The morning was bright and chilly, the kind that bit at your skin but didn't quite hurt. Ivy zipped her jacket up as she stepped outside the dorm, Chloe at her side with her usual too-big bag slung over one shoulder.
"Finally," Chloe said. "A real exercise day. Not just drills."
"Still drills," Ivy replied, adjusting her sleeves.
"Yeah, but better drills. We get to use our blessings in groups. It's basically legal chaos."
"Legal until Garry goes overboard."
Chloe snorted. "He always goes overboard. That's the charm."
They walked toward the outdoor training zone, a wide grassy field surrounded by impact-proof fencing. A few early students were already warming up, some stretching, others bouncing energy from hand to hand like it was nothing.
Their instructor stood near a whiteboard set up on a tripod, arms crossed, clipboard in hand. Mr. Renley, strict but fair. He didn't yell unless it was necessary.
Chloe waved. He ignored her.
"Today," Renley announced once the class had gathered, "we're doing pairing exercises. Controlled sparring with application focus. You use your blessings. You don't break anyone. Clear?"
A few nods. A few nervous laughs.
"First set. Garry and Min. Step up."
Garry jogged forward with his usual reckless grin, rolling his shoulders.
"Ready for this?" he asked Min, who looked about as confident as a paper umbrella in a storm.
Renley gave a half-nod. "Start."
Min launched a wave of compact air pressure. Garry braced, letting it hit him full force. The moment it connected, his whole frame tensed, then pulsed. He pivoted on one foot and threw a punch into the air.
The blast of pressure that followed sent dust flying and made several students flinch.
"Garry!"
Renley pointed his clipboard at him.
"What?" Garry said innocently. "That was the light version."
"Next set," Renley called. "Chloe and Tessa."
Chloe practically skipped forward.
Tessa looked nervous, her hands flickering with nervous flame.
Chloe held up her hands. "Hey. Breathe. You're fine."
Tessa nodded, breathing in deep.
Chloe stepped close, touched her shoulder, and smiled. "There. Better?"
Tessa straightened. Her expression shifted to cool confidence.
"Good," Chloe said. "Now punch something."
Tessa did. It missed.
"Maybe too confident," Chloe muttered.
"Chloe," Renley warned.
"It was just a nudge."
Ivy stayed back near the wall, arms crossed. She watched each pair move through their routine. The blessings varied, from elemental flickers to force-based tricks, but they all had one thing in common:
No backlash.
She rubbed her temple. Her last real use had left her dizzy for hours.
"Ivy," Renley called.
She looked up. Her name was next.
She stepped forward.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed someone standing quietly at the far edge of the field.
Zhihao.
Wearing his uniform jacket and watching like he wasn't sure he belonged.
A student near her muttered, "Think he even has a blessing?"
Ivy didn't answer. She just stepped into position.
Her turn had come.
Renley glanced at his clipboard. "You're paired with Kael."
A boy stepped forward from the group. One of the transfer students from another class.
Tall, sharp-featured, and far too calm. He adjusted the cuff of his jacket and gave Ivy a nod that felt more like a warning than a greeting.
His blessing was well known already. Metal manipulation.
Kael flexed one hand, and a set of metal practice discs behind him began to rattle. One lifted into the air and spun lazily above his shoulder.
Ivy's eyes narrowed.
She'd been hoping for an easier match.
"Begin when ready," Renley said.
Kael smiled faintly. "Don't worry. I won't hit too hard. Unless you reflect it."
Ivy slid into stance, jaw tight.
This was going to hurt.
Kael didn't hesitate. The moment her stance settled, three of the discs snapped forward, whistling through the air like razors. Ivy raised her hand instinctively, and her blessing reacted before she consciously summoned it.
The discs halted midair for a split second, then shot back.
Kael's eyes widened as he ducked. One disk grazed his shoulder, slicing his jacket.
Gasps rang out around the field.
Ivy's breath caught. The echo of the attack thudded in her chest, dull and cold, like a memory of pain.
Kael straightened, expression sharp now. "So you do reflect."
He lifted both hands this time.
Six more discs rose.
Renley took a step forward, tone warning. "Kael."
Kael didn't look back. He launched two more, faster, heavier.
Ivy clenched her jaw. The moment they hit her field, her head rang. One bounced straight up, the other curved off wildly into the fence.
She took a shaky step back.
"Enough," Renley barked.
Kael lowered his hands slowly, expression unreadable. "Of course."
Ivy exhaled, knees slightly unsteady.
Kael didn't apologize. He didn't even look her way as he turned and walked off the field.
Ivy stood alone for a moment, the last vibration of impact still humming in her ribs.
Zhihao, from the edge of the group, was watching.
He didn't speak. But his posture had changed.
More alert. More focused.
Like something had just started.
"Last set," Renley called. "Zhihao."
Heads turned. Zhihao blinked as if realizing he'd been summoned to a stage he didn't sign up for.
"You'll be with Eren," Renley said.
Eren was a tall student with stone-skin armor as his blessing. Durable, aggressive, and loud.
Zhihao stepped onto the field without speaking, his hands tucked in his sleeves. His face was pale. His eyes wide. Every part of his body looked like it wanted to be somewhere else.
Eren scoffed. "You gonna stand there and blink at me, or do you have a trick in those sleeves?"
Zhihao said nothing.
Renley looked at him. "Ready?"
Zhihao gave a tight, shaky nod.
Eren charged.
Zhihao flinched hard and dodged.
The stone-armored fist swung through air. Eren grunted and pivoted, swinging again.
Zhihao ducked.
Another strike. Another perfect dodge. He twisted under a kick and slipped sideways from a punch. His footing was graceful, instinctual, but his expression remained frozen in panic.
Ivy watched from the sidelines. He wasn't calm. He was terrified.
Eren picked up speed, his frustration obvious.
Zhihao's breathing grew faster. His eyes locked onto Eren's every movement.
Then something shifted. A faint glow started behind Zhihao's irises, a thin line of yellow light bleeding into the whites of his eyes.
He moved faster.
Dodged again.
And again.
Like he wasn't just reacting.
Gasps rippled from the sidelines. Eren shouted and rushed him.
Zhihao's eyes snapped to the side.
His foot caught slightly.
Just a crack in his rhythm.
Eren's elbow caught him in the ribs. Zhihao grunted, staggered, and hit the ground.
The glow vanished.
"Zhihao!" Renley called, stepping forward.
Zhihao raised a hand weakly. "I'm fine."
Eren, panting, looked down at him. "That was... weird."
Zhihao didn't answer. He pushed himself to sit, then stand, wobbling slightly.
He gave a shallow bow and walked off the field without a word.
Renley watched him for a moment longer before turning back to the rest of the class.
From the sidelines, Ivy didn't look away.
He hadn't fought back.
He hadn't even looked angry.
Just scared, and still nearly impossible to hit.