Garen pointed to an empty wooden bunk in the corner of the room.
You can take that one. Not much, but it's a bed.
Elric walked over and placed his bag on the thin mattress. The room was large and open. It had ten bunks, a few tables, and chairs. Everything was made of old, dark wood. Scratches and marks covered every surface. It smelled of sweat and sawdust.
A boy who had lost to Garen in arm wrestling was nursing his wrist.
You play too rough, Garen.
A quiet girl with brown hair walked over to the boy. She had a serious look on her face.
Let me see it.
She placed her hand over his wrist. A very faint, gentle green light glowed from her palm. The light was soft, not bright like the Cores in the main hall. The boy sighed in relief.
Thanks, Mira. You're the best.
The girl, Mira, nodded and went back to a small desk in the corner. She picked up a thick book and started reading again. She did not speak to anyone else.
Elric watched her. Her control was precise. The light was weak, but she used it well. She was hiding her true skill.
Garen laughed and slapped Elric on the back. The hit was solid.
That's Mira. She patches us up when we do something stupid. Which is often.
Elric looked around the room. A few other students were there. One was sharpening a knife. Another was asleep, snoring loudly. They all looked like they belonged there. They were fighters, idlers, and outcasts.
The next morning, the F-class students walked to their first lesson. Their classroom was not in the main academy. It was a small, dusty training yard behind their dormitory.
Their instructor was a man named Borr. He had a tired face and a grey uniform. He looked at the group of seven students with no interest.
Borr said,
You are F-class. You have the weakest Cores or no Core at all. The academy does not expect much from you. Your training will be simple. You will do physical exercises. Maybe you will be useful as foot soldiers one day. Run twenty laps around the yard. Go.
He sat down on a wooden stool and watched them.
Garen groaned.
Twenty laps? On the first day?
But he started running. The other students followed, complaining. Elric started running too. He kept a steady pace. His breathing was even. For a war general, this was nothing.
Garen ran next to him for the first few laps. He was already breathing hard.
How are you not tired? You don't have a Core to help with stamina.
Elric replied,
I am used to exercise.
He kept running. He passed the other students one by one. Soon, he was far ahead of everyone. He finished his twenty laps while the others were only on lap twelve.
He stopped in front of Instructor Borr. The instructor looked at him with a little surprise.
You are fast.
Elric just stood there, breathing calmly.
As he waited for the others, he watched them run. He noticed Garen starting to slow down. His right foot was about to land awkwardly on a loose stone. At the same time, another student running nearby stumbled.
For a split second, Elric saw something strange. A very thin, shimmering line, like a heatwave in the air, connected Garen's foot and the other student's path. It was a line of bad luck. An accident waiting to happen.
Elric felt a strange pull inside him. An instinct to reach out and change it. He focused on the shimmering line. He imagined it breaking.
The other student suddenly caught his balance. Garen's foot landed safely, missing the loose stone completely. The moment passed. No one fell.
No one noticed anything.
Elric blinked. The shimmering line was gone. He felt a sharp, cold drain on his own energy. It was a tiny feeling, like losing a single drop of blood. He put a hand on his chest.
Garen finished his laps and stumbled over to him, panting.
I almost tripped back there. Lucky I didn't.
Elric looked at Garen. Then he looked at his own hand. He had done something. He did not know how. But he knew it was real.