"Nox, it's best we start teaching you how to manipulate the Shards."
Sora suggested as he summoned the element of space. A sphere appeared before him, then shrank until it was the size of an eye.
"Is that all?"
I asked in confusion, trying to understand exactly what he intended to teach me.
"Nox, focus more,"
Elena suggested as she stared at the sphere in awe.
"Hmm…"
I looked more closely at the sphere, trying to figure out what was happening.
'Alright, it's a small sphere… No, think properly. Sora used the space element, then he compressed it? Wait… what if he didn't shrink it at all…'
To confirm my thoughts, I moved closer to the element. To my surprise, I felt a pull toward the sphere.
"You! You compressed the space element and increased its density, which caused the gravity around it to intensify… it's like a miniature black hole!" I looked at Sora in astonishment.
"You're right. Listen, Nox—the Shards are representations of the world's power. You need to respect their laws and understand them. That's the key to manipulating the Shards."
Sora canceled his ability, then looked at me again.
"You possess the Darkness Shard, right? Since it's a new shard, there's not enough information for me to give you guidance. It's best you enter a state of meditation, connect with your shard, and try to explore its potential."
Sora advised, trying to understand the nature of my shard.
"While Nox meditates, I want us to spar,"
Sora pointed at Elena as he walked toward the center of the arena to get ready.
"Alright, I'm coming. Nox, do your best so you can join us,"
Elena said, trying to encourage me.
"Just don't get hit in the face and cry about it later,"
I teased as I stepped out of the arena. It would be annoying to stay near two people fighting.
"That's rude! I only cried because the professor's strike was strong. Sora is just an Awakened like me!"
Elena puffed her cheeks in protest, but her expression was so cute that her scolding looked more like a joke.
'Now, how am I supposed to figure out how to manipulate darkness? Let's think about the nature of darkness, just like Sora suggested.'
I closed my eyes, creating a connection between me and the shard. Its emotions seeped into me quickly.
'Seems like someone is eager for training,'
I thought sarcastically, trying to cut myself off from the outside world.
'My darkness ability is Devour… but is that all? Darkness should be the opposite of light. From what I know, the Whitehaven family is especially powerful because the light element has an advantage over corrupted creatures, purifying them of corruption. That's why people call them the Angels of Light.'
'Should darkness have the ability to corrupt? No, what am I even thinking! Corruption came from the Abyss. Just imagining being able to corrupt creatures is terrifying.'
I shook my head internally, cycling through different theories.
---
After a whole hour of meditation, I finally opened my eyes.
"A complete failure, huh,"
I muttered bitterly with a sigh.
'I didn't figure out anything. The only thing I know is 'Devour,' and even that, I don't understand its true nature. Forget it. What about those two…'
I thought as I looked at Elena and Sora, who were locked in combat in one of the arenas.
"What the—is that real? Is Elena actually beating Sora?"
I mumbled in disbelief.
Elena was manifesting a sword of light and striking at Sora, who had created spatial shields to block her. The problem was that the shields shattered shortly after each impact.
Even Sora couldn't believe what was happening, boasting about his high-level space manipulation, yet Elena kept breaking through again and again.
'Why? I tried creating tiny voids to absorb the light, but my plan failed… this makes no sense."
Sora's mind was full of thoughts as he tried to analyze Elena's ability.
But losing focus in battle was a fatal mistake.
Light gathered around Elena's legs, then she launched forward explosively.
Before Sora realized it, the sword was mere moments away from his neck.
'This girl—she's actually trying to kill him?!'
Nox panicked as he watched the blade continue toward Sora's throat.
But the sword stopped just a hair away from his neck.
"That's my win, hehe~"
Elena grinned as she pulled the sword back, while Sora was still frozen in shock.
"Nox, did you see that? I'm amazing, right?!"
Elena shouted as she jumped in excitement.
"Hah, you nearly gave me a heart attack,"
I sighed as I walked toward them.
"Yeah, yeah, you were amazing,"
I said, shaking my head with a smirk.
"Hehehe, see? My grandfather trained me well!"
Elena's joy overflowed as I praised her.
'Is she an idiot? It's obvious I was mocking her.'
I opened my mouth awkwardly, staring at Elena still basking in her victory.
'Anyway, what about him…'
I turned my gaze toward Sora, who had regained focus, mumbling something under his breath.
"Sora, are you alright?"
I asked cautiously, worried he might feel humiliated and turn into some cliché third-rate villain.
"Hmm, I'm fine, don't worry. But I'm surprised about a few things,"
Sora replied, still staring at Elena with curiosity.
"Here's what I want to know: my voids and other abilities should've affected your light. Why didn't they?"
His eyes narrowed with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
Elena stopped smiling, locking eyes with him for a moment before replying calmly:
"Let's just say I'm different from other light users."
Her tone allowed no further questions.
"Anyway, how did it go for you, Nox?"
Elena quickly shifted the topic before the atmosphere grew tense.
"I… don't know how to put it. I failed to discover anything besides Devour. It feels like my approach was wrong… or maybe I'm just missing something. Maybe both."
I scratched my head, embarrassed at wasting an entire hour without progress.
"Wait, that means—!!"
Elena exclaimed in surprise, stepping back as if she had realized something. She glanced at Sora, then back at me.
Suddenly, her grin widened mischievously.
"That means you both failed, and I'm the only winner! Yay~"
Her reaction left the two of us dumbfounded, exchanging awkward glances.
"Why are you talking like this is some kind of tournament and you're the champion? It was just training,"
I tried to stop her from mocking us.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night, my baby ~"
She leaned forward, placing her hand near her lips with playful mockery.
"Who is this girl calling 'baby'?! Maybe she's letting weird emotions take over, but she needs to realize someone else is here!'
I quickly glanced at Sora, praying he hadn't noticed Elena's foolish words.
Thank the gods—he was focused on something else.
"Fhew~"
I sighed in relief.
"So, shall we start your combat training?"
Elena asked, standing proudly with her hands on her hips.
"Sure, I was planning on it anyway,"
I nodded, waiting for Sora's input.
"Sorry, could you two train on your own? There's something I want to do, and besides, Elena is perfectly capable of training you given her abilities."
Sora shook his head apologetically before leaving quickly, lost in thought.
"Hehehe, looks like it's just the two of us now. And since I'm going to teach you, you have to call me Elena-sensei, got it?"
She said, clearly enjoying herself.
"I won't call you that even in your dreams, got it? And seriously, what's wrong with you, girl? Control yourself. You even called me 'baby' in front of Sora! Are you out of your mind?"
I scolded Elena harshly.
It seemed she finally realized what she had done. She froze at my words, her face burning red until it looked like steam was rising from her head.
"T-That… I didn't mean it like that! What should I do now?!"
She stammered nervously.
"Hah, you're hopeless. What if you lose control like that in front of others—especially your grandfather or Silas? Are you trying to get me killed?"
I sighed, imagining the disasters that would come if anyone found out about our strange feelings.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it… I was just happy , and when you praised me, I couldn't control myself,"
Elena lowered her head sadly.
"Huh .. Elena, I'm not mad, but please—try to control yourself, okay?"
"Okay, I promise I'll try my best,"
She nodded firmly, agreeing.
"Good girl,"
I replied with a small smile.
"Umm… since I'll try to control myself, can you reward me? Please, pat my head a little,"
Elena asked shyly, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Hah?! Why would you want me to pat your head?"
I recoiled in disbelief.
"Well… when you patted my head yesterday, it calmed me down quickly. So, I thought maybe it'd be good if you patted me from time to time. It'll help me control my emotions,"
she explained nervously, her hands behind her back as she squirmed with embarrassment.
'How does she even have the guts to ask for something this embarrassing? Is she really doing this just to control herself?'
My thoughts were in chaos as I wondered what to do.
"Aren't you going to?"
She looked at me with sadness in her eyes, like a cat whose owner refused to play with it.
"Umm… fine, but just a little,"
I said, blushing slightly as I gave in.
Elena's face lit up instantly. She ran over and stood in front of me, bowing her head slightly, waiting for me to pat her.
'Damn it, this is so embarrassing… someone help me.'
I thought as I raised my trembling hand and placed it gently on her head.
"Mmm, this feels good,"
she said, her voice brimming with joy.
'Hah… looks like there's no way I'll ever have peace in this academy. Let's just pray no one finds out about this—especially her grandfather.'
I sighed in resignation, continuing to pat her head.
---