"I hate this feeling." Mane grumbled unhappily as he walked all alone on the deserted grounds of the Academy. He kicked away a stray pebble in frustration. On this lonely night, only the street lamps served as his escorts in his midnight stroll. What was normally a walk to clear his mind of all unnecessary thoughts was turning into a royal 'grumble', with the unwanted intrusion of several useless opinions, each eager to kick the other out, Mane wasn't able to achieve the desired effect.
His late night strolls was a habit he had picked up two years ago, when he realised that there were some things that even a few hours of meditation could not fix. The cool night air that caressed his cheeks and stroked his hair was a much appreciated difference to his life of endless fighting and training. Though leaving the dormitories after the lights out bell had rung- which was at 10pm- was illegal, Mane had been breaching this rule without any adverse consequences. Mainly because they could never catch him if he wanted to evade them. If a profound realm expert was to be found out by a bunch of mortal realm wielders, he/she would be a disgrace to their strength. Even when he hadn't broken into the profound realm, in fact, even if he was at the mortal stage, it would be a simple issue to sneak out of a poorly defended dormitory. The real challenge was escaping detection during the walk, for one never knew who one will run into. Fortunately for Mane, any time he run into a tutor, his insane speed and evasive skills, made it impossible for them to find him out. Anyone who did escape his detection and managed to get a glimpse at the rule breaker would only see a shadow quickly disappearing, and mistaken the encounter for an illusion produced due to a weary mind.
But today, our dear protagonist was without his strength. That didn't stop him from sneaking out though, as the blue eyed boy had calmly slipped past the guards with his two years worth of experience. The problem was ensuring that he didn't run into any guards or teachers. It seemed like an issue that required the help of lady luck, but his years of breaking this rule had taught him that walking in the shadows made for an easier way to escape any detection. With his abilities sealed, and his connection to the edict cut off, Mane had to be on high alert and ensure that his ears, eyes, and even his nose, were working at full potential. In his powerlessness he had noticed something he didn't realise before. His senses had heightened dramatically, even without his ability to access edict.
Inner energy had been his bread and butter for years, so much so that he had forgotten what it felt like to be without it. Well, with his exceptional memory that was improbable. However, he had unconsciously pushed aside those memories, and now that he was without any energy, they returned eagerly. Another thing he noticed was that his physical abilities had improved dramatically. Turns out that the earth armour wasn't the only thing protecting him in the duel. Apparently, any other person in his position, even with the armour would have been severely injured by the blows he received- at least that was what his masters said. His senses, without inner energy were of course lower, but still three times what they were before he began his wielding journey. As for his physical strength, it had increased by at least sevenfold. This wasn't just as a result of aging, but his bloodline played a major factor in this. It seemed that his bloodline had the ability to absorb inner energy and make the laws of the edict its own. This meant that even without consciously training his physique, his bloodline would do that for him. Though the results would be lower than what one would get when training the physique consciously, it was still an ability that made the 6th click his tongue in feigned jealousy. Mane was so excited to find this out that he swore he would occasionally cut off his connection to the edict just to monitor his growth and focus more on fighting with just brute force. That thought had however disappeared as soon as his walk began.
The thoughts he wanted to rid himself of were very much still alive, causing Mane to attribute this rare situation to the lack of inner energy. The blue haired boy missed his connection to the edict, a connection that had been forged and strengthened over the past few years. This led to his foul mood.
"What happened to your brave words of 'wanting to experience this more regularly'?" the 6th mocked. He was clearly pleased to see Mane in such a frustrated phase. Mane didn't have the chance to get mad at his teacher, simply because someone did that for him.
"You better hold your tongue if you have any plans of keeping it." The 6th immediately swallowed whatever words he was yet to say, his gulp audible even to Mane who was just listening in. Mane had no idea why the 6th was so terrified of the 2nd, but he was thankful he was. He relished the 6th's misfortune, his sour mood slowly melting away. In his loss of concentration, his senses failed to pick up the two black cloaked figures that stalked him.
"He is weak. He cannot access any inner energy, I can feel it. We must act now." The one on the right spoke with the voice of one who remained in the shadows, one who never saw any light. His cold voice was almost akin to a whisper, making it impossible for anyone who was behind them slightly to hear him. Even upon realising that their target had been weakened, he displayed his high level of professionalism and kept his wits about him. His careful nature was the reason why he had been selected for this mission.
"We will. He will make a turn soon. We will strike then." The voice of his counterpart was just as low and careful as his. But he spoke with a slur, almost as though he was a snake. His idea was a brilliant one. Most assassins focused on finishing off their targets as quickly as possible. His intention was to strike when Mane turns. That brief moment where the boy's balance would be frail, they could very well finish this in one strike. The one on the right did not say anything in agreement, neither did he disprove his partner's words. He moved back slowly and disappeared into the night, leaving only one assassin on the Academy road.