Chapter 23: The Day of Affinities
Morning arrived far too quickly.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
The Academy bell echoed across the campus.
Vee slowly opened one eye.
"...Who invented mornings?"
He buried his face back into his pillow.
A second bell rang.
DONG! DONG!
Vee groaned.
"...I blame the Headmaster."
---
A few minutes later...
Special Zone One gathered on the training grounds.
Professor Adrian stood with his hands behind his back.
"You've all returned from your one-week break."
"I trust you trained."
His eyes landed on Vee.
"I did."
Professor Adrian nodded.
"Good."
"Then today's drills should be easy."
Vee smiled.
"I don't like the confidence in your voice."
Professor Adrian blew his whistle.
"Fifty laps."
Vee's smile disappeared.
"...I spoke too soon."
Leon sighed.
"I knew it."
The class began running.
After the laps came sword drills.
Then stance practice.
Then mana circulation.
Then reaction training.
By the end...
Everyone was sweating.
Vee leaned on his wooden sword.
Professor Adrian walked past him.
"Tired?"
Vee nodded.
"I've discovered something."
"Oh?"
"The Academy has only one hobby."
Professor Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"And what's that?"
"Finding creative ways to make students regret enrolling."
Leon burst into laughter.
Even Aurelia smiled.
Professor Adrian crossed his arms.
"Interesting."
"Tomorrow we'll make it even more creative."
Vee blinked.
"...I should've kept quiet."
---
After a short break...
The students returned to the classroom.
Professor Selene stood before a glowing crystal nearly as tall as a person.
Today's lesson was different.
She gently rested her hand on the crystal.
"Yesterday..."
"We discussed what mana is."
"Today..."
"You will discover the element that answers your soul."
The room immediately became silent.
Professor Selene continued.
"Every person possesses an elemental affinity."
"Some possess one."
"A rare few possess two."
"Very rarely..."
"Someone may possess more."
She looked around the room.
"Your affinity does not determine your future."
"But understanding it..."
"Will allow you to grow stronger."
She pointed toward the crystal.
"When I call your name..."
"Place your hand upon the Mana Crystal."
"It will reveal your affinity."
---
Several students went first.
"Arthur."
The crystal glowed brown.
"Earth."
Professor Selene nodded.
"Your defense will naturally exceed your offense."
"Build upon that."
Next.
"Melissa."
Blue light filled the crystal.
"Water."
"Flexible."
"Patient."
"Never rush your decisions."
One after another...
Students revealed Fire...
Water...
Wind...
Earth...
Ice...
Metal...
Each receiving advice from Professor Selene.
---
"Prince Leon Valerian."
Leon confidently walked forward.
He placed his hand on the crystal.
A brilliant silver glow erupted.
The crystal formed sharp metallic spikes around its surface.
Professor Selene smiled.
"Metal."
"A balanced affinity."
"It excels in offense and defense."
She looked directly at Leon.
"Do not rely solely on your natural talent."
"A sharp blade still needs sharpening."
Leon bowed politely.
"I understand."
As he walked back...
He whispered to Vee,
"So basically..."
"I'm made of steel."
Vee nodded thoughtfully.
"I always suspected your head was metal."
Leon clutched his chest dramatically.
"I've been attacked."
The class laughed.
---
"Princess Aurelia."
She stepped forward gracefully.
The crystal lit up.
Golden light.
Then...
Soft emerald wind wrapped around it.
Gasps echoed through the classroom.
"Dual affinity."
Professor Selene smiled.
"Light."
"And Wind."
"Light grants healing and protection."
"Wind grants speed and freedom."
She looked kindly at Aurelia.
"You possess immense potential."
"But remember..."
"Compassion is strength."
"Do not mistake it for weakness."
Aurelia bowed.
"Thank you, Professor."
---
"Kai."
The room became noticeably quieter.
Kai stepped forward.
He calmly placed his hand upon the crystal.
A violent bolt of lightning exploded upward.
Purple electricity crackled around the classroom.
Several students instinctively stepped backward.
Professor Selene's expression remained calm.
"Lightning."
"Fast."
"Precise."
"Decisive."
She nodded once.
"Those blessed with lightning must remain calm."
"The faster your body moves..."
"The calmer your mind must become."
Kai simply nodded.
Then returned to his seat.
Vee watched him carefully.
"Strange..."
"In the novel..."
"He should have another affinity."
"He's hiding it."
Vee smiled inwardly.
"Interesting."
---
Finally...
Professor Selene looked down at her list.
"Vee Ashford."
Every student turned.
Vee sighed dramatically.
"I was hoping you'd forget."
Professor Selene smiled faintly.
"Not today."
He walked toward the crystal.
"...Please don't explode."
He placed his hand upon it.
For a heartbeat...
Nothing happened.
Then—
Darkness spread through half the crystal.
It wasn't ordinary darkness.
It hissed.
The air around it slowly corroded.
The wooden platform beneath the crystal began turning black.
Several students gasped.
"What is that?"
Before anyone could speak—
The other half erupted with brilliant golden-white light.
Warm.
Gentle.
Peaceful.
The damaged wood immediately began repairing itself.
Silence consumed the room.
Darkness...
And Light.
Opposites.
Existing together.
Professor Selene stared for several seconds before speaking.
"Remarkable."
She slowly walked toward the crystal.
"Darkness."
"The affinity of corrosion."
"It consumes."
"It destroys."
She then touched the glowing side.
"Light."
"The affinity of life."
"It restores."
"It protects."
She looked directly at Vee.
"Normally..."
"These two reject one another."
"Yet somehow..."
"They coexist inside you."
The classroom remained speechless.
Vee scratched the back of his head.
"So..."
"...my mana has an identity crisis?"
A long silence followed.
Leon was the first to laugh.
Soon...
The entire classroom joined him.
Even Professor Selene smiled.
"...That is certainly one way to describe it."
Vee nodded seriously.
"I'll make sure they attend counseling together."
Professor Adrian, who had entered halfway through the lesson, pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Only you could turn a once-in-a-century phenomenon into a joke."
Vee shrugged.
"If my mana is going to argue with itself..."
"...someone has to keep the peace."
The room erupted with laughter once more.
When the laughter settled...
Professor Adrian stepped forward.
"There is one final announcement."
The room quieted instantly.
"From today onward..."
"The Academy Rankings are no longer permanent."
Several students looked at one another.
Professor Adrian continued.
"If you believe you deserve a higher rank..."
"You may officially challenge any member of the Top Ten."
"If you defeat them..."
"You will inherit their position."
The classroom exploded into whispers.
"So we can challenge them?"
"This is our chance!"
"I've always wanted to fight Leon!"
Vee slowly looked around.
Every student's eyes drifted toward the Top Ten.
Especially...
Toward him.
The Apex.
He quietly took one step backward.
Then another.
Leon noticed.
"What are you doing?"
Vee whispered,
"I'm attempting the legendary technique..."
"...of becoming invisible before they notice me."
Leon looked around.
"...They're all staring at you."
Vee sighed.
"So much for stealth."
The bell rang, signaling the end of class.
As students poured into the hallway, whispers followed the Apex wherever he went.
Some saw him as an obstacle.
Others...
As the fastest path to the top.
And Vee had a strong feeling...
His peaceful Academy life had just officially ended.