Volume 1: Path – [Academy Arc]
Chapter 34: Side Effects & Train
Caelus stepped out of the elevator on the second floor as it continued descending toward the first, with Sakura still inside.
He headed straight for the restrooms. Inside, he approached the mirror and turned on the faucet. Cold water splashed out as he leaned forward and washed his face, trying to clear the haze of fatigue.
Reaching for a paper towel beside the mirror, he patted his face dry, then caught a glimpse of his reflection.
His red eyes looked slightly darker than before. Just a shade, but enough for him to notice.
"What the—?" he muttered. 'Wait… is this a side effect of becoming a demon?'
Panic bubbled quietly beneath his breath. 'I don't know how much time I have left. I need to fully awaken soon, or it's going to be a serious problem. I'll die before I even get to enjoy life... and the promise will be broken.'
With a sigh, Caelus washed his face again, then wiped it dry. He repeated the process twice more, just to be sure of his own two-step verification.
But the reflection didn't change. His eyes remained darker. It wasn't a trick of the light.
Realizing he couldn't do anything about it for now, he turned to leave. Any more face-splashing, and people might start thinking he'd lost his mind.
Caelus returned to the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor the spectator stands. Once there, he slipped back into his seat. Aiv was still fast asleep beside him, so Caelus decided to quietly watch the duels continuing across the platforms.
After 40 minutes of watching the duels, the block finally came to an end. Caelus leaned over to wake Aiv, gently nudging him and saying, "Time's up, we've got to move."
The next block wasn't relevant to them, as it was designated for students currently participating in the duels. Instead of leaving, they decided to head toward the platforms anyway, planning to listen in on the questions posed by students and the answers given by the instructors. Caelus saw it as a chance to absorb anything useful; every piece of insight counted.
Caelus was excited, hoping to learn something valuable from the instructors. But to his disappointment, all the questions asked were about weapons he didn't use. Not a single person brought up the tachi or even swords.
Most of the sword users remained in the spectator stands, dozing off as if they had nothing to gain. Seeing this, Caelus couldn't help but feel a little disheartened. Maybe he should've participated in a duel after all.
"Told you no one would ask anything about swords," Aiv said, laughing at Caelus's sulking expression.
"Why, though? Swords are weapons too, aren't they?"
"Yeah, but that's the thing. Most nobles use swords, and honestly, so does nearly everyone else. Learning how to use a sword is way easier than mastering weapons like spears, scythes, or bows. Sword techniques can be picked up with just a few lessons. Not that it makes you a master, but rather, its basics can be easily picked up, and also developing an actual combat style is a whole different story. That depends on talent. If someone's got talent, they can form their own style quickly. Like me, I built my combat style in just one day after picking up the basics on my own. That's why swords are considered 'easy' and why they're the most commonly used weapon."
"Oh..."
"Tachi users are incredibly rare these days; you'd be lucky to find even a handful. In this academy, there are only about twenty tachi users, and every single one of them comes from noble clans. So your choice of weapon is definitely a good one, but if you want to gain any insights, your only option is to observe the duels of other tachi users. Nobles rarely ask instructors anything anyway. They're too prideful and most of them think asking for help makes them look weak," Aiv said, his tone hardening toward the end.
Caelus noticed the shift but chose to ignore it, thinking perhaps Aiv's past experiences with nobles hadn't been kind, and he hates nobles.
Even though the instructor's answers weren't particularly helpful, Caelus still listened attentively. His reasoning was simple: free teaching should never be wasted. You never know when knowledge might come in handy. Besides, he had always been drawn more to fantasy than reality. Swordplay and magic belonged to that world, so of course, he'd listen, even if the information wasn't directly useful to him.
After thirty minutes, the block ended, and they prepared to leave, when Caelus suddenly remembered something.
"For the next block, we need to pay five merits for one-on-one tutoring... and I'll be broke if I go for it," he muttered.
Aiv, standing beside him, chuckled. "Don't worry, buddy. I can teach you tachi. I might not be a tachi user, but I'm still a sword user. If you watch my form and combat style, you'll definitely pick up something useful."
"Thank you, Aiv. Without you, I don't think I could've made it through even a single day here alone," Caelus said sincerely, and he meant every word. In just half a day, Aiv had helped him more than anyone else.
That morning, Aiv had pulled him out of a spiral of grief, helping him come to terms with his loss and reminding him of Uriel's wish, pushing him to face forward again.
Then, during the first block, Aiv helped him earn five free merit points and kept him from having to run a hundred laps on the training grounds.
And later, at the church, it was Aiv who had shouted for help, saving Caelus from the brink of death.
That is why he was genuinely thankful to Aiven.
So, due to Aiv saying he is going to teach Caelus, both decided to go to the training grounds to train.
On the way, Caelus got a thought in his mind, it was about what happened in the church, 'In that moment... I truly felt what it meant to fear death,' Caelus thought. 'Is this the fear that lingers in every human? Even those who claim to want death when the final moment comes, most hesitate. Why? I don't know. But I know this, I was terrified when I stood at death's door today. Funny... I didn't feel like this when I was swallowed by that giant monster. So why now? Why at the Church?'
He paused, searching for the answer. 'What's changed between the Caelus back then and me now? Only one thing: back then, I had nothing to lose. No purpose. No direction. Now... I have a goal. And suddenly, life feels worth holding onto.'
'Why didn't I fear death before? It's because I didn't have anyone in my life who made me want to keep living. That's one of the key reasons, not just a lack of goals, but a lack of people who matter. Most people fear dying because they have someone family, friends, someone who would be heartbroken if they were gone. They aren't afraid of death itself, but of the sadness they'd leave behind. That's why most people don't go through with it, even when they think they want to.
Heh... I'm getting kind of good at analyzing things like this. It's actually fun.'
Caelus let the thoughts fade away, having already made sense of the fear that struck him when he nearly died today.
'Life right now… It's not so bad. In fact, it feels almost too peaceful. And when things are too calm, that usually means a storm is coming. I've experienced it before, how everything seemed perfect right before Uriel's death hit like a tempest. It's always the quiet that comes before the chaos.'
Caelus let the thoughts fade away, having already made sense of the fear that struck him when he nearly died today.
'Life right now… It's not so bad. In fact, it feels almost too peaceful. And when things are too calm, that usually means a storm is coming. I've experienced it before, how everything seemed perfect right before Uriel's death hit like a tempest. It's always the quiet that comes before the chaos.'
As Caelus reflected on the events of the day, he found it oddly enjoyable to analyze everything that had happened. His mind kept diving deeper into thoughts, piecing together insights from earlier moments.
Along the way, he chatted casually with Aiv after all, staying silent the whole time would've felt awkward.
Within a few minutes, they arrived back at the same training ground where they'd started that morning.
Surprisingly, the weapons were still lying there untouched.
'Did the instructor leave them here so students could keep training? What a thoughtful teacher.'
"Go grab the tachi," Aiv said. "We're going to spar. I'll point out the mistakes you're making, and from those corrections, try to draw inspiration to shape your own combat style."
"I'll try my best," Caelus said with determination before dashing toward the tachi he had picked earlier that morning, the same one, complete with its sheath and blade.
He strapped it to his waist and walked onto the stone platform. Once both he and Aiv took their positions, Caelus launched forward, charging straight at him.
[End Of Chapter - 34]