POV: Rai Shinsei
I don't know how strong Rylie is compared to Arthur, but surely she's not planning on enduring a direct slash from him, right?
"Are you sure you want me to do this, Teach?" Arthur asked, expressionless as Rylie nodded.
"Now slash me with your sword." Rylie instructed as Arthur followed through without any hesitation, unsheathing his sword and slashing Rylie diagonally across her chest, but despite Arthur's unnatural raw strength, Rylie's aura proved to be stronger as the blade of Arthur's sword was deflected away from her chest, the impact creating faint sparks of pink as many of my classmates grasped incredulously with their mouths agape.
This is one of the reasons why I regretted neglecting my Aspect.
Because my Aspectual Power has diminished, my natural defenses have been reduced greatly.
Although my reflexes are my saving grace, I can't always rely on them as once I'm tired, dodging becomes too much of a burden.
"H-How?" Isen uttered, astonished as Arthur sheathed his sword.
"While your Aspect does play a vital role in enhancing your physical prowess, it's your aura that naturally protects you from any external damage as you all just witnessed now." Rylie answered.
"While that may be true, couldn't you just have inadvertently manipulated your own aura subconsciously because you were aware of where Arthur was attacking? How can we be so sure that our aura is truly responsible for protecting us?" A girl questioned as I noticed she looked almost identical to Selene with the only exception being that her hair was much shorter as she kept it in a wavy ponytail with long, wavy bangs resting across the side of her face.
"That is true, Emma, so to answer your question-"
Amidst her explanation, Rylie manipulated her aura solely around her right hand, exposing her torso as Emma narrowed her eyes and began watching Rylie intently.
"Arthur, once again, you will try and cut me down with your sword." Rylie instructed as Arthur nodded, unsheathing his sword as he slashed diagonally towards Rylie's torso, although this time, the blade of Arthur's sword wasn't deflected, but instead, it carved through Rylie's chest as if he had sliced through tofu, bringing forth many gasps of consternation as Rylie's blood splattered across the platform where her desk resided.
"Ms. Rylie!" Isen shouted anxiously as in the moment he and a few other students were about to rush towards her, Rylie began to use Aspectual Restoration to heal her wound over a course of a minute as she then shifted her focus to Emma, who was intrigued as Rylie's aura remained solely around her right hand.
"As you all just witnessed, Arthur, whose Aspect isn't even activated, was able to inflict a lethal wound on me, despite my Aspect being active."
"Aura Manipulation is vital for an Aspector as the stronger your Aspectual Power is, the more dense and compact your aura will become and in a world where the number of Aspectors is only growing, the number of villains is also, which is why it's very important for you all to gain insight into Aura Manipulation as in the near future, it could very well save your life." Rylie urged sternly as the classroom grew silent once more until it was broken by a cheerful clap from Rylie.
"Alright! Before I continue explaining the Principle Of Aura, I'm aware that some of you are already capable of Aura Manipulation, which is why the requirement to pass the final exam will not be if you're capable of manipulating aura, but instead…"
"The requirement to pass the final exam of the course will be if you're capable of manipulating your aura in the midst of combat, which will be a friendly spar against a classmate as in a real fight, you won't have the luxury of preparing yourself as time isn't on your side in such a setting." Rylie stated as she sent Arthur back to his desk while several students were left confused, trading glances between themselves as Aria raised her hand, prompting Rylie to call on her.
"Are we allowed to choose our sparring partner?" Aria asked.
"During your free time, you are allowed to spar with whoever you want, but on the day of the exam, your sparring partner will be chosen at random to prevent any cheating and of course, if I catch any of you attempting to cheat during the spar, I will fail you both on the spot." Rylie answered as another student raised their hand, prompting Rylie to call on them.
"What happens if we fail?" One of the students asked as his question amused Rylie.
"For those who fail the exam will result in immediate expulsion." Rylie answered, leaving a few students apprehensive while others voiced their complaints, but despite their mixed reactions, I found this as a wonderful opportunity as I felt a faint smile creep onto my face.
Wait a minute…
This is perfect, isn't it?!
If I fail this exam, I will be expelled, meaning that even if Ryan tries to reject my expulsion, he'll be faced with backlash for favoritism or even better—he'll have to go against the Council!
Ryan may be the Headmaster, but against the votes of the Council, there's no way the vote of one man can overrule the five, despite his position!
Finally…
I found a way out!
~
Amidst Rylie's three hour lecturing, I fell asleep as I was eventually awoken by Aria, who giggled at my dazed expression as I noticed the classroom was empty, but jolting my senses was none other than Ryan, who bore a lighthearted grin as he leaned on the edge of Rylie's desk, which was now cleaned from her own blood along with platform it resided on as Rylie quietly sorted through paperwork.
Why is Ryan here all of the sudden?
Wiping my drool from my mouth, I grabbed my school bag and stood from my desk as I approached Ryan with Aria walking alongside me.
"Hey Rai! Did you enjoy your nap? I'm glad to know that one of my students is neglecting their studies!" Ryan asked sarcastically as Rylie slid her paperwork aside and directed her attention towards me, startling my nerves as I was unable to figure out their intentions in the midst of still waking myself up.
"What's going on here?" I asked, slightly nervous from the unanticipated arrival of Ryan.
"I'm sure with that clever brain of yours, you decided to fail the exam on purpose so you can be expelled, but unfortunately, I won't allow that, so this is what's going to happen."
"If you fail the exam, not only will I take away your keycard, which has access to any building within the grounds of the academy, but I will also force you to attend remedial classes that will be held for five hours a day, which will immediately take place right after this class. Do you understand?" Ryan asked sternly as I clicked my tongue in annoyance from his perceptiveness.
You've got to be kidding me.
I thought my plan would be ingenious.
"I'm the one who raised you. Did you really think that I wouldn't be able to read your mind?" Ryan asked with a grin as he ruffled through my hair with his hand, provoking my anger as I tried to strike his face, but to my frustration, Ryan activated his Aspect and concealed his Aspectual Force in the midst as my fist was unable to reach him due to the pressure of his wind naturally protecting his body.
"Alright, I understand, but surely there's a reward out of this, right?" I asked as I noticed a smile growing within Rylie's expression.
"That's correct. There is a reward for you if you pass, so focus on meeting the requirements first." Rylie answered as I found her tone somewhat condescending, which irked me as I let out a sigh.
I don't know what the reward will be, but assuming that she's aware of my surname, she should have some idea of what my Aspect truly is, meaning that hiding it from her is pointless, so in order to determine whether she knows my father or my mother…
I'll activate my Aspect.
"There's no need for me to focus as I already meet the requirements for passing the exam." I affirmed as after noticing the classroom door was practically shut, I activated my Aspect upon concealing my Aspectual Force through a technique as I began manipulating my aura effortlessly into my right hand, surprising Aria as Rylie remained unfazed while Ryan found my display amusing, his grin widening as I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
Judging by her reaction, it seems she knows my mother, but…
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"Your entire class will be watching your exam. Are you just going to carelessly reveal your Aspect to them?" Ryan asked as I was left speechless, unable to respond as I began to ponder for an answer.
He has a point.
In order for me to pass the exam, I'll have to activate my Aspect, which wouldn't be a problem if I possessed any other type of Aspect other than an Elemental-Type.
An Elemental-Type Aspector's aura contains their respective element within them, allowing your opponent or anyone watching to easily guess your Aspect.
My technique allows me to use the lightning I generate around me as a power source to amplify my senses along with my physical prowess by absorbing it into my body, but despite how much I mastered this technique, I couldn't get rid of the faint traces of lightning that I generate through movement.
This exam was impossible for me from the start-
"You're thinking that it's impossible because of your Aspect, right?" Ryan asked as the natural wind surrounding him suddenly vanished, leaving only his jade green aura flowing gently around him as he began manipulating his aura around his body effortlessly.
I don't understand.
His wind is…
Completely gone?!
"The only hint that I'll offer you is that the technique you are currently using to conceal your presence is the key to concealing your lightning." Ryan added with a grin as I watched him seamlessly manipulate his aura around his body without a trace of wind surrounding him.
Provoking my pride, I tried to imitate his actions as with a deep breath, I tried to completely absorb my lightning amidst manipulating my aura, but within a minute of trying to imitate his demonstration, I found myself utterly confused as I was unable to conceal my lightning anymore, let alone manipulate my aura amidst the process as I nearly lost control over concealing my Aspectual Force, despite running many theories within my mind as Ryan deactivated his Aspect.
Are you serious right now?
I can't do it?
"As I said before…"
"There is a reward for you if you're able to pass, so focus on meeting the requirements first." Rylie stated, amused from my failure as I deactivated my Aspect, annoyed as not only did my plan to escape the academy was all for naught, but ahead of me, was a harsh month of training, encouraging me to let out a sigh of defeat as I chortled from imagining what my future had in store for me.
Why…
Why does nothing ever go my way?