As the sunlight streamed through the training room windows, the faces of twenty-three children lit up in excitement, save for one.
So it's just another form of martial arts. Haven't we mastered enough already…Damon slowly drifted into thought as he stared at the chalkboard.
What's the point when we could just gain our own Forte.
They should have all met the conditions necessary to awaken a Forte at the age of thirteen, and yet, besides Vincent and a few others, most of them had not.
...
The culminated resources the director had access to allowed for everyone to receive the best food supplements and dietary guides, be they ward or attendant.
In the last fifteen years, newsletters had reported a steady rise in mundane citizens awakening weaker Fortes; hence, not having one was becoming more uncanny by the day.
Therefore, if not for the intentional halting of their development, how could they not be numbered among the gifted?
...
Clenching his fingers tightly, Damon returned his attention to Vincent.
His brother began to briefly introduce the concept of consciousness fields for four girls who, two days prior, had been absent during their biology lesson.
Damon had already discussed this at length with the librarian and the biology teacher, Mr. Ying, nonetheless, he could not help but focus his mind on every word.
The field was a mass of thought matter that spread throughout the human body. Anyone without a Forte could learn to channel this to specific organs or extremities, further enhancing them. However, the ideal method was to force that matter outward, shaping it into an illusion to disorient the enemy.
At that moment, a girl with twin tails raised her hand from that very group. "Um… I don't understand. If this can only be used one way, shouldn't we focus on something more flexible?"
"If it were a regular illusion, you'd be right, but Mother took it one step further and replicated the effect of a Forte," Vincent replied.
As his voice rose in pitch, he gestured to the two words before continuing, "In creating Phantesia Echo, she devised a method of shaping a single reflection to daze any opponent on contact."
Is this why we haven't been allowed to awaken our Fortes!?Damon almost stood up as his prior thoughts were blown away.
"Are we going to learn how to replicate others?" he inquired. Unconsciously, his body leaned forward as he waited for an answer.
Vincent veered his gaze toward him and replied with amusement, "Maybe in the next two years, but for now, you're still too green."
Then, softening the corners of his lips, he gazed at the faces of everyone present and coughed. "If everyone understands the idea, I'll be doing a demonstration. Does anyone want to volunteer to be my assistant?"
Thereafter, a storm of whispers stirred. It seemed as if none among them was willing to be the subject of whatever devious ploy the boy was crafting.
I doubt there would be anyone dumb enough to….Damon muttered, rolling his eyes.
He could barely finish his sentence before he recalled there was indeed such a buffoon in their midst…
And as if he could not be more predictable, Kayn was the first to offer.
"I'll do it!" the boy shouted, raising his hand energetically.
"That's the spirit, brother," Vincent nodded in approval. "The rest of you need to show some guts too. We weren't raised to be wimps."
While feeling wronged by the remark, the others suppressed the displeasure creeping through their expressions and turned their gazes to Kayn as he stood up. They were not expecting him to charge toward another fire so soon.
Henry's expression was slightly solemn. He grabbed a hold of Kayn's trouser fabric as the boy took a step forward. "Hey! Are you sure you're up for it…?"
"Why not? Helping Vincent's always fun," Kayn answered with a wide smile.
"You're the only one who thinks that…"
Damon folded his arms and pressed his lips together with a light frown.
"Will you all lighten up," Vincent chuckled. "I won't play any tricks… heh."
"Don't worry, brother, I believe you!" Kayn pumped his fist with conviction.
He brushed away Henry's hand, seemingly disregarding his worries. With a bright expression, he strode towards the front of the room, the floorboards squeaking with every step.
"Good. I'll be making an echo of my hand. I want you to strike it anyway you like," Vincent instructed before waving his right hand.
They held their breaths in anticipation as they gazed at his moving wrist.
A trail of after-images began to appear, distorting the sight of everyone present. Their forms soon condensed; however, only one shifted ahead of his real hand, the line between the former and the latter slowly blurring.
"You can attack n—"
Kayn struck the moment Vincent began to speak.
His right elbow shot forth, seeking to grasp that moment of dissonance.
Bang!
Vincent's sight was blocked as he held up his left hand to defend. A second later, the pink-haired youth stretched out his left palm and reached for the overlapping hands.
His fingers made contact, disrupting the illusion. Yet, his expression quickly hardened. Kayn's eyes darted around in protest as he struggled to move a muscle.
As if a statue, his body had become rigid!
That last attack was pretty impressive...Damon thought as his brows shot up.
The strategy would have been simple for anyone else. But he was rather surprised that his brother, whom he believed to be a mere simpleton, had thought of it.
Nonetheless, the outcome was expected.
After Kayn regained the ability to move, Vincent concluded the demonstration, instructing them to form pairs of two and practice shaping the matter until they could create an illusion.
Upon hearing this, Henry hastily paired up with Kayn, whom he assumed could provide some insight, leaving everyone else to shuttle around to find their own partners.
As Damon watched from the sidelines, his options quickly dwindled until only one girl remained.
Much like him, she was considered a loner among the group, though his slightly darker appearance and cold demeanor might have played a greater role in his case. As she tried approaching someone to form a pair, they awkwardly turned their heads and ignored her as if she were air.
It was as clear as day that she was being ostracized.
Thankfully, Vincent did not hesitate to step in as the two formed a pair; consequently, however, Damon had lost his usual training partner.
I might be on my own, but it can't be that hard, right…?Damon immediately failed on his first attempt when the thought matter collapsed into thin vapor.
However, on his second, he noticed a slight improvement as the matter persisted for half a second longer. Seeing this, he held onto the hope that he would be able to finish the task.
But despite his best efforts, he was unable to form even a simple ant before the hour had reached its end.
Why isn't this working…!?Frustrated, Damon gave up, and his eyes began to wander.
Around him, the other children similarly struggled. One boy accidentally smacked his partner in the face. A girl burst into tears when her echo flickered and died.
Meanwhile, Vincent walked between them, offering quiet corrections as a few began to leave the room for their next class.