Echoes of Three Years
Amaya Green's gaze bore into Kai Dawnsworn, sharp and unwavering. Seeing the faint, mischievous smile on his face, her mind involuntarily drifted back three years to the Academy Entry Talent Inspection.
He had been only twelve then, standing before the gathered masters of Greenhold Academy. While the other children trembled with nerves and stammered in their evaluations, Kai Dawnsworn's smile had remained natural, proud, unshaken—completely unbothered by the weight of scrutiny.
That inspection had confirmed his exceptional talent, the caliber of his perception of Mana unparalleled among his peers. The verdict had been clear: he was a natural at martial arts.
Now, three years later, nothing had changed in his perception, nor had his plane advanced. He was still the same casual, lazy youth, often absent from class. Yet, the spark in his golden eyes—the clarity and brightness—remained undimmed.
"What if you can't?" Amaya asked softly, the edge of worry hidden beneath her composed tone.
"It's your call," Kai Dawnsworn replied lightly, as if the stakes mattered little to him.
"Please, do not put Boomer's future in jeopardy," Amaya said, glancing toward the boy seated behind Kai.
Boomer's metal-element perception had already reached the eighth Awakened Plane, the Transfigure Plane, surpassing even Amaya herself, who had attained the seventh Awakened Plane, the Enigma. His path was bright, and it could not be jeopardized by Kai Dawnsworn's recklessness.
"Sure," Kai Dawnsworn said, a faint grin tugging at his lips. But in his mind, he knew the truth—could he truly succeed?
Amaya turned back to the podium, her long black hair swaying as she moved with elegant authority. Her green eyes swept across the room, settling briefly on each student. "There is only one month before the Fall Quarter Examination. Use this time wisely. If you wait until next spring, a new batch of students will join and compete. Leo, you are on the sixth Awakened Plane, the Impervious; Feya, you have lingered on the fifth Awakened Plane, the Unstoppable, for far too long. I want both of you to make real progress by next year's Spring Quarter Examination."
The Awakened Plane was the first level of development, divided into nine distinct planes: Nexus, Growth, Vascular, Resolute, Unstoppable, Impervious, Enigma, Transfigure, and Nullforge.
To secure official student status at Greenhold Academy, one had to reach the seventh Awakened Plane, the Enigma, before turning eighteen and demonstrate corresponding achievement in the Spring Quarter Examination.
"I will, Ms. Green," Leo said firmly, while Feya clenched her fists, her determination blazing brighter than ever.
"You are dismissed," Amaya murmured, then turned and left the classroom. Her graceful figure commanded the gaze of all, leaving the boys' eyes glued to her as she exited. Once the door clicked shut behind her, the room's attention snapped back to Kai Dawnsworn—the audacious boy who had so recently dared to disrespect their goddess.
"Turn around, Kai Dawnsworn," came a cold, sharp voice, drawing every eye. Feya, seated behind him, had risen.
Despite being only fifteen, Feya's beauty was undeniable. Her delicate eyes glimmered with authority, her features exquisite, and the vitality of youth made her both pure and captivating. She stood, legs long and graceful, her presence alone commanding respect.
"How could you do this?" Feya demanded, anger flashing in her black eyes.
Kai Dawnsworn laughed softly, a hint of amusement dancing across his golden eyes. "You're jealous, aren't you?"
Feya froze, momentarily rendered speechless. A few breaths later, she pressed on. "How will you explain this to your father?"
"Explain what?" Kai Dawnsworn blinked, then recalled his father's crude remark about her—about how Feya's curves would make her a good mother. His gaze had lingered longer than he intended.
"Stop thinking weird thoughts! We are still young; it's not time to talk about children yet," Feya snapped, cheeks burning.
The classroom fell silent at his audacity. The other boys' expressions were a mix of rage and disbelief. First, he had flirted with Amaya Green; now he spoke shamelessly to Feya, who was undeniably beautiful and barely fifteen. What kind of youth was this?
Feya's mind raced. She recalled her father's awkward joke with Kai Dawnsworn's father about the two of them having children. Her blush deepened, realizing that the boy's audacity was no accident—he was mocking her deliberately.
"I meant… if you were expelled from the academy after the Fall Quarter Examination, how would you explain that to your father?" Feya clarified, chest rising and falling with controlled breaths. Her disbelief was palpable; she could not imagine Kai Dawnsworn passing the examination while still trapped on the Nexus Plane.
"I will pass," Kai Dawnsworn said calmly, shaking his head slightly, his golden eyes steady on hers.
A new voice cut sharply through the tension. "Come on, you've been stuck on the Nexus Plane for three years, yet you're still confident? Seriously, Kai Dawnsworn, spell the word 'shame' for me," said Leo, seated behind Feya, his tone cold and measured.
Leo, a prodigious wind-element mage, had already reached the sixth Awakened Plane, the Impervious, and his talent marked him as extraordinary among the fifteen-year-old cohort. His gaze, however, remained fixed on Feya, not on Kai Dawnsworn.
"You are the worst in this class, yet you talk nonsense to a girl like Feya," Leo continued, voice calm but sharp. "Your confidence comes from nowhere. No wonder people say, 'he who knows not, fears not.'"
His words carried the weight of the entire classroom, echoing their collective judgment of Kai Dawnsworn—the most shameless of them all.
Boomer, standing silently beside Kai Dawnsworn, radiated a quiet authority. His presence alone demanded respect from his peers, the subtle aura of a rising cultivator that few could ignore.
"Boomer," Feya whispered, almost involuntarily, as her dark eyes followed his commanding presence.