.....
After a week
Vondrel opened his eyes and immediately shot it due to the bright light illuminating the area.
"Hmm... " He groaned while squinting his eyes and adapting to the brightness coming through the window.
"You're finally awake." A voice came from the window.
Vondrel flinched at the sound of the sudden voice.
He tried lifting his body slightly to check who the intruder is, he felt pain shot through his body before falling back on the bed.
"Stay still, your body is still recovering " the figure who was by the window side said.
"Where am i? " Vondrel questioned as he laid down on the bed. His muscles were sore from strain.
"Isn't it obvious where you are?. You are lucky you're still alive and kicking, i don't know what you did or better still what that weapon did, you over exerted yourself, if not for my ability....you would have become a vegetable by now. " the figure paused
" Or probably not, with that pure form of energy residing in you, you might not end up becoming a vegetable. But with the way you are restraining it even while in discomfort, if I hadn't stepped in, I don't know what would have happened." The figure added.
Vondrel observed the figure, what he saw made his eyes glittened.
A female figure rested at the side of the window. She is an exquisite woman with an air of cold indifference, her beauty almost intimidating in its perfection. Her face is a masterpiece—high, sculpted cheekbones and a perfectly symmetrical jawline frame her porcelain skin. Her eyes, an icy shade of blue or gray, are sharp and calculating, revealing little emotion but holding an intensity that's impossible to ignore. They seem to look past people rather than at them, as if she's always a step ahead, thinking of something far more important.
Her lips are full and flawless, but they rarely curve into anything more than a slight, detached smile, adding to her distant, almost unapproachable demeanor. Her hair, whether cascading in dark waves or sleek and straight, adds to her allure, emphasizing her elegance and grace.
Her body is equally magnificent, with a statuesque figure that is both powerful and feminine. She dresses with impeccable taste, accentuating her curves in a way that commands attention without seeking it. Yet, despite her outward beauty, it's the aura she exudes that leaves the deepest impression—a potent, suppressed energy, like a storm held tightly in check.
Her expression is perpetually calm, almost detached, but there's a subtle, underlying sense of dominion about her, as if she could assert her power at any moment if she so chose. This combination of stunning beauty, indifferent demeanor, and restrained power makes her utterly captivating, yet daunting to approach.
Catching himself, albeit late from staring too long, he coughed in embarrassment and forcefully tore his gaze from her.
"Who are you and why did you help me? " Vondrel questioned again with a frown
Unperturbed by stare from vondrel the woman answered with a straight face.
"I'm Abby." She answered shortly.
Vondrel continued staring at her expectantly.
" As for your other question, I just choose to help you because I feel like."
'she helped me because she felt like??, how does that sound.' vondrel thought, clearly noy buying it.
"I can see you didn't buy that." She said " Alright I'll go straight to the point".
The woman approached Vondrel with a detached, almost clinical demeanor, her eyes cool and unreadable. She made no attempt to soften her words, speaking with an authority that brooked no argument. "Vondrel," she began, her voice devoid of warmth, "you have potential, but potential is meaningless without direction."
She didn't bother with flattery or coaxing. Instead, she presented the facts in stark terms. "You don't lack discipline and understanding, but you lack enough. Without proper guidance, your abilities will wither, or worse, consume you." Her tone was sharp, cutting through any illusions of grandeur he might have held. It was clear she would not tolerate mediocrity or hesitation.
Vondrel, unaccustomed to such bluntness, felt a chill run through him, but the woman remained unfazed. She neither encouraged nor discouraged him, simply laying out the reality with cold precision. "I offer training, nothing more. Whether you succeed or fail is of no concern to me. But know this—without a mentor, you will never reach your full potential."
There was no appeal to his emotions, no promises of greatness. She made it clear that the choice was his alone, and that she would not chase after him. Her indifference was both unsettling and strangely compelling, leaving Vondrel with much to consider.
"I'm not interested. " Vondrel said bluntly before forcing himself to stand up on his feet and sighed with relief. His ATP circulating within his body, making his soreness reduce. He then began to look around with a frown on his face.
"Searching for this? " Abby questioned
"How did you get it, give it back to me. " Vondrel snarled
"Is this how you thank someone who not only saved your life but also helped you save your weapon from those scavengers who will do anything to disect the weapon and also someone who wants to take you as her private student... You sure are ungrateful. " Abby said without her expression changing.
"Sigh.... I'm not an ungrateful fellow, I'm grateful for your help, but I can't be your student at least for now i don't need your help. Thanks". Vondrel replied innocently
"Here take it, i wasn't expecting you to accept my offer". She said while handing over his kyokai to him.
"I have being able to talk to those old hags into overlooking you being in possession of the kyokai. The academy has bestowed you the blades since it's of no use to them, it's yours now and as the winner of the competition, the academy is ready to take on any favour you might want to ask from them." she added
"Beside most people don't know about the capabilities of the kyokai, seeing you being able to weild it and use it's power, there would be some people who will be after you. People who knows about the existence of the kyokai....." She paused
"I was thinking of taking you under my wing so as to deter anyone from going after you directly, but since you rejected my offer, I'm sure you will be good." Having said that, she moved from her position and headed towards the door.
She stopped adding the door then said
"About my request, if you change your mind, you can find me...." she handed a card to him" just tap this and you'll be directed to me."
....
Back to dormitory.....
"Hey...how are you feeling now? " Sam asked worriedly
"I'm okay now...i'm good as new" Vondrel replied
"Have you heard the news?" Sam questioned enthusiastically
"Hey dummy....won't you let him rest!!" Noah and Timmy exclaimed simultaneously
"Nah it's fine... i'm okay, so what's the news about, go ahead i'm all ears." Vondrel answered
"We were informed that....." Sam started
'Bang'
He was cut off by the sound of the door being flung open by an intruder.
All eyes turned to the door angrily while everyone was ready to unleash their abilities, vondrel outstretched his hand, ready to grab the kyokai. They were all ready to punish the intruder.
"Eh....i'm sorry for barging in like that....Vondrel are you okay, how is your body now and how are you feeling?" The intruder threw barrage of questions at Vondrel
"Everyone calm down. James i'm okay, but you shouldn't have barged in that way, it's kinda rude. " Vondrel sighed with relief before berating him
"Sorry about that, i heard you have been discharged from the hospital, so i decided to run down here" James said apologetically
"Okay it's fine, have a sit" Vondrel said calmly
"Huh...here i thought you'll probably kick me out" James smiled sheepishly
"So....can we continue our discussion?" Sam asked
"Since we are not under attack, now let's talk about the news, what's popping?" Vondrel asked
"Okay here i go...we were informed after the contest that three months from now, we will all be heading to the red planet... I'm referring to the freshmen". Sam said
"Is the red planet not Mars?" Vondrel questioned
"Yes, we are going there to hunt beast and scavenge their crystals, breasts up to the intermediate level.... Isn't that massacre!" Sam exclaimed with a look of horror.
"Sigh...whatever the case may be, we have to be prepared for it, even though we aren't strong." Noah stated, the mood in the room dropped due to that realization.
"I have an idea" Vondrel suddenly said.
All eyes turned at him expectantly.
"Someone asked me to be her student, i think I can use her at least to achieve something " he said thoughtfully
Everyone immediately showed an interested look.
"What? " Vondrel asked awkwardly after noticing the attention his words generated.
"Pls continue we're interested " Noah said
"Okay..." he narrated his meeting with miss Abby
"So what are you planning to do?" James questioned
"How do you plan to use her? You know that she's the second strongest woman on earth if not the strongest woman on earth." Samuel stated the obvious
"We would like to know your plan, so we can know if we can help you or not" Timmy added
"Okay here i go...." Vondrel accounted his plan to his friends for few minutes, when done with his words silence immediately reigned.
'Silence '
"Are you sure this is a good plan?" Samuel broke the silence
"yeah, i just hope she agrees to my conditions" Vondrel replied
"How are you sure this isn't a trap?" Samuel inquired again
"She doesn't have a reason to set a trap for him, she could just come in here and take him by force or rather threatened him in the hospital." James answered
"That's true, just give it a try and try to be convincing enough " Noah said
"I'll go and visit her the next day " Vondrel responded and the discussion for that day ended.