Draxius Vaelgrin
A proud student living in the Draven Spire Hall, ranked 15th among the first-year students according to physical strength which made him believe he had the right to oppress anyone below him.
"Hmmm, who is Elior Vayne?"
"I am"
Elior shouted among the crowd as he walked up to Drax.
"Why did the teacher pair him up with Drax?"
"He is sure to become his pet for the remaining Academy year" the students whispered.
Elior paid no attention to the whispers. It wasn't fear—he simply wasn't bothered. In his previous life, he had also been whispered about for his rare passion.
"I see, I wonder why Mistress Arwen paired me with such a weakling"
"I wonder the same"
Elior turned to see Mistress Arwen who was more concerned about the other lineups.
Elior went into the training arena with Drax. The students gathered round to see how it would come out but the expected outcome was that Drax would have a clean sweep.
"Shall we begin maggot" Drax said with a cocky smile.
"Sure," Elior said, taking a stance.
Mistress Arwen was impressed. She had not expected Elior to take a Ranko stance.
The Ranko stance was a stance designed to protect both the upper and lower body. Invented by the Specialist Master Raiken Hoshin, the Ranko Stance is a calm, balanced combat posture built for speed, precision, and unpredictable movement.
Breathing is silent and controlled, allowing the user to move without telegraphing their intent. Focusing on silent movement, and explosive burst of speed with quick angle changes. It is perfect for Counterattacks, feints and precise blows.
The only drawback is that when missed; once one's concentration was broken. It throws the entire body into an unbearable pain
It was not only Mistress Arwen who was impressed, Seren watched quietly as well. She had not expected it either.
"Why did you take this stupid stance?" Drax asked
Elior did not respond, letting the silence answer Drax's question. He did not need to answer. He was calculating, his eyes scanned the arena for any advantage he could use against Drax.
'Drax is good with a spear, could even be better than the main characters if not his pride got in the way'
'He has an inflated ego and won't fight well if that is poked at.'
'Guess I have to do that'
"Hey Drax, why are you not in Aurelius Hall which is for the elite of the elite. Guess you are all bruns and no brains"
"How dare you!"
Drax charged at Elior with his spear. Elior sidestepped to avoid the attack making Drax miss. It was all part of his plan. Drax lunged thrusts at Elior but Elior just dodged effortlessly. It looked like he was dancing which left everyone speechless even Mistress Arwen.
Irritated, Drax screamed "Stay still you mouse"
"No, I love scurrying around"
Enraged, Drax threw his spear at Elior which Elior dodged before Drax shouted "Phoenix Breath!".
Small ball of fire followed Elior as Elior used wind to boost his every step. Elior turned charging straight at Drax while letting Arcana run through his veins.
Aria was already expecting Elior to use Arc veil as he once did in the Silver Willow but to her surprise and that of the everyone watching; Elior stopped in his tracks before letting Drax use his running momentum to pin Elior to the ground.
"Drax wins" Mistress Arwen said.
"I knew he could not beat Drax, it was expected"
The students expected that outcome, but Seren, Mistress Arwen, and surprisingly even Ravyn Astraea knew Elior had overwhelmed Drax.
Elior got up dusting his gear before slipping among the crowd.
'Excellent, I achieved what I needed to achieve'
Turning his eyes to the corner, Elior could see Drax fuming at the far end while students praised him for his impressive win.
'Why could I not beat him'
'I felt overwhelmed, it looked like I was dancing in his entire palm this whole time' Drax said with an irritating tone.
"Elior Vayne- I will remember you surely" Mistress Arwen said with a smirk across her face.
Unfortunately, Elior's fight with Drax was overshadowed by the others—especially the clash between Aiden Cross and his future rival, Kael Draven.
The fight was exciting in-fact exhilarating which put everyone on the edge. Elior had closely observed Seris match which she had crushed effortlessly.
'Ouch, I pity that dude'
As the class ended, Elior quickly left to get to his next class but he was held back by Mistress Arwen
"Elior, why did you hold back against Drax"
"I don't understand what you are saying Miss Arwen"
"You could have effortlessly won but you held back like you wanted it to happen"
"Sorry Miss Arwen, but I don't know what you are talking about. If you would excuse me, I have a class to get to"
"Okay, I will let you go"
As Elior walked away, Mistress Arwen just watched his shadow as he spoke softly "This year has a lot of potential"
Elior walked to Commander Rael Durnen where he learnt about Combat Strategy and Mana Weaponry.
All classes had ended for the day, some students went to their halls to read, some joke around with friends while Elior went to the library to read.
Entering the library, Elior went into the west end, and sat down looking through some books.
Elior was not actually paying attention, he was just thinking about some many things that had happened to them, letting the wave flow through him.
'Aria is making friends decently'
'I made sure not to look strong to others'
'I made sure to talk with Seris today.'
'All this to prevent the first crisis bound to happen in the Astralis Arcana Academy: The Astralis Massacre'