The next day, Celetia arrived at the eastern courtyard early, but Nava was there before her, as usual, standing under the shade of a tree, jotting something down in a small notebook with no distinctive cover.
Celeletia (jokingly): I guess you never sleep.
Nava (without looking at her): Sleeping is a waste of time, sometimes.
He closed the notebook and put it in his pocket, then looked at her seriously:
Nava: Today, we'll change the type of training.
Celeletia: Will I learn Shiden combatively this time?
Nava: Not yet. First, your ability to listen to the energies around you must be tested as you move and press. Static knowledge is worthless in dynamic combat.
He waved his hand, and suddenly, five small energy spheres appeared around her, floating in the air and slowly rotating.
Nava: Each of these spheres is charged with a different energy. Your task is to distinguish the frequency of each one without touching it or using spells.
Celetia (astonished): This is... complicated. How am I going to do that with all this interference?
Nava: By separating sounds from the noise. That's what Shiden users do. Now... begin.
She slowly closed her eyes and began to sense the aura around her. At first, she felt a discordant din, as if she were in a marketplace crowded with dissonant sounds. But gradually, the sounds began to differentiate. One was sharp, another soft, like a whisper... the third was like a rapid heartbeat.
Nava (in a low voice): Three out of five... go on.
Suddenly, one of the spheres shot toward her at high speed. She opened her eyes and backed away quickly, but it wasn't enough.
Just before it hit her, she unconsciously raised her hand, and a small spark appeared. The sphere changed course and exploded in the air like a faint light.
Nava: Well done, but you didn't do it consciously.
Celetia (gasping): I was just scared...
Nava: Fear doesn't corrupt energy... it reveals its true nature.
Then he walked over to her and extended his hand to her.
Nava: Get up. The training isn't over yet.
She took his hand and stood up with difficulty.
But before it could begin again, an explosion sounded from the west. They both turned simultaneously and saw a column of smoke rising from behind the Chemistry Building.
Celetia: That building is dedicated to magical research...!
Nava: And that kind of smoke isn't the result of an ordinary experiment.
The two ran toward the site, and when they arrived, they saw a number of students fleeing in chaos, while in the center of the courtyard stood a strange young man with silver-black hair and his hands covered in glowing magical inscriptions. In front of him lay the professor of the subject, unconscious.
Nava (coldly): He's not an academy student, that's clear.
Stranger (coldly): Nava... Son of Chaos. We've finally met.
Seletia (shocked): He knows you!
Nava (without turning to her): Go away. This isn't training.
But she didn't move, and said,
Seletia: You said we're friends, right? Then I won't leave you alone.
Nava smiled for the first time since this morning and said,
Nava: Okay... then try not to die.
He raised his hand, and that familiar purple spark appeared again.
Nava: Shayden... First response.
The air around him shook, and a web of violet lightning formed in an instant, shooting like dancing threads toward the stranger. The stranger waved his hand, absorbing one of the blows into a black energy ring.
The stranger:
You're still as fast as I've been told... but have you learned to lose?
Nava responded with a silent nod and vanished, reappearing directly behind the stranger.
Seletia (stunned):
Instantaneous teleportation?! But without a formula!
With a swipe of his palm, Nava sent a shockwave that tore through the ground, but the stranger blocked it with a dark shield. Nava recoiled slightly, then shouted:
Nava:
Seletia, now!
She understood immediately and clenched her fist, trying to summon what she'd felt earlier. And she succeeded. A faint violet spark ignited in her palm.
Seletia:
Shidden... A mimic response!
She fired it hesitantly, but it hit the stranger in the shoulder. It wasn't a hard blow, but it disoriented him.
Stranger (resentimentally):
This child...!
Nava (deadly calm):
She's no longer a child. She's my best friend, and she'll surpass you one day.
At that moment, the two Sheden energies—Nava's and Celetia's—blew together, and a harmonious wave of hesitation rose between them.
Nava:
The end of chaos... begins with harmony.
The combined energy exploded, the dark defense was broken, and the stranger fell unconscious.
Celeletia stood up, gasping, then laughed lightly:
Celeletia:
We did it.
Nava (looking at her with a rare smile):
Yes... we did it together.