The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 52: Chapter 50 — Flow

Standing at the center, Zephyrion exhaled lightly. He raised his hand, and in the next instant, several orbs of metal formed around him.

’It’s faster.’

With his connection to the WorldPulse now constant, the response came almost immediately, without the slight delay he was used to.

With slight focus, the orbs began to move, slowly circling his body.

Zephyrion smiled faintly.

’Flow.’

The first mark, Manifestation, granted the ability to bring an element into existence. The second mark, Stability, allowed one to maintain its structure and prevent it from collapsing.

The third mark was Flow.

It established a continuous connection with the WorldPulse, allowing Ascendants to control and manipulate their element freely, without interruption.

Zephyrion let the orbs disperse a moment later. While the improvement pleased him, he was more excited about something else entirely.

’I can now use Rune Arts.’

Rune Arts were the expression of a complete intent transmitted into the WorldPulse.

If elemental runes formed a language, then Marks were fragments of meaning, the building blocks of that language. Rune arts, in turn, were the sentences formed from them.

Depending on the fragments of meaning one had comprehended, the Marks they possessed, one could weave those meanings into a single, coherent intent and have the WorldPulse carry it out.

The third mark, Flow, was the prerequisite for this.

’Mind map.’

The scene of his first training with Garrick surfaced in his mind.

Though he had been occupied with the effects of the Relic at the time and had his eyes closed, he had retained the sensations clearly.

As Garrick formed the barrier that sealed away sound, Zephyrion closed his eyes and held onto that feeling, isolating it, studying it.

A moment later, he exhaled slowly, then opened his eyes.

’Soundless Barrier.’

The air around him rippled faintly.

In the next instant, the world fell silent. The whisper of the wind, the rustle of leaves, everything vanished as though it had been cut away.

Zephyrion gave a small nod.

...

Garrick had been perched high atop the roof of Zephyrion’s mansion for most of the cold night, watching him meditate in his room.

’I was right.’

It wasn’t that he was some creep who enjoyed stalking seventeen-year-old boys... well, maybe if it were the other way around—

Garrick smacked his lips and shook his head, physically brushing the thought aside like it had personally offended him.

This was the first time he had observed Zephyrion like this, and it was because of one thing.

’He took off the Relic.’

During the day’s training, he had seen Zephyrion remove the Relic. There were only two reasons he would do something like that: either he was being overwhelmed, which clearly wasn’t the case, or he was advancing.

As he watched the faint ripples in the air around Zephyrion, a grin spread across Garrick’s face.

He had already heard about Zephyrion’s insane resonance, so he wasn’t surprised that even he couldn’t sense a proper hum. Still...

Garrick slapped his knee lightly, unable to hold it in.

”Finally!”

The boy had advanced.

At the very least, it meant there was hope.

’I should go celebrate.’

He was just about to leave when he saw Zephyrion rise and step out of his room.

Garrick paused.

”...oh?”

A moment later, he dropped back into a crouch and followed along the rooftops.

’Ah, he wants to test it.’

Even without getting closer, he could tell. The boy was itching to try out his new power.

Muttering under his breath about how alike they were, Garrick let out a quiet chuckle.

As Zephyrion formed the orbs of metal, Garrick gave an approving nod. The response was immediate, clean, and precise, just as expected of his extraordinary Resonance.

Then, suddenly, Zephyrion closed his eyes.

Garrick’s brows drew together slightly as he felt the air shift, a faint vibration spreading outward.

’Hmm.’

Was he trying to use Rune Art?

Already?

Garrick exhaled through his nose and shook his head, his lips stretching to a grin.

’Of course.’

What else had he expected?

He fixed his gaze on Zephyrion, curious. At mark three, the only Marks available to him were manifestation, stability, and flow. That alone severely limited what he could construct.

Garrick began ticking options off on his fingers.

”Shield... spike... a crude barrier if he pushes it...”

’Maybe a rolling shield... or a spinning spike.’

Zephyrion’s eyes snapped open.

In the same instant, something invisible took shape around him.

Garrick blinked.

”...what?”

A faint, vibrating force had spread outward from Zephyrion, subtly distorting the air. Every trace of sound that approached him was deflected before it could reach him.

Garrick straightened slightly, his expression going blank for a moment.

”...no way.”

It was...

It was the exact same art Garrick had used on him a week ago.

’How...?’

Rune Arts were a person’s intent transmitted into the WorldPulse. Others could perceive the outcome, but never the meaning or intent behind it.

To replicate another’s Rune Art required a complete understanding of how it was formed. Two identical effects could stem from entirely different interpretations.

Yet, what Garrick saw before him was a perfectly replicated effect of his barrier.

”Heh...”

Garrick shook his head with a wry smile.

Suddenly, something faint rippled in the air meters away from him.

Garrick frowned, staring at the point for a moment.

Then he scoffed.

”How unbecoming. The great head of house... stalking a seventeen-year-old boy.”

”...”

A moment later, the air distorted, and a figure stepped out from nothingness.

With loosely kept hair and heavy purple eyes, the head of House Calderalth fixed his brother with a weighty stare.

”...walking.”

Garrick’s brow lifted slightly.

”Oh? Just walking?”

”This is my estate.”

”Right.” Garrick chuckled. ”And you just happened to walk all the way up here?”

”...”

Garrick’s lips stretched into an amused grin.

”What, he shook you that much?”

”...watch your tongue.”

”Oh? So you were surprised.”

”...”

Garrick let out a short laugh, shaking his head.

”Fine. Then you won’t mind if I call him over.”

Kastor’s brows drew together faintly.

”...there’s no need—”

Garrick inhaled sharply, already turning his head toward the training grounds.

”Ze—”

Kastor vanished.

Even with his presence gone, the weight of Kastor’s glare seemed to linger in the air.

”...haha.”

A quiet laugh escaped Garrick as he shook his head.

”Still the same.”

With that, he turned and stepped off the rooftop, his mood noticeably lighter as he left the mansion behind.

...

”Hey, did you hear? The young lord’s fighting Kaiden at the evaluation.”

”...Kaiden? Wait—that Kaiden? The one from the fallen house? The kid who beat two Steel trainees?”

”Yeah, him. I heard the only reason he’s still in Iron is because of what happened to his house. Set him back.”

”Hmm... then they should be at the same mark, right? So it should be—”

”No. That’s the issue. I heard he broke through to mark three a few days ago.”

”What!? Then he’s basically at Steel trainee level now!”

”Exactly. If he was already beating Steel trainees before, what do you think happens now?”

”...then the young lord—”

”...yeah.”

”...this might not go well for him.”

All around, members of Calderalth’s secondary line murmured among themselves, drawn by the same anticipation as they made their way toward the Calderalth Grand Coliseum.

After a long-awaited week, the moment had finally arrived.

The clash between the returned prodigy, Zephyrion, and the top Iron trainee, Kaiden.