The morning started without any particular trouble, except for Lyra's absence and the constant attention that focused on Axel as soon as he entered the classroom, especially after the events of the previous day.
As always, Axel seemed uninterested in all of it. He had hoped to have breakfast with Aria, but couldn't find her, so he had to settle for a lonely breakfast (with Nathan).
That morning's lesson was about the history of Earth and the Inverted World, a subject that immediately caught Axel's interest.
"During the 2000s, as you all know, humanity made a catastrophic mistake by opening a rift to another dimension in the Atlantic Ocean," the teacher began in a solemn tone.
In the days following that disaster, horrific monsters began to invade land and sea, pushing humanity to the brink. The weapons available at the time could only kill the weaker monsters, while the stronger ones seemed practically immortal.
"Along with the monsters came changes to our planet and the 0oN disease. Within just a few decades, the human population dropped to less than half its original number and continued to decline, but then, something changed."
"Is that when the Sinners appeared?" someone interrupted, raising their hand.
"Exactly. Regardless of gender, these individuals disappeared and then reappeared with the weapons needed to fight the invaders."
"There's something I've never understood. Why did only adults awaken spiritual weapons in the past, while now it's the opposite?" Lucas asked, surprising everyone slightly since people believed that clan members already knew everything.
"That's one of the mysteries we still haven't solved. As you pointed out, in the past, it was the adults who awakened, but over time, the awakening age became younger and younger, leading us to the current situation. Many believe it's an evolutionary process, but I have a different theory," the teacher explained thoughtfully.
"And what is it?" asked a curious student.
"It's just a possibility. The first to awaken were the adults, as immediate threats had to be dealt with. Later, young people began to awaken, perhaps because protecting the future requires preparation from a young age."
The teacher's theory was met with interest, and he quickly moved on to a more mysterious topic.
"Among the first generations of Sinners, there is one figure known to all, who was given a special rank: Sinner Zed, the only one to reach rank Z."
Immediately, the class's attention skyrocketed; even the clan members leaned forward, captivated by the story.
"Very little is known about Zed, as he was a rather elusive figure. Even the grade of his weapon was never revealed, though it's believed to have been exceptional-positive."
Axel knew Zed had played a crucial role in forming the Union continent, protecting it from danger and helping it grow.
"If there's one mystery surrounding Zed, it's the fact that, despite his time on Earth, his growth never seemed to stop."
Since Sinners could only gain essence by killing monsters in the Inverted World, the way Zed continued to grow remained a mystery.
"It's said that his weapon had antimatter properties, which might explain his extraordinary strength. Still, even Zed couldn't have done everything alone. At his side were other important figures."
At these words, the clan members straightened proudly.
"Volcus Drakon, ancestor of the Drakon clan. Erebus Umbra, ancestor of the Umbra clan. Auriel Luxoria, ancestor of the Luxoria clan. Zephyrus Seraphim, ancestor of the Seraphim clan. And finally, Lea Aether, ancestor of the Aether clan. They all fought alongside Zed and were crucial to his success."
Each one of them defeated a King-grade monster, and it's said that by absorbing those essences, their descendants developed special abilities related to the monsters they had faced.
They all worked together to defend humanity, but unfortunately, a major incident occurred. From the Atlantic rift emerged a colossal, continent-class monster.
"The monster was so enormous that every step caused natural disasters. That display of destruction reminded humans of their insignificance, sparking widespread despair, except for Zed and his companions. They had to fight for seven straight days, finally managing to win," the teacher said with excitement, but then his expression turned serious.
"However, that victory came at the cost of Zed's life. He sacrificed himself to stop the monster's final attack. It was a heroic act, but the price of his life was immeasurable. I want you all to remember that the civilization we know today exists thanks to the sacrifice of this extraordinary person," the teacher concluded solemnly.
The monster's body was used to seal the Atlantic rift, but it was a crude solution. The rift remained open, still allowing monsters to pass through, though in smaller numbers and sizes.
After Zed's death, his companions founded the clans to carry on his legacy. However, over the generations, that original bond faded, and the clans became increasingly independent, distancing themselves from Earth's affairs. Among them, though, there were two exceptions: the Luxoria clan and the Seraphim clan.
"The Luxoria clan was considered the most powerful, and the Seraphim clan, close behind, were the most loyal to Zed's legacy. Unfortunately for the Luxoria clan—"
"They're dead," Cain said sarcastically, clearly staring at Aria, who clenched her fists in repressed anger.
"Do you have any idea how many lives were lost that day and how much damage was caused by the fall of the Luxoria clan?" the teacher asked in a disappointed and scolding tone.
"It's not my fault they thought they were better than everyone else," Cain replied with disdain.
"Open your mouth again and see what happens," Aria threatened coldly.
"Oh? And what are you going to do?"
Seeing that the situation was about to escalate, the teacher stepped in quickly to calm everyone down, managing to ease Aria's anger.
"Even though Cain's words are highly offensive, there's a bit of truth in them."
Noticing the group was about to protest, the teacher continued.
"Please, listen. As a historian, it's my job to analyze facts. The Luxoria clan, settling in the north of the former American continent and separating so much from the other forces, made a poorly thought-out move. They were indeed trying to speed up the liberation of the other continents, but that required time and more coordination with other forces. In my opinion, they isolated themselves, which made the rescue process more difficult," the teacher explained.
Listening, Aria lowered her head, grinding her teeth in frustration, but couldn't find a valid argument to respond. She loved her clan but struggled to understand the reasoning behind their choice.
"That said, no one expected a Cataclysm," the teacher added with a shake of his head, full of regret.
The term "Cataclysm" referred to a situation where, in a short time window, multiple rifts opened, interfering with most machines, such as teleportation platforms.
That day, a massive number of monsters, including many high-grade ones and even a King-grade creature, emerged from the rifts.
Hell Demon. That was the code name given to that monster. It was considered the leader of the creatures that attacked the Luxoria clan and the one responsible for the death of Solon Luxoria, Aria's father and one of the clan's two SSS-rank Sinners. The monster had reached the peak of its rank, and it took the combined effort of all the remaining clan leaders to bring it down.
"It was an unprecedented massacre, an event no one had experienced in centuries. Even when help arrived, all that was left was a land of death, with only one survivor." The teacher's heavy words turned everyone's eyes toward Aria.
Meanwhile, Axel couldn't help but slightly curl the corners of his lips as he kept listening.
A strange thing about that event was also the destruction of the stronghold established in the Inverted World. According to some theories, everything might have started there. It was believed that something catastrophic happened in the Inverted World, which had consequences on Earth and led to the downfall of the Luxoria clan. But these remained only theories, as no one knew what had happened.
With that, the morning lessons ended, and, to the students' usual dismay, the afternoon training session with Teacher Samantha began. Right from the start, Samantha pushed them through an intense training session, forcing them past their physical and mental limits.
As expected, Axel was once again the last in the group, but this time he managed to last a bit longer. Still, in the end, he collapsed from exhaustion, unable to finish all the required laps in the gym.
"This time you were particularly disappointing, you know?" Samantha told him once the other students had left, sitting down heavily on Axel.
"I think... I did... better than last... time," he replied with difficulty, both from the run and from Samantha's weight pressing him down.
"I'm not talking about the training, but about yesterday's fights, if you can even call them that. I'm pretty sure I've seen training dummies move more than you," said Samantha while checking the footage of yesterday's matches on her holographic watch.
"I... can't... breathe," Axel pleaded.
"You're such a drama queen. Do you have any idea how many people would happily pay to be crushed by me?" Samantha joked as she stood up, laughing.
Feeling lighter, Axel replied, "Those people must be crazy."
Coming from someone who had lived in the confinement zone, was a serious insult.
"Let's be serious now. From what I can tell, you have zero experience in martial arts, but at the very least you could've used your spiritual weapon's ability," Samantha said, confused.
"I was already using it."
"...Exactly what ability do you have?" she asked in a concerned tone.
Abilities were divided into categories ranging from I to S. Naturally, the higher the grade, the stronger the effect, but also the greater the energy consumption, depending on the type of ability.
Each Sinner, when awakening their weapon, gained one or two abilities. Later, a new ability could be unlocked based on their bond with the weapon. It was also possible to absorb an ability found or given, as long as it matched the current rank, but the maximum number of absorbed abilities was three.
"Haemostatic, grade I," Axel answered honestly.
Sigh.
Samantha let out a deep sigh. Axel's chances of survival were dropping with each passing day. He was behind the others, and his first ability was basically useless.
"I think we need to change our strategy. At first, I wanted to bulk you up a bit, but we don't have time. Starting today, you'll begin intensive training, and we need to increase your calorie intake."
"Okay," said Axel, knowing he had no way to refuse.
That day's training would be focused on the basics of combat, to give Axel a general foundation.
"Summon your spiritual weapon," commanded Samantha, and Axel obeyed.
Samantha examined Axel's gloves with interest, touching them and moving his fingers with curiosity.
"How peculiar. Even though they're armor, they look like normal arms," she commented as she let go.
"Alright, let me ask you something. What do you think is the most versatile weapon in the world?" Samantha asked him.
"I don't know... a gun?" Axel said, unsure.
"No, it's the human body, Axel. We can do everything: grab, block, deflect, tear, become a blunt weapon, pierce, and cut," she said with excitement.
"I can understand everything, but piercing and cutting..." Axel said, skeptical.
"Let me show you."
Sometimes actions spoke louder than words. They went to a room filled with dummies, and metallic gloves formed around Samantha's hands.
Standing in front of one of the dummies, she stretched her fingers, and even Axel couldn't follow her next move. After a deafening sound, the dummy's head flew off. It's worth noting that these dummies were designed to withstand attacks from D-rank Sinners. But she didn't stop there.
With another lightning-fast move, another deafening sound followed as Samantha's entire arm, up to the shoulder, plunged into the dummy's chest.
"So, what do you think?" she asked.
Slowly, a smile spread across Axel's face as he looked at the dummies. "Teach me."
No questions about whether he could do it or how long it would take. Now that he had seen what he could become capable of, he wanted to learn.
Samantha's smile widened as she saw Axel's attitude. She immediately understood that they were similar. Many might have thought Axel was a passive person, but Samantha didn't believe that at all. The type of spiritual weapon awakened also depended on the person's character, and just by looking at Axel's weapon, his personality was clear.
He was direct and sharp, and once he made a decision, he followed through without hesitation. So, what would happen if someone like him, forced to hold back due to his condition, yet still managing to survive in the confinement zone, finally got the means to fight?
'This is going to be fun,' thought Samantha, excited.