Power and Perception

Austin strolled through the academy courtyard, Lucian trailing beside him with his usual air of excessive chatter. He had insisted on meeting up, and since he was already roped into this, he figured he might as well make good on his word.

When they arrived at the meeting spot near the training grounds, Yanika stood waiting with two familiar faces—Penelope and Cai.

Yanika waved them over. "Austin! You actually showed up. And you brought Lucian too!" She gave the boy a teasing smirk. "You're getting predictable."

Lucian crossed his arms. "I don't see how bringing me along is predictable. Maybe I'm just an obvious choice."

"Or," Yanika interjected, "Austin just wanted to make sure you don't wander off and cause trouble."

"I'm not the troublesome twin." Lucian countered.

Austin chuckled while Lucian rolled his eyes.

Then Yanika tilted her head, suddenly recalling something. "Wait a second… what about that other friend you mentioned? You said you'll being along two friends. Where's that other friend of yours?"

Austin shrugged. "She's not interested."

Lucian blinked. "She?"

Something in his voice made Yanika and Austin exchange amused glances.

Lucian's eyebrows furrowed, his normally carefree expression betraying a flicker of curiosity.

Yanika raised an eyebrow at Lucian. "Why do you sound so concerned?"

Lucian huffed, trying to look indifferent. "I'm not concerned. I just—" He stopped, then turned to Austin with an incredulous look. "Wait, who is this 'she' exactly?"

Austin smirked. "Why do you care?"

Lucian scowled. "I don't care. I'm just… verifying information."

Yanika leaned in with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Sounds like someone's jealous."

Lucian scoffed, but the way he crossed his arms tighter and avoided eye contact made his denial utterly unconvincing.

Yanika giggled. "This is hilarious. Who knew Lucian had a possessive streak?"

Austin laughed but decided to throw him a bone. "Relax, Lucian. It's Ava."

Lucian's shoulders immediately eased, but then he frowned. "Oh. Well… compared to me, she's boring anyway."

Yanika gasped in mock horror. "Excuse me? Ava is many things, but boring is not one of them."

Lucian waved her off, but Austin caught the way he seemed subtly relieved. He filed that reaction away for later teasing.

Yanika clapped her hands together, drawing the group's attention.

"Lucian, meet Penelope and Cai—they're my friends. Penelope, Cai, meet Lucian."

The three exchanged handshakes.

"We need a strategy," Yanika began. "Everyone in this Academy has something they specialize in, so we need to figure out what we bring to the table."

Austin listened quietly, letting them lay out their strengths. He wasn't particularly invested in the tournament, but seeing her seriously discuss it piqued his curiosity.

Yanika sighed. "I might be a Geolementalist, but my real forte is leatherworking. Making leather armor is my specialty, not battle tactics."

Cai, who had been quiet for most of the discussion, tilted her head. "Wouldn't that be useful?"

"Against normal fighters? Sure. But against the strongest Mages in the Academy?" Yanika shook her head. "Leather armor isn't exactly the best defense against high-tier Mystical Arts. A well-placed spell could burn, freeze, or simply bypass it entirely."

Penelope crossed her arms. "I get what you mean. I'm also a Geolementalist and good at tailoring, but let's be real—having two Geolementalists on the team doesn't give us an advantage. We'd both be working with earth-based constructs, and while that's fine for defense, it makes our offensive options really predictable. And the last thing we want is for our opponents to see through our strategy before we even start."

Austin nodded at her logic. While Earth was a reliable element, it was also rigid. It lacked versatility compared to elements like Fire or Water, which could be manipulated in more dynamic ways. Having two Geolementalists meant they'd have overlapping abilities instead of complementary ones.

Then there was Cai. She had been listening the entire time, only speaking up when she felt necessary. She hesitated before finally introducing herself. "I… I'm a Bilementalist of Earth and Air."

Austin raised an eyebrow. Bilementalists—Mages who could control two elements—were rare, but Earth and Air together?

That was an odd combination.

Those two elements naturally opposed each other; Earth was sturdy and unmoving, while Air was free-flowing and unpredictable.

"That sounds difficult to control," he said, voicing his thoughts.

Cai nodded. "It is. The two elements don't work well together. Earth is heavy, Air is light. One resists movement, the other thrives on it. Keeping them in balance is… exhausting." She paused for a moment before adding softly, "I'm also a jeweler. My art is mostly used for fine manipulation, not combat."

Yanika gave her a reassuring smile. "Jewelry crafting is useful in its own way, though. Enchantments, for one."

Cai nodded but seemed unsure of herself. "I… I also play instruments."

That caught everyone off guard.

Austin tilted his head. "Instruments?"

Cai glanced away, clearly embarrassed. "It's not important. Just something I like to do."

The group fell into a thoughtful silence.

Their strengths were varied, and none of them seemed to fit into traditional battle roles. If they wanted to win, they'd have to find a way to use their unique talents in ways no one would expect.

Then, as if it was the most casual thing in the world, Austin said, "I'm an Omnilementalist."

The words took a moment to sink in.

Yanika blinked. "Wait… what?"

Penelope's mouth fell open slightly. "Did I hear that right?"

Cai's hands clenched in her lap, and even she—who barely reacted to anything—looked stunned.

Lucian, who had been lazily watching from the side, suddenly sat up straight. "Hold on. You're saying you can use all four elements?"

Austin nodded.

Lucian's brows furrowed. "No way. During your duel with Aidan, all you had was—" He paused. His gaze narrowed. "All you used was a stick."

A tense beat passed.

Lucian's eye twitched. "You had an affinity to every element and still fought with a stick?!"

Austin let out a short chuckle. "I mean, it worked, didn't it?"

Lucian looked like he was having a crisis. "You could've blasted Aidan with fire, drowned him in water, crushed him with earth, or thrown him across the arena with wind—but you used a stick?!"

Austin smirked. "Sounds like you'd do anything to get back at Aidan."

Yanika, despite her shock, covered her mouth, trying not to laugh at Lucian's frustration.

Penelope outright cackled.

"Show us," Lucian demanded, exasperated. "If you're actually an Omnilementalist, show us your mana orb."

Austin paused for a moment before sighing. He lifted his hand, and with a simple breath, he gathered his mana.

A translucent sphere of energy swirled to life above his palm, gradually shifting from one hue to another—cyan, blue, green, yellow, red, magenta, then white—before settling into a shimmering, silvery-gray.

"One hand?" Cai who was silent the whole time finally commented in a whisper.

It was unlike anything they'd ever seen. While most mana orbs glowed with a single solid color that represented their element, Austin's was fluid, a variegated dance of different hues blending into one.

Yanika stared, entranced. "That's… unbelievable."

"I've never seen mana do that before…" Cai added.

Penelope whistled. "Damn. No wonder you weren't worried about the tournament."

Lucian, however, wasn't impressed—he was offended.

"Are you serious?" he deadpanned. "You've been holding this back the entire time? I've known you for... umm, weeks! And you didn't think this was worth mentioning?!"

Austin shrugged. "You never asked."

Lucian buried his face in his hands

After a while, the conversation shifted into an argument about which element was the strongest.

Austin watched in silence and is analyzing their personalities.

But as the group continued talking, Austin noticed Yanika's usual energy had dimmed slightly.

When a natural lull came in the conversation, he leaned closer. "Something on your mind?"

Yanika hesitated before sighing. "It... it's just... the Annual Track Tournament."

Austin waited.

Yanika ran a hand through her hair. "I want to be stronger, Austin. Not just for the tournament, but in general. No matter how hard I push myself, it's like I've hit a ceiling. There are people out there who don't even try, like Ava, and they're already ahead of me."

Austin remained quiet, letting her speak.

Lucian, Penelope, and Cai also came to a hush as they began listening to Yanika.

"It's frustrating," she admitted. "I train every day, study all the theories, but I still feel like I'm barely scraping by. I don't want to be left behind."

Austin crossed his arms, thinking.

Yanika was ambitious, but this wasn't just about winning. She was scared of stagnation, of being forgotten in the sea of talent that surrounded her.

Oddly enough, I understood her feelings. Austin thought.

[Does that imply that you'll start doing what you're meant to—]

—Quiet, Akasha.

[...]

Austin had always preferred peace. He avoided unnecessary struggles and stayed away from things that would drag him into conflict. But… Yanika's frustration struck a chord. He had chosen not to fight because he saw power as a burden—but what if power was the only way someone like Yanika could find her own place?

I'd reveal this after graduation anyway. The tournament proving it plausible might work to my advantage.

Austin sighed. "Alright."

Yanika blinked. "Huh?"

"I'll help you," Austin said simply.

Yanika stared at him, wide-eyed. "Wait—really?"

Austin shrugged. "You want to get stronger? Fine. I'll train with you."

Austin then shifted his attention to Lucian, who had lost his usual spark for starting long conversations. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but seeing him left out like this didn't sit right with Austin.

"I'll also help you with your element, Luci." Austin said teasingly.

"Luci?" Lucian asked, confused.

"Yeah, I decided that I'll call you by this nickname." Austin gave him a playful wink.

"But... it sounds like a—" Lucian paused for a second, "—nevermind." He turned hs face away.

Yanika's face lit up with excitement, but she quickly regained composure and tried to play it cool. "Well, uh—yeah. Good."

Austin just chuckled.