—By protocol, young Silas —an officer explained with a formal tone—. It is a normal procedure that all those entering the academy early from villages far from the city of Haniel must undergo a re-evaluation. It is common for the old Baptism machines found in villages to have some margin of error, and here we have specialized equipment for Ether. However, we must wait at least three weeks from your initial Baptism to perform a new evaluation. There could be residual energy that generates a false positive or distorts the reading. So, you have time to adapt.
Silas assimilated the information with a mixture of surprise and determination. ?Fourteen days?, he calculated. ?Have passed since my Baptism. That leaves me only seven exact days to manage to look like a Legionary before the machine?. The challenge was immense.
General Andros said goodbye to Silas, patting him on the back. —Professor Chris will show you the facilities. Any problem, use my name and it will be resolved quickly.
A man of about thirty approached, tall and with the bearing of a veteran warrior. It was Combat Professor Chris, his face furrowed by minor scars and a shrewd gaze. Shorter and slimmer than Andros, he had military-cut black hair and serious brown eyes. —Silas, welcome to the Jared VII Academy. I am Professor Chris. I will give you a tour.
Chris guided Silas through the vast grounds. He showed him the imposing combat practice halls, equipped with training golems and gaseous mana force fields that simulated real combat safely. Then, they passed through the Ether channeling rooms, soundproof spaces where cadets practiced the difficult task of drawing in and concentrating this vital energy. The library, a sanctuary of knowledge, housed volumes on military tactics, legendary strategies, and, to Silas's surprise, some rudimentary texts on the nature of Ether.
Professor Chris, with a solemnity that seemed to announce the importance of the place, explained to Silas: —Recruit Silas, this academy is divided into two: the Academy for Legionary Initiates and the Academy of Legionary Specialization. You will enter the initiates' one, which focuses on the young promises of the kingdom.
Chris continued his explanation as they toured the Specialization Academy. Many rooms were observed, though with a reduced number of recruits, given the academy's strict filter for approval.
—After the basic cycle, here they can specialize as Subjugation Legionaries, Battle Legionaries, City Guard, or Royal Guard —Professor Chris explained as they walked, pointing into the distance—. An example is those boys fighting against that mechanical golem simulating a mana beast.
Silas directed his gaze to where he was pointing. He saw a group of recruits with swords and shields facing a mass of rock and iron shaped like a large quadruped. The scene immediately brought back the memory of the creature that had attacked them on the way to the city and the astonishing ease with which Andros had disposed of it.
—Excuse me, Professor, do you know Andros? —asked Silas.
—Of course, Andros is very well known among the legionaries of Haniel —replied Chris.
—And what type of legionary is Andros? —inquired Silas.
—Due to his rank, he should fulfill more administrative functions, but most of the time he is out on missions as a subjugation legionary —Chris continued—. For example, the class in this room is Professor Feres's, on Mana Beasts; it belongs to the Subjugation specialty. Here one learns to better understand beasts, their weaknesses, and how to face them, although it is somewhat boring because it involves more reading and memorizing than fighting.
—On the other hand, one can enter the Specialization Academy from an initial Legionary school like this one, or from any general training school, so you must not slack off because another applicant could take your place.
The formation of a legionary was an arduous path, divided into a basic cycle of three years and a subsequent specialization. The Jared Academies, like Jared VII, covered both cycles, seeking to mold the best talents. Not all academies offered the same, and entrance requirements varied. Many only completed the basic cycle and had to find a way to finish their training in military regiments.
So that Silas would understand the hierarchy awaiting him, Professor Chris detailed: —Silas, from now on you will be an Initiate Cadet, that will be your rank, and as you advance you will be able to opt for higher ranks. Here, seniority and rank are respected above all else. During this first month, all the formalities of how a future legionary should behave are learned.
Finally, they arrived at the communal rooms. Silas immediately saw the bunks arranged in rows, a crude reminder of the Spartan life that, apparently, awaited the base cadets.
As they walked, Professor Chris explained the training philosophy: —Normally, during the first three years, Legionaries train their bodies, building a solid base that allows them to withstand and channel Ether safely. As for Ether itself, in the first semester, we only seek the identification of the pathway and basic learning of channeling, and not its use in combat. This is a strict rule we maintain, although, of course, it can be waived in exceptional cases.
The tour ended in front of one of the cadets' rooms. —This will be your room, Silas —said Chris.
Inside, a boy of similar age to Silas, with dark skin and brown hair that contrasted with piercing green eyes, was already waiting for him.
—Hello! I'm Jean —said the boy with a friendly smile and a joking air, extending his hand—. I'm your roommate. I arrived a week ago. My channeling percentage at the moment is forty-eight. And yours? Well, you'll know better after your official evaluation.
Jean, with his characteristic loquacity, began to explain the ins and outs of academic life to Silas. —The Jared VII Academy is one of the seven most prestigious academies in the entire Corvus Kingdom, and the most prestigious in Haniel. —He leaned in confidentially—. Although we have students with true potential, many legionaries from influential families, devouts, and nobles enter thanks to their contacts, vitality elixirs, and private tutors. Not everything is pure talent, you know?
While Jean chatted, Silas listened, but his mind was already racing. Seven days. Only seven days to fool the machine, so that his Ichor and Cognis could pass for Ether, to survive in the Jared VII Academy, one of the seven provinces that make up the Corvus Kingdom: Haniel, Jofielar, Gavriel, Jemiel, Mikailier, Barachiel, and Uzziel.
Silas, absorbed in his thoughts about what to do in those seven days, had a revelation. He shouldn't conceive of himself as what he was not, but as what he truly was: a Scholar! Someone who had already gone through the Scholar school.
Instinctively, he channeled Cognis to accelerate his mental processing. The world around him seemed to slow down as an avalanche of images from the Scholar school invaded his mind. He arrived at a quick and logical conclusion: ?I must gather as much information as possible?.
Without stopping, and while Jean was still talking, Silas threw him a quick: —Nice to meet you, Jean. See you in a bit. —And he ran off toward the library.
The academy library left much to be desired compared to that of any Scholar school, even a small village one. Perhaps it was a reflection of the scant importance Legionaries placed on thinking.
Silas began taking books from the shelves almost automatically, guided by a strange trance induced by his Cognis. Lost in this frenzy of collection, he bumped into someone.
—No, my necklace! —shouted a female voice.
Silas stumbled and fell with the books. Upon looking up, he saw a girl on the floor, of similar age to his own, but noticeably taller. It was Jazmin. With wheat-colored skin, somewhat curly coppery hair, brown eyes, and an expression that denoted a mind always somewhere else.
Silas apologized to the girl. —Sorry, it was my fault. I was distracted with these combat books.
Jazmin replied: —It was probably both our faults. I wasn't paying attention either... because of this necklace I bought at the market.
The necklace was a trinket, a pastime for Legionaries in the camps. It consisted of three colored gears intertwined intricately. Its goal was to separate them, and the only known solution required trial and error.
Jazmin said with a sad voice, looking at the necklace: —Now I have to start over with this vile machine of suffering.
Feeling guilty for having knocked the necklace over, Silas commented: —You must start with the red gear facing up, give it a half turn outward, and then a full turn to the bottom gear. Repeat the same pattern with each color.
With a look of doubt, Jazmin began to follow Silas's instructions as he walked away. To her surprise, the three gears separated.
—You, stop there! —Jazmin, with a surprisingly agile movement for her usual distracted air, planted herself in front of Silas—. How did you solve it?... Have you had it before?
Silas replied somewhat nervously: —Must be beginner's luck.
Jazmin, with a mixture of doubt and curiosity, introduced herself: —Hi, I'm Jazmin, initiate cadet. And you?
—Hi, I'm Silas. I suppose I'm an initiate too, because I just arrived.
After Silas's answer, Jazmin withdrew with a simple and light: —Ok, bye.
Silas gave it no more importance and focused on his literary booty. He had taken varied titles such as "Compendium of Legendary Weapons", "The 100 Most Famous Speedsters", and, the most important one, "Channeling".
He opened the latter anxiously. The text explained the theory of Ether, linking it to bodily sensations Silas vaguely remembered. The book distinguished between "Raw Channeling" and "Combat Channeling". Silas read with attention: "Raw channeling is the maximum potential, similar to the diameter of a pipe. Combat channeling is how much water actually flows through it at a given moment." Silas understood that he had to fake the "size of the pipe", that is, the morphology of his veins and arteries at the moment of the scan.
The book also provided some general inexact values (given that precise data would require bioengineering). Furthermore, there was an interesting section on combat channeling percentages and the associated Legionary ranks:
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5% Base Cadet
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10% Corporal (Second and First)
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20% Sergeant (Second and First)
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30% Lieutenant
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40% Captain
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50% Major
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60% Colonel (Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel)
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70% General
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80% Grand General
The text explained that physical strength increased exponentially with the percentage. A Grand General possessed power so disproportionate that legends said Prince Jared, with over 80%, could defeat enemies without unsheathing his sword.
Silas understood the problem with his initial values (close to 90%). Even if he managed to simulate them, they would watch him like a dangerous threat. ?I need a middle ground?, he calculated. ?If I mark 40%, they will suspect a Baptism error. But a value between 60 and 70 percent... is high, prodigious, but credible if we assume a margin of error from the previous machine?.
Likewise, Silas quickly reviewed the other books. Several brought back memories of the Legionary classes, especially of Professor Richard, who, after several sessions, had told Silas he could participate if he wished.
Professor Richard was passionate about two things: weapons (he always talked about legendary weapons) and speedster Legionaries. He told them stories of genius Molders who created weapons like the hammer World-Breaker, the arrows Phoenix Tears, the sword Thread Reaper, the daggers Viper's Dance, and many other objects with strange nicknames. Furthermore, he maintained that experts in speed could defeat any other Legionary, an opinion almost no one else shared.
All this served to refresh Silas's memory regarding basic Legionary combat techniques, and the training book gave him many ideas on how to improve his physique and regain the condition he remembered having at 15 years old.
Andros had already left Silas at the academy with Professor Chris, an acquaintance of Andros from their academy days. Chris was a very intelligent Captain-rank legionary; not just anyone ascends so quickly to professor at the Jared VII Academy. Although he always felt a healthy envy toward Andros, he could never surpass him in combat, whether with weapons or hand-to-hand. Chris thought that "Andros could contribute a lot to this academy as a high-level professor, but well, being a guardian general is also a great responsibility".
Each of the seven cities of the kingdom has a guard general or guardian, considered the seven strongest legionaries, whose function is to be the last protective barrier against attacks from foreign tribes, barbarians, or mana beasts. Andros was the Guardian General of Haniel. While there could be more than one General-rank legionary in the cities, only one held the title of guardian. Generally, those who opted for this rank did so looking for a rest, since in times of peace their workload was minimal.
Andros accepted the position on the condition of acting at his own free will, like a sort of flying guardian general: he would be present to defend the city only when needed. Therefore, Haniel had Andros as the nominal guardian general, but it was another General or Colonel-rank legionary who occupied the position of real authority in the city: General Elias. Elias was a man close to 40 years old, dark-skinned, with curly hair and a height close to one meter eighty; although a bit overweight, he was technically very capable. As a pure defense legionary, Elias supplied the functions Andros should perform, but which the latter did not desire.
The position of guardian was very well paid; however, Andros only cared to receive a part of his salary, significantly less than what corresponded to his rank, insisting that the rest go to whoever occupied the position of general in the city. Thus, this secondary position enjoyed almost double the usual pay for a high-level legionary, although it required a condition: to withstand a blow from Andros with a practice sword without fainting, a test that assured Andros the candidate could protect the city.
After leaving Silas, Andros headed to a smithy called “The Invisible Man”, a mana workshop where Salva, its owner, created weapons, armor, shields, and any object his imagination allowed. Salva was a man of about 35 years, with brown hair, brown eyes, fair skin, and a peculiar mustache. His personality, somewhat ambitious and pretentious, was typical of the Dalins, a lineage recognized for being Outer Plane Molders specialized in solids. Famous smiths and architects had emerged from that family; it was said that Salva's ancestors had participated in forming the city's foundations.
The mana workshop was renowned and quite expensive. —Hello, Salva! —said Andros upon entering.
—Welcome, General Andros, my star client. What do you need? Maintenance for my red armor or perhaps for Caliburn? —asked Salva, referring to the armor as his because he had created it.
Andros carried a secondary sword, Caliburn, which he had requested from Salva for when he needed to exterminate mana creatures, since he used Damocles at his discretion and couldn't always fight with his fists at close range.
Caliburn was a magenta-colored sword, of high hardness (not as much as blue metal). Salva had explained: —General, by infusing ether you can vary the weight of the sword or the gravity of the space near it; if you activate it at maximum intensity, I believe only you could use it—. Andros could vary its weight and imprint greater kinetic force when moving it and releasing it suddenly, generating a tremendous impact wave. Andros played a joke on the barracks legionaries: he increased the sword's maximum weight, stuck it in the ground, and said: —Guys, whoever can lift this sword, I'll pay for all the beer they can drink today at Estella's!—. Obviously, no one could pull it out, since to move it one needed to be of Major rank or higher, and Andros played this joke on new recruits.
Salva, continuing the conversation, asked: —Won't Damocles need some maintenance? I could give it for free.
—No, I want to place an order. I would like you to create a gift for a novice legionary of about 12 years old with some materials I found —replied Andros.
Salva had always wanted to have Damocles in his hands to understand the mechanism behind the rumors of its power, of cutting even "a cloudy day". Andros had always refused, saying: —Salva, you know it is a family heirloom and only my family can perform maintenance on it—. They were pure lies to not leave Albert's precious gift to just anyone, claiming it was a treasure found in old expeditions to unknown lands.
Andros opened a bag containing about two or three kilos of white or silver needles; it was the fur of the mana beast that had attacked the carriage on the return trip with Silas to the city. Salva saw them and evaluated them quickly: —It is a kind of hair with high hardness and wind properties that soundproofed it and increased speed —Salva took one and threw it against a shelf; the hair stuck in as if they were playing darts—. It would be perfect for some throwing weapon —commented Salva.
—No weapons, I want something for defense —answered Andros.
Salva had to think for a few minutes. —Hmm, let's see, you make it very difficult, General, but I'll think of something. It would be easier if I had a core of…
Andros took a nearly spherical rock out of his pocket. —A mana core?
Salva, surprised, exclaimed: —Yes, that! It is a quite large core, it must have been a quite imposing beast.
Andros replied: —Yes, the truth is it gave Ronny and me some trouble.
Salva, finally, with scrutinizing eyes, said: —Ok, General, I already know what I could build. Come back in a week.
When Salva had finished speaking, Andros was intercepted by a legionary. He squared up and quickly saluted him: —Greetings, Guardian General Andros. Corporal Legionary Pri… reporting.
Andros stopped him: —Less rank talk and get to the point.
—General Andros, mana beasts apparently of medium level were sighted in the vicinity of the city.
Andros smiled: —Ok, I'll go bring order to the city's patio. Tell Elias I'll return in a couple of days.
The sighting of medium-level mana beasts was not strange; what was unusual was their proximity to the city. Normally, these creatures remained in places of high mana density, zones where Andros periodically performed preventive subjugation missions.
While he headed to the regiment, he weighed the possible causes. The most logical explanations were a shortage of food or a territorial displacement caused by other beasts. However, a third possibility, much more alarming, disturbed him: that it was the product of spontaneous generation. It was an event as unnatural as the one that had originated the creature from which Salva hoped to get that gift for Silas.
At the academy, after hours in the library, Silas had a theoretical idea of how to fake his data in the evaluation machine, but he was incapable of translating that knowledge into his own veins and arteries. The bridge between theory and practice seemed uncrossable. In a mental effort, he forced his memories and an image came to his mind: the Mana Beasts class.
The fascination for that class had been born from an incongruity he had noticed days ago: the figure of a scholar in a tunic teaching a lesson in an academy forged for warriors. It was such a strange image that he hadn't forgotten it. Despite the disinterest of the other cadets, Silas remembered the sign on the door: "Mana Beasts. Professor Feres (Battle Scholar)".
Normally, all subjects were taught by legionaries, or in specific cases, by devouts or molders. But for a battle scholar to dictate it was an anomaly.
?If there is a scholar capable of solving the impossible, it has to be Professor Feres?, thought Silas. ?He achieved what no one expected: being accepted as a professor at the Jared Academy being a scholar?.
He remembered that in his previous life, logical biology scholars were the true experts on mana beasts, but always from a theoretical point of view. The fact that a battle scholar had earned a place here was a mystery almost as big as his own, that of a scholar pretending to be a legionary.
Silas entered the room and sat in the back seats.
The professor was explaining the equivalence between Mana beasts and legionary ranks: —Students, remember that there are four levels of Mana beasts: lower, medium, superior, and unique. Lower and medium-grade beasts do not pose a great danger if subjugated by teams of legionaries. However, for superior-grade ones, the quantity of legionaries does not matter, but their individual level. One needs to be of Major rank or higher; perhaps a captain could lend support, but would run a not insignificant risk.
Furthermore, the professor explained that superior Mana beasts appeared three to five times a year. In Haniel, however, it happened much less, because the Guardian General was always cleaning the primordial energy concentration zones to prevent the beasts from evolving.
After the explanation, Silas raised his hand. —Professor, is it possible for a superior beast to appear out of nowhere?
—Hmm... well, it is not impossible, but very unlikely. In theory, if a mana explosion occurred right where there is a medium-grade beast and it managed to withstand the energy, sure, it could happen. But I think it is easier to win the kingdom's lottery a couple of times in a row. Besides, if that happened, that Mana beast would be very unstable.
—How is that? —asked Silas.
—Let's see, I didn't have this prepared, but let me see if I have something to demonstrate it... —said the professor while searching in his bag. Upon finding nothing, his gaze settled on a nearby flowerpot—. Well, this will have to do.
Professor Feres took a rock from his pocket and began channeling energy toward the plant. In the process, almost all the flowers began to wither, but one of them started to glow intensely.
—Excellent, at least one successful! At this moment, this flower is similar to a Mana beast evolving by force. Don't lose sight of it —said the professor while cutting the glowing flower. It began to evaporate almost completely, leaving only a single petal intact—. This is what I mean by them being unstable. Upon dying, they leave little or nothing of what they were, although normal Mana beasts also disintegrate into mana that returns to the environment. I hope you liked that.
A cadet from the front rows raised his hand. —Excuse me, Professor, but I think those plants belonged to Professor Yenna.
With a face mixing shame and worry for having ruined his colleague's flowers, Feres let out a nervous laugh. —Well, let this stay between us. Later I will replace them, hahaha.
The revelation that the plants belonged to Professor Yenna went unnoticed by Silas. In his mind, an epiphany had just exploded. He had seen the invisible: fine threads of energy flowing toward the flowers and how the only survivor seemed to drink from that source.
His perception sharpened, allowing him to see how the mana pulses hit each flower at a different cadence. Most resisted or desynchronized, but the flower that survived... that one danced to the same beat. It coupled, glowed, and lived. And then, the connection was instant.
?The heart... beats?, he thought, feeling a shiver. ?With each beat, veins and arteries expand and contract. They adapt to the flow, changing their size?. A solution to his problem, brilliant and dangerous, had just been born.
The class proceeded normally, with the professor giving examples of beasts, their characteristics, and weak points according to the animal they came from, until a student asked: —Professor, and the unique-grade ones? What happens with them?
—Well, the unique-grade ones... I hope you never encounter one, since not even being a General assures you a non-fatal ending. And beyond those beasts, which can be decades or even more than a hundred years old, are the legendary-grade ones. Those are more fiction than something real, like Zephyr, the Warm Wind, of whom it is said he illuminated King Corvus and granted him the abilities to bestow his gifts upon humanity.
Upon finishing the class, Silas went to speak with the professor. Feres was a man with a large beard and wore a thick tunic, as if it were raining outside. —Hello, Professor. My name is Silas, I am an initiate cadet.
—My, an initiate. Normally only fourth-year students attend here. But well, what did you think of the class?
—It helped me too much, many, many thanks, Professor. And if I am honest, if I had been baptized as a scholar, I would have liked to be a battle scholar like you —said Silas, and withdrew.