TBATE - Brother's Once More

Personal Efforts

Close to a month has passed since I've begun my escapades at Xyrus Academy. I can't say much has happened regarding my stay.

Save for training with Claire and company, I've kept up my own training too. Or so I'd like to say. I haven't managed to find time to test out my new idea.

Plus I've bottomed out on all the mana I could possibly absorb and refine. Not sure whether that's good or not, but you could argue that the only thing I'm losing here is mana to work with.

Still got plenty of magic to work with, though. Speaking of magic...

Pretty much every book on Deviant magic in the city has been read by me, which is pretty sad, but I'm not really surprised.

Well, all things considered, I'm all for self-study, and it seems to have worked this long so if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

On the other hand, Claire and the others have had drastic improvements in multiple ways.

I also sent Arthur off three days ago, too. After I may or may not have pummeled him a bit. Not my fault. Not not my fault either.

But in any case.

The Student Council, as far as I've seen, is just a regulatory force with extra steps.

President Abby gave me the rundown on things around here.

Basically, we set up events, keep the students in check, and moderate externals such as donations and the like.

All in all, our job is basically to moderate, finance and manage. We need to be pocket-watching bouncer-bodyguards.

Yeah, it looks like my takeover's gonna hit this school harder than anything before or since.

For better or worse, what's gonna happen is gonna happen. Let's keep it at that.

On another note, Claire and company have been picking up new tricks.

She's gotten faster and her attacks are more robust now. I've started opening the first gate to defend against her attacks, which is saying something for a person who's only at the peak of Yellow core.

Theodore's a deceptive one. I would've expected him to be like an old dog who can't learn new tricks, but it's actually quite the opposite.

He's crazy fast at picking up new information and translating it into practical movements effectively.

His magic aside, the way he fights has definitely improved in multiple ways. From movements and transitions down to energy and power, he picks up on every error I point out and corrects it effortlessly.

Leonard has also drastically improved the quality of his magic.

Because he was actually pretty decent at it, I taught him how to conjure and shape his water element, so he could layer it over that armor and sword of his.

He certainly isn't at a level I would call stable by any means, but there's no rush. His mastery is already more than sufficient for this world's garbage standards.

Nonetheless, I'm satisfied with what I've been able to do in the time I've been here so far. I fully admit that the students here have more potential than I originally valued them for.

My fault.

**

I pinched the bridge of my nose, wondering if perhaps these people really were sane after all.

"Let me get this straight just to make sure I'm not the only sane one here. You want me, a pre-First Year–not even an actual one, but a going-to-be-one First Year–to lead a club that doesn't even exist."

Cynthia's head sat on her palm as she smiled confidently. "This time of year, you're considered a student of the following grade so long as you're on school grounds. For you, Jayden, that makes you a First Year student."

With a sigh, I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my headache away to no avail.

"Fine. Have it your way. " I grumbled. "In the first place, why me?"

She looked at me with a knowing gaze. "Don't tell me you plan on learning information you don't need?"

Damn. She's not wrong.

With a groan, I lugged myself up. "God, I'm totally gonna regret this. Alright, you win. I'll friggin lead the club or whatever. God, why do old people have to be so sneaky?"

"Wisdom comes with age, little tyke." She smirked confidently as she slid a document on her desk forward, returning to some level of seriousness. "By the way, Jayden. This is for you. Your commissioned training facility has completely finished."

Grabbing the paper, I looked closely at it. "Oh, nice. Got it kitted out with all the niceties and everything. Thanks, I'll check it out later today."

**

"Mana manipulation can be defined as a process of coercing the worldly powers of the physical realm. You can pull it, push it, move it around, et cetera.

But at the same time, there is only so much one can do. Your own inadequacies can limit your potential, your talents, and ultimately, your growth."

Claire's steady pace of inhales and exhales continued as I paused.

Still going strong. We can go a little bit longer, then.

"This is a world where magic is plentiful. Because of that, nobody ever considers the possibility that it may just disappear.

Our powers are constantly depleted whenever we mages manipulate mana. It's a fact of our biology and basic science to lose something in order to gain something better.

For us, that means we spend mana to make spells, enhance the power of our bodies, and whatnot."

I focused inward and half-opened the first gate, pushing my released mana outward.

"Mana is something we have to lose in order to produce something we want as a mage. That's why we also need to be able to minimize how much mana we lose by maximizing what we gain."

Claire's brows furrowed in thought as she struggled to comprehend. I slowly made my way to her, reaching a hand out.

With a tap on her shoulder, she flinched before opening her eyes.

"This is where we stop today's session. Get some rest and then we'll begin sparring in the arena."

With a nod, she stood up, stretching her arms and legs. "Man! You really are a whole other beast when it comes to magic."

"I guess you could say that." I slipped into my coat as we made our way out of my training room.

"Like I said, the people here are too focused on quantity because they know quality comes later. But that's just it; if you focus on quality and quantity at the beginning, just imagine what happens in the long run."

She pointed at me, laughing. "Well, of course, I can imagine. It's standing right in front of me."

Author's Note

So this is a pretty funny story.

Long story short, I suppose I failed to publish this chapter after I finished it how long ago.

So that happened.

In any case, it seems we'll just have some of those days when suddenly I'm alive and happen to publish a new chapter.

And what with the whole college thing going on plus working the morning shift, I reckon you guys will see me once every blue moon.

Just a heads up. I hope you guys enjoyed knowing I'm still alive, though.

Bye bye.