Chapter 32 (Drake's decision)

Mark lunged forward, ready to assault

Ronan in a fit of anger, but Drake

intercepted him, patting Mark's shoulder.

Drake crossed his arms behind him,

stepping closer to them. "So fascinating,

we have just barely spent two weeks,

and you have already found yourself a

loyal dog." He offered a faint smile.

Griffin, about to react violently, was

stopped by Ronan's raising his hand.

"Yeah, it's truly fascinating how you

acted up, deceiving everyone, including

the academy authority, pretending to be

a genius like some hero." Ronan stepped

closer, inches from Drake, locking eyes

with him.

The surrounding area immediately

erupted in whispers. Ronan glanced

around, nodding and smiling. Xena

clenched her fist and teeth, preparing to

charge into the fray, but Mark quickly

grabbed her arms. She turned to him and

tried to free herself.

"My lady, you should consider Drake's

intentions. Going in now might just get

on his nerves, which is exactly what our

foes wanted," Mark explained. "It won't

be too late for us to respond to their

malice when things really spin out of

control." Hearing that her actions might

provoke Drake, Xena stopped and

watched from the sidelines.

Drake turned to the students who

surrounded them and walked in circle.

"Who of you has heard or can testify that

I have ever boasted about my strength?

Please signify." Drake said, scanning the

faces before him. Silence fell over the

crowds as if their voices had been

chocked. Drake turned back to Ronan.

"I don't know where you got your

information from or what your goal is."

He thrust his fist into the air, stopping

inches from Ronan's face. "If you got

problems with me, just come directly at

me instead of dragging others into it or

twisting things." He turned to Mark and

Xena. "Let leave. Only an empty barrel

makes the loudest noise."

They started moving away from the

scene. As they approached Griffin, Mark

pointed his index and middle fingers to

his eyes, then towards Griffin, giving him

an eye spy gesture before disappearing

from the scene.

Ronan's head heated up; veins bulged

around his forehead as dark bloodlust

emanated from his body. He clenched

his fists and teeth, seethed with anger.

All the students sensing the dangerous

aura surrounding him quickly evacuated

the scene, avoiding what might come

next.

Everyone retreated to their dormitories

as dusk settled.

At Drake's room. Drake seated on the

bed, trying to process everything he

went through today, while Xena was

preparing to take a bath. "Xena," he

called, grabbing her attention. "How do

you dragons assimilate mana?" He

focused on her intently.

"Hmmm," Xena placed her right index

finger on her chin. "We just sleep, move

around, and have fun."

Drake's eyes narrowed, his mouth

twisted downturned as he tilted his head

away from her. "Ha-ah." He clapped his

right hand on his forehead. "Why did I

expect something reasonable?"

As Xena is about to enter the

bathroom, she suddenly remembers

something. "Oh, I remember something."

Drake turned to her eagerly. What did

you remember? Tell me." He jumped to

his feet, facing her; his eyes burnt with

excitement. "Big sister Lena once told

me this when I was struggling to absorb

mana. She said, 'Hey, Xena, I know you

are an idiot, but you might later find this

useful, so listen. Whenever you want to

sleep, always make sure your heart is

calm, breathe deeply through your nose,

and release your breath slowly through

your mouth.' That's all she said. "Xena

recited.

"Okay, thank you." Drake expressed

his appreciation as Xena entered the

bathroom to shower.

Drake finally understood why he only

felt a third of the pressure during the

mental assessment test. Xena's

explanation clicked into place. By

applying pressure to the heart, deeply

inhale and slowly exhale. He could

maximise mana absorption. He seated

properly on the bed, crossing his legs,

trying to imitate what Xena described.

To maximise their mana absorption

during their restful state. The dragons

inhale deeply through the nose, drawing

in rich mana air. followed by a slow,

controlled exhalation through the mouth,

which applied gentle pressure on both

hearts simultaneously. The pressure on

these hearts creates a rhythmic pulse

that acts like a pum that pulls mana from

the environment into the dragon's hearts.

The longer and more controlled the

exhale, the deeper the mana absorption.

This technique is called

'The Twin Pulse Resonance Technique'.

Drake repeatedly attempted to

simultaneously inhale and exhale;

Drake's heart ceased its rhythmic

pumping, as if he held his breath.

Drake lied on his back, reflecting on his

time since he was summoned to this

world. He realised his mind remained

tethered to earth, struggling to adapt to

this new world, where both rational and

irrational thought seems reasonable.

He also acknowledged that he's been

pushing Xena away, fuelled by his

resentment towards Lena, even though

their relationship has blossomed beyond

friendship. 

As he wrestled in his thoughts, Xena

stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in

Drake's towel; her skin glowed as

everywhere shimmered. Drake's heart

felt like it was about to explode; his face

flushed red as he stared at her.

"Ahyoooo, is something wrong?" Xena

curiously said. Drake quickly turned

away.

He took a deep breath. "Xena," he said,

sitting back on the bed. "Humm," Xena

sounds to show she's listening.

"What you always requested for, does

it still stand?" Drake anxiously said.

"What do you mean?" Xena is

confused, looking at him. Drake signs

heavily.

"You idiot, do I really have to spell

everything out?" he muttered, clenching

his teeth in embracement. "I mean the

ritual."

"Really. Yeah, That will be great." Xena

eyes glowed with joy. Drake raised up

from the bed and walked towards Xena.

"But to do that we both need to be naked.

I mean , there is going to be body

contact between us." the room holds its

breath, as if waiting for the next blunder

to unfold, while her blushed face lucked

eyes with Drake.