Dorian came back and sat down next to Ezekiel. Calm. Like nothing happened. Katana on his lap, fingers still dusty from arena sand. Sleeve ripped where Gareth's sword caught it.
Ezekiel looked at him. Mouth opened, closed. Opened again. His hands were still shaking from what he just saw.
"So..." Ezekiel started.
"So." Dorian repeated, looking straight ahead.
"Since when do you know fire magic?"
"Long time."
"How long?"
"Long long time."
"And earth?"
"Also."
"Who taught you?"
Dorian yawned, scratched back of his head. "Taught myself. Books. Trial and error. Nothing complicated."
Ezekiel wanted to say that's impossible. That according to the novel he shouldn't know anything. But he couldn't, cuz then he'd have to explain how he knows what Dorian should and shouldn't be able to do.
"Okay..." Ezekiel swallowed, fingers dragging across his knee. "But that moment when the sword went through you..."
"You imagined it."
"I didn't imagine it."
"You did." Dorian looked at him. Eyes calm, face blank. "I just dodged. Fast."
"You didn't even move from your spot."
"Moved fast."
"..."
Ezekiel stared at him for a few seconds. Dorian stared back. Neither blinked.
"I hate you." Ezekiel muttered.
"Thanks." Dorian closed his eyes.
After the fights, everyone got called into main school building. Long corridor, stone walls, dim light crystals on the ceiling flickering every few seconds like they were about to die. Line. Everyone standing one after another, waiting for teacher to come and activate mana meter on their wrist.
Dorian stood in line, back against the wall, staring at the device on his hand. Small screen, dark, not activated yet. He already knew what it would show.
Almost nothing.
His mana was always low. Previous life too. Not cuz he lacked potential. He just used lifeforce instead of mana. Spatial magic needed something more than mana. And Dorian got used to feeding spells with his own life energy a long time ago.
Problem was, the meter only measured mana.
"This is gonna show I'm weak." Dorian muttered to himself, spinning the device on his wrist.
"What?" Ezekiel asked from behind.
"Nothing."
Line moved slow. Teacher went from one student to another, touching the meter, pressing something, screen lighting up. Some students smiled seeing their numbers. Others didn't.
Got to Dorian. Same teacher with the eyepatch. Grabbed Dorian's wrist, fingers cold, pressed something on the device.
Screen lit up.
[Mana: 47]
Teacher looked at the number. Then at Dorian. Then back at the number.
"No no no, can't be right." teacher muttered. Flipped the device, pressed something on the side, opened settings. Scrolled. Pressed again. Number didn't change.
[Mana: 47]
"Everything's working fine..." teacher said quiet, not believing it himself.
He looked at Dorian. Same kid who an hour ago left Whitmore half dead on the arena floor.
Forty seven.
Students around started whispering. "What? Forty seven?" "Then how did he..." "Maybe the meter's broken?" "No, teacher just checked it."
"Maybe he cheated during the fight?" someone asked quiet.
"How do you cheat? Whitmore's in the infirmary." another answered.
"Then maybe Whitmore is just weak?"
"Whitmore family has four A rank hunters, you idiot."
"Then how..."
Nobody had an answer.
Dorian pulled his hand back. "Done?" he asked and walked off without waiting for an answer.
Ezekiel stepped up to the teacher. His meter activated.
[Mana: 54]
"Fifty four..." Ezekiel muttered, looking at the number. Disappointed, but not too much. System will help. Few quests, few levels, and mana will climb faster than anyone else's. Matter of time.
But Dorian... Dorian doesn't have a system.
He looked at Dorian's back. Forty seven. And with that he did what he did in the arena.
Frowned.
Ezekiel caught up to him in the corridor.
"How do you use magic?" Ezekiel asked. "With forty seven mana you shouldn't be able to cast even two fireballs."
"Probably mana meter is broken." Dorian answered without even looking at him.
Ezekiel stopped.
"..."
Dorian laughed and kept walking.
"..."
"Fuck you." Ezekiel said.
Ezekiel walked after him, frowning. "Where are you going? They haven't told us where the next test is yet."
Dorian stopped.
'Right, shit.' he thought. This kid messed with his head so much he just started walking to the testing area from memory. Previous life memory. 'Great way to draw attention, moron.' he told himself.
"I know." Dorian turned around. "Was looking for the bathroom."
"Bathroom's the other way."
"..."
"..."
Dorian turned around and went the other direction.
They got back to arena where everyone else was already waiting. Miraaz stood in the middle, hands on her hips. Wind moving her hair, pink strands falling across her face but she didn't give a shit.
"Next and final test." she announced, voice calm but loud enough. "Magic power measurement."
From the ground, dummies started rising. Big, metal, humanoid shaped. Their surface had a weird gray shine to it. Some students backed away, others leaned closer watching how ground cracked around them.
"These dummies are highly resistant to magic." Miraaz continued, pointing at them. "Your task is simple. Attack. More damage you do, the better."
Someone from the crowd whistled. "Easy."
"You can't even cast a fireball, what are you talking about." another one shot back.
"Both of you shut up." third voice.
Miraaz smiled. "And please, don't try too hard. Don't want anyone breaking their hand trying to impress."
Ezekiel next to Dorian froze. Eyes wide, jaw dropped. Miraaz hair moving in the wind, uniform... that same too short uniform.
"She's so..." Ezekiel started whispering.
"Stop." Dorian said, not even looking.
"But look at how she..."
"I said stop."
"She's just..."
Dorian turned and looked at Ezekiel like he just noticed something on his shoe.
"You're simping for a three hundred year old hag." Dorian said.
Across the arena, Miraaz stopped walking. Her pink hair slowly started rising. Not from wind. From mana. Strands floated up one by one, spreading out behind her like she was underwater. Her eyes, usually bored and half closed, were now wide open. Glowing. Faint green light leaking out the corners. Her smile was gone. Jaw tight. Fingers curled into fists so hard the knuckles went white.
She didn't turn around. But every student within five meters of her quietly took a step back.
"She doesn't look like a grandma!"
"She is a grandma."
"But she doesn't look like one!"
The glow in Miraaz's eyes got brighter. A crack appeared in the ground under her foot. She still didn't turn around.
'This dumbass is gonna make me religious.' Dorian thought. 'Already wanna pray to the gods for patience.'
Miraaz meanwhile walked between the dummies, fingers touching their surface. "You can use any magic. Weapons. Whatever you have." she stopped and looked at the crowd. Her eyes paused on Dorian for a second. "I'll be watching personally."
'Great.' Dorian thought.