New World - A New Beginning

Describing the battle would've been completely and utterly pointless. The entire fight lasted approximately three seconds, with the professor appearing beside Kei and annihilating the kid with his foot.

I sighed as the white-haired professor stood up, clearing his throat as two medics rushed into the classroom. The healers were clearly waiting at the entrance of the room, was this something that happened every year?

"Only one this time," I heard one of them mutter in relief, helping Kei out of the room. A few faces at the very front of the class turned blue in fear, their ears catching the brief words of the healers.

"My name is Mago Night, but you can all just call me Mago. No need for formalities," announced Mago, his authority no longer contested in the slightest. "I'll be observing what each of you is capable of doing during this first period, so please pair up with another student and listen to instructions."

Well, fuck.

I remained calm as my eyes looked around, identifying potential partners that I'd end up being paired up with forcefully. The other students around me were slowly getting up and finding a duo, all of them accomplishing the task of being integrated and not excluded.

Two remained after a few minutes, and Mago immediately looked up at me.

"You two, pair up," he ordered. I got up, looking over at the only student who had sat further back in the class than me.

The girl was laying on her arms, both of them resting on the desk in front of her. Her hair was a dark brown that matched her eyes, but for some reason, she looked colorless. Her eyes stared straight ahead in the void, her mind separated from the present.

I walked up to her, knocking ever so slightly on the desk.

"Let's go," I said, "we've been paired together."

She finally looked up, simply nodding and following me down the room as we lined up alongside the other pairs. I glanced over at my partner, reading her elemental attunement.

She was an advanced binder?

I could feel the cold mist circulating through her body, the chilling frost draining the color from her complexion. She was an ice binder.

The girl was completely unfazed by Mago's explanation, her entire presence seemingly nonexistent, her conscience completely ignoring her surroundings.

"And you two, names please," said Mago as he approached me, addressing both myself and the girl beside me.

"Jay Cadmium," I responded, slightly worried the girl would get sanctioned for being completely zoned out during the teacher's lecture.

"Mia Stil," she said quietly, her voice barely audible. Thankfully, Mago was able to hear the girl due to his enhanced senses, but I could tell the people on the other side of the class couldn't even tell she had opened her mouth to speak.

"Jay and Mia, you guys will take area five," he said.

Area five?

The metal wall to the right suddenly creaked, the doors opening. The technology present in the Academy surprised me. I didn't expect Auroria to have sliding doors, maybe I viewed this civilization too archaically?

A massive room suddenly opened up, small little areas distributed around the metal room. Circles were painted on the ground with large numbers. I made my way to our designated area, always sensing to make sure Mia somehow didn't get lost on the straight path towards area five.

"Please take the wooden weapons that are stashed in the lockers," announced Mago, his booming order contrasting with his rather small and feminine appearance.

I brought a spare sword for Mia, the girl simply standing in the middle of the circle with the number five written on the floor and waiting. She accepted the sword, loosening her arm as she gripped the weapon.

Mago gave the signal to begin, the sound of small explosions and clashes sparking around me. I glanced over at Mago, his eyes locked on me. Was he suspicious about the overwhelming amount of neutral bind within my body?

Mia seemingly snapped out of her dreamlike state, suddenly appearing right beside me in a flash.

She's fast.

I put up my own sword, blocking the attack. The girl immediately vaulted to the side, striking again. I narrowly evaded the follow-up, but Mia was already moving on to the third attack, constantly looking for an opening.

I increased the amount of neutral bind circulating within me, allowing me to keep up with the girl's movements. Neutral bind was allowing me to play defensively, drawing out my opponent's exhaustion, but something wasn't right.

She wasn't using her full arsenal. The number of ice particles that dwelled in Mia's body was almost imperceptible. Did the girl refuse to use the element?

My mind shifted towards my previous discussion with Yu as I evaded another strike. So this was the student who refused to partake in the advanced bind class? Her abilities without the element were already incredible, and with the added boost of power from the overwhelming versatility and power of the ice element, Mia could easily become an extremely powerful binder.

I knew there was a reason for the containing of her true power. An event, some kind of trauma must have scarred her, and the root of it all must've been the element.

Mago smiled as he watched both of us, our performance mimicking a choreographed danced, two actors vaulting around each other at blinding speeds.

Mia suddenly burst at me, swooping her leg on the floor to try and destabilize me. I stepped back, briefly waving my hand as the ground beneath the girl chilled. It wasn't a complete frost coat, but the moisture from the mist was enough to make the girl slip. I put my wooden sword forward, watching as the girl slid towards me, ultimately coming to a stop at the very tip of my weapon.

"Looks like I win," I said, smiling. The girl's eyes were wide with surprise, and I couldn't tell if it was because she realized I had used ice or if she had no idea why she slipped. I offered her my hand, the girl taking it without batting an eye.

Her hand rested on mine, an immediate shock striking my body. This girl was as cold as ice.

I was well aware that actively using the element usually resulted in a loss of body temperature, but Mia had never once used the element during the fight. So why was she so cold?

I had no idea how to approach the situation, or how to ask the girl about her past. Was it something I was supposed to spring out of nowhere?

Hey Mia, why do you refuse to use ice?

No, no, that's definitely not it.

I slowed my breathing, matching the temperature of the hand that was resting on mine. I pulled her up, the girl's eyebrows perking up.

"You're cold," she murmured. I let go of her hand, smiling.

"Yea. Guess we both use the same element, huh?"