I sat in the elemental classroom, waiting patiently for class to start. I'd come earlier than usual partly out of fear of being late, and partly because I really didn't want a repeat of last time.
For some reason, Lycos was already there, sitting next to me. Did he miss the previous day? I wasn't sure. Oh well at least I wouldn't have to deal with the hero again. Better Lycos than him; at least with Lycos, I could come up with an excuse not to sit beside him. Still, the air between us was extremely awkward.
He sat completely still, like a statue. Every time I glanced at him, he somehow sensed it right away and looked back at me. It was unnerving. My mind drifted to that strange demonic remnant energy I saw before. I still had my doubts about him.
"So, Lycos," I said, trying to strike up a conversation, "nice weather, isn't it?" My tone was painfully awkward, but I pressed on.
He looked up. "It's going to rain later today."
I raised a brow. "It's bright and sunny out. There aren't even clouds."
He shrugged. "You can tell by the scent, the grass, the flowers, even the air."
I stared at him. "And you deliberately went outside to smell the flowers?"
He froze, realizing what he'd just said, then turned his head away like he was embarrassed.
"Hey!" I snapped, slightly irritated. "Don't you look away from me!"
Little by little, students trickled in—until he showed up. The hero. He looked irritated, probably because the "black-haired boy" had taken what he thought was his seat.
Lycos and I kept talking—or rather, I kept trying to get his attention.
"Hey…" the hero said.
No response. From either me or Lycos, didn't even glance his way.
I kept talking until the hero's second "Hey!" came out louder and sharper.
Without realizing, I said, "Get lost, I'm trying to talk here."
The next second, I froze. Both Lycos and I looked up. The hero stood there, fuming—not at me, but at Lycos, for whatever reason.
"You're in my seat!" The hero yelled, reaching his hand out at Lycos.
『Partial Activation: Perfect Vision』
A dangerous feeling crept up my spine. Lycos's eyes sharpened, his muscles subtly tensing — like a predator ready to strike the moment prey wandered too close. His hand shifted slightly toward his hip.
Panic shot through me. I leaned over the desk and grabbed the hero's wrist before he could take another step, my grip tightening like iron.
"There are no assigned seats," I said, staring straight into his eyes. My tone came out far sterner than I expected and calmly made him freeze. "Find somewhere else."
For a moment, the classroom fell completely silent. The hero stood there, jaw clenched, face twisting between pride and shock. Then, with a low grunt, he pulled his hand back and stomped off to another seat.
I exhaled sharply, finally letting go of the tension in my shoulders. Pretty sure I just saved his life.
Leaning back in my chair, I tried to act casual, but the stares from the rest of the class said it all wide eyes, hushed whispers, that faint air of disbelief. Two commoners standing up to the so-called hero? Yeah… this was definitely going to spread around Unicrest
Soon after, the bell rang, and the professor appeared — right on cue. He scribbled Mana and Elemental Training across the board in neat, looping handwriting. Before anyone could complain about another lecture, he turned toward the class.
"Outside," he said simply.
Back off citadel grounds beyond the walls. I preferred it this way better than listening to him talk for an hour. The open air at least made it easier to think… and harder to fall asleep.
The professor stood before us, his hands glowing faintly as he began his demonstration. Streams of water and sparks of fire danced between his palms, intertwining in brief bursts of steam and light. It was impressive, sure, but nothing I hadn't seen before elemental arts was an everyday use.
Lycos, however, wasn't keeping his usual distance. He stood just beside me — not close enough to touch, but close enough that I could feel his presence. Instead of leaning lazily against a tree like last time, he seemed oddly focused, eyes scanning the professor's movements.
It made me… uneasy. Not in a bad way, just. Why? I couldn't exactly tell him to back off without sounding rude, so I just kept quiet and tried to ignore it.
The professor clapped his hands, his voice echoing across the yard.
"To understand elemental arts, you must first understand your mana," he began. "As I said in our previous lecture, mana is everywhere, but our bodies can only absorb and hold a limited amount. The better you control it, the more it responds to your will."
He gestured toward us. "Now, channel your mana through your bodies or into your preferred weapon, if you have one."
I exhaled slowly, reaching for my katana. The familiar weight steadied me as I unsheathed it. Channeling mana through my arm, I infused it into the blade, watching as a soft blue outline shimmered across its edge.
I glanced over at Lycos, who was watching me with a faintly dissatisfied look like an art critic judging a child's crayon drawing.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I hissed.
"It's so… sloppy," he said flatly.
I frowned, still focusing on channeling mana through my blade. "What do you mean sloppy?"
"Mana should flow through your body like water," he said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "But what I can sense is that you're forcing it out. Probably because your circuits are having trouble filtering the mana. That might be why you can't resonate with mantra properly."
He mumbled that last part under his breath.
"You say something?" I asked.
"No, nothing," he replied quickly a little too quickly. Then, without warning, he stepped closer. "Let me give you a hand."
Before I could even react, he was behind me one hand on my wrist, the other on my shoulder joint, adjusting my stance like he was correcting a sword form.
My face went crimson instantly. "W-what are you doing!?" I hissed through my teeth.
"Helping you," he said simply, tightening his grip ever so slightly.
Students started whispering. I could feel their stares drilling into my back including his stare. I didn't even need to look to know the hero was fuming, radiating enough anger to light a bonfire.
Then, suddenly, I felt something strange: a quick sting from his grip, followed by a deep, soothing release. The mana in my body that had been stiff and uneven began to move smoothly, flowing through me like a calm stream.
"Now," Lycos said quietly, "release your mana."
Still flustered, I did as he said. The energy rushed through me with clarity I'd never felt before light, steady, and… effortless.
He gave a faint smile. "Doesn't that feel better?"
I nodded, still red in the face. "Y-yeah…"
"Now then, once you understand mana, try infusing your element," the teacher said.
Lycos still hadn't let go of me. His hand remained firm on my wrist. "Now," he said calmly, "use your intended element. Preferably one that won't cause damage."
A twitch of irritation crossed my face. "Oh, so you don't trust me," I muttered under my breath.
"Just making sure you don't accidentally set something or someone on fire or electrocute them" he said, almost too casually.
I rolled my eyes. "Alright, alright."
"When you learn better mana control, then you can do it with more destructive elements"
Focusing my mana, I began channeling the Anemo element through my blade. A soft gale formed around it, swirling gently like ribbons of invisible air. Lycos slowly released his grip, stepping back once he felt the flow stabilize.
"You can feel the wind surrounding your blade," he said, his tone calm but analytical. "I relieved your circuits in your body now—don't force it. Let it flow out."
I took a steady breath, feeling the wind respond naturally to my movement, tracing the edges of my sword like a living thing.
"Wow, you really know how mana works! You must be really good at mana resonance—better than mantra, even!" I said, smiling.
He paused for a moment, eyes flicking toward me before giving a hesitant, "...Yeah." Then he quickly changed the subject. "With that, you should be able to learn mantra a lot easier next time. Your circuits were inflamed, and I simply relieved that pressure."
"Thanks a lot!" I said brightly.
Lycos tilted his head slightly, almost confused like he'd never been thanked before.
I frowned. "After someone thanks you, you're supposed to say 'you're welcome.'"
He blinked, hesitating again. "...You're welcome?"
I sighed, shoulders dropping. "good enough."
Everything went smoothly for once. By the end of the session many students were running low on mana; the professor finally called a break. The sun leaned low, and the outside smelled like cut grass and sweat and burning mana. The professor finally called a break, and students drifted apart—some nursing sore arms, others sprawled out like damp rag dolls.
. I sat cross-legged on the grass and let out a long, relieved sigh.
"Tired already?" Lycos asked, voice flat.
I propped my chin on my hand and gave him a look. "It's not like you did anything. All you did was stand there and didn't do shit" I pouted, feeling the ache in my limbs.
Across the yard, the hero lounged with his usual cluster of admirers, but his eyes kept flicking back to us. Watching Lycos and me getting comfortable clearly annoyed him—more than annoyed, actually. He'd never been this worked up over someone before. The fact that I wasn't affected by his little charms had only made him want me more, and now some black-haired kid was edging in.
"Maybe I should teach him a lesson," he muttered under his breath, the words more of a threat than thought.
Soon after our break, we went straight back into elemental control practice. Lycos guided me through it—honestly, better than the professor did. He gave clear, precise instructions that actually made sense. But what caught my eye was how he didn't really do anything else besides that. He wasn't showing off his own mana arts or elemental art, or even practicing—just quietly helping me.
Strange.
Still, the help was nice. I should at least be thankful for that.
"Hey, Lycos" I said
He looked at me
"I appreciate the help–" I stop mid way through the sentence
『Forced partial activation: Perfect Vision』
As if time itself had slowed to a crawl.
This was the second time it had happened—mana resonating uncontrollably, the air thick with heat. A massive surge of pyro mana flared, and in an instant, a blazing fireball was hurtling straight toward Lycos.
My heart stopped.
Without thinking, I dashed forward, slamming into him and pushing him to the ground just as the fireball roared past us. The explosion shook the area.
—BOOM!
a nearby tree ignited instantly, flames twisting and devouring its trunk. Smoke and heat filled the air. I turned my head, eyes narrowing as I followed the trail of mana back to its source—none other than the so-called Hero, standing there with a smug, devious smirk.
"That bastard…" I hissed through gritted teeth.