Mystic Arts Dual System

Chapter 5

Merlin sat in stunned silence. “So... this whole time... this was inside me?” he whispered. “A system? A... path?”

He looked at the scroll beside him again.

[To wield both Light and Dark is not to be cursed—it is to be complete.]

“Complete, huh? Then let’s see what that means.”

He opened the scroll again, this time intent not just to read, but to understand.

His fingers moved to mimic the first stance sketched beside a passage labeled Inner Pulse Differentiation.

Light channeled into his right palm; Darkness flickered in his left. He took a deep breath and began to practice.

The next morning, a cold wind scraped across the academy grounds as students assembled in the open dueling yard.

The sunlight angled through the silver-braided banners of the White Branch.

Merlin stood near the outer circle, clutching his robe tight.

His eyes were shadowed by a sleepless night, but his heart was steady. Because for the first time he had more chances of winning.

In combat sessions at Holy Light Academy, each duel was more than sport, it was a silent test of those with stronger abilities, talent, and favor.

But sometimes, it was also a setup. Professor Hargrave, as cold and unreadable as ever, walked to the center with a flick of his cloak.

A large wooden box floated beside him, suspended by a minor levitation charm.

“Today,” he said, his voice precise, “you will be assessed on your ability to operate in coordinated squads. This will be a three-on-three, light-only combat exercise.

No external equipment or support charms are permitted. Your evaluation will be based on teamwork, adaptability, and tactical execution.

Victory is achieved by disabling all opposing members or forcing a formal surrender.”

He gestured toward the box. “To ensure fairness, we will draw lots to determine match pairings.”

The class murmured in surprise. Merlin’s brow furrowed slightly, Hargrave didn’t normally bother with ‘fair.’

The Professor reached into the box and began drawing slips of parchment. “Match One: Group A versus Group F.” “Match Two: Group B...” He glanced up briefly. “Versus Group D.”

A few students gasped. Merlin’s stomach tightened.

“Group B: Merlin, Callie, and Ryn.”

A slight girl with auburn braids blinked in surprise. Callie. Merlin gave her a quiet nod.

The boy beside her, Ryn, looked terrified already. “Group D: Eldridge, Varun, and Maika.”

Hargrave's gaze swept the students, then stopped on Merlin.

The crowd broke into murmurs, Merlin narrowed his eyes to Eldridge.

Even now, he carried that smug smirk, spinning a light prism between his fingers.

Eldridge was a top student in class. He was blessed with refined lineage and Light Affinity Stage IV.

He never missed a chance to humiliate Merlin and Hargrave never stopped him.

Several other matches were announced before Merlin’s, but Hargrave gave them little attention. His focus…and his interest was fixed solely on Group B’s outcome.

As the students cleared the ring, Merlin leaned toward Callie and Ryn.

“Stick together. Don’t charge. We’ll bait Maika first—she's aggressive. Ryn, use Mirror Blink if they focus on you. Callie, keep Light Barrier prepped, not cast. They’ll expect you to use it early.”

They both blinked and Callie nodded. “Got it.”

Ryn gave a nervous thumbs-up. Across the field, Eldridge barely spoke to his own teammates.

Varun already looked bored. Maika grinned like she smelled blood.

Merlin watched Hargrave signal the start with a white flare from his staff.

"Round One: Begin.!" Maika launched like a comet, streaking across the arena with twin spears of Light.

Merlin sidestepped, grabbed Ryn by the collar, and yanked him back just before a blinding arc scorched the ground.

“Callie, now!” A sharp flash burst from her fingertips not a shield, but a disorienting light pop that blinded Maika for a split-second.

Merlin twisted behind her, palm extended. "Lightweave: Pulse Flare!"

Maika crashed hard, flipping across the sand. But Varun was already behind Callie.

She screamed as a blast of light hit her back. Merlin turned too late. Ryn fired a poorly aimed bolt. It fizzled. Eldridge casually stepped in and struck him with a blinding beam.

"Two down." Hargrave smirked, students murmured.

“Just as expected,” someone whispered. “Merlin’s cursed. He can’t hold a team.”

Merlin was alone, he crouched, breathing steady.

"System. Any options?"

[Veiled Hex: Incomplete hybrid technique available. Risk of exposure: Medium.]

He circled left, letting Eldridge’s trio fan out.

Eldridge raised his hand. “I’ll end this.”

Merlin smirked. “Come and try.” Merlin gathered Light in both palms. But in his mind, he shaped the pulse differently—a shell of Light cloaking a core of shadow.

He let Eldridge charge, just as he planned. He flipped backward, hurling the spell low.

Impact.

Eldridge stumbled as his foot had rooted itself to the ring, a binding tether of Light-threaded shadow.

The crowd gasped as even Hargrave stood up. “A new chain technique?” someone whispered.

“Never seen that before...” Merlin stood calmly, brushing dirt from his sleeve.

“I call it... Veiled Hex,” he said flatly.

[System Alert: Hybrid Technique Created: Shadowbind — Cast subtle crowd-control effects using Light shells.]

Hargrave stared, suspicious. But the crowd had already erupted.

“Wasn’t he supposed to be expelled?”

“That technique looks like something that takes months to learn. Did he cheat?”

Callie stood again, stunned, staring at Merlin like he was something entirely new.

"Class dismissed!" Hargrave dismissed them with a grunt. Merlin walked past Eldridge without a word.

Callie caught up, brushing dust from her arms.

“You knew that spell would work,” she said. Merlin shrugged. “I had to guess. I just hoped the Light shell would fool the wards.”

She gave a half-laugh. “You could’ve warned me you were that good. I wouldn’t have doubted you in the prep.”

He turned to her, grinning. “If I told you everything, it wouldn’t be fun watching your face right now.”

Callie had turned down half the year’s top Light mages. But now, she walked beside the Academy's "cursed boy," cheeks flushed, curiosity blooming.

Behind them, Eldridge watched, jaw tight. And the system whispered in Merlin’s thoughts:

[New Quest Thread Unlocked: The Second Veil. Optional Objective: Refine Shadowbind. Unlock crowd-control tier mastery.]