Chapter 13: Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion – Chapter 13: Oscar’s First Spell

After the brief respite, Frank resumed the lecture. The image of the scroll was now at the forefront.

"How do Exalts fight? I've seen some of you continue meditating while others train in combat. That is all good. Every attack of an Exalt is infused with Ein and is deadlier than ordinary attacks. But that is just simple motions."

"An Exalt can flow the Ein in certain ways, to attack in a particular manner, and to twist the nature around them. Those are spells. Spells are different techniques that utilize the Ein in your physical body or weapon."

Frank took stuck out his hand, and suddenly a ball of fire appeared, much to the crowd's surprise. He threw the fire upwards high into the air, where it exploded. The winds blew back from the explosion, brushing everyone's hair back.

"Using the Ein properly, I could transform it into the fire. This particular spell is the Grade One Spell 'Combust' which makes my fire explode in a flash. You can transform your Ein into many things without needing a spell. A spell is to adjust it so that it can have various effects, giving the Ein purpose."

All of a sudden, flames engulfed his hands. The students were shocked, but Frank was undisturbed by it.

"See, my Ein transformed into flames. But it is undirected, without motive. Watch as I invoke my spell to give it a purpose."

Frank concentrated as the fire shrank but grew deeper in red. Finally, it stopped when until it looked like Frank was wearing a pair of bright red gloves. Oscar could see the flames waving and flickering on the surface of the gloves.

"This is the Grade Two Spell 'Fists of Fury'. A spell meant for physical attacks."

A boulder appeared out of nowhere next to Frank. He slammed his fist straight into it. Students watched in horror as the rock melted against the fierce heat of Frank's fist.

"These spells seem far deadlier in my hands because of my Exalt power. However, they are still strong in your inexperienced hands."

Frank was a Knight Exalt. Thus his control and force on Ein were far above these students. If they used the Grade One Combust spell, it would only be a small explosion, unlike the blast he exhibited.

"As you become stronger, you can invoke more powerful spells. They are divided by grades, from Grade One to Nine. Apprentice Exalts like yourself can only do Grade One, but perhaps a few among you can handle the strain of Grade Two in the Greater Apprentice stage."

"The Neptune Archives contains all the spells and knowledge you want. However, to get a spell, you must acquire contribution points from missions and tasks. Thankfully, as new students, you all have the right to one free Grade One spell."

Oscar was confused because he's been to the Neptune Archives almost every day but never heard of it. Frederick pulled him aside and said, "I guess we should have asked. Damn that old witch, she never told me about this."

Frederick grumbled about his aunt, who kept some information from him. He was too scared to confront her directly, so he could only whisper his complaints.

"We should leave after this lecture is over as soon as possible." After this, Oscar knew there would be a mass exodus of people crowding towards the Neptune Archives. Any second spent understanding and practicing the spell would be a great boon.

Frank clapped his hands together to silence the excited students. He knew they were eager to get a free spell, but he did not enjoy being sidetracked. In the end, being young was to be very distracted.

"As members of the Blue Ocean Pavilion. You must become stronger. Remember that only the strongest will thrive. Now we have come to an end. Good luck to you all."

Frank flew away before everyone's eyes. They were still for a moment, but then they became frenzied.

Oscar and Frederick pushed through everyone in their way. It was the moment Oscar was ready for. Some students shoved each other down to the ground, their eyes gleaming with desire.

Everyone was on their way to get a spell.

The gate to the Azure City was uneventful today. The guards watched as students passed in and out throughout the morning. However, their faces were tense because they knew what was coming.

Every year, after the first month of admission, an unruly crowd of students always stomps towards the gate. The guards were Knight Exalts but dealing with thousands of people was still a tall task.

The ground rumbled and shook. The guards and some oblivious students heard the roars. One of the guards directed the students to move out of the way. They all sidestepped and saw a massive crowd on the horizon.

Oscar and Frederick managed to reach the forefront and rushed inside Azure City. The guards backed away more as streams of the students bulldozed their way through.

"This way!" They went into an alleyway and came out in front of the Neptune Archives after a series of turns.

The peaceful and regal atmosphere of the Neptune Archives was cut short as Oscar noticed the mass crowd thrashing their way towards the entrance.

"Get inside!" Frederick screamed.

Oscar and Frederick leaped across the bridge and went to the front desk.

"We would like the free grade one spell!" Oscar's face was flushed with excitement.

The librarian was an old lady with kind eyes. She recognized Oscar as an avid reader who was here nearly every day. She smiled and placed a catalog in front of him and Frederick.

"Choose a spell from this Grade One Catalog. Let me know, and I will bring out a copy."

Oscar and Frederick flipped through the catalog. As they did, the crowd of Outer Hall students finally came forward. The old librarian was not affected by the yells around her.

She stared at them and released her Knight Exalt aura, deafening the crowd's words.

"The librarians will help you, but only when you are in order."

The crowd did not wish to offend a Knight Exalt and followed her orders. She winked at Oscar with his mouth gaping open. He never thought he was acquainted with a Knight Exalt like this.

Frederick flipped through and spotted a spell he liked. He went to the old lady waiting for them and pointed to the spell, 'Grade One Wind Step'. Oscar looked on in confusion because he thought Frederick was the more aggressive person.

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"It's suitable." Frederick said. "Don't let anyone else know."

Oscar nodded. Knowing a person's arsenal of spells is akin to knowing their weak points. The worst thing for an Exalt was to be met with horrifying counters with no way to stop them.

Oscar scanned through the catalog, looking through the various spells. None of the attack and defense spells were enticing. This was a free opportunity, so he needed a good spell he could use in any situation.

His fingers traced down the pages until they stopped on one line. Oscar read it carefully.

"Grade One - Stone Gaze, stop an enemy's movements with a look of your eyes."

'This is it.'

Oscar knew this was what he needed. As a Grade Four, he needed more than simple attacks or defense. He needed abilities that could surprise the opponent or lead to an overturn when used correctly.

"Elder, I would like this one."

The old librarian had just come out with Frederick's spell and took note of Oscar's choice. She looked amused that the young student would choose this. They often want something to enhance their attack or defense.

"I'll be right back." The librarian came back moments later with Oscar's spell. It was a scroll encased in a tube container. She took Oscar's hand and pricked a bit of blood, placing it on a slot in the container.

"You will have this spell to study for a week. It has been modified so no one can read it but you. Remember, you cannot share the spells with others, or else you'll be condemned. Do not test us. The Pavilion always catches the rulebreakers."

Her stern gaze went from Oscar to Frederick. They nodded their heads repeatedly like a couple of chickens.

Oscar and Frederick sprinted to the training area where they could read and practice their spells in peace. Oscar opened his scroll and started reading.

The 'Grade One Stone Gaze' spell utilizes Ein through the eyes to halt a person or beast. The principle is that once the eyes meet in a stare, the caster's Ein would spill out from their eyes to the enemy, forming a link. This link would be the catalyst for the user's Ein to lock onto the enemy, freezing them in place.

'So I need to stare them in the eyes.' Oscar tapped his fingers on the floor as he read. It was great in battles against people, but would they give him a chance to stare at them? What if one of them was blind?

Oscar studied more as it described the process of the spell.

First, Ein had to collect into a singular point in the pupils of the eyes. If the Ein isn't condensed enough and small enough, the link can be easily broken by the enemy's Ein.

Second, the Ein had to be aimed and shot towards the enemy's eye.

Third, the link had to be maintained with a constant flow of Ein.

Oscar crossed his arms in a frown. This spell was very versatile, but the requirements of constant Ein and meeting eyes were very stringent.

'I can worry about that part later. I should first collect the Ein in my eyes.'

He sat down in meditation. The best way to sense his Ein was in Ein meditation so he could tell the smallest deviants. He focused the Ein in his body to flow into his head.

'Heavy' Oscar's head felt heavier, close to how it felt when he was sick. But he continued on and tried to concentrate on his eyes.

"GAH" A searing burn overflowed from his two eye sockets. The Ein dissipated since Oscar lost concentration.

"Os!" Frederick stopped reading to check on his friend, who was covering his eyes.

"It's ok. I just messed up on my focus. It hurts to move the Ein to my eyes. You should focus on your spell." Oscar wiped the tears out of his eyes.

"Don't overdo it." Frederick left Oscar alone to resume his training. One could make out a slight hint of Ein concentrated on his feet.

'Even while worrying about me, he never broke his concentration on his feet.' Oscar clenched his fist. He was still far behind Frederick.

The 'Grade One Wind Steps' spell must work similarly in gathering Ein in a certain spot. But the feet were sturdier than the eyes, so it wasn't an issue.

Oscar exhaled and slowly concentrated on his eyes. Unlike earlier, Oscar decided to take a gentle approach and leak Ein to his eyes little by little. The pain he experienced on the first try was probably due to the large influx of Ein his eyes were unprepared for.

'Slowly. Let a drop in at a time.'

The tiny drop of Ein flowed from Oscar's core into his left eye. He felt slight discomfort, but Oscar was delighted to sense the droplet of Ein staying in his pupil. Slowly, another drop made its way to the right eye.

'Hot' Oscar's eyes could barely stay open from the heat of the two droplets in his eyes. A single drop in each eye was enough to cause this much heat; Oscar shuddered at his rash behavior earlier.

'I have to toughen my eyes. As they get used to it, my eyes should be able to handle the full amount required.'

The spell scroll said it required the Ein to fill the entire eye and then condense into a singular point. So far, Oscar only managed one drop, which was an ocean away from his goal.

Oscar kept up his concentration, his body drowned in sweat as he willed more Ein into his eyes. He could not fall behind here.

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