I did not plan to fight anyone that day.
If I am honest, I rarely planned anything. I reacted. I observed. I endured. That was how I survived most days. Drawing attention to myself never ended well, and fighting was the fastest way to do that. Most of the days I am on auto mode. Doing what is needed. I am not able to figure myself out, How shall I even plan to fight.
But the training grounds had a way of forcing things out of you. Things happen which are completely out of your control. No matter how much you want to force and avoid, You will have to give up and do stuff which you are not meant for on the training ground.
The outer grounds were not meant for lessons. They were meant for testing. Wide stone platforms stretched across uneven terrain, broken by pillars and raised ledges. Some people trained here to push their limits. Others came to show off.
I came because my instructor told me to.
"Movement," he said. "If your mana does not settle, then move until it does."
That was all.
No advice. No explanation.
So I stood at the edge of the platform, barefoot, watching others jump, land, and clash. Auras flickered around them in faint colors, blue reinforced by their matrices. Fire flared briefly from one boy's fists. Wind gathered under another's feet as he leapt higher than the rest.
I stayed still.
"You are not going to move if you keep staring."
The voice came from my right.
I turned and saw a boy about my age leaning against a pillar. He was taller than me, broader in the shoulders, with short dark hair that refused to lie flat. His aura flickered faint green when he shifted his weight, like air disturbed by movement. His eyes were dark black, not very unusal but his fair complexion and thick eyebrows drew attention that was not needed.
Aero matrix.
"I am moving," I said. "Just slowly."
He snorted. "That is not moving. That is thinking too hard."
Before I could respond, another voice joined in. I was not sure if he was with me or against me. Felt like i am being bullied.
"He is not wrong. You look like you are arguing with the ground."
The second boy sat on the edge of a raised ledge, legs dangling. He was lean, sharp-eyed, with faint violet light pulsing around his temples. The air around him felt different, vibrating slightly even when he was still.
Echo matrix.
Sound and resonance.
I did not answer either of them.
The Aero boy pushed off the pillar and walked closer. "You are Kavien, right? The one who keeps stopping early."
I stiffened. "That depends on who is asking."
He grinned. "Fair. I am Rethan."
The Echo boy slid off the ledge and landed lightly beside him. "I am Sil."
Short. Simple. Like he did not need anything else.
Rethan tilted his head at me. "You are wasting space standing here."
"I was told to practice movement," I said.
"Good," he replied. "Then move."
He did not wait for permission.
Rethan stepped forward and swung.
I barely reacted in time.
His fist did not glow, but the air around it compressed sharply. I felt the pressure before the impact and twisted aside instinctively. The punch missed my head by inches and slammed into the stone behind me.
The platform cracked.
I stumbled back, heart racing.
"What are you doing?" I demanded.
"Helping," Rethan said cheerfully. "You were not going to start on your own."
Sil laughed quietly. "He does that."
Rethan shifted his stance, aura flaring brighter green around his legs. "Come on. Hit back."
I hesitated.
Fighting meant attention. Fighting meant consequences.
Rethan noticed the hesitation and frowned slightly. "You do not fight because you are afraid of losing."
That hit closer than I liked.
"You fight like you are afraid of winning," Sil added.
I clenched my fists.
The pressure in my chest stirred.
"Fine," I said.
Rethan grinned and lunged again.
This time, I moved.
I did not think. I did not plan. I stepped sideways and jumped, higher than I expected. The world dipped briefly beneath me. I landed hard, rolled, and came up facing him. I was literally facing him up looking right into his black eyes. My grey eyes grew bigger
The ground trembled faintly beneath my feet.
Rethan's grin faded into focus.
"There it is," he said. "You feel that too?"
I did not answer.
He came at me again, faster this time. His aura flared, lifting him slightly as he kicked off the ground. He moved like the wind itself carried him forward.
I ducked under his strike and felt something respond inside me.
Not mana.
Pressure. Woof It was the pressure and pain again.
I shoved forward with my shoulder.
Rethan flew back.
Not far, but far enough that he skidded across the stone instead of landing cleanly.
Sil whistled. "That was not mana control."
Rethan rolled to his feet, eyes bright. "Do that again."
I did not want to.
But the pressure inside me surged as if it disagreed.
Rethan charged again.
This time, I met him.
We collided midair.
For a moment, everything slowed. I saw his eyes widen. I felt the air compress violently between us. My chest burned as something pushed outward.
We hit the ground hard. There was a creek sound heard.
Stone shattered.
Dust exploded around us.
When it cleared, we were both lying on our backs, staring at the sky.
Rethan started laughing.
He was not mocking or not being cruel.
It was a Genuine laughter.
"That," he said between breaths, "was incredible , You are worth it man"
Sil dropped down beside us, clapping slowly. "You have terrible control. But very interesting instincts. I am surprised and happy at the same time"
I sat up slowly, heart pounding. My hands shook. The pressure inside me was still there, buzzing like it had nowhere to go.
"You are both insane," I said.
Rethan laughed harder. "Maybe. But you are fun."
I stood and offered him a hand without thinking.
He took it.
Sil stood too, brushing dust from his clothes. "You do not fight like a normal mana user."
"I know," I said.
"That will scare people," Rethan said, still smiling.
Sil shook his head. "Or save them."
We stood there for a moment, the broken stone around us, the echoes of our clash still hanging in the air.
Rethan stretched his arms. "You should train with us."
"I do not have much to offer," I said.
Sil met my eyes. "You already offered something. You did not run."
Rethan nodded. "And you hit back."
I hesitated.
Friends were dangerous.
Attachments always were.
But for the first time, the pressure in my chest felt lighter.
"Alright," I said. "But do not complain when it goes wrong."
Rethan laughed. "I complain when it is boring and monotonus."
Sil smiled faintly. "This will not be boring."
As we walked off the platform together, I did not know which of them would one day fear me.
I did not know which would stand beside me when others stepped away.
I only knew that this was the first time I had fought back.
And that nothing felt the same after.