When you turn 16, you are meant to take the Academy Entrance Exams.
This has been the rule when it came to the Nether Academy and those who were enrolled in the fine institution.
Amara was already 16 years old.
But she was not attending the Academy.
Was it because she hadn't passed the entrance exam? Was she not skilled enough?
No, it was the opposite.
She had excelled in the entrance exam and took her place as a First Year.
But…
The Nether Academy was too boring for her!
All her classmates were snobs and she felt like there really wasn't much for her to learn in the lectures.
This wasn't a strange phenomenon.
There were many exceptional students that also didn't take the First Year of the Academy seriously. This was because it was a foundational year, meant to rehash things that many students would have already learned in their noble houses.
For geniuses like Amara, it was excruciatingly painful going over things she had long mastered.
But despite this problem, the Nether Academy could not change its curriculum or promote students like her ahead of time.
The foundational year existed for non-noble students or those from humble backgrounds who showed enough potential to be nurtured by the school.
These people didn't have prior experiences and education, so they had to be shown the basics.
The Academy also couldn't promote students like Amara above her peers since they had to take the promotional exams together.
There, the weeds would be uprooted and the unworthy would be expelled.
Only the best would advance to Year 2.
That was when the true challenge began!
Thus, for Amara who had returned home, she had to impatiently wait for the exams, having no doubt in her mind that she would win.
Why?
She was simply that strong!
*******
"Come on… stop running away!"
Amara laughed as she chased after Rey, a brilliant smile on her beautiful face.
One would think this was a playful game of tag with the way she was behaving, but that was far from the case.
The boy barely in front of her wasn't merely trying to avoid being "it".
He was running for his life!
BOOOM!!!
Amara's blow hit the ground after barely missing Rey, causing the floor beneath them to shatter.
'The fuck?!' Rey's eyes widened.
If that blow had landed, his head would have burst like a watermelon.
Yet Amara didn't seem to care.
She was enjoying herself.
'I thought she liked me and I could use that to my benefit, but I was mistaken.' Rey shuddered as he watched her grin at him obsessively.
'This girl is crazy!'
He ran away, creating an even wider distance between himself and the girl.
'The difference in Ether is too vast. I won't be able to affect her with any of my Inverse Techniques. So far she has been closing the distance thanks to her inhuman strength and unbelievable skills. I can barely hang on, so running away is my best choice.'
Rey had to admit that Amara was right.
His martial arts were only barely passable.
Compared to her, he was only a coughing baby barely learning to walk.
'Her strength and speed is one thing, but it's her flexibility that is so absurd. Is it really possible for a person to move like that?'
Rey went over details of his fight with Amara in his head and shuddered.
Could this even be called a fight?
She had told him this was a spar, but that was too generous of a statement. It inaccurately represented what had become his reality.
'Any wrong move and I could die.' He winced, feeling the impact from earlier assail his body. 'The worst part is that I can tell she's clearly holding back. This could actually be a spar in her eyes…'
Once again, he had to repeat his thoughts regarding Amara.
'What a monster…'
"Hmph! Since you insist on running away, don't blame me for what happens next!"
Amara's voice turned loud as slivers of Ether slipped out of her small body. The energy was thin as threads, controlled with absolute precision.
Not a single fraction of the energy oozed out of the thin strands that danced around her.
'Such control!' Rey's eyes bulged. 'Was such a thing even possible?!"
He was beyond stunned.
'Now I understand why she heavily criticized my control of Ether. Compared to her level of mastery, I wouldn't even be considered a novice.'
Despite his sheer amazement, Rey didn't let himself become too distracted. Getting carried away would spell his end.
Amara's sudden reliance on Ether could only mean one thing—
'Ancient MajiK!' Rey's eyes flashed ominously. 'She's finally going to use a technique.'
"Spirit Art… Frost Technique #6: Cryo Bind."
Her voice was gentle.
Cool.
Almost unbothered.
But the torrent of freezing energy that burst from her command was the exact opposite.
'That's… a Sequence 6?!'
Rey couldn't believe his eyes.
It felt like a tsunami of frost was descending on him, threatening to swallow him while engulfing him in a glacier.
The range was also too vast for him to make a quick escape.
He simply wasn't fast enough.
'The only thing that can counter a Sequence is another Technique of the same or higher Sequence!'
That was the general rule of Ancient MajiK.
It was also why Amara promised not to exceed Sequence 6 in their spar.
Hence, the only way Rey could escape was to use his only Technique in the Chaos Art.
"Inverse Technique #6: Internal Collapse!"
With a loud shout, he sent his power spreading to the approaching ice near his vicinity.
Instantly, the frosty structure began to cave in on itself, almost like an implosion. The internal structure of the ice began to unravel per the dictate of the Inverse Technique.
This was the power of Sequence 6.
'All structures affected by it fall inwardly.' Rey's smile broadened as he managed to escape his dire predicament.
He wasn't out of the woods yet, however.
Amara was already preparing another Technique.
This one caused the winds around her to swirl while flashes of blue sparks danced around her.
Rey already had a bad feeling the moment he noticed this.
He braced himself for impact.
"Tempest Technique #8: Gale Arc."
The instant she muttered those words, sharp wind blades infused with electricity began to fly in all kinds of directions.
However, they were locked on Rey's immediate surroundings.
'She's trying to limit my movements and cut off all potential escape routes.'Rey quickly understood her intentions, but he was still helpless in the matter.
His hands were full trying to dodge the wind blade arcs that approached him, and with the frosty barriers forming walls beside and behind him, he couldn't break out of the cage she had created.
He could see her broad smile.
All was going according to her expectations.
But she wasn't done
"Inferno Technique #9: Sparkbirth."
VWUUM!
A loud roar filled the air as a great surge of heat spread everywhere.
Although only a Low-Sequence Technique, the quality and quantity of Ether poured into it made the fires rise into unprecedented levels.
Rey shuddered upon seeing the burst of flames that Amara had created.
Flames that were heading in his direction.
'Crap!'