The library was silent, save for the occasional creak of old shelves settling under the weight of centuries' worth of knowledge. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, painting golden rectangles across the wooden tables—empty, as always.
Perfect.
I leaned back in my chair, fingers drumming against the cover of the book laid out before me: "The Fundamental Principles of Aura Resonance: A Comprehensive Guide."
Amusing, really.
I'd passed by this tome dozens of times before, dismissing it as another dry academic text. Now, it might as well have been a treasure map.
A sigh escaped me as I rubbed my temple.
The aftermath of yesterday's disaster had left the academy in chaos—classes suspended, faculty scrambling for answers, students whispering in hushed clusters.
Thankfully, Zephyr had kept his word. No one had come knocking on my door, demanding to know why a "background character" had been spotted hauling an unconscious princess through the courtyard.
Small mercies.
My gaze dropped back to the book, but my mind wandered—flashing through fragmented memories of the ball. The glittering lights, the forced dances, the sudden darkness. Then, the nightmare that followed: the Phantom Prison, the kidnappers, Aeron's cursed blade, Zephyr's icy efficiency in the heart of the illusion.
And me—barely keeping up, surviving only because of borrowed power and last-second rewards.
Pathetic.
The truth was simple: I was weak.
Without Virion's blessing, without the system's interventions, I'd have been a corpse before midnight. That realization settled in my gut like a stone.
Enough overthinking.
I flipped the book open, skimming the introduction.
"Aura, the lifeblood of all existence, flows through the world in unseen currents. Those who learn to resonate with it may harness its power, but mastery demands understanding its laws—"
My lips curled up.
Flowery prose, but the core was clear. This world's power system wasn't just about brute strength or flashy spells. Or maybe it was. Heck even Aura seemed similar to Mana one would see in many stories. Guess this world has its own original terms.
But most importantly, it had its own structure, rules and paths.
And I'd been stumbling through it blind.
A mistake I wouldn't repeat again.
I turned the page after page, eyes scanning the sections.
The book also explained about Resonance Paths. They weren't just training methods—they were a fundamental way of interacting with Aura. Like a musician choosing an instrument, the Path shaped how one channeled their power.
Some resonated with Aura through their bodies, others through their minds or the environment. The Path you walked determined your strengths, your limits, and even how your abilities manifested.
But the book was quick to warn: "A Path is not merely a choice, but a reflection of one's nature. To force oneself down an incompatible Path is to invite stagnation—or ruin."
And then, there were long established paths covering nearly all the paths:
[Warrior's Path (Physical Resonance)]
- Enhances strength, speed, durability.
- Aura flows through muscles and bones like liquid steel.
[Channeler's Path (Elemental Resonance)]
- Commands fire, water, earth, wind, lightning...
- Aura becomes a conduit for natural forces.
[Specialist's Path (Innate Resonance)]
- Unique, personal abilities.
- Aura bends to an individual's singular talent.
[Artificer's Path (Constructed Resonance)]
- Imbues objects with Aura.
- Aura becomes a craftsman's tool.
[Mystic's Path (Mental Resonance)]
- Sharpens perception, willpower, intuition.
- Aura refines the mind into a weapon.
The book admitted that these five were the most common and the standart, but definitely not the only possibilities.
A footnote hinted at rarer cases—individuals who walked multiple Paths simultaneously (Hybrid Resonators) or, in legends, those who forged entirely new Paths through sheer will or anomaly.
"Such cases are the stuff of ballads, not textbooks," the author wrote dismissively.
I smirked. Of course they were. Because in stories, the impossible was just a prelude to someone breaking the rules.
And those individuals were obviously the main characters.
Then...
What about me?
My fingers paused over the Mystic section.
Foresight, Observant Eye, Life Echo, Exorcist's Gaze—if I had to label my abilities, they'd likely fall here. But the book warned that true Mystics required years of meditation and mental discipline. I'd just… had these skills handed to me.
Cheat-like, but not without limits.
A bitter chuckle escaped me.
Even with the system, I couldn't afford to be careless. Yesterday proved that.
I'd known something might go wrong—balls in stories were always disaster magnets—but I'd done nothing to prepare. No contingency plans, no escape routes.
Stupid.
I exhaled sharply, forcing my focus back to the text.
But as I stared at the pages, the words blurred as my thoughts spiraled.
Am I even a Resonator?
The question gnawed at me.
I could use abilities that mirrored different Paths—Foresight like a Mystic, reflexes sharp enough to pass for a Warrior, even that brief moment with the windstaff where I'd almost felt like a Artificier.
But the book was clear: all of it required Aura.
And I… didn't feel anything.
No energy thrumming in my veins, no wellspring of power to draw from. Well, Virion's blessing doesn't count since it was external.
But if my abilities didn't require Aura, what did that make me? An anomaly? A glitch?
Which path was I supposed to take?
I rubbed my temples.
But like I thought earlier, the Mystic still seemed the closest fit.
Most of my powers aligned to this path. But...
What if the system gave me something else later? A Warrior's strength? A Channeler's flames? Or like the reward I got after completing the hidden objective?
Urgh...
My brain was overheating, and I forced myself to shut it down.
Speculating about hypothetical future powers was pointless.
Right now, I had what I had. And what I had was a set of skills that kept me alive—barely—and a system that seemed to reward survival with more tools.
Focus on the present. Learn from the past. Prepare for the future.
That was the only way forward.
I didn't need to fit neatly into a Path. I didn't need to understand how my abilities worked yet. I just needed to use them better.
And I already have my own path.
A background character's path.
Haha.