7 CHAPTER 7: ELIAS (3)

Dmitri opened his mouth and started to explain, "okay, first off, there are two ways to classify magic. By its 'magic type', and by its 'elements'."

"Uh-huh." I nodded, paying full attention to him.

He held up one finger, "the first one, the type. There are three types of magic. Allagio, schafio, and monad."

Wait. I've heard this somewhere...

My head throbbed as I faintly remembered a pair of plump, slightly reddish lips uttering the exact same words.

Dmitri pointed at himself, "Mine is the second one, schafio! Basically, it's the power to make something out of nothing. Pretty convenient, but it's also the most common type, hahah!" He rubbed the back of his head.

"So you can make anything? Isn't that a bit too powerful?" I asked.

"No, of course not. Each person who has this type of magic usually can only make one thing. And that one thing is decided the moment they were born," he explained, "for example, I can create barriers, that's why I usually play tank, haha!"

"Another example is general Jeanne. She doesn't show her magic too often, but she can summon steel." He continued.

"Steel? That's unexpected." I kinda want to see it.

"Her magic has evolved a lot, though. She can now summon steel weapons, like swords and spears. It's impressive, truly!" He explained with twinkling eyes.

"What? Hey, that's amazing!" My eyes also twinkled, "so magic can evolve?"

"Yep, it takes a lot of effort, though. We call it the awakening, and we aren't sure yet on how to trigger it, haha."

"Have you experienced it before, Dmitri?" My head tilted slightly to the side.

"No, not yet. I will someday, though!" He chuckled, and then continued on saying, "anyway, let me tell you about the first type, the Allagio."

Schafio, Allagio... I've definitely heard those names before...

I rubbed my temples, and the image of the same pair of lips from earlier came to mind again. 'Allagio, the power to transform some parts of one's body into another creature's,' said the little boy in my mind.

"Allagio, the power to transform your body part into another creature's body part! That's the strongest type, and I personally think it's very cool, don't you agree, Chae?" Dmitri asked me with excitement.

"What?" I blurted out, shocked at what I just heard. Did I hear that correctly?

"I... Yes..." I stared at him wide-eyed, unable to properly respond. He literally just explained the same thing as what the person in my memory explained. Could I possibly...

"Kim Minjun, who you met earlier, is one of the examples I suppose..." Dmitri brought his fingers to his chin, "though he's an unusual case. Usually, one would be able to transform their hands into a wolf's claws, for example. Or some can transform their eyes into an owl's eyes and develop night vision." He turned to Hayun, as if waiting for her to speak.

Hayun noticed this, and immediately said, "um, yes... Minjun's case is pretty unusual. He can't transform his body into another, but..." she paused for a moment, "sometimes, his beast-like instinct kicks in and overrides his brain."

Oh, so that's why he went bonkers. He probably sensed danger when he got burned by my flames, and suddenly lost control... Now it's hard for me to hold a grudge against him. It's not like he chose to be born like that. Is there perhaps a way for him to control his power, though?

"I see... It isn't really his choice to be like that," I said to Hayun, "I'm glad he got someone like you by his side so he's not alone. I hope he can overcome his magic someday." I smiled reassuringly.

Hayun looked surprised for a bit, then her expression softened and a smile formed on her face, "yes. I hope so too."

"Dmitri, what's the last one?" I turned to Dmitri.

Dmitri gulped down his second box of strawberry-flavored milk and said, "the monad? That's the rarest one, and the vaguest one by far."

"...Where did you even get those milk..."

"I always carry milk boxes! Do you want some, Chae?" He offered me one.

"No, that's alright, thank you. Now where were you?" I leaned in closer to him.

"Monad is basically the unclassified type. It can range from being utterly useless to very convenient or very powerful," he started, "for example, the baker in front of our camp has the ability to fill donuts without puncturing them."

"That is... Unexpected... Good for him?" I was unsure of what to say about that. Pretty shocking.

"Or like, the ability to perfectly draw a circle. Oh, one of my acquaintances has the ability to fly!" Dmitri smiled wide.

"Flying? Hey, that's a great ability to have!"

"But only one meter above the ground. Haha!" He beamed.

"I feel like I've been tricked..."

"But there are those that are really blessed, too." Hayun said, earning our attention.

"I've heard rumors that someone in our Vanguard has the ability to control someone's mind. And they said they found someone who can communicate with ghosts." She said with a serious look on her face.

"I thought it was just a rumor, but it'd be fun if it was true!" Dmitri said, "that reminds me, Hayun, you're also a monad-type, aren't you?"

"Yes, I have the ability to heal, but it's not a big deal... A lot of people have healing power." She fidgeted with her fingers.

"But you're one of the best here! You haven't even experienced your awakening yet, but--"

"Attention!! All soldiers, gather in the courtyard at once! I repeat, all soldiers, gather in the courtyard at once!"

Everyone's head turned towards the speaker in the middle of the cafeteria. Suddenly, everyone stopped eating and goofing around, and started to pack their stuff and left for the courtyard one by one.

"...I guess we have to continue our conversation later. C'mon, Chae, Hayun, let's go!" Dmitri said and we nodded in unison.

I stood up, collected our garbage and threw them into the nearest trash can, and started piling up our empty plates.

"...What are you doing, Chaerin?" Hayun asked me as she blinked her eyes a few times. Adorable.

"I'm cleaning up. Where's the sink?" I looked around for any nearby sink. None in sight.

They both looked at me with a confused look... Do people usually not clean up after they eat here? ...Is this culture shock I'm experiencing?

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"Attention, soldiers!" A man standing on a podium yelled into a megaphone.

Me, Dmitri, and Hayun squeezed ourselves into the front rows among the soldiers gathered in the courtyard. Dmitri's bear-like built sure is useful at times like these.

"Hey, what is happening? Is this like your curfew notice or...?" I asked Dmitri who's standing next to me.

"I also don't know, Chae. I think they're about to make an announcement?" He answered, not fully sure of what is happening, too.

"The headmaster has officially requested a raid to get the last serpent soul! We are now going to assemble an attack force!" The man with the megaphone bellowed.

"It's finally time?" Hayun looked shocked.

"It's been quite a while since our last attempt, true." Dmitri continued.

"First general Zhang Feng and second general Owen Williams will now explain!" And with that, 2 people stepped onto the podium. One is general Owen, and one is a new face to me. He has white, silvery hair and an unsettling smile. His posture is relaxed, contrasting Owen's upright posture.

The megaphone-man stepped back and handed the podium to the aforementioned men.

"Soldiers! We will be straightforward! There will be a team of two participating in this raid. The first will be led by me, and we will advance straight through the serpent's lair in 3 days! The second one will be general Zhang's team. Those will be our main attack force. They will sneak inside and kill the serpent while we deal with the serpent's army, is that clear?" General Owen's voice resounded in the whole courtyard.

"Hey, is this mandatory? If it is, I would like to be in general Zhang's team rather than general Owen's team, honestly. Being in the distraction team doesn't sound very safe to me..." I clenched my fist.

"No, only a select few will participate in raids like these, because we still need to protect our nation." Dmitri answered.

"I will personally select the people on my team!" General Owen stated, and started calling a few names. Those who are called stepped forward one by one.

I counted only around 50-ish at best. That is much lower than I thought. I assumed it would be like an army in the movies, "hey, Dmitri, why are there only a few people?" I asked.

"Haha! General Owen is known to always bring only a few people on his raids. He used to say things like there's no room for amateurs on the battlefield. I think he just wants to minimize possible casualties," Dmitri explained, "ah, but that only works because general Owen is very strong, though."

"Hmm. I like this side of him." I crossed my arms.

I looked at Owen when suddenly our eyes met. He glared at me and I looked away as fast as I could, but I could still feel his gaze pricking my back.

What is this? Did I do something to irritate him? Gosh, I feel like a kid who got caught eating stolen candies.

"...Kang Hayun, Kim Minjun. That is all." Owen finished his rollcall.

"Eh? Hayun, you're picked!" I turned towards Hayun.

"Yes. It's okay, I'm prepared for this." She smiled at me and stepped forward with confidence.

"Wow, Hayun is braver than I thought. Kudos to her." I said to Dmitri while looking at Hayun's back.

"Indeed. Haha! Do you also want to get picked, Chae?"

"Nope. I don't want to intervene in other's business. I have my own stuff I plan to do here. I can't die yet by charging into a serpent's lair without being able to do magic. I'd just contribute to the casualty headcount at best. Haha," I replied, "do you want to get picked, Dmitri?"

"No, I prefer staying here, protecting our citizens, haha!"

"I see you're very fond of people." I smiled at him. His smile really was contagious.

"Yes, our citizens are very good people. I'll introduce you to them when we get the chance to!" He replied with the same warm smile, as always.

"Looking forward to it. You owe me a tour of the city."

"Ahem! Hello~" A playful voice suddenly caught our attention. It was general Zhang's voice.

"Because Owen has already finished assembling his team, I guess it's my turn now, right? Hehe~" The tall man said as Owen's team started to gather on one side of the podium.

"Hmm... How will I decide my members..." He wondered as he stroked his chin.

I stared at his fluffy, but spiky, white hair. It's pretty. He has a Chinese name and his face is handsome like those Chinese actors I often saw on TV, but his hair is white. Pretty rare, even in the whole world I'd say. Did he paint his hair?

As I wondered about his very unusually-colored hair, he suddenly turned his head and met my eyes.

He stared at me for a bit, and suddenly I sensed a murderous aura for a fraction of a second.

"What was that?" I whispered and I widened my stance. My eyes are glued on him. I'm very sure it came from him, but why? Does he see me as a threat?

I took a step back, and general Zhang smiled eerily.

"I have decided on my selection method." Zhang said.

He took a nearby soldier's sword, and drew a straight line on the ground, then threw the sword back at the soldier. He then took a few steps back and sat on the ground, cross-legged.

"Anyone who can pass this line may come with me."