A spar between Talents

One thing Quill realized during his fight with Violeta was that his evaluation of the characters was based on their final forms in the novel.

He knew their strongest versions, their fully developed abilities and techniques.

Which meant that, right now, they were at their weakest, with many powers and skills still unlearned.

But he didn't doubt that this sparring match would be quite a spectacle to see.

Emrys reached his left hand to grab the holder on his waist, taking out a pommel without any blade attached to it.

'Oh right, there was this whole thing going on,' Quill thought, watching attentively.

Luca didn't move, simply observing.

Suddenly, a stream of water emerged from the pommel, taking the form of a blade. It was almost mythical how the water flowed beautifully yet remained organized in form.

Emrys pointed his water-blade towards Luca. "I won't hold back," he declared.

'Yeah, right...' Quill mused inwardly, fully aware of the lie the protagonist was telling.

Emrys was pretending that his ability was to shape weapons out of water, which was complete nonsense.

In reality, the pommel was an artifact capable of forming various shapes using water.

It made one seriously wonder how nobody had ever noticed.

Then again, there was no real way to identify an artifact by simply looking at it, and without suspicion, nobody would take it away from him.

Later, it was explained that Sentinel's headmaster was pardoning him because of his... complicated problem.

The truth was, Emrys Caster was Giftless, yet the most dangerous of them all.

Luca remained silent, watching as Emrys slowly approached him, his water-sword held in a low guard. 

The polished wooden floor gleamed under the bright lights, reflecting the intense concentration on both fighters' faces.

To Emrys's surprise, a thick fog began to emanate from Luca, gradually obscuring him until there was nothing left but a cloud of mist, roughly the same height and form as Luca himself. 

Emrys didn't wait for Luca to make a move.

He thrust his water-sword forward, shooting a heavy, rapid jet of water towards the fog.

The mist swiftly dodged it, reforming just out of reach, the droplets sparkling like diamonds in the artificial light.

Emrys's eyes narrowed as he realized that his ranged attacks were futile against Luca's intangible form.

Deciding on a direct confrontation, Emrys dashed forward, slashing at the fog from all angles.

His blade cut through the mist with fluid precision, but there was no impact, only the faint scent of damp air.

Luca had anticipated this, using his fog form to avoid the strikes effortlessly.

Suddenly, fists and feet materialized from the mist, striking Emrys from multiple directions. Each blow landed with a thud, and Emrys grunted in pain, struggling to defend himself from the relentless barrage. 

The crowd of students watched in confusion, unable to see what was happening within the fog.

A sudden, powerful beam of water shot towards the ceiling, drawing all attention upward.

The mist parted briefly, illuminated by the cascading light, revealing the shadowy form of Emrys beneath.

Emrys had aimed for the ceiling to create a momentary escape, causing everyone, including Luca, to look up.

When they looked back down, they saw Luca materialized on the ground, visibly in pain, his form flickering like a glitching hologram.

Most of the students missed the details of what had just transpired, but Quill knew exactly what had happened.

'It's quite less exciting from this distance...'

During the onslaught, Emrys had noticed that whenever Luca's limbs materialized, droplets of water clung to them, indicating brief moments of vulnerability.

The challenge was that Luca moved too quickly for ordinary eyes to follow.

But Emrys was anything but ordinary.

He seized the perfect moment. With a swift motion, he tossed his water-sword aside and lunged forward.

Emrys's hand latched onto Luca's right wrist, his grip was unyielding.

Using his momentum, Emrys twisted his body, leveraging Luca's own weight against him, and hurled him over with all his might. Luca crashed to the ground, the impact reverberating through the gym.

'That had to break at least a few ribs,' Quill thought, watching intently.

Despite the pain, Luca quickly got back on his feet.

The novel mentioned that he had to be hospitalized for an entire day after this sparring match.

Now, Luca reached into his weapon holder, drawing two daggers, one for each hand. He stormed towards Emrys, his body tilted low to the ground, moving with a predatory grace. Emrys stood his ground, his water-sword ready.

Their weapons clashed with a resounding clang.

Despite the water properties of Emrys's blade, it was as hard as steel.

Luca's right dagger collided with the water-sword, and in a fluid motion, he spun 180 degrees, aiming his left dagger at Emrys's torso. 

Emrys enveloped his body with a shield of solidified water, blocking both attacks.

The shield took visible damage, indicating that a concentrated strike could penetrate his defense.

Emrys knew this, so he went on the offensive, slashing and thrusting with his water-sword.

Luca turned his hands into fog, causing his daggers to fall to the ground and throwing Emrys off balance as he put all his weight on the water-sword, which no longer had any resistance.

Materializing his hands again, Luca launched a flurry of attacks, his fists coming at Emrys from all directions. Emrys regained his balance, dodging the blows with agile movements.

As Luca's last punch missed, Emrys grabbed his shoulders and used them to catapult himself into the air. The impact forced Luca to his knees.

In mid-air, Emrys executed a full thrust, sending a concentrated spurt of water directly above Luca.

Realizing the danger, Luca tried to stand, but the pain from his broken shoulder slowed him down.

The water beam hit him squarely, knocking him unconscious.

Emrys landed gracefully, though visibly tired and stained with blue marks from the battle.

The gym fell silent as everyone realized the fight had ended.

Emrys's chest heaved as he caught his breath. His water-sword shimmered before dissipating into droplets that fell harmlessly to the ground.

He glanced around at the stunned faces of his classmates, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He had managed to hold his own and showcase his skills, even if it meant pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion.

'What a showoff'

"What a wonderful battle," Professor Mendoza interjected, his voice cutting through the silence.

"Sometimes we learn more by watching others in their battles; that way, we can recognize the mistakes we might be making ourselves. That said, I don't want Mr. Ivanov to remain in this state for too long. We are ending the class for today."

/||\

Once again, Quill found himself in the safety of his sanctuary, his room.

Today, he deserved it.

His body was exhausted, and the pain in his arm was still palpable.

Yet, his heart was racing.

Witnessing Emrys fight just as he did in the novel, seeing Luca transform into fog exactly as described—everything was exhilarating.

As a reader, no one would have known about Emrys's deception, a lie that would serve as a massive plot twist, dramatically altering the narrative.

Emrys was giftless, yet he exhibited the superhuman characteristics of the gifted.

How was that possible?

The simplest explanation was that it wasn't his own strength he was using. He was borrowing it.

Borrowing might be an understatement; Emrys Caster had a powerful Reaper sealed inside him.

In the novel, Emrys wasn't aware of it until a certain event triggered the Reaper, causing it to go on a rampage and sending Emrys into a berserk state.

'A reminder for myself, to be as far away as possible on that day...'

But that was a concern for another time.

Right now, he had to focus on the next major event: the expedition trip.

And not just any ordinary expedition; it was the first contact with the Reapers.

While it might sound exciting, remembering the descriptions, Quill was not thrilled at the prospect of seeing them with his own eyes, especially being attacked by one.

Quill knew of his professor's strength and his determination to protect his students, but this was a plot-driven novel.

Obviously, something bad was bound to happen to create a situation for the main cast to grow closer—a cast he was not a part of.

Quill did not recall any of the students dying, but it was mentioned that some endured trauma so severe it compelled them to leave the academy entirely.

That was not an experience he was eager to face.

'Let's just rest for today...'

It was still early, around 4 PM. Regardless, Quill's eyelids began to slowly close. He was only seconds away from falling asl—

*Bzzt* *Bzzt*

"Hmmm...?"

*Bzzt* *Bzzt*

"..."

*Bzzt* *Bzzt*

"What?"

Opening his eyes again, he followed the annoying buzzing. Looking at the nightstand beside the bed, he saw his scroll lighting up and vibrating.

"Who the hell?"

Instantly wiping away the sleepiness, he grabbed the scroll and saw a phone number he didn't recognize. He accepted the call.

"Yo, Quill! Guess who's speaking?" The squirrelly voice of Silas crackled through the speaker, carrying a tone of excitement.

Quill sighed, staring at the phone. "..."

"Hello?" Silas persisted.

"I'm hanging up."

"Wait, hold on! That's a bit rude, don't you think? Is this how you treat a friend?"

'Now he's calling me a friend,' Quill thought, rolling his eyes.

"I wanted to invite you to a small group hangout," Silas continued, undeterred.

"..."

Quill's brain shifted into high gear. 'Wait, is he talking about the little icebreaking chapter?'

If he remembered correctly, after today's sparring match, some of the characters, including Emrys, met up to simply hang out.

"We're meeting at Emrys's place in the Sentinel Dorm," Silas announced.

Quill's eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure I'm even invited?"

A reasonable question, given everything he had learned about Quill's reputation.

"Yeah, no worries. Emrys said I could bring a friend."

"I don't know, I don't think I can make it," Quill replied, glancing at his bed longingly. Right now, he had more important issues to handle—like sleep, for example.

"Weiss Licht is going to be there," Silas added, his voice almost in a sing-song tone.

Quill froze. "..."

Weiss Licht, a name that carried immense weight.

People would pay a fortune just to greet her, let alone forge a connection.

That was the influence of the most promising young member of her generation, Weiss Licht.

She dominated every list, every news outlet, and unsurprisingly, she was an Eclipse-ranked student at the academy.

But most importantly... she was his favorite character in the novel.

"...Are you there? Hello?" Silas's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Quill took a deep breath. "...Where?"

"What? I didn't catch that," Silas replied, sounding genuinely confused.

"I said, where are we freaking meeting up?"