Kairo followed after Fabian to a more private part of the building. Although the star test was done in the main gymnasium, the rewards were private for obvious reasons. To avoid eliciting jealousy or other negative emotions, the only person aware of the rewards of the star exam was always the candidate and the examiner.
Within the study-like hall, Kairo noticed a good number of boxes perfectly lined into cases on a shelf. The boxes gave him a very bizarre feeling—a déjà vu. Although they were not golden like the other one, they were very familiar.
"I think this was one of the boxes where the surgeon kept Promised Result," Kairo said. Moving closer, Kairo was about to touch one of the boxes when Fabian stepped in.
"Careful, Kairo. These are not toys to be played with," Fabian said.
"You are aware that cards constantly drain our aura the moment they get in contact with us. To remedy that, we have card launchers like the one on your wrist for practical combat and as some sort of holder. Unfortunately, the material doesn't completely seal that effect—it just reduces it to something insignificant," Fabian started explaining.
Kairo already knew this, wondering where Fabian was getting to. The card launchers were quite limited—just three cards per mage when on mission. More than that, the card launcher would not be able to contain the draining effect. Cards without the launcher consume aura at the rate of 10% every second, whereas when in the launcher, it was reduced to nearly zero.
"That doesn't mean card mages have no more than three cards. Excluding auxiliary cards we can carry without that problem, we keep the rest of our arsenal in this box. And from it, we prepare our card launcher with the cards we would use for the mission. You will now receive your own, plus an additional thing," Fabian picked up a specific box and handed it to Kairo.
The box felt slightly heavy in Kairo's hands, made of some sort of strange metal. It was like crystal but not transparent, giving off a very familiar vibe. It will be within this tiny thing that I will keep all the cards of my deck, Kairo smiled. One of the reasons why he joined the Card Mage Police was to figure out more about card magic. And he was on the right path for it.
" For now it can't hold a lot of cards but once you reach three Stars and above you will get a better version of it" Fabian added
"You spoke of a last reward—what exactly is it?" Kairo was curious.
"Yeah, here. Your star. You will receive it later with a new uniform. The old one didn't end in a good state after the cathedral. The final piece of the rewards is this," Fabian took out a holder from another box.
When Kairo saw the empty card, his heart skipped a beat. This was the famous holder from the awakening ceremony. Oh my god, didn't think I would get a new one this soon, Kairo was exhilarated.
"The test wasn't very fair on you after all—what you accomplished with the race against the Surgeon. It was unnecessary, but certain things cannot be avoided at last. This is a little reward from the boss to remind you no one forgets what you do. You can awaken it now if you wish," Fabian said, visibly eager to find out what Kairo would awaken.
There existed two main types of cards: the cards that were innately awakened through these special holders, called awakened cards, and the auxiliary cards. The difference lay in the fact that auxiliary cards were not bound to any particular mage's aura and could be used by anyone. However, they were rarer and very few were actually useful.
"Where exactly does this holder come from? There exists no other place in the world than the Card Mage Police if one wants to get their hands on it," Kairo asked curiously.
But Fabian kept up a dismissive smile.
"Don't ask too many questions, Kairo, and awaken the card."
Kairo was too eager to find out to notice Fabian's strange expression.
Taking a deep breath, he took the card into his fingers and allowed his aura to be absorbed into it. At the awakening ceremony, there was a need for a special machine to start the awakening, but after the first one, it was unnecessary—one could do it on their own.
Kairo's aura was siphoned into the card. It was like an endless pit, devouring wave after wave of his aura. It is much more aggressive than the first time, Kairo had a frown. Still, he didn't throw away the card and kept it in his fingers.
"This is not normal. Why doesn't it stop?" Kairo asked, alarmed. His head was getting dizzy, and his vision blurry. Yet he managed to stay standing.
"A little longer, Kairo, it's almost done. It's not uncommon for very special cards to take longer to awaken," Fabian reassured.
Just as Kairo was about to give in to fatigue, the card stopped siphoning his aura. And under their astonished gaze, it changed. It was like the card was coming to life, drawings appearing on it with almost divine precision. A few seconds later, the card was totally drawn.
It was some sort of chaotic storm, with waves after waves of wind floating in a circle. On the card, at the lower bottom, was its name and description. "Wind Breaker," Kairo murmured.
[Can increase the rotation of everything you touch by wrapping them in fortified winds.]
After reading through the description, Kairo was eager to give it a try. In his mind, he already had quite a few ideas on how to put it to use. "I can't wait to give this a try," he said.
"We are in a gymnasium. If you wish, we can find a place to test it. That's always the first thing Card Mage users do—to start understanding their card and its inner mechanics. It wouldn't be smart to delay it. Follow me, Kairo," Fabian said.
Outside of the hall, Kairo and Fabian found a quiet place in the gymnasium. Unlike the previous crowded area, this place was comparatively smaller and quieter, almost giving off the feeling of being abandoned.
"This was the place where Four-Star Officers used to train, but in recent years, there are fewer and fewer at the headquarters, so it has become quite empty here," Fabian explained, as if remembering the old days.
Kairo didn't probe further and took out Wind Breaker. According to its description, just touching an object was enough to enhance its speed and rotation. Pretty easy to use, he thought.
All over the training gym were a few sports gadgets used for body training and more. Among them were some balls packed in a corner. Although Kairo had no idea of their use, he decided they would be his first guinea pigs.
Kairo focused his energy on the card and called forth its name. "Wind Breaker," he said, touching one of the balls. The circuitry of the void flickered to life, but unlike the other time, its patterns were more chaotic and almost unreadable, generating winds so powerful Kairo felt like he was in a storm.
The ball floated in the air and shot outward, moving so fast that only the impact could be heard when the ball made a huge hole in the wall. The fissure spread widely in a circle, almost covering the entire wall.
"Impressive burst power. Exactly what they'll need for the next mission," Fabian said with a smile.
Kairo lifted his head, about to ask what this mission was that awaited him when something peculiar happened.
The card in his hand was summoned to life once more. What the hell? he barely uttered when a terrifying entity burst out of his body. It was like it was being detached from his soul.
A massive floating specter wearing tattered armor, taller than any of the summons Kairo had ever seen. Using its two hands, it waved its massive butcher-like sword, going straight for Fabian's head. Everything went so fast that Kairo had no time to warn Fabian.
Fabian was a spy—it wasn't easy to catch him off guard. He ducked down effortlessly, evading the wide and almost crude strike.
The sword etched into the wall, carving a deep scar into it. After launching its attack, the soul vanished, and Kairo resumed control of his body, his breathing somewhat heavy.
"What the hell was that?" he asked, confused.
Fabian's expression was nothing like the relaxed one it had been moments ago. With a deep sigh, he said, "I told you this card was special, Kairo. It is one of the rare double-faced cards," Fabian explained.