Today was the first practical lesson in melee enhancement training. The instructor had said that they should prepare mentally because they would not be fighting each other, and their lives might be at risk. How a practical lesson could be conducted in that way for such a course truly escaped Kalon.
For the practical lesson, they were going into the deepest part of the academy, far from all "prying eyes," as the instructor said. There were other Ascenders they hadn't seen before flanking them, and a few more talking with the instructor.
The instructor was a short man with black hair and eyes similar to Kalon's. He looked like he was in his twenties and had a rough demeanour; dozens of scars from beasts and swords ran down his arms from his shoulders. There were rumours circulating around the academy that he had a strong dislike of children from wealthy backgrounds and clans—the ruling class, made up of families who came into power during the early days of the Age of Ascenders—and from observing him in the few lessons he had, it seemed there was some truth to the rumour.
After walking for about half an hour, the students, instructor, and Ascenders arrived in a massive hall with a gigantic fighting ring inside. At each end of the ring there were weapon cabinets loaded with all sorts of weapons, from guns to daggers and swords. At one end of the ring stood a group of men and women with dishevelled hair, dressed in identical white jumpsuits with manacles linked together by chains on their wrists and ankles. They looked at the students with hunger in their eyes; however, it was quelled the moment they saw the instructor and Ascenders.
There weren't many students in this course; they only added up to about thirty-six. Kalon and Amelia were among them.
The two of them stood separately behind the other students. Amy was treated like a plague, and Kalon was treated no differently by association. However, he didn't really care. In fact, he couldn't care less about the opinions the other students had of him. He was an outskirt rat, and he wasn't going to pretend—or even attempt—to fit into their world.
When the students were lined up on the opposing end of the ring from the chained people, the instructor walked to the middle and explained exactly what the practical lesson was.
"First of all, you have all sparred and trained together, so you know each other's abilities. You can complete this task as a team or individually. These men and women are mundane criminals who have been promised a reduction in their sentences if they help with your training, so don't worry—they will behave properly."
The aloof instructor smirked as he continued, "You will all fight in this ring for thirty minutes. You can kill the prisoners, and they can also kill you. You can use any means other than your abilities, as long as you survive."
As soon as the instructor finished, all the students fell into an uproar. They shouted about how unfair and dangerous the task was. While they were complaining, the Ascenders, who had stood quietly the whole journey, walked up to the prisoners and removed their manacles. As soon as they were done and off the ring, a bell sounded, indicating the start of the training.
Kalon stood in the front row next to Amy and a short random boy. The prisoners had all their attention focused on the three of them. They most likely thought they were the weakest students present. Kalon felt his heartbeat grow faster as the rage he had been suppressing since getting beaten up by the other kids in the outskirts before his enlightenment began to flare up. He barely managed to pull the boy next to him off his feet in time to avoid an attack from one of the female prisoners who was lunging toward him. Kalon's sudden action drew all attention in the room—mainly from the prisoners.
The female prisoner, who had just regained her balance, switched her target and shot toward Kalon. In his perspective, everything was being blocked out. His vision narrowed, and he could only hear the muffled screams of Amy, who was trying to pull him away. Ignoring the sounds completely, he ducked under the prisoner's punch and rolled beneath her arm. Then, doing something that shocked everyone in the ring, he turned around and ran.
Amy
Amy was desperately tugging on Kalon's arm, trying to get him to move to the back of the crowd with her.
"Kal!"
"Kal, snap out of it!"
However, no matter what she did, Kalon didn't move. He didn't even look at her. It was as if he wasn't registering anything happening around him. As the prisoner rushed towards him and Amy was about to intercept her punch, Kalon shoved her backwards. He instantly ducked, dodging the prisoner's attack, and rolled beneath her arm.
By now, all attention in the hall was on Kalon. Everyone stared at him intently, waiting to see what he would do. However, rather than fighting, Kalon turned back toward the other students and ran towards the back, leaving the whole ring in shock.
Everyone was still staring at the spot where Kalon had been standing. By the time they registered what had happened and tried to locate him, he was running back toward the center of the ring. He held a dagger with a curved, pitch-black blade in both hands. Before Amy could even react, Kalon lunged past her and leaped into the air. The prisoner reacted instantly, throwing herself forward and attempting to deliver an uppercut to his abdomen.
Seeing this, Amy stood up, regaining her balance, and ran toward Kalon, trying to warn him.
"Kal, watch o—"
Her warning was cut short as she watched Kalon twist his body midair and drive the dagger in his right hand straight into the prisoner's neck. Shifting his body behind her, he pulled her down and plunged the second blade through her chest and into her heart.
While everyone was left in shock once again, Kalon pulled both daggers from the woman's body and stood upright. Staring coldly at the other prisoners, who had yet to move throughout the exchange, he said,
"What are you all waiting for? Are you scared? Stop wasting our time and come at me!"