Chapter 11: Sparks Of Conflict (Part 2)

"You sure you want to do this?" Mason taunted, grinning as sparks of electricity danced in his hair.

"You need to be put in your place," Freya retorted, the air around her chilling noticeably.

Hearing those words, Ayleth, who was among the naturally awakened outside the barrier, swung her hand down.

"Begin!"

At her command, Mason made his move. His fist, crackling with electricity, shot straight for Freya. He clearly had no intention of holding back just because his opponent was a girl.

His punch flew with incredible speed, leaving a trail of electric sparks in its wake. But just before it could connect, it was halted by an ice wall that erupted from the ground between them.

[Frost Manipulation: Ice Wall.]

Shatter!

Upon impact, a burst of electricity shot from Mason's hand, striking the ice wall and shattering it instantly. Mason, however, didn't press his attack. Instead, he leapt back, narrowly avoiding a surge of ice spikes that erupted from where he had been standing.

[Frost Manipulation: Ice Spikes.]

"Wow, you're not holding back at all," Mason remarked, eyeing the lethal ice spikes ahead of him. "Are you trying to kill m—"

Before he could finish his sentence, two spears of ice that had materialized in the air beside Freya were launched at him as she extended her hand towards him.

[Frost Manipulation: Ice Spears.]

Swoosh!

Mason barely dodged the first spear, leaping to the left. He dodged the second in a similar manner and then charged straight towards Freya, both of his arms crackling with electricity.

Perhaps weaker in close quarters, Freya jumped back, leaving behind a trail of ice. Ice spikes burst out from the trail, shooting towards Mason.

Mason, however, nimbly leapt into the air to avoid the spikes darting towards him, all while gaze was fixed on Freya.

The ice spikes grazed Mason's legs, drawing a bit of blood, but he didn't let that deter him. He landed beside the icy trail, slamming his electrified arms to the ground, from which a wave of electricity erupted, zipping straight towards her.

[Electricity Control: Electric Burst!]

Freya countered the electrical wave by erecting an ice wall in front of her. However, no sooner had she done that than Mason emerged from beside the ice wall, a triumphant grin on his face and his fist pulled back, ready to strike.

Freya was taken aback by his sudden appearance. But Dawn had seen exactly how he'd done it. Mason had used the ice wall for cover, then propelled himself forward using an electric burst to close the gap between them.

Now they were in close combat range again with Mason's electrically charged fist nearing Freya's face. However, he wasn't the only one making a move—an ice spike was surging up from the ground beneath Freya, directed straight at his chest.

Judging by the current situation, it seemed they would both end up hitting each other simultaneously—or so Dawn thought until—

Clang!

Two spherical barriers suddenly appeared between them, preventing both of their attacks from landing.

"That's enough!" Ayleth called out, stepping into the large barrier enclosing them.

She had her arm extended towards the combatants, her control evidently maintaining the two barriers that had intercepted their attacks.

"Enough? We're just getting started," Mason retorted, glancing at the scratches on his legs.

"He's right, Ayleth. He needs to be humbled. He's way over his head," Freya added coldly.

But Ayleth stood firm against their defiant remarks. 

"Now that the other group has joined us, our situation is changing. Even the guard said we should be preparing ourselves for what's to come. This is meant to be a spar, but you two aren't sparring—you're trying to severely injure each other. What will happen if you both go into whatever Xylon is planning while gravely injured? You could die."

Dawn found himself smiling in agreement as he listened to her reasoning.

"But even so—" Freya tried to interject, only for Ayleth to continue speaking.

"The reason we're having these sparring sessions is to grow stronger, not to wound each other. I won't object to everyone using it to establish a hierarchy, but don't forget—our enemy is Xylon, not each other. If we don't work together, we'll all just die."

At Ayleth's stern words, Freya clenched her hands into fists and lowered her head. The ice around her melted into water. 

"Fine…" she acquiesced reluctantly.

Seeing this, Mason let his electrified hand fall, the sparks disappearing as he clicked his tongue in annoyance. 

"Boring," he muttered, turning to leave.

Observing this, Dawn couldn't help but feel impressed. Ayleth had not only diffused the tense situation with ease but also reminded those in the room about what truly mattered.

'Ayleth... she's sharper than I initially thought. Everyone listens to her without question. At first, I assumed it was due to her power, but that's not the case at all... I should keep a closer eye on her.' he decided.

"Mason, wait," Freya called, halting him in his tracks.

"What now?" He asked, visibly irritated as he turned back to her.

"Your wounds… have Penelope heal them."

"Don't need it," he dismissed, resuming his exit.

With the barrier gone, nothing prevented them from leaving the training hall's center. Ignoring the curious looks from the crowd, Mason made his way towards the building's exit.

"Penelope, please go after him," Ayleth instructed. 

A petite girl emerged from the crowd to comply.

She was undoubtedly one of the shortest and seemingly weakest in the group, with a wild mess of curly blonde hair and large round blue eyes. Her features were disarmingly cute.

"Roger!" Penelope responded cheerily, hurrying after Mason.

As Mason exited the building, an annoyed look crossed his face when he noticed Penelope tailing him as he descended the stairs.

"Why are you following me?" he grumbled.

"Ayleth told Penelope to heal your wounds," Penelope explained, pointing at his injured legs.

"I told you, I don't need it. Bug off."

"Nope! Penelope will do as instructed," she retorted cheerfully, a determined expression on her face.

Mason clicked his tongue in irritation and turned to address Penelope trailing behind him on the staircase. 

"Quit being a pain in the—"

He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed a figure by the entrance of the building. Even though he'd just emerged from the same entrance, he hadn't noticed the person standing there before.

The young boy had a unique hairstyle - a stark contrast of black and silver, split down the middle. His right side was raven-black while the left an almost ethereal silver, tousled into a messy look. This partially veiled one of his deep, piercing black eyes.

'Isn't he... the kid who snuck up on Xylon...?' Mason thought to himself.

"Hey, how long have you been standing there?" he asked.

Hearing Mason's question, Penelope turned around, startled as she also noticed the boy for the first time.

Dawn, realizing he was being addressed, looked around uncertainly before pointing at himself for confirmation. "Me? I've been here the whole time," he said, his smile tinged with a hint of nervousness.

His smile quickly faded, however, as he remembered something else. "Ah—I haven't gone to the library yet." 

With that, Dawn dashed past the two of them towards the third building. From the outside, it looked like a repository of tomes and scrolls. 

All the while, Mason's gaze followed his departing back. 

"That guy... there's something off about him," Mason mused aloud.

"Penelope thinks so too, but what's more important now is healing you," She said, crouching down by his injured legs.

"You never quit, do you?" Mason asked, glancing at her.

"Heh heh~" Penelope replied cheerfully, her smile undeterred.

-

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'Finally! I've managed to inspect some of the naturally awakened and gather more information. It was a struggle to hold back... But at last, I'm here at the library, my haven!' Dawn internally cheered as he scanned the room. 'Though, it's a bit darker and dustier than I expected...'

He had just entered the third building and, surprisingly enough, there were no other students around, just ancient bookshelves overflowing with scrolls and tomes.

'Now, will I be able to decipher this world's language and find a map? Only one way to find out...' he mused, reaching for the nearest scroll on a bookshelf beside him.

Just as he was about to unfurl it, his eyes widened as something caught the edge of his peripheral vision. 

He quickly turned toward the source only to find a pair of eyes staring back at him. One was a mesmerizing ruby red, the other, a captivating amethyst purple.

"A ghost!?" he blurted out, startled.

"...No." came the response.

Upon closer inspection, he realized the eyes belonged to a girl with long silver hair. He instantly recognized her — the girl his Inspect ability had failed on. 

'Ah… great. She's here.' he thought to himself. 'She's not going to try and get revenge is she?'