The Sword (1)
"Whoaah…!"
Adel's body plummeted from the sky. The height was enough to kill him instantly if he took no action whatsoever.
Whoooosh.
A wind blew in from somewhere, drastically slowing his falling speed and cushioning the impact.
"Are you okay?"
Vanya drew close, her face etched with worry.
"...Yeah. I'm fine."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
His mind felt dazed from the sudden ascent into the sky and the subsequent fall, but there was nothing wrong with his body.
How strange.
Adel had just finished a light spar with Shane and was now practicing flight with Vanya's guidance.
Whoooosh.
A gentle breeze swirled and gathered at Vanya's fingertips.
Is that condensation too?
With nothing more than a tiny point of power at her fingertips, a gale whipped up and reached the clouds in an instant.
What kind of technique is that?
It might not even be a technique at all, but rather one of the effects of illusion magic. Whatever the case, she was an incredible woman whose nature differed from his own.
"This is the last one."
He had already told her he could only manage it to a certain degree, so he simply nodded without question.
Whooooooosh.
Adel closed his eyes once, feeling the wind, then opened them again.
…It's here.
High in the sky, where the floating island appeared hazy and indistinct. That was where Adel began to focus.
First, the flames.
To fly, he needed to wrap mana around his entire body.
Fwoosh.
Adel meticulously kindled the haze of flames and cloaked his whole body with it. The leftover flames continued to drift around him.
What does it mean to become one?
The unification of natural mana and his own body. In truth, it was only called unification; it was merely a similar sensation. He couldn't grasp the feel of it at all.
How did she fly?
Adel recalled the way Vanya had flown. She generated wind to soar upward, then naturally spread it to float with practiced ease. Not forcing it, but moving in harmony with it.
…Like this?
Adel imagined crossing through the wind energy floating in nature while raising his flames, unifying his senses. He tried to accept it all completely naturally.
Oooooong.
The soft breeze cradled his body, giving him the sense that he could move freely in midair.
So this is the feeling.
It had been less than ten seconds, but for Adel that was more than enough.
Time to descend.
The only reason he'd practiced flying was to experience the sensation of becoming one with natural mana. Now that he'd felt it, there was no need to continue.
Adel surrendered himself to gravity and began free-falling.
Honestly, it looks like it requires a huge amount of flames.
In short, flying was inefficient for Adel, whose flame reserves were relatively modest.
Whooooooosh.
The now-familiar gentle wind enveloped him as he neared the ground.
Thud.
Adel landed naturally and spotted Shane and Vanya together.
"Adel," Vanya said as she approached. "Did you succeed?"
He wasn't sure if she meant the flight itself or something else, but Adel simply nodded.
"Yeah. I got what I wanted."
With his senses regarding mana now more developed, the things he could do would only continue to grow.
"Adel."
Shane walked up to him with a satisfied smile.
"What?"
"Want to grab some food?"
Adel glanced at the clock. It read one o'clock.
It's gotten pretty late.
He hadn't eaten breakfast and had been shut away in the training room for roughly seven hours. Eating would be wise.
But.
"Sorry. I already have plans."
"...Plans?"
"...You have plans?"
Was the idea of prior plans really that shocking? Both of them stared at him with dead-serious expressions.
…That stings a little.
He didn't know their intention, but it felt vaguely hurtful.
"Who? A girl? Someone we don't know?"
"...."
Shane drew closer as she asked. Vanya, equally curious, didn't stop her and stepped forward too.
"...It's a guy."
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Adel muttered in a small voice.
Both of them froze mid-step.
"Really?"
Vanya broke into a bright smile.
"Shane. Shall we go eat?"
"Yeah. Let's."
"Hurry up, then. Come on, Shane. Adel."
"...."
Even though that wasn't the case, he couldn't shake the feeling of being left out.
…That's a bit much.
It was true he had somewhere to be first and had to skip the meal, but the disappointment was unavoidable.
Even skipping the meal, the place Adel headed to was Cain's office.
Might as well strike while the iron is hot.
Cain had told him he could visit anytime if something came to mind, so he was stopping by now on the weekend.
Is this it?
He wandered through the academy until he found the office with Cain's name on the door.
Knock, knock.
He rapped on the door to announce his presence and waited for a response.
…Hm?
Several minutes passed, but no voice came from inside.
Should I come back later?
He was pondering whether to return another time when—
"What are you doing standing there?"
A woman approached.
"Ah, Instructor Charles."
The martial arts instructor had spotted him while passing by.
"What's going on?"
Her gaze briefly flicked to the sword hanging at Adel's waist.
…It feels like she already knows and is just asking anyway.
Still, he couldn't avoid answering.
"I came to seek Instructor Cain's advice regarding the sword."
"But there's no answer?"
"Yes. Wait, how did you know?"
At Adel's flustered reaction, Charles gave a small chuckle.
"It happens all the time. Just go on in."
"Is that really alright?"
"Yes. He gave permission."
Creak.
Charles opened the office door for him herself.
"Go ahead. Cain's inside."
She smiled and waited for him to enter. Feeling a bit pressured by her watchful gaze, Adel quickly bowed and stepped into the office.
Thud.
The door closed, plunging the room into complete silence. It was so quiet it felt as if no one was there at all.
"...Where is he?"
There was a work desk, stacks of books, antique candles, and various formal garments. Countless swords and magic tools lined the walls, but Cain was nowhere to be seen.
Oooooong!
A powerful wave of mana pulsed outward, then vanished. It felt almost like it was calling to him.
What was that?
Adel turned toward the source of the vibration. A single door stood there, radiating an entirely different atmosphere from everything else in the room.
Is he in there?
That was the feeling he got. Even if not, he would have to search the area to find Cain anyway. Adel walked over and stopped in front of the door.
Let's go in.
Having made up his mind, he grasped the handle and turned it.
Creak.
Adel took one step inside.
Whooooooosh.
An intense heat washed over him. It felt hot even to Adel, who possessed considerable resistance to heat.
Enduring the sensation, he looked around. Thin sword scars covered the walls, growing thicker in places, while other sections looked as if they'd been destroyed by mana. The space reminded him of a training room.
"...."
In the center stood Cain, eyes closed in meditation. Not wanting to disturb him, Adel suppressed his presence as much as possible and approached.
"...Adel Ifrit."
Cain opened his eyes and spoke his name.
"So you've finally come."
As if he'd been waiting, Cain rose to his feet and picked up his sword.
"...Did you know I would visit?"
"Weren't you coming for advice on the sword?"
"...Yes, that's correct."
"I heard you've started using a sword recently. If the former martial artist Adel Ifrit is reaching for a blade, then in this academy there's no one else you could turn to but me."
Though Cain usually seemed indifferent, he knew far more about the students' affairs than expected.
"...That's right."
Adel drew his sword as he spoke.
"Is it acceptable for me to use a sword?"
Adel never imagined he would one day ask such a question. It had been natural to think that someone who couldn't even swing a blade properly wouldn't spare the sword a second thought.
"The sword, hmm."
Cain tilted his head and stroked his chin. Even though he already knew, he seemed to be organizing his thoughts.
Shing.
He drew his sword without another word. A cold, sharp light reflected off the blade, illuminating his expressionless face.
"Actions speak louder than words. Good luck."
With that, Cain swung his sword downward.
Sliiiice.
A pure strike containing nothing at all. The blade descended so slowly it seemed impossible to dodge. It carried a completely different weight than the powerhouses Adel had faced before.
…I'll do everything I can.
Fwoooosh.
Rather than giving up, Adel chose to challenge it. He raised his sword and drew forth his flames.
Ugh…
The impact felt like it would tear his grip apart. To withstand the crushing blow that seemed to press down from the heavens, Adel intensified his flames even further.
It's not impossible to face this.
If it were, that would mean Cain had just unleashed a killing strike.
I have to block it. I must block it.
He firmed his resolve with conviction.
Fwoooosh.
The flames gathered and infused the blade. A sunset hue etched itself along its edge as he brought it up to meet Cain's sword.
Kaaaaang!
"That'll do."
Cain, having seen Adel's sword, offered a satisfied smile and adjusted his stance before sheathing his blade.
"...."
For the silent Adel, he offered a brief explanation.
"It's a mana blade."
"...."
Adel stared blankly at the mana blade he had unconsciously manifested.