Loud and lively claps come from behind August as he turns to find out the source. Void is walking toward August while clapping to celebrate his win.
"That was a splendid display August."
Jasper runs up to him out of nowhere and gets way too close to his face, "Me next!" his face is positively beaming with an awestruck expression.
"You should at least give him time to rest," Zachry interjects.
"Fuck that shit. I wanna fight him now."
"Language. Don't you think it would be best if he got some rest so you could fight him at full power? That way if you win he can't say that he was exhausted." Zachry explains.
'Did he just say language? What, is he from the 19th century or something?' August looks at Zachry weirdly.
"I hate it when you're right…" Jasper pouts like a child.
"In any case, I think we should continue with the practicals. Jasper, you're up next." Void says as he fiddles with the golem's control panel.
"RECONSTRUCTING BODY. RECONSTRUCTING TRAINING HALL."
As time itself is reversed, the hall slowly begins repairing itself as the golem becomes liquid.
'Oh… This is so convenient. I wonder if this function runs through the entire building.'
Upon completion a flash of light envelopes the entire hall. The light fades and the hall is completely fixed along with the golem who's in its original bulky form.
"I no longer have any interest in that golem," Jasper says as he turns his head in dismissal.
"This golem is a good source of experience without the risk of being killed. Your personal feelings have nothing to do with it." Zachry states.
"Hah. Experience? I already have enough of that."
Jasper points his hand to the ceiling and he begins releasing cold blue energy from his palm. He grabs hold of it and it solidifies. The blue energy takes the form of a great bow made of ice. He aims it at the golem and pulls back on the blue string. Three arrows of cold energy appear out of thin air, and icy winds swirl around him as the temperature in the hall begins falling.
'Ice manipulation, huh? One of the more simplistic elements. Fundamentally the same as earth and metal, but its fragility and the fact that it's easily sensible makes it mediocre at best. And will he fire those at a golem made completely out of steel? Stupidity at its finest.' August examines Jasper's attack.
The arrows start spinning rapidly as he lets them loose on the golem. The three arrows fly straight and true as swiftly as possible. The golem tries to shoot them down but the arrows deviate abnormally and evade the aether blasts.
The arrows still manage to hit their target. The first arrow easily drills its way through the golem's head while the second and third drill through its torso. However it doesn't end there, the arrows swerve around and penetrate the golem's body over and over again. The golem tries to defend itself but ultimately falls to the ground riddled with holes.
"MATCH OVER. WINNER JASPER CARLYLE RANKED HIGH SQUIRE."
'Interesting… What sublime usage of his ability. The amount of aether needed to create ice hard enough to penetrate steel is absurd. It seems I misjudged him, his application, awareness, and mastery over his element are almost the same as mine. It seems I've already found one.'
Elsewhere, at one of the many infirmaries at the academy, an unconscious Leo finally begins to wake.
He lifts himself off the rigid bed. In a groggy state, he rubs his head to soothe his mind-numbing headache.
"Ughh… What the hell happened?" He asks expecting no answer.
"I'll tell you what happened."
The sudden answer startles Leo as he looks to his left and sees Fredrick, his father, glaring down at him.
"F-Father!"
An ugly and twisted expression appears on Fredrick's face as he knitted his brows in anger upon hearing Leo's words.
"I told you to only address me as Lord Ashfrey!" Frederick almost sounds like he's barking orders at a mangey mutt much less his flesh and blood.
Leo shrinks back at his father's words, "I-I'm sorry… L-Lord Ashfrey…"
"You lost to a peasant such as him without any educational background. To think you would lose to someone who isn't one of the heirs. You truly are the same as your mother, you worthless bastard."
"I underestimated him… it won't happen again."
"You're right it won't happen again. And we'll make sure of that."
"We?" Leo asks curiously.
"Yes, we'll make sure you never lose a fight again my dear boy~," A hunched old man says as he enters the room.
The sun's slant rays gave the city a warm orange tinge. The hallways of the academy are bathed in orange light.
Zachry, Jasper, and August march through the lonely hallway in a serene silence on their way to the dorms. August kept his hair in a ponytail with a few loose strands of hair on both sides. He trails behind the other two with a rather serious expression.
Zachry turns his head to look at August to initiate some sort of small talk and their eyes meet. They say that eyes convey emotions, the language of the soul. And the feeling Zachry gets from looking into those eyes…
'Such an overbearing ego…' He thinks almost as if he's in a trance.
"Something the matter?" August asks.
His question snaps Zachry back to reality, "Oh, I just wanted to ask you where you're from?"
'That's kinda gay dude…' Jasper thinks as he surveys the situation.
"You're quite the curious one aren't you?"
"I prefer the term inquisitive." He says as he adjusts his glasses.
"I'm a traveler… from a foreign land. A small island to the west of this continent."
'A small island to the west…? To the west…?' Zachry ponders as they start to climb a spiral flight of stairs.
"Then does that mean you crossed Brinhelm's Gulf?"Jasper asks with an intrigued expression
"Yeah…" He answers vaguely.
"What reason could you possibly have in mind to make you venture through such a place? It couldn't have been just to study at this academy, could it?" Zachry asks in a deeply concerned manner.
August comes to a stop at the archway leading to the male dorms. His abrupt stop halts the other two in place as well. The towers surrounding the archway cast long, dark veils of shadows that enshroud the archway.
"Not exactly," He answers silently, "I came here in search of The Solace Library." He states bursting with desire.
Once again Zachry met his eyes. And this time, in the darkness of the shadows, they gave off a faint luminous red.
"The Solace Library? I've never heard of such a place. The only library around these parts would be the Reverie Athenaeum. I can take you there in the morning if you want." Zachry answers, pulling himself out of a trance.
"That would be much appreciated." He says as he bows slightly.
They arrive at their dorm room moments later. Jasper opens the door to a shocking but very welcoming surprise. The room that used to be depressingly institutional with an overall rustic feel to it has been transformed to accommodate the new student.
The room now has a predominantly golden color scheme with lavish Victorian architecture. A wonderful and regal feeling permeates every corner of the room. And to call it a room now would be an understatement. A large yet empty common area sprawled out before them with two circular staircases on both sides.
The circular staircase led to their rooms which are empty, blank canvases except for the bed of course. Although small and airy, each room had a personal bathroom and a tiny walk-in closet.
"Oh. It seems they've renovated the place already." Zachry says in a calmly shocked manner.
"In such a short amount of time?" August questions.
"Yeah. It's the work of Headmaster Ashfrey. He can manipulate space to a certain degree. Didn't you feel the sudden shift in the concentration of aether when you entered the room?"
"Yeah I understand how he made the space larger but he couldn't possibly have changed the layout of the room to such an extent." August challenges.
"That's the work of the artifact used to create the building. Same with the Grand training hall, all rooms and areas within the building can be reconstructed or renovated easily."
'So I guessed correctly after all, but what kind of artifact could hold such power? It couldn't possibly be… could it?'
"Hey since you're a foreigner and all. You must have seen all kinds of things on your way here right?" Jasper who's now shirtless asks enthusiastically.
August goes to answer him but pauses after seeing the tattoos on his chest. They're made up of what appears to be a large tree in the center of his chest whose roots entangle with the branches that form a circle around it. The tree is then surrounded by six angelic wings varying in size.
'He's a descendant of the Northern Viking Tribes…'
"I've seen quite a lot on my way here. I took the time to visit most of the cities on the way. I've learned about their culture and listened to their tales of old. The monsters, the fauna, as well as the natural formation of the land are such beautiful things to behold. In my eyes, the act of confining yourself to the city limits is pure treachery towards mother earth." August says religiously.
"So what you're saying is that all people living a peaceful life in the cities should be executed for treason?" A serene and effeminate voice challenges.
They all look towards the top of the circular staircase where the voice came from. And standing there is the third student in the class peering down at them with magnificent golden eyes. Although the third student is a male, his features would tell you otherwise.
"You're finally awake," Zachry says as he turns to look at August, "This is Clover Metyr. He's a gentle soul, even though he keeps for most of the day."
'A gentle soul? No, a snake perhaps.'
He glances at August one last time before turning around and entering the room on the far left.
"He should stop sleeping so much, he needs to stay limber. Contrary to what I just said, I think it's time we all went to bed." Zachry advises, "We have a lot to do tomorrow so let's get as much rest as we can."