BLOODLIINE SIX

"I'm okay, Dad. Nothing hurts, and I'm already strong," I said, flexing my muscles that were mostly bone. "-_-"

"You could have surrendered, you know. Always trying to show off," Dad remarked.

My dad can be something else, huh? Instead of being overly concerned, he's scolding me. -_-

"Okay, son, I have to get back to work. I love you, take care," he said.

"Okay, Dad, take care too. Love you," I replied.

I quickly hung up. I still need to go to school.

I remembered what happened yesterday. Well, it's okay that I lost because it was my first time doing hand-to-hand combat in person. I usually just practice with a dummy.

I finished getting ready. Since I'm in Emerald, we can wear casual clothes except on Mondays and Fridays.

I wore a red semi-long sleeve shirt with a black tie, black skinny jeans, and white low-cut Vans.

You might be wondering why I'm dressed like this? Well, almost all my clothes are red or black, mostly long-sleeved. Dad says they suit me.

Enough of that.

I went straight to the classroom, just two minutes before I would've been late. Almost all my classmates were already there. Maybe some are still on their way.

Suddenly, someone approached me. I looked at him. It was Piro, yes, the guy I fought against yesterday.

As a good student, I smiled at him.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I was in a rush, and I'm really sorry if I hurt you. I hope your wound is healing," he apologized.

"Oh? It's fine, Ardaux. I accept my defeat and don't worry, I don't have a scratch," I replied.

"Okay, thanks for understanding and apologizing. By the way, why didn't you use your power yesterday?" he asked.

Should I tell him? Or not? He might laugh at me.

"Because I'm not very used to my power yet," I answered.

"What power do you have?" he asked again.

I opened my palm and suddenly, a lilac-colored flame emerged, but there was something unique about it. It had a hint of blue.

"Wow, so you're a fire user too. We're similar but your flame seems different," he said.

"Yeah, it's different because it's not hot," I said sadly.

"What? It's not hot, it is! Look," he said, tossing a piece of paper into the flame. It instantly turned to ash.

"Oh, it's hot after all? Don't worry, I'll teach you how to use your power," he added.

"Really?" I said happily.

"Yeah, of course. But not now because Mr. Suarez is here."

I smiled, not knowing how my flame got warm. I didn't care how, as long as I could use it for combat.

"Good morning, class."

"Good morning, Mr. Suarez," we all replied.

"Okay, since we're done with what we did yesterday, I'll just discuss some information, and after that, we'll proceed to the training hall to practice your powers," Mr. Suarez said from his swivel chair.

"As you all know, the power we acquired is the product of science, right?" he asked.

"But what if magic existed before? What if science was just the key to unlocking the world of magic? According to GCSA's studies, ancient people in our country used the very first type of magic: sorcery. They believed our ancestors could do this based on newly discovered ruins. They used sorcery to grow plants and for other useful purposes."

"When they studied the drawings on the ruins, they found evidence of an ancient, powerful magic called 'neutral.' It's a type of magic where the user copies another magic when hit. In short, it's a type of magic where a person can store anything. But it's considered a myth because there's no evidence yet of such a pier exist. And that's all for today," Mr. Suarez said, quickly leaving the room.

We all stood up suddenly. Someone leaned on my back, so I turned around.

"Piro," I said.

"Just call me Ace," he said.

"Ace," I replied.

"That power Mr. Suarez discussed was cool, right?" he said.

"Yeah, it's really strong, but it's just a myth. There's no evidence that such power really exists," I answered.

"Yeah, you're right. But to change the subject, do you want to start our training now in the training hall?" he asked me.

"Yes, of course. I want to use my power as much as possible," I replied to him.

"It's settled then. Let's go."

We're in the training hall now. It's like a battle dome but with lots of equipment for students and dummies that you can target.

"Well, since you can't wait to use your power, I want you to have your first skill. Since you're only level one, you can only choose one skill," he said to me.

"Yes," I said.

Don't worry because I'll explain to you later what the word means. I'll just focus on my main goal first.

"Be careful when choosing your first skill because you can't undo it," he said.

"Anything, right?" I asked.

"Yes, it could be anything, but the skill you choose must be as strong as you are, or else it won't work," he said.

Well, I thought of it earlier. With this skill, I can move around freely, and it's easy to use.

"I've already made one. What should I do?" I asked.

"Focus, close your eyes, call your power. And when that's done, there will be 7 stars, and you should connect them," he replied.

I did what he said. I closed my eyes and called my power.

"Flame, purple flame, hear my call, respond to me. I am your master, I need your help, lend me the power to see the stars," I said.

Suddenly, I could see stars. There were seven of them.

I began to connect the stars one by one. Until all the stars were connected.

Suddenly, I felt a burning fire running through my body. That's how I felt when Ace hit me with his attack. I felt like I was being cleansed from the inside.

That feeling slowly went away. I gently opened my eyes, and I saw Ace smiling at me.

"Congratulations, Shione, you've already unlocked your power."