CHAPTER 8 — FIRST OBSERVATION, FIRST PATTERNS
The courtyard of the Nightshade estate thrummed with motion. Zephyr perched on the edge of the balcony, legs swinging lazily, eyes scanning the dozen apprentices lined up below. Sunlight caught the faint glow of mana around their sleeves as they prepared for combat demonstration.
Selara stood beside him, arms crossed, silent as always, watching the flow of energy and motion with sharp, calculating eyes. Zephyr tilted his head, taking in every detail.
"Stand firm!" barked the instructor, a scarred man with a gruff voice. "Demonstrate your skill!"
A boy with auburn hair stepped forward. His hands trembled, and a thin line of fire shot from his palm, flickering weakly across the dummy's chest.
[Fire Spark] — Spark rank. A small burst of flame that scorched the surface of the dummy, dissipating almost instantly.
Zephyr's lips curved into a faint smile. 'Barely a burn. They call that power?'
Next, a girl with braided dark hair stepped forward. Her fingers traced precise patterns in the air, and a slender spear of water shot from her hand, striking the dummy's torso and knocking it backward slightly.
[Water Spear] — Thread rank. A controlled, low-pressure water projectile that could pierce soft materials, precise but limited.
Zephyr's eyes narrowed. 'Controlled. Predictable. Useful… if you know the angle.'
A taller apprentice stepped forward, murmuring an incantation. Lightning arced between his hands, striking two dummies in sequence.
[Lightning Chain] — Weave rank. A connected electric current, crackling and arcing over short distances, chaining from one target to the next.
'Effective. Multi-step. Still formulaic,' Zephyr thought. His mind cataloged the chain, noting its limits and potential counters.
From the sidelines, small artifacts glimmered faintly. A wooden staff augmented the [Water Spear], giving it slightly more range and force. A silver pendant enhanced the [Lightning Chain], making the arcs brighter and slightly longer. Zephyr cataloged everything silently.
'Anchors, imprints, amplification… predictable. Tools, not genius.'
The demonstration escalated. One older student raised his hands, and a spiral of fire erupted, surrounding the dummy.
[Inferno Spiral] — Pattern rank. Flames swirled in a vortex, creating a small tornado of fire, displacing air and knocking the dummy off balance. Multiple effects combined: fire, wind, displacement.
Zephyr leaned forward, eyes glinting. 'Pattern… multi-layered. Combines skill, timing, environment. Still formulaic, but much more effective.'
Small Spark and Thread skills continued to flicker: [Dark Flicker] — a tiny shadow movement that briefly obscured part of the dummy, [Wind Gust] — a short, sharp blast that shifted loose objects. Zephyr observed how each skill interacted with surroundings, noting how energy dissipated, momentum transferred, and flaws appeared.
After the demonstration, Selara led Zephyr through the vaults. Shelves glittered faintly with minor artifacts, imprints of old skills, and objects of enhancement.
"Do you recognize these?" she asked casually.
Zephyr's eyes scanned the collection. "Anchor, Aspect, Imprint, Bound, Object, Myth/Legend," he whispered, mentally linking them to their utility in combat. Each item hinted at limitations and power potential.
"They are classified by use and rarity," Selara continued. "Some amplify a Spark. Some enhance Weave. Rarely, a Pattern. And Myth/Legend… those are stories."
'Observation is understanding. Understanding is power,' Zephyr thought. 'See the skill. See the user. See the object. Everything is a chain.'
Back in his room, Zephyr spread scraps of parchment across the floor. He sketched small glyphs, imagining Spark-rank skills he could create:
[Fire Spark] — a tiny burst of flame
[Dark Flicker] — small shadows that obscure a hand or foot
[Wind Gust] — a subtle blast of air, enough to knock back light objects
Each creation was weak, clumsy, but functional. He arranged them in sequences, testing possibilities, thinking of ways to combine effects.
'Not theirs. Not borrowed. Mine,' he thought, smiling faintly.
Outside, the courtyard echoed with the sounds of spells, sparks, and metal striking dummy. Zephyr traced every motion, mentally ranking each skill, noting patterns and weaknesses.
The world of Axiom Nallura had revealed its first layer.
And he had begun reading between the sparks.