Extra's Ascent

"Water Art! Water Splash!"

Like a pressurized hose, a torrent surged from her palm, drenching his face with a sudden force that jolted him from unconsciousness. The cold sting of the liquid yanked him back to reality, instincts flaring as he sprang upright, fists clenched and eyes scanning for threats.

"Relax," Selina said sharply. "There's no one attacking you... for now."

Her voice was devoid of any warmth. Not even a hint of amusement lingered on her face. If anything, she looked furious, unapologetically so.

And rightfully so.

The bitter taste of defeat still clung to her tongue. Being bested by an A-rank student, a title she once looked down upon wasn't a memory she welcomed. It burned, each recollection stoking the fire of her frustration. The humiliation, the disbelief, the shock... it all simmered beneath her composed exterior.

"What... what just happened?" Aydin muttered, blinking rapidly. "I—I died? Aldrich... he killed me!"

He hastily examined his torso, expecting to find a gruesome cavity, a gaping wound where Aldrich had plunged his hand into his chest. But there was nothing. No blood, no puncture, just the steady rhythm of a heart that hadn't been stopped.

"You weren't killed," Selina replied, arms crossed. "At least, not in the literal sense."

Her words offered little comfort.

Aydin's expression twisted, caught between confusion and dread. He could still feel it, the crushing blow, the pain, the terrifying moment his body was hurled off the podium. It had been too vivid, too real to be a dream. His mind echoed with the memory of Aldrich's cold eyes, his fist buried deep in flesh. And yet, here he stood, unharmed.

"Then what was that?" he whispered, eyes wide with disbelief. "I saw it. I felt it. Aldrich... he tore through me like I was paper. It wasn't fake. It couldn't have been."

Selina's gaze softened, if only slightly. His trembling voice, the haunted look in his eyes, it was a clear sign of someone grappling with trauma they couldn't explain.

"It was an illusion," she said gently. "You fell victim to Aldrich Aldaman's illusory technique."

His mind reeled.

Aldrich, an illusion caster?

It made too much sense now.

"The ability stems from his Clover Eyes," Selina continued, voice dipping into a more informative tone. "A rare trait revered, feared. The eyes grant power over the mind, the capacity to bend perception, twist reality. The more clovers, the more potent the illusion. And Aldrich, he has two."

She paused, letting that fact settle in.

Two clovers.

Aydin could barely comprehend what that meant. If even one clover was said to unlock dangerous illusionary powers, what of two? What kind of mental labyrinth had he fallen into?

"You're not the first to be deceived," she added. "And you won't be the last."

Illusions were cruel. They didn't just deceive the senses, they carved themselves into memory, masquerading as truth. They thrived on vulnerability, exploiting even the smallest crack in one's mental defences.

The effectiveness of such techniques depended on two key factors: the strength of the caster... and the mental resilience of the target.

Selina's gaze shifted subtly, her sharp eyes observing Aydin's posture, the quiver in his hands, the faint tremble in his voice. Yet despite everything, he wasn't crumbling. He stood, shaken but not broken.

That spoke volumes.

He had endured it. He had survived the illusion with his sanity intact. And that, if anything, revealed his underlying fortitude.

He was strong.

Maybe not invincible, but stronger than most.

"You recovered fast," she finally remarked. "That says something. Even if you fell under his spell, you clawed your way out. That's not easy."

Aydin didn't respond immediately. He still looked dazed, as though grasping for certainty in a sea of confusion.

Then Selina asked, her tone abruptly shifting.

"Hey... how about we team up?"

The proposition hung in the air like a challenge.

It took her a moment to arrive at that conclusion. But it was inevitable. The truth was clear, neither of them, alone, had what it took to bring Aldrich Aldaman down. It wasn't weakness; it was reality.

A sobering one.

Selina Von Degure was no ordinary mystic. She was cunning, tactically sharp, and the daughter of a billionaire family. She'd spent time studying Aldrich, hoping to expose his weaknesses and bring him down a notch or ten. She knew his skills with the bow, his mysterious mastery over mystic arts. She had prepared. She had anticipated.

But she hadn't been ready.

Not for this.

The exam had opened her eyes. The diversity of abilities she'd encountered, the sheer unpredictability had shattered her assumptions. Take Valeria's phasing Art, for instance. Who would've imagined a mystic capable of letting attacks pass right through her? If not for this tournament, Selina never would've known such a technique existed.

And that was precisely why the exam officials had chosen this format, to broaden horizons, to mix ranks and classes, to challenge perspectives.

In a twisted way, it worked.

Her defeat taught her humility. And from that, she forged a new strategy.

"I'll admit it," Selina said, her tone low. "I underestimated him. I thought I could handle Aldrich alone. But I was wrong."

She faced him directly now, her expression hard but sincere.

"And so were you."

Aydin met her eyes, reluctant at first, but understanding beginning to bloom. She wasn't mocking him, she was presenting the truth. They'd both been forced to face a harsh lesson: Aldrich Aldaman was in a league of his own.

But together?

There was a chance.

Their goals aligned, hers born of vengeance, his from the need to prove himself. Different motives, same target. And from that, a partnership could be forged.

"You think teaming up would make a difference?" Aydin asked, still cautious.

"It might," Selina said. "Your understanding of mystics, combined with my strategy and resources... we could corner him, force him into a position he can't illusion his way out of."

A brief silence passed. Then Selina extended her hand toward him.

"No pride, no ego. Just the truth. Are you willing to admit that alone, you can't win?"

Aydin stared at her hand, contemplating the implications of being true to himself? He had no way to triumph over Aldrich Aldaman as a lone wolf...