Zayn was in the library trying to find anything on vector magic. It had been over a week since he started training with Riven, yet he was no closer to unlocking his magic. Frustration was creeping in, but he remained determined. As he scanned the shelves, a figure caught his attention. Someone was carrying a dangerously tall stack of books, wobbling as they approached.
Before Zayn could offer help, the person tripped. Books flew through the air, and in a split second, the figure crashed into him, headbutting him right in the stomach. Zayn stumbled back, smacking his head against the bookshelf. He blinked, dazed, seeing stars.
Rubbing his head, he looked down at the person who had knocked him over. It was the same silver-haired noble girl from before. She was sprawled on the floor, eyes closed. Zayn, worried, quickly sat up and leaned over her.
"Hey, are you okay?" Zayn asked, lightly shaking her shoulder. She didn't respond immediately, making him more anxious. He gently lifted her into a sitting position, checking her over for any sign of injury.
Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself in Zayn's arms. Her face instantly turned crimson.
"AHHH!" she screamed, jumping up and scrambling away from him like he was contagious. "Do you have any idea who you're touching so casually?!"
Zayn blinked in confusion, still rubbing his head. "Uh… I think you're the Duke's daughter, right?"
She huffed, puffing out her chest. "Exactly! And you should be executed for daring to touch me! Do you even understand the gravity of your actions?"
"But... you're the one who bumped into me."
Elara opened her mouth to retort but faltered. She turned even redder, clearly flustered as she struggled to form a coherent response. "I-I… That's irrelevant! You should've gotten out of my way!"
Zayn laughed lightly, "I don't think that's how gravity works, but sure." He stood up and dusted himself off. "What's your name again?"
Elara puffed herself up once more, trying to regain her composure. "I am Elara Valaire, of the great Duke Valaire!" She folded her arms, looking down at Zayn. "A commoner like you should be on his knees, thanking the gods for the chance to even speak to someone of my status."
Zayn looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, we're both students here, so does it really matter if we're from different standings?" he asked, his tone genuinely curious.
Elara blinked at him, momentarily stunned by his lack of decorum. "You're actually dumb, aren't you?" she said, almost incredulous.
Zayn just laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Maybe! But it doesn't change the fact that you knocked me over."
Elara fumed, clearly unsure how to handle him. "You—! Ugh, you infuriate me!" She huffed,
Zayn was still rubbing the back of his head when he noticed someone else approaching from the same direction Elara had come. It was the small, blue-haired girl, if he remembered correctly, she was supposed to be Elara's servant—carrying an even bigger stack of books than Elara. She didn't seem remotely bothered by the weight as she stopped and calmly set them down beside Elara.
She gave Elara a puzzled look. "What's the matter?"
Elara dramatically waved her hand in Zayn's direction. "This commoner is bothering me."
"Bothering you? You literally headbutted me!"
She listened intently as Zayn recounted the incident, nodding her head slowly as he explained. Once he finished, she crossed her arms and looked back at Elara. "I understand."
Zayn sighed in relief, thinking she was about to defend him. That relief was short-lived.
"You really should've gotten out of her way," she said matter-of-factly.
Zayn stared at her, mouth slightly open. He blinked once, then twice, as if he were trying to reset reality.
Did I just walk into some sort of parallel dimension?
"Wait—what? Are you serious?"
Before Zayn could get another word out, Elara tossed her hair and gave an imperious look. "Thalia, get rid of this pest."
"As you wish."
Zayn barely had time to process the words before he felt an invisible force slam into him. It lifted him off his feet and sent him flying backward. He hit the opposite wall with a thud and slid down in a crumpled heap.
Thalia calmly picked up the books that Elara had dropped, stacking them neatly as they were.The two then girls walked away as if nothing had happened.
From his spot on the floor, Zayn groaned, rubbing his back. "Why did I even get out of bed today?" He muttered, staring at the ceiling. "Feels like all I've done is get knocked around."
After a few moments of self-pity, Zayn slowly got to his feet, wobbling a bit as he brushed himself off. With a resigned sigh, he made his way back to the section on energy-based magics. He may not have figured out anything about vector magic yet, but the section on energy magic seemed promising. He read that the key to using energy-based magic was precise control, something that could apparently take years to completely master.
As he pondered how he was supposed to learn precise control when he couldn't even unlock his magic, the system's voice spoke in his mind.
Zayn was deeply engrossed in the energy-based magic books when suddenly, the familiar voice of the system echoed in his mind.
[Your Intelligence stat has leveled up!]
A holographic screen materialized before him, glowing with an ethereal light. Zayn blinked in surprise as he read the updated stats:
LEVEL: 1/7
STRE: 50
SPEE: 70
VIT: 50
INT: 100
MAG: 150/???
SUB TYPE: VECTOR
ULTIMATE SKILL: PANTA RHEI
"Wow, I didn't know reading could be so rewarding!"
He was pumped; the new INT boost felt like a victory in itself.
As he flipped through the pages of a particularly thick book, the system voice interrupted his thoughts again.
[Processing data…]
"Not now, I'm trying to focus!" Zayn said, a little exasperated. But as he continued reading, the voice chimed once more.
[I have deduced one way to use Vector Magic. Based on the information from the book, it appears that Vector Magic deals with energy in motion. Would you like to test this theory?]
"Test it? Absolutely!" Zayn's heart raced, excitement building at the thought of finally unlocking the potential of his magic. "What do I need to do?"
[Focus on anything in motion in your current location.]
Zayn thought for a moment, glancing around the quiet library. "The air… there's always movement in the air, right?"
[Confirmed. Vector control ready for testing.]
"Let's do it!"
His vision shifted instantly. Tiny arrows appeared, crisscrossing all around him in complex patterns. He blinked in surprise, watching the movement of the air currents as the system's voice returned.
[These arrows represent the flow of air. Select one to attempt control.]
Zayn focused on a nearby current, a stream of air lazily drifting through the space by his side. He imagined it speeding up, pushing harder. The arrows shifted, flowing more rapidly as if responding to his thoughts.The pages on the nearby books fluttered a little as he did this.
[At your current level, you can increase or reduce the force of any vector by up to five times its original strength. With further physical practice, this number will increase.]
A grin spread across his face. "This is incredible. I have to test it more." Without thinking twice, he bolted out of the library, dodging past shelves and students, eager to find Riven.
He ran through the hallways, his breath catching with excitement. If he could truly control vectors like this, there was no telling what kind of potential he had.