Just like that it became Friday.

  Mark was late to class, again, thankfully Aria Res was saving him a seat next to her.

  Mark stared at the lecture notes, yet his mind drifted.

  He had chosen this course because he found it interesting, it was one of his hundreds of fascinations. The concept of resonance is essential in the society they live in; ether when used in excess as a power source causes machinery to vibrate excessively, which can damage the instrumentation, therefore finding ways to dampen the vibrations in case of emergency is essential to prevent harm.

  Aria, on the other hand, absorbed knowledge like a machine, taking notes at an incredible speed. In her case, this class was valuable to her as she would be taking the concepts further than the class itself. Her ability specializes in Harmonic manipulation, basically allowing her to control and manipulate, sound, frequency, and vibrations of objects and organisms. Additionally, her way of improving her abilities, came from her ability to understand the concepts at a scientific level, as a result most of her practice when it comes to ability sparring comes from her understanding of the concept and the properties of the material she is interacting with.

  Mark on the other hand came more from his visualization and understanding of concepts, he liked comics and series for that reason, because they allowed him to develop his ideas of powers through those mediums. His imagination was one of his strongest suits, but he sometimes wondered if that was enough or if he could improve faster through other methods like Aria.

  In the world of abilities, what matters most is one’s mental and physical shape. Physical conditioning enhances ether reserves and distribution efficiency. A well-trained body can store and release ether more effectively, like increasing lung capacity for deep breathing. Mental ability is equally as important since once perceived power and confidence using said power allows them to wield it to a higher level.

  After that, his mind began drifting toward how he might defeat Daniel. He realized his dark tendril defense wasn’t enough to catch someone so fast. Maybe if he blanketed the field with traps instead of relying on a single barrier, he could pin Daniel down.

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  He pictured a dark web—thin lines of shadow stretched across the ground to snare Daniel’s ankles or force him into predictable movements. Then he imagined dark mines: small spheres of condensed shadow energy, invisible against certain backgrounds, waiting to burst with a sticky mass of darkness that clung to a target’s limbs. If Daniel moved recklessly, he’d trip or trigger one of these mines, slowing him enough for Mark to land a decisive strike.

  The idea wasn’t perfect—condensing shadow energy in multiple spots would require more concentration. But if he could scatter dark mines throughout the sparring arena, maybe he wouldn’t need to match Daniel’s speed. He’d just have to bait Daniel into stepping where he shouldn’t.

  He then thought about how he could defeat Lyra, but nothing came to mind, unless he was able to overpower her, which at the moment was not feasible, he needed to improve his physicality to find a way to overpower her.

  A chime ended the lecture. “Remember to read Chapter 3,” the professor said.

  Mark closed his holo pad which was mostly blank with some equations and scribbles that only he would understand. Around him, students began gathering up textbooks and tablets, the buzz of conversation rising.

  “Did you have a good time daydreaming?” Aria teased, tossing her holo pad into her bag.

  “How did you know?”

  “I can tell that you were feeling joyful. If you want to know why, figure it out yourself.”

  “I see. In the meantime, my stomach’s about to start its own demonstration on harmonic resonance if I don’t eat soon.“

  Aria rolled her eyes, but a faint smile pulled at her lips. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how resonance works.”

  “I’m a visual learner, remember?” Mark shot back with a grin.

  “Whatever you say, I was planning to go get food anyway. I’ve got a free hour before our next lecture.”

  With that, they joined the flow of students spilling into the hall, making their way through the crowded corridors to their favorite sandwich place.

  At this time of the day Rising Sandwiches, was fully packed, as a plethora of students shared similar routines. Anticipating the crowd, they ordered their sandwiches to go through the online ordering system, allowing for a smooth pickup.

  “Wanna go to the picnic tables next to the park as we used to.” Said Mark with a nostalgic smile.

  “Why not?” said Aria.

  They settled down at the picnic table, which was located next to the artery between two of the most transited buildings in the University, the Marcus Posting Food Center, filled with dining shops like the one where they went to pick up their sandwiches and the Kristen Library and Learning Commons building which acted as the main study spot for students. Both were named after old alumni who were pioneers in their respective fields.

  Aria took the first bite, as she was doing so, she found herself in a bit of a predicament due to Marks question.