Callum woke to the empty room. Pressing his hand right against his abdomen in a ferverent panic. Expecting to find a scar or wound but there was nothing. He slowly sat up on the cot, noticing how light and energetic his body feels.
"Maybe it was just a nightmare but why am I dreaming of old ladies?" He scratched his head as he attempted to take in the situation.
He left the infirmary and found himself standing in the corridor leading to the training grounds. There in the center of the training grounds was the same sight as last time he was at the area.
This time though, Quinn seemed to be a lot more defensive against the two young awoken.
Callum quickly noted Bart's mastery over his ability, now every time he swung his steel fist and Quinn, one of his feet would also steel itself.
The shine of it moving across his body like Mercury with each swing and movement. Yet even without being tossed around by momentum. It was easy to notice that Bart's body wasn't strong enough to handle the weight of his ability.
Quinn danced around the raging man, narrowly dodging every clumsy fist and breaking his rhythm with sudden jabs or small kicks to the leg that didn't have steel plating. Until Maria came into play, the young fiery haired girl was now tracing a path behind Bart.
Moving into perfect positioning and waiting till her focus was on just Quinn to freeze his movements. The intensity she watched the slow paced battle with seemed misplaced. Until Callum finally witnessed the duo in action.
Bart dashed forward, letting the liquid metal dissipate back into his flesh. He swung a wide arced hay maker towards Quinn, who easily ducked under the arm and pushed off his chest. Right before the push could topple Bart the shine of the lustrous metal appeared on his feet.
Holding him in place, holding his hand up in the air like a hammer to an anvil. Bart smited down on his mentors back, a pulverizing strength ready to disassemble the foolhardy teacher.
Quinn moved quickly and calculated. Taking the most efficient route to remove himself from the trajectory of the powerful smash. Then right behind Bart Maria darted to the same side Quinn was dodging to. Her eyes seemingly focused out side of the fight so she could catch only Quinn within her peripherals.
Quinn's body froze, leaving his right shoulder in place as Bart brought down the steel fist. Smashing it directly into the shoulder of his mentor. Callum's face twisted in pain from the sight of the blow.
"That must've hurt, will Quinn be alright?" Worried about the outcome of facing such a heavy impact head on, his eyes observed Quinn. Expecting to see his face contorted into a grimace of pain.
"Good job, that was a solid blow." Quinn dusted his shoulder off, his face lit up with a prideful smirk as the two young fighters stared at their mentor. Anger seemed to spark within Barts eyes, showing that even though it was just a sparring match. The young man held nothing back.
Maria's look was different though. "Are you okay?" The young woman asked with a sincere compassion towards her teacher.
"Yea it will take a lot more force than that to do any real damage to me." Quinn stared directly at Bart purposely stoking the fires of wrath brighter.
"Are you just gonna stare at them or are you gonna get over here so we can begin our training?" Callums eyes followed the voice to find Raphaelia standing in the center of the other stage. Her eyes were focused on him and showed a slight sense of impatience.
Callum rushed to the stage, Quinn Bart and Maria finally noticing his presence.
"Welcome back sleepy, in the few days you've been here you either sleep or disappear again."
Quinn waved a hand towards Callum with his usual aloof and air headed expression across his face.
Callum silently waved back as he rushed on the stage in front of Raphaelia. He looked her in the eyes. A strange sense of fear mixed with respect was beginning to form in his chest.
Noticing the hint of fear in his eyes Raphaelia gave him a kind-hearted smile. "How are you feeling?" The change of tone caught Callum off guard, making him scratch his head in a flustered manner.
"My body feels light and my mind feels clear. How long was I asleep for?" Expecting to hear days, moving his arms and body around noticing the relief of pain.
"Just over a couple hours, what did you think getting stabbed was just a dream?" Raphaelia lightly chuckled while watching Callums face drop it's expression in exchange for a look of shock.
"Let's just say our doctor is a little unorthodox because of her ability. Now try to call your ability." Raphaelia watched with intent.
Callum closed his eyes and focused inward. With his body inside the void, his conscious didn't split. Instead he felt every movement within the void down to the heart beat of every living being. With his body inside of the void, the connection became a lot stronger.
Like his body was soaking in its energy and using it to amplify the connection. Callum stretched out his hand and called forth the vapor with ease, manipulating it as if it was an extension of his own body.
His focus didn't end there though, just like when he was astral projecting through the void. He felt he could will things to him, like instead of just his mind, his entire body became the center of this universe.
Callum started to test that theory, he pushed the ground away from his body and began to ascend into the sky. Still manipulating the vapor around him, coating his body in a violet light as it surged through him.
Everybody stopped and stared at the godly appearance of the young man. Callum let his body fall back to the ground and faced Raphaelia. Pride burning in his eyes.
Raphaelia smiled then called upon her ability.
Angelic wings sprouted from her back as her skin began emanating a glorious radiant light.
Callum stared in awe.
The stunning beauty of the woman was overwhelming as she took the form of a goddess before him. Noticing his glance she smiled.
"Let's begin."
Just like that she rushed the young man, clearing the 10 meter stage in a blink of an eye.
Raphaelia used the same straight forward rush style she was using when she beat Callum half to death previously.
However this time couldn't have been more different. The black vapor appeared between her fist and his chest, pulling her arm through it.
Callum braced and moved to throw an uppercut at his teacher but his body was still much slower than hers. Even with momentum carrying her towards the blow.
Deftly moving her head out of the way of Callum's counter attack before grabbing onto his wrist. Then without missing a beat she sent his body swinging in a wide arc. Bringing his back down into the arena with enough force to shatter the stone slate underneath him.
Shards of rock hurl through the air as eyes become entranced with the exchange. The three training on the arena beside them were all frozen. Looks of anticipation plastered to their faces but that only accounted for a small number of those witnessing the fight.
The loud crash of Callum's body against the stone grabbed the attention of many guards passing by within the building. Their eyes focused out the windows.
Raphaelia rarely called upon her ability, the number of fighters within the citadel that she deemed worthy to use it against in a match. Numbered in the ten to twenty range. So watching her unleash it against a new blood was completely unheard of.
Callum's felt his bones cracking under the strength of her grip but that slowed him very little. A true masterpiece of brutality and beauty was painted in front of him.
Staring up at Raphaelia from the ground, Callum noticed as the radiant glow coming from her skin seemed to be focusing in her opposite hand. Her body twisted with a lithe grace as she prepared to bring down the full might of her godly strength on him.
Callum's body had no hope of matching the speed of Raphaelia but the vapor spawned in and moved instantaneously. With instincts kicking in Callum summoned the vapor behind Raphaelia then with a cosmic force. He forced all matter away from him within the void.
Pushing Raphaelia through the vapor behind her at the same time as the ground he was laying on got pushed away. Leaving Callum alone, floating in the air as another cloud formed beneath him. Crashing out of the vapor and impacting the ground this time was Raphaelia.
The exchange left the crowd of onlookers aghast. Never expecting the new recruit to withstand the onslaught of the citadels goddess, let alone to return a blow.
The impact barely fazed Raphaelia, springing back to her feet almost as fast as she hit the ground. Callum turned to face her as fast as he could, worried about another attack being launched his way.
His eyes met the most beautiful smile the boy had ever seen. The wings on Raphaelias back furled in on themselves before vanishing, the radiant glow of her skin died down. Leaving the beautiful shine of life that was previously present glowing across her ivory skin.
With a voice as smooth as silk and a gesture as kind as a mother's touch. She reached out her hand to his.
"Well done, you'll be one of the greatest Gate Keepers to ever live. There isn't a doubt in my mind." The praise warmed Callum's body and soul. He took his mentors hand as he descended back to solid ground.
The second his feet touched the ground a leg sweeped his balance from under him, leaving him laying on the ground staring up at his mentor.
"You've still got a bit till you could beat me for real though." A teasing smile danced across Raphaelias angelic face as she walked off.
The crowd slowly scattered but word of the short fight burned a resounding path through the halls of the building. Quinn made his way over, out stretching a hand to help Callum back to his feet.
It was clear a congratulations was coming his way but the praise never got out. The sound of alarms blared through the citadel. Signalling a particularly bad attack on the slums.