Chapter 143- Magic Training (Part 1)
"Aria?..." Rin noticed her weird silence and could only try to catch her attention again.
He knew how much Aria liked to overthink things if left alone with her thoughts. Rin was sure that she was now thinking about something wild that would make his jaw drop if he heard about it.
As much as she can be the calmest person he knew, that can change in an instant and she turns into a panicking mess when it's related to Rin and their family.
'I hope she doesn't end up doing something stupid.' He prayed in his heart.
"So, why did you visit this early in the morning?"
"Ohoh? It's obviously because I wanted to have breakfast together." She said as she giggled happily.
"Just that?"
"What do you mean 'Just that'?" She asked as she impressioned Rin in the last two words jokingly.
"A breakfast with my dear brother is the greatest start for a day I could ever have. Don't underestimate that."
Seeing her so proud of what she said made Rin smile warmly before he said.
"Well, it's the same for me too."
The smile on his face looked so dazzling that it made Aria blush and avert her eyes.
"Y-Yes, that's what I said."
"Anyway, today is the start of my magic training so I should leave soon." He said as he picked up the plates and walked to the kitchen.
"Huh?! Already? But, I wanted to spend the day together." Aria grumbled to herself and threw herself on the couch again with a sigh.
"Don't be down. After classes today, let's go have some fun, how about that?" He said.
"A date?" The moment she heard that keyword, all the negative thoughts were erased from her head and were replaced with something else way too different.
"Huh?" Rin was taken aback by how quickly Aria stood up and walked toward him.
"Say… Is it a date?"
"Well, if you want it to be a date then a date it is."
"I see… "Nodding her head, Aria turned around.
A weird grin appeared on her face as her mind wandered to dreamlands on its own. The image of her and Rin doing all kinds of things, eating in a romantic restaurant, taking a stroll around at night, looking up at the sky.
He then would turn around and grab her by the shoulders making her flinch a little bit with surprise. After that, he will look directly into her eyes and say with his serious, mesmerizing face.
"I love you, Aria. Would you stay by my side forever?"
Hearing such words, Aria will tear up and then nod her head.
"Yes, I love you too, Rin. I love you so so much."
'And then, and then, we… K-Kiss… Kyaaah! I can't! It's too embarrassing to do that outside. Maybe after the date, when we go back home, and then… We can… do all that 'stuff' and more, hehehehehe!' Giggling like a child, she held her cheeks.
Rin could only look at her fidget from behind as he let her daydream as much as she wanted.
"Anyway, I need to leave now." He said.
"Yes, wait… huh? Wait a moment, Rin... No! Rin!! Wait!!"
However, the latter didn't wait and merely grabbed Sorophi's hands and left the house. It might seem cruel but he knew if he stayed for a second longer, Aria will try and make him entertain her. She was that kind of person, after all. Can get serious when it needed seriousness and can also be the most spoiled person Rin knows when she's fawning around him.
After he left, he met with Elise, who seemed quite worried and was breathing slightly irregularly.
"I had to search for her all around the area." She said.
"Ah! Sorry for the trouble." Rin could say after coughing awkwardly before looking at Sorophi who didn't seem to care at all. She was disconnected from this world completely most of the time.
"Sigh, It is what it is. It's merely a few days and she will leave." Elise brushed it off and the two quickly headed toward the magic training grounds. They had been there yesterday but for a completely different reason.
When they reached them, they found the other classes taking some areas with the biggest one left for the A-Class. It was as apparent as day who the academy favors out of the students but no one complained as they already knew… Those who are strong will be treated fairly while those who aren't could only settle down with scraps.
Their class was already waiting there so by the time they reached there, the professor finally appeared.
'Oh, isn't that… Donnie?' Rin raised an eyebrow when he saw the professor that appeared in front of them. He hadn't seen him ever since the day of the test.
'So he's our professor?'
"Welcome everyone to your first class of Magic training. Some of you might know me, others may have never seen me before. Anyway, I'm professor Cleardawn."
After he made sure everyone heard him, he took a deep breath and said.
"Before we start teh actual curriculum. I need to assess all of you. That's why I came up with an idea."
Then, he pointed at them and said.
"I want to watch you all spar in front of me."
It wasn't that surprising to hear about spars but for their first-ever class to be a spar was kind of surprising. They all expected to learn new spells to hone their magic control and their mana.
"For a mage to be able to excel in their craft, they need two main things: Practice and experience."
The first one is quite direct and simple. To learn something, you need to do it again and again and again thousands of times to master it. That's how you learn. However, even if someone who trained for tens of years doesn't have the second requirement, they can still lose easily. Battle experience is also an extremely important thing. Frankly, it's more important than practicing."
His voice was loud and domineering yet also had a weird charm to it that made people want to listen to what he wanted to say. In contrast to Malza who relied on his aura and charm in his speech, Donnie relied more on his voice and presence. He had this weird tone in his voice that albeit stern, carried such confidence to the students when he spoke.
"If you don't fight against other opponents and face threats, you won't be able to hone the most important part of your fights… Your instinct."
"It's your best ally… With it, you can determine whether your life is in danger or not, whether you are at a disadvantage or actually winning, and most importantly… Increases the chances of you taking a good decision."
The last few words ignited some confusion in the masses. Good decisions? Aren't good decisions taken by the conscious mind rather than the instincts?
Even Rin was quite confused too as he never assumed his instinct could take decisions on his part. He always used them as a form of warning trigger to save him from danger in brutal fights. Everything else he does is something he thinks threw and not some spontaneous move.
The students started whispering with each other as they discussed his words.
"What is he saying?"
"Is that actually true? I never heard of such a thing."
"False! Instincts are merely a form of survival switch. They help us determine whether our life is in danger or not, nothing more, nothing less."
Most of them were skeptical about it while others outright disagreed with Donnie. However, the latter didn't seem to be bothered by their reaction as if he predicted this kind of thing all along.
"Silence, now." He said, making everyone shut up immediately.
"I can understand why all of you are having such ideas but let me explain. It's true that instinct is our main weapon to survive. But, that weapon can also turn from a mere trigger warning to an actual offensive weapon we can use to dominate any enemy we face."
"Instinct, like any other thing in the human body, can be cultivated and honed. It's like a sword we are born with yet can't use because we never learned how to. But, those who faced countless battles, killed countless creatures, and rose to the top can say it proudly that their instincts are their strongest weapon. That's why one of my main goals is to cultivate your instincts and make them your greatest power… I trust myself with that goal and I shall do it."
The confidence he had in his voice made even the most skeptical of the students feel convinced to a certain extent. He had somehow made them feel his confidence through mere words.
(A//N: Instincts are a form of power? What's that? :) )
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