Second Step [1]

'-Never close your eyes! Never!'

"Gah!"

My body was launched upwards as I woke up, although pretty slowly, as I woke up in a cold sweat. Below, I could see two hands trembling, the same two hands that hadn't been able to hold on to anything. Two extremely weak and fragile hands lit up by the soft light of the rising morning sun. 

-------

"Huff... huff..."

Even as I was lightly jogging around campus, feeling the cobblestone beneath my soles, I had some trouble getting my muscles to loosen up properly. This, despite having already been running for more than an hour. 

'I'm still a bit tense from waking up like that...'

I had never had any problems waking up in the early morning to start my training, and even in this world that was still no different. Peering up at the large clock attached to the large, almost castle-like assembly hall in the middle of campus, I still had a lot of time until we were supposed to gather on the training fields again. 

'6:23, huh? And we were supposed to gather at eight. Guess I'll run for another half hour before getting something to eat. Nutrition, sleep, and training are sacred after all!'

And so, I kept running trying my best to get my body to fully wake up before our lecture began. 

****

[Celine's POV]

*Yaaaaawn!*

'I'm so tired...'

Just like every morning I had to forcefully drag myself out of bed to get ready for the day, an act that never got less painful. Despite that, I still forced myself to wake up early as I knew I needed time and, more importantly, coffee before I would truly wake up. 

As I walked through the lobby of the girl's freshman dorm, I had only seen a few faces, which made sense as most of them were probably still asleep. 

'I'm jealous... I also want to be able to wake up an hour before class...'

Different people all had different preconditions for how they needed to act to tackle life at their best, something I knew all too well. 

'I guess Cerus is still sleeping as well... Not that he would need to prepare himself anyway...'

Even though Cerus was quite diligent in his training, he still had the privilege of the talented, a wall that simply couldn't be traversed through effort. No, everyone else had to struggle just to simply try and keep up with him, but would still never see anything but his back as he moved forward. 

'But at least I can still see his back...!'

Effort could never trump talent, but for someone who didn't have talent, effort was the only weapon they had. Therefore I would simply continue to work hard in order to not be left behind. 

Clenching my fist, I turned my sights forward. 

'I'll continue to work hard! Hmm? That's...?'

Just as I was doing a 'fighting' pose, something just passed me by, his long legs pushing him forward while his black hair fluttered due to the kinetic force produced by his movement. 

'That's... Ray, was it? What is he doing, running around this early in the morning? I guess the weak at least has to be diligent.'

Like Jacob, I also had a hard time seeing Ray as someone strong though I had a feeling that Cerus had a different opinion for some reason. To me, he just looked like a stupid loser who wanted to overcompensate for being weak by challenging Cerus to a fight. 

Not to mention how he had acted in front of the man who was now our class teacher, showing a complete disregard for, not only, social conduct but disrespecting the legacy of the academy as well. Something only further exaggerated due to the way he imposed on Zoe at the cafeteria. 

'A disrespectful moron... but I guess the weak has to at least be diligent.'

Somehow, another emotion had begun growing inside of me as I watched the narrow back disappear in the distance, a slightly disgusting emotion that I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. 

"Tch! Seems like I really need that cup of coffee now or I won't be able to endure having to be around that idiot for the rest of the day." 

****

[Ray's POV]

"Line up! Today you will get a chance to spar with each other, to measure each other up as well as to measure your own ability against others!"

All fifteen of us quickly created a line in front of Instructor Folm, with Cerus naturally standing first in line. Mr. Folm looked just as strict today as he had looked yesterday, his bald head reflecting the sunlight coming from above us. 

Having once again gathered on the training field, I was a bit surprised to see that none of the other classes were here. If sparring on the first or second day had been part of the normal curriculum it didn't make much sense that we were the only ones out here. Naturally, it could be the case that they had simply spread us out at different parts of the academy, but somehow I doubted it. 

To me, it was more plausible that our teacher was the reason why we would have to spar with each other this early, as it kind of fit with my perceived view of what his personality was like. 

'Different teachers teach differently, I guess.'

"Now, you may grab a weapon if you want! You will have fifteen minutes to warm up before I divide you two and two for the spars! What are you waiting for?! Go!"

Maybe it was because we already had a small introduction to the lesson yesterday, but today Mr. Folm spared no time in starting the lecture, almost as if he was afraid that something would go astray and mess with his plans.

Stretching my arms up into the air, I couldn't say that I disliked his approach. No, in fact, I quite enjoyed the brash and straightforward approach he had to teaching. However, there was still someone who appeared to be even more in line with his way of teaching than me. 

*Ting!*

Cerus had already made his way to the weapon rack that was once again placed here, picking up a weapon that I thought suited him very well. Because just like the weapon in his hand he appeared to be sharp and deadly, but still fair and honest about its strength. Yet, as he picked it up, Celine got a bit worried.

"Cerus, you are going with a sword? Don't you think you should take it a bit easy on everyone?"

'She doesn't get it...'

Though it was obvious by how natural it looked in his hand that he had likely practiced swordsmanship to the point of vomiting, there was no way he would ever pick another weapon. Because that would go against his way of life. That wouldn't be the way a champion acted.

Celine, on the other hand, didn't seem to understand that... no, she didn't seem to understand him, despite having been by his side for a long time. And I didn't blame her. Not even I, who had lived my life desperately trying to understand what he was seeing, could truly understand. 

Not yet at least. 

'Oh, right! I need to warm up!' 

But just as I was about to begin to move my body, a deep voice rang out. 

"Ray! Come here!"

"Ah? Yes, sir?"

Though I didn't understand why our teacher called for me, I wasn't about to question it. I had already had enough problems from yesterday. Therefore I simply walked up to him and waited for whatever he wanted to talk with me about. 

"You will not be fighting in the first round of bouts. It's unfortunate, but since you guys have an uneven number of students, there will be one left out. And since you technically got to spar a bit yesterday, you will start by watching. Not that it matters as I can only supervise one spar at a time, but it more or less means that you will be last in line to fight."

"Umm... okay?"

"That's how it is."

'Why did he even call me here if it didn't matter? I don't understand...'

Scratching my head, I wasn't sure how to respond as this whole situation was so very peculiar. 

"So... should I continue warming up then?"

With a deadpan expression and without laying his eyes on me, as he kept watching the others warm up, he opened his mouth again.

"Do you need to?"

'What kind of question is that?' 

Something was hiding beneath his question... a test of sorts. I had no idea as to why he felt the need to challenge me like this, but I wasn't about to act differently because of it. Because there was nothing but doubt to gain from it. 

"... I do."

"Then, what are you waiting for?" 

"I'm going, sir..."

Turning around, I had some trouble keeping my face from turning into a frown, realizing that my fight had already begun. But I didn't like this way of fighting. No, I hated it. Trickery and verbal warfare went against my very core principles. 

'... but it's still a way of fighting that I need to get used to.'

And so, I made my way to the track around the field and began to warm up with a jog.