"BANG BANG BANG"
"Shin get up we have to go NOW!" Zora was at my door pounding desperately.
"I know I know! I'm sorry I overslept!" I yelled scrambling to throw my clothes on. I didn't bother brushing my teeth, we were already late.
'They should make alarm clocks.' I thought.
Leaving my room Zora and I sprinted to the location of our first lesson, the library. We came through a set of large square doors with the word "library" posted on a wood slab next to it. The library was easily the largest room in the castle. The library itself had three floors. In the middle was a spiral staircase the lead to the other floors. Directly in front of us was a small recreation area with tables and boards. However, the rest of the room had countless books stretching to the back of the room.
"Ah you're late lady Zora! This is unlike you!" A demon with bright yellow eyes like a cat looked at us as we entered. He was the biggest person I had seen since coming here, he was shredded! His muscles practically exploded out of his shirt as he sat down at the table closest to us.
"M-my apologies Cal. If it weren't for this unintelligent bimbo next to me I would've arrived on time." Zora said smirking a little.
"H-Hey! This is my first day cut me some slack!" I argued back trying to defend myself. We went back in forth a few times before Cal intervened.
"HAHAHAHA I have never seen lady Zora like this! This suits you much better than your usually disciplined demeanor. I daresay this creature is having a positive impact on you! HAHAHA." His muscles tensed again as he laughed.
'Strange creature? That's so rude!. I have a name dude.' I thought however I would not voice my opinion, he was too intimidating.
"I-I don't know what your talking about." Zora mumbled, quickly finding a seat at the table. I followed behind sitting next to her.
"Anyhow allow me to introduce myself to you Shin. My name is Cal and I boast the strongest Xoul capacity in all of Bulgeria!" He boasted loudly. Apparently quiet wasn't required in libraries here.
"He's lying he always says that." Zora groaned unamused. "Cal can we please get started."
"Ha! Back to your usual self I see. But you are right let's get started."
Cal brought over a large board too us. Using some sort of magic item he began to write "Xoul control basics" on the board.
"In this class you will be learning how to control Xoul at the most basic level. Lady Zora has had a little prior experience but she is still fairly new. Both of you are at the age Xoul can awaken in children. My job is to guide you through your first steps." Several questions were in my head but I decided to stay silent for the time being. I was sure all my questions would be answered eventually. Zora seemed to be very attentive when he spoke so I made a point to be as well.
"Since Shin is new to the concept of Xoul, I'll begin by explaining what it is. Xoul is the foundation for everything in this world. Essentially, Xoul is a magical power that stems from life itself. All living things have Xoul, however the use is different. Plants use Xoul to grow, while demons can use Xoul for creation among other things. "
'Simple enough' I thought listening deeply to his explanation.
"Xoul generates from the origin in your body, located in the center of your chest. Once a child's body develops to a certain degree, they acquire the ability to feel and manipulate Xoul. As I said before, you two are around that age. The easiest way to awaken someone's origin is by directly send Xoul to the origin point. We will start with that."
The questions I had previously wanted to ask were slowly answered. Cal withdrew two green crystals from a bag he had on the chair next to us. There was a light hum emitting from them along with a glow. He handed Zora a crystal first and proceeded to instruct her.
"I imbued these crystals with my own Xoul. Each one has enough for a child of your age to awaken their origin. Start by placing the crystal on your hand and focus on it. Treat the crystal as an extension of yourself, feel for the energy inside, and it will naturally flow into you."
He instructed Zora, his previous loud manner completely disappeared as he spoke to her. Zora furrowed her brows in concentration. She seemed to be struggling, I could tell her annoyance grew as her brows started to twitch.
"Sigh, I can't feel anything yet. Maybe I need to grow a bit more Cal."
"Perhaps, your body may not be developed enough to harness the energy. However, that is completely natural! We will try again at a later date." He spoke gently, reassuring Zora her time would come. I didn't know why but Zora seemed extremely eager to awaken her origin. She looked angry at her lack of development.
'Perhaps she really needs to awaken for some reason. Or she just wants to. It does seem kinda cool.' I thought to myself examining her more.
"All right mystery boy! It's your turn, I'm not sure how your body will react but we will give it a try!"
"I'll be in your care... hehe." I was slightly nervous at his lack of confidence in what would happen. He placed the humming crystal in my hand and told me what she told Zora. I relaxed my body and put all my concentration to the crystal. Closing my eyes I felt around for any sign of power from the crystal, but I found nothing. I decided to give up on just feeling for the energy and began actively seeking it.
Suddenly, the light green aura the crystal emitted began to brighten. My body began to overflow with warmth as I drew more and more energy from the crystal. I energy I took had a mind of its own, It willfully made it's way through my body sending chills down my spine. The energy compressed on one point over my chest and exploded in an array of colors.
I opened my eyes to find Zora and Cal on the floor next to me. The table was blown away and on its side. The chair I was sitting on didn't move, but there was a small crater in the ground from where I sat. My entire body felt refreshed, It felt as if my body had finally absorbed water after being stranded in the desert for a week.
"Wait what just happened? Why are you guys on the ground?' I asked laughing at their position.
"I-I ugh.... I" Cal was at a loss for words. He stared at me with his jaw practically dropping to the floor.
"Was that supposed to happen?" Zora asked just as confused as me.
Cal snapped out of his trance and began to speak.
"No-not normally. A child shouldn't be able to absorb that much energy! The power from the crystal is completely gone." I looked at the crystal still in my hand. The hum and green hue it previously had was completely gone, leaving it black and cold.
"Oh, hehe, well this is awkward...." I said trying to draw attention from myself. Cal collected himself and walked over too me.
"I'm not sure if it's because of your strange origin but you have more Xoul capacity than double what a normal demon child would. You have even more than an elf child, and they are the natural manipulators of Xoul."
He continued on, his eyes burning with curiosity.
"We will relocate for now. The floor needs to be fixed, follow me we will continue as planned." He said gesturing to the door.
Zora and I followed him out the library both confused about the situation. We made our way through the castle and arrived at the training fields.