Another week passed in a fsh. More theory, more lectures, more notes, nothing too exciting.

  Well, except for one thing.

  Iris had awakened her ability.

  Nero groaned dramatically, flopping onto the cafeteria table like he had just received the worst news of his life. His spoon slipped from his fingers, cttering against his pte.

  Across from him, Zeke frowned. "This is the fifth time, dude. Stop already. If groaning got you an ability, you'd be a legend by now."

  Iris, all smiles, hummed as she ate, clearly pleased with herself.

  Jaris, zily poking at his food, shook his head. "Look at her, completely in her own world." He let out a long sigh before menting, "And here I am, still ability-less."

  Nero turned to her, propping his chin on the table. "Lesser Purge, huh?"

  Iris grinned. "Yup."

  It was a situational ability, strong against darkness-aligned enemies and creatures, but not particurly powerful against anything else. Still, it wasn't healing, and that alone made her happy. She had wanted something offensive, something that let her fight rather than just support.

  Jaris exhaled through his nose. "Even a situational ability is better than no ability."

  Nero nodded solemnly.

  Their eyes met.

  Without a word, they csped hands across the table.

  "We are brothers with no abilities," they decred in unison, their voices thick with shared suffering.

  Zeke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You two are pathetic."

  Iris just ughed.

  But the mood didn't stay gloomy for long.

  Because today was Saturday.

  And that meant practical csses.

  * * *

  This time, in ability training css, Zeke wasn't alone. Iris was with him.

  Compared to st week, the cssroom had noticeably more students. But even so, there were still empty spots scattered around.

  Zeke and Iris took seats near the edge, waiting for Professor Warren to arrive.

  Iris, excited about her newfound ability, was busy trying to create tiny sparks in her palm. Her brow furrowed in concentration as faint golden flickers sputtered to life before quickly fading.

  Zeke, meanwhile, was just chilling. Hands in his pockets, eyes half-closed, posture rexed. He wasn't in a rush to try anything.

  Then, the door swung open.

  Professor Warren strode in, surveying the room. "I see more faces in css today. That's great." He cpped his hands together. "Today, we'll be learning about channeling."

  His gaze swept over the students. "Can anyone tell me how our abilities are actually used?"

  A student raised their hand. "All Marked have mana channels in their bodies. These channels allow mana to flow freely since Faltheris itself contains mana."

  Warren nodded. "Exactly. Mana channels are integral to ability usage. The process follows a simple sequence—mana is absorbed, stored within the body's cells, and then utilized through the channels."

  He paced the front of the cssroom as he continued. "However, not all abilities use mana the same way. Some are easier to channel than others.

  "For example, a mage casting fire from his palm channels most of his mana into that one spot. The implementation is straightforward."

  "But what about a warrior using body strengthening?" He pced a hand on his chest. "That's different. Instead of focusing mana in one pce, they have to constantly channel it throughout their entire body—deliberately, efficiently, and without pause."

  He leaned back slightly. "The same principle applies to any ability. Where and how you channel your mana affects its efficiency."

  He let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "Now then, let's get started."

  Professor Warren led the css out of the lecture hall and into one of the academy's many training grounds. The open space was lined with various equipment, and a few assistants with clipboards were already waiting, ready to assign tasks.

  "Alright," Warren called, cpping his hands. "Today's focus is control. You'll each be assigned a task suited to your abilities. Some of you will find it simple. Others…" His gaze swept over the students. "…will struggle."

  A few students shifted uncomfortably.

  "Good. That's the point," Warren continued. "Now, get to it."

  The assistants quickly moved in, splitting students up and giving them individual tasks.

  Iris ended up with a small blue balloon pced in her hands.

  "Your job is to coat it in mana completely," the assistant expined. "Even distribution, no bursting it."

  She nodded, rolling her shoulders. That didn't sound too hard.

  A few steps away, Zeke was handed a blindfold. His task was to dodge strikes from a moving training dummy without relying on sight.

  He sighed, tying the blindfold around his head.

  The dummy whirred to life.

  Immediately, he stepped aside, avoiding the first strike. Another jab came—he twisted, barely shifting his weight. Each movement was precise, just enough to avoid getting hit without wasting energy.

  After a few minutes, Warren spoke.

  "That's enough."

  Zeke pulled off the blindfold, blinking as light flooded back into his vision. Warren gave a brief nod.

  "Good control." That was all he said before walking off.

  Zeke nodded.

  On the other hand, Iris was locked in a silent battle with her balloon.

  Her first attempt? Pop.

  Too much mana at once.

  Second attempt? Pop.

  Too unstable.

  She let out a breath through her nose, trying a different approach. Slow. Controlled. Gentle.

  The balloon held for a second.

  Then—pop.

  Her fingers twitched.

  She was down to her st balloon when Zeke walked by, hands in his pockets. He gnced at the pile of popped ones.

  "…Need help?"

  Iris forced a smile, gripping the final balloon.

  "Shut up."

  * * *

  The four of them made their way to weapons training, but the atmosphere was anything but serious.

  Jaris and Nero, walking just a little ahead, had decided their newest form of entertainment was making obnoxious pop sounds with their mouths.

  Pop.

  Pop pop.

  Iris's eyebrow twitched.

  Zeke had, of course, told them about her training exercise with the balloon, and now they had taken it upon themselves to be as insufferable as possible.

  Pop.

  She exhaled slowly through her nose, her hands clenched at her sides. For the first time in what felt like forever, her usual calm cracked, and an expression rarely seen on her face emerged—pure, barely-contained irritation.

  If she could purge them, she just might.

  Zeke, walking beside her, side-eyed the two troublemakers and shook his head. "You're both going to die one day, and it's going to be well deserved."

  Nero grinned. "Maybe, but not today."

  Jaris just snickered.

  The four of them arrived at the training arena and made their way to their usual spot on the ground. The space was already filling up with students, but they had long since cimed this area as theirs.

  A short while ter, once the st stragglers had arrived, Professor Fable stepped forward, arms crossed as he surveyed the css.

  "I hope you all took the time to get familiar with your weapon of choice," he said, his voice carrying easily. "Because starting today, you'll be applying what you've learned."

  He turned, picking up a wooden sword from the weapons rack beside him. "You'll be paired with a partner for the semester. This partner will be your sparring opponent, your measuring stick, and the person who will push you to improve. Choose to sck off, and they'll surpass you. So, pick up a wooden version of your weapon and check your assignment."

  A murmur spread through the students as their ID cards flickered, the digital screens dispying their assigned partners. The arena filled with the shuffle of bodies and the ctter of wooden weapons being picked up as everyone hurried to find their match.

  Nero adjusted his grip on the wooden spear he had grabbed and turned, locking eyes with his opponent.

  A red-haired girl stood before him, her own training spear resting lightly in her hands.

  So, they were pairing people up based on weapon styles.

  Nero tilted his head slightly, offering a friendly nod. "I'm Nero."

  The red-haired girl just snorted, rolling her shoulders as she spun her spear once in her grip. No name, no response—just pure disinterest.

  Alright then.

  Before he could say anything else, Professor Fable cpped his hands together. "All of you in position! Let's begin!" The training grounds filled with the sounds of shuffling feet and the ctter of wooden weapons being raised. Nero took a stance, gripping his spear firmly.

  He had practiced. A lot. Maybe too much. Most of his free time had been spent drilling forms and techniques, thinking that if his ability turned out to be trash, at least he'd have something to fall back on. That confidence sted for about three seconds.

  His opponent moved first. A feint. Then a sudden shift. Nero reacted, raising his spear to block—only for her to parry his weapon aside like it was nothing. Before he could recover, she stepped in and struck.

  Wood met his side with a dull thwack.

  It was over.

  Two moves. One parry. One strike.

  Nero barely registered the impact before his feet left the ground.

  With a dull thud, he hit the dirt, the breath knocked clean out of his lungs. For a second, he just y there, staring up at the sky. His mind scrambled to process what had just happened.

  He lost? Just like that?

  Pushing himself up, he blinked at his opponent. The red-haired girl stood over him, her spear resting against her shoulder, looking completely unimpressed.

  The shock faded, repced by something else... competitiveness.

  "…Fight me again."

  She arched a brow but didn't argue. They had ten minutes to spar, after all.

  Ten minutes. Seventeen rounds.

  Seventeen losses.

  Each one the same. One parry. One hit. Nero barely sted three moves before he was on the ground again. And again. And again.

  By the end, he just y there, staring at the ceiling of the training hall, questioning every life decision he had ever made.

  Professor Fable cpped his hands once, drawing everyone's attention.

  Before concluding the lesson, Professor Fable handed each student a small cube, no rger than a fingertip. "Spatial storage," he said, his tone measured. "A tool of convenience, not necessity." He guided them through the process—how to weave their mana into the object, imprinting a signature that ensured only they could access it.

  With a flick of his wrist, he demonstrated, a weapon vanishing into the cube's unseen depths. "A warrior should always keep their weapon close, but not all weapons can be carried freely. In those moments, this will serve you well."

  "Reflect on your fights," he said simply. "Think about what worked, what didn't, and why. That's all for today. Css dismissed."

  The students began shuffling out, some chatting with their partners, others lost in thought.

  As they gathered at the ground's entrance, discussing their matches, Jaris went first, shaking his head. "My partner was a behemoth. I swear, the guy was twice my size. I think he could've snapped me in half if he wanted to."

  Zeke simply shrugged. "Mine was good." That was all he said.

  Iris, on the other hand, beamed. "I spent eight of the ten minutes talking. My partner was really cool. We made instant friends."

  Then, they turned to Nero.

  He hadn't said a word.

  The desote aura around him was impossible to miss.

  Zeke narrowed his eyes. "What happened to you?"

  Nero let out a long breath. "Seventeen."

  Jaris raised an eyebrow. "Seventeen what?"

  "Seventeen fights." His voice was hollow. "Seventeen losses."

  Silence.

  "You mean out of seventeen, you won… none?" Jaris finally asked.

  Nero nodded.

  Iris looked genuinely sympathetic. Jaris, on the other hand, was trying very hard not to ugh. Zeke rubbed his temples.

  "...How?"

  Nero sighed. "One parry. One strike. Every time."

  Jaris blinked, then scoffed. "Wait. Weren't you spending almost all your free time training?"

  Zeke crossed his arms. "Yeah. A lot of it."

  Nero let out a bitter chuckle. "A whole week. Hours every day." He shook his head. "All of it just to get destroyed in two moves."

  Iris frowned. "Maybe she's just a prodigy? You got unlucky."

  Jaris nodded. "Yeah, what are the odds of getting paired with a monster like that?"

  Nero sighed, shaking his head. "Luck is a foreign concept."