Yesh Academy
Luna, Terra
Gaea Solar system
Milky way Galaxy
Neutral Free Zone
February 27th 2019
Weeks had passed by, and yet Sam had still not made any effort to progress her Magical skills. She still did not know what to do with the Mass of energy she was always channeling into her Soul Realm. And the system or whatever the blasted window shit was, did not help or give her any clues as to what she should do. Sam read the book Emily had given her. She had finished reading it, though she had no clue as to what the rest of the information meant when she was still stuck in the prerequisite stage. All she had managed to do with the mass of energy was to use it to strengthen her body. A basic Magic strengthening spell. She didn't need that not when she had Odic enhancement from the Mystic arts which she was excellent at. Every day Sam would meditate, infuse her body system with Od, and store away the excess within her Soul core, which also strengthened her Odic force. This was a daily routine she had done while she entered her soul realm to practice the Martial arts that the system had given her. Sam was at high minor mastery of the martial arts as she had learned the second form of the martial arts. And yet, her progress with magic was stagnant. And what was worse...
"Yes, Henry, that's it," Emily said clapping her hands as Henry executed a perfect Magical geometric formula that produced a gale of wind twisting around his palm. It seemed that Henry had a knack for magic to the point that he was the only one out of two students who had formed a second magic circle. He was now a second-circle Wizard. Though of the low stage. The other student to reach the second circle was Trynr. Trynr was a wonderful skilled Magic user, and it helped that she had the Magic crest of her family to boost her skills. The rest of the class was still within the first circle while Sam.... Sam didn't even want to think about it. Sam had not liked the idea of Henry being in the Academy with her, but now that he had shown a great gift for it, she didn't think that the school would let him go. Emily was of the same mindset. She now understood why Phoebe had granted Henry permission to attend the course. Henry was a one-in-a-million chance. While humans were the weakest of the Nine races, Emily knew that humanity was capable of adapting. They were able to adapt to any situation or environment by learning and growing from it. This growth had led to some of them producing what was known as Geniuses. Humans who were excellent in one field of occupation such as scientists, Inventors, scholars, warriors, and Wizardry. Most of the groundbreaking technological growth that the Federation had experienced came from the ingenuity of humanity. The Humans were welcomed within the Federation based on how much worth they brought to the Federation. Emily had seen it for herself. She studied Henry's Magic circle that he had manifested to cast the Level two spell. Fire was an element of destruction as such most of its spells began with a Level two incantation. Henry held a paint brush which he had used to manifest the circle with his Mana. The use of items to aid in casting magic was a normal thing for Wizards, such as the use of wands, talismans, or staves. But a paintbrush. She had never seen such a thing before. It was unorthodox, to say the least. well, the guy is a professional painter, so she guessed it was the best way for him to express himself. That was what magic was about anyway. A tool for one to express their will to the world. Emily turned to Trynr the other student who had made great progress. Though it was to be expected since she was in Inehritor, Emily was also caught off guard by her growth. She was both a Beastman and a Human, both races that sucked at Magic, yet her skill was well above the average for even a Fae or an Elven. Her skills were obviously above that of Henry and it was thanks to the Magic crest and her innate talent. She moved to Sam, whose face was downcast. She had yet to figure out what to do with the mass of energy she had converted into mana. Even with the book telling her to condense the energy, and mold it into a star like the humans mold their mana into a circle within their body, Sam had no idea how to do it. Emily didn't blame her. Unlike the rest of her classmates, Sam was unfortunately or fortunately stuck with the largest collection of mana that blew even Emily's mind. She had felt the amount Sam would always convert whenever she siphoned Od from the Odyllic. The Mass was extraordinary. And because of that, Sam couldn't handle it. She would have to figure out a way to condense the energy, otherwise, she would not be able to use Magic.
****
Sam spent the rest of the day meditating in her room, trying to figure out what to do with the ball of mana in her soul realm. She had tried to create the Star system, the equivalent of an Awakened circle system, but whenever she tried imbuing her will on the energy, it just wouldn't stick. She spent most of the afternoon trying to work on it, and she missed lunch and dinner. She had moved on to practicing her Flow control, doing something in which she could progress. It made her feel good as her Od control was steadily improving. Even though she hadn't eaten for most of the day, the infusion of Od in her body, sustained her, making Sam feel rejuvenated and energized. After a while of practice, she was done. Sam stood up from the floor, flexing her fingers. Her muscles had grown stronger, sturdier, and lighter as the Odic infusion empowered her. She felt like her base strength without any enhancement was a lot stronger than even the most athletic bodybuilder in the world. It felt weird having all these powers and not knowing what to do with them. Sam was about to summon the window to look at her stat, but a knock came. She opened the door to see Emanu outside. She was in a red sweater, and skirt, with a red boot. Her look was so fierce and loud, with all the red she wore. Sam had changed from her uniform to a blue hoodie and jeans.
"What are you doing here on a Friday night," Emanu said. "You should be enjoying the last day of class for the week, not brooding in here."
"Um!...In my room. We're inside the Moon. Is not like there are a lot of places for socializing," Sam said. "And I don't brood."
"You so do. But that's what makes you you, I suppose," Emanu said with a smile as she grabbed Sam's arm and pulled her out of her room. Sam had gotten used to the friendly approach that Emanu had whenever she was with Sam. She was still suspicious of why Emanu acted and felt too familiar for someone she just met weeks ago but she didn't bring up the question. She left it in the back of her mind as it was nice to have a friend for once in her life. Well, she had one with Rosa. But things had gotten too complicated after she had broken up with her. Emanu led Sam to the Elevator which then teleported them to the courtyard. As they walked, Emanu talked about how glad she was at Sam's progress. That Sam was progressing at a fast pace for someone who just learned about Od recently. Sam wondered if she should ask Emanu for clues on how to improve her magic. She told her about her situation. Emanu listened tentatively, nodding her head as Sam spoke about her problem.
"So do you have any clue as to how I can condense my mana into Stars," Sam said.
"I'm sorry Sam, but magic isn't really my thing," Emanu said with a small chuckle.
"You don't have magic," Sam said.
"I have the Mystic and martial arts and the Bloodline ability I inherited from my parents," Emanu said. "But I never bothered to learn the Arcane arts," Bloodline ability. Sam had seen something like that in her status but she had no idea what it meant.
"What's a bloodline ability," Sam asked.
"Oh! It's an innate power that Awakened Mystics possess that is born within them due to their bloodline," Emanu said. "While some bloodline abilities are innate, they can also be inherent in people who have special bloodlines. Since Pleiadians are the only race that can awaken, they have a classification of bloodline ability depending on what House they belong to," Sam had learned that among the Awakened Pleiadian Mystics, they were divided into twelve Celestial houses. These houses stemmed from the first twelve Celestials that the Pleiadians were descended from. Funnily enough, the names of those houses were the same as the zodiac constellations Terrans used. Emily was of the House of Scorpion. And Leon... Leon was of the House of Leo. She had learned all this from her Mythological study class which taught the history of the universe, the formation and history of the Federation, and Terran's Hidden World history also. She was still getting used to the idea that most of the legends and myths that Terrans possessed had come from across the universe, bought into Terran's history by the Immigration of races who chose to settle on Terra to flee whatever alien struggle they faced back in their home world. Sam believed Emily spoke of Trynr's family as one of them.
"So what House do you belong to," Sam asked.
"Hmm! Who says I belong to any House," Emanu said. She winked at Sam, carefully avoiding answering the question while at the same time creating more questions for Sam.
"There you are, Emanu," A gruff voice called from behind them. Emanu and Sam turned around to see a young man in his late teens or early twenties -it was hard to tell-approach them. Like Emanu, he had red hair, with golden green eyes. He was huge, with broad shoulders, and large muscles that Sam could tell from the black military uniform he wore. He was extremely handsome in a rough sexual way that would make most women swoon in their panties, but Sam didn't seem to care for it. There was only one face she thought of when thinking about handsome. She was beginning to compare most faces to his. Her cheeks turned red just thinking about Leon. Besides the muscle guy was Rosalinda Chavez. She was dressed in brown armor gear that fitted around her lithe body.
"Rex, Rosa, what are you two doing together," Emanu said.
"Miss Chavez was leading me to you," the red-haired man said. Sam noticed the way he was looking at her, his eyes crossed like he found her presence to be troublesome. She couldn't read his emotions but Sam could already tell he was a Pleiadian. Sam wondered if she did something to annoy him, but she had only just met him so she couldn't think of anything.
"Rosa aren't you on your way out," Emanu said.
"Yes, but I had to lead Mr. Pendragon to you before I headed out," Rosa said. "Where are you taking Sam to."
"Oh! I was only going to take her to the beach," Emanu said.
"The beach...oh! it's that time of the week," Rosa said. "I can take her down while you attend to whatever business you have with Mr. Pendragon," Emanu wore a sad smile but she let go of Sam's arm, glaring at the Pleiadian.
"Come on, muscle brain," Emanu said. "You couldn't have picked a better timing, couldn't you? I guess I'll see you later, Sam," Emanu waved goodbye before leaving with the Pleiadian guy. Rosa cleared her throat bringing Sam's attention back to her.
"Shall we go," Rosa said. Sam nodded. She hadn't seen much of Rosa since her first night here. Rosa was not a student of the Academy, but she did use the facility that was used by the Golden Dawn members who worked in the Central tower, the Main hub of the organization where she attended meetings and such. No students were allowed access to the central building unless one was given to you.
"So you're going somewhere," Sam said. She couldn't stand the silence between them. Rosa was leading her down a path of rocks that led from where the building stood on top of the mountain, toward the lower ground.
"Yes, I have a mission back on Terra," Rosa said. Sam could smell the scent of the sea in the air as they got closer to the sandy ground underneath the mountains. As they got closer, Sam could hear music blaring up. There were students running on the sands, playing by the sea nd some were around a bonfire that was burning.
"I didn't know the school was lax with parties," Sam said.
"Students are encouraged to hang out, socialize, and relax after days of lessons and training. Some hang out in their dorms, in the cafeteria, or come here to the beach," Rosa said. She smiled thinking about when she had been a student, hanging here with her friends. It had been such a fun time...Now most of those friends were gone. The Academy allowed it because they understood the importance for their students to enjoy their life before they commit to the life of being a Golden Dawn member.
"Sam! You're here," Callum Ayida called out to Sam. He was across from her, hanging with Trynr.
"You should hang out with them," Rosa said. "Get to know your classmates," Rosa turned around to leave but Sam held her hand. She didn't know why but she just felt like she had to say something to Rosa.
"Whatever mission you're going to, be careful Ok," Sam said. Sam had realized that even though she had only been with Rosa for a month, she had cared for her. To the point that she had felt like Rosa had hidden parts of herself from Sam. It was why she had left Rosa for Henry. Now Sam knew the reason why Rosa had always felt so distant. Sam wished she had maintained their friendship even after they had called off their relationship. Rosa had been her first friend back in Yesh University, and she hadn't manage to make any after she was gone from her life. Rosa smiled, squeezing Sam's hand.
"Don't worry about me," Rosa said. And then she left, climbing back on the pathway that had led them to the beach. Sam turned around and went over to Callum and Trynr. They were hanging out with some students Sam recognized from her Tactical theories class.
"Hi guys," Sam waved. They waved back at her, their eyes on Rosa who was a dot on the rocky stairs.
"Was that Rosalinda Chavez," a boy with glasses said. He had brown hair with freckles. His name was Peter....something.
"I heard she's the youngest Guardian and she's the same age as us," Wendy Camila, a girl from Sam's Mythological studies class said.
"She attended Yesh Academy as a child," Callum said. "It's only natural that she would be above us." Most of the students were in their late teenage years or early twenties. Sam was nineteen, going to be twenty later on in the year. She couldn't believe the idea that Rosa had been part of the Golden Dawn since she was a child. Across from where the students were seated on the wooden branches, Sam saw Henry by the sand. He was alone, working on building a sandcastle with Magic. Sam left the others to go to Henry.
"Sam," Henry said. He had his paintbrush in his hand, and on his face was the look he always had when working on his art.
"Henry," Sam said. "We haven't been alone for a while now. I wanted to ask how..."
"It's wonderful," Henry said with a big smile. "I...I can't believe I went through most of my life never knowing such a thing existed. Magic...Magic. Can you believe it?"
"I'm still having a hard time accepting everything that has happened," Sam said. Henry made a gesture with the brush, and the sand gathered together forming a part of the castle Henry was making.
"That was a first-tier spell for the earth element," Henry said. "According to Emily, my Elemental affinities are water and Earth. "
"That's great. Can we talk Henry..." There were some things that they needed to talk about. Like their relationship for example. Before the attack by the Abomination, Sam had been close to breaking things off with Henry, and then all the chaos had happened, and he had forced himself to come with her here. And since then, Sam has gone through so many changes. If before she was unsure of her relationship with Henry due to the Physical intimacy issue and her mental problem, now Sam was more sure of anything than before. Henry was her first serious relationship. The first one she had tried being serious with and yet...it had failed. Sam was done using Henry. It would be better to free him of any obligation towards her.
"What do you want to talk about," Henry said. Before Sam could say anything, Callum appeared out of nowhere in a hurry.
"Guys! There you are. I was looking all over for you." Callum said. "The game's about to start."
"What game," Sam said.
"Catch the Golden deer," Callum said.
"Catch the what!" Sam said.
"The Golden Deer. It's a Noble creature that lives in the forest," Callum said. "Legends says whoever manages to catch it and skin it, can use its bones to craft a Legendary grade weapon." Noble creatures were animals who managed to develop magical powers over the stages of their lives. There were a lot of them within the Hidden world from what Sam had learned. She had seen their illustrations, but she would love to see one in person.
"Can you forge a talisman from their bone," Henry said interested in it.
"Any item can be forged from its bone," Callum said. "Of the Legendary rank. I can forge a sword for myself. Come on, everyone's rushing to hunt it down. We're gonna be the last." Henry forgot about the castle he was building, following Callum to the forest. He stopped and turned to see Sam who was still hanging back.
"Coming," Henry said.
"I'll be right behind you," Sam said.
****
"Are you sure it's a smart idea to hunt a noble creature," Sam said as she walked through a couple of trees. In front of them was Trynr, leading them by sniffing the air. As part Beastman, Trynr's senses were extremely sharp, making it easy for her to track things. Callum had his sword in its scabbard, ready to draw it out when they came across the Deer. Trynr turned her face with disgust at Sam.
"If you're scared, why did you come," She said. I don't know. I didn't want to be alone by myself. Sam thought. But she didn't say it. Sam was not interested in hunting the golden deer but she didn't want to be left behind. Trynr didn't like that Sam was saying nothing. Ever since she had met the green-haired girl, Trynr had been rude and hostile to her. A part of Trynr expected her to fight back or respond but the girl would always ignore Trynr's taunts. There was something about Sam that rubbed Trynr the wrong way. Everyone said she was a Pleiadian due to the fact she awakened and was blessed with a Gratia. But Trynr couldn't help but doubt it. As a Beastperson, Trynr's sense of smell was heightened to the point that she could tell the race of someone just by her scent. Sam's scent was not that of a Pleiadian at all. She smelt human...not human exactly. Her scent was similar to a Hybrid being like Trynr. So how in the hell did she awaken? And why was Chancellor Phoebe passing her off as a Pleiadian? Trynr didn't suspect that the girl was involved in the decision. She felt like she was clueless about it. She had been clueless about what she was not so long ago. What else were the higher-ups keeping from her? Trynr stopped when she caught up the scent of the Golden Deer. It was further north, going deeper.
"Not all of us are gifted with a Celestial blood like you," Trynr said to Sam. "We need all the help we can get if we want to stand a chance out there," She pointed towards the Deer's direction, moving so quickly with the others. Sam was struck by what she had said. She knew she had been blessed with some kind of power. A power she still had no idea what it was or what to do with it. Sam understood that the whole point of this school was to prepare those who wanted to be a Guardian for what the field was like. She still wasn't sure if becoming one was something she wanted. She had no idea of what her future would look like. It was times like these that Sam missed Stella. She thought of her guardian whom she hadn't spoken to since she came to Yesh Academy. Even though she had acquired a Zodiak that could make calls. She hadn't tried to make contact. Sam didn't know what she would say to Stella. She didn't know exactly what to feel about her. Should she be mad that Stella had been drugging her to suppress her true self? That she had lied to her for most of her life? Or that she could have told Sam the truth all those moments Sam felt like she had been going crazy? Sam bought out her zodiak from her dimensional band, ready to call Stella. She was so occupied with her thoughts that she didn't see the puddle of water that she stepped on it. Sam's body sank into the water, the shock of it sending some into her mouth as she fell to the bottom. What the Fuck! What the Fuck! Sam thought as she drowned. It was no surprise that Sam was panicking due to her situation. Somehow the puddle of water she had stepped on was deeper than what a puddle was supposed to be. And now she was drowning, the water shoving into her mouth because she had been caught off guard. Sam tried to concentrate, to push her body upwards. But she couldn't think properly not with the suffocation she was experiencing. She was going to die. That was the premonition Sam felt as she fell into the darkness below her. No! Fuck it. I am not dying. Sam channeled her Od, making it flow mostly around her head, forming an extra layer. She did this so quickly without thinking, not knowing if it would work or not. As the Od stabilized, she felt her lungs push the water out of her system. After that, her lungs were able to breathe properly. With her breathing returned, Sam's heart began to calm down, and began to check her surroundings. She felt danger all around her. A space in the distance rippled, telling Sam that something was in there with her. She saw a yellow light gleaming beneath her. Sam pushed herself upwards, trying to get out of wherever she was. But she kept swimming and yet did not reach the surface. She was nearly close to panicking again but Sam fought against it. Panic was not going to help her survive. She kept swimming but she felt like instead of going up to the surface, she was approaching the depth itself. Sam stopped moving. She focused her Odic flow on her feet, where she managed to emit a solid surface, making it possible for her to stand. She felt the water push against the Od she was molding, trying to disturb its stability, but Sam kneaded the Od, making it dense enough to keep her afloat. After having a solid surface for her footwork, Sam took the stance for the first form of the Adamantium fist style. She activated the first footwork technique which allowed her to sense the vibration of objects. If anything moved or got close to her, Sam would be able to detect it like an echolocation device. Sam picked up the movements of two objects heading towards her. She felt the water ripple as the thing swam towards her at great speed. Even though the water was dark, Sam's senses with her technique made it possible for her to create a mental image of the object's body. It was a shark-shaped monster, with large serrated fangs. They were bigger than the average sharks. Sam could feel the momentum that the creature was building up as it swam to her, ready to bite her head off. Sam performed the second form of her Martial arts. The art of Aversion. With the first form, Sam was able to influence the vibrations around her body to create a ring around her. The ring's purpose was to use the momentum built up by whoever enters the ring's range, making it possible for Sam to alter the trajectory at which they go. It wasn't a perfect execution as Sam hadn't mastered it yet. She was still at the basic stage but in this instance of life and death, Sam was able to execute it properly. However, it took a lot of mental concentration on her part and the straining of her muscles. In its mastered State, the ring was supposed to be a sphere field, but a ring was all Sam was able to manifest. But it was enough as the Sharks direction was altered from the path it was swimming. Three more shark monsters attacked her and yet Sam kept on altering their paths. Her muscles were getting strained from just using it, and being underwater was not helping her footwork which was supposed to help with the technique. Sam had to get out of here. She activated the First form's footwork technique. She used it to search for a way out and then she found one. Surprisingly it was below her. Sam dismissed the Odic platform below her, letting her body move through the water, and then swam towards the exit. Her legs pushed against the current as more creatures appeared. As Sam swam, she bought out her shield from her Dimensional band, wearing it on her wrist. She quickly activated the shield, the triangle-shaped shield extended out of the Vambrace. The points of the shield were incredibly sharp so Sam had no problem using it to stab any of the sharks that got too close to her. Blood trailed off at the end as Sam got rid of two Shark monsters. She was close to the exit as she could finally see the light within the depths. As she reached it, she noticed the edge of the surface closing. Sam squinted her eyes in a frown as she realized that someone was trying to trap her here. She focused her heartbeat and activated the second footwork technique using it to boost her swimming speed. Sam broke through the surface, flowing her Od within her leg muscle to push herself off the puddle. She leaped through the air and landed on her feet, breathing hard as she felt a wave of confusion and shock at the state of her body. There was not a single drop of water on her body or cloth. Sam was utterly dry as a dry leaf.