Capítulo 25: Arrow
When Beta went back to his room, he immediately started practicing again. He enjoyed manipulating his soulpower. To him, it wasn't serious practice but more like a game. It was like kneading dough into any form you like. Beta also didn't forget about his death element, as it was probably not any weaker than the void one. Shape after shape was formed over the next days. Soon, he got so used to the process that he's even playing around with it to pass time. Whenever he became too exhausted after using his soulpower endlessly, he meditated to recover his strength faster. Although, Beta knew how to increase his soulpower much faster, he didn't choose to do so at the moment. "No matter how much soulpower you have, it won't help you in any way if you can't even control it efficiently.", he thought.
A few days later, Beta finally finished his task. Not the teacher's, but his personal training regimen. He was a bit disappointed though because it was much easier than he expected. But, there is one thing he discovered about his void power. When he made a cube, or any other three dimensional object, there would be an enclosed space in it. It was like a small dimension of it's own.
"Is that what my teacher was talking about? It's similar to the void bags he mentioned... Just without bags. If I could use this to store items it'd be awesome! I would be able to hide so many weapons that I alone count as a one man army! But of course, I need to approach things slowly. Right now, I don't know how to properly control that space and I definitely am not able to form a space large enough to store anything in it. Still, I got a new method to defend myself. I will try to put it to use in my next fight!", he said with a devious smile.
While practicing, he had found a way to use his void power. It wasn't that strong but it can still be worth a lot in critical moments.
"So, what should I do now? Actually... why don't I try making several shapes at once?", Beta murmured.
Now that he had a plan, he didn't waste any time. He used his death element and formed two shapes. A triangle and a cylinder. His teacher didn't yet tell them how exactly they are able to form an arrow, but wasn't it just several shapes put together? His teacher probably had exactly this in mind when he told them to practice. If he already managed to form an arrow and possibly even managed to shoot it, it would certainly assure his first place in class. The competitive spirit he has built up in his childhood won't let him be second because that would mean that he wouldn't be in control anymore. Having the position of a squad leader made him quite happy. That way, instead of being controlled, he himself would take control. But Beta also knew that no one would follow someone who was just mediocre or slightly better than others. He had to be outstanding.
Beta continued his practice with even more focus. At the beginning, it was hard for him to create several shapes but then he thought of it differently. He just didn't think of several tiles that he had to put together, instead, he thought about the finished product. For others, it might be much harder since there are just too many details to consider. But Beta didn't want to waste time fusing the shapes. It's not like he could ask his opponent to wait for a bit and let him assemble his arrow when he was in a fight. He has to be quick.
So, Beta thought of all the details. The feathers, the sharpness of the arrowhead, and even the texture of the arrow. He thought of all the arrows he had held in his life so far. Until one day, before he would have to go back to school again, he finally accomplished it. He created the mini version of an arrow. With his lacking amount of soulpower, he was only able to create an arrow the size of a fingernail, but he was nonetheless delighted.
His experiment worked and this means he can apply it to whatever shape he wanted to mold his soulpower into. His parents, as scientists, really rubbed off on him that's why his thought process was more advanced and different than the others. Thus, he prefers not to follow the traditional process and find unconventional ways to explore different cases for his soulpowers' potential capabilities. As a result, he discovered many things about his soulpower and succeded. Even though he was a little resentful to his parents due to not having experienced a normal childhood, he's very thankful that he can survive now because of their teachings.
After resting for a while to recover his spent soulpower, he went out and entered the forest behind the dormitory for the first time. He had always ignored its existence up to now, since it wasn't really relevant before, but now he had found a use for it. He enjoyed the serene quietness, checking if there weren't anyone around. After confirming the cost is clear, he willed an arrow to appear in front of him.
"It's finally time to check the effects of my training! Let's see what happens if I shoot a Death Arrow at a tree."
He looked at a nearby tree and willed his arrow to shoot towards it. The arrow wasn't particularly fast and it even decreased in size as it flew. Then finally, it somehow managed to retain its shape but a lot smaller than before as it hit the tree without any problems. As soon as the tree was hit, Beta was able to see his soulpower arrow vanish. Actually, it didn't just disappear. It seeped through the tree bark. He was surprised when nothing happened after that. While he was still wondering if he did something wrong with his attack, several minutes later, he heard a creaking noise. The once lively tree slowly rotted at the part where the arrow had hit and it started falling over due to it.
Beta expected his Death Arrow to be strong but he would have never thought that even with such a tiny amount of soulpower, he can deal that much damage only with a slight delay. After having experienced using the Death Arrow, he also wanted to try the Void Arrow. But he rested a bit first to recover before giving it a shot. The outcome was similar but not exactly what he had expected. As the arrow hit the tree, a small chunk, the size of a fist, disappeared. He didn't know where it went or if it could be brought back, but he definitely knew that it was strong. He was satisfied with the results so he tried it a couple more times before calling it a day. Anybody who would comes accross the area he trained at will probably back off due to the eerie sight of fallen rotten trees and several trees with random holes all over the trunks.
The next day, Beta went with Brian to class again. Brian excitedly told him that he was able to create seventy shapes instead of the thirty their teacher asked for. When Beta heard that, he couldn't help but sigh in relief. If he had not changed his mind, he would have made a severe mistake by falling behind others. He congratulated Brian, of course. But he still had a slightly uncomfortable feeling.
"I cannot slack off anymore! I almost made the mistake to underestimate him. I'm sure he wouldn't harm me in any way. But, as his friend, could I shatter that depiction of the strongest, most talented, and not to forget handsome brother, he has found in me? That would terribly disappoint him... I must always give my all when it comes to training!", he thought with a serious face.
When they entered the classroom, they noticed that they weren't the first ones to arrive.
"I think some people are camping in here to be the first ones. At least, I wouldn't be surprised if some girls did.", Brian said in a hushed voice.
"You should be quiet. Don't underestimate their ears. Women can be scary at times.", Beta answered, thinking back to the bloodlust they showed him a week ago.
Brian looked at Beta weirdly, thinking, "How can someone who has lived inside a forest know of such profound knowledge? He sure is something else!"
Brian, of course, knew what Beta was talking about. Old Mara back at their village didn't beat her husband up just once after all...
Soon, their teacher arrived and as usual, gliding into the classroom. The boys were already used to it and ignored it, but for some reason the girls still got enchanted by his actions. Beta thought of how foolish these girls are, but then a thought crossed his mind. Were they manipulated? Did their teacher use some kind of spell? But he quickly rejected that thought, as their teacher would never harm them in any way. Probably. Maybe... Yet? Beta's thoughts escalated, wondering if he should prepare in the future but got cut off when their teacher finally greeted them.
"Good morning my wonderful students! I'm sure everyone accomplished this small task, so today our goal will be to form an arrow. But before we start, let me look at the shapes you all learned!", Lores said with a blooming smile, which made the girls hearts pound faster.
Seems like their teacher is in a good mood, was what came into everyone's head. Before he was able to ask anyone to start though, someone interrupted him.
"Teacher, I brought you a very juicy apple! Its sweetness can rival even honey!", Sophie said, holding a small red apple.
"Oh my! You're such a good girl! I can't eat it right now but I'll make sure to eat it later!", Lores said, while putting the apple on his desk.
The boys and even more so the girls, were looking at her weirdly. Some of the girls even had gazes similar to a snake when they looked at her. Beta wasn't sure but he could swear he heard one of them hissing at Sophie. Girls and women, he hopes he won't have to deal with them in the near future or it'll be really troublesome for his training and growth. Well, he won't mind the ones who were quiet though, plus he prefers smart ones just like his mother. Hopefully not too much like his mother though, just remembering how she made him eat poisonous herbs for research purposes made his stomach churn and sweat a little.
"Alright, let's start. We'll just let the top three start to let them impress us!", Lores said while signaling for Domian to start.
Domian didn't dawdle around. He proudly showed his sixty-five shapes while looking at Brian, challengingly. Brian just looked back at him calmly while starting to show his seventy shapes, looking at Domian mockingly. Lores liked that kind of behavior. Friendly competition always helped with improving skills.
"Beta, you're next.", Brian said.
Beta nodded and released his void arrow. Since everyone was capable of wielding soulpower, even though his void arrow was invisible, it can still be felt if they concentrate on it. He saw that his classmates and even his teacher were gobsmacked, but that wasn't enough for him. He wanted to fire it as well. What good was forming an arrow if you can't hit anything with it after all? Beta scanned the room and was perplexed. There was nothing to aim at. He didn't dare to shoot the wall like his teacher had done, but there was nothing else in the room that didn't have some importance. except for... that. Beta aimed with his arrow and fired it.
As it passed by his classmates, he saw their expressions change. It went from awe to fear and finally to surprise. Soon, the arrow hit its target. After the arrow disappeared, everyone looked at the target in shock. What they saw... was half an apple and a girl's face that matched the apples redness.
"YOU!"
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder