"Rey!... huh? Are you feeling okay?" Kaiser asked me early in the morning.
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Well, you woke up on your own and you're already ready. That's new," he said, looking confused, as if it was impossible for me not to oversleep or be early for class.
"I'll take that as a compliment," I said, narrowing my eyes.
"Anyway, you got home late last night. I didn't expect you to wake up so early," Kaiser said.
"The story about Yoko's sister's murder got me thinking," I said.
"Megane? Come on, let's go downstairs. You can tell me more about it over breakfast. It sounds interesting," Kaiser said, still standing at my bedroom door.
Barrios had been on a mission for a while, so we had the manor to ourselves. Downstairs, Kaiser had cooked the breakfast.
"Alright, tell me, why would Yoko bring up her sister's murder again?" he asked while pouring himself some juice before passing it to me.
"The case isn't over…" I said, taking the juice and serving myself.
"What do you mean, it's not over? Wasn't the investigation closed?" he asked.
"Yes, but they closed it because they thought the murderer was dead too. Unfortunately, the investigators were missing one key detail that could have made all the difference," I said.
"What detail?"
"Megane Belserion's diary. Yoko told me one of the soldiers from Megane's squad managed to escape early to bring information to General Barrios."
"Are you talking about Reiner Fox? Megane's right-hand man?" Kaiser asked.
"I don't know his name. Was he the one who brought Megane's belongings back to the Belserions?" I asked.
"Yes, he was the one who alerted my father to their location and was also tasked with returning Megane's belongings to Mr. and Mrs. Belserion. If you're thinking he's the murderer, I'm afraid that's impossible. They say Megane was 30 times stronger than the entire elite squad, not counting the commander and general. There's no way he could have pulled off such a feat against Megane Belserion," Kaiser replied.
"I know he's not the culprit because Reiner Fox died that day," I said seriously.
The thickening mystery surrounding the case made the atmosphere feel cold. Kaiser's eyes were filled with shock and confusion. It was normal after all—just thinking that a highly dangerous criminal might still be out there in the kingdom was deeply unsettling.
"How can you be so sure?" he asked.
"Megane wrote something here that should convince you," I said, showing him through my ring a projection of the last page of the journal that I had scanned the night before.
"What!? Her entire team was killed!? So who was the one who came back with the news!? It's almost impossible that she would have forgotten to mention her right-hand man was still alive," Kaiser said, shocked by what he had just read.
"You know what that means?" I asked.
"It means the one who replaced Reiner Fox is currently holding a very high position in the army, has access to all of its data, and could even be leading them down the wrong path while continuing his plan without worrying about the army's eyes on him!" Kaiser deduced.
"Exactly. And for now... we're the only ones who know. I'll send the images to Barrios. He's returning from his mission tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken."
"That's right. I'll look into Reiner's case after class. I'll let you know if I find anything suspicious about him," Kaiser said.
"Speaking of class, it's time to go. We only have one class today, anyway, since the second half of the day will be dedicated to the Heroes of the War commemoration."
"That's true. There will be activities at the academy afterward. Let's go," Kaiser said, leaving the table.
"Hey, guys!" Yoko said, surprising us as she walked in, as usual.
"Hey Yoko, how are you?" Kaiser said.
"I'll never get used to you breaking into people's houses like this. I guess it's a side effect of wanting to join the army. All you need now is to learn how to break down doors," I teased.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Yoko said, winking.
"Hey, that's my line," I said, sounding annoyed.
"Ahah, whatever. It's weird that you're already ready, Areyos. You feeling okay?"
"Ahaha, I asked him the same thing," Kaiser added.
"Shut up, let's go," I said, sounding both annoyed and sulky.
We then headed to class, flying thanks to our fire mastery. The students were still outside, meaning classes hadn't started yet. We landed and took the hallway leading to our classroom, but two familiar faces caught my attention.
"Go ahead. I'll catch up with you," I said, breaking away from Kaiser and Yoko.
"Huh? Where are you going?" Yoko asked.
"I need to talk to someone. Save me a seat," I said, distancing myself.
"Isn't that Erina Shelter over there?" Kaiser said, squinting his eyes.
"Yeah, that's her. Why are you looking at her like that?" Yoko asked, innocently. She clearly didn't know about what happened in the office with Erina.
"Whatever, Let's go to class," Kaiser said.
I headed toward Erina, with some other girls hesitating to approach me.
"Rey Orionis, to what do we owe your presence at the university so early? Did you pull an all-nighter?" Erina asked with a light, friendly smile.
"I'm not sure what surprises me more—that you didn't consider I might have simply woken up on time or that you're also shortening my name," I replied, returning the same friendly smile.
"So, we meet again, Rey," said the person Erina had been talking to before she turned her attention to me. It was Melo. Not only did this guy give me bad vibes, but seeing him casually call me by my shortened name put me in a bad mood.
"I don't recall giving you permission to call me Rey, Melo," I said, giving him a cold stare.
"To Erina—" he was saying before being interrupted by her.
"Melo, go take a walk," said Erina in a calm but authoritative voice.
"But—" he started, turning his gaze to Erina, and at that moment, I could clearly see that he was paralyzed by her piercing stare. A sensation of fear filled the air, and a drop of sweat ran down the side of his face.
"We'll see each other next week," she added, a mysterious smile crossing her face. Her smile didn't match the aura she was emitting at all.
"Understood, Erina," he finally gave in, looking at me before leaving.
This wasn't a request as Erina tried to make it seem, but a clear order. She made it absolutely clear that he was not to step foot in the academy until the following week, even though there was class today.
"Is he your boyfriend?" I asked indifferently.
"You know how much I hate talking about myself, don't you, Rey?" she replied.
"Well, we'll have to break the ice considering the conversation we're going to have," I retorted.
"Is that why you approached me?"
"Yes," I responded with the same indifferent tone. The whispers of the students around us slowly died down as Erina stared directly into my eyes for a few seconds. Her ability to create a tense silence with just a look is extraordinary. Finally, she broke the silence.
"You're either stupid, arrogant, or courageous. When will you show me which one of those labels applies to you?" she said, with a charming smile.
"This evening, 7 PM, at the park near the university," I replied, returning the same charming smile.
"Interesting... Well then, see you this evening. And don't keep me waiting even a second longer than necessary, got it, 'Rey'?" she added as she walked toward the classroom.
"Don't worry, I'll be on time, 'Eri,'" I responded, emphasizing the abbreviation of her name. She glanced back at me over her shoulder, smiling, and then continued walking toward the classroom.
"They've got a date, right?" whispered the students around us. People's curiosity will never cease to amaze me, I thought. The bell rang, and everyone entered the classroom.
"You took your time, Rey. Were you flirting with Erina again?" Kaiser asked me.
"No, not at all. And what do you mean by 'again'?" I asked.
"Because you already flirted with her in the principal's office. You have no shame, Rey!" Yoko chimed in.
"What!? That's nonsense! What did you tell her, Kaiser?"
"Well, what you told me," he said indifferently.
"I never told you I flirted with her!!" I replied, irritated.
"You're responsible for what you tell me, Rey, not for what I understand," said Kaiser, that traitor, closing his eyes.
Suddenly, the teacher entered the classroom. We had a class of energy systems comprehension.
"Well, I hope you're all doing well," the teacher asked. From their responses to the professor's greeting, many students were clearly happy to see Professor Shiki.
"This again? We're tired of theory; practice has always been better," muttered some Aegyls at the back of the class.
"For once, we agree on something. And besides, he's just a human. Did you see the beating the other one of his kind took in the cafeteria yesterday?" added some Metaryons at the back, obviously friends of the metaryon Kaiser had sent to the infirmary. He seemed to be in good shape, probably thanks to the academy's advanced medical treatment.
"Quiet at the back, and show some respect, please," said the professor, still wearing his usual smile.
"I feel bad for the professor. It must be stressful for a human to teach a class where more than half of the students could be a potential threat to him," Yoko said with a sympathetic look.
"If they try anything against Mr. Shiki, I'll send them to the infirmary again, don't worry," Kaiser reassured her.
"Alright, let's start with a quick review on chi. The Chi is a form of energy that flows throughout the user's body in the form of veins and allows them to freely control the elements and their sub-elements. Is that clear?" asked the professor, to which the class responded positively.
"Professor, what do you mean by 'in the form of veins?'" asked a human student.
"That's a good question," said the professor, using another magical device to transform part of the board into a magical screen, showing a humanoid silhouette with yellow veins running through it.
"The Chi works a bit like blood; it spreads throughout the body to allow the user to effectively control their element anywhere they want. Please, join me here, Mr. Wilson," he said, addressing the human, who quickly obliged.
"What's your element?"
"Fire," said the human, creating a small flame on his fingertip.
"Good. Fire bending is the least demanding of all. The user can generate fire as long as their body temperature doesn't drop below 30°C, otherwise, they'll need to use nearby fire as an energy source," the professor explained.
"I see, so fire control depends on body temperature as a source of energy. That explains why I couldn't use my flames when I was transformed," I said.
"Huh? What do you mean by 'transformed'!?" Yoko asked me.
"Indeed, that's possible. Your body temperature likely dropped," confirmed Kaiser.
"Is it just me, or are you both ignoring me?!" Yoko whispered loudly.
"Shh, we're trying to follow along," Kaiser said, indifferent to Yoko's complaint.
"I need everyone's attention. Mr. Wilson here has a small flame on his finger. Now, I'm going to attempt to deactivate it," said the professor with a smile.
"Deactivate it? Is that even possible?" I exclaimed.
The professor joined his middle and index fingers and quickly struck the student's shoulder at a precise point. The flame instantly disappeared.
"Try to reignite your flame," the teacher asked Wilson.
"Huh!?!" said Wilson, shocked.
"What? That easily?" Arwyna exclaimed, just as shocked as the rest of the class.
"Contrary to what you might think, it's far from simple, rest assured. There are chi veins that intersect at a point called a chi point. There are several scattered throughout the body. Their positions depend on the user's body, and their arrangement depends on the user's race," the teacher explained.
"I don't understand, position and arrangement?" asked the human.
"Yes. The arrangement simply refers to where the chi points are distributed. As a human myself, I know exactly how chi points are arranged in humans. The position of a chi point in its normal zone varies from one individual to another. For example, we humans have a chi point on our shoulder, but in Metaryons, it's on their forearm. The arrangements differ," the teacher explained.
"Oh, I see. So, each race has a specific arrangement that differs from the others," said Yoko.
"That's interesting. It's definitely something to master. What do you think, Areyos?" Kaiser asked me.
"It would be very useful for neutralizing opponents and gaining an advantage in combat," I agreed.
"Now, regarding the position, it varies slightly within each zone. For example, although humans have a chi point on the shoulder, it won't be in the same exact spot for everyone. It could be in the middle of the shoulder, on the side, above, or even behind the shoulder," the teacher said.
"But professor, that's too many variables. Might as well rely on luck at this point," said Corvus.
"I understand your point of view, but don't worry. There is a way to calculate where the chi point will be by observing the opponent's body, specifically the size of the targeted area. You can go to the library to learn more if you wish. There, you'll also find the chi point arrangements for all races," the teacher replied.
"Ah, so that's how he knew exactly where to strike. With so many variables for the chi points, it seems almost impossible to block an opponent's chi without that calculation, unless you're really lucky, like Corvus said," Kaiser commented.
"I'll need to memorize the chi points arrangement for all races, then," I muttered.
"So, how do I use my flames again, professor?"
"Well, you already can," the teacher said.
"Wow, how? Just wait for it?" Wilson said, seeing that he could now use his ability again.
"That's one solution, indeed. To reuse an element, you can either wait for the chi point to reopen or concentrate the rest of your chi in the blocked area. The flow of chi you create will force the blocked chi point to open. The harder the chi point is hit, the more difficult it is to unblock, and the longer it takes to unblock on its own," the teacher added.
"Now you know everything there is to know about physical chi," the teacher said.
"Physical chi?" Wilson asked.
"Yes, physical chi. You'll notice that you need to make physical contact with your opponent's body and apply enough pressure to block their chi, right? Well, there is a sixth element or sixth mastery in chi, but it isn't truly counted as an element, which is why it's often ignored. Physical chi is just a sub-mastery of this sixth mastery."
"A sixth mastery in chi? What is it?" Yoko wondered.
"This mastery is the mastery of mastery itself, or simply the mastery of chi," the teacher said with a smile.
"The mastery of chi?!" I said, confused.
"There are only three known people who have this mastery. Thaleus Sendaris and Athlana Orionis are among them," the teacher said while looking at me.
The whole class turned to look at me as well, but the gazes from Yoko, Kaiser, and Erina from afar felt more intense.
"Do you master the mastery of chi, Mr. Areyos Orionis? If so, we'd need a demonstration."
"I'm sorry, Professor Shiki, but this is the first time I'm hearing about this mastery. Otherwise, I would have certainly found a way to learn it," I responded calmly. I could hear whispers in the room saying, "Who does he think he is?" while others, probably from the girls, murmured in admiration. I had fans and haters.
"Ahh... I guess I'll have to do it myself," the teacher said. His eyes began to glow, and an orange aura surrounded him.
" 'Transition'," he said as the orange aura turned yellow.
" 'Transition' ? Isn't that the human ability to change the nature of their chi?" Yoko asked.
"Exactly. And knowing that transitioning nature can take time, but Professor Shiki is doing it now while teaching, he must be very good to think he has time for a transition," I responded.
"That's correct. For those, less skilled, a transition can take a month, and for the best, it can take three minutes. It's been 30 seconds so far." Said Yoko
"Perfect. We can begin the demonstration," the teacher said casually.
"What!? Did you just transition in 30 seconds!?" Wilson exclaimed. The murmurs of shocked students grew louder. Even Erina seemed surprised by this feat.
"Calm down, please," the teacher said with a mysterious smile. "I can perform a transition in 30 seconds. I've trained hard and long. After all, when you have Thaleus Sendaris and Athlana Orionis as teammates and masters, it's easy to reach this level," he said calmly.
"You knew my mother ?!" I exclaimed, still keeping a certain composure.
"Yes. But I didn't know she had a son, Mr. Orionis," he replied with a mysterious smile.
"I can't believe Professor Shiki was part of Thaleus' team. He must be stronger than he seems," said Yoko.
"Alright, let's move on. Mr. Wilson, you may take your seat. I want everyone in this room who can control fire to generate a flame above their hands."
All the Metaryons and humans capable of using fire did as the professor asked, myself included.
"For those who can control air, I want you to create a small whirlwind in your hand. For those who control earth, take five stones from the ground and make them levitate over your other hand since you already have fire in one. And finally, for those who control water and have it with them, create a sphere of water," ordered the professor. Everyone followed his instructions. I had generated three elements: water, earth, and fire.
"Good. Now, admire the beauty of chi mastery," said the professor.
Suddenly, the flames of the students started to shrink until they became very small. Three of the five stones fell, and those who had formed a water sphere from the water they had struggled to keep it in a spherical shape. The small whirlwinds lost their intensity until they eventually disappeared.
"How is this possible?" Arwyna exclaimed.
"This is the power of chi mastery, Miss Arwyna," the professor said with a smile.
"I simply emit a mystic aura capable of restricting your chi in specific areas or throughout your entire body. As I've told you, chi flows in the body through vein-like channels. So, all I have to do is shrink those veins in a specific spot to reduce your ability to control chi. And this works regardless of the nature of your opponent's chi," the professor explained.
"Wait, professor, are you saying that chi mastery allows you to manipulate your opponent's chi and thus reduce their power and control over their element?!" Yoko asked loudly.
"Exactly. And we can take it even further. Chi mastery allows us to either halt or accelerate the elemental transition in humans. That's why my transition is so fast. And one of the most dangerous uses is to destroy the opponent's chi, permanently stripping them of their control over their element..." the professor said calmly, his voice chilling.
"D-Destroy the opponent's chi?!" the whole class exclaimed.
"That's correct. And as a professor, I have the right to destroy your mastery if I deem you to be a danger to society in the future, or if any students show disrespect toward me," he said, casting an icy glare toward the back of the class. The Aegyls and Metaryons who had misbehaved immediately realized their mistake.
"Wait, does that mean he's capable of doing it?" I thought.
"Huh! Professor, you're the one they call the Chi Breaker, aren't you?" Yoko suddenly exclaimed.
"Always well-informed, Miss Yoko. Indeed, I earned that title after destroying the chi of an entire army—one million humans trying to invade the eastern region of Denov, one of the many human kingdoms. The rest of the battle was very simple after that."
"One million humans?! In one go?!" Wilson exclaimed.
"I know, it's a lot," the professor replied.
"What kind of team did Thaleus have?! There's already Barrios, known as the Scourge Lion, and now Professor Shiki, the Chi Breaker. Who else is left to discover?"
"Professor, if you're using a psychic aura, does that mean your psyche must be stronger than your opponent's to manipulate their chi ?" Kaiser asked.
"That's correct. As you can see, none of you have a chi strong enough to pose even a small challenge to me."
"His psyche must be enormous!! To have a psyche greater than that of a million humans makes him superhuman, it's incredible!" I thought.
"Now you know all there is to know about chi and its usage. Next week, we'll start covering ki and mana. After that, you'll be allowed to use them here at the academy. That's all for today. There are still activities regarding the commemoration of my former teammate here at the university. I wish you all a good day," he said with a smile on his lips.
The class remained in shock after what they had learned about Professor Shiki. He was an extremely powerful and dangerous human despite his cheerful demeanor and usual smile. Anyway, it was the afternoon, and we had things to do...
To be continued...