Professor Ayla

The air in the classroom is buzzing with tension, the quiet hum of whispered conversations serving as a mild undercurrent. The room is filled with a diverse mix of students, each more unique than the last. I glance around, my gaze lingering on each of them in turn. Royal siblings attempting to keep a smile while talking to the others, an arrogant noble, and a sword-obsessed loner. It's a strange collection of characters, but it's also what makes a story great, fuck that though I need to fix them.

Just as I'm about to lose myself in some thoughts, the door swings open once more. A moment of silence blankets the room, the only sound being the soft click of her heels against the tiled floor. In steps Professor Ayla, our homeroom teacher. Her sharp eyes sweep over the room, assessing every student individually, as if trying to gauge their potential with just a glance. She has a certain aura that commands respect, her firm posture accentuating her authoritative personality. How beautiful, Her hair, a stunning cascade of the purest white, mirrors the pristine beauty of untouched snow, effortlessly catching the light and transforming it into a luminous glow. Her striking features are softened by the captivating hue of her eyes - a mesmerizing concoction of cyan and baby blue. She truly is a perfect elf.

"Good morning, students," she says, her voice echoing in the hushed room. It's a simple greeting, yet it seems to hold so much weight, demanding our undivided attention. "I'm Professor Ayla, your homeroom teacher." I feel bad for her, she's going to struggle the most out of all the professors.

She pauses for a moment, letting her words sink in. Then she continues, her tone firm yet not unkind. "Over the next few weeks, I'll be assessing your individual capabilities, be it in magic or in physical combat. I am not responsible for teaching you, you choose your own classes, I will only view your progress. I hope you're ready to work hard and learn."

She finishes her introduction and then proceeds to instruct us. "Now, let's start with introductions. I'd like each of you to stand up, state your name, and briefly describe your magical abilities or skills. Remember, the details you provide can help me better tailor your education here. Who would like to go first?"

The room falls silent again, an uneasy quiet filled with anticipation. The students exchange uncertain glances, none of them willing to be the first to break the silence.

Princess Aira stands first, her posture regal and her voice confident. "I am Aira, the daughter of King Constantine and Queen Celeste, and the Princess of the Empire. I specialize in swordsmanship, and although I don't have any particular magical ability I have a high aura affinity."

Prince Liam follows, his demeanor calm and controlled. "I am Prince Liam, son of King Constantine and Queen Celeste. My strengths lie in strategic planning and I have a magic affinity." Haha, this guy has absolutely no affinity which is what makes him kill the princess, mmm he tries his best to keep it hidden but he'll be caught eventually.

"Um, I'm Rai," he begins, his voice full of pride. "I've got some affinity for lightning, though I'm still learning I can do some damage. I'm more confident with a sword in my hands." Rai sits back down, with a smile on his face. He truly thinks he's the main character, I can't blame him though. Controlling Lighting is rare and it's mostly nobles who are able to use it.

Next, Isadora, the sword-obsessed loner, stands up. "My name is Isadora," she states in a monotone. "My primary skill lies in swordsmanship and aura. Magic is secondary." Her introduction is short and to the point, reflecting her no-nonsense attitude.

Then, there's Isabella. "I am Isabella," she announces, her tone tinged with arrogance. "I have an affinity for both fire and ice magic." Her pride in her abilities is evident, and she sits down with a satisfied smirk.

When it's my turn, I rise from my seat. "I'm V," I begin. I decide to keep my introduction as nondescript as possible, to blend in. "I have an affinity for aura and a bit of magic, but I've yet to fully realize my potential."

Flora hesitates a little before standing up. "I-I'm Flora. I come from a commoner family...and my ability lies in plant magic." This girl needs to have more confidence.

Arin rises to his feet, his stance confident and assuring. "I'm Arin. My family runs a merchant business. I specialize in healing magic."

Kaida stands, her blue eyes piercing the silence of the room. "I'm Kaida, a commoner, and I can speak to spirits, I don't know if I can summon them though."

Oh no here she goes, I hope she doesn't make much of a scene, "My name's Biana," she drawled, her voice tinted with ennui. "I'm Oliver's twin, and our family is known for its potion business. But me? I'm basically useless." Serously this girl has no desire to be here, she continued nonchalantly. "I honestly think you should kick me out of this academy. I never wanted to be here. I was only forced by my mother, Duchess Rosalind."

The bold proclamation was met with stunned silence, which was then abruptly broken as Professor Ayla stood. Her aura of authority demanded attention, and every pair of eyes turned towards her as she made her way across the room to where Biana was lazily reclining.

"Biana," the professor began, her tone icy as she stared at the girl. "I've been informed by your mother, Duchess Rosalind, about your...reluctance to be here." She paused, leaning on the table to bring herself eye level with Biana. "It appears she went to great lengths to keep you enrolled."

Biana sighed heavily in response, looking as if she were about to argue back, but was stopped by Professor Ayla's raised hand.

"I wish," Ayla started, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice, "that you were as useless as you claim to be. It would make it so much easier to kick you out of this academy and rid ourselves of this annoyance." The room held its breath at the statement. Haha as expected of one of my favorite characters.

"Unfortunately," she continued, her gaze never wavering from Biana's eyes, "Despite your 'I don't care' attitude, you appear to have a knack for runes. You're smart, Biana, and that's why we can't just kick you out."

Biana, momentarily thrown off by Professor Ayla's words, quickly regained her nonchalant demeanor. She yawned wide, showcasing her disregard for the professor's statement.

"That's all a lie," she declared, brushing off Ayla's words like they were no more than a gnat. "Just some fabricated nonsense to make me sound more impressive than I actually am." Her voice had a dull edge to it, further emphasizing her boredom and disinterest.

Turning to the room, she scanned for her twin, Oliver, who was trying his best to blend in with the crowd and avoid Biana's attention. "Oliver," she called, "tell them."

Oliver, trapped by his twin's direct address, sighed deeply. He pushed up his glasses and stood, facing his sister with a resigned expression. Then, in a move that elicited a collective gasp from the students, he flipped her off. "Just shut up and accept we can't leave this place"

Oliver cleared his throat, drawing the room's attention to himself once again. He stood up, adjusting his glasses once more, a clear sign of his uneasiness.

"I'm Oliver," he started, his voice carrying a calm authority that seemed to contrast with his sister's carefree demeanor. He paused, sweeping his gaze over his classmates. "And... I'm Biana's twin."

Oliver smiled, the gesture tight with a hint of annoyance. His eyes then settled on Professor Ayla, who was watching him with a curious gaze.

"Professor Ayla," he continued, his voice dropping a few notes to indicate the seriousness of his words. "I apologize for my sister's... demeanor. She can be quite bothersome."

He heard Biana snort from her seat, but he ignored her, continuing his address. "I assure you, She will not cause problems as she'll be sleeping most of the time."

His words hung in the air for a moment before he concluded, "I'm sorry you have to deal with her, Professor. Truly." With that, Oliver retook his seat, ignoring the bemused look his sister was giving him.

I watched as Professor Ayla, having put up with enough of Biana's antics for one day, sighed and made her way back to the front of the room. From her pocket, she pulled out a handful of papers, tossing them into the air where they floated gently down to land on each of our desks.

"Alright, here's your first task," she began, leaning against her desk and crossing her arms. "Write down the classes you wish to take. A minimum of four, and choose carefully, for your choices will shape your journey here."

Without any further explanation, she sat down on her desk, summoning a holographic screen that she began to fiddle with, leaving us to our own devices.

As the rest of the class rose to discuss their options, I turned my attention to Biana already starting to fall asleep. Damn, how lazy can someone be?

"You really thought that would work?" I asked, suppressing a laugh. She was known for her unconventional approach, but this one had been particularly amusing to watch.

Biana yawned, not bothering to sit up as she began to doodle aimlessly on her paper. "Hmph. Worth a try, don't you think?" she retorted, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

I leaned back in my seat, the blank sheet of paper in front of me seeming more daunting than it should. Swordsmanship and Magic Theory were a given – the core classes every student had to take – but the other two? That was where it got tricky.

I glanced at Biana, who was already snoring softly, her choice of classes apparently not a matter of immediate concern. I couldn't help but smile slightly. Biana, despite her nonchalant attitude, will become an expert in Rune magic. Such a high IQ being wasted on this lazy kid.

After some consideration, I decided to take Introduction to Rune Craftsmanship. Despite the difficulty, runes can be used in almost any situation. At this point in time they are used for enhancements, however, in the future Biana will revolutionize them for combat.

I scribbled down the class on my sheet. As for the final choice, I decided on Cooking. Yes, I love it, I want to know how to cook the different ingredients you can find in this world.

I looked at my choices and sighed in confirmation. Swordsmanship, Magic Theory, Rune Craftsmanship, and Cooking. A broad spectrum of classes, each with its own challenges, opportunities, and important figures to meet. If I'm correct there should be a cultist in magic theory as well as rune craftsmanship.

Turning my attention back to Biana, I prodded her gently. "Hey, Biana," I nudged. "Wake up and choose your classes already. Otherwise, the Professor is going to choose for you."

I watched as Biana's eyes remained shut, but her brows furrowed even more. I picked up her blank sheet of paper, a smirk spreading across my face. "Alright, if you don't want to choose, I'll do it for you," I declared.

Biana didn't respond, so I kept going, indulging in a bit of playful teasing. "Let's see, what are the best classes for you...? Oh! I've got it!" I announced, tapping the tip of the pen on the paper for emphasis. "Swordsmanship! That'll really get you moving."

I pretended to jot down her 'choices', making sure to speak out loud so she could hear every word. "Oh, and let's add Martial Arts! We wouldn't want your bones to get all stiff from lying around all day, would we?"

Still, she didn't react. So, I decided to up the ante. "And finally, a class that will definitely keep you up...Advanced Combat Strategies at dawn!" I said with an exaggerated cheerfulness.

At that, Biana shot up, her eyes snapping open. Her sleepy facade dropped as she fixed me with a glare, but I only grinned back, holding up the untouched sheet of paper with a triumphant expression.

"Oh, did I wake you? Now pick your classes before the professor does,"

Biana sat up, running a hand through her unruly hair, she turned to me and asked incredulously, "What's next, V? Do you want to kill me while you're at it?" She grabbed the sheet from my hand, feigning a dramatic gasp as she looked at the blank page. "And here I thought you were chill compared to the others!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at her theatrics, shaking my head. "Compared to what Professor Ayla would've given you, I think I was being pretty nice, actually," I responded, smirking as she shot me a glare.

As Biana was about to finish filling in her form, I leaned over to take a peek, fully expecting her to have selected the easiest classes available. To my surprise, she had chosen some surprisingly tough ones. She had even chosen Rune Craftsmanship, the class that many avoided due to its complexity. Maybe I had underestimated her, but one choice was missing that I thought might benefit her – and me, for that matter.

"You should add Cooking to your list," I suggested casually, pointing at the blank space on her form. Biana looked up at me, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Cooking? Seriously?" she asked, incredulity coloring her tone. "I thought we were at a magic academy, not a culinary school."

I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. "Trust me, Biana. Cooking class has its own magic, you know," I replied, grinning. "Plus, it wouldn't hurt to know how to prepare a decent meal. It's a useful skill, magic or no magic. Also," I added, "you'll have an easier time with me around."

She rolled her eyes at me but, after a moment, wrote down 'Cooking' as her last choice.