Altair looked at Elizabeth in surprise as she casually revealed her connection to an illegal organization. The Goddess of Knowledge was a Secret God, one officially scorned by the Orthodox Churches. Yet a member of that Goddess' Church dared to publicly reveal herself in an environment full of potential enemies?
"Don't look so surprised" Elizabeth chuckled. "While it's true Ingrid is a Secret God, "She" is still highly respected in pretty much every academic field. If the Orthodox Gods truly tried to stamp out "Her" believers, Orvonia would lose 80% of its scholars and technologically stagnate" she explained.
"An important fact to remember when it comes to Secret Gods is that being classified as one does not technically ensure oppression. Chanteur, Ingrid and Fallacy are not allowed to publicly spread "Their" faiths, but "They" are also left alone for the most part. And certain places have actually made concessions and allow the open worship of those Gods."
"The only Secret Gods the Orthodox Churches take a hard line against are Navruavati, Aenrys, Seraphic and Polydorus. "They" are absolutely abhorred by the Orthodox Gods and no clemency will be shown."
Elizabeth finished explaining to Altair the matter about the Gods. He was thankful for the information, even if he hadn't actually asked for it. He was just curious how Elizabeth had gotten i to Sky Cross, but had gotten a short lecture instead...
"Thank you for explaining" Altair said, noticeably more amiable than before. In the end, even if he never asked for it, Elizabeth had done him a favour so Altair decided to return it in kind. Elizabeth smiled and pushed up her glasses.
"It's no problem really, I'm also thankful you listened. Most people tend to find me too talkative or insensitive for rambling on about history and the like. Finding a kindred spirit on my first day must be a good omen!"
Altair found himself liking this blue-haired girl more and more as they walked. The duo talked some more as they continued to head to combat training. Sky Cross' campus was very large, and the training area was isolated from the rest of the buildings, so they had plenty of time to talk as they walked.
True to her own description, Elizabeth was a chatterbox. She mentioned a wide variety of topics and often segwayed between them. Altair learned several interesting tidbits, especially about the Gaia Continent and chaos of the 4th Era.
"So eventually, the tensions between the various Gods resulted in war breaking out between the Continents. Both Orthodox and Secret Gods split from "Their" own groups and backed different Continents. The Races of Orvonia all clashed, with only the Angels refusing to get involved at the start. However, Seraphic the God of Light managed to-"
Her words were cut off by their arrival at the training grounds, causing her to make an expression of regret. Altair showed a similar one, as the story was just getting interesting. The fact that Elizabeth held no prejudice towards him for being so young certainly helped their budding friendship.
The training area was a massive gym the size of a sports pitch. Both Elizabeth and Altair stared in wonder at the size of the hall.
"Are we actually training in such a thing? With only eight of us in the class, it seems quite redundant..." Altair expressed his thoughts upon seeing the space available to them.
Elizabeth nodded her head in agreement. "I've heard that Sky Cross Academy prides itself on always carrying things to the extreme, but this is a bit much..."
You might expect the two children to be less surprised since they had obviously learned the entire city was technically part of Sky Cross, but that was different. Altair had seen very little of the town and rest of the campus, and was unlikely to do so unless he personally went exploring. Yet he would be using this hall every day during his tutelage.
Altair entered the hall and moved towards the present students. Nephelae was standing and staring into space blankly, like a zombie. Alexander was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed while Nezra stood with his hands in his pockets. He turned to Altair and Elizabeth upon their entry before looking away
Altair leaned against the wall and waited for the rest of the students to arrive. After several minutes, all eight kids has arrived. The school bell rang out, signifying the start of the class. The bell brought the combat instructor with it, who came through a different door.
He was taller than Jace and more muscular, but not to the point of exaggeration. His hair was a plain brown and his eyes a shiny green. But the most prominent feature of his were the elongated and pointed ears. He was an Elf.
This was the first member of another Race that Altair had met, causing him to fill with excitement. The other students weren't bothered by the appearance of an Elf at all, though Alexander scowled slightly upon seeing the instructor.
"Greetings students, I am Mr Lindt. For the duration of your first year, I will be your combat instructor. I hope you will learn something from my class."
Mr Lindt's introduction was dry and without interest. His eyes scanned the students but seemed bored. Unlike Ms Quadreign, who had an icy temperament, Mr Lindt seemed detached from his students. Altair felt a similar vibe to Le'garde's emanating from him.
"To begin with, we will be holding a sparring contest. This will allow me to grasp your current capabilities and plan from there. I will call out the pairs now."
"Alexander and Ophelia"
"Nezra and Gordan"
"Elizabeth and Zeze"
"Altair and Nephelae"
The abrupt and authoritarian decision of having them fight took most of the students by surprise. Mr Lindt payed them no mind and simply stood there waiting for the pairs to form. After glancing between each other for several minutes, Zeze was the first to move.
She split from the rest of the group and stood by Mr Lindt's side with an impatient expression, glaring at Elizabeth and telling her to hurry up with her eyes. Elizabeth looked hesitant before she joined her, completing the first duo. With them as an example, the rest followed suite.
The first pair to fight was Alexander and Ophelia. Mr Lindt had said Techniques and Skills could be used, and that he would intervene in case of a serious threat to anyone's life. In other words, everybody shouldn't hold back and just go for the kill.
Everybody watched attentively as the two prepared to face each other, apart from Nephelae who was still staring into empty space like a hollow.
Alexander was still relaxed and unruffled, oozing confidence and certainty. His smile never once vacated his face, though his eyes seemed to shine an eager light. Altair could sense the slight battle intent emanating from the boy, despite his efforts to conceal it. A wooden sword was held in his left hand
Ophelia was calm and focused, her golden eyes steadfast and as smooth as an undisturbed lake. She wielded a wooden, spear with fluent ease, and Altair found her posture exemplary.
Mr Lindt gave a whistle, announcing the start of the match. The contestants looked at each other silently at first, before Alexander slowly approached. His posture remained lax and casual as he stepped nearer and nearer towards his opponent. Ophelia waited for him, getting her double spear into position. When Alexander was only a few feet away from her, Ophelia struck.
The spear struck the sword with a crash, as Alexander deflected the blow. Ophelia retracted the blade before striking forth again, aiming for his lower chest. Alexander stabbed forward as well, using the point of his sword to deflect the spear's and bypass it. When the tip was inches away from hitting her, Ophelia contorted her body and bent backwards, dodging the thrust.
She swung her spear and hit Alexander in the rubs, making him grunt and be pushed to the side. He stumbled a few steps before correcting himself and lunging back at her. Ophelia swing her spear in wide arcs to keep him at bay consistently, making Alexander furrow his brows in annoyance.
He distanced himself as he grinned at Ophelia before speaking. "As expected from a Princess of the Augustus Family. Your skill with a weapon matches my own. But does your usage of Techniques follow that standard?"
The Mana in the hall underwent a subtle shift and began to be pulled towards Alexander as a coat of inky blackness covered his sword. Altair narrowed his eyes, as this was the first Technique he had seen in action. From the looks of it, Alexander had an Affinity for Darkness.
Ophelia turned more solemn as she witnessed this. Deciding to up the ante herself, she too began to manipulate the atmospheric Mana. A dark green hue surrounded the top blade of her spear and solidified as a opaque glass cover. Yet Altair knew that the cover was far stronger than steel and could cut through flesh easily.
'So Ophelia has an Air Affinity...'