On the stage, two students stood opposite each other, waiting for the call to start the fight.
On one side was Jian Zhen, of Chinese origin. He stood with no emotion on his face, his hands crossed behind him. His clothing was one of the things that stood out, he wore monk attire: a brown robe, and his head was completely shaved.
On the other side was Jace Tyler, who had a smile on his face, completely opposite from Zhen. He wore a gray jacket and black jeans with long black hair.
"This is the final combat practice for today. Remember, use only basic abilities and nothing more. The battle will end when one of you is knocked out or your mana has been completely drained," the combat instructor said from one side of the arena.
The instructor then noticed Father William standing close to the entrance, with someone else beside him whom he could not recognize. Father William saw that the instructor had noticed him and gave a light nod, signaling him to continue.
Bryce saw the exchange between the instructor and Father William, but his mind didn't linger on it. He was still waiting for the fight to begin.
"Begin!" the instructor shouted.
"Finally, I can go all out since it's you," Jace said with a smile as he rushed toward Zhen. "Show me what you've got."
"I will give you your first lesson now, Bryce," Father William said as the battle continued.
Bryce remained focused on the fight but still listened to what Father William was saying.
"When the wall was broken and the otherworldly creatures invaded our world, humanity tried to fight with the weapons they already had, guns, bombs, tanks, and more. But none of them affected the otherworldly creatures. It felt hopeless… until the enlightened ones emerged."
The enlightened ones? Bryce thought to himself.
"Astral Projection! Multiply!" Jace shouted.
Three clones separated from his original body. They didn't have physical forms, it was his consciousness given shape.
Bryce was stunned by what he saw, and his expression showed it clearly.
The clones attacked, all jumping in to punch Zhen. There wasn't much distance between them, as they came from different sides. But just as their fists were about to connect, they stopped mid-air.
Zhen stood completely still, no flinching, no emotion. A forcefield surrounded him, blocking the attacks.
The clones vanished upon impact, and Jace returned to his physical body.
"Not bad," Jace said with a smile.
"You must have been feeling it since you woke up. But now, I'm sure you can feel it clearly," Father William said to Bryce, who was still trying to understand what he was witnessing.
Since waking up, Bryce had felt a strange energy, one that flowed from the people around him.
"That energy you feel is mana," Father William explained. "Some say it is the energy of the universe. It exists in everything and everyone. What you are watching now is the manipulation of mana."
Mana… Bryce thought. They are manipulating energy to do all this?
Jace closed his eyes. "Transcendent! Invisibility!"
His body began to change. Starting from his legs, slowly fading until his entire body vanished. He didn't disappear, he became invisible.
Zhen watched closely, still expressionless. Then he spoke.
"What is the point of being invisible when you cannot even conceal your chi?"
Zhen closed his eyes to sense Jace's chi. At first, he detected nothing. Then suddenly
"I know I can't conceal my mana yet," Jace's voice came from behind, "but I'm fast enough to make up for it."
Jace attacked with speed, but Zhen quickly blocked. Jace was surprised. After the block, Zhen countered, forcing Jace to leap back.
At first, invisibility seemed useless, but Zhen realized he was now at a disadvantage. He was multitasking: closing his eyes, sensing chi, and defending himself.
Jace kept attacking relentlessly. His plan was working. Zhen blocked every strike, but he was purely on the defensive now, and it was becoming overwhelming.
To most of the spectators, it looked like Zhen was fighting an invisible opponent. Only the more skilled ones could see Jace's mana.
They fought across the arena, moving from one side to another. Jace believed he could win if he continued, but Zhen finally had enough.
"That is enough," Zhen said firmly. "Ascension! Flight!"
His feet lifted from the ground, and he began hovering in the air.
The crowd gasped. Ascension was one of the hardest abilities to achieve, flight proved mastery. Even Father William was impressed.
Watching the battle, Bryce realized how far humanity had come, and more importantly, how far he still had to go to achieve his mission.
Jace looked up at Zhen, impressed. He had not been able to achieve Ascension himself.
With a smile, Jace surrendered. "I give up. You win, Zhen."
Using invisibility had drained too much mana, and it was never meant to be sustained for long. Meanwhile, Zhen showed no sign of exhaustion.
Zhen descended slowly and crossed his arms. His face remained calm, but his satisfaction was evident.
"The battle is over. The winner is Jian Zhen," the instructor announced.
Bryce knew who he had to catch up to in the academy if he was going to fulfill his mission.
The students began leaving the training ground.
"Now you've seen what you can achieve, and even more, if you dedicate yourself and work hard in this academy," Father William said. "I know you have questions about mana and energy. You will understand everything in time."
Bryce was filled with motivation. Yet, despite all his questions, he couldn't take his eyes off Zhen as he walked toward the exit.
As Zhen passed by, he noticed Bryce and the aura around him. Their eyes locked for a brief moment.