The Beginning After The End (Beckoning Fates Book 3) (13 page)

“We can’t embarrass the DC name
now, can we?
 
I’ll make practice
extra hard for anyone who doesn’t meet standards!”
 
Claire grins evilly while grabbing her
gear.

Clive and Lucas walk past me,
ignoring me as I go after them to pick up my gear.
 
The gear consists of a tight jacket and
a series of straps that I wrap around my legs.
 
The jacket also had sleeves made of some
special straps that I was supposed to wrap around my arms.
 

I was having trouble putting on the
arm wraps when Tessia silently comes up and helps me bind the straps around my
right arm.
  

“Is it okay for Princess Tessia to
be helping me like this?”
 
I smirk
while letting her help me.

Shooting me a glare, she tightens
the straps, jerking my arm towards her.
 
“Can it, Mr. Genius.
 
They’re
over there anyways.
 
Sigh…I can’t
stand acting like I don’t know you.” Her gaze softens.

“You know, they’re going to find
out eventually.
 
Why try so hard
hiding it?”
 
I shrug.

“You mean… you don’t care?
 
Grandma Cynthia mentioned to me about
you wanting to keep a low profile so I thought…” Her face loses composure as
she starts stuttering.

“Pff… Well I haven’t been doing a
very good job of that, now have I?”
 
I couldn’t help but snicker, confusing Tess even more.

“It’s okay.
 
There are just a few things I mainly
wanted to hide.
 
As long as those
remain a secret, the rest doesn’t really matter.
 
For one, do you notice anything?”
 
I stick out my chest to let her analyze
me.

“I don’t get what… Ah!
 
I can’t sense your mfff.”
 
She was getting too loud so I had to
cover her mouth.
 
Leaning closer to
her face, I whisper.
 
“Yup, that and
Sylvie’s true identity as well.
 
I’m
keeping most of my abilities a secret for now so you have to do your part as
well.
 
Maybe keeping the fact that I
visited your Kingdom a secret might be a good idea but you don’t have to ignore
me, Tess.”
 
I let go of her mouth
and pat her head, making her flush and push me away from her.

“Y-
you’re
too c-close.”
 
Tess mutters under
her breath as she’s facing down.

“Are you guys done flirting over
there?”
 
Professor Glory’s voice
from above surprises the both of us as I quickly finish adjusting the
straps.
 

“Ah!
 
Arthur.
 
I suggest you leave your bond in a safer
place if she’s not capable of assisting you during the battle like Curtis’
bond.”
 
She points towards the
viewing platform.

“Kyu!”
 
Sylvie cries in protest.

“I think it’ll be better for you to
sit this one out, Sylv.”
 
I say
while patting her small head.”
 

‘Aww… Okay.’
 
She jumps off my head before scurrying
off out of the field.

Tess just finished putting on her
gear as I went up to her.
 
“Let’s
both do our best.
 
I want to see how
much you improved.”
 

Giving me a confident smile, she
says back,
 
“You better watch out
then” before running off to the other side of the field where Clive and Lucas
were.
 

I head towards where Curtis and
Claire were situated.
 
Claire was
stretching while Curtis was mounted on top of his World Lion, Grawder.

“Even with Grawder, we’re still at
a disadvantage because they have two Conjurers and Clive is a long range
Augmenter.
 
The fact that it’s an
instant loss for us if your gear activates gives us a seriously limited set of
options.”
 
Claire was leaning on her
unsheathed sword while stretching her leg back.
 

“You’re right.
 
Claire and I don’t really know anything
about your fighting style so we’ll match your pace.
 
We’ll take priority in protecting you
while we get in range to do some damage.”
 
Curtis responds while petting Grawder.
 

I look for Tess, Clive and Lucas
and spot them a few dozen meters away.
 
Seems like we’re going to be target practice for them until we get in
range.
 
This should be fun.

I couldn’t help but grin as my
blood boils.
 
It should feel good
giving Lucas a few good blows during the match, although I can only imagine
that both Lucas and Clive thinking the same thing.
 

I take out my blade, Dawn’s Ballad,
making sure to not take out its sheath, as both Curtis and Claire ready their
weapons as well.
 

*Whistles*

“That’s a beautiful sword you have
there, Arthur.”
 
Claire stares at my
blade.

I have to admit that Curtis looks
pretty damn impressive wielding his dual double-edged swords while mounting his
bond.

Claire releases a fierce battle
aura as she infuses both wind and fire attribute mana into her body.

I turn forward as well, imbuing
wind and earth mana into my body and sword.
 
My hair and clothes flutter as the
ground beneath me pulses to my command.
 

Professor Glory’s powerful voice
echoes through the battlefield, signaling us to begin.

“LET THE MATCH COMMENCE!”

On Professor Glory’s signal, the
three of us dashed forward.
 
Curtis,
who was mounted on top of Grawder, was to my left as Claire was on my right
side, both a bit ahead of me.
 

Tessia, Clive and Lucas all split
up as soon as we charged.
 
Tess
circled around the left side as she prepared to take on Curtis, while Clive
dashed around the right side to confront Claire before she reached him.

Straight ahead, I see Lucas calmly
waiting for me, his face twisted into a haughty sneer that seemed to say ‘I
don’t need to get ready for you’.
 
Whether it was at the Dire Tombs or even now, Lucas’ arrogance had no
limit.
 
I still remember when he
betrayed us by using us as live bait so he could escape.
 
Even then, he had the same sneer that he
had now.

Tessia was probably going to beat
Curtis and I wasn’t sure who was stronger between Claire and Clive but I’ll
worry about that later.
 
Wind and
Earth bent to my will as I infuse more mana, activating mana rotation as well.
 
Lucas wasn’t weak.
 
His mana pool was bigger than mine, but that
didn’t mean he’s stronger than me.

“Will you be all right by yourself
against Lucas?”
 
I hear Curtis shout
as he dashes towards Tess.

Claire looks back at me in slight
worry as well until I give them a silent nod.
 
She nods back and focuses on the Student
Vice President.
 

Lucas senses a bit of the killing
intent I purposely let out to shock him out of his pedestal as he begins
quietly chanting a spell while dashing backwards to get more distance between
us.

Soaring up ahead, I feel Professor
Glory’s keen eyes studying me as I close the gap between Lucas and I.
 
I take a deep breath and block out
everything else.
 
As far as I was
concerned, this was a fight between only Lucas and I.
 
Narrowing my eyes in utmost
concentration, each powerful step that I take creates small craters in the
ground while the wind whistles around me.
 

Lucas lets out a chortle before he
releases his spell.
 
“Inferno’s
Cage!”
 

The spell reminded me of the Ember
Wisps spell that both Lucas and Ex-Professor Geist used but it was a lot
bigger.
 
The orbs scattered and
floated in place around the both of us, creating a dome made of fire.
 

Don’t tell me…

With a confident smirk, he snaps
his finger and utters, “activate”.

The orbs glowed in response before
spewing out bullets of fire.
 
If it
was a spell on the level of Ember Wisp, I would be able to close the gap while
dodging the fireballs, but this was insane.
 
Dozens of fire blasts were locked in on
my position and fired at a constant rate coming from all different directions.
 
If I didn’t train my body and fighting
techniques during my time as an Adventurer, I doubt that, no matter how fast I
was, I would be able to dodge everything.
 
Without even giving me a chance to take a step closer to my target, I
was forced to dodge and block every incoming missile constantly bombarding me.

_________________________________________

Inferno’s Cage…whoever came up with
this spell deserves a sword up the ass to feel what a pain this is to deal
with.
 
Not to mention the constant
fireballs and streams of flames that were locked in on me, the heat inside this
dome was wearing me down.
 
Without
my fire attribute mana or my water attribute mana, there was no direct way to
counter the heat inside.
 
Using fire
attribute mana to make my body more immune to fire or even using water
attribute mana to directly cool my body were both out of the question.
 

“Keep running around, monkey.
 
Do you think it’s even possible for the
peasants of the mages to actually have a chance against someone like me?
 
I can’t wait to step on you to crush
whatever speck of confidence you had just because you became a DC member and a
Professor.
 
I thought this class
would be a waste of time but I know why I was brought here.
 
It was to crush you.”
 
His little pretty boy face was wrenched
into an ugly face as he sneered.
 

‘Are you okay, Papa?’
 
Sylvie’s concerned voice echoed into my
head after feeling how frustrated I was at the moment.

‘Yeah, I’m fine Sylv.
 
Don’t worry about me.
 
How’s everyone else doing?’
 
I send back.

‘Mama is winning against Curtis and
Claire is winning against that serious looking guy.’
 
She responds.

‘Okay, just tell me if something
unusual happens.’
 
I turn my focus
back to the fight.
 
Dodging the
flame bullets and the occasional streams of fire was easy but I couldn’t get
closer to Lucas.
  
I would
release a wind blade and some spikes of earth at Lucas but either the orbs that
made up the dome destroyed it or Lucas just blocked the spell with one of
his.
 

What was with this kid’s mana pool?
 
Did he not have a limit to how long he
could keep this spell up?
 
No, calm
down, Arthur.
 
You don’t want to be
impatient.
 
Think.
 
How can I use wind?
 
Wind?
 
What is wind?
 
It’s the movement of air, right?
 
What’s air?
 
Oxygen?
 
Nitrogen?
 
So am I able to control oxygen and
nitrogen as well?
 
If so, how?

I was growing frustrated at my lack
of comprehension in my wind and earth elements.
 
Now was a good as time as any to try and
comprehend.
 
It wasn’t just enough
to shoot wind bullets or wind blades because Lucas had already prepared several
levels of fire shields around himself.
 

I wasn’t thinking outside of the
box when I used wind.
 
Even with
mana rotation, I don’t have the necessary mana to form a tornado big enough to
swallow the fire shooting at me, and even if I did, I don’t think I’d be able
to last longer than Lucas.
 
What was
I missing?
 

“Keep squirming!
 
I’m sure I can get away with it if a
couple of fireballs land on you even after your gear activates.
 
You know, since I can’t cancel the
blasts from the orbs once it’s been released.”
 
He just shrugs nonchalantly as the
shields around him block any spells I fire at him.

Think Arthur.
 
Let’s focus on fire.
 
What does fire need for it keep
burning?
 
It needs oxygen.
 
Can I get rid of the oxygen around me so
that the fire can’t reach me?
 
Then
what would happen to me?
 
Would I be
able to breathe?

PROFESSOR GLORY’S POV:

Hmmm… Lucas… he’s better than I
what I’ve heard.
 
Inferno’s Cage is
a pretty tough spell to master, yet he was able to cast it while running
backwards.
 
Seriously, he’s barely
13 and he can already use a domain type spell.
 
Haa… the world sure is coming to a
change, with a half elf like him using fire attribute magic, the ice princess,
Kathyln, and even Princess Tess were all monsters.
 
I get shivers down my back imagining how
strong they’ll become by the time they graduate from here.

But that brat, Arthur…
 
What the hell was he?
 
Lucas Wykes, since he awakened a few
years back thanks to his elf lineage, I can sort of understand the level of
control he has with his spells.
 
Tessia Eralith, her being a pure lineage elf from the royal family
guarantees that her skills are a few levels above anyone anywhere near her age.
 
Kathyln Glayder, her insane mana pool
and her natural compatibility with Ice attribute is what makes her a prodigy
but her control and battle sense is still lacking from the fact that she hasn’t
awakened too long ago, but Arthur?

As soon as he flashed through the
field to confront Lucas, I felt cold sweat.
 
The way both the wind and earth around
him naturally gravitated and danced around him.
 
He wasn’t controlling the elements to
his commands like typical mages do.
 
No, he was in perfect harmony with the mana surrounding him, as if he
was moving his limbs.

Seems like that brat Lucas is
taking Arthur seriously.
 
Good thing
too or he probably would’ve lost instantly.
 
Currently, the spell Inferno’s Cage
encompassed both Arthur and Lucas in a large dome of fire.
 
I can tell Lucas is a bit worn out after
using it, but this was a continuous spell that he could leave activated until
he runs out of mana, which I don’t feel will happen anytime soon. The dome made
up of tiny orbs of fire was like a death trap used by Conjurers to gain the
advantage against Augmenters or agile mana beasts.

The tiny orbs can shoot out beams
and bullets of fire anywhere inside the dome, leaving the Augmenter occupied
enough so the Conjurer can cast more spells.

I focus my gaze over to Curtis
Glayder and Tessia Eralith.
 
As
expected, Curtis was having a hard time.
 
I had the chance to observe the Elf Princess practice with our Director
once, and I had to say, the way she battled was exquisite.
 
She was a Conjurer but her staff was
actually a sharp blade, made of a special wood that was lighter but harder than
most metals.
 
Casting buffs on
herself and using spells in synch to her movement, she danced around the vines
she conjures with a speed faster than even some trained Augmenters from the
wind aiding each motion and action.
 

She fights in a mixed style of both
conjuring spells and using close combat so she had no notable weakness.
 
Compared to my masculine way of
fighting, I can only admire how graceful and beautiful her style of combat is.
 

Claire Bladeheart, on the other
hand, was gaining the advantage on our Student Vice President.
 
Clive is a rare long range Augmenter
that wields a short bow capable of firing arrows at an almost unbelievably fast
pace.
 
Usually, he would be at an
advantage against most Augmenters but Claire was a bad match up for him.
 
Miss Bladeheart’s style mimicked that
stick, Kaspian.
 
With her dual
elements, she creates spears of wind and fire from her rapier.
 
She has yet to reach his level but with
constant training, I’m confident she can surpass her uncle.

I turn my attention back to the
most intense battle, which was definitely Arthur’s and Lucas’.
 
I notice that most of the students were
watching their fight as well, all in awe from both of their abilities.
 

“Hmm?”
 
I couldn’t help raise an eyebrow at what
was happening.
 
That’s strange.
 
Arthur is getting hit the fireballs
now.
 
At this rate, even with
protection from mana, his gear is going to activate.

He was dodging it so effortlessly
just a minute ago too.
 
I focus more
mana into my eyes to get a better look.
 
The dome of fire surrounding them blocks a lot of the view but I can
still sort of make out the fight.
 
It seems like Arthur is trying to do something.
 
Is he holding his breath?
 
What was he trying to do in this
situation?

“Torch! Fly down a bit lower!”
 
My bond descends as he angles his
massive wings to keep himself level.

As we slowly circle around the huge
fire dome that surrounded a third of the field, I began noticing some
changes.
 
Around him, for every
three or four fire blast that scraped or hit him, one would completely
extinguish before it reached him.

“No…” A smile crept up on my face
as I continued observing him.

“Don’t tell me he’s actually trying
to learn how to manipulate air in this situation right now…” I cover my mouth
as I continue to smile in wonder.
 
“That little monster… he has guts, I’ll give him that.”