After their breakfast, Jake and Azztheo jogged all the way back to campus, barely making it in time for physical training.
The field was already filling up with sleepy first-years stretching and yawning. A moment later, Instructor Jonathan arrived—his uniform neat, his sharp eyes scanning them like a hawk.
"Alright, quiet down," Jonathan said. "Today's drill is simple. Five laps around the campus perimeter."
A wave of groans echoed across the field. The campus was massive—each lap nearly a mile. Azztheo felt his muscles ache just thinking about it.
"No excuses," Jonathan barked. "Start running. Now."
With a whistle, the crowd of students took off.
For the first half-lap, everyone chatted to distract themselves from the pain.
"This is brutal," Jake panted.
Azztheo nodded, breathless. "Why does everything here feel like survival training?"
But soon, the jokes faded. The pace got heavier. Lungs burned, legs ached, and by the last lap, no one had energy to speak.
When they finally finished, most of the class collapsed on the ground, gulping air like fish out of water.
Azztheo leaned against a tree, dripping with sweat. Jake was flat on the grass beside him, hands over his eyes.
"I think I just lost two years of my life," Jake wheezed.
"No pain, no gains," Azztheo managed with a laugh.
By noon, they limped to the cafeteria. This time, it was open and full of chatter. They both grabbed extra-large portions—meat, rice, eggs, and some strange, glowing green smoothie labeled Muscle Juice +.
"This better not mutate me," Azztheo muttered before gulping it down.
After lunch, they had a bit of free time before afternoon classes. As they wandered through the academy grounds, passing the tall walls and quiet courtyards, they neared the senior training ground.
Azztheo slowed. "Hold up…"
Jake looked at him. "What is it?"
There was a crowd gathered ahead—cheering, shouting, clapping. It surrounded a raised stone platform inside the open training arena.
From where they stood, Azztheo could see flashes of light.
He stepped closer, curious. And then his eyes widened.
In the center of the platform stood Lyra.
The same cold, confident third-year girl he'd seen yesterday—the one who had stared him down like she knew something.
She was fighting another student. A tall, broad-shouldered guy wearing the three-star badge of a third-year. His arms glowed with rough, brown energy, veins pulsing with power.
Earth affinity.
Lyra was fast—blindingly so. She darted across the ring, bolts of lightning crackling from her arms, streaking through the air with a sharp crack! Every time she moved, her body flickered like a mirage.
Azztheo could feel the static from where he stood.
The earth user tried to trap her with rising walls of stone, but she zipped through the gaps like lightning itself. Then, with a twist and a leap, she struck his chest with a glowing palm.
Boom!
The second-year was blasted backward, crashing into the arena wall. Dust exploded around him.
The crowd went wild.
Jake whistled softly. "Damn… she's strong."
Azztheo didn't respond. His eyes were locked on her.
It was the second time in his life he had seen someone truly use superpowers.
Not it was really an eye opener for him.
It was also illegal outside designated dueling areas. He remembered reading it in the rule book—use of powers was heavily restricted unless granted by an instructor or part of a sanctioned match.
And clearly, it was a dueling area.
And everyone was cheering.
"She's a variant element," Jake said under his breath. "Its rare Lightning affinity and her control over her lightning is reaaly good, well what can we expect from upper class student."
"Who's the guy?" Azztheo asked, eyes narrowing.
"No idea. But he's not weak. She just made him look that way."
The dust settled, and the third-year slowly stood, coughing, face red with defeat. Lyra didn't gloat. She just turned away and walked toward the crowd, lightning fading from her hands.
But then—her eyes briefly met Azztheo's.
Only for a second.
But it was enough.
Azztheo felt a chill run down his spine.
That gaze—sharp, calm, unreadable—like she already knew who he was.
"Let's go," Jake said, tapping his shoulder.
Azztheo nodded slowly and turned away, but his mind was racing.
He didn't know why, but something told him—
That girl wasn't done with him yet.
After recess, Azztheo and Jake decided to skip lazing around in the dorm lounge.
Instead, they headed straight to the academy library.
The place was massive—easily three floors tall, its walls lined with glowing tomes, old scrolls, and even digital archives. A soft hum filled the air, and the lighting was warm and golden. Dozens of students sat at tables, some in study groups, others deeply absorbed in reading alone.
They found a quiet corner on the second floor, where books on superpower theory were shelved.
Jake pulled out a thick blue book titled Understanding Affinities and Variants, while Azztheo picked up one called Combat Power Application: Rules, Risks, and Realities.
For the next few hours, they read silently, exchanging notes and muttering findings to each other.
"So affinities are like… a person's natural link to an elemental or abstract force," Jake summarized. "Fire, water, lightning, earth, wind, ice, shadow, light, and so on."
"Right," Azztheo said. "But the strength of that affinity depends on your potential, energy channels, and control."
He pointed to a page showing a chart. "Look—here's the breakdown. Most students awaken with a single basic affinity. But variants elements like Lyra can have more power."
"Variants are super rare, though," Jake said, eyes wide. "One in every thousand. And they're nearly impossible to beat unless you're awakened and experienced."
Azztheo flipped through more pages and found a section on power usage restrictions.
It clearly said:
> Superpower usage outside designated arenas or emergency combat situations is forbidden within the academy premises. Disciplinary action includes deduction of points, suspension, or even expulsion in severe cases.
"Huh." He looked up. "So Lyra really broke the rules earlier. But no one stopped her."
Jake raised an eyebrow. "No, I think they took permission before the duel, you can have duel in the designated dueling ring? Though he's a third-year variant. she cant break the rules."
Azztheo chuckled, but the thought lingered. Why did she look at him like that earlier? Was it just curiosity? Or something more?
Eventually, they moved on to books about power weaknesses.
Apparently, every affinity had both strengths and counters:
Fire was strong against wind, but weak to water.
Lightning overwhelmed water conductors, but was grounded by earth.
Earth beat lightning, but was vulnerable to wind erosion.
Shadow was unpredictable, but couldn't pierce light.
Azztheo noted it all down in a small notebook, sketching diagrams and underlining combinations.
Jake leaned over. "You're really into this, huh?"
Azztheo gave a half-smile. "If I want to survive this place—and maybe catch up to people like Lyra—I've got to be ready."
Jake nodded, suddenly serious. "Yeah… we both do."
They kept studying until the bell rang for evening roll-call.
As they walked back to their dorm, Azztheo glanced up at the sky. The clouds were turning gold, the sun setting behind the academy spires.
He didn't have powers yet.
But something inside him stirred.
One day, he thought, gripping his notebook tighter.
I'll stand on that platform too. Not as a weakling. But as someone they'll remember.