Kalin watched as Kai walked back to his class, his shoulders sagging a bit, perhaps due to the intervention he caused. His eyes observed Kai with almost surgical precision, this boy...
His eyes glowed a faint yellow as he looked through his body, observing his meridians, the faint resonance of the core. His gift worked in full force as he observed the boy with scrutiny.
That...is new... he wondered as he looked at the ease at which Ki flowed inside his body. It was smooth and radiant, a key note in those who had an easy time controlling Ki. Which means this boy is talented in Ki control...and yet I never see him outperform anyone in class. What a waste of talent.
He closed his gift with a sigh. I cannot guide those who do not wish to work themselves. Shaking his head, he picked up his pace, outpacing the boy and entering the class.
His eyes glanced at all the students, his face stoic with his glasses resting atop his narrow nose. He could see the way they straightened in his presence, the glimmer of exhaustion in their eyes, dreading the very class he was about to teach.
His eyes shifted, looking at the few students whose gazes burned with fury...and then finally landing on her.
His new personal student—Sera Kazama. Her eyes burned with an inferno hotter than any furnace, raw and livid. She had something to prove, and Kalin could respect that. That determination...that is what lit a fire through him, to teach someone with this much drive.
He remembered the day before, the Ki control exercise that he had made the class go through, the way only four succeeded and even amongst them, she tamed the raging Ki outside her body.
He had raised an eyebrow then, impressed by the feat she had done, but nonetheless indifferent, thinking along the lines, A great talent, good...I will try to focus more on her. When he called her after class and used his gift, he had no idea the sight that would present him.
Some would call that defective, scheming that she would barely reach the second stage, call her talentless. But Kalin wasn't like the others. He could see the effort it would take someone like her—someone with thin meridians that couldn't handle large output of Ki—to reach such a level of mastery in Ki control.
The moment he looked in her eyes and saw the sheer determination to prove the entire world wrong...that's when he decided, Damned the world, I will teach her everything I have.
The thump of footsteps brought him back to reality, his eyes landing on the very student he had called back to class. Kai.His expression was distant, his body a bit slouched. Kalin was about to turn his head away, however his eyes stopped him.
Something changed. He could tell in a second. He didn't know the reason why the boy wanted to talk to Mrs. Humphrey, but he knew something monumental had happened.
And for the first time in a long while, a small smirk appeared on his face. It quickly disappeared in a second, his voice coming out clear and distinct, "Today, we will learn about gifts and their correlation with Ki control."
.
.
.
Kai quickly took his seat beside Minsek, not before waving a quick hi to the other members of the group. His eyes focused on the lesson Kalin was about to teach. I have to find out the truth, and if what the book said is real then I must be strong... No—I have to be.
Just as he was focusing on the class, a soft elbow crashed itself into his ribs. He winced a little before turning his head towards Minsek. "What is it?" he whispered.
The green-haired boy lightly smiled, "Well, are we really gonna focus on Kalin's class? Did you know the gossips I found today?" His voice light and focused on making sure Kalin didn't notice.
Kai was pretty sure the teacher did notice and likely didn't care enough as long as the entirety of the class wasn't disturbed. He was about to shut Minsek up, before curiosity got the better of him. "What gossip?" he whispered back.
Minsek smiled, as if expecting such a response. "Apparently, remember the last class, Sera did an advanced application of the Ki control exercise."
Kai shrugged at that. Sure, he had noticed—it was Sera after all, so it wasn't as shocking as one might expect. "Go on," he whispered back.
"Apparently Mr. Kalin has taken her as his personal student. I believe at this rate she might get into the best collegium of the nation," Minsek whispered with an exaggerated shocked face.
Kai merely shook his head. Chances are...she will make it there. The thing is, judging by the book, he will also be there—the child of prophecy...which means I too have to get admitted in that institution at the very least. His thoughts brought him back to reality. To get admission into the best collegium in the nation, he had to be extraordinary.
That started with focusing on class. I cannot be like before...if I don't excel now—I will forever hate myself. His eyebrows furrowed as he motioned for Minsek to be quiet.
His eyes glanced at the topic on board, gifts and correlation with Ki control.
Kalin's clean-cut voice echoed in the room. "I will start with the basics. Gifts—ever so often someone is born with a Gift. A unique ability that surpasses the standard capabilities of martial artists. Some can manipulate shadows. Others can heal. Some can move faster...and some have such monumental advantages—it's an edge, a step forward in the race." His boots thumped against the floor.
A soft murmur went through the groups of kids, not because they weren't knowledgeable about gifts, but because it was far too rare, especially someone with a very useful gift for martial arts.
However Kalin's voice sharpened. "But here is the brutal truth." He paused, letting the weight of his words hang in the air. "Gifts are not miracles. They are burdens. And every Gift comes with a cost—Ki."
Kai's eyes widened at that. All he knew about gifts was that some talented people had unique powers outside the spectrum of martial arts.
Kalin continued, "Think of your Ki as your life's currency. Most of you can barely circulate it without trembling like leaves," a rude observation but undeniably true since most students took far too much time just for inner circulation. He waved his hand in the air, as if drawing something on it. "Now imagine adding a Gift on top of that. Something that eats Ki the moment you activate it. Without discipline, that Gift will devour you," his voice dangerously low.
He stepped forward, his voice a low thrum of power and beat. "I've seen Gifted students die because they relied on their power without learning how to wield it."
Kai nearly gulped with the strong pressure that his teacher was emitting. It was unlike most classes—Kalin was serious, yes, but scary very rarely.
His voice returned to its normal stoicness. "This is where Ki control matters. Control reduces waste. Focused Ki flow means faster activation, less drain, more output. Without it, your Gift is like a sword in the hands of a child—flashy, but utterly useless in a real fight." That was the final beat, ending the theory behind the gift and Ki control.
Kai nodded, understanding the difference as such. Ki control is a foundation for martial arts, while gifts or techniques are like weapons, with Ki control being the expertise with which I can wield them. His eyes widened as if realizing the importance of such a topic for the first time.
His eyebrows furrowed. Did I just really fool around in his classes all this time...something so important? His eyes sharpened, his fingers tightened near the edge of the table.
A rough but feminine voice interrupted his musings. Twisting his head to see who spoke, his eyes landed on the figure of Sera, her brown hair neatly plaited in a ponytail, her eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. "Sir, while it is too far away to think of now, what if someone has an elemental gift and beast bonds in the third stage with the same elemental type beast?"
Kai paused for a second. Yeah...that would be either inconvenient or perhaps a force multiplier.
Kalin nodded. He flicked his hair back, promptly pushing his glasses to the top of his nose. "Excellent question. It's simple. It would result in a multiplication of individual abilities. That is, if someone had a fire-type gift, perhaps like Scorch Vein, something that produces heated Ki, and bonds with an Infern-Scorpion, then he would have a terrifying ease in controlling heat. That is what we call a Resonant Stage Three expert, something that is quite out of your syllabus."
Kai nodded. He raised his hand, wondering about his own state. "Sir, how does someone know if they have a gift?"
Kalin nodded once again, his voice simple and precise. "Simple. Gifts either activate at birth or in a life-threatening scenario." His expression turned vague. "While there have been cases of people finding out their gifts while training—they are far too rare."
Kai nodded. It seemed he still had a chance at somehow gaining a gift. From what I know, it could be a major advantage,he noted.
The class continued as such, with Kalin being very open to questions and doubts, while adding his own explanation. The entire topic was far too large to cover in one session, but it seemed his teacher had at least covered the basics.
Kai sighed. The class ended in a few, and it wasn't long before he breezed through almost all the lessons, landing right on the most talked about topic of the day.
Duels.
Something that Minsek had been nagging him about. His eyes landed on the green-haired merchant friend of his. "Kai, Kai, I made a little gambling area, as to who will win today's duel." His smile coy and fox-like.
Kai nearly sweatdropped. "You even found a way to make money in a school event?" His voice shocked and perplexed.
Mira added from the side, "Kai is right you know. How do you even plan to make money? Most will vote on Sera, you know." She stood closer to Kai, supporting him.
Suka smiled from the side, her own voice calm and chill. "Ne, ne Mira, let Minsek have some fun. Plus there are always idiots who want to play risky." She lightly tapped Minsek on the shoulder, prompting a cheeky smile from the boy.
Kai nodded. "You do you, Minsek. As for you all, aside from Sera and our class rep, who else is strong?"
Suka's jaw dropped. "Do you not remember the last time I beat the living shit out of you, Kai?" Her voice exasperated. She didn't like to brag and was mostly chill about stuff, but openly not counting her as one of the strong people from class was crazy, even for her.
Minsek grinned. "Well, you could always remind Kai—it seems your beating has made his memory short." He sure was enjoying himself to the fullest.
Kai shot him a stink eye, his own mind going through thoughts. I might have lost any other day—I don't like being hurt or constantly being at the edge of a blade...but now, it doesn't matter what I don't like. Today I will give it my all. Kai did like to duel, but only if the opponent was at a similar skill range. With someone like Suka, he tried a bit before ultimately forfeiting.
His voice was low but each of his friends heard him. "I hope you give it your all today, Suka. I think I need some sparring."
Just as they were about to respond, the teacher entered with Mr. Kalin, a petite woman whose muscles were streamlined enough to be visible from under her shirt. She clapped twice, getting their attention. "C'mon now kids, it's about time I see you all fight," her voice mixed in between excitement and fierceness.