Chapter 378 – Basic Weave

Chapter 378 – Basic Weaves

Kai forced his cold and sweaty palms on the desk and pushed himself to his feet. The chair rattled back with a slight screech. Though his legs felt like lead, he put forth his most composed appearance. Dithering would only tip his hand and show he had something to hide.

“Chin up.” Rob shot him a look of genuine encouragement. “You’ve got this, man.” He spoke without moving his lips, his tone barely audible even this close.

“Moons bless,” Jill whispered from the row below. The fourth-year sent him a wink his way as he trudged free of the desks.

Were his nerves so apparent?

Not for the first time, Kai wished he still had his Improvisation. He didn’t regret ditching it, not truly. Beyond lending to bad habits, such abilities offered too few benefits and no paths for growth he cared to pursue. Not now, and certainly not at Green, when even his core skills might take more slots than he had. No, he could learn to deal with social inconveniences without relying on the Guide.

I just need to survive till then.

Kai descended the steps toward the raised platform of the Onyx Hall. Despite his churning stomach, his Dexterity and training allowed nothing but a smooth gait.

I’m overthinking.

Any first-year would look nervous showing their skills in front of older students and the highest authority at Raelion—especially in a notoriously tricky element like Space. Though for him, his peers’ inquisitive glances were an afterthought compared to the two adults waiting below.

“Come here, dearie.” Professor Astarelle gestured and smiled, as if trying to reassure a skittish deer that no harm would come to them. Her flighty manners might have helped, if not for the person beside her.

Dean Cassian Astares gave off nothing and said nothing. Pale lilac eyes tracked him. Neither cold nor warm, merely studious. The man stood there, and that was all that was needed. Without a ripple in his mana, his presence seemed to swallow the hall.

Kai had lied to him. That it happened through misdirection rather than technical wording changed little.

Approaching the desk, he performed the dictated bow and courtesies. His heartbeat deafened his thoughts. The words rang hollow in his ears, but if he made any misstep, no one threw him dirty looks.

“Are you alright, dear? You look a little pale.” Asterelle peered at him behind the thick lenses of her glasses. “Did you skip a meal?”

Kai blinked, unsure of when she’d stood up or cleared the papers from the desk. “I’m… fine, professor. Thank you,” he squeezed out, trying to ignore the man looming within a stride from him.

Maybe he’s forgotten our last meeting.

Ego and power often walked hand in hand. If the dean felt slighted, his life at Realion would get a lot more complicated.

Her intent stare lasted a heartbeat more. “Good, then. Let’s not waste daylight.” A tome appeared in her hands, the mustard colored leather worn from use. “As I said, you can’t fail this test. The demands of Space Magic are too wide to start most students from the ground up. Professor Thornwyn was scant on details, but, knowing her, you must have a solid grasp on gathering and shaping. I need to gauge your skills to adjust your future classes.”

Leafing through the pages, Astarelle twirled a quill through a lilac curl. Her head dipped and bobbed with her muttering. “Uhm, maybe… no, no… too advanced… this is a maybe. And… yes, this…” The book snapped shut, and her eyes rose. “Alright, Matthew. Let’s start simple. Static dimensional quivers, localized stretch and folds. The standard stuff.”

A pile of wooden cubes clattered onto the desk, each identical and fist-sized. Their smooth faces highlighted the nicks missing in their sides. The origin of the cuts was obvious; what she wanted him to do with them was not.

Astarelle stacked three layers in a four-by-four base, then set one more on top. “Alright, dearie. Don’t worry about the cubes. But mind the lecturer’s desk. I fear we’ve reached the limit of what the academy is willing to replace this year.” Her look at the seated students drew a few chuckles. “Start with a static dimensional quiver. Bonus points if you can chain more than one. No chanting, naturally. We’re testing your skills. Go whenever you’re ready.”

Uh huh…

Kai nodded and licked his lips, feeling like he was back in high school when his math teacher called him to prove a theorem on the board.

Without a formal education or a single volume on Space Magic, he could only guess at the exercise. Some way to move the cubes. Should he blink them a few times? That usually worked. Better to improvise, or to ask elementary questions in front of the class? This wasn’t the first impression he’d hoped to—

“Why not try a short-range inanimate displacement instead?” A voice cut in.

The presence Kai had strenuously ignored flared back with crushing ease. Bound by courtesy and the threats of demerits, he met the dean’s gaze, irked by the wry humor he found there. The Codex was clear: turning his back on the man without being tasked or formally dismissed constituted a punishable breach of etiquette.

What game is he playing?

Astarelle’s gaze flitted between them. “That… may be a little hard for a novice.”

“Short-range displacement is a fundamental application of Space Magic. Better toaim at the moons and hit the hills, then fear looking up. Even failure teaches much. If Mister Veernon doesn’t mind, I’d like to check his progress since our last talk.”

Kai fought not to grit his teeth. Ever since selecting this course with Jolene, he’d known the dean would learn his Space skills were far higher than he’d let on—whether through a test score, faculty talk, or lines buried in a report. What he hadn’t anticipated was revealing the ruse face-to-face in his first lecture.

There was only one acceptable answer. And if the dean was deliberately trying to make things more difficult, at least now he understood the assignment.

Kai dipped his head to hide his expression. “I’d be honored and thankful for the guidance. I just hope not to disappoint.”

“Is that so…” The corner of the dean’s mouth curved upward. His thumb idly spun the enchanted ring on his index, brushing over the desk. “Teaching others often sharpens one’s own understanding. I’m confident we’ll both benefit from this.” Still standing, he tilted his chin toward the desk beside him, not breaking his stare. One of the few pristine cubes appeared in his palm. “Displace this as far as you reliably can. The less damage, the better. Don’t worry about my fingers, you have no chance of harming me.”

Fancy trick. If you wanna put on a show, I’m game.

Kai moved to the opposite end of the table. Feet set apart, he exhaled slowly and gave the cube an intense stare. He knitted his brows in faux focus. He briefly considered wiggling or snapping his fingers, but there was a fine line between theatrically tasteful and garish. Besides, blinking an object fell well within the skill level he planned to show. He just hadn’t accounted for the dean’s presence. Reveal too much, and he’d leave himself exposed; too little, and he risked not getting any useful teaching from this class. Still, he needed a decent showing to get some.

Those other exercises must have been truly basic. Better I stay on the safe side. And low-key.

As Professor Valdibal liked to shout, any spell that took a minute to cast looked far less impressive.

A vein throbbed on his temple from his unwavering concentration as iridescent essence swirled down his arm, over three times what he’d normally use. The audience brewed with murmurs. Asterelle pursed her lips with a guilty look, as if she wanted to speak up.

I might have overdone it a bit.

With a fwip of air and a silver flash—-both telltale signs of poor control—-the cube vanished from the dean’s palm and dropped in his waiting hand. Roughly a three-meter blink.

Kai stared at the intact cube as if surprised it worked at all. Then he proudly held it up, feeling very foolish. Awful casting speed and waste of mana. Embarrassment threatened to creep up his neck. He could have managed better back in the Hidden Sanctuary. Really, anyone with Space Magic at Yellow would.

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Hopefully, they’d give him another attempt after this mediocre showing.

Hmm…

The hall had fallen oddly silent.

Professor Astarelle blinked, a knotted quill forgotten in her hair. In the seats, students stared mutely. Only the dean’s cool expression remained unchanged as he spoke.

“A smooth displacement, if a little wasteful. And slow. You could halve the mana consumption by locking better onto the entry and exit points. Still, not terrible for a novice. Seems you do have talent for Space.” The dean smirked, then lowered his voice. A thread of mana rippled toward Asterelle. “I have a few more exercises in mind. May I handle his testing? I wouldn’t wish to overstep, cousin.”

“Uhm… no. Of course, you may proceed. It’ll be educational for the whole class.”

“Excellent.” Dean Astares’ smile widened. “Set that cube here, Mister Veernon. I’d like to test your cast speed when you disregard distance and precision.”

Okay… so he’s not angry? What’s with everyone else? I didn’t do that bad.

He stepped closer, afraid to miss the next instructions. Giving the dean anything less than his full attention was begging for trouble.

“Proceed when you are ready, Mister Veernon. Speed and efficiency.”

Will do.