The day following the Council's decision brought a gentle buzz across the Academy, a ripple of curiosity and excitement.
Tashi Suko, the legendary healer, one of the most powerful casters humanity had ever seen had formally requested to take on official teaching duties.
This surprised many, even among the staff.
But for Tashi, it was not about prestige or obligation.
It was about fulfilling a vow, a silent promise to two students who had shown him something rare which he had been searching for raw potential and something even rarer, trust
In the administrative tower, sunlight bathed the upper halls in golden light.
Within the Dean's private office, Tashi stood before Vasra Dallas, the Academy's quiet storm of leadership.
The scent of ink and parchment hung in the air.
"I want to begin teaching," Tashi said plainly.
Vasra tilted his head. "You want to formally teach healing?"
Tashi nodded. "Yes. Mana control. Circulation. Restoration. Everything under my field."
Vasra raised a brow, tapping a slender finger on his desk. "Why now?"
"I made a promise. To Jered and Kaelen. And the system has made its ruling, no more unofficial mentorships. If I am to train them, it must be under academy law."
A quiet beat passed before Vasra sighed, smiling slightly. "Very well. You'll be assigned an official class starting tomorrow."
As the announcement spread, the academy hummed with renewed purpose.
Students prepared for their evaluations, wondering if they'd qualify for Tashi's class.
But in a secluded training arena reserved for elite drills, three students had already begun their own intensive session.
Kaelen, Jered and Neal.
Each one stood barefoot on the smooth stone tiles of the combat field.
Mana flowed faintly beneath their feet, harmonized with the academy's enchanted terrain.
The open sky above was a dome of soft blue, streaked with thin clouds.
Kaelen stood calmly near the far end, level 5, but no ordinary beginner.
His small frame held a quiet power, his dark hair falling gently over eyes that never blinked too long.
Third Eye is a skill, not a physical organ. Always active, always absorbing. It didn't glow or shine; it simply was, constantly feeding him truths about the world around him.
No weapons hung from his back or waist. Kaelen didn't need them. His style was elusive, fast and surgical.
Besides him Jered warmed up with sharp, fluid movements.
Level 20, a Dauntless Warden, classified as a tank but far from the clunky shield-bearers of old.
When he entered combat form, golden-green flames would erupt from his body, a majestic blend of defensive might and offensive heat.
His signature blue flame swords were conjured directly from soul and will. A refined skill, not equipment.
The swords were a mark of his unique inheritance, forged through a technique only passed through the Dallas bloodline.
No physical weapons were permitted in the academy's training arenas.
But Jered's blades were his own creation, and the academy recognized them as such.
And opposite to them.
Neal, the strongest among the three at level 22, adjusted his stance at the center of the field.
His Solari Imperials class gave him overwhelming control over light-type energy, granting him explosive stats which doubled his stats twice in combat form.
While Jered and Kaelen specialized in speed and tricks, Neal was power and precision. He radiates controlled heat like a small sun.
His body glowed faintly with white-gold streaks of starlight flame, dense and heavy.
They prepared to spar ; Jered and Kaelen vs Neal. A test of strategy, synergy, and endurance.
Neal flexed his fingers. "You two ready?"
Jered's flames flared to life, engulfing his body in greengold and blue from his sword. "Born ready."
Kaelen didn't respond. Instead, he vanished.
Blinked, a short-range instant movement spell, cast without chant.
He reappeared behind Neal and struck with an open palm, not to wound, but to test. Neal turned, arm raised, blocking the strike with a reinforced forearm.
"Too slow, Kaelen," Neal muttered, smiling.
"Wasn't aiming to hit," Kaelen whispered and vanished again.
He reappeared to the right, this time flinging a concentrated mana burst to Neal's legs. Jered took that cue, charging in from the front.
His swords danced around him, each swing crackling with mana infused blue flame. The arena lit up as his strikes collided with Neal's heavy-arm block.
Neal gritted his teeth. His Solari Flame thickened, forming an aura shield.
Kaelen's level 5 versus his 22 but raw level didn't matter in coordination.
The difference in stats was massive but not enough to be ignored.
Kaelen's Third Eye fed him constant predictions, muscle tension, movement calculations, micro-fluctuations in mana flow.
He wasn't reacting at all, instead he was anticipating.
"Left, Jered!" Kaelen shouted.
Jered spun, blocking a feint from Neal's starlight fist, and countered with a downward arc of flame. The blow staggered Neal slightly.
"You two are actually syncing up," Neal admitted.
Kaelen replied, "You haven't seen anything yet."
He blinked mid-sentence, reappearing directly above Neal, casting Weightless Bind, a temporary gravity inversion spell.
For a second, Neal's footing faltered. Jered pounced, conjuring six normal flame swords mid-air, rotating in circular motion like orbiting moons.
Each sword struck from a different angle overhead, behind, even from below.
Neal raised both arms, channeling Solar Barrier. His white flames exploded outward in a brilliant flash, melting all of Jered's blades and forcing Kaelen to blink away.
Even so, sweat lined Neal's brow. "You're pushing me, huh?"
"Why not?," Jered said, panting. "And we have something even better."
Kaelen reappeared beside him. "Formation Delta."
Jered nodded.
He took the front once again, but now shielded himself with a triple-layer flame wall while Kaelen circled the field, channeling an experimental Mana Disruption Web, creating micro-pulses to scramble Neal's spell flow for 3 seconds.
Even those 3 seconds were enough.
Jered charged again.
This time his flame took the shape of a phoenix-winged lion, roaring as it struck Neal's barrier.
Kaelen chanted softly behind him, healing Jered's scorched forearm mid-battle.
Neal staggered back, laughter spilling from his lips.
"Okay, okay—I yield!"
The three collapsed to the ground, panting hard.
"Damn," Jered coughed, "you're this sturdy? Compared to you, what am I?."
Kaelen gasping for air replied "Clown."
Jered chuckled. "You guys are freaks."
Kaelen then sat up straight. "Tashi's class starts tomorrow. He'll expect better."
"I don't know what's scarier," Jered said. "You or your calm."
From the balcony, Tashi watched quietly.
"They're growing fast," he murmured.
Behind him, a scribe approached. "Preparation complete, Master Tashi."
Tashi didn't turn. "Good. Tomorrow, they learn what real control means."
"He doesn't just learn fast… He adapts." Tashi murmured to himself.