"So you think you have a way to make them stronger? Is that it, Caligan?"
Selize's voice seemed to resonate in the darkness of the principal's room. The place was taken over by huge windows lined with thick curtains, which obscured all the splendor the director had in his possession. Little could be seen of the velvet carpeting, the mahogany furniture, and the golden busts of former principals.
Standing in front of her desk was Caligan, who for the first time was excited to be in that academy.
"Exactly! From what I saw of the confrontation between the D ranks and the F rank, my theories may be right! No! More than that! I say with all certainty that they are right!"
"Look at that, Selize! Didn't I tell you he was a great addition to this academy?"
Lying anyway on an armchair further back was Amara, who was eating a packet of fries she had just opened. Ignoring the cleric, the headmistress leaned back in her armchair and cracked a provocative smile as she continued.
"Aren't the theories you speak those about power control? Isn't that why you got the budget to build several test rooms all over Rubra? What went so wrong in your theory that everything was abandoned, Mr. Caligan?"
"I thought that if we could control our powers better there might be more possibilities. However I did not imagine that it would be so difficult for the higher ranks to control such power. They get exhausted very easily when trying to shape their energies and their blood seems to demand too much of their bodies. That's when Professor Ilvario came along with his theory of absolute power..." replied Caligan with regret in his words.
"Wait a minute, are you talking about Ilvario Jorge Menezes? The current teacher of the A/S class? Wasn't he your husband, Caligan?" asked Amara, somewhat surprised.
Selize gave the cleric a hard look, who responded with a shrug as she threw a handful of fries into her mouth anyway.
"Professor Jorge's theory is pretty sound. Instead of trying to shape the power, it was better to use it all at once in its most basic form. That's it, isn't it, Professor Caligan?"
"It's more than that, principal. When a high rank releases their power, their blood reacts with enormous force and power. A low rank could injure themselves doing this, because their body couldn't withstand such pressure." explained the animated professor moving his hands around a lot "The higher ranks have more stamina, so they can create these bursts of energy with more force. If the process is simplified they can accumulate much more energy and feel much less tired. So instead of giving several blows with a certain amount of damage, they could give just one with a hundred times the power."
"Wait a minute, so you mean that the theory that helps you get control and favors the low ranks has been forgotten, but the theory that can burst the skin of the low ranks and make the high ranks stronger has still gone forward? Look, professor, you did well to divorce from your husband!" said Amara in a mixture of anger and sarcasm.
"Amara, if you keep acting like this I'm going to have to tell you to get out of this room!" scolded Selize.
"It is not necessary for you to do that, principal." said Caligan as he turned to Amara with a tired look "but what you say, Miss Amara, is not entirely right."
An awkward silence clothed the place. Seized with curiosity, Selize bent forward before asking.
"So you mean that professor Ilvario had other motives?"
"I wouldn't know how to answer that myself, principal Selize. When he went up to the one hundred and twentieth floor of the Tower, he saw something that changed him. After that he created this theory and got the investments. When I said that it might increase the gap between the ranks even more, he didn't seem to care. The only thing he said was that we had to be prepared for what might come one day and that trusting the Architects was madness." the professor turned to Amara and showed a pained look "My Ilvario was one of the people who wanted to end the ranks and all this segregation. If something made him forget that, then the danger indeed is great."
Amara stared at Caligan for a moment, thought carefully, and shrugged, getting up and leaving the room.
"I need to take care of a few things. I'll make sure the weaker classes can take on the stronger ones. As for these theories of power control and all that..." she glanced over her shoulder "We'll put them to use and make it work."
She left the room and closed the huge double door, darkening the place once more. Selize took a deep breath and consulted her cell phone, already sure of what she wanted to do.
"Use the testing room and do what you can. I will help you as much as I am able to. Many may be irritated by what's coming, but there's only one way to make it all work, and that's to stand up to whoever is wrong." she said, standing up and facing the teacher head on.
"I will do my best and thank you for giving me this chance to put my studies into practice... no, more than that, for for forcing me to come teach class D and for making me meet the F rank boy. That changed everything. But... about Mr. Arturis..." he looked at Selize with an expression of curiosity, fear, and desire. "His powers and the way his body works are unusual. Would you allow me to do studies with his blood?"
"Will that benefit my student or will it just harm him? Think carefully about your answer." asked Selize with his green eyes glowing in the dark like a threat.
"Being totally honest, I can't say. But if I am minimally right, that boy will open doors to possibilities never seen before." replied Caligan with sincerity.
Selize stared at the professor for a moment, went to the window and opened the curtain a little, letting the sunlight in and illuminate her face, revealing a calm, confident smile.
"And hasn't he already opened it?"
* * *
Upon hearing that they had something that the higher ranks did not, the entire class was in shock for a moment. That had never been told to them at any time. The day they took the exam that sealed their fate, making clear what kind of life they would have from then on. It was not possible for them to beat a higher rank, for they could never be better at anything than a higher rank.
"Professor, so you mean we can make our powers more flexible? Is that right?" asked Saphyra raising her hand.
"That's right, Miss Vizzora. I can't say for sure, since what I have here is a theory made up by me, but I assure you I have studied hard and the chances are immense."
"But what difference will it make? Even if we can change our power and control it better, there's no way to defeat their power. No amount of control in the world can make us beat a high rank." said a warrior further back.
Soon a chorus of students began to agree with the warrior, but the teacher gestured for them to quiet down.
"Remember what I said. Power is clearly one of the ways to get stronger, but everything else is also part of it!" said the teacher going over to a transparent glass and writing with his finger filled with a bluish energy "Knowledge about the terrain, about weapons, ways of fighting, armor, awareness about your and the enemy's conditions. Anticipation to avoid what would be impossible to react to. Variety to surprise the enemy and strengthen what is weak in you. Control to use your powers in the most effective way at the right moment. Innovation to create new possibilities with what you can do, and finally, the base. Strengthen your bodies, train your basics, train your mind, and rise up. The higher ranks use only the pillar of power, but you will be able to use all of them."
"Professor, and how are we going to use these things to defeat them? Not that I will lose, because I would only lose to the boss. But these things you're teaching don't seem like the way to win a fight." said Hakon without much understanding.
The professor pondered for a moment and then went to the center of the room, which resembled a combat field, but smaller. He turned to Theo and gestured for him to come closer. The boy walked in sleepy steps to him with no idea what he was going to do, but soon the teacher pointed to one of the dolls in front of him and gave the instructions.
"Mr. Someriel, how would a rogue face an enemy like that?"
"Well, professor...(yawn)... he would advance with speed and stick the knife in his eye."
"Can you give a demonstration so the class can see?"
Theo let out a tired sigh and with a shrug went to the weapons table and picked up a dagger, facing the dummy again. The rogue stared at the target in front of him, took a deep breath, and felt the blood rush inside him. Taking a step he advanced at top speed, emerging in front of the dummy and striking it directly on the head, leaving the knife stuck in half.
"Nice demonstration, Mr. Someriel! That was a fast and accurate attack like a good rogue needs to do." said the teacher clapping his hands "now could someone tell me what would have happened if an A rank did that same action?"
"The speed would be much greater and the blow would go right through the dummy's head. Maybe it would even destroy the skull." replied Kaito promptly.
"Exactly. Remember, raw power in an explosion! That's how the higher ranks do it." the teacher turned to Theo once more "now, Mr. Someriel, can you repeat the same attack, but changing whatever you want to change? I will leave the innovation to you."
Theo didn't want to do any of that, but he turned once more to the weapons table and picked up another dagger. The rogue stood facing the dummy, took a deep breath and advanced once more, but now everything had been different. This time he changed direction several times and used his body speed to strike from all sides in a flurry of blows, wounding the dummy on all sides. But more than that, Kaito realized that the blows were not random. Neck, eyes, heart, wrists, were vital places hit with enormous precision.
The rogue wounded his target several times and returned to the same place he was before, all in the blink of an eye. This time the applause was from the entire class who were impressed with the skill of the thief.
"Well done, Mr Someriel! That was perfect! A higher rank rogue would focus on the most effective and short damage. For a higher rank to control his speed and go in so many directions is something very difficult. It can be done with training and dedication, but they will always prefer the easy and fast way. But for a low rank the precision can be enormous. Believe me, even a high rank would have difficulties against strokes like this!" said the teacher going to the dummy, removing the knife from its skull and using its energy to regenerate the damage done.
The whole class was beginning to understand, but more than that, they were beginning to accept it. Kaito knew how they felt, since he felt the same way when he realized he could use his powers differently. They saw possibilities, and when you had that vision the growth was unstoppable.
The professor smiled as he saw that the class was excited about his theory and felt that he was finally doing the right thing. But the moment called for a more serious matter. He gestured for everyone to pay attention and soon the class focused on him.
"As you know in just twenty-eight days we will have a fight against a very powerful class. You need to be better than them and for that we need a good team of five members while the rest of the class trains their indiviuals. So I have made the decision to choose who will be the five members of the team representing class D."
The teacher turned to the glass and wrote name by name with the energy of his finger. However, as he finished the list, everyone was shocked at the names that were there.
1- Hakon Gundahar
2- Erika Blane
3- Theo Someriel
4- Gilliard Romanus
5- Saphyra Vizzora (Captain)
Hakon was excited at the first moment to see that he was one of the chosen ones, but soon realized that Kaito's name was not there, which revolted him at the same instant.
"The boss isn't there? But that's impossible! The boss beat the whole class!"
"I agree with Hakon. I can't understand why Kaito wasn't chosen," Saphyra added uncertainly, "And me being the captain doesn't seem right."
"Oh no... I can't... I just wanted to rest all year..." complained Theo.
Everyone said something, some agreed, still doubting the power of the F rank, but most were confused by the decision. The only person who had said nothing was Kaito, who stared at those writings without understanding.
"Professor, why isn't my name there? I thought it was a requirement of this fight that I participate, and I also thought I had proven myself strong enough."
The teacher looked into his student's grayish eyes, gave a heavy sigh, and replied confidently.
"I don't think you are ready, Mister Kaito. You still lack the stamina to battle in the way we need."
"But I showed that I was capable! I won several times! I trained hard for several months!"
"I will ask that the application for you to be the captain of Class D be withdrawn. When you are more reliable I will put you back in your position."
"I don't accept that! It's not fair!" exclaimed Kaito, facing the teacher.
Professor Caligan stared at the generalist for a moment, took a deep breath and walked over to one of the students, a redheaded haired warrior with spiky hair, placing his hands on his shoulders.
"Then let's do this, Mr Arturis. Beat Mr. Romanus in a duel here and now, and if you do I will change my decision. But if you are defeated you will have to accept what has been decided and listen to my instructions."
Kaito stared at the professor feeling a revolt taking over his chest. He walked in heavy steps to the table and picked up two daggers, going straight to the test center and faced both the professor and Gilliard Romanus, who seemed to be debauching him with a snicker.
"If you want a duel, Professor Caligan..." Kaito spun the daggers in his hands "then a duel you will have!"