The Runic Alchemist

"I don't know…" Damian replied, starting to eat his food.

"Oh… Okay…" Grace's face showed a flicker of confusion, but she didn't press further.

Minutes passed in silence, everyone quietly eating as their eyes wandered around the hall. More and more kids began trickling in after completing their tests.

"That's Lucian Goldilocks.. She is impressive.." Grace said, noticing Einar watching Lucian's group intently. Her face betrayed a mix of complicated emotions as she spoke.

"Ah…" Einar quickly broke her gaze. "No, I was just wondering how that ice spell worked. She didn't even chant, and I've never seen a spell used with a sword slash before, let alone an ice spell.." She explained her thoughts more thoroughly, her curiosity evident.

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"Yeah, it's just as mysterious as the first time I saw it," Grace replied. Sam and Evrin glanced briefly toward Lucian before returning to their lunch.

"It wasn't a spell. Just a simple aura slash," Damian added offhandedly from the side, not bothering to look up.

"A simple aura slash? What kind of aura slash freezes people?" Einar replied, her skepticism plain to see.

"Vidalia's aura radiates natural effect enhancing her wood style.. Kazak's aura feels like the fury of a wild predator. Yours, Einar, feels super angry—though not particularly strong to sense. I think mastery over aura gives it a unique quality, like an extension of the person's nature. Everyone's soul is different, so their aura would be too, right? That's my best theory, anyway," Damian explained casually, still eating in peace alongside Toph.

"Vidalia? Aunt Vidalia?" Evrin's expression shifted to one of pure shock.

Einar and Grace also stared at him, as though seeing him in a new light. The silence grew heavy. Finally noticing the attention, Damian looked up and frowned.

"What?"

"What are you even talking about?" Sam asked, his tone skeptical. "Aura doesn't have feelings. No one can sense it unless they're a skilled aura master—and even then, there's no such thing as the 'nature' of aura. Just that a person is nearby.."

Huh? Damian frowned. Just like with mana, did they not feel the qualities a powerful aura exuded? He'd always assumed aura sensing was universal. Mana sensitivity varied by lineage, control, or quantity, but aura? That should've been the same for everyone… right? The hell.. So many years and he was still lacking common knowledge of this civilization..

"Are you saying Lucian's aura feels like freezing?" Grace asked, her interest piqued.

"Why do you think they call her 'The Northern Ice Blade'?" Damian replied with a nod.

"You know her?" Sam asked, a tinge of some new understanding creeping up behind his bright blue eyes.

"I've traveled through Dawnstar before," Damian replied simply.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Grace tilted her head, her brow furrowed in thought, but fortunately, no one pressed further. Evrin, however, kept muttering her aunt's name under her breath, which the group collectively chose to ignore.

After finishing his meal, Damian returned to his room. Sam and Einar went with Evrin to settle her into the VIP section before their third test, scheduled for the evening. As he left the mess hall, Damian caught sight of his younger brother sitting alone in a corner, eating quietly. Wealthy and noble kids gave him a wide berth, but the boy didn't seem to care—his focus was elsewhere, likely frustrated with his performance in the second test. He'd been one of the below-50 scorers. He was so young, why was he trying so hard to join.. Could have waited a few years..

Damian had not slept much last night, he read for a while as Toph sprawled on his chest, fast asleep; as if he had run a marathon and was tired. Seeing him, Damian also dozed off. When he woke, the sky had darkened—it was just past sunset. That was longer than he intended to sleep. Toph was already up, bounding across the fancy carpet in the room.

After refreshing himself, Damian left to find his companions. The mana-sensing walls didn't completely block his perception of people outside the room, though they dampened it somewhat. As he walked, he scanned the hallways and ceilings for runic circles, but, same as before, he found nothing. Toph tilted his head in confusion at Damian's odd behavior, as did the occasional passerby.

Sensing Einar and Evrin still on the campus grounds, Damian headed there. The hallways grew more crowded as he approached the common area, forcing him to focus on maneuvering around the throng rather than his search for runes. Students returning from their tests displayed a range of emotions—satisfaction, joy, and mostly disappointment.

Even with assigning students across all three years-based on their performance, many were still not given the admission. Not everyone was warrior material after all. The crafting and scholarly section, people entered less, but even from there-not everyone would pass the entrance exam.

At the end of the day, this academy's purpose was to cultivate talents for the Highsword organization. But only very few could join each year and most just moved on with their lives. In later years, it had kind of transformed into a gathering stage for youths of all five kingdoms, to mingle with each other, to make good connections, possibly choose a partner or something. Well for the nobles at least.

For commeners, even first year students once getting in and failing in their second year, would be considered a pretty good talent and get many good mercenary or other related jobs. They also got hired by minor nobles in their households.

The grounds were brightly lit, creating an almost festive atmosphere. Damian moved through the crowd, ignoring familiar faces and mana signatures from earlier that morning. However, he noticed one person tailing him persistently. Annoyed, he veered off into a quieter part of the grounds, but the pursuer still remained.

Finally, in a darker, secluded area, Damian stopped and turned sharply. His sudden movement startled the young girl trailing him. She froze under his emotionless gaze, her nervousness and fear plain to see. Damian failed to recognize her.