"Ah! Welcome back, hubby."
At first, you'd think that those words would only come out from a typical housewife, but then you'd be wrong. Not only that, but there's also a chance that you might even laugh or shocked. It depends.
"Yo!" Jin indifferently greeted back.
"I cooked for you, hubby! It's your favorite, too." Isei laughed as he spoke.
"Ugh... Stop it already." Jin grimaced, his hand then covered his face as he cringed.
He shook his head and asked, "You're working out again? Aren't you supposed to be taking it easy? It's only been a week and a half."
Isei, who was doing some sit-ups, got up and made his way towards the bathroom, "My body has recovered quite a bit now. Also, I did cook for you, by the way. "
"You should still slow down. It's not like I'm gonna kick you anytime soon."
Despite Isei taking a quick shower, the two of them could still hear each other due to the size of the apartment.
"What's your plan anyway?" Jin asked Isei while nibbling on a piece of bread.
He didn't get an answer until the sound of water stopped.
Isei slowly got out of the bathroom. He finished wearing clothes and spoke.
"I got a few." He turned towards Jin and asked. "Triage Magic Academy is still the top right?"
"Ye, why? You gonna enroll or something? It'd be impossible, man. You're too late age-wise, not to mention, you didn't that even graduate."
"I'm not enrolling as a student."
"What do you mean?" Jin asked confusedly.
"I am going to apply as a teacher." Isei smiled at him.
"What!?" Jin almost choked on his bread from the immense shock.
"I still need to condition my body even more, though."
Isei sat down opposite of Jin as he muttered silently.
"Ah!" Isei was startled out of his thoughts with Jin's sudden cry.
"What?"
"It's actually good." Jin simply stared at the bowl of soup.
Isei then said in a feminine voice, "Oh my. I'm glad you liked it, hubby."
"I told you to stop! If my girlfriend sees this, I'm dead! I already got a death stare when I told her you were gonna live here..." Jin mumbled at the end of his words.
Isei picked up a spoon then tried to feed Jin, who started daydreaming.
And as if the perfect timing, a girl opened the door. Her jaw fell to the floor as she stared in shock.
***
"Oi, stop pushing!" The voice of a young man complained.
"I thought you weren't gonna kick me out anytime soon? Why are you in such a hurry." Isei, the young man laughed as he mocked the person behind him.
"I can't take any more of your mischievous pranks, man. My heart almost stopped when she saw us last week." Jin said while frowning before continuing. "I don't know what your plan is or how you're gonna get in, but you better not fail!"
"It'll be fine. I played it off smoothly. She even said she'll hang out with us later." Jin laughed loudly.
"No, man. WE will hang out. That means ONLY the two of us. I don't need a third wheel."
Jin stopped crossed his arms. They already arrived at their destination. He sighed and said, "You'll be okay, right? You sure you don't need a Symbiote? "
Isei smiled as usual and said,
"No need for that. "
He walked towards the vast campus.
***
Normally, Triage Academy would only accept Teachers and professors who've achieved a certain degree of proficiency and reputation.
Someone with a blank resume like Isei would have no chance of being accepted. Fortunately for him, that is only the case for ordinary teachers.
Triage Magic Academy prides itself on its high rate of graduates with excellent performance in battles. As such, the academy's top priority is to provide the best environment and instructors for the practical applications of magic in combat.
And what does an instructor need to be able to train a great combat mage? Skills and insight with regards to battles.
So when TMA's most priced combat instructor, Professor Hyde, decided to transition into a military position to pursue advancement in his spells, they quickly panicked.
Because of his sudden announcement, Professor Hyde vowed to select the best possible candidate to replace him as an apology.
However, his harsh requirements may have been too much for everyone, as no one could pass even the bare minimum of his standards. They were even starting to get desperate.
Or at least that was the case until...
"You said, he won against Mr. Hyde? Is that right?" a stern voice asked.
The headmaster of TMA, Owen Lawson.
"No, sir. Professor Hyde lost to him." The female assistant monotonously answer.
"Hmm?" The headmaster's brows rose.
The assistant cleared her throat first before saying, "The professor could not land a single hit."
"Tell me more."
***
As she was passing by, Sheryl saw a commotion around the school arena.
Any other time and Sheryl would have ignored it, but today is the final day for the screening of applicants for Professor Hyde's replacement.
'It seems there's finally a promising individual...' She thought to herself.
Sheryl made her way towards the bottom of the stage, where the other teachers were having a discussion.
'That's Professor Hyde' s Bright Flame Spell!'
As she got closer, Sheryl witnessed the famous White Flames that Professor Hyde was known for.
'It seems the opponent is pretty strong. She guessed, but what she witnessed, sufficed to say, blew her mind.
On the center, the stage stood the professor along with a young man. They weren't fighting intensely, as Sheryl thought. Instead...
"The white-colored flames that you can cast is one of the hottest flames." The young man spoke while approached Professor Hyde.
"Unfortunately, you have neither the knowledge to progress its power through increased temperature nor the insight to add properties to your flame."
The professor just silently listened to the young man talk.
"Cast your spell again."
The professor then started chanting.
"Light that guides humanity, burning cloak of ferocity. My flesh is your fuel. Bright Flames: White Immolation!"
The young man held his chin as he spoke to himself, "It's pretty dangerous to influence other people's Pledge. But your Vessel seems plenty capable enough. Alright."
The man approached the professor covered in white-colored flames. He reached out to him, and as his hands were about to touch the flames, they parted, and he was left unharmed.
Processor Hyde was visibly shocked. It was understandable as this was one of his spells he was most proud of.
"Focus on your spell. I'm going to help you push it." The young man's voice broke Professor Hyde's thoughts.
"You cast your flames by picturing the fire's color and its temperature. Through sheer will and imagination, you were able to achieve white flames." The young man kept explaining.
Hyde knew all of this already.
Magic and spells are cast by shaping mana and using a command. Mana is what fuels it while command, which comes in the form of many different ways of reinforcing the image in the caster's mind.
The command he used is called chanting. Through the recital of pre-determined ed words, he is able to recall a spell he learned or created quickly.
While it is possible to cast spells without the use of a command, it is highly recommended not to do so as it has a very high risk of mana surge.
Commands help in controlling the circulation of mana throughout the body by making pre-determined pathways. It also makes the shaping of mana much faster.
He has already pushed his spells to its limits. Practiced it to perfection. But now Hyde was stuck with white flames he's most proud of.
Hyde knew, however, that the young man can help him breakthrough. Both the young man's insight and skills crushed him in their battle. He was in a league of his own.
And so he waited for the answer.
"The color flames is an indicator of two things. First is its temperature, which is synonymous with its power. Second, the color gives a hint on secondary properties that excellent mages add to said flame."
"Your flames are for purely destructive purposes. Your mana pool can still accommodate for more strength, and so the only reasonable path is up."
The young man smiled out of habit.
"Towards the pinnacle of flames..."
He didn't need to hear the next words. Hyde had been searching for it, so he knew it all too well. He felt mana rushing through him from his shoulder. Then...
Azure Flames!
Hyde exploded shockingly. His whole body now cloaked in imposing blue flames.
He stared at the young man who recoiled from the heat.
'It seems he can't dispel my flames anymore' Hyde smiled inwardly.
He wanted to test his newfound power, and the best opponent just happened to be standing in front of him. Hyde raised his mana output to its maximum capacity, and as he did so, the young man grinned. The young turned his back on Hyde and walked a couple of meters before staring right at him. Hyde could read the intent behind the young man's eyes.
'Bring it on!'
Hyde stomped his feet and rushed towards his opponent. Every step he took made the concrete beneath him crack. He readied his first right as he was about to get in range. Then... Hyde saw it.
***
"He lost even after breaking through?"
Surprise filled Headmaster Owen's face. He couldn't believe what Sheryl, her assistant, just told him. I mean, no one can blame him. A young man not even in his thirties defeating a well-known veteran with relative ease. Even those that witnessed it were in disbelief, maybe they were even more so than Owen himself.
"Yes, no one was able to witness the whole fight. The only thing I was able to see was Professor Hyde dashing towards him, and then smoke instantly burst out covering our vision." Sheryl told the Headmaster.
A knock sounded on the door.
"Come in."
"Headmaster, you called for me?" A middle-aged man entered the room.
It was Professor Hyde.
"Yes, please take a sit, professor." Headmaster Owen greeted before asking, "Professor, you fought someone at the arena today, am I right?
"Yes."
"My assistant Sheryl told me what she saw, but I was curious and wanted to ask you myself." Owen put both of his hands on the table.
"Could you tell me what magic he used?" Owen asked eagerly. But the answer he got was...
"I don't know."