Later in the evening, Lylia and Kristen were busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. An hour later, the table was filled with all kinds of dishes from savoury to sweet, it looked more like a grand feast than anything.
"They really went overboard," I whispered to Zei, as she nodded, though her expression told a completely different story.
"Well, you deserve it. After pushing yourself the last few days, you finally achieved great results."
"What are you saying? This is just the first step, we still have a long way ahead." Now that we had both awakened our attributes, we could enroll in the Central Military Academy and get stronger.
"Stop being greedy," She said, flicking my forehead. "Once we get into the academy, we will have all the time in the world to explore and learn."
"Right," I nodded.
Another day passed as I continued my training, which mostly revolved around controlling my attribute and learning basic runic spells. A week passed by in the blink of an eye. Finally, Asher returned from his expedition. He was quite surprised and somewhat pleased to hear that I had awakened my attribute.
"I knew you would succeed," He said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You have made a huge leap towards your goal." A faint smile was etched on his rather expressionless face.
"So how did it go out there?" Kristen asked after they settled down.
"Amarylis wants to meet them," Asher replied. A tense atmosphere suddenly enveloped the living room.
"Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later." Kristen sighed.
"What do you mean?" Zei asked, confused.
"The head of the Central Military Academy, Amarylis, wants to see you both in person. She is a dangerous woman."
"She assured me that she won't do anything that would bring harm to you, not for as long as you are inside the academy, and will protect your identity."
"And she agreed to that?"
"I thought she would be completely against the idea. How did you manage to convince that stubborn woman?"
"She owed me a favour from the past, and the current situation is too peculiar for her to reject my request."
"Cunning bastard," Kristen snickered.
"She is eager to meet them. However, doing so will put them at risk and under suspicion, so the meeting is halted until Rayne and Zeilona enter the academy. We have time before the enrollment exam starts.
"That's somewhat of a relief, I guess."
"However, she has one condition for them." Asher turned towards us.
"What is it?"
"She wants them to get into the specialised class."
"Why? It's better for them to maintain a low profile, being in specialised class will draw unnecessary attention to them"
Asher took a pause, glancing at us. "She intends to send the specialised class to the Northern Plateau."
"She has gone mad!" Lylia slammed her fist onto the table, Kristen's expression frowned as well.
"Calm down, Lylia," Asher replied calmly.
"Have you gone insane? Don't you know what kind of place the Northern Plateau is? Even the most experienced warriors die like flies there, the deiled beings there are capable of eradicating mountains in an instant. It's been classified as a black zone."
"She didn't mean to send them to the Northern Plateau right away, but after they have graduated from the academy. She will provide them with all the resources and train them accordingly to make sure they are safe out there, moreover, there will be other experienced soldiers as well."
"She agreed that if they want to back out of the expedition, they can do so at any time."
"That's still insanity. What makes her think we will comply with her demands?"
Asher turned, his eyes fixed on us, then continued, "She will provide them the Essence of Yggdrasil if they agree to take part in the expedition."
The whole room fell silent. I glanced at Zei, the scars on her face, her missing eye, and my missing arm. We could have it all back.
"So will you do it?" Asher asked.
I turned to Zei, unsure of what to say. The Northern Plateau seemed like a deadly place however, if we agreed, we would have a real chance to heal ourselves and perhaps become stronger. Neither of us said it out loud, but we both knew the answer.
"We can back out at any moment, right?" Zei spoke first.
"That's correct. If you think you are unprepared or require more time, you can withdraw from the expedition at any moment."
Zei and I exchanged glances. "Then we would like to try," I said quietly, "if it means we could get a chance to heal ourselves, that reason is enough for us."
Asher smiled and turned to Kristen, who let out a sigh and nodded. "Then it's decided"
"The threshold you have reached is more than sufficient to get enrolled in the academy. However, it's better to be well prepared. Once you step inside the Academy, you will be completely on your own."
"We understand."
"In the academy, drawing too much attention will lead you into dangerous situations, so it's better to maintain a low profile. Under no circumstances should you reveal your Aerith blood unless you are in a life-or-death situation."
"But we don't have control over our Aerith blood yet. We have barely managed to grasp the runic powers residing in our body."
"We will figure something out, don't worry about that," Lylia replied. She still seemed worried about our decision to join the specialised class.
"We will train you adequately to make you capable of handling any unexpected variables or situations," Kristen said.
"Since you both have awakened your core, how about a spar?" He suggested.
"A spar?"
"Yes, it will give us a clear and precise understanding of the full extent of your abilities. We will then form a personalised training program for both of you based on that."
I glanced at Zei. Her eyes were burning with intensity. She was ready to fight. I was not confident I could beat her, not with my current skills, and I could not reveal the legacy either.
"Well, this isn't going to end well for me."
Soon, we were inside Lylia's laboratory. She gave us both a set of protective armour, a black bodysuit. It didn't appear like it would be able to protect us from injuries, however, Lylia assured us that runic enchantments were woven into the suit, making it much sturdier and more durable. I decided to take her word for it.
I took a deep breath and unsheathed the Nightreaver, and glanced at Zei. She rolled her shoulders, swung her spear in a graceful manner, before landing its tip on the ground.
"Then let's begin," Kristen murmured as he conjured a runic circle around us, which gleamed in faint iridescent light.
"The rules are simple, the first person to step out of the circle loses. Avoid targeting vital areas. That's all."
"Don't get discouraged after losing," She said, with a confident smile.
"You too," I replied
I waited for Zei to make the first move, observing her. The runic spear ignited with crimson flames dancing at its tip. I simply raised the Nightreaver.
"Begin." Kristen's voice broke the silence.
I moved first, dashing forward to close the distance. If I could close the gap between us, her spear would be useless.
Unfortunately, she seemed to anticipate my move. Swinging her spear in a wide arc, she conjured a ring of fire around her like a protective wall, which made me stop in my tracks.
"Clever, but it's not enough to stop me"
Then three fireballs came flying at me the very next second. I dodged them effortlessly. However, that was simply bait, as I turned to see the flame wall disintegrate, and Zei leaped forward, closing the distance between us in an instant, ready to deliver a lethal strike.
I managed to react just in time, raising Nightreaver to counter her attack. The crimson spear clashed with my black blade, the impact sent me reeling backwards, almost to the edge of the circle.
"Not good." I lunged back forward. What followed was a continuous and relentless barrage of calculated and precise strikes, each strike faster than the last. All I did, could do was defend and redirect her attacks, sparks and embers showering each time our blades met each other. She was pushing me towards the boundary slowly.
Hold on, just hold on.
I could see it on her face between our exchanges, her breathing had shifted– it was shallower and erratic. She was getting tired, her attacks getting slower. This was the moment I needed. I kicked her in the stomach and managed to push her away to get some distance between us.
I closed my eyes and invoked the runic spell Frost Blade. The spell would freeze anything my blade touched, all I needed was one lethal strike.
The ember flowed from my veins to the sword. Runes flared up on the black blade. Nightreaver answered, gleaming in silver radiance. The Frost Blade spell answered. The ground started to freeze, ice crystals forming beneath my feet. The temperature in the arena began dropping.
Zei felt the shift in air. She didn't waste a second and lunged forward, runes igniting on her spear, covering its blade in blazing flames, much more violent and intense than before, aimed directly at my chest. It would be fatal if I were hit with that attack.
I didn't aim for her blade, instead, I let my prosthetic arm take the impact instead. The spear hit it with a thunderclap sound and tore through the prosthetic arm, shattering it to pieces. Pain jolted through my shoulder.
That was the opening I needed, as a second later my sword struck her side, sending her reeling sideways. Frost erupted and crawled up her limbs, freezing her left arm and leg, making her unable to move, there was no escape.
"It's your loss," I said, breathing raggedly, placing my blade against her neck.
Neither of us spoke for a moment, silence stretched between us. Only the sound of ragged breathing could be heard across the arena.
"Rayne wins," Asher announced, breaking the silence
"No,"