A chance?

The day of the competition had arrived. Confidence? Yeah, I didn't have much of that. Okay, fine I didn't have any at all. But I had a katana, a halfway-decent stance (if you squinted), and the unwavering will to at least look like I knew what I was doing. That had to count for something… right?

As I made my way toward the training grounds, I ran into Astel. He gave my katana a quick glance, then raised an eyebrow so high it practically left his face. "You're actually planning to fight with that against people using magic? You think you can hold your own against the other disciples… with just a sword?"

I clutched the katana defensively. "What's wrong with it? Elder Kai said this was meant to help with my, uh… lack of magic talent."

Astel sighed, his expression hovering somewhere between pity and amusement. "It's supposed to work with an Elemental Jade Stone. That's how you unlock its full potential."

I blinked. "An Elemental Jade what now?"

"You know," he said, giving me the kind of look reserved for hopeless cases. "Didn't you use one in the Elemental Resonance class?"

"...Oh. Right. That." I nodded, trying to look like I totally remembered. "Yeah, of course. So, uh… why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

Astel shrugged. "I figured the readers would enjoy a surprise twist."

I paused mid-step, narrowing my eyes. "Fair enough."

Without another word, I bolted back to my room. If this stone could turn me from a sword-wielding liability into an actual contender, I wasn't wasting any time.

By the time I threw open the door, my mind was spinning with questions. What even was an Elemental Jade Stone? 

I tore through my belongings like a desperate treasure hunter, my already messy room descending into full-blown chaos.

"Come on, come on… where are you?" I muttered, flinging clothes, scrolls, and-ugh-a questionable sandwich onto the floor.

Finally, beneath a pile of dusty books, my hand brushed against something cool and smooth. I pulled it out, holding it up to the light.

It was a small, shimmering stone, glowing faintly in my palm. Colors swirled inside like a tiny galaxy trapped in glass. This had to be it.

"Wait a second," I muttered. "Why do I even have this?"

Then it hit me.

Oh. Right. I stole it from the sect's treasury to impress Li Mei.

"Great," I said, sighing. "It's been sitting here the whole time while I've been running around like a complete idiot. Perfect."

Still, no time for self-pity. I grabbed Astel's Beginner Guide and flipped to the section on Elemental Jade Stones. The book had an entire list of categories, each tied to a different type of magic.

Red stone: for fire elemental magic.

Blue stone: for water elemental magic.

Green stone: for earth elemental magic.

Purple stone : for gravitational magic:

.....

I froze, rereading the last one. Slowly, I looked at my stone again, noticing the faint purple hue swirling inside.

"This… is gravitational," I whispered.

Excitement replaced my nerves as I skimmed the instructions. Apparently, to imbue the weapon with the stone's energy, I just needed to focus my intent and let the stone sync with the blade. Simple enough on paper, though I doubted reality would be so cooperative and it would allow me to use gravitational spells without chanting incantations.

I pressed the stone against the katana's hilt and closed my eyes. I concentrated, imagining the energy from the stone flowing into the blade. Warmth spread through my fingers as the stone dissolved, its energy seeping into the metal.

The katana began to hum softly, glowing faintly as intricate runes etched themselves along the blade. When the glow faded, the sword felt… heavier.

I gave it a cautious swing, and the air around the blade seemed to ripple. Curious, I jabbed at a nearby stool. Instead of just tipping over, the stool slammed into the ground with a loud thud, cracking the wooden floor beneath it.

"Great, now the landlord's gonna kill me" I breathed, staring at the katana.

Grinning like a madman, I glanced back at the guide. According to the notes, gravitational magic didn't just make the blade heavier it let me control the force of my strikes, amplifying their impact and much more.