Chapter 30
Path class (2)
After finding a seat near the front, with Kepa slumping into the one next to him, IAM's attention sharpened on the tall, light-skinned woman standing in the center of the arena.
Her hair was cut short, almost a buzz, the dirty blonde strands adding a rough edge to her look. She was lean, with her defined abs partially exposed beneath a customized hoodie that cut off just above her midsection.
Her striking blue eyes swept across the crowd, slow and deliberate. She gave a small, satisfied nod.
Then she spoke — her voice deep, deliberate, and unmistakably feminine:
"It's good to see you all. My name is Bell Jones. I am of the Emotion Path, with Level Experienced, and I'm a 3-Star Ascender. I'll be your Path Class instructor moving forward."
She gestured out toward the students.
"By now, most of you should have at least a basic understanding of what Paths of Ascension are. But for those who don't — let's make it clear.
A Path of Ascension is the journey you take to deeply understand a specific concept or element in order to affect the world around you. The higher your understanding of your path, the higher your level. That's it.
There are countless paths out there. For simplicity's sake, we group them into general branches — names like Emotion Path, War Path, Knowledge Path, and so on.
For example — I walk the Emotion Path, but more specifically, my path revolves around a single emotion: anger. That's it. Not sadness. Not joy. Not all emotion. Just anger. But the way I apply and understand that anger is what makes my methods different from anyone else's, even if they walk a similar path."
She paced a few steps, her hands behind her back.
"Here's what you need to understand: no two people apply their path the same way. Ever. Even if two people walk the exact same path, their understanding is different. After all every one understands things differently.
You could have a War Path user and an Emotion Path user — and both might specialize in healing. The War Path healer might use medicine, bandages, and grit — but with an effectiveness that surpasses common standards. The Emotion Path healer? They might restore your emotional equilibrium. Heal hatred. Calm grief. Boost courage.
That emotional healing could buff teammates — empower attacks through rage or increase defenses through joy."
She paused, letting the thought land.
"Powerful Paths aren't defined by how much damage they can deal or how hard they can defend. Power lies in the uniqueness of your understanding."
The room had gone still.
Then Bell clapped her hands once.
"Now… the juicy part. How do you weaponize that understanding?"
"First of all, your battle power is split into these sets, I personally prefer to call them methods rather than techniques:
Base Methods
"Lightweight attacks or defenses — meant to feel out an opponent.
You should aim to have at least three base attack and three base defense methods."
Special Methods
"More powerful. These are your real weapons — offense and defense.
Two of each is recommended."
Combo Methods
"You chain multiple methods together — usually to end a fight decisively or to block something overwhelming.
Try to develop at least one attack combo and one defensive combo."
Trump / Secret / Ultimate Methods
"Call it what you want. This is your ace.
A powerful method that pulls from the full depth of your understanding. You shouldn't rely on it — but when you use it, it should turn the tide.
You'll want at least one."
Healing Methods
"Every ascender should have at least one healing method, whether for physical recovery or something more abstract — like recovering from the emotional or spiritual backlash of someone else's path."
Death Method
"This is a method you only use once in your life.
A method infused with your path, mana, and life force to deal a final, devastating blow — or to seal something or someone.
It cannot be used for defense. Once used, you will die...
Bell folded her arms and looked across the hushed room.
"These are the method sets every ascender builds as they grow. No one starts with them all — but you'll eventually have them. The use of a mech can greatly amplify your methods — particularly up to the Master Level. However if you wish to keep using a mech, you can ...but It will be extremely expensive but just as effective.
"You've chosen to walk a path. From now on, every step forward is your responsibility. But remember — it's not power that defines your path.
It's how you understand it."
Bell clapped her hands again, drawing everyone's attention.
"Now, listen closely. When an Avien is first formed — you start at the level of a Novice.
At this level, your methods are incredibly inefficient. You haven't fully grasped your concept yet, and more importantly — you haven't learned how to let it flow naturally. So what happens?"
She paced slowly across the front of the arena, pausing briefly.
"You force it. You pull from your mana core — and you dump far more than necessary into your method just to make it work.
Let me give you an example."
"Let's say a Novice of the Fire Path wants to create a flame spear as a basic offensive method. With enough understanding, that spear could form using just a fraction of mana, flicked from the palm in an instant.
But for a Novice? They might dump ten times the mana, just to stabilize it — and even then it flickers, it sputters, it might not even launch correctly. That's not due to lack of potential — it's lack of refinement."
"So what's the consequence? You run out of mana. Fast."
Her eyes swept the class again, firm.
"At the Novice and Experience levels, most of you will only be able to use a handful of techniques in actual battle before you're drained. That's just reality.
And that's why combat ability becomes incredibly important."
She raised a fist.
"You all felt it by now — your bodies are different. That's not your imagination. Mana strengthens the body passively. It enhances your reactions, your speed, your strength. Your body becomes your true weapon.
Until your methods become efficient, you will rely more on fists, knees, weapons, and timing than on flashy techniques.
And when the time is right — when your opponent slips, or when you create the perfect opening — then you activate your method, not before."
She gave the class a sharp nod.
"I hope you're following. Do not look down on your physical classes — they are just as vital to your survival as path theory."
IAM found himself nodding along instinctively. It all clicked with what he'd read in the library.
A while later, the class ended. Conversations buzzed as students filed out of the dome classroom, some lost in thought, others excitedly chatting about paths and method combinations.
IAM stretched as he left his seat. Kepa yawned beside him.
"Bro… I need food. My brain's bleeding information," Kepa muttered, clutching his stomach dramatically.
IAM chuckled and waved him off as they parted ways.
The path to his tent was quiet. The soft brown sand of the Deadline cushioned his footsteps, just enough to slow but not hinder. The grey fog and the ever-present cloud cover, swayed slightly in the low wind.
Above, the sky was the same as always — dull grey clouds like a permanent dusk, muting the sunlight and lending the entire world a dreamlike haze. This strange colorless edge of the world where humans trained to fight beasts.
IAM ducked into his tent — his own space for now. Quiet. Still. A rare moment of peace.
He sat cross-legged and exhaled.
Finally... time to begin. I need to form an Avien....