A couple of hours have passed, they were asked to take a break and eat something on the Main dining hall. Lots of Astrochist are going there at the moment while the other guys are constantly talking to each other not giving any heed on their environment.
Nile decided to walk off the hallway. He noticed that most of the Astrochist are going for the main dining hall, in which it would be problematic since it will be hard for him to get any food while lining up. He walked a few steps off until he reached the yard where there are some benches and trees.
The breeze started blowing yet again that made his hair moved. He looked at the sky while his arms are covering his forehead to reduce the rays of the sun. The clouds were visibly normal and there are no signs of storms and other abnormalities regarding the weather. Nile began to walk outside, leaving the hall.
They don't actually have any walls on it. All of the people who will pass by on the hall to reach the Dining room can either go to the yard and take a rest there or explore it. It is a good thing that the large space was actually the reason why the breeze can flew all the way around the area. Not to mention that the natural design is pretty as well. It is a perfect place for resting and for clearing their minds.
Nile approached the bench on the corner with two trees behind it. The air was still blowing pretty hard and it is making him refreshed. He smiled while walking slowly. He gazed through the building to see its side view.
"It's really big up close, huh." He said while looking around. He kicked a small rock located near the bench and it flinched right through the grass. After that, he sat down nicely and comfortably still while looking at the buildings.
He can see the Astrochist who was passing by through the hall and aside from that, he can also see through the other side of the yard next to the hall as well. The opposite side of the yard is where the training grounds are located. The training grounds have their own defensive fortification that serves as a fence or a wall that prevents them from trespassing it. The only way to reach the training grounds is if they can fly high or if they're going to enter from the central building until they reached the two large gates.
Suddenly, without even noticing, Nile heard a voice coming from behind his back near the tree.
"Nile?" She asked. It was Aella.
'She looks good with the uniform she's wearing...' Nile completely got frozen when he saw Aella with the uniform on. After a few seconds, he started to flinch back into reality again.
"Oh yeah! I'm sorry, what are you doing here, Aella?" He asked out the blue with a little twitch on his tone. Aella left the tree as she approached Nile on the bench. Nile scooted over on the left side of the bench to give her some space to seat on. After that, she sat right beside him without having any problem. Nile noticed that she is holding a cup with some smokes evaporating.
"I'm here to take some break as well." She answered with a smile while enjoying the cold breeze.
"Really? Why here?" Nile asked again.
"Well, this is really cheesy but, I can't really stand the crowd. I get a little sick whenever there's a large crowd that surrounds me." She said.
"No, that's fine. I get what you're saying. I can actually relate to you." Nile responded.
"You don't look that type to me, though." She chuckled. Nile stared at her with his mouth open for a little. He smiled.
"Well, I actually grew up with a lot of kids bullying me." He said while looking at the hall.
"Wait, why?" Aella asked.
"Well, they are making fun out of me because I cannot actually release my own elemental powers. Long story short, I don't really have any powers that I can use yet, except for that one time."
"That time?"
"Yeah, a few weeks ago, I got involved in a dangerous situation on the Cave of Deidre. I was looking for some ice rocks when I found some little girl crying. I talked to her for a bit and realized that she is lost. After that, when we are about to leave the cave, a large Drake appeared right in front of us."
"What the!? Then how did you guys escaped?" She asked with a worried tone.
"We ran together until we reached a new location inside the cave that is unexplored. The path on the other side of the cave actually leads us to a more dangerous enemy. Those bad guys are the ones who's been stealing some stuff from the main capital. They're hidden underground with a lot of gems and rare stones." Nile stared at her.
"So you guys are actually trapped?"
"Yeah, the little girl was captured and I was beaten so bad. Until something happened. Suddenly, I felt some energy inside my body. All of the injuries and bruises I received were healed for a moment. I didn't actually remember the exact details because I'm a bit dizzy and were barely unconscious. The last thing I know is that I have managed to beat them using my Water Elemental Skill. After that, we were saved by the guard with the help of my Uncle." He answered.
"I see, so that news was true after all. I heard that there were a lot of villagers that were attacked." Aella said.
"Yeah, that's right. It took some time to gather all of them and build a new home."
"Well, I'm glad that you're now alright and alive." She chuckled.
"Oh by the, since it's break time, can you show me a little about your power?" She asked afterward.
"What? Are you sure it's fine? I'm kinda worried and shy though." Nile shifted his gaze from left to right to see if there's anyone watching. Nothing was actually even paying attention to them since everyone is busy with their own business while eating their food.
"Don't worry, it's just a little bit. Also, we're outside. We cannot use our powers if we're indoors." She responded with confidence.
"Alright then..." Nile raised his left arm. He tried to move his body to the right to avoid any misunderstanding if he's caught. When he placed his palm midair, a small water ball appeared with a flare being inside. Aella gasped as she saw Nile's power.
"No way... You didn't even say anything..." She was so surprised that the look on her face was priceless. She didn't expect someone to activate their own spell without any chant or spell coordinance for a particular activation. After a few seconds, Nile stopped the spell.
"That's... really good. Wow, I'm surprised that you can use it without any chanting." Aella said with a confused expression.
"What's the matter? Is not chanting the spell weird for some reason?" Nile asked with a worried tone.
"Nope! Not at all, actually it's rare for someone to do what you have just done a while ago. Chanting spells are the most basic thing you need to learn when activating your elements. In your case, you didn't even say anything, you just raised your hand." Aella explained the prominent process to Nile.
"Huh... I see, well I guess that makes me a little bit different." Nile said while looking at his hand.
"Yeah, but don't worry. You're actually great if you can do that."
"Okay then, if you say so."
After their conversation, a large bell made a sound.
"Whoop, I guess our time is up. Let's meet again soon, Nile." Aella chugged down the cup she was holding earlier. She stood up from the bench and started walking. She stopped for a while to look back at Nile.
"See you again soon, Nile." She departed while waving. Nile waved back as he watched her walk away.
"Huh... that's quick." He murmured as he smirked.
Fast forward.
The class ended and everyone is now going back to their dorms except for Nile. After the bell rang, he started sneaking right through the central building to avoid the attention of the Astrochist. He opened the door connecting from the main hall up to the second floor where he found the archives room.
No one is watching the 2nd floor and all of the grandmasters are having a meeting somewhere. The maids that were serving the entire building was nowhere to be found as well. Nile used the advantage to sneak pass in up to the 2nd floor to go to the library.
He reached out the knob to open it and he gave a long sigh. Before he entered he ventured the other rooms and paths first to see if there's anyone following him. The feeling of self awareness made him intact and well composed of these kinds of situations.
When he opened the door, he saw a lot of shelves that are fixed by rows. A lot of books can be found and all of them have some signs of where to find it.
"Let's see... Aqua... Aqua... Aqua... Hmm." He whispered while looking for it. The orange light coming from the lamps illuminated the front area.
"There it is..." Nile saw the book he is looking for, but it was too high for him to reach it. He looked at his surroundings for a while until he saw stock piled of books scattered around the row. He grabbed one of the books and piled it layer by layer. He used the books as a standing stool to reach the book he is looking for.
"This is it... Aqua's adventure by Nord." He said. After getting the book, he returned back the books he used as a stool without making any noises. He also cleaned up some of the mess and decided to leave the room without anyone seeing him.
He returned back into the dorm while avoiding the maids. Some of the Astrochist are still heading so he used the opportunity to blend it. And after a while, he reached the dorm room he is supposed to be in.
"Nile, you're back. Where the hell have you been?" Stell asked.
"Oh sorry, I just did some things and I got lost. Anyway, Imma go change now, I'll talk to you later." Nile said as he hurriedly placed down his things and bag.
"Alright, I'll see you later."
1 hour has passed. Some of the kids are already sleeping, while the rest of them are playing. Meanwhile, Nile was sitting on his bed reading the book that he had acquired earlier while Stell is doing nothing.
"Nile, what are you doing?" Suddenly, Stell asked Nile.
"Oh, I was reading this book that the grandmaster was discussing earlier in our class. It has some good introduction so I borrowed one from the archives. I'll try to read some of it before I go to sleep because I cannot really comprehend it earlier." He answered while not paying attention to Stell's face.
"Is that really interesting at all?" Stell asked.
"I mean yeah, it is. It actually has some information that we Water Elemental user can study. Also, I'm going to memorize this book." Nile answered.
"Why?"
"I have a feeling that, if I continued to study while mastering all of the skills I've need to learn, I'll eventually find out the truth about this world and more information about that Yama guy or something. Still, though, this is my only chance. I'm not gonna waste it. I will try my best to blend with everyone even if I'm powerless as of now. I will find a way to beat them..." He closed the book with a little force that made Stell gasp. He noticed that Nile has some overwhelming aura as he told things about his motive.
"Nile..." Stell murmured. He saw the scorned expression from Nile's face indicating that he is really mad at some point.
"Anyway, good night Stell. I'll be sleeping early tonight." He then began to switch back to normal out of the blue. Stell went back in as well.
"O-Oh... Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow then." Stell responded.
'Nile... What are you exactly up to?' He wondered as he watches Nile sleep.