It was short-lived.
The storm had come and gone by the time Leon arrived in class. Some were like that. Acting as if they were the storm to finally end civilization, but were as fleeting as a raindrop. The sky outside still heavy with clouds.
Professor Veyon's lesson on storm preparedness passed like a breeze—steady but without much weight. Leon noted the essentials in his notebook: wind direction, safe zones, makeshift shelters. It was useful, of course, but nothing that stirred much thought. Veyon's more quiet demeanor, however, made Leon wonder if there was something brewing beneath his collected facade.
Still, by the time the class ended, Leon's mind had already shifted to what lay ahead.
The real lecture of the day—the one everyone jokingly called "Triple A"—was what had people murmuring during breaks. Arbiters, Amalgams, Anatomy, all in one session.
Professor Xander was already standing at the front when Leon arrived. His tall frame and sharp features gave him a commanding presence.
"I will talk about the System provided tabs." He said simply, exciting the students. He listed them off:
Name
Rank
Soul
Race
Strength
Dexterity
Vitality
Perception
Aspects
Skills
Traits
They were the tabs available to Stage 1 integrated. No Law, Will, or Intelligence.
"You are aware of the Ranks." Xander began
"But the Souls, the Souls are what determine your eligibility for Integration." Some students wore smug expressions, for they knew this.
"The ranks go from: Deficient, Lesser, and to Inferior. Certainly, there should be more, as implied by their names. But so far, Inferior is the highest we have encountered."
Some well-informed eyes turned toward Leon, who was related to Felix. The news of him possessing an Inferior Soul made waves around the bigger families in Kindrall.
"As you know, you must have a Lesser, or higher-level Soul for the System to consider assisting you," Xander said, his tone even but firm.
Another ripple of smugness crossed some students' faces. Leon glanced at Joan, whose focused expression suggested she was dissecting the professor's every word.
"Professor," Leon asked, his voice cutting through the quiet, "how do we even know about Deficient Souls if they can't Integrate?"
Xander paused, acknowledging the question with a nod. "A fine question. Deficient Souls are categorized by observation—ours, not the System's. They're an assumption, inferred from those who fail to meet the System's criteria. And perhaps..."
He hesitated, letting the weight of his next words sink in, "...the level that the Disintegrated fall to." The words caused Leon to sigh.
"After Race are the 'stats.' These stats are only built by you yourself, the System does not assist in providing stats outside of giving exactly 1 more stat point for Integrating or unlocking it."
"S-sir Xander, does the Intelligence stat ob..objectively and accurately quantify real intellect?" Asked Joan, beside Leon.
The questioned caused Xander to consider his next words, "Yes. It is a holistic expression of an Integrated's intellect. Although that is also speculation—the System has proven to be omniscient, and so, can accurately judge such an abstract notion."
Joan nodded, looking forward to raising this incredibly important stat.
"It is unlocked when one reaches the Awakened rank. Or perhaps achieving it causes your Rank to reach Awakened."
Leon was pondering on this point. 'Do you, or does the System dictate your own progression?'
His stopped writing, and exhaled deeply. Subconsciously seeking control over small actions.
"Now, moving on to Aspects. It is just that—what you are. If you are at a level that the System considers sufficient–" He paused, letting the students catch up.
"–if you have the skill required to be called a swordsman, it will appear. If you have the skills required to be called an archer, it will appear. You can have multiple." This excited the students, already imagining to be capable of wielding every weapon there is.
Aspects were similar to the roles that Ferriers take. Vanguards were usually swordsmen and archers.
Arbiters that never use weapons or artifacts—simply using their control over Laws—were unheard of.
"Now. The tab that the System directly helps you on." Xander spoke with fervor. Leon's interest was piqued at his words.
"For the rest, you are mostly given information to help you ascend without bumbling on your path. But Skills are given to you directly by the System." Xander said seriously.
Leon nodded. 'True, its help primarily comes from the STATUS which just expresses your essence in text and numbers.'
"It is not known what is required for skill acquisition, but we do know of their variety. Some are purely offensive, like conjuring a ball of flame with negligible costs. And other Skills are requirements to become special Ferriers like Runemasters."
Leia asked, "Professor, I heard that skills aren't too useful for the Awakened and above."
Xander nodded. "Correct. Skills are the primary tools that Stage 1 Integrated possess."
The students were confused. One asked, "But professor, what is the point of the System giving something that will eventually become obsolete?"
"And sir Xander, what does using a fireball Skill use up? And how about the cost of conjuring a fireball with the Laws of Flame?" Another curious student asked.
These caused Xander to chuckle. "Indeed, Skills become redundant after one unlocks Law and Will. As for the costs..." He trailed off, wanting to waste time.
"Those, including Traits, are what we will discuss on tomorrow's meeting." He said as he disappeared.
Xander's lesson was as dense as it was captivating, and by the time the session ended, Leon's notebook was nearly full.
When the bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Leon gathered his things and headed for the hallway. He spotted Orick leaning against the doorframe, grinning like he'd won a prize.
"Guess what," Orick said, holding up his notebook. "I did it."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Did what?"
"Your little trick." Orick opened the notebook to show rows of tightly packed, clearly written notes.
Leon flipped through the pages, noting the precision. He glanced at Orick's hands, which were calloused and red from the effort.
"Wow. You put in the work," Leon said, his tone neutral, though he couldn't help a small flicker of pride.
"Of course." Orick smirked.
As Orick was about to leave, acting like he won a competition, Leia's words caught his attention.
"Club time," she said simply.
Leon nodded, and they were soon joined by Calla and Joan.
"Which club are you guys joining?" Calla asked. "If you don't say Vanguard, we're not friends."
"Everyone says Vanguard," Joan muttered. "It's overcrowded and… sweaty."
"It's popular for a reason," Calla shot back. "What's better than learning to fight on the front lines?"
Joan retorted, "There are bac–" Calla ignored her reasoning.
As the group moved toward the club halls, notably followed by Orick, Leon let their conversation fade into the background. His thoughts remained tangled with Xander's lecture.
* * *
On their walk towards the courtyard, they were discussing which club to enter.
"Augmenters are the most flexible. You can have multiple different Amalgams to fuse with." Orick said with pride, it was evident the Greth household specialized in raising Augmenters.
Augmenters were the Jack of All Trades in a cohort, they can take the roles of Vanguard and Aegis.
"Sure, but willing Amalgams are hard to come by without a legacy of raising them." Calla retorted. "Anyway, what Laws do your families study?"
Leon pondered, 'So they are from prominent families. I don't think father had powerful predecessors.'
Leon felt anger rise within him. Perhaps Garthem's rise as a newbie was what caused his fellow Ferriers to crush his future.
Orick responded first, "Wind." Most families call their Laws by an element. Many opt for the "Wind" Law, it was a good starting point.
"But professor Kairen would hit me and say that it's called the Law of Motion."
"Same here. Although, doesn't motion apply for every law there is anyway? Isn't that why we call them by elements?" Calla said. It was a vague concept.
"Ours is Flame." Joan said with clarity, her pride showing.
Their conversation confused Leon. 'Really? The large families call their Laws by the elements closest in nature to it?' Such a thing was unthinkable to him.
'Won't that limit their potential... Wait. I thought that the Law that the assassin used was the Law of Shadow. Thinking about it now, that was actually an application of the Laws of Light.'
Leon did not consider the idea of a Law of Darkness. He assumed that such a thing did not exist. Maybe it was what the assassin thought it to be, but darkness was a property, not a separate element.
"My family isn't an old one. But father studies the Law of Light." Leia spoke with some nervousness, thinking the rest would perceive her as beneath them for being from a new family.
"That's... So the first place is taken by someone from a budding family?" Calla said, defeated.
"No wonder I haven't heard of the Edarin before." Orick said insensitively.
Leia rushed to speak, "What top spot? Didn't Leon finish the activity in under three seconds?"
Calla looked confused—until she remembered.
"That's right! It was because you were late!" She pointed at Leon. "You almost made the damn table b-"
Joan asked amidst the chatter, "W-what about you? Your Law I mean…"
They all went silent, eager to learn of Leon's true expertise.
Everyone but Leia assumed the same thing: 'It has to be either Mass or Gravity.'
"My family is also new. Father is... was a student under the Laws of Severance."
Calla's jaw hit the floor. "Y-you're also a new–"
"What is severance?" Asked both Joan and Orick. They had an idea, but wanted to confirm.
"It is the Law of separation, to split one thing into multiple. It is a supplementary element to their fighting style." Leon answered proudly. It was a powerful Law.
"Indeed, they are a family of swordsmen. This Law is applied on their swords in order to cut with more precision." Leia continued. The Edarin and Oaken family had a close relationship.
As they walked, a gloomy corner behind a concrete pillar was talking about them. "Vivian, this seems like a bad idea. You heard them. Can we like, back off?"
That notion was slapped out of her. "Dumbass! We just go for the two without backing!" She growled. She was just given a huge opportunity. An opportunity to outgrow her family and show them what she can do.
'Those two...' Thinking about Leon and Leia, she glared at the group—
And then hurriedly hid behind the pillar covered in goosebumps, breathing heavily.
All she saw there were a pair of white eyes staring right at her.
'... will be problematic. Then...' She changed plans. They will target someone else.