chapter four
842 Words
A Lesson Without Power
"History remembers the victorious. The wise remember those who were ignored."
— From the journal of Explorer Armand Vale
---
Aeron stood alone at the center of the arena.
Thousands of eyes rested on him.
Some curious.
Some mocking.
Most simply waiting for the inevitable.
Professor Halden's voice broke the silence.
"You may begin."
Aeron took a slow breath.
There was no mana to gather.
No aura to release.
No spectacular ability waiting to astonish the crowd.
Instead, he slowly removed the worn leather gloves from his hands and placed them neatly on the ground.
A murmur spread through the students.
"What is he doing?"
"I don't know."
"Giving up already?"
Victor folded his arms with a smirk.
"This should be entertaining."
---
Aeron looked around the arena.
Five wooden targets had been placed at different distances.
Normally, students destroyed them using their abilities.
He couldn't.
Instead, he walked toward a rack of practice weapons.
The instructors exchanged puzzled glances.
"He can use weapons?" one whispered.
"I've never seen him train."
Aeron picked up an ordinary wooden sword.
Nothing special.
No enchantments.
Just wood.
He closed his eyes.
Observe.
That was the first lesson every explorer learned.
Before acting...
Understand your surroundings.
The wind drifted gently from the east.
The ground beneath his feet was slightly uneven.
The nearest target leaned a little to the left.
Tiny details.
Things most people ignored.
---
Without warning—
He moved.
His first strike landed cleanly on the nearest target.
CRACK!
Before the broken pieces hit the ground, he had already reached the second.
His foot touched a loose stone.
He used it to launch himself forward.
Third target.
Fourth.
Fifth.
The final strike echoed across the arena.
Silence.
Every target had been destroyed.
Not by overwhelming strength.
By flawless precision.
Aeron lowered the wooden sword.
The arena remained quiet.
Then...
"...That's it?"
Someone laughed.
"He only broke wooden targets."
"I could've done that."
"He still doesn't have an ability."
The whispers returned.
Louder than before.
Professor Halden looked down at his clipboard.
Then back at Aeron.
"Excellent footwork."
The students blinked.
"Good awareness."
More silence.
"You lack power."
Aeron nodded.
"I know."
"But your fundamentals exceed most third-year students."
A few instructors exchanged surprised looks.
Halden rarely praised anyone.
---
Victor stepped forward.
"Professor."
Halden looked at him.
"Yes?"
"With respect..."
Victor smiled politely.
"Fundamentals don't matter if you can't survive against someone with an ability."
Many students nodded.
Victor continued.
"Power decides battles."
"It always has."
"It always will."
The arena waited for Halden's response.
Instead...
The professor looked at Aeron.
"What do you think?"
Aeron hesitated.
Then answered honestly.
"I think..."
"...Power is important."
Victor smiled.
"Finally."
"But," Aeron continued, "people rely on it too much."
Victor's smile faded.
"If all you know is your ability..."
"...what happens when someone takes it away?"
Several teachers looked at one another.
That wasn't the answer they expected.
Victor scoffed.
"No one can take an awakened ability."
"Maybe."
Aeron met his gaze.
"But people can panic."
"They can run out of mana."
"They can underestimate an opponent."
"They can make mistakes."
The arena grew strangely quiet.
Professor Halden's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Aeron wasn't speaking from experience.
He was speaking from observation.
Years of watching others fight.
Years of studying instead of training with mana.
Years of surviving in a world where he had nothing else.
---
The bell rang.
"The practical evaluation has concluded."
Students began leaving their seats.
Most dismissed Aeron's performance immediately.
Others weren't so sure.
Near the instructors' platform, Professor Halden quietly wrote one final note beneath Aeron's name.
Exceptional judgment.
No mana.
Potential... unknown.
He closed the clipboard before anyone could read it.
---
Outside the arena, Ethan threw an arm around Aeron's shoulders.
"You were amazing!"
"I broke five wooden targets."
"You broke them beautifully."
Noah laughed.
"I didn't know you were that good with a sword."
"I've practiced."
"When?"
"Every afternoon."
Ethan stared.
"...While I was napping?"
"You nap a lot."
"I thought you were reading books."
"I was."
"When did you train?"
"After reading."
Lyra smiled.
"So that's why your hands always have blisters."
Aeron rubbed the back of his neck.
"I didn't think anyone noticed."
"I notice more than you think."
For a moment...
None of them spoke.
Then Ethan suddenly gasped.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"I forgot my lunch."
"You already ate it," Noah replied.
"I did?"
"Twice."
"...No wonder I was full."
The group burst into laughter.
Even Lyra couldn't hide a smile.
Watching them from a nearby corridor, Victor clicked his tongue.
"They're laughing..."
"...after that embarrassing performance?"
He looked at Aeron.
For the first time...
He felt something unexpected.
Not pity.
Not amusement.
Annoyance.
Because despite having nothing...
Aeron still walked with his head held high.
And Victor couldn't understand why.
Far beyond the walls of Astravale...
The crimson light surrounding the newly formed Echo grew brighter.
Deep within its ancient ruins...
A pair of long-forgotten stone doors slowly trembled.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Something...
Had awakened.
- Writer
