Ivy sat in a room located in the basement of the Hawking House. She knew this, despite her surroundings being almost pitch-black, and her room giving away nothing about where she might be. No, she knew where she was because she had accepted the cloaked woman's offer, yet still she wasn't allowed to roam further than the basement.

  She still wore her holy white robes, but they had now become dusty and dirty. Her body was not tied down or restricted in any way, as her captors didn't see her as a threat.

  Suddenly, the trapdoor leading down to the basement opened as it often did, allowing the faintest sliver of light to enter. A small woman in a black cloak descended down a ladder with a plate of food balanced in her hand.

  The cloak was hooded, but there seemed to be more than just clothing hiding the woman's features. A shadow was constantly cast over her face, hiding all features from others. If not for her voice, Ivy felt unsure of whether she would have even been able to tell the woman's sex. Judging from their first meeting, her name was Morigann Hawking, a name that she remembered well.

  As she sat on the floor, the cloaked woman placed the food in front of her, remaining standing over her. The meal looked delicious as always. Nothing like what a slave might eat.

  "Are you finally going to let me out of here?" She asked whilst starting to eat. "How are you supposed to train me in a basement?"

  "Quite easily, actually," Morigann replied. "And we will let you out when we know you can be trusted. For the time being, your training will start down here. The darkness will help you progress."

  Ivy had many questions she wanted to ask, but she knew that she would get the same answers that she got every time she had asked before. Why had the Hawkings family offered to help her?

  They claimed it was because they knew that she walked a 'dark path' and simply wanted to guide her, but that didn't answer anything. She still didn't know how they had known about her awakening, or what they would gain from helping her. For now, all she could do was comply. Not only for herself, but for Leox too.

  This was the family that the boy who tortured her best friend had belonged to. If his speculations were right, then the entire family might have something to do with it. She couldn't do anything at the moment, since she was powerless, whilst Morigann was at a second stage. From what she had heard, although she hadn't left them, there were even stronger members of the family.

  So to be of use, she would use them to learn more about her powers of darkness, turning a negative situation somewhat better. Then, once the opportunity presented itself, she would write to Leox, telling him their secrets and weaknesses, and also make her escape.

  Ivy finished eating her food, and afterwards, Morigann took the empty plate and headed back towards the trap door.

  "When I return, we'll start your training." She said from over her shoulder. "My father sees potential in you, so don't disappoint him."

  After his first normal day at the Academy, Leox returned to his room, demoralised from the spar with Astra, and mentally drained from all the new information he had to learn. Gutaru didn't take it easy when it came to making sure that the Class One students were prepared in all ways. He crammed their brains with knowledge on history, geography, philosophy, and all things related to the Overview. He set them tasks to complete in their spare time, all of which were to read specific books that could be found in the library.

  After he arrived in his room, Leox slumped down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He was too tired to even think, and eventually his eyes turned heavy, before he was dragged into sleep.

  ...

  The next morning, he woke up to a hard knock at his door. He groggily pushed himself to his feet and answered it, only to find that no one was there except for a rolled-up note.

  The mailman.

  Couldn't he have knocked softer... Doesn't he know that sleep is important?

  Leox retrieved the note and opened it once back inside his room. The wax seal that held the letter together had the icon of a lion's face on it.

  ---

  Dear Leox.

  It's been a while since I've seen you. I hope my sword reached you well? It was crafted by one of the finest blacksmiths I know.

  I heard you were placed into class one, or should I say, earned your place. Gutaru is a harsh teacher, but he will teach you more than any other professor could. Trust me, I know this, because I grew up with him myself.

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  The reason I am writing to you, is because I wish to take you somewhere with me. A small village, for a collector's job this weekend. You must learn of all the possible avenues that one can go down in the future, and well, being a Collector is certainly one of them. Besides, I'm sure I'll be able to teach you a thing or two along the way.

  I will be by the academy gates on the sixth day at sunrise. Show up in your best attire, and bring your sword. It will be a fun day.

  From, Meruvio Espisoti.

  ---

  A letter from Collector Meruvio... It's been so long since I've heard from him.

  Since the man had collected him from Everhurst, they hadn't seen each other since. Leox guessed that the man had heard about what happened to him in the sewers, and wondered what he thought of it. In a way, there were a lot of things in his life that he could thank you for.

  Leox scrunched up the note and decided he would definitely take the man up on his offer. Afterwards, he cleaned himself up, got dressed, and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast before his first lesson of the day.

  ---

  The second day of sparring with Astra went the same as the first, despite Leox now using the sword to fight with. No matter how where or how he swung his blade, the smaller boy managed to find a way around it, countering, yet pausing before actually landing a strike of his own.

  Leox became frustrated. Was the gap between them really so large, all thanks to stars that were an unreachable distance away?

  ...

  When the third, and fourth days of sparring went the same, with no progress being made, he soon realised that things couldn't go on like this. At this rate, he would never awaken new skills, and his stage progress was only at a staggering three per cent. As he tried to sleep that night, he found himself tossing and turning, unable to find rest. In frustration, he rose to his feet and got dressed, gathered his sword, and headed out into the grass fields of the academy. The area was silent, as the sun had long since set, and both students and professors alike were asleep.

  Leox stood beneath the moonlight in a wide stance, and his blade was held out in front of him. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  "Something has to change."

  For the first time, Leox activated his skill "Flame Coating". He felt a great heat building in the palm of his hands, before erupting from his skin in a spark of flames and enveloping the sword in its entirety. The flames danced, casting strange shadows on the grass beneath them, and despite holding the burning object, the heat didn't have any effect on his hands.

  The blade looked magnificent. It was already a beautiful piece of weaponry, but once bathed in flames, Leox couldn't keep his eyes off it. Then, he felt his body swiftly being drained of its mana. If he wanted to try out his plan, he needed to act fast.

  He focused on a scene that he had seen over a week ago. The boy named Drake who had faced off with Astra in the grass fields. Drake had used wind and fire to create an effect on his sword that resembled lightning. From the moment he saw this, Leox became fascinated. He read up on what could cause such an effect and figured it out. It was a skill well within his reach, as long as he could awaken a wind skill.

  As the flaming blade burned in his hand, Leox closed his eyes and focused on the wind that blew past him. He knew that in order to create a spark, he needed to heat up the wind surrounding the blade. At first, he felt nothing. Just the flickering fire, and his mana being drained from his veins. The flames began to slowly die out, as he struggled to maintain their coated state, unless he pumped it with more mana.

  Then, it came. As if a faint string were being dangled against his fingertips, he felt a sudden desire to reach out for something drifting in the air that wasn't physical. As his mind tugged slightly on the string, he felt the winds stir, allowing themselves to be guided by his mind. He willed the winds to coalesce around the blade, and at the same time, pumped the blade full of another mana to kill him.

  A sharp crack split through the air.

  Blue and white sparks danced across the length of the blade like veins. As he opened his eyes, he saw that the flames of the blade seemed much more controlled, as they were now mixed with sparks of lightning, as well as a vicious wind that hummed constantly around it, containing both elements. The weight of the weapon suddenly grew in his hand, and at the same time, he felt an enormous amount of power washing over his body. The pressure made it hard to breathe.

  He lifted the blade slightly, and lightning tried to crash through the winds restraining them, as though begging to be released.

  Unreal... This strength is unreal.

  Most people would be unable to perform a skill so powerful, as they would risk their life force being drained through the overusage of mana. Leox didn't care though. If the gap between himself and Astra were so big, then he needed to feel confident that in a real fight, he would not be so useless.

  He did not want to lose anymore.

  Leox glanced around, making sure that no one had stumbled out into the field to watch him. From the looks of things, he was all alone.

  Good.

  He emptied the entirety of his life force into the blade, as well as the rest of his mana. The effects were immediate.

  First, the winds of the blade howled, no longer able to contain the sparks of lightning that ran down the length of the blade. The sound of thunder crashed through the field, as a viscous spark struck the air around him, coming from the blade that no longer had restrictions. It's lengths grew absurdly, now resembling a zig-zag line of thunder that struck out in all directions, lashing the ground beneath him with such power that cracks were left in the dirt and grass was lifted from where it had grown...

  Leox overheated his body, trying to handle the weight of the blade, but as soon as this skill was activated, a sudden feeling washed over him. Or rather, the absence of feeling.

  Immediately, all of his active skills faded away, as well as the light from his eyes, and the energy in his body. He felt himself drop the blade, and collapsed onto his back. He looked to be asleep, as the sighs of mana over usage wasn't evident on the surface, but deep down, he knew he was dead. His heart had exploded in his chest, and all of his organs had stopped working, but as always, his consciousness remained.

  He waited on the grass as he felt his body slowly remaking itself and bringing him back to life. He wondered how stupid what he just did really was.

  Then he realised that he didn't care. No one had seen him die, and in the process he has discovered many things.

  The extent of his strength, and the fact that in a real fight, he might really be able to match up to the likes of people like Astra.

  Leox sat up, and retrieved his blade, now recovered.

  Most importantly, he had awakened a variety of new skills.