Akira sat upright in bed, trying to look as awake as humanly possible — which wasn't very. His body screamed sleep, but the faint glow in his chest demanded focus.
"If I close my eyes just a little—" he whispered.
His head dipped.
Mana wavered.
His consciousness slipped—
CRACK.
A sudden jolt of energy shot up his spine.
Akira yelped and shot to his feet. "Okay! Okay! I'm awake!"
His gaze darted around, expecting Damian.
But the room was empty.
Instead, a thin glowing rune floated near the ceiling, pulsing like a watchful eye.
A magical alarm.
"Oh great," Akira groaned. "He installed surveillance magic. I am officially a prisoner."
He paced back and forth, tapping his cheeks, trying to stay awake.
"Just need to drill maintaining mana at all times into my brain no big deal" said Akira trying to manipulate himself.
That night Akira could not sleep.
Akira paced, hummed, did squats, even headbutted the wall once — gently — anything to force his mind to stay active.But his vision blurred more and more with every passing hour. The mana in his chest flickered like a candle fighting a storm.
Time crawled.
When the first rays of morning sunlight crept through the window, Akira was sitting on the floor, hugging his knees, dark circles under his eyes deep enough to be voids.
A knock echoed sharply against the door.
Knock. Knock.
Akira didn't even react.
The door opened without waiting for permission.
Damian stepped inside — well-rested, perfectly groomed, and clearly enjoying himself.
"Good morning," he said with a calm smile. "How was your sleep?"
Akira slowly turned his head toward him, eyes dead. Something inside him snapped.
Mana surged — wild, unsteady, but burning hot.
"You think this is funny?" he growled, pushing himself up on shaking legs.
Damian blinked, surprised by the sudden flare. "Oh?"
Akira shot forward.
His fist swung, wrapped in unstable mana, blasting toward Damian's smirking face.
A foolish move.A reckless move.A satisfying move.
Damian merely raised two fingers.
CLINK.
The punch stopped mid-air — trapped by invisible force.
Akira strained, teeth bared. "You ruined my night… you— you sadist—!"
Damian's smirk widened ever so slightly.Not offended.Not angry.
Amused. Pleased.
"Aww is our poor hero angry," Damian mocked as the scenery around them changed.
He flicked his finger causing Akira to go flying backwards on the ground.
Akira groaned, pushing himself up. Soft grass brushed his fingers.
His confusion slipped through the cracks of his anger."What—? Where did you—?"
Damian clasped his hands behind his back, strolling casually across the grass like they were out for a morning picnic.
"You stopped."He sighed dramatically. "Don't tell me that was all you got."
Mana flared wildly around him — no control, no plan, no thought.
Just rage.
He charged, feet pounding the ground, arms pulled back for a reckless strike.
"THERE HE IS," Damian laughed — delighted, taunting, unbothered. "The little human who thinks fury can replace skill."
Akira swung wildly, again and again — each punch fueled by pure anger, each one missing by humiliating inches.
Damian dodged with lazy grace, stepping aside like Akira was a drunk toddler.
"You're not attacking."Damian's voice sharpened, mockery slicing deeper."You're throwing a tantrum."
Akira roared — and threw another punch that left him wide open.
Damian tapped his forehead with a single finger.
BOOM—
The world flipped as Akira crashed and rolled across the grass again.
Damian's footsteps approached, unhurried.
"Look around yourself," he said, voice suddenly colder. "You are hurting yourself and you don't even realize it."
Akira blinked — confused — then followed his gaze downward.
His arms were burning.
"What—"A sharp sting shot through him.
"AH—!" He yelped, clutching his arm. The pain finally hit.
He tried to pull the mana back inside — tried to will it to behave but Damian didn't wait.
A spear of compressed air ripped through the space Akira had been standing in.
Akira barely rolled aside — gasping, heart pounding."What the hell?!" he shouted. "Are you trying to kill me?!"
"Right now," he said, forming another spell in his palm,"I am your enemy."
Akira stared, breath shaking.
"So yes — I want you to die."
He snapped his fingers.
Another blast shrieked toward Akira.
"Unless—" Damian continued, voice rising over the wind,"you control your mana while surviving my attacks!"
Akira scrambled to his feet, adrenaline forcing his body to move.
"But I can't focus on both!" he shouted, ducking behind a burst of mana-charged grass.
Damian spread his arms.
"That is the lesson."
Akira's heart thundered.
His skin burned.
The next spell was already coming.
And this time…
He had no choice but to fight smart.