Grand Selection (eBook)

Chapter 1

What Oliver Turner Lacks

Green was returning to the park. It had been a quiet couple months since the defeat of Corlarva the vampire. The damage done by the Hellfire Brats had been all but reversed. The people of St. Louis felt safer than they ever had, at least when it came to monster attacks.

The occasional monster incursion would be dealt with swiftly. The various mages of St. Louis were all on the same page, all working in tandem to keep the people safe. Those that reported on this band of children believed that nothing could come between them.

Spring break had arrived. There would be no more school for a whole week. For most teenagers, this was a time of partying, visiting family, and heading to ocean shores for a vacation. For Oliver Turner, it was the perfect chance to refine his skills.

The nephilim Nightwatch agent had manifested his corporis during the battle with Corlarva. With that invisible shield protecting his body, he was now able to fight harder and train longer without fretting over his physical health. Therefore, his focus was on making the most of that ability.

His top priority was mastering the transformed state all nephilim were to be wary of. The act of transforming killed most nephilim. Even stronger ones like him were only able to transform two or three times before perishing. His corporis negated that particular draw back. Now he could transform whenever he wanted for a limited amount of time. For if he exceeded that time limit—which was roughly a minute at this point—he would surely die.

He practiced boxing with Brittany Rembrandt, a schoolmate two years his senior. He had started martial arts with Basal Knight Amelia Petrochilos. All of his training was overseen by Donald “Dodger” Rogers, his best friend and fellow Agent of Nightwatch.

There was only one thing he was desperately missing. It was a core piece of the tria-ethos all mages must manifest to some extent before being officially recognized and licensed for active duty. Oliver had a powerful animus befitting of a caster. His corporis was strong but often unstable as was the case with all nephilim that had lasted this long. What he lacked was his sensus.

Dodger always found ways to incorporate sports into his training regime. Usually he preferred baseballs but the bouncier nature of tennis balls suited his needs more now than ever. So he and Oliver were off to the tennis court. Once there, they would do some warm ups and then put Oliver’s perception and reflexes through the ringer.

They were not the first to arrive that day. Arch Knight Eliza Alcius was also there, alongside her partner Amelia, for a friendly game of tennis. The lack of schoolwork and the infrequent monster attacks had given Eliza more freetime than she had had in over a year. She would have preferred going to an orchestra concert or simply staying home and reading. Amelia was much more passionate about sports and had convinced her partner to indulge her hobby.

Oliver couldn’t help but stop and admire the two. Oliver believed them both to be undeniably beautiful. When he first met Eliza, he had thought she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. Those feelings only grew stronger with each passing day. The stronger they grew, the more he saw how much she stood out in any crowd. She was only a little shorter than him, with ivory skin, platinum-blonde hair and sapphire eyes. Her frame was thin but in her short skirt, her hips were accentuated.

Amelia, in contrast, was muscular and nearly as tall as Dodger. Her natural brown hair had been dyed red which complimented her emerald eyes and tanned skin nicely. They were both wearing similar clothes: a polo shirt, short skirt, sneakers and a visor with their long hair pulled into ponytails. The only difference was the color. Eliza was wearing white whereas Amelia was wearing red.

Oliver stopped to observe the game. Amelia tossed the ball up to serve it. Her arms flexed as she slammed the ball with enough speed to create a wind current. Eliza’s eyes glowed as she dashed to the side and returned the serve. The two girls were not only in incredible shape, they were also mages and using the physique that came with a developed corporis to heighten the game.

After thirty seconds of rapid-fire back and forth, Amelia sliced at the ball. The stroke caused immense backspin that forced Eliza to dive in order to scoop it back over the net. Amelia’s sensus proved the better as she appeared right where the ball was and spiked it past Eliza.

“Fifteen-Love.” Amelia smirked.

“Damn it all.” Eliza picked herself up and brushed the scuff marks off her skirt.

“You did a lot better than last game.” Amelia said.

“I don’t even like this sport.” The smaller girl pouted and stomped her feet. “How did I let you convince me to come here?”

“You have to stay in shape, boss. Those fifteen minute aerobic exercises aren’t going to cut it forever. Besides, I’m having fun and so are the people watching us.”

It was at that moment that Oliver realized he had been staring. Even more embarrassingly, Dodger had noticed him staring and left him behind to juggle off in the corner. It caused the young boy to become flush as Eliza shot him a cold, inquisitive glare.

“You uh…you’re both way better than me.” Oliver broke the ice.

“No surprise there.” Eliza said. “If you want to improve, then I suggest watching Amelia.” She usually didn’t care enough to mind his gawking but she also wanted him to behave in a more gentlemanly fashion.

“Oh uh…it’s just I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a skirt like that.”

“Well…” Eliza blushed and fiddled around with the garment’s edges. “I quite fancy pretty things. Is that so weird?”

“Oliver still needs his sensus,” said Dodger, “as well as some sense. So I’ll be smacking balls at his face for the rest of the afternoon. Feel free to join in. I’m sure he won’t mind so long as it’s you, Princess.”

“Tempting but no thanks.” Eliza said. “He’s only my responsibility when his life is in danger.” The way she said it almost sounded maternal. Oliver replayed that quote and its inflection over and over again as he trained.

It was obvious to Dodger that the failed flirt attempt was distracting him. He rocketed balls past his nose and sent a few bouncing up into it. The balls circled around and buzzed across his face. The nephilim heeded Dodger’s advice. He tried extending his mana into a field that could track the balls he couldn’t see. None of it worked, and each volley stung like a punch.

An hour later, Oliver was thoroughly exhausted. He collapsed on the ground and looked over to his friends. Amelia was also at her limit but Eliza had a little more mana in the tank. Oliver’s corporis had been damaged by Dodger’s relentless assault and his body was beginning to feel sore. During his reprieve, he once again stared at Eliza in admiration as she squirted water from a bottle down her throat.

She caught him staring again. The half-heartedness of it all caused her to curse under her breath. His eyes darted away only to be drawn back by approaching footsteps. The insecurity of the action was more irritating than the action itself. Eliza was towering over him. He was once again in her shadow, trying to comprehend his own admiration. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in anything she did. It was no mystery why he was always watching her.

“You need to stay hydrated.” She said as she passed him the bottle. He squirted the water into his mouth like she had and felt his body rejuvenate and all the soreness wash away.

“What’s in this?” Oliver asked.

“Water. Just plain water. I’m sure you know this but everything is mana and mana is everything. It’s all protons, neutrons and electrons each stored with boundless potential.” She snatched the water bottle back from him and had another shot.

“I never really thought of it that way.”

“Are you serious? Dodger!” The man in question was playing a solo game against the wall. “Haven’t you taught him anything?”

“Just because I teach him doesn’t mean he listens or remembers.” Dodger said between grunts. “He’s a good student but his mind tends to wander. It’s pretty common. Any idea how many people I see claim they didn’t learn something in school when I know for a fact they did.”

“Never took you for an astute student.” Eliza crossed her arms. “Guess you’re not hopeless after all.”

“Hey,” he snatched the ball out of the air and turned towards the knight, “between the two of us, which one aced the recent book report assignment?”

Eliza’s face became flush. She decided to drop that conversation and teach Oliver a little bit herself. Maybe, she thought, he would be more eager to listen to her then someone like Dodger. She was correct but not for the reasons she thought.

“Only a mage can utilize the extent of mana’s potential.” She explained. “You wouldn’t notice unless you’re really thinking about it. Your body naturally converted the mana stored in the water into energy for yourself. That’s why a good diet is important. Eat lots of fruit, dairy and meat.” She took her racket in hand and directed it under his chin so that he could no longer look at her feet. “And keep your chin up. That pathetic look irritates me.”

She parted ways with the boys so that she could go back home and take a...