Nym let out a faint chuckle as she released Vale and rose to her feet with ease.
Vale remained on the stone floor, exhaling slowly as he closed his eyes in defeat. He stayed like that for several seconds, letting the sting of loss settle in his chest, until Nym's voice once again cut through the silence.
"Hey," she said. "You going to stand up, or what?"
Vale opened his eyes, a trace of disdain flickering across his face as he looked up at her. She stood over him, one hand extended, waiting.
He sighed, then allowed a small grin to form as he took her hand, leaving his weapons where they had fallen.
"Good match," he said, the dissatisfaction of defeat still evident in his tone.
Nym chuckled softly and pulled him to his feet.
"Yeah," she replied. "You could say that."
She held his gaze for a moment before adding, "Honestly? I'd say it was your win."
Vale blinked.
"Mine?" He crossed his arms, clearly confused. "How does that make sense?"
Nym studied him for a second, then explained, "Enhanced physical strength is one of my abilities. You only have immunity to my foresight, nothing else."
She shrugged lightly.
"I had an ability you didn't, and I used it."
Vale raised an eyebrow as realization clicked into place. _So that explains her strength,_ he thought.
He let out a small sigh.
"Will I be able to gain multiple abilities too?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.
Nym nodded without hesitation.
"Yeah. Don't worry about it. You're just a late bloomer."
She tilted her head slightly.
"It usually takes months before someone discovers their first ability. You've only awakened, what, five days ago?"
Vale's eyes widened slightly.
His thoughts immediately drifted to the previous night. To the raw energy responding to his will. To the burning pain, the destruction, and the regeneration that followed.
'Is that one of my abilities?' he wondered.
The thought lingered, but he dismissed it for now. Speculation wouldn't get him answers, experience would.
Instead, he decided to ask Callum.
Vale bent down, retrieved his blades, and turned away from Nym without another word. The tall girl watched him go, blinking once before rolling her eyes.
"Seriously…" she muttered.
She retrieved her twin-blade, returned it to the wall, then wandered over to Vale's ravens, gently brushing her fingers through their feathers as they perched nearby.
Vale crossed the dojo and approached Callum, who stood in front of Korin. The large man sat on the floor, eyes closed, posture rigid, clearly deep in concentration.
Vale paused briefly, curious, but chose not to interrupt.
Clearing his throat, he drew Callum's attention.
"Ah, Vale," Callum said warmly, turning toward him with his usual bright smile. "Is there something I can do for you?"
Vale adjusted the loose strands of hair that had slipped free from his bun and nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "I was wondering if you know any way to figure out what my abilities are."
Callum considered the question, raising a hand thoughtfully.
"Well," he said slowly, "that can take time. But if I had to give you one piece of advice, focus."
Vale tilted his head.
He already knew that power could be drawn from planes through focus. But discovering abilities? Was it really that simple?
He rubbed his chin, thought it over, then nodded.
"Alright. I'll try that later."
There was determination in his eyes as he turned away.
Vale walked back toward Nym, who was still idly interacting with the ravens. As he approached, the birds lifted off and settled onto his shoulders instead.
Nym looked mildly annoyed at that.
Vale stopped in front of her. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then he broke the silence.
"Hey," he said. "Can you teach me some more?"
She glanced at him, then at the ravens perched comfortably on him, and sighed.
"Yeah," she said. "Sure."
She gestured toward the floor.
"Let's sit down for a bit."
Vale nodded and sat.
At that moment, Ember glided down from a spear mounted on the wall and landed beside him. The small wyvern yawned widely, curled up, and settled into rest.
Vale smiled faintly at the sight, then turned his attention back to Nym.
They talked for a long while.
She explained more about planes, Visorians, and the structure of power itself. And during that conversation, Vale learned something crucial.
The energy he sensed, the one threading through everything, had a name.
Atum.
It was such a fundamental concept that it wasn't written in any basic texts. Too obvious to explain. Too universal to question.
Atum was the connective force, the underlying essence that bound all things together.
As Vale reflected on it, the realization made perfect sense.
He had always sensed differences in people. Their planes. Their affinities.
But beneath all of that, the foundation had always felt the same.
The furnace changed, but the fuel remained identical.
And for the first time, Vale began to understand what he had truly touched the night before.
Vale continued discussing Visorian theory with Nym for several hours, the conversation flowing naturally from planes to abilities, from history to speculation. By the time the light outside the high windows began to fade, it was clear that her and Korin's stay had come to an end.
When the moment came, Vale and Callum escorted them through the vast halls of Sector Zero. Their footsteps echoed softly as they walked, the sheer scale of the place swallowing their voices as they passed pillars and sealed chambers older than most recorded history.
Eventually, they reached the teleportation chamber.
Vale stopped just outside the circular platform as Nym turned back toward him, raising a hand in farewell.
"Hey," she said with a crooked grin. "Make sure you beat me next time, alright?"
She punctuated the words with a wink.
Vale laughed and waved it off.
"I'll hold you to that."
Korin stepped forward next. He raised one massive hand, and Vale met it without hesitation, their grips firm as they clasped forearms.
"It was nice seeing you again," Vale said, smiling openly.
Korin nodded once.
"Yes. I feel the same."
As they released their hands, a thought crossed Vale's mind, one that had been lingering since their earlier conversation.
"Hey, Korin," he said. "When will you be able to use your ability again?"
The large Visorian looked down at him and remained silent for several seconds.
"Probably never," Korin finally said, his voice calm but heavy, "as long as my curse remains."
Vale frowned slightly.
"Why is that?"
Korin exhaled slowly.
"My curse is… a severe one," he said. "And that's not even mentioning the current condition of my plane."
That was enough.
Vale's expression softened, and he didn't press further. He already knew where the conversation would lead, and neither of them needed to walk that path again.
They exchanged their goodbyes, and moments later the chamber sealed shut. Light flared, and Nym and Korin vanished as the teleportation activated.
When the doors opened again, the platform stood empty.
Vale let out a quiet sigh.
Callum glanced at him.
"Sad they're gone?"
Vale hesitated before answering.
"Kinda," he admitted. "No disrespect, but fighting Nym was actually fun."
Callum raised an eyebrow.
"When I fight you," Vale continued, "I already know I'm going to lose. With her… I didn't."
Callum's grin widened.
"You think you could have beaten her?"
Vale looked at him for a moment. Then a slow, confident smirk spread across his face.
"I'm sure I could have," he said, "if I hadn't thought she was an easy opponent."
Callum blinked, then burst out laughing.
The crows perched nearby cawed loudly in response, as if joining in on the moment. Ember, however, remained utterly silent, curled on Vale's shoulder in deep, unbothered sleep.
Callum glanced at Vale with an approving smile.
"I like that confidence."
Vale waved lightly.
"I'm heading back to my room. Need to study for the test tomorrow. I think I might actually need it."
Callum nodded.
"Good. Make sure you study well."
He turned and disappeared into the halls, his footsteps fading quickly.
Vale returned to his room, where everyone instinctively took their preferred places once again. He spent the rest of the day studying alongside Chrome, going over theory, classifications, and planar mechanics until exhaustion finally claimed him.
That night, as he lay in bed, Vale stared at the ceiling, eager, focused, and quietly excited.
Tomorrow's test was coming.