Luciel had never been a great theoretical learner. He had to experience something to learn from it, not words and textbooks. This flaw of his was proven during the theoretical afternoon class when he tried his best to absorb every information possible, but not ten minutes after the class ended that he felt he had forgotten almost everything.
The lecture was primarily about the history of the phenomenon called The Hollow and of how Resonators had evolved over the decades. The only reason Luciel didn't fall asleep was because of the trauma of getting beaten up by Elina when he dozed off during her lessons.
Well, there was one other reason. The evaluation next week included a theoretical exam, and if he failed at that despite a good practical score, he would be held back to Class Eight and get thrown in the limbo by Elina. Luciel shuddered, thinking about the hot-headed Elina holding a frying pan and chasing him around the house. Not a good memory, to say the least.
Grabbing the textbooks about Hollow Creatures and The Chasm, Luciel exited the classroom, his shoulder drooping as though he wanted to surrender himself to the world. His exhausted sigh brushed past Violet, who stood in front of the doorway, statue-like.
"Oh! Violet, why are you... standing in front of the door?" Luciel asked, perplexed by her stoic figure blocking the path with a straight face. Without realizing it, a chuckle slipped out of him at the absurdity of the scene.
"I've come to catch you. I know that you're struggling in class," Violet declared, her voice calm and indifferent.
"Ah. So you've been watching me secretly, right?" Luciel teased, the corners of Luciel's lips soared as he locked eyes with her.
"Yes," Violet replied matter-of-factly. "I thought you'd have realized," she said, her tone so unapologetically frank. She tilted her head slightly, tucking a strand of brunette hair behind her ear. "Now come with me to library. You have to study diligently if you want to get into Class Seven. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with me."
Luciel blinked, surprised by her bluntness. She was immune to his teasing. It was no fun to joke around with a straightforward—borderline tactless and airheaded—person like her. She reminded him of Luna but a more restrained version.
"I'm serious," Violet repeated.
Luciel heaved a sigh. "I'm telling you, you're getting into Class Seven this evaluation. I help you refine your control of energy and in turn, you help me brush up for the theoretical exam. You and I are going to make history," Luciel declared, his eyes lightened up. "Just imagine the headline—the duo who conquered Class Seven, first time in history!"
"You're getting ahead of yourself, Luciel. I'm up against a wall," Violet said, her voice tinged with doubt. "The jump from Class Eight to Class Seven is... monumental, combat-wise. Do you know how many cadets make it into Class Seven each year on average?"
Luciel shook his head. He only heard from Elina that the usual case for cadets here were them becoming normal soldiers under the army. Only a handful of elites became high-ranking members of the military or some private military company outside the jurisdiction of South Noxio.
Violet stopped in the middle of the hallway, her face suddenly serious. "Around fifty. The others either become soldiers or abandon the Resonator life and live as a normal citizen. Even so, Class Seven is still mediocre. The only way you can cement yourself as a valuable asset and not an expendable one is by graduating Class Three or above."
"Right. Graduating there grants you a B-Class license, marking your journey as an elite." Luciel mused, pushing her gently toward the library. "I know all that. My mind won't change, no matter how much you try to scare me or yourself. You will get into Class Seven."
Violet sighed, her voice softening. "Perhaps. My goal is to make it to Class One. I just don't know how long," Violet said, her tone lowered with a hint of nervousness. "How long did your sister take to graduate Class One?"
"Six years," Luciel exhaled deeply. "She struggled to jump over to Class Seven, but the moment she made it, she breezed through the academy like it was her own turf." Elina was a monster the academy couldn't contain. Even the Grand Marshal had to realize her potential and nurtured her himself. It turned out spectacular in the end with Elina being a mighty figure in the whole continent.
"The Chasm is a life-changing environment for some people," Violet said thoughtfully. "The abundance of Echo Energy and also Hollow Energy can become food for exponential growth. I think your sister benefited from that."
"I don't know what they're feeding her in there." Luciel shook his head helplessly. "She gets stronger every few months or so. It's unfathomable."
By the time their conversation ended, they had finally arrived at the library. Its size and design were grand and rather ancient compared to the modern design the academy strived for. It must have been an important old building that the academy wanted to preserve.
Violet stopped at the front gate and turned around, facing Luciel with an uncharacteristically intense expression. "Knowledge is important. You want to get into Class Seven and take commissions to get stronger, right? I know you're strong now but just brute force won't do. I definitely don't want you to die a horrible death because you don't know a monster's attack pattern—or, God forbid, what if you fell out of the airship and stuck in eternal damnation of the Outer Echospace?"
Luciel stared at her thoughtfully. Her string of words mixed with seriousness and worry made him want to smile. "Alright, alright. I'll listen to you," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently turning her toward the library. "Study time after school, dinner, and then training. Sounds good?"
"Mm-hmm."
For the next seven days, they followed the schedule to a tee. They studied together in one of the private rooms provided by the library, surrounded by the scent of old books and delicious snacks. They shared meals in overpriced restaurants courtesy of Luciel's wallet instead of the free food in academy's dining hall. At the end of the day, they trained nonstop until their bodies collapsed.
They were inseparable, like they were joined at the hip. Their bond deepened quickly, as if many lifetimes gathered into this life.
On the seventh day, the lights in private training ground were still on at midnight. A couple of ragged breaths echoed, drops of sweat fell onto the warm dirt ground, staining it a deeper shade of brown.
"Haah... I can't hold on any longer," Violet groaned, her voice strained and dry.
"Come on. A couple more rounds. I can still move," Luciel encouraged, his voice attempted to be unwavering, but his chest was puffing in and out.
"You are so intense every time. Give me a break, Luciel." Violet collapsed onto her back, her arms and legs spread out as though she was making a snow angel. "I'm seriously dead after moving my hips like you wanted to."
"But that's how—" He paused, the realization dawning. "Wait. Stop making it so obscene!" Luciel flustered, wagging his arms in protest as he plopped himself down the ground beside her.
Violet looked him straight in the eyes, her body stuck to the floor like she had become one with it. "What're you talking about?" she asked innocently.
"Forget it." Luciel waved his hand. "The test's tomorrow. You nervous?"
"No," she replied confidently. "You're the one who should be nervous. I drilled the basic concepts of everything into your head for a week, yet look at you now."
Luciel scratched the back at his head, letting out a soft smile. "Give me some credit. I didn't do that bad on the previous year's mock test."
"Should I knock some sense into you?" Violet glared. "You barely passed. How could you barely pass when I taught you everything in there? Honestly, I think you have birds for brains. I can't fix you."
"You don't hold back, do you? Where did that sweet and reserved Violet go?" Luciel flashed a sly grin, leaning back on his hands and staring at the starless sky.
"You're... so frustrating," she said, sighing helplessly. She had indeed tried her best. She had even written a notebook specifically for the exam just for Luciel. It had all kinds of information categorized and highlighted beautifully. It was the first time she wanted to do something for someone, but this fellow was too helpless!
He looked so cool when dominating in the training ground and then be the complete opposite when facing against books and words.
Seeing Violet speechless, Luciel pulled his face close toward hers. "You worry about yourself, okay? I got this. I work well under pressure."
"Yeah?" she provoked Luciel as she looked at his beautiful eyes hanging above her. "Answer me this. At what percentage does your RSF reach the critical level when staying at the fourth zone of the Echospace?"
"Uh... 20%?" Luciel answered timidly.
"Wrong. 14.5%. Resonance Force, or RSF, is what protects you from Hollow Energy. When it reaches 14.5%, get to the safe zone immediately. Now, what happens if your RSF is depleted?" Violet continued with her barrage of knowledge.
"You become a Sunken," Luciel answered confidently.
"Wrong."
"What?" His eyes widened, puzzled by her reply. "I swear that's the right answer."
Violet shook her head. "You're susceptible to becoming a Sunken. You don't become a Sunken immediately. Your Echo Energy becomes an immune system that combats against Hollow Energy as the last resort. When it fails, you become a Sunken and turn into a beast. Most cases are death," she explained, her tone flat and serious. "Final question. Which creature creates a poisonous field that sucks in Echo Energy to feed itself? This one should be easy."
Luciel's eyes brightened up. He knew the answer. "Gluttonous Vermillion Bird. Index code III-007."
"Good job," Violet heaved a sigh of relief. She then sat up in pain with Luciel's help. "Let's go home. I'm sleepy."