I Saw the Wind but Missed the Stone
Ever since the ban on prophecy consultations was announced, the students' questions had dropped off noticeably.
They hadn't vanished completely, though.
Walking the halls, I'd still get the occasional student casually asking how the weather looked today. In the cafeteria, someone would plant themselves across from me and start muttering about the exam scope under their breath.
Apparently they figured it was fine as long as they didn't ask me directly.
Still, it was a vast improvement over the days when people lined up waiting. For the first time in a while, things were peaceful.
"Cheongha, don't do a single thing today. Just rest."
Lydia said.
Lunchtime. We were out in the little garden behind the main building. On the picnic mat Lydia had brought herself sat sandwiches, fruit, and warm tea.
The problem was the quantity. It was far too much for two people.
"Is someone else coming?"
"No. You need to eat a lot so you can recover."
"I'm already fully healed."
"Even so."
Lydia pressed a sandwich into my hand. The look on her face said she'd feed me herself if I didn't eat it. I obediently took a bite.
It was delicious. Being treated like a baby was mortifying, but food itself was innocent.
"Found you."
Peace never lasted long. Erika vaulted over the garden wall. It wasn't high enough to need wings, yet she still spread her crimson ones wide for the landing. The gust that followed her sent paper napkins flying.
I reached out on reflex. A light breeze wrapped around the napkin and nudged it straight into my palm. The power had moved before I even thought about it. Back then I would have chased the napkin all the way to the far end of the garden. I felt a little proud.
"Erika."
Lydia's voice dropped.
"Couldn't you come through the front gate?"
"This way's faster."
"Dust almost got into the food."
"But it didn't."
"Because Cheongha stopped it."
Erika looked at the napkin in my hand. Her red eyes lit with interest.
"Did you do that on purpose just now?"
"Yes."
This time I could answer with confidence.
"Light things aren't hard anymore."
I set the napkin on my open palm. A gentle current of air set the paper spinning in lazy circles. I didn't need much force. Just a fingertip to choose the direction, and the wind followed the path I gave it.
Erika crouched right in front of me.
"So can you read my movements too?"
"Huh?"
"You said you felt the wind leaking from the tower. Can you tell who's moving even with your eyes closed?"
I'd never thought about it. Looking at the principle alone, though, it might be possible. When someone moved, the air got pushed aside. Against someone as fast as Erika, the disturbance would be even clearer.
"We'll know if we try."
The moment I said it, Lydia shook her head.
"Absolutely not."
"Why?"
"You're trying to duel again."
"It's not a duel."
Erika held up one finger.
"She closes her eyes, I lightly tap her forehead. If she dodges, we're done."
"We need to establish what 'lightly' means first."
"Actually lightly."
Lydia looked unconvinced. I was a little nervous myself. Still, I wanted to try. Moving rain and water was important, but I'd never used my power this finely before. And if I succeeded, it would look cool.
"I'll do it."
Lydia turned to me.
"Cheongha."
"I'll stop the second it gets dangerous."
"It has to be truly light."
The last part was aimed at Erika. She nodded.
"Got it."
That expression inspired zero confidence.
I stood in the center of the garden, cradling the Yeouiju in both hands, and closed my eyes. With sight gone, the rustle of leaves grew louder. Distant chatter of students. The soft clink of a teacup being set down. Even the whisper of Lydia's clothes.
"Coming."
Erika's voice came from straight ahead. I focused on the wind. The air in front of me shivered, then rushed closer at high speed. I tilted my head to the right. Fingers brushed past my left cheek.
"Oh."
Erika's voice came from the side. I opened my eyes. I'd actually dodged it.
"See?"
My shoulders straightened on their own.
"Could've been luck."
"One more time."
Lydia double-checked the cord so the Yeouiju wouldn't slip from my hands.
"The moment you feel even a little dizzy, you tell us."
"Okay."
"And Erika, no speeding up."
"Got it."
Her answer came far too quickly. Classic "I have no intention of keeping that promise" energy.
I closed my eyes again. This time Erika silenced her footsteps. But air couldn't be hidden. A small whirlpool formed on my right. I ducked. Her hand swept over my head. Dodged again.
"That's two."
I smiled with my eyes still shut.
"This isn't luck anymore, right?"
"Fair enough."
"This time try something other than fingers."
I suggested it myself. Erika glanced around, then scooped up a handful of fallen leaves from the ground.
"I'm throwing all of these."
"Wait—how many is that?"
"No idea."
"At least pretend to count."
Instead of answering, she flung the leaves into the air. Her crimson wings beat hard. Dozens of leaves rode the wind and shot upward all at once—front, sides, overhead—curving in from every direction.
I poured mana into the Yeouiju. Wind unfurled around me in a soft sphere. At first I tried to track every single leaf. I gave up almost immediately. Too many. So instead of the leaves, I felt the wind around them. The entire rounded current rested against my fingertips.
I opened both hands lightly. The wind stopped. One step away from my body, dozens of leaves hung suspended in midair, trembling. Even with my eyes closed I knew exactly where every one of them was.
I rotated my wrists slowly. The frozen leaves began to circle me. One lap. Two. At the end I released the power and laid them neatly on the grass.
"Done."
When I opened my eyes, Erika was grinning. Lydia stared at the gathered leaves in open surprise.
"Cheongha, you felt all of them?"
"Not each one individually. The wind around them, all at once."
Saying it out loud made me sound pretty impressive even to myself. It felt good—a different kind of satisfaction from the times I'd unleashed power in a big burst. Flipping the lake was something even I didn't fully understand. This was different. I had read the surrounding wind, caught dozens of leaves, and set them exactly where I wanted. The power had moved the way I intended.
"If I get good at this, I could even block a breath attack, right?"
Erika's eyes sparkled.
"Wanna try?"
"I didn't mean right now."
Lydia immediately stepped between us.
"Absolutely not."
"Just a tiny one."
"Are leaves and breath the same thing?"
Erika clicked her tongue. I immediately regretted opening my mouth.
"Then one last time."
"No breath."
"I'll come myself."
Erika backed up several steps. I closed my eyes again. She began to circle me slowly—left, behind, right again. The flow of wind felt sharper than before. I could tell where she was without seeing her. So this was the Azure Dragon's sense. I was starting to feel like a real ability user.
"I can see everything."
I said.
"You're on the right now, aren't you?"
"Correct."
"I can dodge this time too."
"Then here I come."
Air on the right shoved hard toward me. At the same moment a stronger wind dropped from above. It wasn't one attack. Erika had used her wings to create a gust while she herself leapt upward.
But this time I felt both. The wind from the right was broad and hollow—a fake made by her wings. The real one was above, slicing the air as it plummeted toward my head.
"There you are."
I raised my palm. The wind that had been wrapping me surged upward all at once. Erika's fingers punched through it. Fast. Still, they never touched me. The updraft stole her speed and shoved her trajectory sideways. The body that had been diving for my head was pushed away in midair. Erika spun once and landed cleanly.
"Did you just push me?"
"More like I redirected you."
"My charge?"
Her red eyes burned hot. I opened my eyes and squared my shoulders.
"See? Even with my eyes closed, this is what I can do."
I took a confident step back. My heel caught on a stone sticking up through the grass.
"Huh?"
My body tipped. Right before I fell, something soft caught my back. Lydia was standing there, holding me.
"Are you all right?"
I looked up and found golden eyes right in front of me. And at the back of my head I felt an excessively plush sensation. I scrambled upright at once.
"I'm fine!"
My voice came out a little high. Erika burst out laughing.
"Blocked my attack and still lost to a rock."
"Rocks don't make wind."
"Watch the ground too."
Lydia smiled at her.
"Erika."
"She didn't get hurt."
"Because I caught her."
Before their argument could restart, I stepped between them.
"I still blocked it, though."
I held up the Yeouiju.
"With my eyes closed."
Losing to a stone at the end didn't change the fact that I'd beaten Erika while blind. If my eyes had been open I never would have lost to a rock in the first place, so both Erika and the stone were clearly beneath me. The corner of my mouth kept creeping upward.
Lydia checked my head and arms one more time. Only after confirming I was completely unhurt did her expression relax.
"Practicing your ability is good," she said. "But you don't have to use Erika as the opponent every time."
"Why not?"
Erika asked.
"Because Cheongha could get hurt."
"I can hold back."
"You used a trick just now."
"That's training."
Their standards were never going to match. I went back to the picnic mat and grabbed another sandwich. Using my power had left me genuinely hungry. Lydia, as if she'd been waiting, piled more fruit onto my plate. Erika sat down beside me and helped herself to a sandwich.
"That's for my recovery."
"I got hit by wind. I need to recover too."
"Why does the attacker get recovery food?"
Instead of answering, Erika stuffed half the sandwich into her mouth in one bite. Just like that, my recovery meal was stolen. She swallowed and grinned.
"Nice. Next time let's do it for real."
"Do what for real?"
"A duel."
"We were having such a nice moment."
In the end the destination was always a duel. Still, the old reflex to run away first no longer kicked in quite as hard.
Under a tree outside the garden, someone turned away. Kyle. I had no idea how long he'd been watching. Before I could call out, he disappeared behind the building.
That harem master. Why has he been observing me so much lately?