"The Nexus" she said as her hands ran over a slate rune in the center as a diagram of a human appeared- veins branching like rivers connecting to a glowing point at the middle of the chest.
"Your true core. Some might say it's better to strike the heart than the Nexus. I'm sure you already know by now that Nexus doesn't grow with age but breaks. And when it breaks, you awaken. From that awakening flows nethera energy. It fuels your affinity, it becomes your weapon. However it's not limitless"
Everywhere was dead silent as they listened to every single word while staring at the visualization from the projector underneath.
"You affinity runs solely on nethera energy. It's like fuel. ones this energy deplets, you will be unable to use your affinity, not only that you will feel weakened, down, depressed.
It could be recovered by just absorbing the nethera in the air but continuously depleting nethera could cost you, so no matter what do not run out of nethera energy completely, understood "
"Yes ma"
" Good, that would be your first lesson. Next you should know that as you increase in shade tier, so too do your nethera capacity which means you can absorb and store more nethera. Your physical strength and capabilities will also increase. Stronger muscles, faster reflexes, sharper mind. It is an evolution with each shade increase.... But at a cost"
Damian sat calmly, unmoving. Her lectures attracting his full focus, he didn't even take notes.
Her gaze moved slowly across the room, silently observing the students. Her gaze soon fell on him for a fraction too long.
Everyone had mixed feelings, some excited, some curious, others amazed, some confused. But she couldn't read him or his expression. She didn't pay him much mind seeing he had no crest.
A few rows opposite Damian, a silver haired girl started at Damian. Recognizing him from earlier today. She was soon captivated by his grey glass-like eyes. She flipped through her note and started drawing. Not him, just his eyes.
"I won't bury you under endless details. For now, let's focus on two things: the Nexus and the Shade ranking .
The Nexus exists in two parts, an outer shell and an inner core. The outer Nexus acts as your reservoir, storing the Nethera you draw from the world around you. The inner Nexus, however, is far more important: it governs your growth, your evolution.
When a person endures trauma, a true, soul-rending trauma. The inner Nexus overflows with Nethera. Once filled to its absolute limit, it fractures. That fracture is not the end, but the beginning. You are forced into a trial… and if you survive it, you break beyond your limits and ascend into a higher Shade.
Now, you might wonder: why not endure the nethera from the air and bypass the suffering. The truth is cruel. Nethera drawn from the environment flows easily into the outer Nexus, but only the faintest trickle ever reaches the inner core. So faint, in fact, that it is almost meaningless. The inner Nexus only truly fills when burdened by agony, when pressed to the brink.
Each time it shatters, it rebuilds itself stronger but it demands to be filled again. And so the cycle repeats. The outer Nexus may sustain you, but the inner Nexus... it tests you. And the trials it creates are not gentle lessons. They are horrors designed to break the weak and forge the few who remain."
"I'll proceed to list all the 6 shade ranking: Flicker shade, Graven shade, Cindra shade, Myric shade, Dread shade, Sovereign shade.
These are the 6 shades, that velthria holds. Flicker shade being the weakest as your affinity is nothing but a mere flicker, this is were you all stand even now most of you will struggle to manifest your affinity. The strongest shade of course being the Sovereign shade being the strongest with absolute power.
So far only the leaders of the 7 Noble household have ever reached the rank. So if you are a noble, stand proud "
The nobles sitted among the students gave of prideful and smug expression.
" In our next class you all will show case your ability" Mo said prepared to leave but a student called, a non-noble
" Excuse me ma, you just said since we're all flicker shades we won't be able to manifest our affinity "
" Don't worry dear, my next class you all won't be at the flicker rank" she said calmly with a smile as she left
Night fell like a velvet curtain. Back in the dorm, Elias had returned with sky who kept mumbling about how stressful his day was. Damian who was already in the dorm was by the window looking at the horizon. The academy is huge, like a city. Pale glow shimmered beyond the trees. His hand was holding a pendant he had tucked under his uniform earlier. His thoughts moved quietly but distant.
" Hey, you're already here" sky said snapping Damian out of his thoughts. He turned looking at the white haired boy walking up to him.
" Hope you're not mad at me about earlier"
Damian just shook his head and turned back to the mirror.
" Hey" sky said in a soft, almost brotherly voice "I understand you must have been through a lot, you awakening is a sign of that but so has everyone in this academy, maybe even the world. Everyone is going through a lot, so we must chose to be happy in order to actually be happy, I don't want my roommate looking all sad and quiet. I mean think about this, if everyone remains quiet and refuse to communicate, the world will basically be a boring and sad place, so please, try not to let your trauma define you"
Damian hearing this still continued look at the window with no emotion visible.
* Sighs*
Sky who was sitting on Damian bed stood up as he sighs
" It hurts me knowing what will happen tomorrow" sky said in a low and painful tone "look, no matter what happens tomorrow, don't try to be a hero...ok"
Damian still looking at the window heard this but gave no reaction or response. Sky just went to his bed to get a good night rest.
Velthria, a world we're trauma gives strength. 90% of this worlds population has awakened, is it not safe to say trauma rules this world?
'A senior warning be about tomorrow?. What happens tomorrow' Damian thought