258 Class
Kael sits across from Ayla, perplexed as he examines a large bottle of wine with an extravagantly long elven name. 'The hell is this?' he thinks, scrutinizing the label, 'Lómelindi Súrion. What the fuck is this abomination? 87% alcohol...' He's barely concealed his disgust when Ayla interrupts, "Hey, are you listening?" She rubs her temples, exhausted, "You... I don't even want to know why you did it but now everyone in the academy has heard of you. And they keep bothering me, asking questions nonstop." She snatches the bottle from Kael and starts drinking directly from it, retreating back onto her couch.
Kael, unfazed by Ayla's critique, leans back casually. "You elves won't let any other race know about this, so I'm not worried. I'm currently working on something," he remarks with a nonchalant air. Standing up, he heads towards the door, "Call your friend over since I promised to help you." Before exiting, he adds, "You should prepare. I'm sure your father will come to visit you soon." Ayla merely exhales in response, "Ugh... that old man."
With a quiet click of the door, Kael leaves, his thoughts preoccupied, 'Today is the first day of classes. I'm not worried, but the others will certainly have it difficult.' He reenters his dorm to find Lysandra yawning on the couch. "You good now?" he inquires, receiving a nod. "Yeah, I still feel terrible, but it's not as bad as yesterday," she responds, rising to follow him out. Kael rubs his chin, "You're not going to shoot icicles and explosions at people, right?" Lysandra, leaning on his shoulder, teases, "I don't know, I might do it." Kael internally winces, 'Fuck, my shoulder hurts...'
The day begins with Kael breaking into Biana's dorm, dragging her out as she sleepwalks, mumbling, "W...why are you doing this to me..." Kael scans the surroundings, 'Now where is Isadora, I doubt she's in her dorm,' his thoughts interrupted as Isadora, hanging upside down from above, drops down in front of him. Kael sighs, a mixture of annoyance and resignation, 'I couldn't sense her...'
-
As they walk through the hallways, the atmosphere thickens with whispers and stares. Kael sighs internally, 'This is annoying. We're not elves, so I understand why they're looking, but seriously...' He catches the eyes of some elves who wave at him, their whispers weaving through the air. "Hey, did you hear he's the one," one elf murmurs, curiosity lacing their tone. Another, skeptical, questions, "Huh? Why are you waving to a disgusting human?" The questioning elf receives glaring looks as a third retorts, "Disgusting? He's the one who beat our sweet Lúthien in a sacred duel and gained her respect."
The whispers grow, carrying tales and assumptions, "That's right, how can you call that special human disgusting? And you know they might even be..." The speculation is cut short, "What? No way, that would never happen," yet another contradicts, hinting at deeper implications, "She took him to her personal training ground, do you think they..." Their voices trail off, faces flushing red with the scandalous possibilities, while another adds fuel to the fire, "I saw her holding his hand as when she excitedly led him there."
Kael, unable to ignore the rampant rumors, grits his teeth and massages his temples, 'Morons, I can hear you. Dammit, this is why I didn't want her holding my hand. Elves are romance freaks.' Lysandra, catching every whispered word, looks at Kael, her expression a mix of disbelief and amusement. She then adopts a calculating gaze, teasing him with the drama unfolding around them, "There's no way you... you're too ugly for that woman."
Kael exhales deeply, trying to dispel the growing rumors and Lysandra's teasing, "You're right, they're just exaggerating things. All I did was train with her." His attempt to maintain a sense of normalcy does little to quell the speculative whispers.
-
Kael stands in front of the classroom door, his gaze stern as he addresses Biana and Lysandra, "Okay, don't talk, and don't disrespect anyone, or I won't feed you, got it?" His warning is clear, aimed more at maintaining decorum than actual threat. Lysandra rolls her eyes dismissively, "I don't do that anymore."
As Kael pushes the door open, every pair of eyes in the room turns towards them, the sudden attention palpable. The professor, a figure of elven elegance with long straight green and white hair and enigmatic cloudy grey eyes, surveys them with a composed, albeit firm, demeanor. Despite his youthful appearance, the ageless nature of elves makes his true age a mystery. "Welcome, young humans," he greets with an air of detached politeness, his arms clasped behind his back as he approaches.
Kael, adopting a respectful tone, introduces their group, "Thank you for allowing us to learn in this great academy. I go by V, and these are Biana, Isadora, and Lysandra," he says, gesturing towards each companion. The professor nods, introducing himself as "I am Professor Elarion. Please take a seat."
Surveying the room, Kael notes the seating situation: a solitary empty seat at the center of the class and three others relegated to the back, distancing them from their peers. The glacial stares directed at Lysandra, Biana, and Isadora from the other students are unmistakable, 'Ah... I should've known this would happen.' Without hesitation, Biana, Lysandra, and Isadora head towards the isolation of the back row. Kael watches their retreat, 'What a bunch of traitors.'
Resigned, he makes his way to the remaining central seat, the young elves' eyes tracking him with a blend of curiosity and veiled judgment. 'Keep it together, Kael, you did this to yourself,' he mentally braces himself, sitting down between two elven girls. 'No, please don't tell me...' he laments internally as the reality of his situation sinks in.
The girl to one side, with white hair and piercing blue eyes, leans in, her voice a low murmur, "Hey, my name is Celariel. Nice to meet you, V. But um..." She hesitates, the underlying curiosity clear in her eyes, "You and Lúthien... I never thought our sweetheart would be with a human." The other, her hair a dark cascade of purple offset by striking green eyes, chimes in, "That's right, we need to know when you two are planning to announce your relationship."
Kael sighs internally, 'How do I clear this misunderstanding?' he wonders, trying to find an escape from the escalating rumors. His contemplation is cut short as the elf in front of him, featuring striking grey hair and pink eyes, turns around. "Hey, you two need to stop. You're clearly making V uncomfortable," she scolds the other girls, providing Kael a momentary glimmer of hope, 'At least there's someone norma—' His relief, however, is short-lived as she continues, "I mean, they just got together. Obviously, they wouldn't announce it right away," she states, nodding to herself as if she's unraveled a great mystery.
'Nevermind... Wait, I know,' Kael thinks, seizing the moment to correct their misconceptions. "I think there's a misunderstanding. How can I be with someone like her when it's considered taboo for elves to date humans?" The mention of taboo sends a ripple of shock through the group, their faces flushing with a mix of excitement and scandal. Celariel, caught in the moment, whispers dreamily, "That's right, forbidden love, ah~ how sad~ Don't worry, I support you two, love shouldn't be forbidden." The others fall into their own romantic daydreams, each crafting their own version of his non-existent love story.
Kael rubs his head in exasperation, 'They're a lost cause.' But before he can attempt another clarification, a soothing voice interjects, "Leave him alone. Don't you know that interfering may cause a breakup?" Ardalo, the instigator, unintentionally (or perhaps intentionally) worsens the situation. 'Dammit, Ardalo, why are you making it worse? You know damn well there's no love,' Kael protests silently, the frustration evident in his clenched fists.
The girls, taking Ardalo's words as gospel, nod in sudden realization, "Oh my goodness, you're right." They back off, leaving Kael to simmer in the unintended consequences of Ardalo's intervention.
The professor, oblivious to the undercurrents of student drama, taps his desk to signal the start of class. "Class is now in session," he announces, restoring order to the room as everyone's attention snaps forward. He begins the lecture, "You are progressing smoothly. Although your magic needs refinement, you understand the basics."
Professor Elarion's calm gaze sweeps over Kael, Isadora, Lysandra, and Biana. "Before we start our next lesson, I need to know how much the newcomers understand," he declares, his voice steady and commanding.
His eyes rest on Isadora momentarily, noting silently, 'An aura user.' His attention then drifts to Biana, who, to his mild annoyance, is snoring quietly at the back of the class. 'Weak body, low mana, no aura. Hmm... The daughter of that one human. She's most likely an alchemist,' he surmises with a hint of curiosity.
Lysandra catches his gaze next, prompting an internal pause, 'What is this... I can't look into her. She has a strong build, either a magic swordsman or an aura user.' The professor's intrigue deepens as he turns his scrutiny to Kael, 'What an interesting human. For his age, he has both mana and aura. He seems to be gifted with both. I heard he used martial arts. I wonder where he stands.' His scan of the students is swift, yet thorough, leaving no stone unturned in his assessment.
"As you know, magic is both creativity and mathematics," Elarion begins, launching into the day's lesson with a clear, authoritative voice. "Magic circles have three distinctive parts. First, visualization. A caster must visualize how their magic circle will look like. You can't simply make a random one; the visualization of the magic circle determines the path mana needs to take."
With practiced ease, he conjures a magic circle before the class, illustrating his point. "As you know, casting a magic circle is faster than chanting an incantation. But they have the same source. Incantations require you to speak the language of a demon, spirit, or possibly a mythical creature. The most popular method involves using languages gods and goddesses have given to lower lifeforms."
He continues, his tone infused with the weight of his expertise, "When casting a magic circle, one must follow the same principles, but instead of speaking, you write it within your magic circle. Everything has an order, and one must follow the order."
Professor Elarion turns his attention to Kael, addressing the cultural differences in their magical approaches. "You humans visualize with shapes that represent the natural laws the gods have written." Demonstrating his point, he casts two distinct magic circles; though different in design, both produce a fireball. "We don't use that method; it's risky and dangerous for those with low control. We use the language the spirit King bestowed upon us hundreds of thousands of years ago." His magic circle, unlike the geometric shapes typical of human magic, features natural elements, showcasing a small plant engulfed in flames.
Kael observes the demonstration with a critical eye, acknowledging the difference but also recognizing the underlying principles. 'I know how it works, but before I try it out, I want to enter the library. They have some neat secrets hidden in there.'
Professor Elarion continues, delving deeper into the philosophy and mechanics of magic. "Visualization is something that even to this day is improved upon slowly. It's unknown how much we can achieve; it's a study that can't be rushed." He shifts the topic to intent, a crucial element in spellcasting, "Intent is needed when casting magic. If you want to burn something, you need to have the desire, the Intent to do it. The more control you have over your own intentions, the more potent your magic will be, and the same can be said vice versa."
To illustrate his point, he casts a fireball and gently tosses it at a nearby plant; the fire engulfs it, yet the plant remains untouched, the flames dissipating without causing harm. "However, this is not simple; only high-ranked mages are capable of controlling their intentions. It's not something you can learn in one night. There are extremely rare exceptions of individuals who are born with the capability to cast magic without intent. The last known one appeared 3 thousand years ago."
