Chapter 10: Outdoor Training and a Sexy Instructor

The rest of the first day passed in a blur of theory.

Basic mana manipulation classes repeated principles Arthur had already forced himself to understand through thirteen years of sensing without casting. The history lectures, however, held him. He learned how the Aurelian Empire had risen from the corpse of a dead god, how the First Scribe carved the original nine Grimoires and how the Arcane Legion became the thin line between the empire and everything that waited beyond its borders. For the first time the kingdom felt real instead of a distant name used to measure his own failure.

He slept harder that night than he had in weeks.

Morning came with a different order. Training uniforms. Outdoor grounds. Second module of Core Mana Mechanics.

The class gathered on a wide stone platform that floated at the edge of the academy, open sky on three sides and a low barrier of glowing runes to keep anyone from falling. Wind tugged at collars and hems. Most students still looked half-asleep until the instructor arrived.

Then every male pair of eyes in the group went wide.

Instructor Talia Vane stepped onto the platform like she owned the air around it.

She wore stripped-back fighting silks designed for real combat. A single strip of midnight-navy reinforced spell-silk crossed beneath her bust and wrapped snugly over her chest, leaving her shoulders, back, and midriff completely bare.

The fabric stayed locked in place through light adhesion charms. Low-slung navy briefs rested on her hips, cut high at the thighs to allow full kicks and sweeps. Thin gold chains looped across her hipbones, catching the light every time she moved. Crimson silk wraps bound her forearms and wrists.

Dark-brown leather straps gripped her calves and upper thighs. A sheer crimson scarf floated from a gold armband on her right shoulder, drifting behind her like a living feint. Shimmering gold-leaf runes traced the lines of her abs, shoulders, and thighs, ready to flare when she channeled power.

In the formal robes of the sorting ceremony she had looked sharp and professional. Here she looked like a weapon that had decided clothes were optional.

Mimi floated near Arthur’s shoulder and whistled softly inside his head.

"Well. That explains why the boys suddenly forgot how to blink."

Talia stopped at the center of the platform and rested her hands on her hips. Her voice carried without effort.

"Aura Layering. Also called Mana Skin. This is the only defensive technique every student in this academy must master before you are allowed to spar with real power. Magic types differ. Some of you throw fire. Some use illusions. Some throw things that should not exist. It doesn’t matter for mana skin. You radiate your mana outward, then lock it tight against your skin until it forms a second layer of invisible armor. Done correctly it absorbs impact, reduces damage, and can even sharpen your own close-range strikes. Done incorrectly you will bruise, break bones, or get launched off this platform. The runes will catch you. I will not be gentle about the lesson."

She raised one hand. A faint shimmer coated her dark skin from throat to ankles.

"You learnt about the density in yesterday’s class. Watch the density. Too loose and it is useless. Too rigid and it cracks under pressure. You want it flexible and tight at the same time. Begin."

Students spread out. Hands rose. Mana flickered into uneven shells. Some looked like soap bubbles. Others looked like cracked glass. A few managed a thin, steady layer that clung properly to their bodies.

Arthur closed his eyes and pulled on the large pool sitting quiet inside him. He pushed the energy outward, then drew it back until it sat against his skin like a second, invisible coat. The sensation was strange but natural, as if his body had been waiting for permission to do this for years. The temporary Flame print helped. Even at twenty percent mastery it gave him a clearer sense of how mana wanted to move.

Talia walked the lines, correcting stances with short words and occasional sharp taps of her fingers against unstable auras. When most of the class had at least a rough shell in place she stepped back to the center.

"Good enough. Now we test. You will not use your Grimoire abilities. No fire walls. No ice shields. No fancy bloodline tricks. Only Mana Skin. If you get hit, you absorb or you fall. Ready yourselves."

She flicked her wrist.

Non-lethal energy blasts snapped across the platform in rapid succession. Blue-white bolts of pure force. Students flinched. Several shells shattered on the first impact and their owners stumbled or dropped to one knee. A few managed to hold. The gold runes on Talia’s body flared each time she launched another volley.

Arthur set his feet and let the next bolt hit his chest. The Mana Skin flexed, absorbed the force, and dispersed it across his torso. The impact still rocked him half a step, but the shell held. He adjusted the density and took the following three hits without moving.

Around him the mood had shifted. The boys who had been staring at Talia’s body with open hunger now looked at her with something closer to caution. The woman launching precise, rapid-fire blasts while barely seeming to try was not the same woman they had been undressing with their eyes.

Arthur watched her move between volleys and finally understood the outfit.

The minimal coverage kept her cool under constant exertion. The high cuts and bare midriff gave her complete freedom of movement. The floating crimson scarf and the gold chains created visual noise that pulled the eye for a fraction of a second, just long enough for a less disciplined opponent to lose track of her real angle of attack. Everything she wore served speed, heat management, and psychological pressure. The fact that it also left very little to the imagination was simply an efficient bonus.

Talia ended the barrage with a final sweeping wave that forced half the class to reinforce their shells or get knocked backward. She lowered her hand. The gold runes dimmed.

"Acceptable for a first session. Those of you whose skin cracked will practice additional compression drills after evening meal. The rest of you are dismissed. Next class we add movement while maintaining the layer. If you cannot walk and hold Mana Skin at the same time you will be useless in a real fight."

Students began to disperse, some rubbing sore shoulders, others still glancing at Talia with mixed awe and residual heat. Arthur stayed near the edge of the platform a moment longer, letting his own Mana Skin fade.

Mimi appeared in front of him, wings beating with barely contained glee, petal skirt shifting in the high wind.

"Master. Activate Desire Sight. Focus on her. This is the most funny thing I have seen all day."

Arthur frowned but obeyed. He opened the ability and turned his gaze toward Talia Vane as she spoke with a pair of students who had questions.

The pink-gold mist that rose from her body was thick, complex, and completely unexpected.

Arthur’s eyes widened.

The reading that formed at the edge of his mind left him standing completely still, staring, while Mimi’s delighted laughter rang inside his head.