Martial Demons Ascension

When Professor Emmet stepped into the classroom that morning, the usual low chatter dimmed out of habit his eyes scanned the rows of students without lingering, but Rhyka's empty seat didn't escape his notice.

He hadn't expected the boy to bounce back immediately after what happened two days ago but he had thought Rhyka might reach out by now privately Quietly the matter of the blacksmith apprenticeship they'd spoken about was still open, and Emmet knew the boy's pride would chafe at sitting idle too long.

To Emmet, it wasn't a question of if Rhyka would come to him only when.

The morning's schedule called for the daily physical warm-up chairs scraped back as the entire class stood, the collective movement more from habit than enthusiasm.

Rinnte rose along with them. His face didn't show it, but the ritual annoyed him not the running itself, but the mandatory nature of it. To him, exercise was something you did because you wanted to get stronger, not because a bell or a teacher told you to still, rules were rules.

For most of the class, this "morning run" was just a precursor to enchantment training, a chore to get through but for Rinnte, it was different physical training had its own rhythm, its own satisfaction.

They filed out of the building and onto the packed-dirt path that wound around the school grounds The air outside was cool, carrying the faint scent of grass and morning dew.

The first stretch was always the worst—students trying to talk while jogging, voices overlapping, footsteps falling out of sync It didn't take long for those conversations to fade as the pace picked up and the first signs of annoyance set in one by one, the voices fell silent until there was only the sound of breathing and the dull thud of feet on the path.

When they rounded the first bend, Rinnte let mana begin to flow through his body It was a familiar sensation warmth spreading from his core into his limbs, a light pressure behind his muscles as the energy pushed them to work harder.

He wasn't yet at the stage where he could enhance only specific muscles with perfect precision that kind of control came later, once you'd climbed much further on the path of a combat mage For now, the enhancement was full-body, and the rush of speed and strength hit all at once.

The ground seemed to blur under his feet as he leaned forward slightly, letting the momentum carry him The wind hit his face, cool and sharp, tugging at his hair. His breathing settled into a steady rhythm, the sound of air rushing past his ears drowning out the world behind him.

It was almost meditative just him, the path, and the pulse of mana in his blood.

The isolation didn't last.

From the corner of his vision, a figure drew up beside him, matching his stride without apparent effort Brownish-blonde hair caught the light as she turned her head toward him Eto.

She didn't look winded, though her cheeks were slightly flushed from the run Her eyes were fixed on him in that intent, searching way that made it clear she wasn't here to pace him for fitness' sake.

"Hey, Rinnte."

He didn't answer.

She stayed there anyway, steps perfectly in sync with his.

"Stop ignoring me."

Still nothing.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright?" Her voice was low enough that the other runners wouldn't hear over their own breath, but there was an edge of urgency to it "We should talk about this It would be much more productive than you pretending I'm not here."

He kept his gaze straight ahead, jaw tight Mana still flowed through him, keeping his body light and fast, but part of his focus was already shifting debating whether to say something or keep the silence intact.

Eto's tone was halfway between frustration and pleading, but her persistence told him she wasn't going to let this go easily.

Rinnte finally broke the silence.

His voice was steady, but the sharpness in it cut through the rhythm of their footfalls

"You're a hypocrite."

Eto blinked, caught off guard by the bluntness "What?"

"You act like you care about fairness," he said, keeping his eyes forward "You pretend you want everyone to feel included. But when it actually mattered, you stayed quiet You let him take the fall because it was easier for you."

Her steps faltered for half a second before she caught herself and matched his pace again. "It's… not that simple."

"It's exactly that simple," Rinnte replied without missing a beat "You had a choice. You picked the one that protected you, not him Don't act like you didn't know what you were doing."

Her breathing was heavier now, though he couldn't tell if it was from the run or the conversation She shook her head, strands of hair clinging to her face with sweat "It's more complicated than you think I didn't have time to—"

"You had time to decide who mattered more to you," he cut in"That's all the time you needed."

Eto's mouth opened, then closed. Her eyes dropped briefly to the path before snapping back up "You don't know everything that was going through my head I was trying to keep my friends out of trouble I thought we could… fix it after."

"Some things you don't fix after," Rinnte said, his tone flat. "You stand up in the moment, or you don't stand up at all."

For several strides, neither of them spoke. The only sound between them was the synchronized rhythm of their shoes hitting the dirt The air between them was thick with not just with the heat of the run, but with the weight of words neither was willing to take back.

The run dragged on in silence after Rinnte's last words The steady pounding of their feet on the dirt path became the only thing filling the space between them Each bend in the trail looked the same as the last packed earth, scattered leaves, the occasional shaft of sunlight breaking through the canopy.

The air was heavier now. The run had warmed their bodies, and the lingering tension from their exchange made the silence feel almost physical Neither was willing to speak first.

Then, as they rounded the final curve before the end of the path, both of them slowed slightly not because they were tired, but because of what they saw.

Rhyka.

He stood near the trail's exit, not moving, but not idle either His stance was balanced, weight evenly distributed over his feet. The way he carried himself was different less of the guarded, defensive posture he'd once had, more open, more… assured. His shoulders were back, his movements unhurried, almost deliberate.

And there was something else.

It wasn't mana, at least not in the way most students manifested it But the air around him seemed to bend subtly an almost imperceptible pressure that made you aware of him before you even focused your eyes on him.

His expression was calm at first glance, but not neutral The moment his gaze shifted toward Eto, the calm carried an undercurrent of something darker It wasn't outright hostility more like a quiet, restrained malice. The kind you only noticed if you were looking for it His eyes didn't narrow, his jaw didn't tighten, but the weight behind that look was unmistakable.

Eto faltered mid-stride Her pace slowed as if her body had instinctively wanted to put more space between them, but she forced herself to keep going She glanced at him only briefly, then looked away, though her posture gave her away shoulders slightly tighter, steps more careful.

Rinnte noticed it all, but said nothing. His attention was on Rhyka's overall presence. Something about the way he moved or rather, the way he didn't move was different His breathing was steady, controlled even shifting his weight from one leg to the other seemed calculated, efficient.

When they got close enough, Rhyka greeted them.

It wasn't loud, but it carried"Morning."

The tone was polite on the surface, but there was something underneath a subtle lift at the end of the word, a rhythm that wasn't casual It was the kind of voice someone used when they knew something you didn't.

There was just enough smugness in it to be felt rather than heard.

He didn't step aside to let them pass he didn't need to the way he stood, the controlled ease in his posture, made it feel like they were the ones approaching his space, not the other way around.