The violet light began to fade.
It was well obvious now that the once rich and lush forest had been irrevocably erased.
The devastating destruction had ravaged the earth, reducing swathes of the greeny woodland to nothing more than dust and ash.
The enchanted top-tier armor Grey was tasked with "denting" hadn't escaped devastation either.
Reduced to a molecular level, it lay shattered amidst the devastation.
The students stood in disbelief as they stared at the catastrophic aftermath caused by Grey's attack.
"Im... Impossible..."
"This guy's... Overpowered..."
A collective gasp escaped their lips, as they processed the unfathomable display of destruction.
Sera's eyes wide in shock.
She took hesitant steps towards Grey, maneuvering through the displaced debris with trepidation.
"Did... did you really do that?" she stammered, her gaze fixed on the obliterated expanse before them.
Grey turned to face her and grinned. With a swagger, he extended his thumb upward, signaling his victory. "You betcha!" he said in a high-pitched friendly tone.
Adrian, observing the exchange from the group of students, furrowed his brow as he pondered the implications of the destruction.
He shifted his gaze to their instructor who appeared baffled by the magnitude of the upheaval.
"Sir," Adrian asked, "how'd you plan on explaining this one to the academy's board?"
Grievious let out a beleaguered sigh, mopping his wrinkly brow of cold sweat as he composed himself.
"They'll likely overlook it. After all, the NewGate clan's reputation does carry some weight. Besides, I... I reckon Grey's family can foot the repair costs without much trouble."
Adrian nodded thoughtfully. "Hm, I suppose that makes sense."
As for Sera, she wasn't so easily persuaded.
"It... It doesn't make any sense...!" she interjected adamantly. "Your magic focuses on refinement, not sheer potency. Even with a 10% breakthrough on his casting limitations, this level of chaos shouldn't have been possible!"
Her accusatory finger pointed to the ravaged forest.
Grey, nonchalant as ever, stuffed his hands in his pockets with a casual shrug. "Ah, you're mistaken," he retorted confidently. "What you witnessed was simply the result of refining my magic technique to make it stronger."
"Refining it to make it stronger..." Sera repeated. "What're you babbling about...?" she narrowed her eyes at him interrogatively.
"When I released the temporal mass projectile, I applied positive temporal energy to cause divergence as the mass traveled through time... Think of it like shooting an arrow that splits into multiple directions mid-flight. So, when the mass hit the armor, the conflicting temporal energies induced rapid and chaotic temporal fluctuations within the armor. Then, its molecular bonds weaken and break down, causing erasure."
"What?" said Sera with a breaky voice.
As Grey strolled past her, he placed a hand on her shoulder and in a playful tone, he left her with one more thing.
"Not to mention, with my casting limitations, I barely scratched the surface... I only used 50% of my magic technique's full potential."
Sera's eyes widened in stunned realization.
"Wait... You're saying caused all this with just 50%?" she murmured to herself.
As Grey walked away, he raised a playful finger and remarked, with a smile in his voice, "Thaaaat's correct!"
Sera, her eyes locked on the annihilated forest, was lost in her disbelief.
"No...." she managed to breathed out.
Meanwhile, Grey approached Grievious.
His demeanor shifted into a facade of contrition.
"Sorry about the damage, Gramps," he quipped in a teasing tone, "I'll tell the board to send the repair bills to my family."
"N-No problem..." Grievious reassured Grey as his own way of suppressing the visible tension.
Paying no heed to Grievious' discomfort, Grey chuckled and gently patted him on the shoulder. "You're looking a bit worked up there," Grey observed with a smirk. "You can relax," he added in an almost dismissive manner.
"I am relaxed." Grievious insisted.
Grey then dispelled his jesting attitude.
He bowed his head respectfully, "I'm sorry for disrespecting you earlier," he admitted, his expression sincere. "Sometimes I can get carried away and say things I don't mean."
Grievious cleared his throat, rubbing his white beard thoughtfully. "It's fine," he assured Grey, "I didn't take much offense to it."
As Grey straightened up, he breathed a sigh of relief and rested a hand on his chest. "Okay, safe," he asserted, appeased by Grievious' response.
Turning towards Sera, who was still heavily shocked, Grey extended an invitation.
"I'd be happy if we could have fun together in the Advanced Classes," he offered with a casual wave.
It was also his own way of telling her that - since he passed the test, he expected them to now accept him as a serious student of the Advanced Classes.
With that, he yawned, "Huh... Looks like the sun's about to set." Then, Grey stretched his arms as he added, "I don't wanna spend any more time in school than I already have today."
The Advanced Classes for the day came to an end.
As everyone changed into their uniforms and returned to their dormitories, Grey slipped into his black and white uniform, draping his blazer over one shoulder.
Adrian, still wearing his shoes, watched Grey depart with an unreadable expression, taking note of his departure.
Another student chimed in, "Hey Adrian, you wanna stop by the hotdog stand before heading back?"
Sharply, Adrian donned his always warm smile. "Yeah, sounds good."
...
The sun began to dip beneath the horizon.
Grey strolled through the serene streets of Blue Hills, his steps animated and carefree.
He paused at a small intersection, unwrapping a bright pink lollipop and popping it into his mouth.
His eyes moved to the other lollipop in his hand and he let out a sigh. "Jeez, bought an extra one again," he mumbled to himself, running a hand through his black hair. "I really should stop doing that, unless I really want diabetes."
He couldn't help but chuckle at his own words.
As he savored the sugary sweetness, he made his way back to the high-end condo complex.
Several students from his school were returning to their respective units, and Grey was met with a mix of greetings and glares from his peers.
The girls waved at him and he flashed them a charming grin, returning their salutations with a wave of his hand.
"Ladies," he said.
The boys, on the other hand, sent him disgruntled looks and muttered under their breaths, but Grey simply shrugged it off.
Upon reaching his living quarters, he turned the doorknob and hollered, "I'm home!"
Through the modern glass door, his gaze fell on Anna, his little sister, who was wearing a cute teddy bear apron. She was leaning against the kitchen island, her hands firmly planted on her hips as she narrowed her eyes at Grey.
"Huh, what'd I do now?" Grey asked, looking exhausted.
Anna let out a grumble and pointed a spatula at him. "You're late, and now your food's gone cold," she scolded.
Grey chuckled and held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, sis, Advanced Classes today were really something," he explained.
"What? Big brother, you're in the Advanced Classes?" Anna's eyes widened with surprise.
She rushed over to him and took his hands excitedly.
"I can't believe it! You didn't even tell me!"
Grey scratched his head.
"Well, it just kinda happened today. I didn't even know I was in them until now."
Anna's eyes sparkled as she dropped her spatula, clapping her hands together.
"Wow, big brother's so awesome!" she grinned.
Grey chuckled at her enthusiasm and blushed a bit at the attention.
"Huh? Why're you so surprised? You know how strong I am."
She then explained to him about the usual procedure of getting grades in theory and practical exams to enter Advanced Classes and how he didn't have to go through that.
"Oh?" said Grey as he rubbed his chin.
"It's a big deal, you know," she added.
"I see," he responded.
"Well, I'll go warm your food now!"
Grey smiled. "Thanks."
Anna saluted Grey and then dashed off to warm his food.
Exhaling with relief, Grey sank into the sofa, staring up at the ceiling with a thoughtful gaze.
"What a day..."
He then sighed.
...
Meanwhile,
In the Royal Hills, a location within Lyronia Magic Academy.
Elsinia was in a grand chamber.
The room was dimly lit and peaceful.
Elsinia sat in the center, clad in a semi-transparent white linen garment that slightly revealed her spotless, naked body.
Behind her, a woman gently channeled mana into an intricate tattoo emblazoned on the top right corner of her back.
As the woman directed the potent mana into the magic seal, it glowed with an intense, vivid purple light, causing Elsinia to wince in pain, her expression etched with discomfort.
"Sorry, my lady," the woman said.
A few meters away, Mildred watched with concern as she observed the proceedings.
"Are you okay?" Mildred asked.
There was no response from Elsinia.
This made Mildred sad as she knew Elsinia's unresponsiveness was because she wasn't happy.
When the process reached its conclusion and the woman finally stood up.
"Thanks again for today," said Mildred as she bowed her head.
The woman simply nodded. "It's fine."
Then, she took her leave.
Mildred walked over and asked Elsinia, "How are you feeling, Young Miss?"
Expectedly, Elsinia remained silent, her eyes distant as she struggled to stand.
Gently attempting to assist her, Mildred offered her help, "Let me help you, Young Miss."
One of her many ways of expressing her concern.
"It's fine, I can do that myself."
Elsinia's voice was dismissive.
Finally, she managed to stand unaided.
Donning the white linen robe which awaited her on a small stool nearby, she cinched it at the waist, announcing to Mildred, "I need some sleep before classes tomorrow, so don't disturb me.."
Slowly, Mildred bowed her head. "I... I understand," she spoke with pain.
Returning her gaze to the door, Elsinia departed, not even sparing Mildred so much as a brief nod before closing the door.
Left in the room, Mildred released a heavy breath, muttering to herself, "I'm sorry, Miss Elsinia, this is all for your own good."
Her expression was taut with uncertainty.