POV: Rai Shinsei
"Good morning class. There was an incident I was involved in earlier, therefore, I was late, but as you all know, I have received your grades for the final exam and so, I will read them out to you all in order from the lowest scoring team, to the highest scoring team." Rylie stated as she cleared her throat noisily, prompting the classroom to quiet down as many students were eager to hear their results while the others remained unbothered.
"You were graded on a numerical scale as your grade reflects on how much you contributed to your mission. Any team below a 50 has failed."
"Coming in last is Team Orianna. Your team received a 56 and here are your individual grades."
"Orianna Blade, 80."
"Barry Ferrow, 61."
"Jacqueline Ayi, 54."
"Felix Schneider, 48."
"Jeffery Crestview, 37."
"In third place is Team Levy. Your team received a 63 as here are your individual grades."
"Levy Hysteria, 78."
"Ayla Lowa, 71"
"Daniel Locust, 63."
"Nathaniel Griffon, 59."
"Owen Petrov, 46."
"In second place is Team Emma. Your team received a 73 as here are your individual grades."
"Emma Korisuki, 91."
"Isen Saki, 87."
"Celeste Dami, 72."
"Jason Valdez, 63."
"Grey Yokusei, 50."
"As for first place is Team Rai. Your team received a 75 as here are your individual grades."
"Arthur Kojiro, 98."
"Aria Akari, 87."
"Everett Laventh, 76."
"Sarah Iyasu, 65."
"And lastly, Rai Shinsei, 50."
"For those who individually failed, consider yourself lucky as you were graded as a team, not individually, therefore, everyone passed their first exam." Rylie said with a smile as most of the class began celebrating until Rylie started class and in less than five minutes, I was unable to maintain my focus as I was mentally drained from boredom, inspiring me to let my mind drift away into obscurity.
Now I'm certain.
There's no way I can do this for three more years.
With a sigh, I directed my attention towards the window onto my left as I began watching a performance carried out by many cherry blossom petals, the grace of wind allowing them to dance through the air as I was more entertained by the act of nature than Rylie's tedious lecturing until I recalled the incident I was involved in before class.
It was rash acting out the way I did.
My actions nearly destroyed my image of being weak, but I was lucky that Rylie appeared in the moment, which reminds me…
"Your exam report states that your Aspect is a normal-type that enhances your reflexes, but your last name is telling me otherwise."
She's been aware of me since the beginning of my enrollment, although, it's not just my Aspect that she's aware of, but also my last name, which is strange.
After my parents death, I scoured the internet for answers as I assumed there must have been a reason why they were killed, but to my dismay, there was nothing.
My father's name was Ryu Shinsei while my mother's name was Evelyn Shinsei, but despite spending hours a day for an entire month—searching for anything related to my parents, there was absolutely nothing and yet, you're telling me a teacher from a prestigious hero academy is aware of my last name-
Abrupting my deep thought was none other than a piece of chalk, which was launched into my forehead by Rylie as the impact caused me to fall backwards out of my chair, inspiring several students to snicker as I laid on the floor in a daze.
That actually hurt.
"Rai, why don't you explain the natural property of Aura? It seems to me that you already know everything about the Principle Of Aura—since you have the luxury of dozing off in my class." Rylie asked wryly as amidst picking myself up from the floor, I overheard a few students mock my intelligence as I noticed Arthur, who was sleeping peacefully as I let out an irritable sigh from the blatant favoritism.
You're telling me Arthur is allowed to have a royal slumber and yet, I can't even doze off for a minute?
I'll just give her the correct answer and pray that she leaves me alone.
"Aura is the manifestation of your Aspect in the form of intangible energy." I answered as a few students were visibly surprised by my answer while Rylie's smile only grew.
"That is correct, but also incorrect." Rylie affirmed as she activated her Aspect, concealing her Aspectual Force in the midst as I sat back down, waiting for her to explain as I was curious to know how I was wrong.
"Rai, you are correct about your Aura being the manifestation of your Aspect, but you are wrong about its property." Rylie stated as her pink aura began flowing gently around her body.
"As you all know, even the weakest Aspector has the potential to cripple—or even kill the strongest human as the body of a Non-Aspector cannot endure an Aspector's might, yet an Aspector can effortlessly endure the might of the strongest human. Why do you think that is?" Rylie asked the class as a whole, waiting for anyone to answer as the deafening silence only grew.
"Isen, what do you believe is responsible for enhancing an Aspector's durability?" Rylie asked as Isen took a moment to think before answering.
"It's your Aspect, right?" Isen answered in a rather confused tone.
"Wrong. It's your Aura, but there's a common misconception that Aura is intangible as many believe that your Aspect is responsible for enhancing your durability when in reality, that's not true at all as Aura is certainly tangible, regardless if it's manipulated or not. For an example-"
"Arthur, come up here." Rylie called out, awakening Arthur as he yawned and stood up from his desk, approaching Rylie as the two of them stood a few feet across from each other.
"Now, attack me with your sword." Rylie added as Arthur followed her orders without any hesitation, unsheathing his sword as he slashed Rylie across her chest, but despite Arthur's raw strength, Rylie's aura seemed to have deflected the blade of Arthur's sword away as the impact creating faint sparks of pink while many of my classmates gasped incredulously with their mouths agape.
"H-How?" Isen uttered as Arthur sheathed his sword.
"While your Aspect does play a part in enhancing your physical prowess, it's your Aura that naturally protects you from danger." Rylie answered.
"While that may be true, couldn't you just have inadvertently manipulated your Aura subconsciously as you knew where Arthur was attacking? How can we be so sure that our Aura is truly responsible for protecting us?" A girl questioned as I noticed she looked almost identical to Selene—with the only exception being that her hair was much shorter as she kept it in a ponytail with long, silky bangs resting across her forehead.
"That is true, Emma. Therefore to answer your question-"
Amidst her explanation, Rylie manipulated her aura solely around her right hand, exposing her torso as Emma narrowed her eyes and began watching Rylie intently.
"Arthur, attack me once more with your sword." Rylie instructed as Arthur nodded, unsheathing his sword as he slashed through Rylie's torso, though this time, the blade of Arthur's sword wasn't deflected, but instead, it carved through Rylie's chest as if he had sliced through tofu, arousing many gasps of consternation as Rylie's blood splattered across the platform where her desk resided.
"Ms. Rylie!" Isen shouted anxiously as in the moment he was about to rush towards her, Rylie's wound began to heal over the course of a minute as Rylie shifted her focus to Emma, who was astonished as Rylie's aura remained solely around her right hand.
"As you all just witnessed, Arthur, whose Aspect isn't even activated, was able to inflict a lethal wound on me, despite my Aspect being active."
"Aura Manipulation is very important as the stronger your Aspectual Power is, the stronger your Aura will become and in a world where the number of Aspectors is only growing, the number of villains is also, which is why it's important for you all to gain insight into Aura as in the near future, it could very well save your life." Rylie urged sternly as the classroom grew silent once more until it was broken by a cheerful clap from Rylie.
"Alright! Before I continue explaining the Principle Of Aura, I'm aware that some of you are already capable of Aura Manipulation, which is why the requirement to pass the final exam will not be if you're capable of manipulating Aura…"
"But instead, the requirement to pass the exam is being capable of manipulating your Aura in the midst of a spar as in a real fight, you won't have the luxury of time." Rylie stated as she sent Arthur back to his desk while several students were left confused, trading glances between themselves as Aria raised her hand, prompting Rylie to call on her.
"Are we allowed to choose our sparring partner?" Aria asked.
"During your free time, you are allowed to spar with whoever you want, but on the day of the exam, your sparring partner will be chosen at random to prevent any cheating." Rylie answered as another student raised their hand, prompting Rylie to call on them.
"What happens if we fail?" One of the students asked as his question amused Rylie.
"For those who fail the exam will result in expulsion." Rylie answered, leaving a few students apprehensive while others voiced their complaints, but despite their mixed reactions, I found this as an opportunity as I felt a faint smile creep onto my face.
Wait…
This is perfect, isn't it?!
If I fail this exam, I'm expelled, meaning that even if Ryan tries to deny my expulsion, he'll be faced with backlash for favoritism or even better—he'll have to go against the Council!
Ryan may be the Headmaster, but against the votes of the Council, there's no way the vote of one man can overrule five, despite his position!
Finally, I found a way out!
~
Amidst Rylie's three hour lecturing, I fell asleep as I was eventually awoken by Aria, who giggled at my dazed expression as I noticed the classroom was empty, but jolting my senses was none other than Ryan, who leaned on the edge of Rylie's desk with a grin as Rylie quietly sorted through paperwork.
Why is Ryan here?
Wiping my drool from my mouth, I grabbed my school bag and stood from my desk as I approached Ryan with Aria walking alongside me.
"Hey Rai! Did you enjoy your nap?" Ryan asked as Rylie slid her paperwork aside and shifted her focus onto me, startling my nerves as I was unable to figure out their intentions.
"What's going on here?" I asked, slightly nervous.
"I'm sure with that clever brain of yours, you decided to fail the exam on purpose so you can be expelled, but unfortunately, I won't allow that, so this is what's going to happen."
"If you fail the exam, not only will I take away your keycard, which has access to any building within the grounds of the academy, but I will also force you to attend remedial classes that span for up to five hours a day, which will take place right after this class. Do you understand?" Ryan asked sternly as I clicked my tongue in annoyance from his perceptiveness.
You've got to be kidding me.
"I'm the one who raised you. Did you really think that I wouldn't be able to read your mind?" Ryan asked with a grin as he ruffled through my hair with his hand, provoking my anger as I tried to strike his face, but to my frustration, Ryan activated his Aspect, concealing his Aspectual Force in the midst as my fist was unable to reach him due to the pressure of his wind protecting his body.
"Alright, I understand, but surely there's a reward out of this, right?" I asked as I noticed a smile beginning to grow across Rylie's face.
"You are correct. There is a reward for you if you pass, so focus on meeting the requirements first." Rylie answered as I found her tone somewhat condescending, which irked me as I let out a sigh.
I don't know what the reward is, but assuming that she's aware of my surname, she should have some idea of what my Aspect is, meaning that hiding it from her is pointless, so in order to determine whether she knows my father or my mother…
I'll activate my Aspect.
"There's no need for me to focus as I already meet the requirements." I affirmed as I activated my Aspect, concealing my presence in the midst as I manipulated my aura effortlessly around my body, surprising Aria as Rylie remained unfazed while Ryan found my display amusing, his grin widening as I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
So she knows my mother, but…
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"Your entire class will be watching your exam. Are you just going to carelessly reveal your Aspect to them?" Ryan asked as I was left speechless, unable to respond as I began to ponder for an answer.
He's right.
In order to pass the exam, I'll have to activate my Aspect, which wouldn't be a problem if I possessed any other type of Aspect other than an elemental-type.
An elemental-type Aspector's aura involves their respective element within them, allowing your opponent or anyone watching to easily guess your Aspect.
This exam was impossible for me from the start-
"You're thinking it's impossible because of your Aspect, right?" Ryan asked as the wind surrounding him suddenly vanished, leaving only his mint green aura flowing gently around him as he began manipulating his aura around his body effortlessly.
His wind is… gone?!
"The only hint I'll give you is that the technique you are currently using to conceal your presence is the key to concealing your lightning." Ryan added with a grin as I watched him seamlessly manipulate his aura around his body while his wind was concealed, his actions provoking my pride as I tried to imitate him, but within a minute of imitation, I was utterly lost as I was unable to conceal my lightning, let alone manipulate my aura amidst the process, despite running many theories within my mind as Ryan deactivated his Aspect.
I can't do it?!
"As I said before…"
"There is a reward for you if you pass, so focus on meeting the requirements." Rylie stated, amused from my failure as I deactivated my Aspect, annoyed as not only did my plan to escape the academy was all for naught, but ahead of me was a harsh month of training, rousing a sigh of defeat from me as I chortled from imagining what my future had in store for me.
Why…
Why does nothing ever go my way?