"When you comprehend a Law, two things will happen. First, you will gain the ability to Fabricate that Law… Or in other words, it will become a part of your being. And second, the heavens themselves will recognize your achievement, releasing an Echo for the world to see."
The blank stare on Mikhail's face made it clear that the word Echo in that context meant nothing to him.
"An Echo is a burst of energy that comes from out of the core of your being. They come in all sorts of colors, and aren't unique to comprehending a Law. To differentiate this Echo from a normal echo, let's say the burst of energy has a capital E and the normal one doesn't."
"Anyway... Breakthroughs of any kind are usually accompanied by Echoes, and there are different types as well."
"There are Shine Echoes, Burst Echoes, Grand Echoes, and then Majestic Echoes."
Shine Echoes are the least impressive, only being a soft glow.
Burst Echoes were slightly more impressive, being large shockwaves of energy that spread into the environment.
Grand Echoes were a step further, combining the previous two echoes so that a glow hugged the person's figure while a shockwave shot out into the environment.
And then, lastly, there were the Majestic Echoes.
It started off like a Grand Echo, but ended with a titanic burst of Aether that shot high into the air like a beacon.
"So, what's the point of the different Echoes?"
"That… No one really knows. My guess is that it's a way for the heavens to keep track of things, but I could be wrong since their machinations are beyond me."
Her gaze drifted down to the ground between them for a second after she said that, and Mikhail had a feeling their conversation was over when she grimaced.
"Time to go?"
She nodded. "Time to go, young Mikhail."
"Thank you for the lesson. I will see you tomorrow."
He got up and left, going down to the muscle refinement room.
***
Mikhail grabbed hold of the same spear he had used last time. The Onyx Spear as he had come to learn.
Its namesake came from its onyx tip, also known as Shade-Stone to the less learned individuals of the tribe.
All the weapons were like that, composed of some sort of elemental stone. Simple trinkets meant to enhance one's awakened elements. If they had awakened any.
But since Mikhail could not awaken one currently, it didn't really matter which one he used.
He shambled back over to the arena and quickly picked out his opponent.
Tybalt.
The blond teenager looked at him with an incredulous expression. "Seriously, man? You think you can step up to me while you're looking like that?"
"It's worth a try," Mikhail said with a slight grin, taking on a shoddy battle stance.
"Jeez… Well, fine. You asked for it."
Tybalt got up from the ground, lifting his battle-axe off the ground with a sly grin.
"Let's go!"
Before he had even lifted it up all the way, Tybalt charged forward, nearly catching Mikhail off guard.
"Dick!"
Mikhail hopped to the left, dodging the diagonal upwards slash. And then, he returned the favor by bringing the spear down on Tybalt's head.
Bonk.
Tybalt's head was thrown down, causing him to tumble forward first and fall down entirely second.
With the young man now prone, Mikhail had a clear shot from behind. He fumbled turning the spear upside down, nearly losing grip of it, but caught it last second for a very weak stab downwards.
The teenager rolled to the side before Mikhail could get his hit in, and he retaliated by swinging the axe straight into Mikhail's ankle.
The man's skin stretched to accommodate the axe, not taking even a little bit of damage. Yet the same could not be said for his muscles…
His muscles were ripped apart by the force behind the axe's swing, causing a ghastly bruise to appear and making Mikhail grit his teeth in an uncomfortable grimace.
"Fucking hell…"
Mikhail tried not to let the pain shake him, but the sensation of shifting his weight immediately threw that possibility out of the window. The pain caused his body to seize up, and in the next instant, Mikhail's vision went dark.
And in seemingly another instant, he was awoken by a slap.
"Hey, buddy! Nap time is over!"
Tybalt's face was the first thing Mikhail could see through his barely opened eyes.
He frowned, pretending to get up groggily… He could still feel the wood of the spear in his grasp, and he was about to make use of it. It was at a bit of an awkward angle, but he could rise up and smack him in the head again.
And, in fact, he did just that.
With the flick of his wrist, the spear swung through the air and smacked into the back of Tybalt's head again.
It was like a light tap in comparison to the last one, but that momentary distraction was all that Mikhail needed to throw himself up and off the ground, landing in a very painful squat position.
The momentarily distracted Tybalt quickly readied his axe to fight back, but Mikhail kicked the young lad right in the knuckles, causing him to drop the weapon as loud popping noises reached Mikhail's ears.
"Argh!"
Tybalt let out a pained grunt, and Mikhail didn't hesitate to seize the opportunity, quickly reeling his spear backwards before thrusting it straight into Tybalt's abdomen.
The spear was met with heavy resistance as Tybalt's skin stretched, but Mikhail began charging forward, skewering the young man straight through.
Tybalt stumbled backwards, but rather than fall over like Mikhail expected, he broke the pole sticking out of his stomach and back, gaining another weapon.
"Ah, shit!"
Mikhail kicked the wood still sticking out of his bleeding stomach, causing Tybalt to reel from the intense pain. And then, Mikhail ducked under a stab of his own spearhead, grabbing his opponent's axe in the process.
And then, with a move mirroring his opponent's first, he swung upwards at a diagonal angle, the axe's sharp edge slamming into the side of Tybalt's jaw.