I made my way to the arena in the afternoon, just as the sun was starting its tedious, slow journey down the sky. The atmosphere was a strange mix of cold currents, making the breaths of the students visible as thin clouds, and warm sunlight.

  I was once again in front of the Colosseum-like building. I sighed as my feet carried me towards the corridor. A bigger cloudy flow extended before me before I stepped through it. Entering the darker corridor, I was shortly faced with a stronger sense of cold, caused by the absence of the sun.

  The cold followed me along the corridor until the arena. I found it empty, with no one but my instructor inside. I got closer to him and sat down. Now came the wait before all the others arrived. I looked at the instructor. His breath was faint, the steamy cloud it made barely left his nostrils before disappearing.

  Normally I’d have closed my eyes too, to meditate, but I tended to lose track of time, and considering how he needed to wake me up… I doubt it would be a good idea to get the same thing to happen again.

  I waited. Soon my new classmates came in trickling one after another. Cassia came up to me. She stood upright. Unlike me, the arriving students remained standing, forming a loose semi-circle around us. Whether it was out of respect for the instructor or simply to keep their muscles from seizing in the cold, I was the only one who shared the ground with the old man.

  “I didn’t have any issues these days, it all went smoothly.” She said in a low voice.

  “That’s good to hear. I hope it continues that way.” I paused. “What will it be today?”

  “Team combat.” She answered plainly.

  “Oh yeah… I was banned before I got to experience one… So, what’s the team size? Shouldn’t you be able to gather quite the good team?”

  “Why’d you think I can get a good team? I’m not a star in my year… Those like you in core formation are the stars.”

  “Why would it matter? It’s not like we’re fighting with aether.” Her deadpan expression gave me an answer. “So, his only real concern was about me having an opponent…” I looked at the cross-legged sitting instructor.

  “Well then, team size? You didn’t tell me anything about that.” I persisted in my questioning.

  “Up to five people in a team.”

  “Up to? Meaning there can be less?”

  “Yes. The least I’ve seen is three.”

  “Alright.” I looked around. There were still some students coming over. “Where are your usual teammates?”

  “They aren’t here yet.”

  I stood up. “Well, I guess we should warm up a little. Last time you made a show out of me, I doubt I can skip the basic regime today though.” I started twisting and stretching, turning two hundred degrees wile keeping my feet planted.

  My knees and hips rotated, and I twisted my neck to the side too. I saw several older boys that had their eyes on me wince at the sight. I repeated the movement to the other side. Then I bent over and hugging my legs, stretching my hamstrings. A few lunges later I considered myself ready.

  Some more time passed before the instructor stood up himself. He grabbed his staff that was placed across his legs, propping himself up using it. A heavy crack of wood meeting stone reverberated stopping all discussions. Everyone turned their gaze to the instructor. He looked over all the gathered students.

  “It’s good to see you all together again. Now I think we should” He stopped as two students rushed in. Two boys, one short, one tall, came and stopped running next to the two of us.

  “We should get started. Two laps around the arena, to start with, light rhythm, no aether. Go!” The voice of the instructor echoed.

  Everyone broke into a run. The thunderous sound of feet hitting stone rang out. The floor was trembling under the run of the students. I ran at my own pace, each footfall on the unyielding stone sending a small jolt of pain up my feet, a clear sign that my legs weren’t at full power despite my three weeks of effort.

  Taller students would naturally gain distance and finish faster, while most shorter students ran with all their might to keep up. ‘Our instructions are a light run, you need to warm up, not drain yourself, this class might be about preservation too, not just fighting.’

  Cassia stuck next to me. I nudged her a little as I closed the distance between us.

  “Are those two your teammates?”

  “Yes, short one is Kael, tall one is Lucian.” She said between breaths.

  I nodded. “Don’t slow your pace to mine, you’re taller, go ahead. Don’t try to catch up to the front, just run at your pace, you need to warm up, not to overexert yourself or to underperform.”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me?” She retorted.

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  “No, it’s just logic. Do as you wish.”

  Seeing my flippant and uncaring attitude she hesitated a bit.

  “Hmph.” She picked up the pace to something that looked more comfortable to her. She was bouncing slightly, her hair flailing about. I shook my head. ‘Inefficient.’

  My running style would look quite weird to anyone observing. My torso was not moving up and down at all and I was bending my knee more as the foot got under me, gaining a length for forward push once my center of gravity got in front of the foot.

  This allowed me to waste as little energy in upward movement and gain full forward movement potential. Compared to all the others, who were hopping while running, their bodies taking the shock of each step, I looked like I was gliding on ice. My steps were light, rhythmical taps in the chaotic uneven thuds of steps.

  I kept my steps relatively large, a relaxed way of running in which I allowed the entire leg to participate. My peace was however disturbed by the two late comers. Kael kicked my back foot. Due to the kick, I couldn’t bring the foot forward to take another step and was about to fall. I used my other foot to skip forward, saving myself from a fall at the cost of speed.

  The two overtook me. Kael was pedaling fast to keep up with his friend, especially after he kicked my foot.

  “Is this all you got baby legs?” Kael shot out. Lucian smiled.

  The two clearly waited for Cassia to go ahead before finding trouble with me. They couldn’t get more typical. However, hearing his baby legs remark I decided to give them a little show.

  “Think you can keep up?” I shortened my steps but increased the frequency.

  I dropped my waist lower, closer to the ground and bent slightly forward. I burst with speed uncharacteristic of an eight-year-old. The scarred tissue in my legs screamed with pain. It felt like someone was branding me with a hot iron under my skin, the lack of aether to support them making itself known.

  I winced but pushed on ignoring the tearing sensation for a bit longer. I overtook Cassia then slowed down.

  “What was that about exertion?” She retorted catching up.

  “I had two fools to show better, don’t worry I’m not doing it again.” The grimace on my face was not fully gone.

  “Are you alright?” She asked seeing my face.

  “Yes and no.”

  “Be clear!” She hissed clenching her teeth.

  “You know my injuries from when we fought the bandits?”

  “Yes…”

  “They aren’t fully healed. I kept managing them using aether, allowing me to work. It would have been fine if I did nothing, but this burst of speed brought the pain up.”

  “You’re an idiot!”

  I shrugged. “I’m not going to do it again, I proved my point anyway, you just keep running like before.”

  She shook her head and gained distance again, shortly a slightly affected Lucian and a Kael with a ragged breath caught up. Lucian threw me an ugly look, while Kael, running on fumes, with a red face and his breath ragged, sounding like a broken set of bellows, didn’t even consider me.

  Towards the end of the second lap, I caught up to the two. They had slowed down significantly, along with a big portion of the younger or shorter part of the students. I overtook them without sparing them a glance. ‘It got nothing to do with me that these two idiots didn’t conserve themselves.’

  Having finished the two laps, I pushed aether into my legs instantly, using the technique I learned when Vex healed me. I didn’t have time to meditate and check my internal state, but this helped calm down my nerves.

  The instructor then had us do pushups. Doing thirty was the minimum. An amount that on earth would demolish any normal thirteen years old was merely a set here. Red faced children were heaving with each push.

  Amongst them the commoners were having the easiest time. Most had lived chaotically, helping their parents from time to time, swinging off branches, climbing trees or running around to play. The nobles who instead had to learn discipline and manners from a young age, were struggling instead.

  I did all thirty effortlessly. I could go to a hundred or more in a single set. I stopped checking the upper limit at some point. Pushups relied on body weight, from a hundred up, it was no longer a question of strength, but of endurance.

  After pushups were crunches. Fifty of them, again a large number. Repeating everything right after, everyone was happy to welcome the half an hour-long break. Cassia found me; her short bangs stuck to her forehead with sweat.

  Thick plumes of steam rose from the students, turning the arena into a misty, ghost-filled landscape as their sweat evaporated into the cold, lung clawing afternoon air.

  “Warm yourself up. The cold is unforgiving, you wouldn’t want to go sick, right?”

  “I’m too hot already!” She rolled her eyes.

  I shook my head slightly, a small smile playing on my lips. “So, what about the team?”

  “Well, I thought you wouldn’t want to team up with me.”

  “I can’t be bothered to find people. You know them, you get a team.”

  “So, I’m just your convenience helper?” her brow twitched a little.

  “Exactly so. Problems? You don’t have other Core Formation students willing to team with you right?”

  “Haaa… You’re so annoying.” She sounded tired.

  “I can’t help it, might be in my blood.”

  Kael and Lucian came over. The two were also filled with sweat. I guess I, who barely broke a sweat, was an outlier. My heartbeat was already back to normal too, a benefit of cultivation and breath practice.

  “Cassia, do we team up again?” Lucian asked combing his hair brown with his hand.

  “You wouldn’t want to team with him, right?” Kael continued with another question, referring to me.

  “And what if I do? He is a Core Formation mage. You know we lacked a strong striker.” Cassia shot back.

  “He’s just a pipsqueak, there’s no way he’s a core formation, who knows how he tricked the instructor!” Kael retorted, looking hatefully at me.

  “He fought alongside me before. I vouch for his strength if nothing else!” Cassia stated strongly.

  Lucian was quiet on the other hand. He was dangerous, his eyes moved between me and Cassia, slightly unfocussed. Kael was a dog barking loudly, Lucian, who was quiet, was more of a threat, at least I knew what Kael thought, I couldn’t say the same about Lucian, this brown-haired, blue-eyed guy.

  “Then it’s fine to have him join us. I’m sure he’ll be of help if he’s as strong as you say.”

  “What do you mean? This is not what you said earlier!” Kael turned his barking on Lucian.

  I maintained exterior calm. ‘I knew it, this guy is definitely planning something now.’ There was no point in speaking out against them. We needed the teammates to join, even if they were questionable.

  “I’m pleased to see you’re such an understanding person.” Cassia replied. I could see a small smile on her lips.

  Lucian too looked as if he scored. My eyes widened. ‘This guy has a crush on this gorilla of a girl! Damn I’m in danger…’

  “We will be going around then. To see if we can get another member to our team.” Lucian pulled Kael with him.

  Unknowingly this raised his danger level in my eyes. ‘He is confident enough to leave me, another guy, with the girl he has a crush on. He either underestimates me or he’s certain he can deal with me. Not a good thing either way.’

  A few minutes after the duo left, the professor’s staff cracked sharply on the ground again. “I want you to gather in your teams. Let the fights begin!”

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