Chapter 54: Combat (I)

Elara:

The combat classes had been surprisingly peaceful so far. Maybe it was because Reign and his friends were seniors and rarely had any reason to attend our first-year lessons unlike the other subjects.

Whatever the reason, I had started looking forward to these classes. There was something comforting about combat. Unlike magic, which still felt like an invisible language my body hadn’t learned to speak, combat was something I understood.

I knew how to move, how to dodge, how to use someone’s strength against them. I had martial arts training, even though I had never imagined I would need it in a place where people could set things on fire with their fingers.

Unfortunately, all good things seemed to have an expiration date at Moonveil. The moment I walked into the combat hall that morning and noticed Liliana entering with several girls from her class, I knew mine had just expired.

Her eyes found me almost immediately. She slowed for half a second, and then the cruelest smile I had seen from her so far spread across her lips. It wasn’t loud or dramatic. It was worse than that. It was the kind of smile that silently promised something unpleasant was coming.

My stomach sank, but I refused to let my expression change. I simply looked away and focused on adjusting the sleeves of my training top. I had learned one thing over the past few weeks - giving people like Liliana the satisfaction of knowing they had gotten under my skin was almost as bad as allowing them to hurt me.

I had already had enough humiliating encounters in this place to last several lifetimes, and every time one happened, I spent the rest of the day replaying it in my head. I didn’t want another one. I especially didn’t want to give Liliana an opportunity to turn this combat class into another spectacle.

The professor still hadn’t arrived when the doors opened again, and this time the person walking in made nearly the entire hall fall silent.

Esmeray Ashbourne stepped inside wearing nothing more than black combat trousers, a fitted dark tank, and heavy boots. His long black hair was tied back neatly, leaving his face completely visible, and the sleeveless top revealed arms and shoulders that made it painfully obvious he didn’t merely understand combat theory.

The whispered reactions started almost immediately.

"He’s so hot."

"Will he teach us today?"

"I didn’t know Ashbourne looked like that."

I pretended not to hear any of it. Unfortunately, pretending not to notice Esmeray himself was considerably harder. He had the kind of body that came from years of actual training rather than simply looking good in clothes, and every movement carried an effortless strength that made it clear he knew exactly what he was capable of.

His gaze swept across the hall before stopping briefly on me. There was no obvious reaction in his eyes, just a quiet acknowledgment before he looked away and faced everyone.

"Professor Draven is unavailable today," he announced. "I’ll be taking the lesson."

Not a single person seemed disappointed, instead almost every face had excitement written all over it.

"And since third-year students are joining us today, you are going to have a little more competition than usual."

That announcement was followed by a few groans, but Esmeray didn’t seem particularly concerned. He led us through the warm-up without wasting time, making us run several laps around the enormous hall before moving into stretches and basic mobility exercises.

By the time we finished, I was already breathing harder, but unlike some of the students around me, I wasn’t exhausted.

Esmeray walked to the center of the hall and explained today’s exercise. "You are going to fight in pairs. There will be no elemental magic, no magical efficiencies, and no weapons. Only pure physical combat."

That earned an even louder collection of complaints.

"The winner of each round earns five credit points." He added.

That changed a few expressions immediately. At Moonveil, credit points weren’t meaningless numbers. They affected rankings, privileges, and eventually opportunities. I wasn’t particularly interested in competing for them yet, but I was definitely interested in learning what these people were capable of without magic.

Apparently, not much.

Esmeray placed a large wooden container in the center of the hall, filled with small colored balls. "You’ll draw your opponent. Same color means same pair."

Students lined up and began picking their balls. I waited until there were only a few left before reaching into the container. My fingers closed around one and I pulled it out.

Yellow.

I looked across the room and found Liliana was already holding a yellow ball. For several seconds, I simply stared at it before finally muttering to myself - "You have got to be kidding me."

Liliana’s smile widened.

For one irrational second, I genuinely wondered whether she had manipulated the ball somehow. After everything I had experienced here, I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had somehow arranged the entire thing just to irritate me. But there was no point accusing her without evidence, so I slipped the ball into my palm and walked toward the designated area.

The first three rounds taught me something I hadn’t expected. Most of these students were significantly less impressive without magic. Their movements were sloppy, their attacks predictable, and several fights ended within a minute or two because one student simply lost balance or stumbled into an opening.

The first pair barely lasted forty seconds before one boy accidentally tripped his opponent while attempting a kick. The second ended when a girl managed to grab her opponent’s arm and throw him off balance. The third was even more ridiculous. One student slipped while pivoting and somehow managed to take his opponent down with him. The winner received five points while the rest of us stood around looking increasingly confused.

I glanced toward Esmeray. He looked entirely unsurprised. Apparently, this was normal.

Seven more pairs went through after that. Some fights were slightly better, but none lasted particularly long. The third-year students were naturally more skilled, but even they seemed to depend heavily on their supernatural abilities during ordinary combat.

Without magic, there was no effortless advantage. No earth rising beneath someone’s feet. No fire wrapping around a fist. No illusion confusing an opponent. Just muscles, reflexes, balance, and technique.

I quietly appreciated that.

Then Esmeray picked up the list in his hand and scanned it once. My stomach tightened before he even spoke.

"Liliana Everhart and Eleanora Argentis."

The hall seemed to become strangely quiet.

Liliana slowly turned toward me and that cruel smile returned. She was definitely excited for this.