Around eight in the morning, Komi and Juan knocked on my door.
"Hey, wake up!" said Komi.
"It's now or never to go see Kayne!" added Juan.
I shot awake as soon as I heard that.
"I'll be there in ten minutes, I just need to get ready real quick!" I replied.
I chose not to wake Katia for now, since as a Spirit, she didn't need to bathe, get changed, or anything like that.
After washing up and brushing my teeth, I went into the room to get dressed and pick up Katia, who was still asleep in her box.
"Alright, let's go already, we've wasted enough time!" said Juan.
We headed together to the dining hall.
"Hey, Juan, are you hungry or something?" I asked him.
"No, why do you ask?" he replied.
"Well, I just don't get why we're heading to the dining hall if our goal is to find Kayne."
"Use your brain a little, Marvens!" he said, slightly annoyed.
"Every morning, Kayne has breakfast between 8:30 and 9:00. Now we just need to find him," Komi explained.
"Ah, I see... So the plan is to approach him at his table and ask if he'll train us, right?" I asked, with a confident smile and a slightly naive tone.
"Not even close! You're the one who's going to ask him. He won't even listen to us, but you—since you're new—he might take the time to hear you out," Komi replied.
My confident smile instantly vanished, replaced by a terrified expression.
"You're kidding, right? You're really going to make me talk to that lunatic all by myself?!" I said, my face contorted with stress.
"Hey newbie, who's the lunatic you're talking about?" said a voice behind us.
I hadn't even noticed he was there, but he seemed to be standing right behind us! I had never realized how tall he was—he had to be at least 6'3", while I was 5'11".
"Uh, you don't know him—it's just an old friend I was planning to see with Juan and Komi!" I replied with a big, nervous smile.
"Whatever, move out of the way. You're blocking the entrance, you useless punks," he barked, shoving us aside without any care.
"Hey, watch it—"
"SHHHH! If you piss him off, we're screwed," I whispered to Juan.
"Right, you're right. Sorry," he said.
"Hey Kayne, I want to talk to you," I said in a firm voice.
"Oh wow, you're puffing your chest out even without your bodyguard? Nah, never mind—you brought your Musketeer buddies!" he replied, mocking me.
"I've got nothing to say to you, so beat it, little champ," he added, disinterested.
"Listen, this is serious, Kayne. Now's not the time to provoke me."
"Alright, fine—you've got five minutes," he said, rolling his eyes.
"I was wondering if—"
"No," he said immediately.
"Hey, you didn't even let me finish!" I said, a little offended.
"Come on, can't I mess around a bit?"
I was starting to get a read on his personality: an arrogant, pretentious, nonchalant clown who didn't beat around the bush.
"Alright, Kayne. We wanted to know if you could train us for combat," I said.
He looked at me with a sly smile.
"And what's in it for me if I train you? All I see is wasted time."
He wasn't wrong. Helping us would just slow down his own progress. But we really needed his help if we wanted to grow quickly. After all, he was Class S, I thought.
"Nothing at all—except our gratitude for everything you'd do for us," I replied.
His smile faded and he stared straight into my eyes.
"No, I refuse to train you," he finally said.
Juan looked a little pissed, and Komi seemed disappointed. I didn't even want to imagine how Katia would've reacted—probably with a fight.
"Sorry, Kayne, but I can't accept that answer," I said, holding his gaze seriously and firmly.
"I like how you talk when you want something," he said, standing up.
His smile returned, wider than before. Despite the height difference, I looked up and stared him right in the eyes. Our gazes locked—piercing and intense.
"Normally, I'd have told you no and walked away. But lucky for you, the Master asked me last night to take care of you guys. So, thanks to that, we can get started right after my breakfast," he added with a bright smile.
"Seriously?!" I said, thrilled.
"Awesome!" said Komi.
"You don't actually convinced him, but nice job!" said Juan.
"Enjoy your last moments of peace, because after this, you're going to suffer every single day!" added Kayne with a mischievous grin.
...
Right after breakfast, we headed to one of the training rooms in the building.
"Wow, this place is huge!" I said.
"But it's completely undecorated, I see..." said Juan, disappointed.
"You're right, Juan. Other than white, there's nothing else. Looks like there's not even a floor!" added Komi.
"I actually kind of like it. But man, it's way too white—it's hurting my eyes," said Katia, rubbing her eyes.
"You're finally awake!" I said to her.
"Sorry... Did I miss anything?" she asked.
"A lot, but we'll fill you in later," Komi replied.
"This isn't the time for complaints or chit-chat. You're here to train!" said Kayne. "Alright, we'll start off easy. I want each of you to tell me your power and create something related to it."
"I want to go first!" said Komi.
"Alright, I'm listening," Kayne replied.
"My power is weather."
As soon as she said that, her aura appeared—a very light blue. A ball of electricity then formed in her hands.
"Perfect, you've got great potential!" said Kayne.
"My turn!" said Juan. "My power is copying!" he said proudly.
It was the first time I saw his aura—it was orange and red. Juan focused on the ball in Komi's hands, then created an identical one in his own.
"Well, you're just as promising as Komi. Tons of potential!"
"And you—the Spirit. I'd like to know your name and see a demonstration of your power."
"My name is Katia, and my power is incantation. For the demo, I'll use Marvens, since it doesn't work on you."
"Fine, but don't say anything weird."
"Alright. NOW DANCE LIKE A CHICKEN!" she shouted.
My body stopped obeying me and started dancing like a chicken. The others burst into laughter at the sight.
"Okay, I think you can stop now!" I said, a bit annoyed.
"Alright, YOU MAY STOP," she said.
I finally regained control of my body.
"Wow, you've got huge potential! But you'll need to train hard if you want to use your power on me someday," said Kayne with a big smile.
"Alright, now it's your turn, newbie. I think your name is Marvens, so no need for introductions."
"Okay."
I was a bit stressed, because I knew I still couldn't control my power properly.
"My power... I've named it 'Imagination.'"
I began drawing energy, imagining as hard as I could with my eyes closed. I felt my aura go wild, but nothing appeared.
"Honestly, you have a great power—but without control, it's useless," said Kayne.
That hurt to hear, but he was right.
"However, I think I've figured out your issue. I think you're not visualizing what you want to create continuously. Try to keep imagining it, even after it appears."
"Alright," I said.
I had nothing to lose, so I gave it another go. Since I didn't have a clear idea, I imagined Syll's sword. It was made of blue light and looked incredibly sharp.
I focused, drew on my energy, and kept visualizing the sword. A miracle happened—it finally appeared.
"WHOA!" they all said.
"Marvens, I can tell we're gonna have some fun!" said Kayne.
"Now that I know all your powers, it's time for me to show you mine—but in riddle form," he said with a smile.
He raised his hand, snapped his fingers, and the box Katia had been sleeping in appeared in front of us.
We were all amazed.
"Well then, anyone have a guess?" he asked.
"I think your power is making things appear if they're near you," said Komi.
"Wrong answer. To help you out—Marvens, check your pocket," he said.
I reached into my pocket and felt something. Upon closer look, I saw a watch. Suddenly, everything became clear.
"TIME!" I shouted.
"BINGO!" replied Kayne, delighted. "My power is to freeze time."
That explained how he'd shown up so quickly when Seth tried to attack Katia.
"Alright, now that we've got that covered, it's time for a light spar so I can gauge your strength. Let's go—I'm waiting!" he said with a sly smile.