Suddenly, between movements Vallen nonchalantly decided to impose discipline. Almost as if magically, a solid heavy metal chamber is flung out into Lukes stomach, the trailing coiling chain instantly whips up with a twist of Vallen's wrist sending a waving arc running down its length that causes the ball to flick back down crashing onto Emi's book.

Then in a flash he snaps his arm back and the weapon comes recoiling towards him with lightning speed as he slightly lifts his shirt allowing it to wrap itself around his waist. It was almost as if it didn't even happen. He continued on the lesson paying them no more attention than before.

Vallen continue on.
"As students of mother Akadi you will learn the five paths of air. Air is not true unto itself but is the collective of all else. For what true element does not touch air?
Your journey is to become a true Teylas, balanced in the three aspects, able practitioners of the five paths."

He takes a firm well balanced stance, his joints locked and muscles tensed as he moves with solid slow purposeful strong movements. ~Air & Earth~ He talks slow with moments of silence dedicated purely to motion.

"Akadi sought to know herself, she lay upon earth and sat as still as he. There she learnt strength and patience, but it was not her. The stubbornness was lonely and therefore before she moved on she promised to forever hug her old friend in gratitude for what he taught her. "

Through steps and lowering of the stance Vallen creates a strong foundation and connection to the earth, maintaining it creates a fierce burn in the muscles around the upper leg. He seems to ever so slightly delight in their struggle.

@Azereiah@Inertia@liferusher

@Dark Light@Azereiah@liferusher

---

Luckily, Luke caught sight of the weapon at the last moment and he managed to conjure up a small, quickly made water barrier on his stomach. Nevertheless, sliding back the grassy floor, he was sent back a considerable distance, whilst reeling back he looked up and the weapon was already gone. These guys were freaking crazy, his stomach still stung of pain as he clutched it. Had he not made the barrier that absorbed some of the force, the impact might have ruptured some of his organs at best;

If Luke hadn't been sent reeling back, he would've thought nothing happened. But it did. He looked up furiously, he would understand if he was actually participating in this class but he wasn't. Water slowly began to cascade around Luke, dancing turbulently like a surging tempest. His Uncle had thought him never to lash out in anger, as it would make his moves wild and predictable, instead to turn it into tranquil fury and use that against his enemies. He had half the mind to attack the teacher, knowing fully well that he would lose, hard.

Stuff like this reminded him just of home. So Luke got up, clutching his stomach anger present in his eyes, he swallowed his fury,
"You know what, I'll find my own way back myself." Luke spat, water still encircling him furiously but began dying down slowly and weaken. Luke felt the absolute welcome of the teacher. Gritting his teeth he walked with a slight wobble the way he came.

He looked back at Emi,
"I'll see you later, I'll head to the dorms first."

---

He faced his doorway, with a click and turn it opened, creaking ever so slightly. It seems that all his belongings had been shipped in and placed here. He took the left side of the dorm, and swung the door open. He fell on his bed, despite his displeasure he decided a nap would've been the best thing.

---

The weapon struck the open book squarely, tearing the delicate pages to shreds. A scrap of torn paper floated on the breeze, and Brunhilde recognized her own handwriting. Numbness swept through her at the sight. How many years had been lost? Too many, no matter how few pages had been annihilated. Nausea took her for a moment, and she stumbled over to Emi and the book, where she checked the damage, with zero regard for Vallen's lesson. Thumbing through the book to the last, most intact page revealed that roughly three hundred and fifty pages had been damaged, with the ones closest to the impact point cracked and torn out, and a deep crack and wrinkle running forward toward the front of the book. The image of the chain striking the book was burned into her mind, and would remain until she had calmed down. She looked towards Emi, who had been holding the book at the moment. The reminder on Brunhilde's arm mentioned that this girl had been helping her for the day, and although she was shaking in anger, she didn't want there to be any collateral damage - especially not someone she assumed to be a friend of hers.

She quietly spoke to Emi, her voice cold yet shaken. "Get out of here."
She turned her head toward Avarius, who was completely uninvolved in the incident. "You too."
Luke was already making his way back towards the Academy's main buildings, so he was already out of harm's way.

She had seen a part of herself die right in front of her, and what remained of her composure slipped away within a matter of seconds, despite her struggling to remain calm. Images of the chain, the book, the evil that had cast the chain, and her own death flew through her remaining, scattered thoughts.

---

"Akadi sought to know herself, she lay upon earth and sat as still as he. There she learnt strength and patience, but--"

The first blow came mid-speech. Vallen seemed to be enjoying the lesson - perhaps too much. That ended here. A twitch surged through the air as Brunhilde funneled a burst of wind towards his left ear canal. Regardless of whether it hit or not, she gathered the winds into her fists as she had before and charged. He was undoubtedly far better than she was, and what was left of conscious thought told her that it would be over in moments if she followed through with the strike. It would be a fake-out, to be followed up by a sidestep and a kick to the side of his head. That chain would almost certainly be coming too, and she readied herself to blast it out of the way if he used it again.

@Dark Light
@liferusher
@Inertia

---

Zephyr kept a blank expression in response to the student’s disarray. The Darkness user wasn’t heavily versed in pacifying people, so all he could do was abstain from talking as his senior began to fire questions into the air. The guy was surprisingly talkative for a person who just survived detrimental wounds and had experienced pain of the utmost intensity. The student breathed at a sporadic rhythm, a sign that he was honestly confused by the whole situation. Zephyr finally opened his mouth and allowed his answers to flow forth, ”Zephyr Heidrich. First year.” He curtly introduced himself. He was still interested in who these two students were, and why they had brawled in the forest.

The student’s eyes burned with a temper colored similarly to his hair. Although he didn’t lucidly show it, Zephyr proceeded in a careful fashion, in hopes of not finding himself on an emotional landmine. ”That man healed you and incapacitated your classmate. He’s currently preoccupied with tending to the land… I think we should head back.” Zephyr gave himself a metaphorical pat on the back for being able to articulate such a long sentence to who was essentially a stranger. Right now, the only tie between them was the fact that they were both students of the academy. When the mind is flummoxed, it is in a state of disorder and is prone to overreacting. Though Zephyr was sure his senior wouldn’t even conjure up anything remotely close to what he imagined in his current state.

Zephyr made his way over to the heavier student and dropped to a knee to look over him. He soon delved into analyzation, specifically noting how clean the cuts were and that they were already healing. ”Correction. “Muscley”, rather than Fatty.” He spoke with a quick glance back to the redhead, then returned his attention to the . The boy pondered over whether they would be able to take him back to the academy by their endurance alone. Surely the blond would heal after time, but it didn’t feel right to leave him in this state. ”Shall we help him back?” He queried in his monotonous voice.
@Zelosse@KuramaaaZ

Emi gazed at Luke for a moment as she turned noticeably redder, smoke puffed out of her ears as she reached maximum redness. Emi verted her eyes back to the book again as she rubbed the back of her head and giggled. She shouldn't take it serious it was just a small joke. Although it was hard to deny she was definitely moved by it. Emi quietly scribbled further as Luke tried asking her a question. She was still taken away by his comment from just now and hadn't noted that he actually asked her a question. When Brunhilde and her eyes met however she was completely calm. It was a smile of confidence that Brunhilde gave her, it raised her moral a huge ton.

Emi happily sat down on her knees as she laid the book down in front of her, she was eager to learn and looked quite ready for it. A shadow approached her, she could feel it. Like a huge bullet. She turned her head towards her right as time almost seemed to slow down. Pieces of grass flew past her eyes. Water started forming next to her in front of her. Her mouth instinctively turned open as the scene went on. Water splashed onto her and around the area as she heavy chain of Vallen his weapon hit Luke his water made shield. Fast... Luke was flung backwards along the grass as the chain hit the ground in front of her. Was he gonna hit her too? She wasn't able to block like Luke so that would be trouble. As she looked back at the front of her her eyes widened. Pages were flying around in front of her eyes. An empty look filled her eyes. These were coming from the book. She put both her hand in shock in front of her mouth as the chain ripped the book to pieces. The chain was pulled back towards Vallen as the three of them were found in awe. Emi didn't speak and could only stare at the ruptured book in front of her. Vallen his words echoed in her head as Luke made his way out of this mess.

Brunhilde walked over towards her. What was Emi suppose to say to the girl. Did she knew that it was her book? Emi quietly stared at the ground, her emotion was something between scared and terrified. Everything was lost of this girl her past, she must have had some recollection that it was her book. Did she actually realise what had just happened?



It hurts. Emi looked down at her body as she saw a gaping hole in the middle of her chest. Her arms reached out to it as she grabbed it tightly in both her hands. It felt like a cannonball passing through. She bended down a little and stared down at the ground for a moment. She looked back up at Brunhilde and had a hurted smile on her face although she tried her best.



Brunhilde turned around and approached Vallen. Emi got herself up slowly calming down a little from the shock. She didn't leave the area but rather had started picking up all the pieces of paper from the ground. When it had gotten serious between Brunhilde and Vallen she started moving farther away to get the pages that were scattered by the wind.

@Karo


Headmaster inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled after the girl was done all of her questions. "Firstly, power will always lay within your blood whether dormant or not. Quite frankly? The answer would be either it came forth due to the danger you were in, or you got extremely lucky." He smiled sadly. "That is as narrow as I can make that answer. This place, however, is known as Elemental Academy. It was where your ancestors trained and were raised. The letter of which you speak is news to both me and Kano, as neither of us wrote it or had it written." He took a moment to take a long drink from his tea, so as to whet his throat. "As for your element being different, it's been such a long time since your ancestors were here, they most likely have married other people than just fire or air elements." He mouth drew thin as she asked her final question. "That... is simply due to how fresh you are." He frowned, looking her straight in the eyes. "Your powers had just activated to save your life, there was no way they would have been strong enough to save everyone in the car. I'm sorry."

Rinna sighed as the headmaster gave his answers to her, exactly as she expected. She stared down into her lap, shame and guilt written across her very frame. She had told herself day after day that there was nothing she could have done, that it wasn't her fault, that even if she had known how to control her power she wouldn't have been strong enough to save them.

She had yet to convince herself of any of those things.

"I haven't been able to use my power in the slightest since..." She paused for a moment, struggling with how she wanted to finish her sentence. "Since it manifested." Her voice was dull and flat, making it obvious that she had not had much time to process her grief during her recovery. She had had friends visit while she hadbeen in the hospital, of course, but each had been carefully instructed by the nurses not to bring up what had happened. Like she couldn't hear them through those paper thin walls.

Rinna sat bolt upright, dragged out of her memories as a sudden thought hit her. Ever since she had gotten here, she had felt weird. If she was going to findout what it was, now would be the time to ask.

"Why does the whole valley feel like it is humming?"

@Azereiah

Vallen's lesson did not falter. He spoke with the same timing and integrity from earlier. His movements now however, were based around Brunhild's attacks. In a flash he defended himself from her jet of air by quickly slipping into a defensive stand.

Finishing earth and air he met the first blow directed at his head by leaning his weight over one leg and sliding the other out wide, his hand wrapped the back of his head as his elbow pointed to the sky, this caused his forearm to cover his ear. His free hand crossed his face to rest against his cheek, open palm facing the oncoming blow, elbow strongly pointing out in front of him.
His weight was low and he met the impact like a stone, unwavering, strong and immovable.

He continues his story, his arms flow about in front of him, hovering both at the ready and as a moving distraction. He ignored the feint and as the kick came to his head he slipped under it at the last moment, rolling around the attack and moving in close to Brunhild's space.
All the whilst still speaking.

"This made the lady of the ocean jealous, she often reached out to earth but could never truly reach him. Akadi learnt the flow of push and pull as the jealous ocean fought with her. Akadi had already felt the pain of loneliness and offered to help the heavy ocean. She lifted her into the sky and guided her to all the parts of earth she could not reach. Since that day the two became friends and still often run, roll and play together."

Vallen's movements continue to be flowing and fluid, contact remains elusive. Each waving motion rolling around his opponent into the next as he sets up her attacks and makes them difficult by his own positioning.
It was almost as if he was dancing with her.

---

Every cell in Brunhilde's body screamed for retribution, and she found herself unable to control her actions. She would die rather than allow him to continue his bullshit, regardless of how many times he dodged her strikes or how many times he struck her in return. Murderous intent leaked into the atmosphere without shape or direction, and it began to grow hotter, dryer, louder. Shortly, Vallen's words would be drowned out by the violent vibration of the air.

She instinctively knew that if he had dodged that last kick, he would avoid most others. Rather than landing, though, she continued her flurry of kicks in midair, aiming at every underprotected spot, striking three moves ahead of herself, striking without rhythm. The cyclones around her fists had formed around her feet as well, and even a glancing blow would result in a deep laceration. One touch and it would become a race against blood loss for Vallen, just as it was already a race of time. Brunhilde initially had no idea it was happening, but every bit of energy and hatred leaking into the surrounding space was contributing to what would almost certainly be death for both of them, provided she didn't have a heart attack from overexertion first.

@Dark Light
@liferusher

@KuramaaaZ

Gus was lost in his own mind. The fight, the violence, the pain, the searing pain! All of it was burned from his mind as the tight feeling in his chest reached a critical point. Every thump of his heart felt like a hammer striking an anvil until the mere sound of every beat was painful. Vision reduced to the tiniest sliver, just enough to see the source of his torment, Gus remembered vividly charging to finish it all. Shouting wildly with every step until.. pain. Instantaneous and crippling pain. The cuts were only deep enough to have reached the muscle tissue but it was at core muscles that had completely halted his movement. All in an instant.
The shock of it had been too much and finally overwhelmed his consciousness resulting in the unsightly heap he no doubt had fallen down to be.

Thoughts a jumble the boy lay on the soft field and wandered the twisting avenues that were his thoughts. The fight was still fresh, even in his dazed state, but the sensation of being awake even if he was unable to open his eyes was a constant. It meant that whatever had caused his sudden defeat had not bothered to finish the job. The sensation of being downed so effortlessly was a prominent and eerie thought. It meant someone near him right now had the skill and precision to kill in the time it had taken Gus to finish taking a running stride. Terrifying beyond belief.
To possess the power to kill with seemingly no effort.
Vlad lay broken mere feet away and it was by his own hands. His own hands had nearly crushed the life out of someone in a sparring match when he'd sworn to defend. To let the opponent wear themselves out and simply call the match a victory without ever hitting back. How had things gone so far out of the plan. His agony reached a new height when his element finally began to heal the painfully blackened flesh on his hand and wrists. Agony came in waves that, had he been standing, would have forced him to collapse and vomit. No such urge came to him now and for that he was thankful.

The sudden slap to his face forced Gus to open his eyes. Everything was fuzzy and the faces swam before him, refusing to come into focus as Gus the nausea threaten to send him back to nothingness.

"Ughhh." Groaning softly, Gus tried to pick himself up but his bulk refused to move. "What.. What happened. Are you.." Gus stared at Zephyr with confusion for a moment. "Are you the grim reaper?"

---

While the redhead attempted to grasp the current situation, Zephyr further scrutinized “Fatty.” He could tell without poking the stout extremities that cultivated muscle laid beneath the outer layers of fat. Looks could be deceiving, as they say. A claim supported by the lingering fact that the one currently standing got the floor wiped with him. He found it a tad ironic how the victor was the one who inevitably found himself sprawled on the grass. Then again, if the old man hadn’t intervened and the blond was left to his own devices…

Zeph pocketed the thought as he stood up just as words began to gravitate from the conscious student’s mouth. As soon as his ears picked up the first syllable, he had already noticed the tinge of an accent. Russian most definitely. His theory was only bolstered once the student disclosed his name while Zephyr turned to face him. ”Vlad…” He parroted as he penned down the name in his memory bank. Unfortunately there weren’t that many listed beyond two specific individuals. The name sounded common to be frank, but now that Zephyr could connect a face, voice, and personality to it, it became undeniably unique. ”Vlad.” He repeated once again, nodding as he finalized the process.

At least Vlad had restored his composure by this juncture. The red locks covering his head no longer burned with the insatiable urge to be set aflame. Zephyr took a mental sigh of relief as Vlad continued on and explained to the newcomer his personal standing with the blond, during which he had christened the first year “Pipsqueak.” Of course he wasn’t peeved off by this sobriquet, since he was after all only fifteen. A few more years were allotted to him for growth, albeit not a lot. His senior then replied to his earlier prospect and opted to help carry him back. Although Zephyr had already intended to use a clandestine form of assistance to lighten their load, it seemed that Vlad had already given up all hope.

Zephyr only let out an unnoticed ”Oh.” as Vlad’s palm set itself on a collision course with the blond’s cheek. He didn’t flinch in the slightest at the clap of skin that reverberated through the air. Glassy eyes loomed over the other student who had been abruptly torn from his slumber.

If the boy had the capacity to chuckle or express humor in the slightest, he would have. Grim reaper? Before setting his senior’s worries to rest, he quickly crouched over the student and pressed him down with a hand placed flatly on his chest. He didn’t want to give the master more muck to clean up. Now that the student was awake, he intended to eliminate the possibility of a rematch, and to get to this bottom of this situation.

A blank gaze met eyes filled with bewilderment and tumult. If Zephyr had been in his place, he would have been unsettled just as much. The boy took in a soft breath and broke the ice, ”Although twenty-one grams isn’t much of a burden, I’m not able to carry such a weight.” It was clear that they couldn’t even fathom to move him in this state. With this revelation set in stone, Zephyr plopped himself right on the ground below him and dug into his satchel. The rest of his luggage, despite how little there was, had been left with a dorm parent since a verdict had yet to be reached on his room. After he sifted through its contents, the boy in formalwear produced a manga volume, titled Kaori Ozaki’s The Gods Lie. With the book in his hands, he gently placed his fingertips on the fine pages and became totally engrossed in the art style. ”We’ll wait here until you feel like you’re able to move or be moved.” He notified the blond with his eyes still locked on the contents of the book. ”Oh. I’m Zephyr Heidrich. He’s Vlad.” He introduced the two in a lackluster fashion, completely absorbed by the book.

The area that had just experienced intense conflict was now tranquil. Serene. A perfect bubble to indulge in the written word and dreams manifested by creativity.

@Zelosse@KuramaaaZ

???

The nameless master was serene with both hands laying across his blade. Natures voice thrummed in his heart and mind as the master absorbed the ambient energies even as he released them back into the surrounding area, allowing the students the time they needed to recover and come to terms with what had happened. Violence was the answer in Vlads heart. Mercy was the desire in Gus' heart. But Zephyr, as the boy had identified himself, had yet to open his heart at all. Darkness calm as the midnight lake below the mountain was the only thing that came to his mind at the thought of this child. What atrocities lurked in his soul to create such a calm. The potential for anything lingered beneath the deceptively gentle waves of the boys alarmingly calm demeanor.

The master stood up from his crossed position, hands flat underneath his blade as if in offering. Every motion was in perfect balance and precise, without ever having to look, as he sheathed the weapon upon his hip.l The polished wood was aged similar to the nameless but had lost none of its distinct color. As vibrant as the day it had been shaped from the woods. Hands crossed in prayer he bowed to the trees as they rustled softly in the wind, giving the appearance of bowing back to him.

"I will carry the boy. Zephyr. We will find you a room at the dormitory. Vlad. The masters will be told of the events here, but the verdict of what to do will be handled by me."

His tone left no room for an argument. In the grove, and the academy, he was one of only three to carry the title of master. Though he did not accept students often, if at all, his words still carried weight to everyone on the grounds. Not because of power or age but respect for his wisdom. Rarely did the school get visits from their reclusive and seemingly nomadic mountain dweller.
Approaching the boy with soft steps he glanced into Gus' eyes to confirm he was indeed awake, if barely. A single finger placed to the masters mouth was all it took to confer to Gus to simply stay quiet and rest. Though the master could, and would, heal the boy, it was vital that he be allowed to recover on his own power as much as possible. For better understanding of his limits in both blood usage and energy consumption.
Placing both hands below the large student, one grasping below both knees while the other rested on the flat of his back, Gus was lifted as if weightless. The walk back was quiet. The boys talked quietly amongst themselves, with Gus beginning to become more animated thanks to the subtle healing effects of his rescuer. After about 10 minutes they reached the end of the grove and Gus could walk without assistance, though he limped ever so slightly.

"Return to the dorm, please." He turned to look Vlad in the eyes. "Say nothing. You met nobody, Augustus hurt his leg by accident. If you are confronted, for any reason, I ask you simply ignore provocation and return to your assigned room. Do not unpack."

The last words might have been taken as some kind of threat, perhaps expulsion, but there was a feeling that that was not the case. The master had something else in mind but had not seen fit to reveal his intent just yet.

"One last thing, before you depart. My name," The old man bowed ever so slightly to the three boys as he spoke to the boys, "Is Sei." and simply was not there any longer. Gone without a trace or a breeze of wind. Nothing.

-----------------------------------------

THE LONG AWAITED TIMESKIP --> TO TOMORROW AFTER LUNCH.

-----------------------------------------

Kano Hargor - Morning classes

Kano waited at the entrance to the front of the school with his arms crossed, watching the sun rise. In a few hours his students would trickle in through the doors and line up at their designated locations to await a teacher. Many of which were still also sleeping. Kano and the Headmaster had no such urges and simply waited in silence together.

-----------------------------------------

Kano Hargor - Lunch Break

Sei and Kano had spoken before Vlad had even returned to the school grounds. Initially, Kano had been livid at the disrespectful disposition of the fire student who so brazenly disregarded the ideals of the academy by destroying part of his new home without so much as a care. Only to be then joined by the burly boy Augustus Colonel from the blood element classes. The boy Zephyr was an odd one out on this. Having not participated, he was off the hook, but even Sei had expressed his concern over the boys... disposition. Not in a negative sense but merely expressing that his alarmingly void personality would unnerve the other students, considering the element he wielded.
Kano had naturally disagreed, reminding the other master that should the unforeseeable occur they would stop it before it became a disaster. For now it was up to them as educators to teach compassion and avoid passing such a heavy personal, and unfounded, judgement.

"Do you really intend to go through with it?" Kano pitched curiously.

"I see potential. We, the forest, will kindle his spirit and soothe the anger in his soul. But that cannot be done here without supervision."

"Very well, Sei. I trust your judgement as always. Primal guide you." Kano bowed and Sei simply faded away. Always a quick one, he was.

Kano left his office at the back of the school and progressed through the familiar hallways. Students had been relieved for the day to lunch and to further their exploration of the school grounds, even allowed into the bustling towns again, but the curfew was still in place. Nobody had bothered leaving the dormitory when the darkness came. Few heard the cries from beneath the mountains. If any at all.
But Kano had. Their murderous hate always tore at what was left of his heart. But the job must be done.

Rounding the corner, he exited the grounds and made the walk to the cafeteria. Another gorgeous day, the sun just beginning its decent. In a few more hours it would lay behind the mountain and the town would cool down considerably. The nights festivities in the town would carry on as the myriad shops that operated exclusively in the afternoon would shrug off their coats, roll up their sleeves, and proudly bend their back to whatever task needed to be done. Every visit to that bustling and ever growing town reminded the masters why they continued their work.
To see the next sunrise on their peoples march forward. To see them safe.

Kano stepped through one of the grand halls doors to glance about the sea of seated students eagerly enjoying their just reward. Volunteers cleared off tables, washed dishes, prepared food, cooked, mingled, and all embraced community through their stomachs. Yet another glorious moment he was always pleased to view. It had taken over 10 years to get the cafeteria to this peak with thanks to the techmentals. Their continued efforts bettered the quality of life every day. Though the very thought of their first few years in the school always made him Grimace.
Two of the most untalented and ungifted students to grace the halls had developed a bond stronger than iron. Together they had overcome the C.E.T with flying colors and discovered a method of elemental practice completely unique to themselves before showing others how to do as they did. One such teacher, Maxim (@zetsuko) was one such techmental who had pushed the science to new heights and achieved the impossible. Though he had risked many lives to do it.
The thought drove him to veer from his course and proceeded to the second floor teachers lounge overlooking the students eating area. There he found the automaton staring down impassively. Kano had secretly wondered if Maxim ever regretted his robot form and missed the more simple human aspects of life, as Kano himself often did.

"Maxim. A moment of your time."

Kano approached and shook his hand, the contact causing mild blue sparks to jump across their hands from the shifting and conflicting energies. Both of them ignored it as per usual.

"I want you to teach Miss Eria Grandous (@the ghost in black). My hands are a bit full with my own students and you are talented in Aether control. I leave her in your care." Kano released his grip and returned to the lower floor.

It didn't take long to find the redhead boy Vlad in the crowd and Kano simply approached, waiting for the boy to finish his food before motioning to the lad with his finger to follow. When the boy finally caught up, Kano led him outside in silence and faced him.

"Your incident at the grove yesterday was unacceptable. Your punishment has been decided." Kano turned in the direction of the grove and led Vlads eyes to it as well. "You will be living in the forest with Master Sei until he sees fit for you to return to the dormitory. You are not forced to linger at all times of the day but he has asked that you return their before curfew. He will meet you at the entrance. Take your essentials and depart after lunch for your manditory lesson." Dismissed with a wave, Kano turned and began the walk back to the school grounds and his office. He had yet to have his dance with her today.

Emi gave a glance back at the two fighting while gathering the scattered pages of the book. It definitely made her worry on how the fight might end. She didn't know how strong Brunhilde was with her powers but was quite sure Brunhilde wouldn't win from a teacher that had trained for multiple years and was able to fight with a chain as weapon. He might have knocked Luke out if he didn't protect himself from the hit. Her expression saddened somewhat when she thought back on what Brunhilde said to her. She wasn't suppose to interfere in between the two. She didn't want to disobey the cute girl but she felt like she had to do something or else Brunhilde would get hurt. To be honest she was scared for her own life to interfere. She hadn't fought with her element before since there was no real need to it up till now. It was already a mystery to what she possibly could do in combat.

Emi decided to not interfere after all but was still gonna help Brunnhilde in some way. There was no way Brunhilde would remember what she was doing without her book, she saw before. She would likely try to survive any means necessary. The girl would just wander the campus do what she needed to do at each specific time points so there was only one way of making it clear to the girl. Emi janked the rucksack from her back, first of all to empty it a little she put on her blouse again. She didn't close it but let it hang on her body instead with the swim top still in vision. She grabbed an empty notebook from her rucksack and wrote a few short sentences in it that would explain the situation for now like her room number that she could just about still read from the previous book. Her name and other important info. It only didn't explain what happened to the old book but instead said. Temporary memories on the front.

The loose papers were also still in her bag so she included those with the notebook so that she would know some people at least. When she looked at her own page she stopped for a moment. She could erase herself from the book so Brunhilde had never met her in the first place. She wouldn't have to know a person that destroy her book, that would only create hate. Emi still added the page but didn't think Brunhilde would want to know either way. Emi laid the notebook close to the two but just far enough so it wouldn't get hit. She made sure it was clearly visible so Brunhilde couldn't miss it. Emi grabbed parts of the destroyed book in its whole as it was now. Brunhilde wouldn't be able to do anything with this pieces of trash. She placed the thing in her bag. It was a little cramped but there was still a little bit of place left. She added the pages she had gathered already and close the rucksack again. A confident smile rose on her face as she lifted the heavy rucksack on her back and prodded proudly along.



Page after page she picked them all up. Sometimes a wandering student would help her by picking up a few pages for her and giving them to her. Still it was hard to keep track of them all so perhaps she wouldn't be able to grab all the memories but she would still try her best.

Sweat on her forehead as the sun slowly went down. She must have been searching for the things for over a few hours now. She didn't even pay any more attention to it. Her feet hurt her stomach was growling but she was still busy searching. She didn't mind though. Hopefully Brunhilde wouldn't think to bad of her if she went to this extend. Well it was only to get the memories of the girl back, she didn't mind if the girl would either hate her or love her after this point. It was her fault after all and she couldn't change that fact. Perhaps if she hadn't been like that she would still be happily chatting with the girl. A flustered smile was on her face. That would never change, the happy thoughts she had had during that day. It made her happy, even though they were just memories now. Emi ran after a page that was blowing against a slight open door of an empty room. When she was about to pick it up the door slammed open letting the page in.



She ran after the page as it gracefully landed in the middle of the room. It was a big room filled with dust, possibly no one had come in since weeks ago. She carefully looked around at the big empty room with her palms clutched to her chest with a few of the empty pages in them. It looked quite nice and was possibly used for band practices, or something audible at least. She slowly walked towards the page while still looking around a little as to inspecting the room. She bent over and picked up the page putting it by the rest of the pages.



She felt a sudden shock. The light that had been lighting up the room just a moment ago had completely disappeared. Her eyes got drowsy as she quickly turned around. Out of the dust window she could just about see the sun disappearing behind the mountains in the distance. She opened her mouth as she yawned widely covering her mouth with one of her hands.



Emi suddenly let go of the pages she had been holding in her hands letting them all fall towards the ground. Luckily that weren't all of them. Emi lost her balance and suddenly fell backwards. Her eyes closed in mid fall as she dropped closer to the ground. A tud was heard throughout the room as her body hit the ground. She was soundly asleep all of the sudden and hadn't even noticed the hit on her head. Her body curled up for warmth lightly as the soft sound of panting was the only sound heard in the silent room. Light blue balls of light started filling the space around her. They all formed from her body and illuminated the small space around her. The only thing clearly visible in the room was the girl at the moment with everything else shrouded in the shadows of the darkness. Peacefully the night passed on.

---

((Pre-Timeskip))
Luke sat cross legged training on the floor of his dorm. He tried to channel the waters to encircle him properly, but with each sting of pain that seemed to proliferate, he would lose concentration and the water would instead listen to gravity rather than Luke. He sat there, wet and a little vexed. He conjured up what little energy he had and dried his damp clothes and floor, willing the water into the drain.

Deciding to clear his mind, and noting that it wasn't exactly curfew just yet, he walked outside his dorm. There were only a scant few students littered around the hallways, so he mostly only had the darkness and silence to keep him company, which was fine with Luke. It seemed that the pain subsides with each passing moment. Everything else was normal except for one odd thing. Papers. Papers were littered in one specific section of his not-so nightly walk.

Curiosity is a maddening and tempting beast, Luke found himself following the trail of paper. It just didn't fit normalcy, not one bit. And at the end of the rainbow, there was a dark room. Luke squinted a confused looked, and was just about to return to his room- Until his ears pricked upwards, he could hear the soft breathing of a person, albeit faint.

"No way, it's not possible that someone could sleep on this cold flo-" Luke bit his tongue as his eyes adjusted in the dark, a familiar girl lay on the chilly floors. It was Emi. "What in the world."

Like a cautious herbivore, Luke slowly approached her sleeping figure, her soft snores reverberating throughout the pitch-black room. Once he got next to the figure he crouched down and visually confirmed it was indeed Emi. He shook her lightly, "Emi. Emi.. Are you alright?" he beckoned silently, "I don't think it's very healthy to sleep on these cold tiles, hypothermia and... yeah. If you wish I can carry you to your room, but you have to lead."

Second day, morning before class

Madison

"Hey, watch it-" Madison turned to see who had bumped into her, barely missing her bad arm. "Ugh, are you serious right now?" she added when she saw her classmate. Madison had a bunch of insults lining up in her head when Vlad suddenly interrupted her thoughts by apologizing, and se could only stare at him in return with her face betraying the semi state of shock she was in. Vlad. Apologizing to her? Who had he come across yesterday evening to make him even remotely sympathetic?

"Yeah, it still hurts," she motioned to her bandaged arm when she noticed his wounds were healed. "I'm just being cautious for now, who knows how long this'll last." Madison was pressing her luck, she did instigate the fight after all. But still, he didn't like anyone and no one liked him in return, so he wasn't the only victim. Panic suddenly pushed whatever rage was in her as she realized they were both heading to the same class. She looked around for an excuse, anything to get her out of this awkward conversation. Thinking on her feet, Madison pretended to recognize someone amongst the crowd of students. She waved at no one in particular, suddenly giving the impression that she was in a hurry.

"Well, I gotta run. See you in class!" and with that, Madison walked away as quickly as she could wiping off the chip crumbs he had left her as a snack.

@KuramaaaZ

---

That morning - Just before daybreak

His sleep was of a more comfortable quality as opposed to his usual state of affairs. Granted it was the first time in a while his room had been so… empty. Used to sharing it with the two other individuals whom he had yet to touch base with, he found the midnight quiet strangely unsettling. After Sei ascertained Zephyr’s living arrangements, the boy wasn’t surprised when he found out that he would be the only denizen of his room. As expected, the academy was scrupulous. Safety precautions were of the utmost importance, and the young student was a liable variable, an unknown. He wasn't vexed by this case, after all they had yet to gauge his control over his element.

Better safe than sorry he told himself. He could at least be content with that.

The boy breathed in sync with the music playing through his headphones. Breathe in, and then breathe out. Sporting a track suit, Zephyr was in the midst of his morning jog. It was as much of a daily practice as it was a timekiller. Just something to kick off the day with while simultaneously exploring the campus. But as soon as he had submitted that application to this institution, he couldn’t help but to admit that he was edging to begin the process here. And now that the student had set it into motion, bliss truly knew no better definition than this.

It was the academy’s altitude that was the primary alluring characteristic. With a quick glance up to the sky above, it would seem that the stars were only but a mere hop, skip and a jump away. As if he could reach out and capture one of the beacons of light in his hand and hold it close, destined to never let go. Scary thing is, the sky only displayed the past. For all he knew, those orbs of burning hydrogen placed in the sky could have long collapsed on themselves. All he saw now were anecdotes of the universe’s history.

But there was another perk to jogging at this hour.

The sky itself.

A vibrant amalgamation of wild hues arranged in a seemingly haphazard fashion. Yet disorder had with it its own degree of beauty. The boy stopped in his tracks along the concrete walkway to digest the view. Impassive eyes stared up to the contrastingly lively skybox, almost envious of the polychromatic panorama. His gaze lingered, utterly captivated by the sight. For a moment, he believed the stars had abruptly descended to his level as bulbs of light closed the distance. Zephyr soon realized that they were none other than fireflies. They leisurely flew through the air, completely indifferent to the world around them, much like the very boy fixated on them. Their purpose was to serve as bastions in the night, and worked well into the early hours.

As clouds of heated breath mixed with chilled air, Zephyr could only watch in silence, absorbed by the spectacle.

There was no way twenty-one grams could contain all of the condensed feelings generated from the wonders manifested in this world. Duncan MacDougall’s theory truly was unfounded, but still interested the ever-inquisitive mind of Zephyr Heidrich. In addition, a question had remained in his chest all this time, in place of his inability to express himself.

---

Lunch break

Well, attending classes for the first time in years was an arduous task in itself. The boy had compensated for the lack of schooling in his life by educating himself. Over the years he would set aside funds to purchase textbooks pertaining to his age, yet another display of his independence. But what he didn’t know was how painfully boring sitting in a desk listening to a teacher droll on truly was. Guess that was the authentic academy life. Truth was, Zephyr couldn’t have been more thrilled to finally indulge in such an activity. Since the academy stood close to a curriculum based mostly on element control, it wasn’t a surprise he found himself in the ground floor course next. As expected, his efforts bore no fruit whatsoever. The Darkness user was only able to effectively manipulate the element intertwined with his birthright. If he attempted to wield any other, it would lash out or downright reject him. The next few years would surely prove to be difficult with the teaching of the umbral element outlawed. But through perseverance he would be able to make the trek. Zephyr was dead set on his goal.

The student was currently residing in the courtyard, under the shelter of the tree he was leaning against. Taking respite in the natural serenity, the boy popped open the same manga from yesterday and pacified his craving for the written word. And godlike artwork. He sat there, his existence barely noticeable yet out of place. The tie around his neck still felt just as constricting as it did the day prior.

In a deep dark room in her mind covered with shadow she could vaguely hear a distant voice. Immediately she could hear it was Luke calling out to her. A small space around her was lit, she would normally not hear a single thing when she was sleeping since no one bothered to talk to her anyway. She wouldn't wake up even after screaming at her through a megaphone. The voice grew as she heard pattering footsteps coming closer. He sounded confused, no shit she was sleeping on a dirty floor instead of her heavenly bed. But, she couldn't have chosen at that point. Emi knew she couldn't talk when she was sleeping so only a soft grunt came out of her mouth showing signs that she was vast asleep.

The room turned quiet again after Emi's last grunt. Her body still emitting light blue orbs of light that slowly wandered towards the ceiling. Emi thought they were pretty herself but wasn't able to see them herself most of the time since she would be asleep. She hoped Luke would like them too though. It kind of made her wonder what Luke was gonna do with her now. She didn't think he would let her lie on the ground after not responding. It was a rather weird situation after all.