Paths of Extinction

Chapter 9 Tests

As instructed by his teacher, Zeke headed to the front of the Administrative Bureau building once all the lessons for the day were done.

There, Christopher Balrant, Erva Erayne, and Professor Nayro were waiting for him. The three were the main teachers of the First Years, and each was distinguished in one or two fields of study.

“Zeke, my boy! Right on cue!”

The Zyth’s round and black eyes arched upwards as they fell on the approaching student. 

Christopher was as gloomy and serious as ever, and Erva had a slightly worried look on her face.

“Zeke, how are you?”

She faintly smiled and inspected him from head to toe.

Erva was so liked thanks to her soft attitude and motherly act. However, behind that gentle face laid a fearsome woman who had once dominated all of Erys, though that was over ten years ago.

“It has been confirmed that you’re a Late Awakener, Zeke Orland. Therefore, you shall undergo the tests right now. Would you like to make any preparations?”

“No, I’m ready.”

“Good.”

Christopher solemnly nodded his head and entered the building, motioning for his student to follow along.

The trip was brief and it took them to a specialized testing facility right under the building. Apart from his three teachers, no one else accompanied him, which made him feel less nervous.

Such a procedure was to be expected after challenging Rodrick and showcasing his ability, but Zeke couldn’t help feeling apprehensive.

The results of the test would officially put him in the First Years Ranking, however, he felt hesitant about revealing everything.

‘There’s no telling if they’ll reveal my powers to the other teachers, who would, in turn, disclose that to their favorite students. On the other hand, getting a higher rank would significantly facilitate things for the long run.’

Soon, Zeke found himself in a small room lacking any furniture except a human-sized black cube floating a couple of inches above ground.

Christopher and Erva stood to the side whereas Professor Nayro walked near the cube and said,

“This is the most basic testing mechanism. It’s called the ‘Abyss Cube’, a rather ominous name, but I digress. It will absorb any hit aimed at it, magical or physical, then it would give a result in the form of a rune. There are sixteen in total.”

“Emm, what’s the highest rune?”

“Hahahaha, my boy! Reaching the highest rune is not an easy feat. I, for instance, can only reach the 12th rune.”

Zeke curiously glanced at Christopher and Erva, but Nayro seemed to have read his mind.

“Miss Erayne reached the 13th rune whereas Mister Balrand reached the 11th. Mind you, the Abyssl Cube gauges not only the power but also the quality. It’s a unifunctional artifact that could be broken by only a handful of people, the principal being one of them.”

The Zyth Professor clapped his hands and signaled for Zeke to attack.

“Don’t hold back anything. This test is highly paramount for the final score.”

Zeke seriously nodded his head and approached the cube. However, as he crept closer, he felt an uncomfortable sensation, one similar but weaker than when he obtained the Paths of Extinction System.

“As Nayro had said, you can go all-out, Zeke. Everything we witness will be confidential and anyone who divulges so much as a hint will be severely punished.” 

Christopher’s reassurance alleviated some of Zeke’s worry. 

The teenager stood a couple of paces away from the hovering cube and raised both hands. 

Currently, his strongest skill was ‘Voltage Zap’, which he had mastered already. 

Not only could Zeke control the amount of Life Aether it used, but he could also control its trajectory and even split it in two.

Nayro, Christopher, and Erva saw how blue lightning currents formed around Zeke’s raised hands. They crackled intensely and danced uncontrollably, but only for a breath moment. 

A literal lightning bolt, as thick as its caster’s hands, shot forward and struck the Abyss Cube, stopping its cyclic rotation momentarily.

Zeke consumed half of his Aether for that single usage of ‘Voltage Zap’. He could have used more, but he was satisfied with the result. It was considerably strong and impressively fast.

“Hm?”

Nayro, confused, walked toward the cube and inspected it for a couple of breaths. The result should have shown up almost instantaneously, but it wasn’t the case this time.

“It showed up!”

Erva and Christopher also got closer and watched as a resplendent golden rune engraved itself on the Abyss Cube.

“The 5th Rune! Impressive, Zeke!”

Erva was cheerful as she congratulated her student. Christopher too, had a rare smile as he nodded at Zeke.

The only unresponsive one was Nayro, who kept eyeing the cube weirdly.

“Curiouser and curiouser! My boy, did you use Life Aether?”

His question was unexpected and surprised both of his colleagues.

“Yes, my ability relies on Life Aether instead of ambient Aether.”

“Truly fascinating!”

Having seen such a unique ability, the Zyth was ecstatic, hopping around in jubilation. However, Christopher and Erva seemed doubtful of Zeke’s claims. After all, only the taboo and artificial abilities made use of Life Aether, and such abilities were noticeable at a glance.

Zeke’s lightning bolt was remarkable, but they couldn’t notice any hint of Life Aether. In fact, if not for Nayro’s question, they wouldn’t have figured it out.

“You defeat Rodrick using another method, yes? I didn’t see you use this attack before.”

“Yes.”

Instead of offering a verbal explanation, Zeke demonstrated the side-kick skill, which, from the outside, looked like a normal but rapid kick. This time, even Nayro failed to notice any oddity, which wasn’t to say there wasn’t any.

All of Zeke's skills were empowered by some sort of energy, but only the Aether Voltage Page required the consumption of Life Aether.

“You even trained yourself in Martial Arts. Very good. Very good, indeed.”-Nayro

“Let’s proceed to the second test.”-Christopher

Adjacent to that small room, there was a bigger one that was equipped with a miniature version of the standard ‘arena’ found in the training facilities in all of Erys’ buildings.

“You may have noticed it, but this room has an abundance of Aether. The second test is about Aether Absorption and Aether Manipulation. I will personally be checking your talents in those two fields.”

Christopher instructed him to stand in the middle, where there was a translucent swirl of innumerable green particles; Those particles were, in fact, Aether, though they could only be visible when they are at their purest form and the environment was suitable.

Zeke’s knowledge about the three standard tests was mostly superficial. As he did not know the specifics, he had no way of knowing if he would be forced to demonstrate his Aether Manipulation.

Slightly restless, he stood at the designated spot, Zeke closed his eyes and concentrated. ‘Aether Control’ was activated, allowing him to pull the Ambient Aether and instantly transform it into Life Aether, which, theoretically, should not be possible.

Impressive as it was, that was all he could do for now. The influx of Aether rampaging in his body made him bleed from the nose, which alerted Christopher.

“Alright, you can stop now.”

He let out a disappointed sigh and stated, “Not everyone is naturally gifted. Most students have to learn the basics and understand how Ambient Aether flows. Still, your absorption rate is abnormally high and extremely unstable. Nayro’s practical classes will definitely help you with that.”

“Don’t worry, Zeke. Aether Manipulation is not particularly hard to master.”

Seeing the disheartened look on her student’s face, Erva jumped in and comforted him. 

All Zeke could do was plaster a wry smile as he knew that his circumstances were drastically different. While he was able to absorb and use Aether, or better say, Life Aether, he did not have the skill to manipulate it, per se.

“Now, onto the third and final test.”

The last test was in the same room, precisely within the small arena. Erva would be conducting the test, acting as Zeke’s opponent.

“This is to test your reflexes and combat faculties. I will be going easy on you, have no fear!”

Erva sweetly smiled and instructed Zeke to get ready, which he did. Nayro acted as the overseer, and when he lowered his hand, the fight began.

Erva Erayne was a beautiful woman with short black-hair, round silver spectacles, and a slim and tall physique. She looked harmless and since she was seldom arguing, much less fighting with anyone. Nevertheless, she had quite a reputation and was notorious for her recklessness and violence when she was a student.

Zeke did not know how she was going to attack, so he kept his guard up and watched her, soon seeing jet black blades appear in her hands. They appeared out of thin air and were long and thorny, dangerously vibrating as if they were alive.

“Here I come.”

She warned him then shot straightforwardly, crisscrossing her swords as she got dangerously close. 

Zeke thought about using ‘Voltage Zap’, but he thought against it. The opportunity presented itself so, instead, he used the ambiguous ‘Spark’, which he still did not know how it functioned.

The moment the blue lightning orb appeared in front of him, he followed up with ‘Life Motus’, teleporting himself ten meters away.

Erva did not know about Zeke’s instantaneous movement ability, so she was caught off-guard for a split second. 

Seeing the stationary lightning orb, she tried to slice it with her black swords but the result was astonishing.

She thought she would be able to get rid of it, however, the ‘Spark’ buzzed and crackled.

Zeke felt an unavoidable and powerful suction emanate from the orb, crazily absorbing his remaining Life Aether. Fortunately, he managed to forcefully stop the effect.

Consequently, the lightning orb literally exploded into dozens of lightning bolts that struck the unsuspecting Erva.

Although most hit her, there were some that struck the ground or the ceiling. It was a shocking spectacle, dumbfounding even Zeke.

By the end of it, Erva was unscathed, though her clothes had small holes and there were barely noticeable scratches on her swords.

She had a flabbergasted expression as she turned her head and looked at the equally gob-smacked Zeke.

“Splendiferous! Remarkable!”

Nayro was so excited that he started gliding around the arena and examining the remnant lightning sparks crackling in the air before slowly dispersing.

Christopher just stood there, processing what just happened. As for Erva, she got rid of her swords and patted her tattered clothes.

“I think that’s enough to give you a high score. Good job, Zeke.”

“Thanks, I was a bit lucky…”

Looking a bit embarrassed, Zeke smiled and averted his gaze. Never did he expect ‘Spark’ to react like that. It looked more dangerous and powerful than ‘Voltage Zap’. However, it was too eye-catching to train it secretly, especially in the park. Plus, it required the orb to be hit by an outside force, so that made mastering it even harder.

Ironically, Zeke used the test to test the skill, which turned out to be a good move. While the torrent of lightning bolts gave him a fright, it steeled his prior hesitation over choosing the Aether Voltage Path.

“With that… we are done. I will hand the results to you tomorrow.”

Christopher returned to his serious face. The disappointment he felt during the second test was replaced by an overwhelming shock, after all, there were only a handful of First-Year students that managed to counter Erva, and only three that actually injured her.

Zeke’s lightning might not have wounded his teacher, but they did immobilize her for a split second, and that in itself was a commendable feat.

“You will be placed in the First Year Ranking tomorrow, at the earliest.”

…

Late at night, after all the students either went home or retired to their respective dormitory, Professor Nayro called the principal to the small testing room.

“Some of us have to sleep, Nayro.”

Christopher didn’t look pleased to be forced to stay so late and listen to his colleague’s rambling. Erva stood next to him, lightly frowning as she looked at the rapidly moving Zyth, who tried to explain today’s irregularity.

After what felt like a long wait, Principal Solas arrived. 

The old man looked at the brooding Christopher and chuckled.

“What’s the matter, Chris? Dissatisfied with the results?”

“Quite the contrary, Solas! The boy has potential!”

“Yes. Honestly, he’s exceeded my expectations.” Added Erva cheerfully.

Only Christopher was solemn and undecided.

“Sir, the results notwithstanding, Zeke Orland’s ability appeared to inflict self-harm.”

“Wrong wrong!” Shouted Nayro as he danced in the air, his body becoming thin and tentacle-like. “He’s consuming Life Aether! Isn’t that fascinating, Solas? This is a first for me!”

“Life Aether, you say?” The principal pondered in silence as he walked to the Abyss Cube and dazedly stared at it.

“Solas?”

The old man ignored the over-excited Zyth and stretched his hand, gently poking the cube. 

Upon contact, the Abyss Cube trembled ever-so-slightly then turned into ash, shocking everyone but Solas.

“As expected.”

“H-how is that possible?”-Erva

Even Nayro stopped mid-air, his slimy arms stretching like rubber and inspecting the ash.

“Life Aether doesn’t disperse like Ambient Aether. But this isn’t just like Life Aether… it’s something else.”

With an unusually serious look and narrowed eyes, Solas turned to face the three teachers and said,

“None of you are to speak about what happened today.”

“And? Surely you know what’s going on!”-Nayro

“All I can say is that it’s definitely not ‘Late Awakening’. Christopher, you are to keep a close eye on the boy.”

“What? Why not me?! I’m more experienced, Solas!”

Nayro started throwing a tantrum, but his elongated body was pulled to the ground by the principal.

“Your zeal is admirable, but you suck at communication. I need someone level-headed for this.”

“I can be level-headed! Zyth are proven to be better counsel-”

“Enough, Nayro.”

…

‘I’m sure I didn’t do anything wrong! Ugh…’

Maxine was grumbling to herself as she was making her way to the Principal’s office. She was literally called in the middle of the night and had to stop her watching her favorite drama.

Annoyed and a bit anxious, she entered the dimly lit and eerily silent office, finding Solas sitting behind his desk, seemingly in deep thought.

“Ah, Maxine, you’re here.”

“Sir.”

She politely bowed and approached the desk, still wondering why she was the only one called. If it had to do with the serial killer, then all of her squad would have been informed.

“It’s not a serious matter, there’s no need to be tense. Sit sit!”

The girl hesitantly sat down across the old man and, with perked ears, waited for him to continue.

“You’ve been busy as of late so maybe you haven’t heard of the news yet. It has to do with your little brother, Zeke.”

“What? Did something happen to him?!”

“You could say so. He challenged a fellow classmate and won. He’s a late awakener. Congratulations.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Maxine had a look of disbelief and perplexion. Even though she heard it from the principal’s mouth, she almost couldn’t believe it.

“Hahaha! I assure you it’s true. The tests have been conducted and he will be placed in the rankings.”

“O-oh….” Maxine seemed to be in a daze, unable to process anything.

Solas let out a soft laugh as he continued, “As his sister, I think you should convince him to stay in the dormitory. Jonathan is still on the loose and he might target more students.”

“Sir… Zeke is quite stubborn. I don’t know if I…”

“I’m sure you dote on him, but you have to understand that he is….- was, a Defect. The change that occurred to him is too coincidental for my liking, and that might attract our target.”

…

In an abandoned basement, a man was sitting on the dusty ground and bandaging the fresh wound on his shoulder. There was an ominous black mist revolving around his body, piercing into his injury and healing it.

The man had a bony physique and greasy long black hair around which there was an old yellow headband. He was none other than Jonathan Stellar Link, the man after the recent killings in Kethra’s Arms.

“Where is it…. Where is it….”

He was mumbling the same words over and over again like a lunatic. Then, abruptly, he jumped to his feet and frantically looked around, trying to find something.

“It should have been here! It should have been mine!”

He was delirious and the agony of the fresh wounds made him more psychologically unstable. He had been hit by Vanessa’s icy magic, which was manageable. 

Jonathan caressed his chest and then let out an angry and hysterical shout. 

“I saw the beacon! I saw it! Nonononono…. Something is wrong!”

He paced around while clutching his chest and shaking his head.

“Someone else saw it? But I have the Crown! I have it!”

“Redemption is beyond us, seek salvation in the Darkness… seek deliverance in the stars.”

Jonathan, with tears in his eyes, kept repeating the same thing while softly banging his head against the wall.