Create

Chapter Fourteen: Create

Minutes after Nephis left to get the note, she returned with one and entered the security guard's office to show it him.

He stared at it for a while before nodding and leaving to open the gate. He closed it when Nero got in and returned to his office without speaking to the boy.

The three left the gate and Nephis led them to the field were practical classes happened. Layla reached for the note, wanting to see how Sir Zenith's handwriting looked like, but her shoulders dropped.

"Nephis, you faked the note?!"

Nephis smirked. "In my defense, our teacher wasn't in class and they're actually having practical sessions now. We don't have the time to argue with the guard."

Layla stared at her in disbelief. She looked back at the note and pointed at the end. "His name is 'Zenith' not 'Zenite'. Lucky, the security guard is as dumb as you."

Nephis looked at her mistake intently but shrugged it off. She hastened her steps. "Practicals finally. This teacher might not be so bad."

She turned to Nero, frowning. "You will join the class and register later, be polite to everyone because they were there before you."

Nero didn't spare her a glance but he nodded.

As they cornered to the field, there were rumblings that made Layla stop, like the earth was being carved out. "This must be…" she reached for Nephis but saw that she kept on moving and cornered to the field.

Nephis met a large boulder charging at her face and right before it crashed on her, Nero's hand reached it, changing its composition to ice that dropped to the floor immediately.

A chill air blew amongst the siblings. Nero couldn't believe his fast reaction and Nephis couldn't believe he didn't let it smash her face.

Layla held unto Nephis who lost the feeling in her legs after the 'near-death' experience. Layla searched for any bruise but they were none. She stared at the crumbled ice on the ground and then at Nero. He really had talent with the Ice element.

"A dramatic entry you two have, despite being late."

Layla's spine ran cold when she heard Sir Zenith's voice, she hid behind Nephis. "S-Sorry, Sir Zenith… we were held up because—"

"Next." Zenith pointed at Lilian, ignoring Layla.

He looked at Nephis, who had recovered. He knew getting hit by the boulder would only constitute minor bruises on her. It wasn't enough to even break a bone, so why did she look pale?

These children needed a mindset upgrade too. Mages should be confident to the point that their rank wouldn't matter as long as they trusted their abilities.

Meanwhile, Kawaya stood at the launching position, feeling weak in his legs. The first time he attempted Earth control and he nearly killed someone. He couldn't even stop it when he noticed Nephis.

He glanced at his teacher and wondered why he didn't feel bothered by the accident. Would he have acted before the help that came? "This long range attacks might be a little too early for me—"

"Spoken like the loser you are." Alexandria walked in front of Kawaya. "I should've performed before Lilian, not you. A wuss like you, who chicken out easily, is a pain."

Kawaya stayed quiet, before exhaling. That was how Alexandria gave his encouragements, wrapped in insults. He folded his fists. "I'm not giving up yet. I'd just be extra careful next time."

"Tell yourself that, not me." Alexandria said. "If Nephis couldn't have defended herself, then she should sit it out as well."

Kawaya definitely knew that part was a lie. If anything, the reason Alexandria insulted him was because he nearly hit Nephis. All the boys in class knew he had a soft spot for the Guandan girl. "Yeah, I'm sure you'd be happy if Nephis gets hit."

Alexandria said nothing and shifted away from the area Lilian stood. The girl stood still, checking the distance she was to shoot at.

"Isn't it too fa—" She met her teacher's gaze and swallowed down her words. She just had to do it.

The element she's good at wasn't one that could project like that, so to make a long range attack, she had to put extra effort.

Zenith stayed by her side as she concentrated. From his deductions, her element depended on how far she could see and her strong her mental energy was. That's why she needed to learn Ultra Vision which would be an important skill for her.

"Create. Create. Create." Lilian whispered these words as she closed her eyes and tried to visualize.

Layla stood at the furthest distance from the girl but that was the exact distance Lilian was to create at. Zenith frowned on seeing her at that angle. "Layla, be a good girl and join the rest at the other side."

She froze, then snapped her head at where the rest were. Alexandria chuckled. "Be a good girl, Layla. Bad girls will get spanked."

Sluggishly, Layla moved towards the rest, cursing at herself for always being within that Mage's sight and for wrong reasons, but her movements were stopped.

"Created!" Lilian yelled proudly and at the same time, a black swirling void formed at the spot Layla had walked away from. It had the size of a ball but slowly grew as it sucked in the air around it. Still, its growth was a slow pace and the force wasn't threatening.

It was at this moment that Layla felt her movement stop and her skirt fluttered and rose towards the void.

"Ahh! Wait! Wait!!" she tried to keep the skirt down but it fought to escape her body, and the void slowly pulled her towards itself.

Lilian panicked and screamed at the void to close itself. "Disperse! Disperse!" but nothing happened. She realized that she had to concentrate to make it happen but she felt too panicked to concentrate.

She turned to Sir Zenith but he had that tired and done expression again, and she swallowed down her request to help. "I-I'm sorry but please…!"

Zenith glanced at her and then back to Layla. "Don't mind it. She either gets sucked into the void and spare me her trouble or free herself." It was a cold response, but he was tired.

Was it so hard to move away from a launching area when she knew launches would happen there?

It was like going in front of a shooting squad while hoping it wouldn't touch you. Teenagers weren't exciting, they were worrying.