Chapter 3: New Powers

The morning sun barely crested the Academy’s spires, casting long, cold shadows across the training grounds. Ona stood opposite me, her braid swaying as she twirled a dagger between her fingers wearing that infuriatingly playful grin of hers. My hands itched to summon my own blades, their white-and-red glow pulsing like a second heartbeat in my chest.

Three days of training with Ona had taught me one thing: she never gave up even when I kept fumbling.

“Today’s special, newbie,” she said, her voice bright but edged with challenge. “We’re learning Vanish. Only Core-rank and above can pull it off takes serious aura control.”

She tapped her foot like a smug instructor. “Focus your aura. Visualize where you want to be. Poof you’re there.”

I frowned, fingers twitching toward the space where my daggers usually appeared. “If it’s a Core-level skill, why teach me? I’m just a Novice.”

Her grin sharpened, like she’d laid a trap and I’d just walked into it. “Because your aura’s massive way beyond Novice level. And those daggers?” She pointed to my chest. “They’re screaming for this.”

She stepped back and folded her arms. “Channel your aura into your legs. Picture the spot. Then move. Simple.”
I summoned my daggers. Their white and red lines shimmered in the early light. Simple, she says.Closing my eyes, I picked a tree ten paces away, letting my aura surge warm and wild pooling in my legs. I pictured standing in the tree’s shadow.Go. 

…Nothing.

I opened my eyes. Still here. The daggers dimmed, echoing the hope draining from me.

“Really?” I muttered, kicking at the dirt. “I’m never gonna get this.”

Ona didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, don’t be a drama queen.” Her tone stayed light, but there was steel under it. “Let’s try something different.”

She pointed to a clearing twenty paces off. “Throw your white-lined dagger that way. Visualize catching it before it hits the ground. Aura’s all about intent. Make it yours.”

I sighed and gripped the dagger. Fine.
I hurled it, the blade spinning like a comet, its glow trailing fire through the air. I focused forced my aura into my legs, heart pounding. Catch it. Be there. Now.

A jolt tore through me like the world blinked and I was there, fingers snapping around the hilt just above the grass.

“Holy—” I gasped, breath catching as the dagger’s white line pulsed in my grip.
Ona clapped, laughter ringing out across the field. “There it is! Not bad, newbie.” Her grin turned sly. “Now let’s make it fun. You’re fighting me.”

I froze. “Fight you? You’re Core rank. I don’t even...”

“In real battles, there’s isn't a thing like fair play "she interrupted, voice light but eyes deadly serious.
Then she moved.

One moment she was talking. The next, her summoned sword flashed toward me like lightning. I dove aside, dirt spraying as the blade slashed the ground where I’d stood.

She wasn’t holding back.I threw my white-lined dagger at her shoulder. Missed. It sailed past her. Now or never.

“Vanish!” Aura surged, the world warped and I was behind her, hand closing on the dagger mid-air. My red-lined blade swung toward her back 

Clang!Her sword met mine with a clash that shuddered down my arm.
“Gotta do better than that, Novice,” she taunted, spinning, eyes gleaming with mock disappointment.

Fine. She wants better?

I hurled both daggers white left, red right sending them in wide arcs. Her brow furrowed as her stance shifted for the first time. Got you.

“Vanish!” I blinked to the white dagger, catching it in midair. I swung low for her flank 

Blocked.

Effortlessly.

“Vanish!”

I flickered again grabbed the red dagger.This time, her eyes widened. Surprised.My blade grazed her arm, leaving a shallow scratch.

“You’re strong, Ona,” I said, smirking. I threw her own words back at her.

Her smile vanished.In a heartbeat, her blade lit up shimmering with raw power and she vanished.

The air shimmered. She was behind me. I didn’t even feel the blade just the cold kiss of steel as my shirt fell apart, sliced into ribbons.

“You don’t know how strong I am,” she whispered. The playful edge was gone. What remained was Core-tier confidence.

His body is too good for a novice

I stumbled back, shredded shirt flapping. My aura buzzed, wild and unstable. But beneath the nerves, something stirred respect.

Ona wasn’t just a teacher. She was a warrior. The kind who had faced real danger. Maybe even NeLa’s monsters.
My gaze drifted to the spires of the Academy, to where I’d seen Zeo yesterday her Apex aura an entire storm. If Ona could do this, what was an Apex 

capable of?

And what did that make me? A Novice with daggers no one could explain?Ona sheathed her blade. Her smirk returned but softer now.

“Not bad for a Novice,” she said, nodding toward my daggers. Their glow pulsed, erratic and alive. “But those? They’re not normal weapons. They’re tied to something bigger maybe even NeLa’s seals. Keep training... or you won’t survive what’s coming.”

My blood turned cold. The NeLa rift the sickly green glow flashed in my mind. Monsters breaking free. Worlds collapsing.

My daggers hummed again, like they felt it too.

Peace wasn’t a dream.It was a battle.And I was only beginning to understand the cost.The training grounds had mostly emptied, the sky now bathed in soft gold. I sat under the tree where I first vanished, catching my breath, daggers humming faintly in their sheaths.
Footsteps crunched the gravel. 

I glanced up Eona approached, arms folded, her white uniform catching the sun like a banner. Her gaze swept the area, landing on me with curious sharpness.

“You survived Ona’s training?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Didn’t expect you to be in one piece.”

Ona chuckled from a nearby rock where she was stretching her arms. “Not only survived watch this, Eona.”

I stood slowly, a grin tugging at my lips. Time to show her.
I threw my white-lined dagger into the air.Aura surged into my legs.

“Vanish.”

In a blink, I reappeared behind Eona, fingers closing around the dagger mid-fall. She stiffened, spinning to face me, eyes wide for a second before she composed herself.

“…Impressive,” she said, voice cool. But I caught it a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, pride tucked behind discipline. “You’re improving faster than I thought.”

Ona whistled. “Told you! The kid’s got flair.”

Eona looked me over, eyes narrowing, like she was solving a puzzle. “But don’t let it get to your head. A trick like that won’t save you if you hesitate.”

“I didn’t hesitate,” I said, stepping back. “You just didn’t see it coming.”A flicker of a smile broke across her face, and then she turned her back. “Hmph. Show-off.”

“Bet you didn’t expect him to actually vanish, huh?” Ona teased, nudging Eona with her elbow. “You looked like someone just stole your last piece of chocolate.”

“I don’t eat chocolate,” Eona replied flatly, but her ears had gone a little pink.
Ona leaned closer to me, stage whispering, “That’s her ‘I’m secretly proud but too serious to say it’ face.”
“I heard that,” Eona said without turning around.

I sheathed my daggers, a quiet thrill running through me. For the first time, I wasn’t just a Novice with weird weapons I was someone who made even Eona pause.

And from the look in her eyes, I knew one thing: I had just earned her attention.