The journey to the university was a bit more grounded than the morning's chaotic start. With the mansion's floor reinforced and Euphyne's throne secured, we walked through the district with a sense of purpose. The city was bustling, but a path seemed to clear naturally as the three of us approached. People recognized the A1 uniforms, and even without a gold throne, Euphyne's sheer presence made it feel like a royal procession. Elphyete walked a little closer to me today, her confidence seemingly boosted after seeing how easily she had repaired the mansion.
Once we arrived and the ten of us were settled in our seats, the atmosphere in the classroom shifted back to that familiar, heavy tension. Sir Vael didn't waste any time.
"Today, you will learn about States," he announced, his eyes moving across the room.
I raised my hand. "My first teacher, Ghale, told me that States have three types," I said. "Body Enhanced State, Mind Enhanced State, and Adaptive State—which is a mix of both. I have the Body Enhanced State."
Vael nodded, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "Correct. States are the only way for a non-mage to gain a massive burst of power and speed. It's the equalizer."
"The downside," I continued, "is that it's usually randomly activated. I can force it, but only if I feel extremely determined or extremely angry."
"Yeah, that's the catch, Sogha," Vael muttered. He then turned his gaze toward the back of the room. "Aria. You also utilize a Body Enhanced State. Stand up. You two are going to spar. I want to see how both of your states react when forced into a corner."
Aria grinned, her ears twitching with excitement as she stood up and grabbed her spear. The rest of the class leaned in, eager to see a battle of pure physical limits.
Sir Vael tapped his foot against the floor, and instantly, the classroom dissolved around us. The air shifted from stale and enclosed to the fresh, crisp breeze of the school's expansive backyard. The other students materialized in a wide circle around us, giving us plenty of space.
"Only pure physical fight," Sir Vael commanded, his voice cutting through the open air. He crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing slightly as he observed our stances. "No using spirits. I want to see your base physical limits pushed until your bodies have no choice but to adapt. Let's see if you can actually force your States to wake up."
Aria spun her spear effortlessly, the reinforced wooden shaft whistling as it cut through the air before she caught it flawlessly. She settled into a low, predatory crouch, her beastkin ears flattening against her head as her amber eyes locked onto me. I raised my bare fists, sinking my weight slightly into my heels, keeping my breathing measured and calm. Without my spirit, and without a drop of mana in my veins, this was the realm where I was most at home: raw, unfiltered combat.
"GO!" Sir Vael barked.
Aria exploded forward. The grass beneath her boots tore apart as she closed the distance in a fraction of a second. She launched a blindingly fast thrust aimed straight at my chest. I twisted my torso, feeling the sharp wind of the spear tip graze my uniform, and stepped inside her guard. I threw a heavy right hook toward her ribs, but she used the momentum of her missed thrust to pivot instantly, bringing the thick haft of her spear up to block. The impact sent a painful shockwave up my arm, but I didn't relent. I followed up with a sweeping low kick, forcing her to leap backward to avoid getting tripped.
She didn't stay back for long. Using her landing to spring forward again, she unleashed a relentless flurry of strikes. Thrust, sweep, overhead strike. I ducked, weaved, and parried with the hardened edges of my forearms. Every clash of bone against wood echoed sharply across the yard. I kept my eyes locked on her shoulders, looking for an opening or a moment of overextension. She lunged again, aiming a lethal strike at my shoulder. Instead of stepping away, I stepped into the attack, deflecting the shaft with the back of my hand and driving my left fist straight toward her jaw. She barely tilted her head, my knuckles grazing her cheek as she spun around, sweeping the blunt end of the spear toward my legs. I jumped over the sweep, landing heavily, and immediately launched a front kick. She caught it perfectly with the center of her spear shaft, the force pushing us both back several feet.
We were both breathing heavily now. I tried to dig deep, trying to find that spark of absolute determination or anger that Ghale had taught me about—the emotional trigger required for the Body Enhanced State. But the spark refused to ignite. This was a spar, a controlled test, not a life-or-death struggle where my survival or someone I cared about was on the line. I could see the exact same frustration burning in Aria's eyes. She was gritting her fangs, trying to force her beastkin blood to boil over, but her movements, while incredibly fast and powerful, remained strictly within her normal physical limits.
Minutes bled into each other in a blur of strikes and evasions. The exchanges grew messier, our movements heavier as the sheer physical exertion took its toll. She swung the spear in a wide, desperate arc; I ducked beneath it and delivered a solid punch to her stomach, making her gasp. She retaliated instantly with a swift, brutal kick to my thigh that made my leg buckle for a split second. We were trading blows, perfectly matching each other step for step, strike for strike. Sweat dripped from my chin, stinging my eyes, and my knuckles were bruised and throbbing. Aria's grip on her spear was visibly slipping, her chest heaving violently.
We clashed one final time, my fist colliding directly with the reinforced wood of her weapon with a loud crack. The sheer kinetic force of the impact pushed us both backward. My lungs burned for oxygen, my arms feeling like they were filled with lead. Across from me, Aria dropped to one knee, driving the butt of her spear into the dirt to use it as a crutch just to keep herself from collapsing entirely. Neither of us had managed to trigger our States. We had simply fought until there was absolutely nothing left in the tank, perfectly deadlocked in our raw, unenhanced physical limits. We just stayed there, staring at each other, panting heavily, unable to lift a finger to throw another punch.
The sharp, echoing crack of Sir Vael's clap didn't just signal the end of the lesson—it felt like a physical shock to the system. In the blink of an eye, the bright sunlight of the backyard was replaced by the familiar, dim lighting of the A1 classroom. But the most jarring part wasn't the change in scenery; it was the sensation in our bodies.
The leaden weight in my arms vanished. The burning in my lungs went cold. The bruises on my knuckles and the deep, aching exhaustion in my legs simply ceased to exist. It wasn't just healing; it was as if the last hour of physical toll had been erased from our timelines. Beside me, Aria stood up straight, her eyes wide as she gripped her spear, looking just as refreshed as she had been before the fight started.
"Sit," Vael said simply, already back in his chair as if he had never moved.
The next five hours were a blur of high-level theory. Vael spoke about the architecture of spirits and the specific triggers for various "States," his voice droning on with a lazy precision that demanded absolute attention. By the time the clock hit the final hour, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting long, orange shadows across our desks.
"That's enough for today," Sir Vael said, closing a heavy book with a thud. He looked at the ten of us, his expression unreadable behind his glasses. "The University board has scheduled a mandatory mid-term preparation window. Consider this a gift. See you all next week—you have a one-week break to process what you've learned. Or don't. Just don't come back weaker than you are now."
Before anyone could even ask about the logistics of leaving, he snapped his fingers.
The world folded. There was no sensation of movement, just a sudden shift in the air pressure and the smell of the mini-mansion's polished hallway.
Euphyne, Elphyete, and I were standing in our foyer. The transition was so seamless that Euphyne didn't even stumble; he just kept his stride going right toward the grand staircase.
"AHAHA! A week-long break for the King!" Euphyne proclaimed, his energy fully restored thanks to Vael's earlier "refresh." He pointed a finger toward the ceiling. "I shall use this time to perfect my radiance! Elphyete, make sure the pantry is stocked! The dazzling require sustenance!"
Elphyete let out a soft, relieved sigh, her shoulders dropping as the tension of the school environment finally left her. She looked at the reinforced floor she had fixed earlier that morning and then at me.
"A whole week," she whispered, her ears twitching slightly. "I didn't expect Sir Vael to give us a break so soon. I guess... we have plenty of time for more than just 'surprise' lunches now."
She looked back toward the kitchen, her mind clearly already pivoting to what she could prepare with a full week of free time.