Irregular Mystics

Upon spotting Kevin, Ariase made his way over, grinning as he raised his hand.

Kevin smirked and met him halfway with a high-five, "Dude, congrats~!"

"Same to you," Ariase replied with a smile.

Then, as if a switch flipped, Ariase's expression turned mischievous.

He leaned in slightly, his eyes glinting with curiosity, "So… what artifact did you awaken?"

Kevin shot him a smug look and crossed his arms. "Well, let's just say it's something way better than your tattered fan."

Ariase scoffed at his friend's arrogant tone, "Oh yeah? Summon it then, you bastard."

Kevin hesitated, taking a small step back as he scratched the back of his neck, "Eh… later. I'll summon it later when we're alone."

Ariase raised an eyebrow, his smirk deepening, "What's the point of waiting? Just summon it now."

Then, as a thought dawned on him, his grin widened, "Wait… don't tell me it's something useless too?"

Kevin's face immediately turned red.

"It's NOT!" he barked, gritting his teeth.

Ariase chuckled, his tone dripping with disbelief. "Yeah, yeah. Sure. I totally believe you."

His smug expression only made Kevin's embarrassment worse.

Kevin clenched his fists, then shut his eyes tight before growling, "Screw it! Here! I'll make you shut up!"

With a flash of white and black energy, his artifact began to materialize.

Ariase watched with mild amusement—until the shape of the weapon became clear.

Silence.

Ariase's mouth slowly fell open in disbelief. Then, after a long pause, he covered his lips with his hand and let out a muffled chuckle.

"You…" he stifled another laugh before giving Kevin a teasing look. "…You pervert."

A black fringe whip gleamed ominously in Kevin's hand.

Kevin was fuming, his face flushed red as he shouted, "See?! I knew you'd react like that! That's why I said I'd show you later! This is so damn embarrassing…"

Ariase just burst into laughter, watching his friend's frustration with amusement.

'This simpleton. It's really fun to tease this jerk,' he thought. 

His gaze then swept across the surrounding students.

A few of the boys had flinched at the sight of Kevin's artifact, clearly suppressing some "thoughts" of their own.

'Hah. Guess these kids are already at that age, huh?' Ariase mused, shaking his head.

Fortunately, most of the students present didn't seem to understand the other potential uses of a fringe whip, sparing him secondhand embarrassment.

He let out a relieved sigh—at least he wouldn't have to endure whispers about standing next to this guy.

Kevin and Ariase continued talking, comparing their awakened talents and laughing over their luck.

Minutes passed.

Then—a flash of light.

A student suddenly teleported outside the gate of the Grand Altar of Endless Stars.

The air grew tense. Conversations halted.

Every student nearby, including Ariase, turned toward the scene.

The boy who had appeared was in a state of panic. His face was pale, his breathing erratic.

Then, without hesitation, he ran.

However, before he could take more than a few steps, the recorders intercepted him.

He collapsed to the ground, his knees scraping against the stone pavement as he knelt and pleaded desperately.

Ariase's heightened senses, enhanced by his Tier 7 Acquired Body of Purified Sanctum, picked up every detail of the trembling student's voice, even from meters away.

"S-sir, please… I beg you… My father and mother are still waiting for me at home. I—I don't want to die! P... please spare me...!"

Ariase frowned. His eyebrows knitted together as confusion set in.

'What the hell is he even pleading for?'

But then—a realization hit him like a thunderclap.

His uncle and his homeroom teacher had mentioned something multiple times in hushed tones before. A topic that was almost taboo.

His mind screamed—

'Don't tell me… is it the FORBIDDEN ELEMENT?!'

Ariase's suspicions were confirmed when one of the recorders retrieved a mystic stone from his spatial storage.

Pressing it against the student's forehead—right where his Mystic Core was located—the stone activated, revealing the student's awakened element.

At first, a vision of green bubbles shimmered around his body, a clear indication of a decay-aligned element.

But then... something unexpected happened.

A second illusion emerged. Glowing embers of flame flickered to life, surrounding him in a mystical blaze.

The recorder's eyes widened in shock.

His breath hitched as he muttered, "An... Irregular?! How could this be?!"

His hands trembled as he stared at the boy in disbelief.

Awakening two elements was really rare, but for one of them to be a forbidden element...

The situation had just become far more complicated.

Gritting his teeth, the recorder turned to his fellow officials, his voice urgent.

"Contact the association immediately!"

Ariase caught every word.

Even Kevin, standing beside him, noticed the commotion despite being unable to hear the specifics.

"Ria, let's go check it out," Kevin urged, nudging Ariase. "Something must've happened. I can't see or hear what's going on from here!"

But Ariase, his face blank with shock, only muttered, "I-I'll stay here for a while, Kev."

Kevin gave him a confused look, "What's with you? You okay?"

But seeing no change in Ariase's expression, he simply shrugged.

"Well, if you say so, I'll go ahead."

Ariase barely nodded, his mind racing with a single thought.

'Did I hear that right?! An Irregular! But… to awaken a forbidden element as his first. How unfortunate.'

His eyes lingered on the boy in question. A strange, unsettling feeling stirred within him.

He clenched his fists as he said murmured, "But... what's with him? Why do I feel… something strange when I look at him?"

His brows furrowed as his senses sharpened.

"No… it's not his body. It's... his energy..."

A realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

'It's really akin to that of a leaf... too similar to it. Wait...! His essence is half the same as my own...'

His breath slowed as he gulped. A chilling thought crept into his mind.

'Not just similar... It's almost like… I can control him?'

His heart pounded as he instinctively murmured under his breath.

[Foliage of Four Seasons]

The golden talent mark on his Ancestral Spirit Mark began to glow, he slowly raised his hand slightly—just enough to test something.

That was when he saw it.

A thin, thread-like connection linking him and the boy.

His heart pounded. His fingers twitched as he hesitated for a moment before reaching out and touching the thread.

Ariase's breath hitched. His earlier suspicion was confirmed.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

'What in the world is happening...? There's a thread that connects him to me, just like when I tried to control the leaves. This is unbelievable...'

His mind raced, but his curiosity won out over his fear. He had to test this.

With a barely audible whisper, he commanded through the thread, "Stand up."

And then—

The boy rose to his feet.

His eyes were foggy, unfocused, as if his mind had been clouded over.

From a few meters away, Ariase watched in horror.

He staggered a step backward, his pulse thudding against his ribs.

He gulped, his fingers trembled, 'Did I… just control him?'

Cold sweat formed on his forehead as a creeping dread coiled around his spine.

'But how?! He's not a leaf—he's a living person!'

His throat felt dry as he forced himself to try again, "Sit."

And—

The boy obeyed again.

Ariase felt a chill crawl up his back as he watched the boy wordlessly sit back down, his expression blank and unresponsive.

The surrounding students and recorders began to murmur amongst themselves, confused by the boy's strange, sudden change in behavior.

Moments ago, he had been pleading desperately, reacting in shock to the recorders' announcement.

But now, he sat there—stoic, unmoving, and expressionless.

Ariase snapped out of his daze and immediately severed the connection, deactivating his talent before anyone could notice what he had done.

His heart was still pounding as he tried to regain his composure.

He glanced around, scanning for any signs that someone might have seen him.

Luckily, no one had noticed.

But his thoughts were in complete turmoil.

He turned his gaze back to the boy, still frozen in disbelief, "What the hell did I just do?"