Once I had a rough plan in mind and completed my advanced studies, I indulged in a warm shower.
The water was like the gentle caress of a significant other on my skin. I felt fulfilled, and the stress that I was experiencing dissipated as the droplets fell rhythmically and without pause.
I took deep breaths and miraculously entered meditation while I showered. Mana flowed into me and coursed through the pathways in my body. I could feel my mana slowly accumulating and widening my reserves.
It was a beautiful sensation.
Only after I experienced this feeling fully did I allow my shock to affect me.
"Wow,"
To think that the calming effect of showers could help me enter Moving Meditation... I didn't remember adding such a minute detail.
It was an unexpected yet pleasant surprise.
I thus got out of the shower with steam still rising from my body. I then got dressed in my uniform, pulled my hood over my face, and headed out.
...
It was nearing midday in this region of the world. The sunlight that seeped through the overhead canopy was harsh. They were like spotlights, shining beams of light onto the stone pathway.
As I brought one foot in front of the other, I came across a familiar face.
"Sylfie!" I called out to the only person I could call a friend in this world. Talking to her soothed my soul.
She was, after all, the second main character of [ Evergreen Passage ]. Different from Virion, she held a special place in my heart.
I fashioned her story after the first anime that had fuelled my desire for tragedy. Rest in peace to the raiders of the night.
But that plotline had only blossomed in Volume 2, so it's safe to say that nothing was going to happen to her just yet. Well, there was going to be that one event, but it would be a necessary one for her path.
I wondered when it would occur. Would it be pushed forward or would it happen at the same time it did before?
"Oh! Cael?" Sylfie turned around and smiled at me, "Which class are you heading to?"
"Applied Mana Manipulation." I answered, "Near the coliseum. What about you?"
"Same! What section are you from? Could it be that we're going to be classmates?" She clapped her hands together. A glimmer of excitement flashed in her eyes.
I already knew that we were going to be classmates the moment I saw my section.
"A1." I grinned.
Sylfie was like an excited little puppy when she heard this.
"Yes! Finally!" She beamed before pouting, "People have been excluding me from their groups so I haven't been able to make any friends. Then, you haven't been showing your face and young master Virion has been very busy with his training recently. I have no one to hang out with when we're not eating."
"Aha," I let out a chuckle and patted Sylfie on the shoulder. "I had errands to run and places to visit. I'm sorry, Sylfie. I'm getting out of my last class at around six in the evening. Wanna work on next week's requirements together?"
"Hmmm... Sure~" Sylfie hummed, "I have a few snacks that you might like. I got them when I went around the city last Sunday."
I licked my lips. Ah, snacks. I was growing fond of Emerallia's flavours. The promise I made to explore the tastes of the world was still on the table.
And with Sylfie's help, I would be able to fulfil such a conviction with greater convenience. She really liked trying different kinds of food out. I was just going to leech off of her hobby.
"Alright," I nodded, "I'll look forward to that."
We then chatted while we walked. We mainly talked about what we thought Applied Mana Manipulation was going to be like. I kept dropping pieces of the truth I knew.
We even made a bet of 10G on whose guesses would be more accurate. I was surely going to win the bet, but I played along.
Being another 10G richer wouldn't hurt me, after all.
As we conversed, however, I sensed a few gazes lingering on our forms for a little too long than I felt was safe. It seemed like the main trigger for Sylfie's story was going to occur in the coming days.
...
Applied Mana Manipulation started out like how all the classes went. But its orientation was simpler. As usual, our instructor was a wizard. The relentless scholars of the world truly dominated the academic scene.
To the point that even my Martial Theories class was taught by a wizard.
Anyways.
Hooded and mysterious-looking, Wizard Lu gave us only a few sentences worth of orientation.
"In this Applied Mana Manipulation class, we will be discussing three foundational skillsets. By the end of the class, you will all be able to manipulate a mana clone of yourselves using mana that would be at least Rank E- in quality. I hope you will all achieve this in the months to come."
His monotonous tenor echoed throughout the room as he flipped the pages on a tome he was reading through on the side.
I sighed as I took notes in my notebook. Wizard Lu was a talented wizard but a bad teacher. He would always be studying something else while he taught his classes, making things quite dry and boring.
"Let us begin with the first foundational skillset today. Inner Mana Flow..."
Wizard Lu's droning filled my ears.
"...There is no way for me to demonstrate this without..."
Hearing it all allowed my eyelids to grow heavy.
"...Remember, Inner Mana Flow is the process in which..."
If not for my desperate need to take notes, I would have surely fallen asleep.
"...Once mastered, any action you make with your mana will hasten..."
His voice was akin to a lullaby that I could barely resist.
"...Your mana will become less viscous and more fluid. It will be more refined, thus allowing you all to..."
...Thud—!
Eventually, the impact of two thick bunches of paper sounded out, shaking the entire class awake. Sylfie, who was beside me, straightened up in surprise.
"...And that ends the class. See you all next week. Please practice what I had shown earlier. There will be a short test at the start of our next class."
The torturous class was finally over. I was suddenly filled with energy.