"You die," she finished.
Elias stared at the scorched ground, then at her.
She wasn't playing around.
"That's your first lesson," Zara continued, resting a hand on her hip. "Now, show me what you can do. And no more hiding — I already know you like holding back."
Elias sighed inwardly.
He had expected this, but now that he was here, he knew there was no more pretending.
Zara was sharp. Too sharp.
Even though his official stats had been recorded at an average level, he was anything but.
In reality, he was Level 100 — a level that most students wouldn't reach in a lifetime.
But from the moment he stepped into the academy, he had deliberately kept his power in check.
If people knew just how strong he truly was, things would become complicated. He didn't want to be dissected, studied, or treated like a tool.
Yet Zara had already seen through him.
Elias clenched his fists, allowing a fraction of his true power to surface. His muscles tensed, his reflexes sharpened, and his aura — which had been carefully restrained — flared just slightly.
Zara's eyes flickered with amusement.
"Good. That's more like it."
Without warning, she vanished.
No, not vanished — she moved.
Lightning acceleration.
Her body became a blur of blue electricity, and before Elias could fully process it, she was already to his side, her leg swinging in a sharp, lightning-enhanced kick.
Instinct took over.
Elias twisted, narrowly avoiding the blow. Lightning surged past his cheek, leaving a faint static sensation in its wake.
He landed smoothly, his feet digging into the ground as he turned to face her.
Zara grinned. "You dodged."
"You're fast," Elias admitted.
"Good reaction time," she said. "But let's see how long you can keep up."
She lunged again, this time faster, her fists crackling with raw electricity.
Elias met her head-on.
Zara threw a quick jab at his torso, but he sidestepped at the last second. The air hissed as her lightning-coated fist barely missed his ribs.
Elias countered with a quick palm strike, aiming for her shoulder, but she vanished again, reappearing behind him.
"Too slow!" she taunted.
Elias exhaled.
'Alright.'
If speed was what she wanted, he'd give her speed.
This time, he let loose just a bit more — not his full power, but enough to shift the playing field. His movements sharpened, his reactions became even more precise, and when Zara came at him again, he saw it.
The faint crackle of lightning in the air before she moved.
The subtle shift in her posture before she struck.
He anticipated her next step — and countered.
As she flashed toward him, Elias moved at the exact same moment, twisting his body mid-step.
Zara's fist came dangerously close, but Elias redirected it with the lightest touch on her wrist, spinning past her and stopping just behind her.
She froze.
A spark flickered between them as she slowly turned her head.
Elias smirked. "Too slow?"
Zara blinked. Then she grinned.
"Hah! Now that was good."
She took a step back, shaking out her arms as the static energy around her faded slightly.
"You learn fast," she admitted, rolling her shoulders. "Not bad for a first session."
The evening pressed on, yet the training field remained alive with crackling lightning and bursts of fire. Neither Elias nor Zara showed any signs of stopping.
Their sparring had started as a test of speed and reaction, but it had evolved into something more.
Zara had upped the pace, her body becoming streaks of blue electricity, moving faster than before. But Elias was adapting.
Each time she vanished into a crackle of lightning, he watched.
He read her movement and exploited it.
Lightning wasn't just speed — it followed a path. And paths could be predicted.
Zara came at him again, a blur of pure electricity, her fist streaking toward his ribs. Elias twisted his body at the last second, narrowly avoiding it.
She didn't stop.
Her foot lashed out next, coated in a thin layer of crackling current, aiming to sweep him off balance.
Too predictable.
Elias stepped back, but instead of just dodging, he released a small burst of fire from his palm, using the force to propel himself further away.
He landed a few feet back, watching as Zara skidded to a stop, her lips curling into a grin.
"Not bad," she admitted, rolling her shoulders. "You're learning."
Elias exhaled. "I read you."
Zara let out a low chuckle. "That's cute."
And then she vanished again.
But this time, it wasn't a simple lunge forward.
She zigzagged, changing directions mid-flash, making it impossible to predict where she'd land.
Elias clenched his fists.
He couldn't react fast enough — not with normal movements.
He needed to experiment.
Lightning was speed.
Fire… was momentum.
The moment Zara flashed to his side, he thrust his palm down, releasing a small controlled burst of fire from his hands.
The force pushed him upward, flipping his body just in time to dodge her punch.
Zara's fist tore through empty air, her momentum carrying her forward.
Elias landed behind her, skidding slightly on the dirt.
Zara turned, eyebrows raised. "Using fire as boosters, huh?"
Elias rolled his shoulders. "You said it yourself — monsters don't play fair. Why should I?"
Zara laughed. "You are getting it."
She spread her fingers, and thin strands of lightning began to weave between them, forming what looked like a glowing net.
Elias narrowed his eyes. "New trick?"
"New test," she corrected. "Dodge this."
She threw it.
The net expanded mid-air, crackling violently as it surged toward him.
Elias barely had a second to react.
A simple dodge wouldn't work — the net was too wide.
Instead, he acted on instinct.
He kicked off the ground, releasing another fire burst from his hands, sending himself skyward.
But Zara was already moving.
She anticipated it.
The second net was already forming in her hands, aimed right at where he was landing.
Elias gritted his teeth.
Zara wasn't just fast.
She was smart.
She knew exactly how to force him into bad positions.
Elias' mind raced.
He twisted mid-air, released a burst of fire downward to adjust his trajectory, then launched another burst sideways, changing direction at the last moment.
The net missed — barely.
He landed smoothly, breathing hard.
Zara let out a low whistle.
"Now that was impressive."
Elias exhaled. "Your nets are annoying."
Zara smirked. "That's the point."
She crossed her arms, the lightning around her fading slightly. "So, what did you learn?"
Elias thought for a moment before answering.
"Magic isn't just about brute force," he said. "It's about adapting. Finding ways to make abilities work for the situation."
Zara nodded. "Exactly."
She pointed at him. "Most Hunters think of magic as just raw power — bigger fireballs, stronger lightning bolts, heavier impacts. But that's the wrong way to fight."
She snapped her fingers, creating a tiny spark of electricity between them.
"Magic isn't about who has more power," she continued. "It's about who knows how to use it better."
Elias let those words sink in.
This wasn't just sparring.
It was training his mind as much as his body.
Zara sighed, stretching her arms over her head. "Alright, that's enough for tonight. You're not completely hopeless."
Elias smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."
She turned toward the academy, her back to him. "Tomorrow, we do it again. Be ready."