Aymon's Gamble

After 8 hours, 36 minutes, and 5 seconds, Aymon awoke fully refreshed. His deep sleep had allowed him to recharge his energy levels to their maximum capacity. As soon as he opened his eyes, he got out of bed and realized that his roommate hadn't returned during the night, so he started his usual morning routine.

He began the day with a quick 10-minute workout, consisting of 2 sets of handstand push-ups, which usually took 3 minutes. After completing the upper body sets, he did 2 sets of pistol squats and spent the remaining time in a fingertip plank.

Continuing his routine, he spent 5 minutes and 46 seconds in the bathroom. He used the loo for 46 seconds, then took a cold shower for 2 minutes. After that, he brushed his teeth and washed his face for another 3 minutes.

Once done with the bathroom routine, he dressed up and opened his personal computer to figure out his plan for the day. As he had now been registered in the database for at least 2 weeks, Aymon decided to check the location of the cafeteria to serve breakfast and plan his other meals for the day. Additionally, he decided to look for any other useful information on the academy's portal. After a quick search, he found out that the cafeteria was on the right part of the building on the third floor, so he decided to head out immediately and think about how he would tackle today's objectives on the way.

As he locked his door and retraced the familiar path back from his room, he couldn't help but notice the truly amazing design of this academy, with the morning sun's invigorating light bathing the corridors through the crystal windows. Just as he reached the elevator, he touched the elevator's touch-sensitive panel ground floor button, which would make the elevator descend to the ground floor. This time around, there was no need for him to have the wristband with him to activate the elevator's movement, as he was now registered in the database.

Just as the crystal doors were about to close, Aymon noticed a girl hurrying to catch the elevator. She was at a distance of 6.2 meters, and the doors would be completely shut in 2 seconds. He could've canceled the door's action either by putting his hand between them or by touching the "" button, but he didn't feel the need to do it, as there was no benefit to him in doing so. This was also a chance for him to see how this person would react and analyze her expressions as well as her actions. She was 175cm tall, had dark red hair, and was dressed just as relaxed as Aymon was.

In those split seconds, Aymon noticed how her leg muscles contracted, and in an instant, she covered the distance that separated her from the elevator, but she forgot about the door's closing mechanism. Aymon decided to help her out, as he saw her expression change when she realized that even though she covered the distance at an amazing speed of 14m/s, she forgot to put her hand between the crystal doors to cancel their closing.

With a swift movement, Aymon reached out, preventing the doors from sealing shut. The girl, catching her breath, offered a grateful smile as she stepped into the elevator. Aymon, now curious about her haste, decided to strike up a conversation.

"14m/s, that's quite the speed. You didn't tear a muscle now, did you?" Aymon, even though not interested at first, found himself intrigued by Isabella's impressive speed, one that would most likely, at 100%, surpass his. Isabella, with her dark red hair and a relaxed yet vibrant presence, responded with a light chuckle.

"No torn muscles, I assure you. I'm used to making speedy entrances. Call it a habit. My name is Isabella, by the way," she replied, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness as she stretched her hand out to Aymon.

Aymon returned Isabella's introduction and stretched his hand out to Isabella to return the handshake. "Aymon Kriegsschaten. Nice to meet you, Isabella. If you don't mind me asking, where are you headed in such a rush?"

Just as Aymon finished his question, their hands met in the handshake, and he felt how Isabella was trying to assess his astral energy. Aymon wasn't wearing a badge now, and neither was she, so the only way for the students to know each other's rank was by scanning the other using their astral energy. It's not the most accurate measure, but one can get a rough idea of how much astral energy one has. It usually works, and you don't get caught... but our Aymon wasn't your usual individual. He could sense all of his 42 main astral channels from a young age, so he instantly felt the subtle interference.

"A wolf in sheep's clothing, I should say," Aymon thought to himself while trying not to let a smirk show on his face, "let's see how you entertain me, Isabella."

Aymon's level of control over his astral energy was superior to any of the others he knew, so he decided to move all of his astral energy to a point in the main channel that Isabella would soon reach with her scan. The moment her energy would meet Aymon's, her body would receive a backlash, a shock strong enough to make one fall to their knees.

There were two ways this situation could unfold:

1. She wouldn't be able to notice Aymon's extremely concentrated astral energy, and thus, she would experience the backlash. In this case, he would act shocked, as if he wouldn't know what happened, and would continue the interaction normally, trying to hide his advanced astral abilities while appearing seemingly concerned about the girl he just met.

2. Isabella, having some level of skill, would sense the concentrated energy and either retract her astral energy or manage to block in time to not receive the backlash at full power. In this case, Aymon would gain insights into Isabella's abilities and awareness.

Aymon's intrigue now extended beyond Isabella's physical speed to her astral abilities, creating an intriguing dynamic between the two students.