In just an instant, Evan tightened his grip on his sword as he charged toward Edward, but the moment the blade was close to the man's neck...
Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted, completely obliterating Edward's mansion. The last thing Evan saw was a disturbing smile coming from that man.
PUAAALHHH!!
The people around the mansion were suddenly caught by the huge blast, setting everything around on fire.
"S-someone call for help!!"
"RUN, GET OUT OF THERE!!"
But sitting in a nearby bar was a man wearing an elegant black suit, while a hat of the same color lightly covered his face. He watched the disaster unfold as he enjoyed a fine glass of whisky.
"Looks like the rookie got himself into trouble."
...
"Is this how it all ends?..."
All Evan felt was an immense emptiness, while the darkness kept pulling him deeper and deeper.
"Hey, wake up, kid. This isn't the time to be sleeping."
Suddenly, a voice echoed inside Evan's mind. When he opened his eyes in shock, he found someone wearing a beetle mask right in front of him.
"Scarabeo? What happened? Am I alive?"
Evan asked, still terrified, as he tried to vaguely remember what happened after the mansion explosion.
"Do I look like a ghost or something? That damn Edward had everything planned... he already suspected we were going to attack..."
"For some reason, the flames didn't hurt you, kid. Otherwise, by now, you'd really be dead."
'The flames... didn't hurt me?'
"I brought you to one of Requiem's bases. We're safe here. I already informed the boss about what happened... just rest for now."
Scarabeo finished, leaving Evan alone in the place.
'...I need to understand what my affinity is truly capable of.'
The main reason Evan went to the Fehil Zone and signed a contract with the elemental was to unlock his potential. From what he remembered, even though Moulses had signed a contract, his power wasn't enhanced to the point of becoming immune to his own fire.
But at that moment, all Evan truly wanted was to rest for a while...
...
{06:30 – Sunday, January 25th, 2087}
After the incident the night before, Evan returned to the academy. Scarabeo said he would contact him again in a few days.
Inside the gravity chamber, Evan's goal wasn't to train his body, but to understand his fire manipulation, the chamber being one of the few places where he could train without interruptions.
"U-uh... let's do this."
Breathing in and out slowly, he felt mana circulating through his body as he tried to conjure small flames over the palm of his hand.
The flames released intense heat from that crimson fire. Evan increased and decreased them several times.
But the moment he tried to shape the flames, they simply dissipated.
"This is going to be harder than I thought."
The only attack that came from his affinity depended on Evan using some kind of substance that released toxins to form the fire.
Knowing that, and since he had no skill manual, he would have to develop his own abilities the hard way.
After countless attempts, Evan was sprawled across the cold metallic floor of the chamber, his body drenched in sweat.
"Damn it... how the hell am I supposed to keep control of these damn flames?"
Evan complained, failing miserably, thinking about his own reality: a mere extra with no talent...
As he remembered his previous life filled with failure and frustration, Evan felt something different in his chest. It was as if something was burning inside him.
And using that feeling, the boy conjured the flames in his hand again, but this time they were completely different...
They were far more intense than before, but instead of carefully trying to shape them, he used his own suppressed emotions as fuel.
"Spark!"
When the boy tried to activate his skill, with the flames still formed in his hand, intense vapor rose, and Evan noticed black smoke coming out of the fire.
But before he could react, a small explosion burst from the palm of his hand, throwing him to the ground.
Even though it could have caused him greater damage, a thunderous smile spread across the boy's face.
At that moment, a translucent screen appeared in front of him.
-- Skills --
Combustion (D)
The user can generate sparks of fire with acetylene particles, being able to create explosions through combustion.
"I DID IT!!"
Evan shouted as he witnessed the evolution of his own ability. Even though he hadn't created a new skill, he had managed to evolve Spark, a (G)-rank skill, into Combustion, a higher-ranked ability.
During the remaining time he had in the room, Evan continued trying to improve his control over his newly evolved skill.
One thing was crystal clear to Evan: the larger and purer the flame he manifested, the bigger the explosion would be when activating Combustion.
But a huge doubt filled his mind.
'How am I going to implement this skill with my fighting style?'
Currently, Evan used his odachi as his main battle tool, which meant he needed both hands to properly handle the blade.
Still sitting there, completely soaked in sweat, the boy thought.
'Y-yeah... I guess I'll need to think about this a bit more... maybe I'll even change my style.'
For Evan, the sword also served as support. The main problem with New Era mages was their mana capacity: there were skills that completely drained the user's mana, unlike swordsmen, who didn't suffer from that dependence.
Just like Mikael, a true example of a magical swordsman, someone who combined his abilities with powerful swordsmanship.
Evan needed something he could use so he wouldn't depend entirely on his own mana.
'Ah... I think I'll just rest a little... this week is going to be pretty hectic.'
The boy said as he returned to his room.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, Evan examined the class schedule once again.
'I think I made a mistake. I have less time than I thought I would... the first hunting simulation should happen sometime this week... damn it!'
'All I can really do is hope I don't die during the first important event in the story.'