and making him fall on his arms.
She followed up after standing by launching an air wave to his back, which knocked him flat onto the ground. She had enough time for a decisive third attack, but she chose to hold back — it was a friendly match, after all.
Valon quickly got up from the ground, with a few bruises and pain in his leg. He gathered his energy and formed a powerful fireball, compressing it tightly.
"Fire!!" he shouted, launching it directly at Lieora.
Lieora reacted quickly by sending a blast of wind that scattered and extinguished the fireball mid-air.
She immediately charged at Valon, aiming a kick toward his stomach.
"Enhance!" Valon enhanced his hands and managed to grab her foot before it hit him.
Then, with a quick move, he kicked the leg she was standing on — causing her to fall to the ground.
Valon still held onto Lieora's right foot. She channeled energy through her arteries into that leg and summoned a fireball right beneath her foot, burning Valon's hands and forcing him to release her.
With an agile flip, she spun through the air and returned to a standing position.
"This girl is really clever," Razin commented.
Valon winced from the burns caused by Lieora's unexpected move. Through the pain, he used a healing technique to restore his hands as much as possible.
He summoned a rock in his palm and hurled it powerfully at Lieora. She responded swiftly by launching a water orb that slowed the rock significantly until it fell harmlessly to the ground.
Both of them were beginning to tire. But somehow, Lieora still had the upper hand.
Just as she thought she had gained full control and stopped his attack — suddenly, a steel chain wrapped tightly around her waist.
A chain... with no visible head on it for killing.
"It's a shame I can't use my chain at full power — it would hurt you too much. But this will do," Valon said.
The chain gripped Lieora tightly.
"What? This isn't a basic technique, right?" Tark asked.
"No… seems like it's his own invention," Verina replied.
The chain tightened around Lieora's waist as she lay on the ground. Valon stood in front of her, his hand extended — the chain emerging from the index finger of his right hand.
Lieora was in serious pain. "Nnngh… huhhh…" she whimpered from the chain's pressure on her body.
Valon extended his left hand toward her, palm open.
"Please surrender. There's no need for me to hurt you further. Our match is over," he said in a calm voice — not arrogant, just honest.
Lieora sighed in disappointment.
"…I surrender," she said quietly.
Valon released the chain, and it shattered into pieces. He reached out a hand to help her up.
Lieora took his hand, got up, and stood on her feet.
"Thank you," she said to Valon. "It was a good match."
"Ah, yes… you performed excellently — especially for someone who just entered the second year," Valon replied with a smile.
The instructor used a healing technique on both of them, and their wounds disappeared.
"The winner is Valon Valistra!" he declared.
The crowd applauded, cheering for both of them.
"That was a great duel. They were so evenly matched," Tark said excitedly.
"Yes, you're right. Techniques are really fascinating… I can't wait to become a fighter here too," Verina said.
"I was more impressed by Lieora," Razin said.
"Why?" Verina asked.
"Lieora was better. She was smarter. The only reason Valon won was due to the experience gap. If they were equal in experience, Lieora would've definitely won. The deciding factor in this battle was the chain Valon used — and that only came from his experience. Lieora still hasn't learned more than the basics," Razin explained.
"Ah, yes… now that I think about it, you're absolutely right," Verina said, and Tark agreed as well.
"But without a doubt… this battle motivated me to succeed even more," Razin said with a smile.
Verina smiled at him in return.
"Yes!"
"And now… the next two students!" the instructor announced as the next pair entered the arena.
One of them caught Razin's eye.
"Colin is going to fight?!!" Razin exclaimed in surprise and excitement.