Simon is floating in a undisclosed space, his dark eyelashes weld together as time goes on. He is sleeping heavily, his mind running ok its own to fabricate something to dream about, to think about so as not to lose himself in this peaceful death. For " I think; therefore I am", the line that rings inside his mental space, keeping his brain activity active to not be crushed by the overwhelming weight of the world's determination to end his existence, its anomaly.
" Wake up child, for time is limited."
Simon hears the voice, his eyes groggily opening up. The cold and blackness of the space is replaced with the ethereal and vast, limitless expansion of the same location he has entered when he takes his core examination. When looking around, he notices a wood table standing out amidst the blinding white and someone sitting there. He approaches the person, his hand protecting his eyes from the surrounding invasive light. He steps through a thin layer of something and seat himself opposite of the person. The thin film has dimmed the light down to a bearable level; he can finally takes a good look at the person. A woman in a long robe dragging its helm on the ground, her skin, eyes, hairs the as white as the first snow of winter.
" This is but one of my many form... Now you are here, let me explain what I gave you previously."
The same voice escape from her lips, the same one he heard this morning.
" Is my dream a requirement for us to meet?"
" Not necessarily, it can be any moment of the day when your soul is not as connected to your body as usual, so a daydream holds the same value as an opportunity for us to meet as a goodnight dream. Or, you can separate your soul from your body temporarily to quickly have a chance of talking with me."
Hearing the condition, Simon cannot help by frown internally. Nevertheless, the Librarian is still generous enough to talk with him.
" So can you please explain to me what is it that you give me the last time? I am curious!"
" Just a privilege ... to be more exact, an entrance ticket. "
"Is this the ticket to here?"
" You are correct. And I have another gift for you, something someone added ages ago, just for you, Simon Erklart."
A ray spawns from the apple-scented air between the two, the tea cup she holds since when, Simon does not know, and hit him in his chest. He is momentarily attacked by a sharp headache before the pain goes away as if it has never been there.
[ L!204399380as09u1jjas1--05190adsfjio98Fhgkajnbvsoehtbaklahgoq...}?":L]
[ Configuration .... -",&:&.'dnekszokeamjfjabdbf....]
His vision is bombarded by symbols he cannot fathom, their shapes simplified yet so outside of his range of perception that his very existence is rejecting them. Every neuron inside hoa brain os being fried alive from the information concentration. He begins to feel his head heated up, his eyes started to burn from the intense load. However, the pain cannot hold him back from looking directly at what is floating before him, their characters and symbols so mysterious, so divine, enchanting him to the point of losing sanity.
Then, a hand is laid over his eyes, covering them entirely from the outside world.
" Breath slowly, do not try to understand it. Let it touch makes contact with your every fiber, let it sight cast upon your body and soul but never try to learn it. Think of it like a shower, where the water droplets are paid no heed. Keep calm."
The heat goes on for a few minutes before subsiding, leaving a sweating Simon on top of the chair. His clothes, despite how imaginary his logical side tells him, are soaked, his hair glueing to his sides. His breath has stabled, his eyes stop feeling as if hot iron spikes have pierced them. The Librarian's hand is still covering his eyes, her feet inside his lap.
" Why are you still blocking my sight? Haven't the danger passed!?"
" There is still me. My existense will drive you insane with a single line of sight. Let me do this ..."
[ Class_Property_ Rank( Simon Erklart, Tertiary, True)]
[ Privilege_Id ( 12465)=True]
[.... SYSTEM GRANTED, MEMORY EXTENDED....]
Simon feels something changing inside his body, as if his very concepts are being rewritten, no, being expanded to cover more things. A sudden expansion, harmless to him, occurs as soon as the chanting ended. His sense can capture more, his intiution telling him to follow the order of the Librarian as a faithful follower of a cult to their god.
" Fight that impulse! Keep yourself!"
The encouragement gives him the strength to fight the order ingrained inside his core; it gives him the final push to wake up and feel the world.
" Yes! Yes! Yes! "
Simon can hear the excitement in the Librarian's voice, his ears picking up the shattering of something faraway. Then, he is free, breaking free from this dream's constraints. As the world falls apart into incoherent mess, Simon falls down a deep hole, not before seeing a content smile on the woman's face.
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Jolted awake is Simon Erklart, his body on the comfy bed provided by one of the maids in this academy. His clothing is still the same one last night. He now turns his eyes to check his surrounding. From the lone chair near the desk table to his hanging clothes in the half-opened wardrobe, everything is just the same the night before. He looks outside, night is still there, telling him that he should return to sleep once more. But the experience before pushes him to get into the bathroom. Rubbing his sore eyes, he enters and takes a shower, cold water refreshes his mind and wakes him up from any sluggishness of sleep. Checking himself in the mirror, the feeling of himself expanding in various dimensions still in the front of his mind.
[ System Allocated, Please Accept!]
His eyes looks at a translucent blue panel in front of them, his mind racing to connect the dots. He is initially afraid of the weird phenomenon, but the memory the night before drives him to make a choice.
" Yes"
Simon mutters in front of the mirror, his hands gripping the side of the washing basin. The message disappears and he feels something unfolding from within himself, and just in a matter of seconds, the panel reappears.
[Thank you for accepting the System. Do you need a basic guide?]
[Yes/No]
"Yes"
A series of tabs appears before himself in the mirror. Time is still early enough for a morning reading. Simon begins to carefully examine the guide, his eyes gradually opening up wide in surprise. The basic's is simply outstanding perks, maintaining a close observation and detailed notetaking of his body, mind and identity. From the numericizing of his different attributes in terms of Strength, Health, Agility, Dexterity, and Endurance (His overall physical wellbeing); Magic, Intelligent, Wisdom (His access and usage of mana); Luck (His craftiness and luck), Charm, Reputation (his attractiveness in the eyes of others'). There is something called a synchroneity rate at 100% and Simon's instinct is telling him to not even dare thinking of changing the number; he suspects it is something related to his body, mind, and soul.
Now everything is at a normal level, 5 each for the main attributes except for Magic and Intelligent at 6. His Charm, Wisdom, and Luck is at a 10, possibly the common level of someone with his background. His Reputation is negative, to his surprise. At around -5, the number reminds Simon of the circulating rumor yesterday in the evening of a possible murder inside the academy (He can only smile bitterly at the figure, shaking his head and throwing his hands up).
Past the Attributes, a section of Skills pertaining the information about his specialized abilities, both active and passive, in a item list format with the [LV.1] at most of them, except for a [LV.2] in Insight, a passive skill, and a Privilege, [LV.?]. Their description remains esoteric like for the [Insight LV.2] stating: "Allows better understanding and grasping of information, enhancing conversion of data into meaningful knowledge" and [Privilege LV.?] stating: "Grants consciousness, provide identity "
Finding the categorization of the System for skills to be less informative than he previously believe, Simon quickly skips the section and looks through the Inventory, a grid with 10 columns and uncountable number of rows. The name suggests storage, so Simon decides to use his toothbrush for a test. Thinking of wanting to put the toothbrush inside the Inventory, Simon suddenly feels his grabbing hand empty and he sees that the toothbrush has entered the space. There is a number representing the quantity, just simple enough for him to deduce.
[Story&Tales] is something he cannot wrap his mind around. "Altering the predetermined ending, achieve the ending with your own volition.", how can one change something that is already fixed? and why is his will and wants considered in this thing? Questions and questions pile on top of one another like stacking books high to reach the sky.
Simon decides to stop at this moment and prepares himself to get to class. He does not have infinite time nor does he wants to. How utterly and bloody boring it would be if the only thing granting lives their values was lost. Getting out from the moist bathroom, Simon quickly puts on his brown shirt and a pair of jeans, a simple attire for his first attempt of setting up a habit of exercising before class. He does not forget to carry with him the pendant, his mother's memoir, and a pocket watch tucked in his pants. The room returns to silent with the sound of closing door and turbulent winds.
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" Yo Simon, you actually wake up so soon like me! Want to jog?"
Janus is already waiting for him at the Knight Department training ground, him getting there is already an exercise of endurance. Sweating lightly from the small run from his dorm to the place, Simon only smiles and accepts the offer. Looking around, he can see other students of the Department already training.
" We are trying for two rounds around the place, let's go!"
Janus sets off first, leaving a horrified Simon behind. The ground is almost 4 kilometers in perimeter, leaving the distance he needs to cover at around 8. Trying to think positively that the exercise will help him train his body, Simon also begins running, chasing after the far-away Janus; some Knight students joining him along the run. He is going to try his best, but doubt is already creeping inside his heart. Breathing in and breathing out regularly, Simon unconsciously cycle his mana into his legs, enhancing their performance just the way he often runs.
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Heaving, salivating yet no saliva can be wrung out more, that is the state of Simon now. He tries his very best, pushing his soring body forward steps by steps, strides by strides. The constant droning of his running shoes hitting the solid ground has accompanied him throughout the run, the cold wind brushing his sweats off his forehead and his clothes
soaking up quite a volume of sweat. Janus has already finished his set but he decides to run more, now the friend is matching Simon's pace to help him if needed. Simon's conditions are not so bad, no bleary-eyed, no short of breath (not the tired-post-exercise type but of failing lungs and respiratory problems), no feeling of a cramp, no anything. He is numbed from the two burning kilns in his legs, his arms swinging instinctually with the alternating strides.
"Only 100 more meters, keep going!"
Simon's ears can make out that line from his right, Janus's encouragement. He is running along side Simon, giving his friend the final push to complete the jog. The sun has already begun to rise, the dawn blinding Simon's as he is running toward it. One two, One two, One two,..., it is the only thing his brain can count now. The warming-up winds caress his cheek, swiping away the grit stuck on his face. He continue to run and run, not knowing when to stop or even if continuing pushing himself over the limit will
Before he knows it, his tilted forward body crosses the imaginary finish line. It tumbles down on its own, dust clinging to the soaked shirts and pants. Breathing harshly against the dirt floor, Simon keeps his eyes close, regaining any bits of stamina he can as soon as possible. A few minute passes in silent, he can sense Janus's gazes lingering on him to make sure if he needs medical attention. Simon can finally lift himself up and drag his body to a nearby tree and sit. Janus follows, ready to drag his friend back to his dorm to repay the favor yesterday.
"I ... huh....huh... am good."
Simon says in between the heaving. The first step is also the most challenging one to make, Simon thinks as his breath stable. His hand reaching inside his pocket and bringing out the handheld clock ticking consistently, he looks. To his joy, there is still plenty of time for another wash, breakfast and a self-study period before class actually start. Picking himself up, he walks back to his room, cleans himself of any grime or dirt and changes attire. It is time for breakfast.
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EmiliaWartonPOV
Her decision to apply for the Knight elective with Aura training, weapon training and strategy is based on her natural talents. Aside from that, one major aspect drawing her to the place is the large training grounds it provides. In her check list, privacy, long lap and quality are all ticked.
Now she is jogging with Aura circulation in full force, burning her energy more than usual, around the training ground in the early morning. She has always love the feeling of witnessing the dawn coming up in a two more hours. It brings her peace of mind, something she rarely had back in her hometown.
It is her 10th lap and keeping the focus only on herself and the direction ahead, she feels the entire world aside the two things vanishes into oblivion. Steps after steps, breaths after breaths, the run brings her inner peace, her memories associated with the activity spur awake, good, crucial memories of the escapes from the Citadel guards, from the shops owners she stole and from the rotten Palace. They were the world's second lesson to her, after the maids and servants' mistreatment. It taught her how to avoid troubles and how to benefit herself from others, something she used to fret over so much as her mother often told her not to do it on her sickbed, but as she got older and older, she grew used to it, her mother was long gone and nothing holds her back.
" What a noisy bunch"
She thinks when her inner world is disturbed by sounds coming from the pair of blonde and black running in front of her. She opens her illusionary brow eyes, judging them accordingly to her standards. The blonde is good, she begrudgingly remembers colliding with him and pushing him forcefully, seeing how much endurance he has. He is still running after the sixth lap to help and encourage his exhausted friend. The black-haired kid, a Mage student from how little stamina he has, is circulating what little is left inside his core into his legs to reinforce them, not allowing them to wobble or buckle ( her eyes allow her to observe such detail).
She gives them a passing glance before going on with her jog. She doubts she will meet the two again. She hates how noisy they has been. Bidding them no more of her precious time, she speeds up, bypassing them and continuing with her track.
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Inside a dorm room, a girl in a sport bra and short jeans is trying to improve her reservoir of Aura and her proficiency in handling the force. Sweats form and flow along the cleavage then along her slender waist. In her eyes, red, glowing liquid coursing through her veins is converging into her right arm. A delicate balance is maintained as a red, thick layer of manifested Aura coats her right arm, the layer flickering and dissolving into the air as various shapes in sizes and styles forming and disappearing back into the plastic layer. The basic of Aura is akin to that of a muscle. Prolong strain will damage it, but controlled burst of exercising this organ will help grow it in terms of volume, flexibility and ease of application. She is now more focused on training her Aura endurance and flexibility.
Emilia is keeping up with the training method she found out back in her place where soldiers are asked to do this exercise for hours upon hours without rest. She finds the initial start of having Aura easy as she can see it, sense it and even touch it. The difficulty of the training is based on how thick the layer is, in that the farther it is from her skin, the more difficult it is to control and maintain. She has secretly been doing it since her childhood, picking up pieces of advice from gossip and whispering voice of exciting male soldiers and complaints from female soldiers. Her progress is significant enough compared to them as they only managed to maintain a thinner layer, around one tenth of her, and for shorter duration, one half of her.
After another 15 minutes of it, she drops her right arm down, dissipating any lingering Aura on her skin surface. She has finished her morning goal of training her young and plastic Aura core. Her wooden sword in the corner is picked up and she gets into the standard form of the swordsmanship style she has been using. Then, she swings the sword to check her posture and form. Whenever she face any moment of inconsecutiveness in the flow of the actions, she will slow down to gradually learn from it, keeping her focus sharp like a newly forged longsword. The whole process takes a few minutes, her arms and her white slender legs move through the air as if dancing, brushing against the wrapping air as tender as a lover's touch.
" The final form!"
She thinks as she switches to a position where her left hand touches the sharp side from beneath and the plane of it is skewed downward. She slowly brings the sword inward, swinging it up above her head and holds the handle with two hands. Concentrating her entire mind on the next step, she forcefully being the blade down, a downward slash so fast that the sound of ripping air can even be heard from a distance. The exercise ends with the wooden sword beside her outstretch knee, her muscle sore from her request for them to give their all. Throwing the wooden sword on top of her bed, she enters the bathroom to clean herself, apply enough shampoo and perfume all over her body, washing it all off with lukewarm water. She puts on the sport uniform after packing everything she needs inside a large handbag, her sword tied to her back. She is ready for the first lesson of her time inside the academy.
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Simon POV
Trying to find out more about the System, he decides to do some more experiments into the matter in the library. The run for dear life in the morning has given him a point in his Endurance, Health and Agility, so he concludes that training is one of the ways possible to raise his stat. Thinking along the path, he begins to read the first chapter of the books he borrowed the night before. Slowing down, taking note and time to understand the matter discussed inside the pages, he slowly but surely feel his understanding of Mana and Math elevated. By doing some of the exercises inside the Physics book, he has a better time completing them then before when he tried them out for the first time. As the clock hit 8 in the morning, Simon has already finished 5 problems among the hundreds inside the book. Checking his System, he is surprised to see decimal points in his Magic and Intelligent, only a few hundredth rise in the stats, a miniscule amount. Not worrying much as he can maintain this self-study lifestyle with his time in the academy, he concludes that the process will be quicker as he becomes more and more knowledgeable. The Story&Tales still bothers him but without any possible actions nor information about it, he ignores the matter for the moment.
Seeing that the first class is coming, he brings with him the necessary material and gets to the location. The bell rings as soon as he sets his body down. Moments later, an old man in a vest and tie, all in black. His back straight and proper, his eyes shine like eagle's out for a hunt, the professor walks in front of the entire class full of curios students. He coughs lightly to set the atmosphere, his well-maintained white hair and his unwrinkled vest witnesses to his carefulness and professionalism.
" Welcome to Mana 101, the foundation class teaching you the basics of Mana and their application. My name is Professor Anopto. Does anyone have a question about my identity or skills?"
Facing the final question aiming at them, the students begin to chatter among themselves. To be one of the many generations molded and educated by the renowned Anopto is already something worthy of bragging. The man is known for his excellent teaching, professional mannerism, strict criteria for grading in addition to almost being open for any questions coming from his students all day. With respect for the man teaching them, the students do not ask any questions for they want to begin all ready.
Professor Anopto finds joy in herding another group of students, nurturing their talents and abilities to the best of his ability. He does not care if any of his students fall behind his lesson, the effort of keeping up is noteworthy enough. Facing the hundreds of eager eyes, Anopto begins his introduction.
" Well students, if you are not asking any question, let me give you some basic information about my lodging and personal details. "
The professor begins to write down on the chalkboard where the students can find him at which time, when not to disturb him as they will not get an answer immediately then. He even writes down his hobby: reading and tea collecting.
" What is tea collecting actually professor? Are you really just collecting tea leaves?"
A question coming from a girl whose hair is scarlet sends the professor into a small chuckle. He then explains.
" You are correct, Miss Roten. I am an avid collector of tea for their unique tastes and prepare procedure. But that is enough about me. Now, take this paper, and write what you think Mana is and what do you want to do with it. You get 15 minutes."
Anopto waves his hand, paper sheets fly out from the stack on his desk. They gently fly through the air in the amused eyes of the students. Simon is amazed by the accuracy and flexibility of the magic the professor is using. The paper sheets fly in an orderly manner, landing in front of everyone with a little whoosh. Everyone and Simon take out their pen and begin writing, their brain storming around for the answer they believe to be correct. Anopto only look at them from his seat beside the wall-wide chalkboard, his smile reassuring and encouraging, telling them to write their perspective.
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Janus Litmus's perspective
As he is waiting in the training ground for the assigned instructor to come, many students approaches him to say hello, especially girls seeing his handsome appearance. He politely redirect the conversation from about his preferences to their own expectations of the class and their aspirations. The other male students understand his intention and begin to introduce themselves. When Janus asks why all of them are coming here to greet him, he receive quite a revelation. Aside from his appearance, bright and full of charisma and talents, his personality was gauged the day before from his morning exercise. Trying his best to keep his embarrassment from being the new celebrity of the day, Janus befriend one after another. At one point, he can hear a girl's quiet voice from behind.
" Sorry for pushing you down yesterday!."
Janus is surprise when she suddenly approaches him and apologizes quietly to him. It seems she is the one who has pushed him during the examination in the waiting area. Turning back, he faces a girl whose long black hair covers half of her face and freckles doted on her face. She is just ordinary looking and a bit timid, so the images do not match inside Janus' mind. It is trying to scavenge for any bit of information about the girl. It succeeds.
" So you are ... Emilia Warton, is it?"
" Yes, I am. I am so sorry for pushing you yesterday."
Emilia gives a perfunctory smile ( Janus can see through it but consider it better than having an enemy) and Janus replies with a two-hands handshake. The girl takes it, allowing Janus to judge her experience with weaponry based on her fingers' conditions. To his surprise, the girl's hands are full of calluses, he has not caught on them as if the softness he saw before touching were illusion. He knows to shut his mouth and smile back gently. He has noted Emilia Warton as a suspicious individual, but the academy will not accept anyone in without a clear enough background and even if someone like that enters, he or she will have to go through a series of checks and test.
After bidding the girl goodbye and putting the matter into the back of his mind, Janus begins to converse leisurely with his classmates when he sees a man standing in the middle of the field. His muscle is pronounced and his grey hair parts way for a large scar on his left eye, leaving the man intimidating yet no one seems to notice this.
The man senses the probing look from Janus, his large patched lips give way to a beastly smile. He approaches the boy slowly and quietly, his right arm pulling out a broadsword around 3-meters long with a sharp glint from the daylight reflecting of the well-cleaned surface. Steps after steps, he approaches the crowd without arising any commotions, his movement so silent and his large body so elusive yet so noticeable.
"Clap!!!"
A loud clap. It tears through the noisy environment and renders any conversation silent. After making sure that everyone is looking at him, the scary-looking man speaks up.
"You lots have taken 10 minutes to chatter among yourselves like retards! None of you have even spared a shred of effort to look around and to try finding me!!! That altitude full of recklessness and overconfidence will someday get you a special gift... Death!"
The man's overwhelming presence scares everyone there. His manner of speech is brutal and harsh just like his appearance. While others are still confused when did the strange man close up to them, the target of whispers walks to Janus' location. He gives Janus a friendly smack on the shoulder before setting his arm on the boy's shoulders., showcasing clear interest.
"This blonde guy here, he saw me coming from the jungle... And yet, he never told that to anyone! Just keeping tab from the sideline... Tell me, kid, why? "
"You are an instructor from your badge there. No instructor is allowed to hurt students without a clear purpose whether it be test or not. So in my eyes, you are no danger, just a test, the first test."
"Hahahaha Good! Someone read the fucking rules! Now all of you, except for you two, the blond kid and that girl with freckle, go for 10 laps as punishment for lack of scrutiny of the environment to allow someone dangerous to approach! START!!!"
The loud yell signifies a mass run, everyone's faces are clearly not amused with the punishment, but they cannot fight back so they just follows the instructions. That leaves only Janus and Emila with the instructor. The man leaves Janus' side and approaches Emilia.
" Tell me now girl... Why did you not notify anyone? I can sense your eyes staring at me."
The instructor has closed the distance between the two to that of a sword reach, his right hand holding the large sword aiming at the girl's neck. His face plastered with a primal smile, he inquires the girl.
"I can defeat you myself. So I found no need to raise alarm."
"Arrogant huh... or confident?! Then, a small test two days later may be enough. Blondie, are you up for my task?!"
Not really having a choice in the matter sensing from the instructor's voice, Janus tiredly replies. He is already being considered as the better in this class, someone who will be used for demonstrative purposes and mock fights.
" Yes, sir..."
" Good. My name is Veiser Welt, or Vei (/v ai/), etch that into your memory. As a starter, the boy, bring your naked back to me, I will guide your Aura myself. "
"Huh?!"
The surprising and strange command from the instructor, border lining sexual assault, makes the student pair loss for world.
" Come on, I have no infinite day. Quickly bring your bare back here!"