《EX: Emblem》 Chapter 0 - Prologue In this world, a person¡¯s emblem decides everything. Your work, your education, the flow of your life, they all depend on it. The skills of these Emblem would either come from genetics or luck. While some parents may pass on their abilities to their child, some may not. Lucky or unlucky, some may develop a whole new ability. With a peaceful world, many are born with emblems that follows a life of a common man. Others would climb the ladder of nobility and wish to become rich and successful. Whether they can create fire for war, cut trees for homes, create water for the thirsty, it all depends on the individual. It was not long before the emblems were told to be blessings from the gods. There are known to be three type of peoples in this world. First are the blessed. With one in a million chance, they are blessed by many goddess and could hold two emblems. People call them the Extra Ability user or EXA for short. Second are the common people; they are born with a single emblem. Base on their unique ability, they could become the best or be the worst. And lastly, the most unlucky ones of all, the markless. With a chance to near one of a billion, they are born without the two blessing. The reason is unknown and could only be called unlucky. Without a chance to show the world what they can do, they are already observed as a failure.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. In all schools, students are ranked based on their abilities. On a level from 1 to 5, they are gauged in many aspects. It would range from its strength, utility, defense, and its efficiency. The higher rank you are, the more you are open to greater success. Students are expected to hone their abilities as an Emblem user and let that guide them in life. Now today, today was the day where all new students find themselves in new schools. With all odds against Lynn, the emblem of the hero shall rise once again. The tale of sacrifices once more begins. Chapter 1 - Aqua Academy Today, throughout the continent, the schools that held the most power and stood out the most were known as the Triple A¡¯s: Ark, Argonaut, and Aqua. The school Lynn enrolled to, was one of them, Aqua Academy. It was not his own abilities that got him there, but rather the lineage of his family. In fact, he had no choice but to enroll there. Before Lynn had left his home, he gave a farewell to his home. Though he knew no one would reply, he felt a need of importance to do so. ¡°I¡¯m leaving...¡± Lynn was sure it was for his sake to speak his departure. Though it was his home, he did not feel like it was his home. It was a new day, the start of a new day, and the start of a new beginning. ¡°This is where my life really begins.¡± Many peoples felt like this, but Lynn did not. His life had already started. He had no choice but to; this was how he felt. Lynn, a 15 years old am the weakest. If he did not sharpen his fangs as the weakest, he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive in this world. At the academy gates, many students were crammed together trying to make pass. Many of the students were wearing our school uniform, while some were in costumes. The women uniforms were sailor uniforms except that it was in dyed in black and had a red bow. Us males wore a white t-shirt and a black coat on top. Alongside with a red tie. Many clubs were still trying to recruit all the freshmen passing through. Some were passing out flyers, some others were keeping their lines in check, and some were trying to talk freshmen into joining their club. Though it was just moments before the start of class, it was surprising to still see many students around.In fact, Lynn had decided on this time so it would hopefully be easier to go through the gate. Obviously, going through the front gate was not an option for him. It would in fact cause a great commotion if he¡¯d passed anyone who recognized him. Finding a side entrance or going through the back gate was a better choice. It was what he wanted, but before he realized, he was suddenly grabbed by the arm. It was obviously not an accident or some sort. Soon after his arm was grabbed, it was pulled closer to the person. With the side of his arm resting right next to her, her body heat soon also transferred over. ¡°You!¡± She yelled, ¡®You should join the Student Council?¡± She demanded of me. Caught by surprise, he had made eye contact with her. If he had turned his eyes away for just a moment, he felt it would surely be the end of his life. Her eyes itself was like a beast praying on a prey. Every second passing by felt like an eternity. All he could do was stare into her eyes that reflected his own face. He had seen that strands of her hair had yet been broken off from the momentum she carried here. Her hair floated in the air, as if gravity did not exist. Her long purple hair had also flowed past her shoulders. Her sailor uniform suited her as if it was a frame over a portrait. She was tall for a girl, about the same height as me. Her pinkish thin lips reinforced what a true noble would look like. Her purple iris shone more than what it really was. Her pupils was rather large at the moment. Rather than determined, she seemed delicate. Coming back to Lynn¡¯s senses, he knew he had to leave immediately or he would be eaten alive. If he allowed himself to gaze at her any longer, surely enough he won¡¯t be able to escape. Due to her sudden uproar also, she pulled everyone¡¯s nearby attention towards them. Whether it was intentionally or not, it had a huge impact. It also spoke that she was not a normal student. The silent glares felt like it had the intent of killing someone. If he were to make a wrong move, he would be chewed on. Joining of course was not the correct option. Refusing also, was of course also wrong. The only option he had was to quickly escape. It would do more bad than good if he did join. He was certain that it would. Not like refusing would be any better anyways. It did however, was more favorable to him.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°I¡¯m not interested,¡± he replied. Pulling his arm away from her, he turned around as fast as he could. As he got further away, he soon felt fewer glares at him and felt relief. Soon after however, he was grabbed by the arm once more ¡°H-How dare you run from me!¡± He heard the same women suddenly roared. This time, he also knew that he could not use the same method to escape. As soon as he was grabbed, he spotted her emblem mark on her left hand. It showed in a bright pink light. The light itself symbolized the use of her emblem, her unique ability to be exact. The color also, was an affiliation of her ability. Having the light colored in pink certified that it was most likely an ability to enhance her vision. Whether they see the flow of mana or have enhanced eyesight, they all differ. In the middle of the crowd, many glares were now directed at Lynn. At this point, he had no choice but to face her appropriately, or at least try to. Exhaling a huge amount of air from his body, Lynn spoke once again. This time, he also avoided to make the same mistake as before, making eye contact. ¡°I apologize, but you¡¯re mistaking. I¡¯m not fit to be a part of the Student Council.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true! I could see that you¡¯re fit to be part of us.¡¯ ¡°Now¡¯s that''s not true. There''s nothing redeeming about me,¡± Lynn tried to speak in the most polite manner. ¡°It¡¯s true! Your mana!¡± She exclaimed, ¡°my ability Perception allows me to see it. Not only it flows well in your body, its capacity is twice the size of normal peoples. With such great mana flow and size, you¡¯re a perfec-¡± ¡°Ah! You!¡± One of the bystanders yelled. ¡°You¡¯re the markless trash that got in here through your family. Miss Ray, I do also think you are mistaking him as a candidate.¡± It was also then that the spectators started to make a commotion. ¡°A-are you say-?¡± Before she could fend off herself, a man behind her spoke. It was the same man that had been next to her during the first encounter Lynn had noticed. ¡°Lucy, that''s enough. This is why I told you not to use your emblem.¡± ¡°Ehhhh¡­ B-but we need mo-¡± ¡°No buts! We can find others. Sorry for the trouble,¡± he bowed his head towards Lynn as a sign of apology. Slightly glancing over, the man had red short hair, green eyes and wore glasses. He was slightly taller than Lucy who was about the same height as him. While being taller, his body also seems sturdier than most people''s. Sturdy enough to scare peoples off just by being seeing him. As the grip on Lynn¡¯s arm loosens, Lynn was able to pull himself off. Trying to stealthily escape, Lynn had once more walked into the crowd. Just as he was out of reach, Lucy had reacted without realizing. She had moved her body forward on her own accord. Her hand was stretched out and grabbed onto Lynn¡¯s hand. Being pulled backward, Lynn had twisted his head back. Lynn this time, had accidentally made eye contact. Rather than delicate, she was more determined and willful unlike any others Lynn had came to realize. Lynn had his eyes locked onto hers, he was sure he saw everything she had wanted to say. Despite only staring for a few seconds, it had felt like an eternity once again. Lynn had wanted to break off the silent exchange, but could not; Lynn was not able to find the words he wanted to say and neither could she. Surely, even if he did find the words, no sound would come out his mouth. It was just then, when a bell had rugged, stealing everyone¡¯s attention. It was the sign of the start of class. While the bell was ringing, many of them looked for the source. Lynn, however, did not. When the bell finally finished, Lucy Ray then realized as she was about to apologize that Lynn was no longer here. ¡°I- She suddenly stopped speaking. Without being able to finish her words, the start of the first day had started. Chapter 2 - A Voice so Silent Lynn was unsure what to make of the situation, but without a doubt, he had already made enemies. It was true that he qualified as part of the Student Council, but only with a standard viewpoint. This was not the case for him. As part of the student council, you must stand out in the best way possible, a hero they could call them. Lynn however, would stand out in the worst way possible. When Lynn arrive to his class, the professor had yet also shown up. The classroom was not the typical classroom in junior high. The ceiling of the room was about three times the normal height. The desks and seats were not simply desks and tables, but rather a table that starts from side to another. They would of course, all face towards the middle of the class. The seats were the same. Despite the room being spacial, there were not many students. There were barely enough to fill the first three row of the class. Some had their eyes closed, arm crossed, some were playing with magic, and some were reading. Not very friendly classmates it had seemed. On the third row, Lynn sat in between two. It was of course his assigned seat as a student. The man next to hi was listening to music through black headphones. He had white hair that extends past his blue eyes. The women next to me had her head down and both of hands together, as if she was praying. All Lynn could identify was her black hair; it was not too long and not too short. As soon as he had finished evaluating the two, the man next to him had took off his headphones. He must have been wanting to greet the person seated next to him. ¡°Yo!¡± He called out, ¡°nice to meet you. Names Isaac Gale. Yours?¡± ¡°Nice to meet you also. Call me Lynn.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Isaac called out to the women next to me. It was obvious that she was uncomfortable when she was called out. She had leaped forward slightly; it must have been because she was startled to being called too. Nonetheless, she still replied. ¡°Haru Shimizu,¡± she said in a low voice. Lynn¡¯s eyes then widen. Her name itself explained the class¡¯s behavior. They may or not have acted directly, but it was obvious what had happened. Each year, students were enslaved to making friends. It was especially more common to those in power such as nobility. By building connections, they may help them rise to even more power. However, that was not what had happened in this class. When Lynn entered the classroom, it was impossible to not notice the uncomfortable air. It must have been why some students were distracting themselves while they waiting; they wanted to pretend as if they saw nothing. At the start of every year, students, most likely freshman, would become arrogant. It seemed Haru was one of the victims. It was obvious why. As a foreign student, they are discriminated against, most likely by fellow genders. They could be in envy which causes bullying or even if their pride deny them, they would step down on them. Even if there was nothing strange about the individual, they would find anything they can, to make themselves feel on top and better. It was certain that Isaac was aware of the situation and wanted to do something about it.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Isaac said in his most gentle tone along with his most pleasant smile. ¡°Likewise,¡± I lowered my head slightly as a bow to her. ¡°Nice to meet you too,¡± Haru had whispered in a low voice once more. In that voice, it was certain that she was not experienced with socializing. It was certain that her self-esteem was lacking. It was certain she met with nothing but hardship. It was certain she was afraid to take another step, yet she was still here, in one of the top three academies. It was just then that the professor had arrived; he came in the room with a loud bang. The door flew open as he rushed in. ¡°All right folks! Call me Professor Luden! Now pack your bags and let¡¯s move!¡± ¡°Ehhh!!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Already?!¡± Some of the students were complaining. What Professor Luden had decided on the first day of class was to let the students spar. By fighting with and against each other, students would develop a sense of understanding to each other. Aqua Academy was a school focused on combat after all. It was probably just too sudden. No one wants to get hurt and make a shame of themselves on the first day. Some, on the other hand, would like to prove their standing by winning others. From the start, the arranged seats were prepared for this moment. It was uncertain if he had hand picked each and every members, but we all were put in groups of threes, in a total of ten group. We were paired up with students we sat next to and was expected to fight a three on three match. In the group of three, many were balanced between support, offense and defense. Student¡¯s data were all managed by the government and the school. It would be easy to look up one¡¯s student abilities. In this world, people¡¯s uniqueness were determined by the Color Wheel. Base off one¡¯s color emitting from their mark, it would determine their specialty. Chapter 3 - Smile Behide the Mask ¡°I¡¯ll go in from the left. Cover me Lynn,¡± Haru spoke to me ¡°On it! Isaac!¡± Lynn called out ¡°Roger that!¡± The zone around Isaac then started to freeze. Alongside with his ability, a mark appeared on his left hand and shone in color teal, prove of his gift in ice magic. From there, it froze the ground towards the three at a rapid speed. Even though there were many trees obstructing our view from the three, it was obvious where they were. They continuously kept firing spells towards us at the start of the match; it must have been an eyesight emblem that allowed them to see us. Upon following it, the three were spotted. There were many types of battlefields that Aqua Academy could materialize in their arenas. Right now, through a random chance, we were fighting in a forest field. A really simple field actually, but because of the terrain change, it was hard for untrained students to move in. Upon being told we were going to fight a three on three match, Professor Luden had given us time to allow us to formulate a strategy and learn about each other. ¡°I¡¯m a level four. My emblem can freeze anything within range and when frozen, I can control it to do anything. They call it Dominion,¡± Isaac had spoken. It was strong ability. The longer the battle continued, the more field he would control. The fact that he was not a level five was surprising. It must have a huge drawback. ¡°I¡¯m a level two. All I can use are the basic four.¡± The basic four were the natural elements that mana could convert to, fire, earth, water, and air. While the basic four was the essence of everything, without anything to enforce an element, it would not have the strength to deal significant damage. Anyone could learn the basic four with some training. Without any question, Isaac had his arm crossed and nodded his head without any disapproval. Despite being only a level two, it seemed like he wasn¡¯t in spite of the weak. A really polite man. After a brief moment, all eyes went onto Haru. Without being able to perceive what we were asking, Haru had only looked at us puzzled. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m a level three... I can create high-frequency vibration. My weapon is a katana,¡± Haru spoke with the most courage she could. It was back in the classroom where Lynn had failed to notice Haru¡¯s katana laying to her side. In all schools, personal weapons were accepted as long as it was registered. In the school arena, everything was converted to ether, the essence of mana. In this form, any harm delt would directly drain the supply of your mana, rather than your physical form. If you run out of mana, you lose. That was the game of school¡¯s arena. Our winning conditions were simple, but that was what made it difficult. It is easy for anyone to see what the winning condition was for us, especially in a team match. With every melee fighter, the winning condition would be decided on them. They would have to get close and finish the match. The plan was to let Haru get as close as possible with me as support and Isaac as a distraction. On the other team, they seemed to have been a group of three mages. Their plan was simple, to attack together and defend together.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Upon finishing the trail of ice, Issac immediately pulled the crystal off the ground, creating spikes to separate the three. Just as planned, two were pushed to the right and one was isolated to the left. While this was all happening, Haru had been skillfully moving through the terrain. At the same time, her strength¡¯s emblem on her right hand was shining in pink, prove of the activation of her ability. While some fireballs and spells would fly towards her, it was easily countered with my own spells. While some went through, Haru would dodge some and repel some. It was obvious that she had movements that required practice and lots of training. Being able to repel magic alone with weapons were considered a talent. It seemed Haru had confidence in her abilities, but her self-esteem, however, was lacking. A mismatch for a good reason. ¡°Tsk! You markless trash. As if this is enough to take me down,¡± the isolated student screamed. Knowing he was in trouble, he quickly threw out a mana shield to cover him. Most likely, it was an emblem ability. Being able to solidify mana was rare. However, because the mana shield did not have an element, it was easily shattered through Haru¡¯s high-frequency blade. It was simply a bad match-up. Immediately after, the man had tried to leap away when he had realized. It was all however a mistake. As soon as he leaped away, he had leaped right into one of his own ally, knocking both of them down. Haru then was able to finish both the two who were dazed with a cleave through their body, robbing them off all their mana and rendering them unconscious. It was unknown if it was just a single cleave or multiple slashes. It all happened in a quick moment wheres many eyes would not be able to follow. When a person empties their mana pool, their consciousness is as good as gone. Mana was the essence of the mind. As time pass, bodies would naturally convert the ether in the air into mana for themselves. A few second before, Isaac had been fending off the two who he had separated. As soon as the trail of ice had separated them, he had reformed spikes from the side of his wall and forced them further to the side. One had been able to escape the wall of ice by immediately blasting through it and dashing over. As soon as he did though, he had collided with his teammate on the other side of the wall. The other one who was isolated with him was not able to follow; the ice had already reformed before he had made it. Additionally, Isaac had already had created another layer of ice on his other side, trapping him. From there, Isaac was able to end the match by continuously robbing his freedom away. At the end of the match, the field had started to fade away. ¡°Nice work there,¡± Isaac said gave Lynn a high five. As soon as he did, we both had turned to Haru who was sheathing her blade. ¡°Good work Haru,¡± we both said as we made our way to Haru. Raising both our hands, we both gave her a high five at the same time. Without even realizing, Haru had responded to the two and gave both of them a five at the same time. From the side of both their eyes, they were able to see a smile escape Haru¡¯s mask. With her smile, Lynn sure that both Lynn and Isaac had no complaints about the match. When the medics had finished taking the unconscious three away, we had made our way back to the arena¡¯s seat. Many classmates were still not giving us the recognition we had deserved. It was obvious from their eyes, despite their silent voice. Before the match had started, many were already placing bets onto the opposite team. In Aqua Academy arenas, they were built for only a single match at a time. There were, however, multiple arena buildings. When every match had concluded, it was already time for lunch. Chapter 4 - A Place to Belong We were given an hour for lunch break and in exchange, classes ended later in the afternoon or early evening. When lunch break had started, Lynn stood from his seat and had stretched his body. When he was finished, Isaac had spoken up ¡°You guys wanna eat together?.¡± ¡°Fine with me.¡± Lynn had said. Both of us then had looked at Haru for her response, but it did not look like she had noticed. It was obvious that she did not include herself with us. ¡°You coming Haru?¡± Lynn asked. ¡°Huh? Me?¡± ¡°Yes. You wanna eat with us?¡± Isaac had asked again. Pupil enlarged, it was certain that she was surprised. ¡°M-May I?...¡± She questioned ¡°Of course! Let¡¯s get moving,¡± Isaac cheered her on. The campus or the Triple A¡¯s campus was rather different. They had enough dorms for every student and were offered for free as long as you were enrolled. Instead of a cafeteria, the school had many restaurants offered for free for all students. Most likely being paid by sponsors or by the government. Being unhealthy affects student¡¯s ability; this was the decision Aqua Academy came to. The school was separated in many districts. The main campus, clubs, food, dorms, and the many others. The men and women dorms were on opposite sides though. There were many choices of meals when we went around. In the end, we entered a sandwich shop close by because we still wanted spare time after lunch to look for interesting clubs. ¡°I think I¡¯m going for the cold cut sandwich, what about you Lynn?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Since you¡¯re going for the cold cut, I¡¯ll go for the egg sandwich. What about you Haru?¡± ¡°Ummmm. Ummm... I think I want to try the Italian sandwich.¡± As soon as the waitress came over, Isaac had placed orders for all of us. As for drinks, I had got lemonade, Isaac got raspberry tea, and Haru took iced tea. It was not long until our meals had arrived. When Isaac had ordered our sandwich, he had asked them to cut it into three equal pieces. It was so that we each could get a piece of a different sandwich. In total, we each had a piece of three different sandwiches. At first, it was strange because Isaac had stolen two pieces from both of us. It was actually amusing to see the face Haru had dropped.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I always wanted to do this,¡± Isaac had spoken. ¡°This is the first for me also. I¡¯m surprised though, it looks like you could be friends with anyone.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Not quite. Back in junior high, I was a lone wolf. Everyone was afraid of me. My white natural hair made me look like a criminal. Learned from my mistakes and I thought I¡¯d take my chances before I naturally become one.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Figured, I had the same impression.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too sad though¡­¡± Haru spoke in a quiet voice, ¡°I mean, being alone and all¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad. It wasn¡¯t like I was being bullied or anything. I mean, I have you guys now,¡± Isaac smiled with his eyes closed. It was a bright smile. You would have never guessed that Isaac had been a loner. It was impossible to see that he was. The smile was so universal, even a newborn baby would know it by heart. His very own soul was reflected by his smile. ¡°W-We just met did we not?! You''re making me feel weird! It¡¯s not like we¡¯re friends or anything. Are you stupid or wh-¡± Haru had sudden paused. Immediately, Haru had realized she had displayed a strange appearance. With an awkward face, she tried to escape with a forced smile and was soon to turtle into her shell. It had to be because of Isaac¡¯s smile. Caught off guard, even my own eyes were surprised. Haru did also receive the assault front on. Of course it would startle her. Both me and Isaac had turned to each and other and started to giggle and soon into laughters. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± we both bursted into laughter. ¡°Wh-what''s so funny?!¡± Haru panicked after a short while of confusion. ¡®Don¡¯t be silly,¡± I responded, ¡°we¡¯re already friends aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Isaac responded wiping a tear that had escaped. With a second surprise attack, Haru pupil enlarged. It did not matter if she was prepared or not. Throughout her experiences, she met with nothing but discrimination. Even if some did not mean harm, they were also yet matured. They would not know what it feels like to be bullied and discriminated against. Her reason for studying overboard itself was unknown, but surely, if she made it this far, it could not be for a selfish reason. Surely she had been enduring something alone as a child. With this, Haru has certainly taken a step forward, even if it was the smallest step. ¡°Stupid¡­¡± Haru had whispered quietly facing her head down. Even though her face was covered, surely we all knew the smile hidden behind it; the buried ray of smile that hides behind her unyielding mask. Surely, it was a smile that must be protected, and one day, it will certainly be shown with confident. Chapter 5 - Clubs (1) Now that we have finished our meals, we had gone out to look for clubs. ¡°Are you interested in any of the clubs?¡± Lynn asked Isaac ¡°Not sure if I¡¯m going to join, but I am interested in the Arena Club. The match we had together was pretty fun.¡± ¡°Ah! I was actually planning on checking them out. I saw them recruiting members this morning.¡± ¡°You saw that?! That¡¯s what makes me want to join. The Newcomer Tournament sounds really fun. We should join together and meet each other in the finals.¡± ¡°That sounds kind of fun...¡± Haru whisper ¡°Hehehe. I know right. It¡¯d be cool if we can fight together again.¡± ¡°Well, we can think about it later. Let¡¯s check out the club first.¡± ¡°Right. Any other clubs you¡¯re interested in Lynn?¡± ¡°I actually want to join the Rune Club. Ancient magic and spells seem really rare lately and you know¡­¡± ¡°Ahhh. Make sense. It¡¯d fit you perfectly. What about you Haru?¡± ¡°Huh? Me? I think¡­ I think I¡¯m fine with whatever you guys join...¡± ¡°Haha! That decides it then! We¡¯re all joining the Arena Club together.¡± While we were chatting, we had made it to the Arena Club. The Arena club had their own building rather than a room in the main campus. They also had their own stadium; a heavily funded club. Not only that members can train in combat, but it was one of the main source of entertainment in this school. ¡°Hm? You three interested in the club?¡± Someone had spoken behind us as we were about to enter the building ¡°Professor Luden?¡± Lynn had asked ¡°Yes?... Oh! Right. I¡¯m the club advisor for the Arena Club. Are you guys here to take a look at it?¡± ¡°We¡¯re interested in joining,¡± Isaac confirmed, ¡°Are you guys still recruiting?¡± ¡°Ah! Yes, we are. Quick, come this way,¡± he had opened the door for us. It was just then, someone had screamed across campus. It was not far away, but rather close. ¡°Apologize!!!¡± A man screamed. ¡°Heh. Why should I apologize to a level one trash! Trash like her shouldn¡¯t even be in this school.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± He voiced. Losing his patient, the man started the activation of his emblem. A mark on his hand started shining in a pink color. The man stood behind a girl who was still on the floor; it was obvious she had been shoved down. ¡°Oh, you wanna go trash?¡± The aggressor then started his activation of his emblem also; it shown in a red color. He was also not alone. His friends behind him then started also preparing for battle. An unfair fight it seemed.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Perfect timing,¡± Professor Luden spoke, ¡°You three, go show me what else you guys got.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Lynn whispered,¡± coming to a fast conclusion. ¡°This¡¯ll be over in an instant.¡± It was obvious to see who was going to become the victor. Even if it was just a fraction of a second, if you were prepared before the other, you would win. The first hit rule here would apply in situations such as these. ¡°Heh. You aren¡¯t bad. Why don¡¯t you go stop him before those thugs get hurt.¡± On Professor Luden¡¯s order, Lynn took steps forward and shouted at them. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Any more and the guards besides you will step in. Even noble¡¯s can¡¯t escape the school''s punishment.¡± Knowing that Lynn was right, what seems to be the leader of the thugs stopped his aggression. Rules in the top three schools were very strict. You were expected to be mature and take responsibility for your own problem. Punishment would often range from expulsion and labor. When expelling from the top schools, few schools would accept you due to your history. Your student life was as good as over. ¡°Tsk. Let¡¯s go guys.¡± ¡°Wait, before you leave, apologize.¡± Lynn gave the man his finest enraged glare. Surely it was not the best, but it was enough to prove that he was willing to be punished by the school. If they did not apologize, Lynn would start a brawl. If they did not apologize, surely the man defending the girl would do it. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m sorry for the trouble,¡± he lowered his head. ¡°There? Happy?¡± ¡°Yea. You may go.¡± The group of thugs walked away. Rather than ignorant, he was prideful. Someone who puts hard work to hone their skills deserve success. Of course a level one in this school would harm their pride. ¡°Thanks for the help.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± In fact, I was actually helping the thugs. Without a doubt, the moment when this man would attack them, the thugs would all fall unconscious without even realizing. Rather than just eyesight, the color pink held more than just eyesight. Depending on the level of the glow, it was possible to determine what ability he had. In this case, he was a sound user. The moment he would emit sound waves, the three would not even realize they¡¯d fallen. ¡°How about you two? Are you guys okay?¡± ¡°Yea. Thanks to you.¡± By the time Lynn had asked, the man had already offered his help to the women on the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. A bit too modest aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Oh. You noticed?¡± The man giggled scratching the back of his head. ¡°Well, at least they apologized without any of us getting hurt. I don¡¯t see any guards around here though. Did they leave already?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ I was just bluffing. Surely, the professor around would have done something though.¡± ¡°A bit bold of you Lynn,¡± Isaac spoke next to Lynn. While Lynn was busy chatting, Isaac and Haru were now next to him. Now it was Lynn¡¯s turn to scratch the back of his head. ¡°It was all I could think of. I¡¯m Lynn. Nice to meet your acquaintances. This person right here is Isaac and the girl behind him is Haru.¡± ¡°Yeap. Nice to meet you¡­ ummm.¡± Isaac paused. ¡°Oh! Right. Names Felix. Nice to meet you guys. This girl here is Iris.¡± She lowered her head to greet us. ¡°Nice to meet you Felix and Iris.¡± ¡°Were you guys on your way to the Arena Club?¡± Felix had asked. ¡°Oh! Right. Yes we were. Same for you guys?¡± ¡°Embarrassed to say after what we just caused, but yes.¡± ¡°Right. Be careful next time. Don¡¯t lose your emotions in a fight. It¡¯s vital to do so.¡± Professor Luden had walked up to us and spoke. ¡°Even if you could handle all three of them, they could have still harmed you somehow. You weren''t prepared to defend yourself at all, rather you were too focused on attacking them.¡± ¡°I apologize¡­ Thank you for your guidance,¡± Felix bowed his head. Not long after, Iris had panicked around and followed Felix with a bow. Professor Luden sighed. ¡°Well, as long as you kids understand. Now let¡¯s get back to class.¡± ¡°Huh? Wh-¡± ¡°Dingggggg.¡± The class bell suddenly rang, signing the end of lunch break. ¡°Well. I¡¯ll see you five after school if you¡¯re interested in joining.¡± Professor Luden had said before he had left. Chapter 6 - Clubs (2) ¡°Uaghhhh. Freedom at last.¡± Isaac rose both his arm in the air stretching. ¡°What a boring review session. I¡¯m glad we got to use the arena.¡± ¡°You sure got that right.¡± In class, we had reviewed the basics we learned the past few years. It was mainly the basic three color in the wisdom¡¯s emblem. Red for fire, green for earth, and blue for water. After the basic three, it was the three properties in the strength''s emblem. Red for enforcing attack, blue for increase agility, and yellow for self-body strengthening. While many deemed the strength¡¯s emblem useless in this world, there were many things they could do at which many can not. ¡°You three coming?¡± Professor Luden had asked us three. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you guys to the club.¡± ¡°Coming!¡± Isaac shouted as all three of us follow suit. At the end of the day, they were all able to join the Arena Club. When they had gotten there, both Felix and Iris was also waiting for us. The members were rather polite rather than simply muscle heads. Because the Newcomer Tournament was chosen as a one vs one tournament rather than a three on three, both Lynn an Haru was hesitant to participate. In the end, only Isaac had registered to be part of it. While both Isaac and Haru was being distracted, Lynn had left the club early to find the Rune¡¯s Club. Rune casters in this world uses ancient magic. They were long labeled as an ineffective magic because of the cast time. Rather than waiting seconds or minutes, you could prepare one of the basic four or even your emblem at a faster speed. The reason behind the long cast time was due to the use of letters. Runes comes in the forms of letters, also known as the Runic language. Rather than directly channeling your mana into a spell, you channel your mana into a letter engraved on a stone or paper than cast it. It had a whole extra activation sequence than regular magic. Rune magic was found in the early years of the world as many did not know how to use their emblem or even the basic four elements. When Lynn had found the classroom, it was rather empty. Despite having all the equipment the club would need, there seemed to have been no members. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s you,¡± a man behind Lynn spoke. The man had short red hair and green eyes with glasses. It was the same man from this morning. ¡°Are you here for the club?¡± He asked ¡°Yea I am.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Sadly all members of the Rune¡¯s Club just graduated last year. I¡¯m the only member left. I welcome you noobie.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll gladly accept.¡± After finishing the normal procedures of signing up, he had introduced himself. ¡°Names Lucus Waltz. I know we met this morning in a weird course, but I do hope you forgive her. She normally doesn''t make this kind of mistake. ¡°Ahh¡­ Don¡¯t worry about it. It was coming sooner or later. The sooner the better you know. Call me Lynn by the way.¡± ¡°Great timing actually. Come with me will you?¡± Seeing that Lynn was a bit hesitant, Lucus threw him aa bonus. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Come with me and you can freely use everything in the club. How about that?¡± ¡°Deal!¡± It was not long until Lucus had finished leading Lynn to a location. Rather than just a place, it was the Student Council room. Right when Lynn found out what the room was, he gave Lucus an glare from behind. Seeming that Lucus was able to notice Lynn¡¯s glare, he responded.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think it is. Don¡¯t worry. No one''s here right now.¡± Upon opening the door, the room was rather plain. It was a straightforward room that seemed to always be ready for any emergency meetings. There was a long table sitting in the middle of the room with chairs surrounding it. Upon inspecting the room, Lynn eyes had locked onto a women who had her head facing straight towards him. She had pile of papers on the desk, clearly prove of hard work. Her pupils enlarged, it was her turn to be surprised, rather than just Lynn. As soon as Lynn was about to question Lucus, he had seen that he was already back at the exit and had gave a bow to both him and the Student Council President. It was not long till he exited the room. As soon as he did, Miss Ray, or the Student Council President had stood up and ran towards Lynn at a quick speed. Panicking, Lynn thought she was going to grab onto him, lock eyes, and request something selfish once again, but she did not. Stopping right in front of him, she lowered her head in a great ninety-degree arc and apologized as loud as she could. ¡°I am deeply sorry for what I did this morning! I¡¯d like you to forgive me if possible! If there''s anything I could do, please accept my apology!¡± Surprised, all Lynn could do was look down at her in awe. Instead of selfish, she was kind. Instead of discourtesy and impoliteness like how many nobles were in this generation, she was not. Without even realizing how much time had passed, she had continued to get on her knees. The silence passed must had shape that Lynn did not accept her apology. ¡°Wait wait wait wait! It¡¯s fine. No need to get on your knees,¡° he replied, ¡°It was uncontrollable. There was no way you would have known.¡± Brief moments after, she was able to bring both her body and head back up once more. She did however, bit her lips and bowed once again. ¡°Thank you for accepting my apology. If there''s anything I could do, please do ask.¡± With a sudden change in mode, she had raised her head and smiled. Stupid and foolish to say but, when she had bit her lips, she was rather cute. Now, her smile could not have been any more perfect. Locking onto my eyes, she had asked me to sit down as she prepared warm tea. After the tea was set and all put away, she had started to speak. ¡°Sorry for the late introducing, but my name is Lucy Ray, the Student Council President of Aqua Academy.¡± ¡°Ah! Just call me Lynn. Nice to meet you.¡± After a brief moment of silence, she had looked into her tea cup that reflected her own face. It seemed like she was trying to find the courage to speak, or where to start speaking. Before the silence in the room got any worst, she had broke it. ¡°You see, we¡¯re in need of control right now.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Since last year, few students have been going crazy for apparently no reason. They would attack students, teachers, and make nonsensical decisions. In the end¡­ we have to put them down with force. There also been many cases where students been rapidly advancing the rank. Some would go from level 1 to 5, 2 to 5, 3 to 4, and many other variations. Last semester, we were able to find that those who were tied to a rapid increase in power were also the victims who became berserk¡­ So that was why I asked for your help. I misjudged you as an individual because of the use of my ability. I apologize once more.¡± She lowered her head. It was rather confusing. If such events were to occur, surely the world would know about it, but they did not. Curious, Lynn asked ¡°This is my first time hearing of this. Why isn¡¯t the school or any other organization not helping?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± She whispered as she looks down. It was obvious she was disappointed. Not in me, but rather in something else. ¡°The school had determined that us Student Council and Disciplinary are more than enough to handle the case. Instead of getting help, they¡¯re shielding any news that would spread to protect their reputation.¡± Exhaling a huge amount of air, Lynn took a sip from his tea. It was a troublesome situation that affects student¡¯s safety in learning, yet the school isn¡¯t doing anything about it. It was an ongoing problem from last year events that will affect this year¡¯s students also. Of course new enrolled students would not know of this. From the start, new students were already selected as the prime target. A truly dangerous point in time. ¡°I thank you for the information. For now, I¡¯ll be sure to be on the lookout. I¡¯ll offer my assistance when I can.¡± ¡°Thank you for understanding,¡± she smiled. It was obvious that I played right into her hands, but Lynn had no choice. If he was offered this much private intel, there was no choice but to assist. It may have been her plan from the start, but if she was going to believe in the goodwill of a person, Lynn would respond to her goodwill with good intentions. Chapter 6.5 - Birthday Present Not so far away and not too close, there stood a frail girl on a hospital bed. Unable to feel, unable to move, she was bedridden and paralyzed from her bottom down. She slept on her bed wide awake and simply gaze into the hospital¡¯s ceiling. It was not regret she felt, but fear. Fear of what¡¯s to come. It was not being lonely that scares her but becoming alone. ¡°Bum bum.¡± It was the sound of the door being knocked on. ¡°You may come in.¡± The frail girl had spoken. ¡°A gift for you.¡± The nurse had said with a gentle smile. It was obvious that it was not a gift from her, but a gift from another. The gift was wrap in a red wrapping with a sender¡¯s name. It had read ¡°From: Lynn¡± and ¡°To: My Dearest Sister.¡± Along with the package, the nurse had carried in a plushie in about the size of a head. The plushie resembled an lucky cat. The cat was rather fat than most cat. Surely, if this cat would make an appearance anywhere, it would be the main protagonist¡¯s pet, and in secret, it would be his guardian. The gift box she had received was unknown. She had wanted to open it in private. There was however a card tied onto its wrappings. It was most likely a birthday card. When she had opened it, it had a photo of his only family member left, his brother Lynn. He was waving a peace sign next to a cake that had read, ¡°Happy birthday Alice.¡± Along with the picture, there were few words that had been handwritten. It had read,The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Happy birthday Alice! By the time you have read this, on your request, I¡¯ll be on my first day of school. I hope you are doing well. Whenever I get the chance, I¡¯ll be sure to drop by and visit you. Be sure to open my present! I think you¡¯re going to like it, it took a lot of time to make. Sincerely, your only brother.¡± By the time she had finished reading the letter, the nurse had set the plushie on her bed in arms reach and had left the room. Before the nurse had left the room, she had given a gentle bow before leaving. The gift box Alice had received was rather large, it was enough to fit a hundred of the plushie she had received. The gift box was slightly heavy and seemed to contain something fragile. It was obvious when it was placed gently next to her bed. Unwrapping the gift as gently as she could, a glimpse of the gift came to view. It was not long before tears had started to slip from her eyes. Even if she was emotionally stable, it was impossible to cease her tears from coming out. The gift to make a wish was more than enough, but this was more than just a wish. It was a wish upon a wish. It was more than anyone could ask. It was asking for too much. It was asking to fix the world¡¯s problem. It was a symbol of eternal good luck and happiness. Instead of just one wish, it also prayed for recovery on my long illness. To live a thousand years like one of the holy creatures, the crane. Inside the gift box, it had contained two shadow box filled with five hundred paper-folded cranes in each. In total, it was a thousand crane. It was to wish for recovery on my unrecoverable illness. Even if she had not made it herself, her brother had made it for her. Surely, both her and Lynn were together as one. ¡°Happy birthday Lynn¡­¡± Alice had whisper quietly as the trail of tears slips off her face. It was not sadness she had felt. It was not grief she had felt, but it was happiness and joy. Chapter 7 - Just us Two (1) ¡°Yo! Early as always,¡± Isaac spoke to me as he slapped my back. ¡°Morning,¡± I replied, ¡°It¡¯s a habit.¡± ¡°You must sleep really early being able to wake up so fresh. I can never bring myself out of my bed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not so bad if you get used to it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible for me. Anyways, morning Haru.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Haru had responded. Since our first meeting Haru was rather afraid, now she seemed more comfortable with us. Few days had passed by as if time meant nothing. Since then, I had been living peacefully in the school dorms. There was little to no problems. Within the week, Professor Luden had opened his first lesson for us students. It was about teamwork. Now that we were in high school with the basic knowledge of Emblem, Professor Luden had determined teamwork to be more important than the mastery of an Emblem. Though some students had left due to lessons not being in their favor, some had also joined the class upon hearing about it. There is nothing you could do alone and there was many you could do together. This was the essence and context behind his teaching. The weakness of a person will be covered with the strength of another, and his weakness will be covered with their strength. And finally¡­ Today was the start of the Newcomer¡¯s Tournament and Isaac was scheduled for the first match after classes. Because Professor Luden is the club¡¯s advisor, our classes ended early after lunch. Though they could have gotten a substitute, their skills could be lacking to the education that Professor Luden wants. So in respect for Professor Luden, they allowed him to cancel class. Before we knew it, class had already ende ¡°Same place?¡± I asked Isaac. ¡°Can''t. Go without me. Gotta run and prepare for tournament¡± ¡°Hmm? We can wait for you if you want.¡± ¡°Sorry... They¡¯re going to be providing us with meals. It¡¯s some security measure or something.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Ah! No problem. No choice then, I¡¯ll see you later.¡± ¡®Yea. See you both later. Be sure to come watch!¡± ¡°Yea. Let¡¯s go Haru.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She replied. There were many choices to where we could go, but in the end, as always we went to the nearby sandwich store named Sub Seven. Sub Seven surprisingly had many varieties of meals to pick from. Even though we had got it for the past week, we still haven''t had covered the full menu. Sitting at the same table as always, a waitress had came to take our orders. ¡°Hi. What would you two like today?¡± ¡°I¡¯d lik-¡± I cut myself off as I turned towards the waitress. ¡°Iris?¡± I responded. Iris''s voice was rather unique, it would be impossible to not notice it. Iris had green eyes and short blonde hair. Her hair was oftenly arranged in a ponytail. Her forehead also was usually never covered as the rest of her hair flows down past her side. A fragile appearance she had. ¡°Yes! Welcome to our family store!¡± She smiled to both me and Haru. ¡°The first week was rather busy, so I wasn¡¯t able to help. Thank you for always supporting our shop. My mother is very thankful.¡± Iris had bowed her head slightly. ¡°No no no no. Thank you for the food. It¡¯s not like we pay for anything anyways¡­ haha¡­¡± I scratched the back of my head as I tried to force a smile. ¡°No, that''s not true. You guys may not be doing the payments, but we get paid from the government from how much customers we get. For example. To make an Italian Sandwich cost 4 dollars, and to make a profit, we sell it for 7 dollars. That 7 dollars is paid fully by the government rather than from you. Believe it or not, but they keep track of what every student eat.¡± ¡°Ohh. I see. Is that how it works?¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually very scary¡­ It¡¯s like we¡¯re being watched all the time.¡± Haru commented. ¡°Indeed it is, but pay no mind to them. They actually don¡¯t do much to interfere with students. Anyways, I see that Isaac is not with you two today? On a little secret date you two? Iris covered her lips and started giggling. ¡°W-we¡¯re not on a date! We¡¯re just friends!¡± Haru stormed up her seat to deny the case. ¡°Ah, did I indirectly just got friend zoned?¡± My mind spoke to itself. Not like I was interested in any sort of those relationships, but it was more painful than I thought. With a palm to my face, I had turned my head slightly over and glared at Iris. It was nothing but a harmless joke, but of course, not everyone would see it to be the same. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Iris tried forcing a laugh. ¡°Well, I''ll be taking your orders now!¡± She said as she ran off. ¡°W-What? Wait! We didn¡¯t order anything yet! Don¡¯t run away!¡± I exclaimed as Iris ran towards the kitchen. Of course, Iris knew what she did wrong. A bad joke that went wrong. Chapter 8 - Just us Two (2) In the end, Iris had ordered us random sandwiches. Iris had chosen a spicy chicken sandwich for me and a BBQ sandwich for Haru. The spicy chicken sandwich was something else. It was obvious it was not intended to be this overly spicy. Iris must have made it above spicy to joke with me. ¡°A man must be able to handle some spice!¡± She yelled at me while I was eating it. The worst part was that I had to eat it whole myself. Haru had refused to take half of the spicy sandwich. ¡°Damn Iris¡­¡± I whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll get you back next time.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Haru voiced, ¡°you said something?¡± ¡°Ah no. It¡¯s nothing¡± I replied as I slightly looked at Haru. For the first time, I¡¯ve felt like I had finally taken a closer look at Haru. Her eyes were rather attractive than most. Her cheeks were colored slightly red. Whether it was makeup, or because of the cold weather, it suited her. Her hair also was a perfect match. It was not too long or too short. She must have been keeping effort to keep her hair this refined. It was almost like she was a doll, created for the purpose of looking elegant. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Haru tilted her head slightly as she questioned me. With the slight shift of her head, strands of her hair also follow suit. It was impossible to not notice the beauty of it. Without a second thought, I had made eye contact with Haru. It must have been the same for Haru. Simultaneously, both me and Haru had suddenly turned our heads away, to avoid eye contact. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± I whispered to myself, ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back for sure Iris.¡± ¡°Well well well, look who we have here? Isn¡¯t it the loser and the foreigner playing friends?¡¯ A group of three spoke and walked towards us.¡° Can¡¯t hide behind Lion¡¯s First forever huh?¡± ¡°Damn it...¡± My mind spoke to itself. I let my guard down. It was true that we were maybe approached because Isaac was not here with us, but it was also due to my lack of awareness. Avoiding such incidents would be an ease if I had pay attention to my surroundings. Unable to recover my composer in time, the group of three were ignored on accident. ¡°......¡± ¡°Hey! Come on! Don¡¯t ignore us! Be our friends!¡± A student by his side roared. Without a moment of break, he had thrown his arm around my neck, pushing his body weight on me. With my head tilted slightly downwards, I was ready to defend my position. It was what I thought I would do. Alongside with my thoughts, my eyes caught glimpse of both Haru¡¯s hand folded together trembling. ¡°Her hands¡­¡± I whispered unintentionally. Surely, this was Haru¡¯s silent cry. Surely, she was trying to convince herself, that it¡¯s not her fault. That it¡¯s okay. That she did nothing wrong. ¡®It¡¯ll be fine...¡± She tries to whisper to herself. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± I had whispered to myself unintentionally once again. ¡°Hm? What was that kid?¡± The man who had his arm over me asked. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± I replied, ¡°sorry, but, we¡¯re in a rush. Let¡¯s hang out another time.¡± I smiled as I removed his arm from me. In the moment of confusion, I grabbed onto Haru¡¯s hand and had sent a glimpse of smile to Haru who was also confused by the turn of events. It was not far, but when the group of three had recovered, it was easier to give up than chase.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Damn it!¡± One of them suddenly roared.. ¡°Wow man! Chill Jack. Just let it go.¡± ¡°Leave me alone!¡± He pushes his friend aside and storms after us. With the activation his Strength¡¯s Emblem, his right hand shone in a red color. ¡°Wow wow wow. Relax, it¡¯s not worth it man!¡± Another of his friend ran after him in attempt to stop him. ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way!!!¡± He roared as he set blaze onto his very own friend. With his clothes set on fire, he had panicked and screamed in a short pain. It was not long before his other friend in watch had set out to put the flames away with his very own emblem. ¡°Dude. What the hell!?¡± The uninjured friend roared, but was simply ignored as Jack stormed towards Lynn and Haru who witness the whole event. ¡°For a trash like you to be in the presence of our beloved Lucy!¡± ¡°This¡­ This is it.¡± I spoke to myself. It was what Lucy had warned me from the week before. Instead of randomly going berserk, it seems like the source of it was from emotional stability. But even if we find the cause, what was the root of its cause. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± I whispered. No point in thinking about it. ¡°Ha-¡± As soon as I was about to ask Haru for assistance, I knew it wasn¡¯t possible. From the feeling of her hands, it was obvious she was still frightened. In fact, it has gotten even worst. Even if she was carrying her katana with her, I could not ask her to cut someone. Abilities like Haru¡¯s would shine the most in situations such as these. It¡¯s not when you¡¯re in a match. It¡¯s not when your skill is being gauged, but when it¡¯s used with the intent to harm someone or something. Haru had full knowledge of her ability, and what it would mean to use it on others. Anyhow, it was clear that Jack¡¯s target was both me and Haru. With a sudden stomp onto the floor, the ground had started a trail of blast towards us. Having no choice but to dodge, I had evaded to the side along with me pulling onto Haru. The next attack was faster than I had imagined. In an instant, he was already within arm¡¯s reach. In that moment Jack had reached his arms towards me. With a sudden realization, I knew I could not be touch or I would meet the same fate as his friend. The moment he was touched and from where he was touched, he was set ablaze as it spreads around his body. The power must amplify the longer he holds onto his target. ¡°Dodge!¡± I could hear every inch of my body scream. ¡°Dodge now! You have to dodge now!¡± But yet, my body would not move. I knew what would happen if I dodge. If I dodge, Haru would meet the flames. If I try to avoid him alongside with Haru, we¡¯re both sure to be turned into crisp. ¡°Use it¡­¡± I heard a voice behind my head. ¡°Use it! Use it! Use it! Use it now!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t use it!¡± I suddenly roared as I carried my left hand up. Without a second to think, and in an instant, I created and spun water around my right hand and delivered it to meet Jack¡¯s grip. The liquid I had suddenly formed within a breath was instantly vaporized and was proved useless. Even though the water was created on a surge with little mana, I had expected it to buy some time, but it did not. Jack¡¯s flames were not normal flames. The flame itself was not burning my skin, but burning through my skin. It burnt my blood, my bone, and my flesh. It was as if my blood was turned into lava. It was clear why his friend was screaming in anguish. ¡°Ughhh!!¡± I roared. With my natural reflex, I had tried kicking him off, but his body was proved sturdy or enraged. Next, I had tried to immediately separate us with a pillar of wall, but it was proved useless. As long as his grip was intact, I could feel my mana being drained. Rather than being drained, he was turning the mana inside my body ablaze. It would only be a matter of time before it traveled through my whole body. I had no choice but to use it. ¡°Use me¡­ It whispers. ¡°Use me¡­ Use me¡­ Use me now!¡± In the end, in all that mess, I had not let go of Haru''s hand and had used it. With a sudden stomp onto the floor, the ground had started a trail of blast towards us. Having no choice but to dodge, I had evaded to the side along with me pulling onto Haru. With an injured left hand, I had no choice but to release my grip on Haru as we dodged. Prepared for his next move, I already had a fold of mana stacked onto my right hand. Ducking under Jack¡¯s body as he prepared to attack, I sent a wave of mana towards him causing him to fly far back into a wall. A Mana Pulse they call it, when a person¡¯s mana clashes against another person¡¯s mana, it would repel against each other rather than binding it together. It¡¯s what makes fire, water, or any other element collide with each other instead of reforming into something new. Without a choice, my body collapses flat onto the floor exhausted. Along with my collapsed body, my conscious also soon follow suit. Chapter 8.5 - Lost Childhood In a ocean of flame there stood now ruined buildings, burnt corpse, and a family or four. It was a father, a mother, a sister, and a brother. The mother¡¯s lower half body was completely buried with a pile of rubble. No matter how hard the father would try, he was unable to budge the pile of rubble with a single arm. The sister laid unconscious on the floor unharmed. The brother had tears slipping out from his eyes, but he would not weep. Alongside with his father he continued trying to remove the rubble off the mother, but was proved pointless. Before long, the father collapsed onto the floor with his body laid back against a rubble. His face was turning pale, paler than it should be. His left arm was already cleaved in half while blood continued to pour out. Blood leaked out from the top of his head down to his face. ¡°Son,¡± he said. ¡°Take Alice and go.¡± ¡°W-what about you and mother!¡± He roared back to his father. ¡°We¡¯ll be alright.¡± The father tried his best to give a warm smile. Before long, the son again refused to listen to his father. ¡°No!¡± He scream. ¡°I¡¯ll move this stupid thing right now and we¡¯ll all leave together,¡± the son continued trying to move the rubble, but it was all pointless. ¡°Lynn¡­¡± His mother whispered. ¡®It¡¯s alright. Please go... We¡¯ll be fine.¡± She lied. ¡°No! No! No!!!¡± Lynn yelled as tears poured out from his eyes. Before long, roars from beasts filled the sky. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Lynn!!!¡± His father roared. Surely his father voice had reached Lynn.¡°Stop being a child.¡± It says. ¡°You must protect Alice.¡± There were many reason why the father had yelled, but most of all, it was for him, Lynn. ¡°I-I know,¡± Lynn says, ¡°I¡¯ll just use it again.¡± ¡°Enough!¡± His father screamed, ¡°That''s enough... You¡¯ve done more than enough¡­ Go¡­¡± He speaks. ¡°I-I¡­ I won¡¯t give up! You always say everything is possible! I¡¯ll just keep trying.¡± Lynn continues to contest his father''s commands. ¡°KNOW YOUR LIMITS!!!¡± His father suddenly roared with the last of his energy. Alongside with his roar, blood was soon coughed out afterwards. Without a moment of thought, Lynn had mind his father''s words ¡°I don¡¯t need any of your helps anyways! I¡¯ll do it alone!¡± Lynn cried. ¡°Sto-¡± Before his father could finish his words, Lynn had already used his Emblem. It shone in a black light alongside with an Emblem not marked by the strength¡¯s or wisdom¡¯s, but by and mark still unknown to him. In an instant, he had went back in tie One day¡­ seven days¡­ thirty days¡­ three hundred days¡­ Who knew how much time had passed, but before long, Lynn had stopped counting. The death of both his father and mother meant little. He wasn¡¯t allowed to cry anymore was his excuse, but in reality, he could not cry anymore. Even if he watch his father and mother die once more, he failed to feel the grief of losing them. It was not because it meant nothing, but because he knew the pain all to well for it to mean anything. The uninjured sister as always bore no harm and as always, failed to help. Before Lynn had realized, his Emblem had shown an crack. Since then, Lynn for the first time, was finally able to understand his father¡¯s words and what it means to be useless. Chapter 9 - Oblivious Peoples say talents are inborn onto peoples. Your emblem, your life, your worth, all already determined the moment you are born. Your future, already determined the moment you are born. Born as the strong or born as the weak. This was the answer the world had taught us, this was how the world grew up to be. Anyone who broke this rule would be seen as an outcast, a threat, and different. However, none of these actually matters. The word talent comes from the cowardice of others, peoples who failed to dedicate their life into working hard. In short, someone who already gave up on themselve. A destined fate comes from the cowardice of mankind, afraid of the future to step forward. Someone who had accepted a fate that is non-existent. A trivial joke, not even funny. Talent is nothing more than a word for jealousy, and fate, is nothing more than a show of fear. True talent comes through hard work. ¡°Hmmm¡­ but still¡­ I wonder why Lynn had told me to come early,¡± Isaac spoked out loud. It was not like Lynn would be in the room and greet me with open arms either. He was sure he¡¯d be resting from yesterday¡¯s incident. We¡¯d tied him down even if we had too. It was actually surprising how Lynn was able to render the man unconscious. As far as I know, he was a level 4 in the academy. It was right after his match yesterday when he had heard what had happened in school. He was hoping both Haru and Lynn would come together and watch his match. When he had found both of them not here, he had thought they had something important to do. Saying that it did not bother him would be lying. It was proved true when Isaac had started his first match and found it difficult on focusing. From what Isaac had heard from the school¡¯s medics, it seemed like Lynn was completely dried off his mana, in a mana drain state. There were two stages of self-mana drought. First one was mana zero, where you simply ran out of mana. Being in a mana zero state would usually render your conscious away, but would still be manageable as long as you did not lose all your mana in a quick session. Second, the mana drain state, where you had lost all your mana but continued forcing your way through casting spells. Instead of using pure mana, it takes the raw ether in the air and force it into the body. It would give the body the necessary mana, but in exchange, it forces the body to increase its conversion rate. It was a huge burden onto the body. ¡°No surprise¡­¡± Isaac whispered. It was strange to not notice his experiences in combat. At first, he thought it was strange how Lynn was able to support Haru in a well-manner fashion during our first mock battle together. All Lynn strikes were too well timing to consider him as a simple level 2. He had supported Haru when she had needed it most and in the most efficient manner. Between each of Haru¡¯s strikes, Lynn¡¯s support soon followed after, to fill in the blank between Haru¡¯s offense and defense. It was as if he already forecasted the events that would happen. A true genius Isaac had thought, but it was clearly a mistake. Lynn had to have been the same as him. His movements were polished. Every step he took, it was in the most efficient matter. Instead of moving in random patterns, he conserved his energy and only moved the minimum amount needed. It was obvious it was trained through hard work. While it was more difficult to notice Lynn''s movement, Haru''s was most noticeable. Her movements were agile and experienced. If Haru was the light in that battle, then Lynn was her shadow, always right beside her. ¡°Ughhh!! This rain sure is annoying!¡± Isaac screamed in tantrum as he raised both his arm.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. While Isaac was engrossed in himself, the rain did not quite down. It had started early in the morning when showers of rain fell onto the area. It was loud enough to feel as if there was no building between us. Because of this, it was clear that Isaac failed to get any good sleep as his eyelids were shadowed. As soon as Isaac was at his classroom¡¯s entrance, the door was swung open. ¡°Ah!¡± Isaac had spoken out loud startled. Isaac was not expecting anyone in the least in such early mornings. Before the strange meeting had gotten awkward in any way, Isaac had greeted both the women a front of him. ¡°Morning ladies.¡± ¡°Ah... ummm... Morning.¡± One of the lady spoke as she lowered her head slightly. She then immediately followed by exiting as fast as she could. Seeming that the other lady was still surprised, she was able to hastily bow her head slightly and quickly chased after her friend. ¡°I guess Lynn isn¡¯t the only one.¡± Isaac had thought to himself scratching the back of his head. ¡°Strange¡­¡± Isaac had whispered to himself as he made his way towards his seat. As Isaac entered the classroom, he had realized that the ladies whom he just met were not part of his class. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re interested in joining the class like the others,¡± he had thought. Soon however, Isaac would realize how naive he was. As soon as Isaac had gotten to his seat, his eyes shot wide open. If he was dead just now, Isaac now was alive, revived from the dead. ¡°Seriously¡­ Not even funny...¡± Isaac whispered as he made his way back out. It was obvious Isaac was furious. His steps have gotten louder, his eyes were beaming with hate. His anger however, was not directed at what he saw, or at who did it, but at himself. He resented himself for being blind. He resented at his oblivious self to not notice. He had thought he could comfort another by being in their present. He had thought he could shield others with his title of the Lion¡¯s First. In the end¡­ it was senseless to think that he could. It was not long before Isaac had came back and when he did, he had came back with a bucket of water and a towel. It was for obvious reasons. As Isaac continued to wipe the table, Isaac was unable to do anything besides to take all the hate written to heart. It was not for Lynn, it was not for Haru, but for himself. If all he could do was feel the malice of others through word, then so be it. Isaac had wanted to shoulder other¡¯s burden, but it was obvious he was doing a poor job. If all he could do was this¡­ then he had hoped one day, he''ll understand the pain of others. ¡°Demon...¡± ¡°Go to hell¡­¡± ¡°Go back where you came from demon...¡± ¡°Black hair devil...¡± There were many other scribbles, some even unreadable, but the one that stood out the most was, ¡°Black Demon!¡° The term black demon was referred to a plague that had killed many of us humans. It was not just a normal miasma outbreak, but it had also turned us humans into undeads. As soon as the host would die, the infection would take control of the body, sometimes even changing its form; those undeads were referred to as the black demons. It was not long ago in class where Professor Luden has lectured us on this subject. Since that history, the color black was referred to as a bad omen. ¡°Come see us behind building #2 after school. This is your last chance,¡± A message on the table was displayed. Even so, Haru was probably unaware of her situation. Even then, it was better if she was not aware of it. All Isaac could do was thank Lynn from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Serious¡­ If you have so much time, go train¡­¡± Isaac whispered. ¡°Damn it... Damn it! Damn it!¡± Isaac started cursing as moments passes by. At the same time, Without even realizing, Isaac had started wiping the table harder than necessary. Even if he had realized, surely he would have done it himself.