Aprexion raised his bow again, eyes gleaming.
This time, the arrow streaked toward the top of a taller pillar, almost daring the students.
"OH NO, WHY! Eiii!" the group cried in unison.
Ian's eyes widened, disbelief etched across his face.
"I was just about to swap, man… why you do me like that!?"
Kainen's chuckle carried both nostalgia and mischief.
"Ooh, looks like The Ruth Bomb has upped his game."
Aprexion's calm was lethal.
"Let's see how 'precise' you are, Ian."
Soft, almost mischievous giggles rippled from the students. Ian, though, didn't flinch.
His shoulders squared.
"Fine. I'll do it."
Every muscle tensed. His eyes narrowed, burning with focus.
He studied the arrow atop the pillar, calculating trajectory, balance, landing — every detail.
This focus mirrored a memory long buried: the secret forest behind his home, training silently with his sword, away from a father who measured strength only by brute force, never finesse.
Ian's eyes closed. His aura shifted — calm, sharp, yet resonant.
Jack's analysis eyes flared instinctively.
The others stiffened, defensive.
The teachers' expressions flickered — concern shadowed their composed faces.
From Ian's inner realm, projections erupted: jagged knives, each forged from the echo of every critical word his father had ever spoken.
Ian's jaw tensed. Breath came uneven, ragged. Sweat traced his temples. Memories of insecurity and doubt surged forward like waves, relentless, tidal.
But then — a defiant shake of his head.
"Heh… don't even try. Not this time, insecurity!"
The dark aura shattered, dissipating like smoke under a sudden gust of wind.
Ian opened his eyes. Focused. Centered. He swapped seamlessly with the arrow.
The hall seemed to exhale. Light filled the space. Even the tension minutes ago had vanished.
Ian's smirk said it all: this wasn't just a technical victory. It was personal triumph. Mastery of swap transposition, yes, but more than that — mastery over himself.
Kainen clapped, pride and warmth radiating.
"Good job, warrior. You didn't just learn Swap Transposition… you controlled your thoughts."
Aprexion's nod was curt but approving.
"Hmph. Impressive. Nicely done."
Jack's lightning sparkled with excitement.
"Awesome, swordsman!"
Kennedy crossed his arms, feigning nonchalance but grinning.
"Pfft. Could've done better."
Charles smirked, leaning back.
"We'll see about that, Kenny. Haha."
Osei just nodded, quietly impressed, while Sonia's aura glowed green, determination shining brightly in response.
Henry, silent as ever, flickered with sparks of amusement… but something else lingered behind his eyes. A subtle, unspoken shadow.
Even in victory, the hall held the weight of what was coming.
The rest of the students were ready, each with a different kind of anticipation etched across their faces. The training grounds hummed with an electric tension—the kind that made even the wind hesitate.
Aprexion notched the arrow, pulling back the string with a practiced calm, then fired. The arrow soared, a streak of silver lightning across the courtyard, landing far across the sprawling school grounds.
Charles's eyes widened, jaw dropping slightly.
Charles: "Are you serious? C'mon, man!"
He staggered backward, caught off-guard by the distance.
Kennedy, ever the showman, slung an arm around Charles's shoulder, a mischievous grin tugging at his lips.
Kennedy: "Hehe, don't worry, you're just being a test for Osei's big philosophical question… you're basically a living demonstration!"
He laughed, the sound bouncing against the pillars and rooftops.
Charles's inner realm flared to life, intricate strands of code weaving themselves into an ethereal projection. One word crystallized in midair: 'example.'
A ripple of giggles rolled across the students, subtle but infectious. Even Jack, normally unreadable in focus, allowed a small grin to crack across his face.
Kainen stepped forward, his gaze sharp yet encouraging.
Kainen: "Remember what I told you: location isn't everything. Resonance is."
His eyes swept over Charles. "Feel it. Project an echo of yourself to the arrow. Merge with the space it occupies, not just the arrow itself."
Aprexion's voice cut in sharply.
Aprexion: "Use your inner realm to project. Don't improvise with extra runes, Charles!"
Kennedy: "Ouch… and there goes my creative input."
Osei stood silently, fingers flexing as if he were already picturing the thrill of the swap, the danger, the rush of the unknown. He was the one who had asked the question that started this exercise, and he was quietly savoring the test.
Jack's eyes glimmered with that analytical light, scanning every subtle shift of Charles's aura. He muttered under his breath, lightning dancing faintly along his arms:
Jack: "Let's see how this logic-manipulates-reality routine goes…"
Charles inhaled, steadying himself. His breaths were slow, deliberate, a perfect rhythm, each one mirroring the logic and structure he carried in every fiber of his being. He could feel his inner realm stretching outward, exposing itself in sharp clarity. The faint glow of his thoughts shimmered around him, strands of pure cognition ready to interface with the world.
A transparent void surged toward the arrow, Charles's consciousness anchoring itself to the distant point. His inner realm was on full display now, a raw and vulnerable projection of his mind, but every flicker was controlled, deliberate. He felt the weight of the danger the teachers had warned them about—exposure was a double-edged sword.
With a snap of his fingers, a ripple surged through the air. In the blink of an eye, the arrow shot forward to where Charles had once stood, and Charles's form appeared at the distant courtyard, perfectly aligned. His landing was graceful, precise, like a coder executing flawless lines of impossible logic in real-time.
At that moment, a group of Earth-bound students—initiates who had also been touched by the creation stone—looked up in awe. They were in their own training space, learning under Heli, the summoner, when Charles appeared out of nowhere.
Heli's gaze narrowed, lips pressing into a thin line.
Heli: "Looks like Aprexion is at it again…"
She shook her head, a mix of annoyance and amusement curling on her face.
Charles, sheepish but proud, waved to the Earth students.
Charles: "Hi."
Their response was almost simultaneous, a chorus of curious, flirtatious, and respectful greetings.
All of them: "Hi!"
A few giggles rippled through the group. Some of the girls exchanged glances, their blushes visible even at a distance. Charles's awkward wave became a quiet charm offensive by accident.
Without giving the moment a chance to stretch, Charles hollow-stepped back into his own group, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air, as if he had never existed in that courtyard at all.
The students, watching him reappear, could hardly contain themselves.
Kainen's restrained laughter broke first.
Kainen: "Well… what did you see? Tell me everything."
The students erupted into chatter, their amusement and awe blending together.
Charles, rubbing the back of his head and smirking awkwardly, muttered:
Charles: "Bad code… always bugs somewhere."
The group erupted again, laughter cascading across the training grounds.
Osei muttered under his breath, a grin tugging at his lips,
Osei: "Well… I eat good. I eat good."
His remark earned a few chuckles from those nearby, the unspoken pride of someone who had learned, yet remained ready for more.
Jack's lightning flickered slightly, a satisfied hum vibrating through him as he nodded at Charles.
Jack: "Nicely done, logic-man. You've officially turned theory into reality."
Kennedy rolled his eyes, feigning irritation but clearly amused.
Kennedy: "Pfft… I could've done better, though. Don't get too full of yourself, code-boy."
Charles's grin widened, eyes glinting with competitive fire.
Charles: "We'll see about that, Kenny. We'll see."
The teachers—Aprexion and Kainen—watched with a mixture of approval and curiosity. They had seen technique, but more importantly, they had seen growth.
Aprexion's eyes softened ever so slightly.
Aprexion: "Good. You're learning more than the technique. You're learning control, foresight… and the courage to expose your mind."
Kainen's gaze lingered on the students, a knowing smile curling at his lips.
Kainen: "Remember this. Every technique you master is a reflection of your inner self. The stronger you are inside, the stronger you are in reality."
A hush fell over the grounds, filled with anticipation and the unspoken promise of what was yet to come.
And somewhere in the back, Henry's subtle aura flickered, a quiet subtlety in the warm glow of his electricity. Even as the group laughed and celebrated, there was the sense that some decisions—some actions—were shadows yet to be revealed.