Alastor and A arrived just in time, with only an hour to spare for the thoery portion of the midterms to begin.
The first year in the Academy was spent with a great focus on theory and knowledge.
Fortunately, the first exam for Alastor was Runes.
There were some strange glances sent their way as they hurried into the examination hall, but it was fine.
There was very little that Alastor did not know about Runes, and any doubts were eradicated by simply testing them with the Rune of Change secretly.
'First question, the effect of Runes not written with mana infusion.'
And so it continued.
As the exam concluded, Alastor found Karna and Axel, asking them about any changes during his absence.
Karna replied, "Alicia consolidated her support instead of trying to attack you, but she did declare that she would beat you and become the first rank this time around."
"So nothing important on that end", Alastor said.
Axel reported with a heavy blush on his face, "Ah- Promise not to kill me after hearing this first!"
Alastor was now wary.
'What could he possibly say that would make me that angry?'
Axel stammered and said quietly his voice trailing off, "Amber and I...we ᵍᵒᵗ ᵗᵒᵍᵉᵗʰᵉʳ."
Alastor couldn't hear the final mumble from Axel and asked again, "Repeat that?"
Axel finally said loudly as he slammed his head onto the floor, "Amber and I are a couple! I'm so sorry boss, I developed feelings for the person you were after!"
Alastor processed what happened for a bit.
'So he and Amber are together. That's good, meaning she will be in contact with us more, and the Weaver with my fate will remain stuck with it, unable to do anything.'
'And what's this about me being romantically interested in Amber?'
Alastor asked, "Axel. Did you think I liked Amber romantically?"
Axel nodded.
"That's why you asked me to be the bridge between you two right?"
Alastor looked at Karna with deadpan eyes, who simply shrugged with a smug smile on his face.
After clearing up the misunderstanding, the three simply laughed at the joke.
Well, Alastor and Karna laughed and Axel was laughed at.
As Axel left to bring his girlfriend, Karna asked Alastor, "So, what was the real reason you wanted to have Amber Rose near us?"
Alastor replied, "Being the vessel of that person, you must know about the influence of Fate, right?"
"Your Fate to be consumed and discarded."
"Mine, to live a life dictated by those beyond my perception."
Karna's eyes widened, "You mean?"
Alastor nodded, "Yes. She can change that Fate."
'Although for her to change Karna's Fate, she would need quite some time to develop, considering that is his natural Fate recorded in the Book, unlike my artificial Fate written by a Weaver.'
After this discussion, they were approached by Axel who was accompanied by a nervous Amber.
"Hello? I'm Amber, but of course you knew that, not that I'm trying to be vain! Just that we met before and you guys were so cool at the entrance exam and that I really admire you for standing up to the second years and that I heard you're-"
Alastor tuned out her nervous babbling after the second sentence, as he and Karna exchanged a look.
'Is changing Fate really worth it?'
........................................
With Amber and A as their new 'group' members, Alastor was sure he was well set for the future.
'Now if only that Alicia girl stopped being such a pain.'
The exams went by one by one, and Alastor felt he did enough to be the first ranked in all but Herbalism and Natural Healing.
But then, when one could regenerate on their own, why would they care about plants that provide close to no help?
The marks reflected that, when Alastor got the top score in most of the subjects, with Alicia only overtaking him in Herbalism and Natural Healing.
Alastor knew that the only way for her to make good on her declaration, was the practical portion of the midterms.
Axel and Amber tried to organize 'group training sessions', but everyone decided it was more effective to train alone as of right now.
Perhaps in the second year, when they would have to make parties to join the mercernary program, they would.
The spars were chosen based on various factors.
First, a battle royale style match with five examinees in one group, and one 'seeded' contestant in each group as well.
Then, the winners of these battles would spar, one by one, until only one winner remained.
Alastor wasn't worried, as he trained in his room's training area, swinging the spear naturally.
He prodded at his soul, and felt it.
The old, rusty spear, became overlaid onto his real spear, but only he could see and feel the difference.
This feeling of freedom with one's soul, was dangerously addictive.
So, Alastor called this property of his soul, 'Unshackled'.
'This amount of preparation-'
........................................
'-should be enough.' Alicia thought to herself as she surveyed the damage across the grounds she was in.
With a step, she fixed the earth back into it's original position, as she walked away to her room, ready for the practical portion of the examination.
Or as ready as she could be.
'Alastor Stele. The only unknown variable right now. He displays mastery of the Spear beyond any Adept, but lacks Weapon Aura. He shows mastery of mana reinforcement beyond true Battle Aura users, but lacks Battle Aura. He is a genius in various fields of study. Suspected to have mastered multiple low level Runes already. Yet, with just this much, defeating Dana would have been much harder. A mystery.'
'He reveals nothing about himself, his past, his home, his family. I cannot estimate how much strength I need to use against him to win.'
'Well, all shall be known tomorrow.'
Late at night, sounds could be heard in the common training grounds while everyone else slept.
Axel E. Rator swung his sword over and over again, muttering the same three words over and over again.
"Must not disappoint."
Even further away, near the vault of the Grand Alliance, the guards were patrolling the perimeter strictly, as a new guard transfers into the unit.
"It's an honour to meet you, sir!"
The young rookie exclaimed as he looked at one of the Alliances 3 Great Heroes.
"I've heard legends about the Sword Hero's exploits, but to see you in person is...."
The aged man cut him off with a wave of his hand, after verifying his papers and facial features, as well as a scan of his being with mana, he motioned for the young guard to go in.
The Sword Hero muttered to himself, "He's talented. I can already feel the Aura of the Spear manifesting in him. Did he really only start a few months back?"
'But why was he allowed to join this division if he's only been in the military for a few months? Only the most trusted soldiers with high willpowers are sent here. However, I should observe him for a bit before judging him. I will never make the same mistake as before.'
As they walked in different directions, a gentle yet malicious smile seemed to spread onto the young rookie's face, as his forehead seemed to shimmer slightly in the light.