Chapter 6: Botanical and Practical studies

"Hello," says a woman with violet hair and eyes. "My name is Ivy. I am your Botanical Studies teacher. Today we will be discussing Introduction to Botany. Now, you," she says, pointing at Tyson. "Name?"

"Yes, M'am. My name is Tyson Fury."

"Tyson, what is the importance of Botany?"

"Botany helps us understand more about plants and their uses. We can use the medicinal properties of plants to create effective potions. This is all because of botanists studying plants."

"Good. Despite your rugged look, you sure are smart. You may take a seat." Ivy places a pot filled with soil in front of everyone. "In front of you, I have placed a pot. Inside the pot is infertile soil. And inside the soil is a seed. If left alone, the seed will never sprout. Our lesson today is mana imbuement. As you know, mana is life energy, so we can liven it up by imbuing our life energy into something like this infertile soil." She places her hand on the pot. A green aura envelops her body. It is ejected from her body into small spheres that float in the air. The green spheres inject themselves into the soil. "This is how mana imbuement is done. Feel the mana in your body and emit it into the air. Once you've accomplished that, send the mana into the soil to fertilise it."

She said simple as that, but… Arthur looks around as everyone struggles to grasp this 'simple task'. He places his hand in front of the pot and mimics Ivy. I can feel it. My mana. His mana glows red. It ejects from his body, and he sends it into the pot just as Ivy has done.

"Good work," says Ivy.

Scarlett and Yukio glare at Arthur. The praise is excellent, but the lours are killing me. He looks down at the pot. Imbuing mana. This feels nostalgic. Mother would often tell me to use my blessing to help others. Arthur's sweet remembrance soon becomes sour as his expression grows grim.

"Arthur?"

Arthur looks at the girl in front of him. If I remember correctly her name is... "What do you need, Ms Amira White?"

She smiles, "Just Amira is fine." She looks down at his plant. "How did you manage to do it so quickly?"

"Manage? Ah, the mana imbuement. It's hard to explain…" he says, scratching his chin, nervous. He sees how distressed Amira looks, though, and says, "Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Close your eyes. When they're closed, feel the circulation of mana throughout your body. We don't notice it at first, but mana has a distinctive feeling. Once you feel the flow of mana, instead of spreading it out from multiple points in your body, concentrate on accumulating it on the tip of your finger. Imagine this concentrated mana leaving your body and floating into the pot."

After following his explanation to a T, she manages to succeed. The others – who overheard Arthur's explanation – also do the same. Everyone soon succeeds in fertilising the soil.

"Thank you," says Amira.

"No problem."

After Botanical Studies, Class A had one other class, Magic Engineering and a lunch break before their afternoon class with Azrael.

"Welcome to Practical Studies, my adventurous students!!" exclaims an overhyped Azrael. "I have heard all about your travels from Ivy and Albert."

"Travels?" asks Arthur sarcastically.

"You," says Azrael, pointing at Tyson.

"Me?" he asks, confused.

"Yes, you. We discussed nether and mana this morning, right?"

"Yes. You said mana is inferior to nether."

"Indeed, it is. And I shall prove it to you." Azrael bites his thumb and lets blood drop to the ground while he chants, "Great Beast of hell—eater of realms. Heed my call. Three heads of corrupt flesh dwell in this Realm and turn this Kingdom into a wasteland. Nether Arts: Summon – Cerberus." The ground starts quaking. A large hole opens in the ground behind Azrael, and ghostly howls emanate. "Here he comes," says Azrael.

A wolf's head pops up from the ground. A short while later, another one pops up. And another. It does not take long before the entire creature climbs up. It towers at ten metres. Its skin is leathery and rotten. It looks down at class A with its vampire-like eyes, and drool falls from its mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. "Huff… Huff…" A rotten smell fills the air as it breathes heavily.

"T-That's… a Cerberus…?" says Scarlett, shaking.

Everyone in Class A quivers in their boots as they stand before Cerberus—a creature of The End, tasked with guarding the realm. In the Mortal Realm, nothing is known about this beast. Only if you ever encounter a Cerberus, should you run.

Azrael claps his hands. "This reaction," he says, "is what I was expecting." He turns towards the Cerberus. It bows down, and Azrael pets it. "Do not fret. This Cerberus shall not engage unless I command it to. For today's practical studies lesson, I want you all to pet the Cerberus."

"What!?" shouts the class in unison.

"With all due respect, sir…."

"Scarlett," interrupts Azrael, "you are the daughter of a Duke, are you not? Don't tell me you are afraid of a docile creature?"

Scarlett is a prideful person. Azrael, in asking if she was afraid filled her with rage and irritation. This lit a strong flame inside her. A flame of bravery no other can claim for themselves. She immediately stops quivering and walks towards the Cerberus. Without hesitation, she places her hand on the middle head's forehead. She turns to Azrael and says, "I am afraid of nothing" with a passionate flame in her eyes.

This girl… I intentionally provoked her; however, to be this fired up… She has immense potential.

Yukio quietly walks towards the Cerberus. "I will not be overshadowed by number two or three," he says, irritated, and pets its head. When he turns around to face Azrael, he smirks.

Despite his cold and lone wolf persona, Yukio has a competitive side. He does not like losing to anyone. This is a beautiful personality to have. He will sharpen and be sharpened by his classmates, provided they present a challenge.

The other class members take turns petting the Cerberus. After everyone finished, Azrael says, "There are many creatures, in The End, many times scarier than this Cerberus here. And yes, in your current state, fighting these creatures would end in your demise. However, you should never surrender to your fear. Accept it as part of being human. Only once you accept that fear can you become stronger than you have ever been before."

Azrael's words resonate inside their hearts. Respect for their manaless, nether using teacher started blooming that day.