Lumia rolled up her sleeves, excitent dancing in her eyes as she prepared to test her theory.
Aveline stood beside her, arms crossed, watching cautiously.
"Let’s do this," Lumia said with determination.
The training field was empty, the sun casting sharp shadows as Lumia concentrated.
She focused her mana, molding it into a concentrated sphere in her palm.
The usual balance between its particle and wave nature stabilized in a steady hum.
"Alright," she muttered. "First, the standard output."
She fired a mana bolt at a nearby target.
The energy dispersed upon impact, leaving a faint scorch mark.
"Now, what if we manipulate the speed while keeping the mass constant?"
Aveline stepped closer. "If mana behaves both as a particle and a wave, then by increasing its speed without changing its mass, we should, theoretically, increase its kinetic energy."
"Exactly." Lumia nodded. "If we apply the standard equation—kinetic energy equals half of mass tis velocity squared—then by doubling the speed, the energy should increase fourfold."
"But mana isn’t a purely physical entity," Aveline countered. "What if its energy scales differently because of its wave properties?"
"Then," Lumia said, eyes sharp, "we’ll find out."
She gathered mana again but this ti focused purely on increasing its speed.
As the energy condensed, the previously faint hum grew into a high-pitched frequency.
The air around the spell shimred, and a sharp wind whipped around them.
Lumia fired.
The bolt struck the target with a force that was far stronger than expected.
The target, ant to withstand strong attacks, cracked, sending a shockwave outward.
Aveline shielded her face from the dust cloud.
"Damn," she muttered. "That was way stronger than before."
Lumia’s fingers tingled from the residual energy.
"Looks like the wave nature of mana amplifies its energy even beyond physical calculations," she mused.
Aveline smirked. "So you just made an even more destructive spell without aning to."
Lumia chuckled. "Yeah. Science is great, isn’t it?"
...
The morning sun bathed the academy in golden light as students gathered in the lecture hall.
Kael leaned back in his seat, barely paying attention as Serena entered, carrying her usual clipboard.
"Alright, settle down," she said, her voice sharp as she glanced around the room.
The murmurs died down.
"As you all know," Serena began, scanning the students, "Professor Darius is no longer with us."
Whispers erupted across the room.
Serena continued, ignoring the students’ reaction. "As a result, we have a new instructor for Physical Combat. I expect you to treat them with the sa respect you did for Professor Darius—perhaps even more."
The doors creaked open.
Kael straightened slightly as he turned his gaze toward the entrance.
A hush fell over the classroom as the woman stepped inside.
She was tall, her presence exuding an undeniable authority.
Long black hair cascaded past her shoulders, framing sharp erald-green eyes.
There was sothing about her—a quiet, controlled confidence that imdiately separated her from ordinary instructors.
Kael frowned slightly. She’s powerful.
"This is your new combat instructor, Eleana," Serena announced, her tone unwavering. "As many of you have been skipping or missing combat training, today, all of your classes will be replaced with physical training under Professor Eleana’s supervision."
A few groans and murmurs spread across the students.
Kael, however, wasn’t paying attention to the complaints.
He was still staring at Eleana.
Sothing about her was… strange.
Not just her power—though he could feel it, almost like a weight pressing into the air—but the way she carried herself, the way she looked at him.
Do I know her?
Before he could dwell on the thought, Eleana’s gaze locked onto his.
A slow smirk spread across her lips.
Kael’s fingers twitched.
That smirk…
It was almost like she recognized him. But that wasn’t possible.
He had never t her before. Had he?
"Alright, everyone," Eleana’s voice cut through the tension, smooth yet firm. "Get up. Training starts now."
Kael didn’t break eye contact with her as he stood.
He had a feeling today’s class was going to be anything but normal.
...
Eleana wasted no ti.
The mont the students were outside, she commanded, "Start with basic warm-ups. Two hundred push-ups, followed by a twenty-kiloter run."
Groans filled the air, but no one dared to argue. There was sothing about her voice—calm, unwavering, and carrying an unspoken promise of consequences if ignored.
Kael glanced at the students beside him.
Many were already dreading the session. Most of them, despite being in S-Class, weren’t accustod to such physical training. Magic had always been their primary focus.
Combat instructors before Eleana had been lax compared to this.
But Kael wasn’t the type to complain. He dropped to the ground and started his push-ups, keeping a steady pace.
As expected, he finished faster than most. Even among elites, his physical abilities were on another level.
However, he wasn’t the only one.
Shirone, Ren, and Marcus were doing their best—though Marcus looked like he wanted to die halfway through.
The run was next.
Kael ran at a steady pace, his breathing controlled.
But sothing felt… off.
Eleana’s gaze was on him.
It wasn’t just the occasional glance a teacher gave their students—no, she was watching him, studying him.
Kael could feel it.
And it wasn’t just his imagination.
Whenever he pushed forward, increasing his speed, she seed to take note.
Whenever he slowed, pretending to be at ease, she seed unimpressed.
Sothing was up.
Still, he kept going.
By the ti the run was finished, several students had collapsed, gasping for air. Kael, while not exhausted, was definitely feeling the burn.
His body was conditioned for real combat, but Eleana’s training was relentless.
And she wasn’t done.
The next session focused on technique. Basic combat stances.
Defense drills. Counterattacks. On paper, it seed simple, but Eleana made them repeat it over and over again.
And yet, despite giving instructions to the entire class, she kept circling Kael.
Each ti he adjusted his stance, she was there, correcting him.
Each ti he threw a punch, she was there, pointing out flaws.
It was getting frustrating.
Was she trying to test him? Humiliate him?
The other students noticed too.
"Why is she only focusing on Kael?" Ren muttered under his breath.
"Maybe she’s training him personally?" Shirone guessed.
"Or maybe she just doesn’t like his face." Marcus smirked.
Kael, ignoring them, continued following Eleana’s instructions.
And then, finally, as the sun began to lower, she clapped her hands.
"Enough."
Everyone imdiately stopped, so collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.
Eleana walked to the center of the training ground, scanning the students.
Then, her gaze landed on Kael once again.
"You."
Kael wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Yes, professor?"
Her erald eyes studied him before she asked, "What’s the most fundantal rule of close combat?"
Kael paused.
That was… an easy question.
He knew the answer. It was written in books. It was sothing any decent fighter would know.
And yet… after today’s training, with how she’d been watching him, correcting him, pushing him—his mind blanked.
He thought about speed, power, endurance, awareness—none of them felt right.
Seeing his silence, Eleana raised an eyebrow.
Kael clenched his jaw.
He knew he’d look like an idiot if he got this wrong. But saying sothing random would be even worse.
The other students were staring.
Eleana sighed. "et in my room in the evening."
Kael’s eye twitched.
Marcus, who was sitting on the ground, looked at him with an exaggerated smirk. "Lucky bastard."
Kael ignored him.
Eleana turned to the rest of the class. "Training is dismissed. Get so rest. Tomorrow will be harder."
And just like that, she left.
Kael let out a slow breath.
Sothing was definitely up with her.
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