Orientation

"Finally." I sighed once the door sealed shut behind me. Then took a moment to take in a deep breath and quell my excitement.

My dorm was what one would expect. A studio apartment with an en suite. Albeit a larger one than one would expect. A full-sized bed sat in the corner under some shelves and next to a nightstand. Across from that was a small desk while the rest of the space was filled with the obligatory bookshelves, wardrobe, and trunk.

With my bearings settled, I strode towards the desk and sat to skim over the documents before taking the dilated time to read them through them with my Eternal Eye.

The first was an explanation of the timetable and a summary of how our courses would go. Essentially, the year would consist of one month of vacation at the end of the year and twelve months of study in between now and then. Broken up into four, three-month quarters.

The first quarter would consist of an introductory course to magic, combat, history, and a thorough analysis of the other realms. In the second quarter, we'd begin practical training in magic and martial combat and learn of magical flora and fauna. As I understood it, a tournament would be held after that as a mid-year celebration. And then we'd move on to practical combat exercises, receive an introductory course in magical ores and materials, and go through an introductory crafting course that would continue on into the last quarter. Along with the healing course.

The weekly schedule was based on the usual ten-day week. With three courses in an A-B-C-A-B-C fashion. The seventh and eighth days would be spent on 'venture time.' Where we'd explore the tropical expanse surrounding the great Bodhi Tree with either a staff member or our to-be-determined parties. Leaving the ninth day for duels and the tenth day off.

Calculated and distributed by the enchantments in our clothes, the points we would receive during our time here would be distributed primarily on an individual basis in accordance with our performance. However, they would also be granted or taken away based on the actions of the entire class as well.

The points themselves were like the school's currency. They allowed us to get better food in the cafeteria, access different areas of the library, or purchase goods from the campus market. Each student was given a hundred points to start with, and it was calculated automatically through an enchantment in our uniforms.

The last and most extensive section of the pamphlet regarded the rules. In short, there were many things we were allowed to do, and only a few things we weren't allowed to do.

It made a point to only mention restricted areas in passing. According to it, the tree would limit our area of accessibility on its own. Besides that, there was a bold warning against fighting, bullying, or fucking. Complete with a slew of repercussions for anyone who tried.

Other than that, we were free to do what we wanted. We were still free to pursue relationships and could access the gym, cafeteria, and other areas at all times of the day and night. Most delightfully to me, however, was the fact that we could smoke. Only not inside and not during class.

With that taken care of, the first paper in my stack was cast aside and I moved on to the next one. Which was a hilariously vague description of all the races present within our class.

After skimming through the contents, I decided that was a good time to bed down for the night. So I hopped onto my bed for a quick round of meditation.

***

After waking, I decided against going to get some food in favor of reading through the rest of the material. Which wound up being a pamphlet for each Class we could pick at the end of the year. Because of that, I actually took the time to read each of them and gather as much information as possible.

In all, there were Artificers, Barbarians, Bards, Clerics, Druids, Fighters, Monks, Paladins, Rangers, Rogues, Sorcerers, Witches, Wizards, and Warlock. And each of them had a slew of subclasses that were, in most cases, dependent on what species an individual was and the magical affinities they had.

Much to my dismay, however, nine o'clock came around just before I finished reading through the last pamphlet. So I stepped out into the common area to sit in an unclaimed chair and compare my classmates to what I read the night before.

In addition to me, the Epethian prince and Peter, there were six other humans; or at least entities that resembled humans. In addition to that, there was only the dwarf that resembled anything near a human.

The two stone men were a part of a race from beyond the White Wall called Goliaths. Whether they were truly made from stone was up for debate, but they appeared like gargoyles, only formed like 2.5-meter tall men dressed in furs and leathers. The cat-like creature was part of a race called Tabaxi, also from Betrarth. They were a bit shorter than the goliaths, at just over two meters. With large, yellow cat-like eyes, tails, and large paw-like hands. The feathered one I spotted the day before was an Aarakocra. A race of bird folk that was reported to be everywhere on the Mortal Plane. While they were said to take on the qualities of a number of avian species, this particular one had a gray and white plume reminiscent of a harpy eagle.

The last of them was the dragonborne I spotted before. He was a bit shorter than the Tabaxi and the Aarakocra and covered from head-to-toe in vibrant red scales. Evidently, they evolved directly from dragons and inherited some of their traits, including their infamous breath attack.

But, like many other things, that knowledge only posed more questions.

Particularly one.

'Do they lay eggs?'

I could do nothing more than compartmentalize the information once two loud thrums echoed from the door. Announcing Doyle's presence before he stepped down the stairs and greeted us with a jerk of his thumb out the door.

With that, the fifteen of us followed him across the courtyard and into an ambiguous corridor. Where we turned right and followed the roots towards the trunk.

Along the way, he gestured to the doors and staircases placed sparsely along the walls and mentioned they were study rooms or gyms reserved for our party so individuals or teams could train or study in peace. At the cost of points, of course.

Continuing through the hall led us to the roundabout we were led to yesterday. It encircled the trunk like a ring, acting as a central hub for us first-year students. It was from this hub that school was divided. Here, on the southern, innermost side of the ring, sat the library, gym, arena, and amphitheater. The outer wall contained the swimming halls, cafeteria, and accesses to each of the three dorms and their accompanying amenities.

On the other hand, the northern half of the roots were reserved for the classrooms. In which there were five sections. Furthest to the right was Olga's classroom, and next to hers was Zeff's. Across the way, next to his, was a place Doyle described only as 'the Workshops,' which were placed to the far left. And between them all, was the entrance to the Wilds. The Jurassic jungle we'd explore during our venture times.

With that short explanation, Doyle stopped before the cafeteria and explained that the kitchen was linked to our clothes via enchantments and could essentially keep track of the caloric needs of each student. Furthermore, the kitchen was magical like our rooms and could not only produce anything from an extensive menu in an instant but would have its menu updated after we cooked our home dishes in our rooms or common areas.

With that short explanation done, he pushed the doors open to reveal an expansive, open-ceilinged, elliptical room floored with stone tiles and left open to the elements through the missing ceiling and back wall. At its center was a thick tree that glowed softly with arcana from its canopy, that made up the cafeteria's roof, to the roots, which stretched from the trunk and rose in various places to form tables, chairs, and benches.

Looking past the southern wall, I saw the stone tiles drop off to a landscaped park area, filled with a similar arrangement of glowing furniture that'd been left to the mercy of the elements. Picnic tables and benches sat atop the glowing roots from the tree and were shaded only by the vibrant fauna growing around the stone walkways and statues.

"With our tour finished, we'll have our discussions during lunch. Then, I'll dismiss you all for the day." Doyle said, bringing my attention back to him, waving dismissively as he walked off into the yard. "So order your food and gather around.

Like many of the others, I turned from him to see a broad-faced boy with cropped hair rush to be the first to sit before a table and touch his finger to the crystal-like apparatus at its center. Upon doing so, he seemed to focus on something invisible to the rest of us before leaning back and looking up anxiously.

that we were told to touch. After doing so, a reflection of our tag appeared and our mana was registered. Once that was done, we simply had to think of what we wanted to eat and feed a bit of mana into it. Then our food would be delivered.

After looking up, I was just as shocked as the others to see a steaming bowl of soup and a plate of bread descend from a thick pair of vines and land before him.

Such a sight created a wave of hungry students rushing to the nearest table for their meals.

All but a few of us, at least.

Upon reaching a table of my own, however, I was shocked to find the surprises had yet to cease. Not only were there a myriad of dishes that came from all over the earth, but the dishes were translated into the two existing languages that I knew. Common and Elvish.

Going with something simple, ordered a plate of steak and eggs before taking my quarry to the huddle gathered around Doyle and took a seat near the rear.

"Alright." He sighed. "As your homeroom teacher, you'll begin each week in my class. Our classes will begin with a roll call and a briefing of what to expect for the week. Our weeks will continue in such a way until your teams are formed and a leader is picked for your party.

"Now for the important part." He huffed again. "For those of you that read it, you'll notice that the rules mentioned duels, but didn't explain them. That's because the Headmaster insisted that we ensure you understand how important duels are in your first year. They are, first and foremost, a way to allow you all to deal with aggression towards one another. Hostilities are inevitable. So, handle your business in the arena and move on to focus on your studies when they're done.

"Secondly." He held up two fingers. "Duels are a way to increase points. Anyone can challenge another at any time. In fact, you're encouraged to do so. As it's a great way to build confidence and experience in those of you who are timid or inexperienced. If you're the one who was called out, you can decline the duel for twenty-five points. If not, your names will be added to the schedule and you'll fight on the ninth day of the week.

"Variations in power levels will be handled with anti-magic or equipment." He assured the worried murmurs hidden in the crowd. "As for the duels themselves, no killing is the only rule. Potions, weapons, or any type of ability is fair game. Us staff members aren't there to just spectate. We're ready to step in and stop the match at a moment's notice. And our master healer possesses light magic. So you needn't worry about holding back.

"Now then." He leaned forward with a curious smirk. "We can talk about the more interesting things. I'm sure you've all ready about the different Classes, but I'll give you all a piece of advice." He paused and allowed his smirk to creep further up his face after seeing many of the students lean forward in anticipation. "You should think about the different Career Paths available to you as much as you think about the Classes you want.

"Everyone knows about joining a military or guild for the sake of fighting for some king." He waved his arms almost disgustedly. "But that's one of many routes available to us mystics. For those with no interest in such things, the Civil Services were one of many paths available. Even mystics could find work in governments or political courts as easily as they could in healthcare and wellness. If not that, there was Research and Development. Which is technically what we staff members are. Consisting of not only instructors but those who document their spells and knowledge as well. If you want to invent new things or develop new potions or test new equipment, this can be a lucrative path to explore.

"These are but one of many paths." He hurriedly said after watching the vines reach down and gather our plates at increasing intervals. "For every occupation that exists for the commonwealth, there exists one for us mystics as well. Take the time to think about that and your classes over the course of the year."

"You're dismissed until the dinner tomorrow." He began to step off. "You'll find letters in your mailboxes. Among them are your schedules and a list of your teammates. You're dismissed."

With that, most of the class departed and went their separate ways. I, for one, went to our courtyard and found a nice quiet corner to sit and smoke and contemplate everything I'd learned over the last couple of days.

Particularly about Classes.

Based on what I learned, the Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Paladin, Rogue, and Warlock Classes were all definite no's for me.

According to the text, Warlocks were essentially magical wage slaves. They made pleas to a not-always-benevolent or kind deity and went on deadly chases involving wild geese in exchange for slivers of power that they couldn't cultivate on their own. Similarly, Druids were just magical tree-huggers that spent all their time trying to copy orcs and talk to animals. I enjoyed nature, but not nearly enough to want to control bees.

The Fighter, and Paladin Classes, however, had far simpler reasons for me declining them. I was a Sorcerer with reality-bending magic, not a Fighter. And Paladins were an occupation-specific class. Making Toril and Lucia the only ones I knew who could even take the class. The former was self-explanatory. And the latter involved them making an oath, a magical promise basically, sworn to a deity or the universe itself to live under a certain conviction. In essence, it was essentially placing moral conditions on oneself in exchange for power. Something I couldn't say I'd do even if I could.

Bards turned out to be interesting. I was fully aware of how powerful Bards were in various forms of fiction, but it was still something I couldn't see myself doing. I had always enjoyed music. So much so that I learned to play a variety of instruments and even learned how to sing. But I was more of a shower performer than a superstar that could bring the power of music to life. However, my appreciation would always remain. So I resolved to find a bard to add to my squad after the guild was created.

But, I digress.

The Rogue and Barbarian classes were pretty much useless to me. As my shadow magic was far better at sneaking than Classes could provide and death magic was superior to any poison one could create with or without an affinity. On top of that, I could already fight. And my Burning Soul Spell was basically the same as a Berserker state. It would've synergized nicely with the Barbarian in that regard, but it wasn't really my style.

Similarly, that mindset was extended to the Ranger class as well; though the benefits to animal handling and nature sensitivity were appealing, it was nothing that my senses and current knowledge base couldn't already do.

Clerics were the only one among the ones I cast aside that was different. It wasn't that I didn't want to be one, it was just that I was sure it was something that I already was. In a sense, Clerics were like Warlocks. Only, their power came from divine intervention. The result was that, unlike Warlocks, Clerics were more like magical sugar babies, which was basically what I was to Telin. They received divine energy in exchange for a little bit of prayer and worship.

Only, I didn't even need to acknowledge Telin's existence. Not that I received any divine energy from him. But, if his words rang true, I wouldn't need to siphon divine energy from him in the first place.

I was an Unproven Eternal Soul. Which translated to living god in this universe, according to him. Which begged the question.

'Could I one day get a Cleric patroned to me? More so.' I grinned wide after recalling everything I've learned about my lineage. 'If I'm truly from a family of Devils, what exactly does that make me?'

I quickly lost myself in searching for the answer and resolved to gain information from as many sources as I could. Obviously, there was the library. I'm sure they had at least something about devils within its walls. Other than that and my ancestors, the only one I could think of to ask was the dragonborne. Not because I thought he had ties to a devil, but because he was of draconic origin like the creature from my dreams.

With those resolutions affirmed in my mind, my thoughts quickly wound back to decided what Class I should pick.

If my assumptions were correct, I already had two. And unless I was born with or subconsciously fell down the path of more classes, the pamphlets suggested I could take up to two classes. Any more and we may not have enough time to venture down each path, and the rewards may not even be compatible with each other.

That aside, I for sure wanted to take the Artificer class. It was advertised that we'd be able to focus on any one craft, such as Alchemy or Artificing. But I wanted what was advertised to be the pinnacle of the Class, the Grandmaster Artificer. Which was basically a magical engineer with mastery of all crafts.

Witch was a genderless term used to describe those who used their magic for healing, rather than fighting. And healing was another definite no for me. My necromantic healing required a high pain tolerance and my usage of light wasn't something I wanted known to the public. That aside, I wasn't altruistic enough to work in the medical field and my ties to the Underworld made me reluctant to even heal some people. Making that another definite no.

Wizards were curious though. The paths were advertised to focus on different schools of magic that specialized in using magic in certain ways, such as spells that specialize in protection and defense or those that cover large areas at once. It was a class that few mystics chose. And one that I wouldn't choose either.

In all, that left the Monk to be the only Class I truly considered. Monks were said to specialize in imbuing mana into their physical bodies. Turning into Ki, a physical energy that aids their strength, agility, and constitution. While I still had the intention to primarily use magic, the appeal to me was Ki itself. It was the greatest way to overcome the natural weakness of my elven heritage without stealing life. More so, it was a physical ability and thus was unaffected by anti-magic. My kryptonite.

On top of that, it was a great way to maintain my combat skills. So it was more or less a done deal. I would become a Monk.

Besides that, Grandpa Lich all but ordered me to take the optional summoning course to make the most out of my necromancy. I wasn't exactly excited to see him again. But I was excited to learn about what he meant by his words. I assumed it was more of how to train and organize my undead rather than summon them. From what I saw, summoning them was no different than releasing my Doppelganger.

What made me hesitant about the course, however, was the reward that was advertised from its completion. A Familiar. A Fey spirit that takes on the form of an animal. I had a troop of almost twenty magical beasts hidden in my shadow and an undead army on the horizon. I didn't exactly have a need or use for a Familiar. But I did want to take the course and gain the knowledge, so I decided to burn that bridge when I came to it.

With my data points settled for the moment, I halted the cogs in my mind and turned my limited attention to the sprawling forest before me to lose myself in a sort of trance.

Only to be interrupted not long after by a familiar face approaching with a girl hovering over his shoulder.

"H- hello, Amun."

"Peter." I nodded to the stammering boy.

"T- this is Zakira." He hesitantly gestured to the girl beside him. "W-we're in the same team. Us and two others. She knew I knew you and asked me to introduce her."

"Hi!" She abruptly pushed around his shoulder and extended a hand to me with a toothed smile. "I'm Zakira!"