[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/qSXKgkY.png[/img]
[sub][@Nanaya][/sub][/center]
Perhaps there was something else impeding Davil’s progress.

Perhaps he should have been one of the ones to fail the entrance exam.

[b]“This is a very [i]loose[/i] theory,”[/b] Otis spoke, [b]“But judging by this outcome, it appears related to your Ethos or your Prime Essence. This downward expulsion of air seems to be quite similar to the usage of Linearic Liner…”[/b]

For Davil, it was perhaps disappointment, perhaps frustration, but for Otis, this could only be described as something worth examining. The rest of the class had no issues forming their own Personal Barrier, after all. Was it simply inexperience with the manipulation of essence to begin with? Was it that Davil didn’t know his own Prime Essence and was unconsciously utilizing it, and thus, his own body subconsciously ended the spell before it could fully manifest and run him? Or was this, in truth, just normal?

Otis had said it himself, after all. A Personal Barrier was a difficult thing. Compact 3 was exceptional, if all but one of them were able to pick it up quickly. And it seemed like their exceptional circumstances would bring forth exceptional situations too. The Mannekins returned, featureless faces replicating a full classroom as the sound of flutes resonated with the strings within each construct’s body. Violence and violins. All these answers, yet the solution remains ‘war’.

Distance, once more.

Distant from the expectations of Wingram’s Heroism. Distant from the understanding of all others. Distant, as distant as black was from white, as a lightless cell was from the open sky.

[b]“Davil, if you wish to risk your life to prove your point, then show me wonders of this world.”[/b]

The Door opened to reveal that astral expanse, the false heavens ruled by a child-god. From that void rose handles, a dozen in total, each unique in their form and function, all of them making a mockery of what a bladesmith would call a ‘sword’.

Otis himself had no intention on arming himself. His calluses were formed by handling tools, not weapons. But while he didn’t mind Davil being brutalized and hospitalized, it would simply be [i]unfair[/i] to deny an artless individual the ability to defend themselves.

[b]“The offer goes to the rest of you too,”[/b] the Strigidae said. [b]“Consider it a favour, to be paid back at a latter time.”[/b]