Zach's name echoed through the academy's walls like a chant. Being the first trainee to ever attain the platinum rank as a bronze knight.
Not only that, but single-handedly defeating the strongest student in the entire academy—Arthur.
Legends spread quickly about the guy who encountered a heavenly knight while stranded on a mission and returned with OP abilities.
Zach lay in the infirmary, wrapped up in bandages; his bones were broken, his cartilags screamed at him. It felt like every movement was a risk.
He lay there, contemplating his next move. Zach didn't know if the Algera Thrust was used improperly; it would have some major effects, but that was too late now—his body had gotten the frist hand experience.
Arthur could use the technique because his skill had such insane regeneration, and the instructors... Zach still didn't know what to say about them, the've probably practiced the skill hundreds of times master.
Zach thought Arthur clash with ray, the prince actually lost in a battle of who had the most powerful Algera thrust, in the middle of his battle with Arthur, all he had to do was just generated half of the energy from both his weapons to compensate.
Maybe the instructors practiced the technique to perfection or something.
This was only the beginning; Zach couldn't rest yet. In three days' time, Thyxars would invade the borders, which Zach had to stop.
The main mission of this trial was to propel humanity to salvation, so every Thyxar killed counted.
Zach personally didn't know how it was, but from his past memories as Zachaeus, he heard the Thyxars had their own kingdom, with a chain of command.
Zach secretly hoped Beatrice wouldn't go to the outskirts like she did in his last trial.
To help with speedy recovery, Zach would morph parts of his body into a starfish, specifically his internals.
Two days passed, and Zach was at least able to move his body.
[312/312]
"Zach? Someone's here to see you." Zach's personal assistant came into the room.
"Yeah, apparently being a platinum knight came with its own private personal assistant."
Zach was confused; who would come to visit him? His mind went to "Richard." But all the bronze knights were probably receiving lectures by now.
"Let them in." Zach stated, super-glued to a bed with casts and bandages wrapped all around him.
Zach could move, but that didn't mean the hospital knew about it.
The assistant nodded and walked away. He spotted Beatrice's figure walking into the infirmary.
Wait, this isn't right? 'She never tried to visit me, but now she actually did?... Nah, this must be a dream.'
Zach tried to snap out of it. But sooner or later, he realized it was actually her.
Zach stared at the ceiling for a while.
"They call you the Rising now." He heard her voice.
"Rising?... More like barely walking." He scoffed.
Now that she was here, Zach could actually tell her not to go hunting tomorrow.
Zach wasn't sure if she would actually listen, though.
"So, why'd you come looking for me...?" The brown-haired beauty never looked for anyone, especially Zach.
Zach wasn't Zachaeus, of course; he was Zachariah, so all attraction the former owner of this body had toward her had died with him.
"How did you do it?" She asked, sitting in a chair facing him next to the bed.
"I don't think you're in the right position to ask that." Zach said.
Yeah, in the previous chance, Zach only communicated with her because she gave him some advice and the expedition they went to together.
He honestly didn't want to involve himself any further in the delusions of a not-so-17-year-old teenage girl anymore.
She glanced at him, slightly confused.
"Figured..."
"Are you going hunting tomorrow?" Zach asked casually, like he'd not just scolded her a second ago.
Beatrice's expression turned slightly cold. "Of course I am, why?"
Zach shrugged. "Nothing... just curious." He stated.
"But could you not go..." Zach asked.
"Why? You're worried about me?" Her lips curled a little.
"Nothing much... I just don't want to see a talented trainee die." He casually stated, making the blue-eyed student's brow raise even higher.
"Die?"
"Yeah... I saw something back there." Zach responded casually, like he wasn't talking about a potential felony and infiltration of the human kingdom's most guarded military facility.
"Saw something." She raised a brow. "Like what?"
"You don't wanna know." Talking like that actually caused some pain in Zach's trachea, so he wanted to minimize speech output as much as possible.
"Beatrice pondered for a while..." "No..." "What...?" "You heard me... no." She said, "I'm not just going to skip my training session because you had some sort of prophetic vision."
She stood up. "I wanted to actually talk to you about something, but it seems you're not in your right mind." She stood up.
"Anyways, take care..." She left the room, closing the door behind her.
'Well... that was weird.' Zach sighed.
'Seems like I'm gonna have to save her yet again.'
But she was going tomorrow. Zach wondered if he hadn't taken the mission with her, who would she have gone with?
But anyways, Zach was satisfied with himself, getting that much improvement in such a short amount of time.
If Zach had known what he knew now, he would never have died.
The ability of shifting only a part of your body... was an absolute game-changer.
But Zach felt this was just the beginning; the trial was only going to get harder from here.
It only took a few more hours, and Zach could feel his legs again. A starfish's regeneration was no joke.
It was the next day, and Zach, still being injured as hell, decided to stumble his way to the reception's office on crutches.
She didn't take his advice, but he just couldn't let her die yet. She still had potential he could use.
The receptionist was stunned as she saw him walk through the door.
"S-sir-" she stammered.
"Don't mind me." Zach groaned, spotting Beatrice taking the mission tag.
"I said you shouldn't do that." Zach whimpered.
Beatrice tucked her head to the side. "You're here..." she said sarcastically, like Zach didn't exist. That hurt him a bit.
But, and that was a big but, he wasn't going to let someone of potential die because of stupidity.
"See..." Zach limped closer. Besides her was another gold-rank student; the name "Eve" was proudly displayed on her gold badge.
"Hey, darling, help me explain to your friend that certain doom awaits if she goes on this mission." Zach gestured at the girl.