Shattered Innocence: Transmigrated Into a Novel as an Extra - Chapter 901: Expression

Chapter 901: Expression

The path curved toward a wide, open training ground—and the air changed before they even reached it. The muffled thuds of spell impact grew clearer, undercut by the low hum of dense mana currents at work.

When they stepped past the archway, the sight drew more than a few gasps.

A group of senior mages were mid-session, their formations wide and precise. A wall of living water, easily twice a man’s height, surged forward—only to be sliced apart by a jagged arc of flame so intense that the very air rippled around it. Another team followed up, lances of lightning threading through the mist with pinpoint accuracy, striking target constructs until they shattered into harmless shards of crystal.

One of the twins let out a low whistle. “That’s… not beginner-level.”

Selenne’s voice came, even and unhurried. “These are upper-year Magicians. What you see here is the result of years of refinement. Each strike is deliberate. Each defense calculated. You will not reach this standard by simply learning spells—you will reach it by understanding why they work.”

She gestured toward the training grounds beyond, where buildings stood in orderly rows, their walls and rooftops painted or tiled in the hues of their elements—deep crimson for fire, rich cerulean for water, pale stone for earth, bright silver for wind.

“The Magicians’ block is divided into elemental specializations. These you see—fire, water, earth, and wind—are the general elements, the ones most prevalent among practitioners. Each has its own facilities for study and training.”

Her hand shifted slightly toward a smaller set of structures apart from the main cluster, their designs less uniform, colors and sigils mismatched. “Rare elements—lightning, shadow, ice, and others—hold their own buildings. They are fewer in number, but their studies are no less demanding.”

Aurelian gave a quiet chuckle. “Looks like the rare ones don’t care about matching paint.”

Selphine’s reply was immediate. “Or they’re too busy working to bother with it.”

Selenne, as ever, didn’t break stride. “Remember what you see here, and remember that those training now were once where you stand. They reached this point through discipline and application. No more, no less.”

The tour pressed on, leaving behind the shimmer of wards and the bright spectacle of elemental magic.

The path to the next sector narrowed, passing between high walls until the soundscape shifted—less crackle and rush, more sharp impacts and the rhythm of movement. The scent of scorched mana gave way to the cleaner tang of oiled leather and tempered steel.

Selenne’s steps slowed just enough for her voice to carry evenly over the dull thud of fists on training dummies and the clang of steel meeting steel.

“This,” she said, sweeping her gaze across the open yards, “is the Martial Arts block. Officially, the Academy still files it under Close Combatants, but that is a poor descriptor. This discipline is not limited to blades and fists—it is the study of applying one’s body, weapon, and will in unison, whether the range is a single pace or several.”

The sector spread before them in disciplined order. Sparring rings, each marked by white chalk lines, dotted the wide yard. Some were occupied by pairs trading rapid blows, their strikes flowing with a practiced precision that spoke of years under drill. Others trained with weapons—spears spinning in tight arcs, greatswords driving into heavy dummies that shuddered with each impact.

A separate, smaller platform held archers and thrown-weapon specialists. They worked in near silence, save for the hiss of arrows slicing the air and the sharp thock as they struck their targets dead-center.

Several seniors caught the first-years’ attention immediately. Their frames were far more solid than the magicians they had just left behind—shoulders squared, muscles honed not for show but for function. Still, it wasn’t the exaggerated bulk of dockside strongmen; most carried themselves with a lean, coiled readiness, the kind of strength built for sudden speed. Only a few—towering figures whose biceps strained against sleeveless tunics—bore the kind of overdeveloped muscle that marked certain… specialists.

“Notice the difference,” Selenne continued. “A magician relies on range, manipulation, and control of the field. A martial artist must be the field—occupy space in such a way that it denies the opponent every advantage. Here, your weapon is as much your stance as it is steel or wood.”

Elara’s gaze drifted toward the sparring rings almost without thinking, following the rhythm of movement—the heavy step, the quick pivot, the clean, decisive strike that made the white chalk lines mean something.

And there, beside her, Cedric stood very still.

Not rigid, not in awe—just still in that deliberate way she’d seen before, the kind of focus that latched onto a scene and refused to let go. His eyes tracked the seniors like he was memorizing every exchange. Every shift in balance. Every small tell before a strike landed.

’Of course…’ she thought, the corner of her mouth tilting in something between resignation and certainty. ’If there’s anywhere he’ll stake his claim here, it’s in this yard.’

The look suited him—like the tension in his shoulders had eased simply by standing in the presence of movement honed to a blade’s edge.

She turned her head slightly, more out of habit than curiosity, scanning the line of their group until her eyes found Lucavion.

Sure enough—his were smiling. Not the flippant smirk he threw at people just to watch them fluster, not the half-lazy charm he wore like a second skin. This was quieter. Sharper.

He leaned forward a fraction, enough for the light to catch on the edge of his grin, and she saw it—the same spark she’d glimpsed once before, when a conversation had veered too close to duels and swords and things that cut cleanly.

’Sword-drunk,’ she thought, almost dryly. ’Completely gone for it.’

It wasn’t a surprise. Not really. She’d suspected from the moment she saw Luca in the Stormhaven….

Lucavion in Stormhaven.

How easily he’d slipped into the rhythm of a fight that wasn’t even necessary, cutting down threats with that unrestrained ease, the way other people might stretch their arms after sitting too long.

Lucavion liked to swing his sword freely. It wasn’t about blood or glory—at least, not in the way most duelists craved. No, his satisfaction seemed to come from the act itself. The perfect arc. The clean follow-through. The whisper of steel as it obeyed.

And yesterday, in the banquet, she’d seen it again—clearer, sharper—when he’d faced Rowen in that pure test of swordsmanship. No spells. No tricks. Just blade against blade. He hadn’t been smiling then in the careless way that so often disarmed people. He’d been alive in a way she doubted he knew how to be anywhere else.

She’d watched his eyes the entire time. That flicker—not just hunger, but reverence. Like each clash was a conversation only the two of them could hear, and every parry was an answer worth savoring.

Her thoughts stayed on him long enough that she didn’t notice Cedric’s gaze had also shifted—not toward the seniors sparring, but toward Lucavion.

He was watching him with… something.

Not disdain. Not exactly suspicion. But not admiration, either. It was quieter, heavier. The kind of look that came from assessing weight and balance—not of the sword in someone’s hand, but of the person holding it.

His expression was… hard to name.