TF Chapter 35 Evolved

There was some weariness between her brows but for some reason, she was fired up. Me and the others were now inside our own stone construct, standing in a row infront of Celeste who, meanwhile, was examining the sword embedded within the stone floor.

"It seems something interesting happened while I was away." She spoke with her gaze roaming the sword like a pervert.

Occasionally, there was a nod while she circled the blade, like she had figured out, or understood something...then the next, her brows furrowed, as if something was immensely puzzling her.

I became nervous at that. Could there be a possibility that she had become interested in the sword?

"Miss Celeste, shouldn't you have rested first?" 

It looked like even Bora had managed to get a true glimpse of her.

"It will be a waste of time. I hope...I am not too late." Her gaze finally fell upon us with her last words, the gaze with which she was looking at us with, glittering...

But what did she mean by those words? The Ross clan? Or, something else? My instincts were telling at me that it was the latter.

"That old man from the Ross family perished. The others won't deign to find trouble with you here."

What!? Joy was what I would have felt, but for some reason, her expression made it fail to materialise. Her voice had been cold, but some bleakness had appeared in her expression, as if his death had been something that shouldn't have happened 

"Tutor Celeste, what happened? Where were you these past few months?" Danny fired off this series of questions, as if he hadn't caught sight of the minor change in her expression, puzzling me.

"...show me your progress these past few months." She said after taking in a light breath.

Something big must have happened. There is no way the forgers are going to be able to keep a tight lid on that information. If Celeste wasn't in the mood to talk, the others will.

That's what I signaled to Danny with my eyes...honestly, why did the guy lack tact in some matters?

Celeste's change...was it going to be good, or bad for us? The reason I was worried was the fact that I could sense some impatience from her. It was embedded in the whirlwind containing her other emotions and feelings, but, nonetheless, it was there.

"We have improved considerably. We might have gotten a few hiccups where we wasted some time, but I do believe that you will be impressed." Like the perfect student, Bora gave a simplified version of our achievements.

"Mmmm...I will only accept that after my eyes see it." Celeste crossed her arms under her large bosom, causing it to become even more prominent.

The stare she was giving us alone was enough to give us clues that she was waiting for a demonstration.

"Ah...I had almost forgotten, is it the hour to enter the vision?" 

"It has already happened." I answered even as we took to our familiar formation near the molten metal stream. For some reason, I was getting apprehensive of Celeste's change. She was most definitely suppressing something within herself.

(Sigh)

I simply decided to push all that to the back of my mind. Our tutor had finally returned, and now, it was time to show her the fruits of our work.

-----

"I see...where did you gain the inspiration to try this idea?" Celeste asked after we had collected enough metal to form a head sized metallic sphere, roughly spherical in shape. It was floating within the amalgam of our combined spirit.

Just holding the thing a meter above ground was taxing...and we had never pushed ourselves this hard before, so we were straining just to hold it above ground. A dull pain was starting to form within my brain, but I masked it with the pride brought upon finally showing something worthwhile to our instructor.

"In the vision, I managed to spy upon an alien doing the extraction, so I decided to copy him...but of course we edited the technique to work for us." Talking was a pain right now.

"Good work...in order for you to surpass your peers, I am going to work you extra hard." Celeste clapped, the move causing a fluctuation to be released from her spirit, disrupting our amalgam, and causing the metallic sphere to follow gravity, falling in between our little triangle.

The forceful separation caused me to grimace, the dull pain in my head evolving into full-on pain. What was wrong with her?!

"Currently, there are four known levels on the forger path..." She paused here, my dissatisfaction with her vanishing when I heard the topic she was about to start on.

"...you may sit down as this might be a bit lengthy..."

"...anyway, the first level is to have the ability to coat your entire body in an armor made of spirit. In order for an apprentice to reach this level, they would have to put their spirit through the wringer, literally!" 

There was a finality in the last word that made me conscious of the fact that our coming days were definitely not going to be carefree anymore. It looks like the wishes to get rid of boredom always come true, but with consequences!

"At the first level, the spirit is stored within here...(points at her forehead)..."

"...and don't be mistaken, having a powerful spirit doesn't mean that your willpower is as powerful and vice versa. Many have such a misconception, but I tell you this; its not true!"

"...back to the topic at hand...in order to put the spirit through the wringer, it must be continuously stressed, in other words, this task known as extraction. But! Extraction isn't the only way! There is also compression. What do you compress? Bora, the question was rhetorical..."

Celeste had truly evolved. If she had been a playful cub before, now, she was a fully grown predator! Previously, she would have allowed the nerd to answer, but now, she was a general commanding her soldiers.

"You see this metal ball of yours?" Celeste spoke while her spirit easily lifted the metallic sphere, swiftly causing it to appear within a few inches of her, making me envious of that power.

"There are many gaps within it. Air is easy to compress as the gaps are larger since its a gas, but what of a solid?"