239 Three Concepts of Magic

Lance walked past the thick, metallic sealed cabinets which were lined up against the right wall, to the large wooden desk at the front, just a few feet from the billboard. The class snapped to attention.

"I apologize for making the class wait," Lance began as he opened one of the cabinets via his bracelet. Notes flew out of the cabinet and attached themselves to the board in an orderly fashion. The bracelet flew back onto Lance's arm and the container clicked, locking itself. "As many of you may have noticed, we have a new recruit, Doevm, sorry I meant Cerlius. I didn't have time to fetch him a robe and fill him in like I have done with each of you because of external matters. Please excuse his appearance."

While the students' many over the shoulder glances at Cerlius now carried a hint of understanding, the previous scorn was still there. No explanation could distill the first impression: a man covered in filth, sweat, and dried blood, an outcast.