"I am surprised you flat out refused her offer." Jyorta walked along the path next to the yellow wall, gazing at the girl walking to his right.
The girl smiled, brushing strands of hair that covered her vision to the back, "I have been studying with Laila recently. Studying with her is really efficient. We divide topics between each of us that we have to cover the next day and so on. You should also join us."
"I'll pass for now. I mostly prefer to study alone. Though, if you have any doubts, you can ask me." Jyorta flexed his left arm, letting out a helpless smile, acting as if he was about to cry. Haesha laughed in response to his action and sent a light punch his way.
"Also, I guess I should mention this." Haesha placed her arm on the yellow wall, feeling its smooth texture and its unshakable sturdiness. "Madam Mila's class that had been scheduled for the day after tomorrow has been cancelled."
"Is it because she is constructing this for the Graduation Ceremony?" Jyorta pointed at the yellow wall.
"Yes," Haesha nodded, "It is a monthly event since students of a Batch graduate every month. It is scheduled for the 20th of this month. I heard someone mention that there are seats created for us to spectate. The students from the older Batches seemed pretty excited about it so I think it would be something amazing."
"Now, I am anticipating it too." Jyorta laughed, remembering the word 'Graduation Ceremony Battlefield' before turning silent. The two conversed as they arrived before their rooms.
"I will sleep now; I am still tired because of everything that had happened recently." Jyorta yawned and waved his hands at Haesha, opening the door to his room. Haesha waved back and entered her room, closing the door shut immediately.
Hanging the key in its designated socket, Jyorta closed the door. He stood beside it, placing a hand on his chest, feeling the thumping of his heart. He then touched his cheeks; it was slightly flushed, the temperature hot enough to be easily perceivable.
'Man, I am hopeless.' Jyorta laughed, slapping the back of his head as he shook his head. He placed the book and pen on the table as he undressed, soon changing into a set of casual clothes.
"I should put this somewhere away from prying eyes." Jyorta glanced at the suitcase on the table, wondering where he could store it. He then glanced at the cupboard positioned above his bed, stopping in thought for almost 10 seconds before deciding on the matter.
"All relevant things should be in one place. I will be using the Tier 5 Artifact almost every day from now on. I will also be consuming a Frenzy Fruit every day." Jyorta opened the cupboard and brought out his bag. He opened the zip and found three priceless items within.
There was a rectangular box, lacking any presence. It acted as a cage to shield the aura of the Tier 5 Artifact housed within it. Placed beside it was a thin newspaper wrapping, concealing a magenta chakram.
It was a gift from Psychic Ancestor Marble, a Tier 6 Artifact fused with a Tier 5 Relic. Finally, placed next to it was a goggle, magenta in colour. The lens swirled with mysterious patterns, making his head spin the more he gazed at it.
Many times, Jyorta wished to wield them, the urge impossible to resist. Their allure prodded his curiosity, beckoning for him to refine them. Currently, they were covered by the psychic energy of Psychic Ancestor Marble.
If not for that, Madam Mary would have detected their presence. Even worse, they weren't shielded by anything like the rectangular box. Without protection, just the aura they emitted would be enough to kill Jyorta and possibly every student in the military academy.
Thankfully, Psychic Ancestor Marble had already thought it through. The psychic energy he layered on the goggle and the chakram was a tough shield, preventing Jyorta's psychic energy from refining them into his Refined Objects. It also put the two in a sealed state, not emitting any aura.
It was made in such a way that they acted as barriers that Jyorta had to break in order to wield the Artifacts. Only when he possessed enough strength to break past the barriers would he be able to make use of them.
At that time, he would possess enough strength to not be overwhelmed by the auras they emit. Everything had been planned and calculated.
This could also be interpreted in another way; if Jyorta failed to live up to the other party's expectation, then his so-called gifts could be retrieved at any moment. After all, Psychic Ancestor Marble's domain covered the entirety of Marble City and the two items were currently his Refined Objects.
'A classic use of carrot and stick; only, in this case, they are subtly hidden underneath a free handout.' Jyorta massaged his forehead.
'Every powerhouse is a formidable character in terms of politics, cunning, and human manipulation. Though, it could also be considered this way. If they weren't formidable to such an extent, they would have lost control long ago after the Wisdom Parasites in them grasped the entirety of their character, life experiences, etc.'
Jyorta placed the suitcase at the bottom and arranged the rectangular box—wrapped under a layer of rope—at the top, occupying one side. He then placed the goggle and the chakram next to it, stuffed some old clothes to prevent their displacement while he moved the bag, and zipped it.
After placing the bag in the cupboard overhead, he closed the door and picked up his day's clothes, noticing them still remain tidy. After a moment of hesitation, he threw them into the basket meant for clothes to be washed.
"I will collect my laundry later." Jyorta slumped on the bed, thinking of what he had to do next. Increasing his friends circle, forging new relations, attending all classes, accumulating Credits to achieve his goals, and finally, accumulating a treasure trove of life experiences, ones that were generated by and belonged to him.
"Ah, there is a lot to do and think about." Jyorta lamented and closed his eyes. The blue soul in him severed some connections, instantly putting his body in a state of rest. This time, he didn't set any alarms.
…
In the Head Office Building, seated inside the Principal's Office was Madam Mary, her brows scrunched up in thought. She rested her elbows on the desk, interlocking her fingers. She rested her chin atop them, gazing into the space, her eyes vacant.
All the actions that had been happening around stopped, resulting in the room being enveloped by silence. She retracted all her psychic arms, picking up a paper and a pen. The sheet of paper looked like a parchment, with its thickness varying with each second.
For one second, it was thinner than a strand of hair. In the other, its thickness crossed a centimetre. Its actions seemed as if the paper was alive and seemed to be breathing. Madam Mary picked up a pen, pausing it a millimetre before the paper.
The pen's nib was long, spanning the length of two centimetres. It shortened and elongated, its difference in size variation matching the paper's. Its other end was shaped into a six-pointed star. The entire pen was transparent, like glass.
A psychic arm appeared from Madam Mary's head, slithering through the air before coiling around her right arm. It inched forward, thinning itself along the way, becoming a hair's width by the time it reached the pen. It joined with one of the pointed ends of the star.
A second psychic arm appeared, coiling past the first psychic arm, and eventually joining with another pointed end of the star. Soon, the third, the fourth and the fifth psychic arms repeated the same.
Of the six-pointed star, only one end was left vacant. Madam Mary took in a deep breath, closing her eyes in thought. Followed by a spike in her aura, a sixth psychic arm slithered out her head, repeating the same actions as the others, joining with the final pointed end of the star.
She could unleash six psychic arms!
The brunt of her aura was unleashed into the surroundings, igniting the air into a sea of flames. The walls lit up with gentle radiance, shielding all the documents from harm. A filament formed around them, trembling under the aura while defending against it.
The walls of the room, fully composed of Gulvana began to form cracks, showing signs of collapse. The innermost layer directly began to breakdown, falling off as dust on the floor.
The moment the sixth psychic arm joined with the last pointed end of the six-pointed star, the pen lit up with white light. In response to it, the paper below turned black, its surface similar to water, forming ripples every second.
Madam Mary touched the nib on the paper, scribbling forth a line. On the black surface, the sentence was a shade of white, glimmering with a gentle blue flame, shimmering like the stars, their fluctuations conforming to the rise and fall of the paper.
"Jyorta Bone only possesses the Trait of Efficiency."