Chapter 6: In the Light pt.2

We were still on our first few days so now we had a few things they needed to go through first. So they set us up in a short test of strength to rate our capabilities. I had to lift bags of maize to see how strong I was. At break I discovered I was 76th in the semester and 2nd in the squad.

“Ah, you’re quite strong for a girl.” Damien said and looked at me. I was not sure if this was a compliment or an insult.

“Ah-h yeah, thanks” I smiled awkwardly and adjusted my hair. “What place did you get?”

“I got 30th” He said proudly. “Honestly I wonder how it’d be to fight against you in a mock battle.” Oh, it was a compliment.

“Well we’ll have to wait until the mock battle at the end of the semester” I said playfully. My heart was beating so weird around him, his uniform really fitted his body shape. The ceremonial uniform made it so that if he took his shoulder back in just the right angle i can see a bit of-

“Huh what’s that?” Damian suddenly surprised me with his concerned voice, his eyes focused on someone behind me in the hall.

“Holy shit!” someone from another group suddenly called. “Everyone look!”

“Idiot!” A beginner next to him said “You’re not supposed to check it without the priests” It was his blood, this beginner had green-jade blood clearly dripping from his hand, it was not nearly as glowing as the Head Priest. Seems his birthday was today’s morning.

“I know but i couldn’t wait…” He said, slowly more and more people crowded around him to see it.

“Whoaaaa, try to do an incantation” One of the girls demanded.

“Should I?”

“What, NO!” Damian said and walked towards him into the circle that was forming. “This is dangerous, you can’t risk hurting someone else!” Damian demanded, the other beginners were displeased.

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“Oh come on man” The same girl called.

“Yeah man! We wanna see something already” Everyone beside the bleeding guy’s friend was cheering him on.

“...What are you gonna do about it?” The bleeding guy suddenly turned smug, clearly the attention was starting to get to him, despite the fact he was shorter and chubbier than Damian, he knew what would happen the moment he tried an incantation.

“Are you threatening me bro?” Damian said, his hand carefully latching onto his mock macuahuitl to not make it obvious.

“If you do anything you’re ground-meat” I stepped in too with my hand on my mock macuahuitl too. He paused a little but it didn’t seem to take away his confidence.

“By the power of Zond-” All who heard immediately pushed themself away, except Damian who instinctively reacted by launching forward with the macuahuitl in his left arm, my instinct was to jump away. “-I wish to strike them!” Suddenly his exposed blood turned red immediately and launched like small rocks from a small sling. The shots scattered all towards Damian’s general locations, causing small cuts on Damian’s body to form and knocking him back. Thank god it was a really poor shot because I saw that the shot creating deep cuts in the rock floor just below where I rolled away. Everyone was watching from a distance, regretting hyping the bleeding guy up.

“F-Fuck!” The spell was so strong that even an idiot who just learned how to use it made a strong man like Damian wince.

“By the power of Zond!” He called, “I-I wish to strike him!” He said and threw blood towards Damian again… this time nothing happened? He must’ve done it wrong. I tried to get up but that just made the bleeding guy look at me.

He tried again. “By the power of Zond I wish to strike her!” The blood shot towards Me, oh god, I’m not going to die on my second day in the academy… am I…? As I was standing in uncertain fear of my mortality I heard a strange sound and suddenly, a flash in front of me suddenly formed, the blood shielded.

“Harold.” The flash said, and when the light sizzled, it was the Head priest, glowing jade green swarming all around him. “You were late for the checkup…” The bleeding guy who’s name was Harold fell on his back from fear, fumbling on the ground like a flipped beetle. “...and now at least you don’t need to come with an excuse.” He said and with the back of his obsidian blade hit Harold head’s prone.

“Are you okay?” The Head Priest gently leaned to Damien.

“Fhhhhh he… gave me a lot of cuts but.. Otherwise I'm fine..”

“By the power of Zond i wish to heal him” The head priest said and with his bleeding hand slided on Damien’s cuts, making them slowly close and heal up as if he’d never been hit. “If this beginner was just slightly more accurate your bones or organs could’ve been damaged, you’re lucky…” He said and positioned Damien up. “Please take a small rest, you should be fine in a few minutes” The head said and grabbed the unconscious Harold, put him on his shoulders and walked away… Just like that.

After Damien felt better I offered to lift him up but he didn’t need it, it really was like nothing ever happened. “...Magic is dangerous.” Damien said looking at his body that lacked all past lacerations.

“That’s why we’re important, that's why Zond gave us these powers.” I asserted, for a moment my embarrassment around him faded for just a little. Something in his expression seemed to soften.

“I knew there was something special with you, hopefully we'll be in the same area when we go on field” He told me as he looked me down and then up, probably mesmerised by me, that there really was someone like me.

And then the break ended.