“So let's recap what you know. Kai comes from the soul, it can be used to enhance the body, kai powers krafts most of the time, yada yada.”

  Derrick tells them as he grabs a marker. “I'm not the best artist exactly, but bear it for now.”

  As their teacher draws on the whiteboard two people walk in.

  “Mr. Smite.” Mason addresses him.

  “Principals.” Derrick responds, not looking away from the board.

  “What are you two doing here? Wasn't I just talking to you about Felix?”

  “Yes. By the way, we're accepting him. Felix will be with us now.” Maddison declares.

  “We are here now to make sure your teaching is actually effective. We know you aren't the best and this part is crucial to their learning. Continue as if we weren't here.”

  Derrick rolls his eyes slightly as he finished his drawing.

  “I'm doing fine with my class. Now kids, the first thing I will teach you, along with your principals,” He shares begrudgingly.

  “Is ultimate craft output.”

  On the whiteboard it shows a stick figure with a clock above it with “.75x” next to it. A matching version of it is to the right of it, with the difference of it saying “.1x” by the clock.

  “This is the kraft “time manipulation”, the base of it as well as the ultimate craft output version.”

  Derrick points to the “.75x” then the “.1x”.

  “The base version is what would be the equivalent of a basic attack in a video game. It is the basic layer of a kraft. Meanwhile the ultimate craft output version would be, as the name entails, an ultimate attack. In a video game it is the same as a strongest version of the base attack. In the average video game a basic attack takes almost no energy, the best version however takes a lot. Ultimate craft output requires, as it says in the name, ultimate output. It needs a lot of kai that you can output and because of that it supercharges your kraft. In this case the “basic attack” or the base version of it would be slowing time down to .75x the norm, and the ultimate craft output would be slowing it down to .1x. Questions?”

  Leo raises his hand.

  “You don't have to be so formal Leo. If you have a question just say it.” Derrick states.

  “If it's that strong of an attack, why doesn't everyone use it regardless of the kai it requires?” He asks.

  “Not everyone knows how to use it. Stacking that on top of the requirement of strong enough attacks needing certain actions such as saying the name of the attack, can cause enough hesitation to use it in battle because someone might just attack you before you can finish the required action. Good question Leo.”

  Derrick answers as he returns to the board.

  “The next thing that I should talk about is a kai release I suppose.”

  On the board it shows a stick man putting his arms together with a speech bubble reading “kai release ___” along with a circle around the stick man.

  “If ultimate craft output is the strongest version of the base attack, a kai release is an awakening. If a focus bar in a fighting game gets to 100% then you can activate it and have a really big move be executed. That is the same as a kai release. In order to activate this you need multiple actions. Such as saying “kai release” followed by the name of the kai release.”

  Derrick points to the speech bubble, then points to the arms.

  “Second is a hand sign. After the demands have been met a bubble envelopes you and it pushes out the essence of your kraft into a purified and extreme version of it. It uses a lot of kai though and exhausts the user. The color of the barrier represents the user in some way by the way, just a little fun fact for you. The reason why is because it comes directly from the soul-”

  “Don't you think you're getting too off topic Mr. Smite. Continue with the important matters and we'll handle what you miss.” Mason interrupts.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Derrick frowns slightly then returns to normal.

  “Only a tidbit for the kid. He's still young. It's just some good fun. Anyway since you're pushing out the soul and surrounding yourself with your own kai it increases your “stats” by about 30%, including your kraft potency. Most kai releases allow for the user to not miss due to their own energy and soul connecting to anyone else within the kai release. A kai release can change the environment and do more than just increase kraft potency, it could show the absolute potential of your kraft. However the downsides are that afterwards you can't use your kraft and it takes so much kai from the average user that they nearly pass out.”

  “In most games though there's a way to defend from these types of moves. Is there any way to do it against a kai release?” Jason questions.

  “Yes there is. You can also open a kai release and fight for dominance. Whoever has the better control and reinforcement over their domain wins with output is also a factor. The winner has their kai release take over and the loser still suffers the effects of the kai release ending after the winner's ends. The second option would be to use smooth kai release. Smooth kai release is a way to defend yourself from the barrier and let yourself escape through a hole in the barrier if you're close enough and the opponent is weak enough. Otherwise smooth kai release rids some of the effects of the kai release. Either way using the smooth kai release requires a constant flow of kai rather than an instant burst. The third option is to get outside help through smooth kai release to open a hole or attack the kai release and force the user to either strengthen it with kai and drain them more or let it get destroyed. If none of these actions are performed then it is either going to be an interesting fight or a quick one. There is almost no in between.” The teacher lists.

  “Barrier…actions…buffs…defense…” Tim mumbles under his breath.

  Derrick notices it.

  I forgot, he's just a child still. I've been talking so much and I can't say anything to keep his attention. His mind might be wandering off.

  “There is also an ability called counter craft. If you invert your kai and put it into your kai craft, it can reverse the effects. If you simply invert your kai and surround yourself in it, it can weaken or completely nullify a kraft. It works by mashing together a regular and opposite version. Think of it like numbers in math. 7 and -7 put together equal out to 0 meaning neither kraft can activate except for a counter version, if the counter craft is performed to the point greater than the output of the regular craft. I'm sorry if there's confusion. There are only a few more key parts so endure It for now.”

  Derrick tells them.

  He sketches a lock between stick men.

  “This represents an unbreakable bond. An unbreakable bond is like a promise that has to be fulfilled. If it isn't, it punishes the person who broke it. It intertwines kai between the people who agree to it which is why it guarantees a punishment. This can be made with yourself and it's called a permanent oath. You can sacrifice something in exchange for an equal thing. For example you could sacrifice some kai in exchange for increased physical “stats”. This can be indefinite or it can be immediate and will eventually end.”

  He erases the people and lock.

  “He forgot to mention that you can do certain actions to add to the effect of a kraft. It empowers the kraft which is why stronger versions need the actions,”

  Maddison tells them formally then faces the child.

  “And Tim, stop mumbling under your breath. Listen to the lesson.”

  Tim's cheeks grow rosey.

  “Sorry ma'am…” He replies.

  Tim looks downwards, disappointed in himself. Derrick looks at the twins out of the corner of his eye after the remark and looks disgusted. He scribbles a weapon.

  Repulsive. They always act as if they aren't people. Tim shouldn't even be here at this age, let alone scolded for mumbling under his breath when he was probably just trying to remember something. I despise them. Acting as if they care about the students, when they care about the weapons they get to use.

  “If you've got a problem with my students then take it up with me Maddison.” He warns them sternly.

  “It's principal Katen to you Mr. Smite.” She says.

  Derrick waves her off and faces his class again.

  “Before principal Katie so wonderfully barged in, I was about to present kai tools. They can be made through a kai calamity being harvested or through excessive use of a tool while embedding it with kai smoothly. They can be recreated and have a clone however most are unique. They all have different effects as you saw during capture the flag.”

  He removes the weapon and replaces it with a stick man and a dog.

  “Summoning vessels, as the oh so clever name suggests, are vessels of kai able to be summoned. Some of the vessels are the main use of a kraft, but you don't need a kraft base on that to use them. You can either create a doll-like figure or a statue and go through the same process as creating a kai tool. This does require a kai calamity to make one. Each summon is different and the most common are types of animals.”

  Derrick wipes the dog and forces the stickman to hold an arm out. A small ball is drawn in front of it.

  “This is a kai output shot. Going back to video games as a reference, a kai output shot is a long ranged light attack. It is a shot of kai that costs less than a normal kraft but has less damage and is quick and easy. This is Mia's speciality and she's quite talented at it. There are only 2 more uses of kai that are important. Mending kai style, often shortened to mks, and kai ruptures. Mending kai style is a way to heal almost anything and everything depending on how much kai you have and can come out of any body part with it mostly coming straight from the soul. It takes a good bit of energy though and is difficult to acquire. Finally a kai rupture. This is the same as an attack in a game that would come from any enemy after they get a buff. It is an attack with kai however it's unstable which disrupts the opponents control of kai a fair amount. It can also amp your physical “stats” by about 20% permanently. It causes more damage upon impact, to the exponent of 2. The final buff is that it sends your mind into a battle frenzy that lets you control your kraft better and understand it to a better degree. Now Katie, is that good enough for you to leave?” He utters in disdain.

  They nod and turn to leave the room.

  “Informal as always Mr. Smite, even telling them of the kraft thing. Next time control your students, otherwise we will control them for you. ” Mason advises the first year teacher.

  Derrick closes the door on them and walks over to Tim, then kneels down on his level to the desk.

  “Tim, would you like me to review it? I thought that mumbling might be you trying to remember the information easier.” Derrick asks.

  “I would like that a lot Sir!” He replies with a wide grin.

  “It's Derrick, Tim. Please call me Derrick.”

  He smiles.

  “So they pronounce it right but I can't?” Leo says in annoyance.

  “I guess you can't.” Jason laughs.

  Derrick usually makes his explanations short and sweet but made them more elaborate this time for the principals to not get a lecture afterwards. He is also always thinking of his students, the time manipulation example he was using was the kai craft of an old student of his.