After the Bell Rings II

Their eyes fell onto their schedules, then turning their heads to look at one another's. The teachers were the same, and the order of the classes were also the same. In the right hand corner, beside their name, something new was printed via Magic to give them their homeroom number so that they may remember it. It was also the same: #0208. 

Rena had let out a heavy sigh then, seeing that they had the same Magic Fundamentals class. Though, she knew in her heart that their current circumstances would not be too bad. The two had only just met, so she maintained high spirits some time later, but kept her neutral expression before Aiden opened the door.

Pushing the door after turning the handle downwards, the two were given a moment of peace. The interior was very similar to classes they expected to see when entering college. It was more akin to that of a small scale auditorium, with chairs that descended until they were on flat ground, which was where the teacher stood, her hands behind her back as she stared up to the door the two stood in. 

The peace was broken the moment they felt themselves being pushed back by a powerful gust of wind. Out of reflex, their eyes closed, but their footing remained strong. Aiden's hand gripped the door frame, with Rena holding onto his arm. 

"Look who's finally here," said one of the students, who sat in the far back, their feet propped up on the desk in front of them with a smirk on their face. Their blonde hair and bright blue eyes stared at Aiden. He held his hand out to them, making it an easy task to identify him as the caster of the wind magic mere moments ago. 

Without missing a beat, the teacher on the flat ground that Aiden glanced at before had suddenly appeared behind the young blonde, and quickly slapped the back of his neck with a ruler that was held behind her back. 

"Students are not allowed to use magic unless instructed!" she yelled with a voice that commanded authority, an unexpected tone that came from someone who looked polite and cared about her students. 

That implication was shattered the moment her ruler met the top of the blonde's head. 

However, she gave the two that were now entering the classroom a kind, gentle smile. 

She approached them, putting her hands behind her back once again. 

"Welcome! You two must be new to our school! Call me Miss Alflora," she greeted them with a warm, almost motherly tone. 

"Name's Aiden."

"I'm Rena."

The two gave their introductions, suppressing their confusion as best as they could, and were then shown their seats. Rena was placed close to where Ms. Alflora stood, whereas Aiden was placed in the middle rows, off to the left side where he'd rest his arm against the wooden wall.

The lecture resumed after the brief interruption. 

Ms. Alflora continued on with her explanation of what Magic was, but only as a means of reminding the students, since not long after the discovery of Magic did the instruction of how to utilize it become commonplace when children began attending middle school. 

The recap was merely for those who neglected or simply forgot the information during their three month break prior to school starting again in the fall. 

Magic, as explained in the simple explanation, is derived from the Magic Element, Mana. It is an element present in nearly all living things, however, it cannot be controlled on a mere whim, as it must be awakened. 

Awakening Mana within a person is triggered through strong emotion, be it anger, sadness, happiness, or something related to the seven deadly sins or the seven heavenly virtues. 

This trigger allows the person's Mana to finally be manipulated in its most basic form. For some, the most they can do is move objects around or sense the presence of others.

Only when someone devotes themselves into learning more about Mana is where they can begin casting true Magic. That is where the practitioner can understand their affinity for a certain kind of Magic. 

The basic elements that can be manipulated are Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire. Most children learn how to cast one of these elements. This, of course, led to users developing the ability to manipulate ice, and others grew capable of summoning lightning and holding it in their hands as weapons. 

However, that was only the beginning, as other types of Magic were made known to the world: Light and Dark Magic.

Aiden let out a yawn, holding his hand over his mouth. His eyes came down to the textbook in front of him, which he opened. He read each page, examining the diagrams next to the walls of text. The other students focused on the lecture, while a select few seemed to not have a care in the world. 

The blonde one that sat in the upper left corner of the room tapped away with his pen, making marks in the textbook that was in his lap. 

Rena listened well, with her pen nearly glued to her notebook for her to write down notes all the way down the page. 

She'd remain attentive until the bell rang, where the teacher dismissed her class after reminding the students of the next lecture that would be given the next day. 

Aiden left the room, his textbook held under his arm with his hand keeping the book closed as he walked through the now active and loud halls of the school. Friends met up between classes, others dodged through the crowds to make their way to their next class in a timely manner. 

There was a courtyard in the middle of the school, one large enough for students to use as a shortcut. Aiden did the same, entering it as he felt the fresh air meet his lungs once again. 

Various benches were laid out, possibly for students who wanted to eat lunch outside. 

Some trees were there as well with bushes of different shapes, primarily those of animals such as a lion, tiger, eagle, snake, and even a dragon. Flowers were planted as well to provide some much needed color to the dark wood of the benches and vibrant greens. 

A heavenly aroma came from them, but Aiden was only given momentary bliss before his shoulder was pushed from behind. 

"Aiden, right?"

As he turned, he saw the blonde haired young man from before, a grin on his face as two others stood behind him, with smiles of their own. They looked to be identical twins with their combed over black hair and black eyes with bands around their arm, with the one on the left having a band on their right arm, and the other with a band on their left. It was clearly a way to differentiate the two, as their features came down to the smallest, mynute detail in terms of differences. 

"Need something?" Aiden asked, his hand that was slipped into his pocket soon being taken out to be left at his side. 

With an act of fake ignorance, the man before him scoffed, saying, "Sorry, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Leonel Saelhart. I'm sure you've heard of that name."

Aiden shook his head, responding by saying in a blunt fashion, "I have no idea who you are. Cool name, though."

All three that stood there as he spoke had widened eyes and opened mouths. Leonel, the supposed leader, was the most shocked. His surprised expression now contorted into one of anger.

"Does that mean I should show you, in case you simply forgot?" He'd ask, his brow twitching as he gave a fierce glare.

Aiden tilted his head. "Didn't you hear the teacher an hour ago when I first entered when she hit you? Something about no Magic unless instructed?" He'd ask. 

"That damn woman just doesn't know who she's talking to. She'll know real soon, just like everyone else in this school."

"And why come for me? I thought you'd go for Lady Krueger instead."

Leonel scoffed once more. "She'll get her warning, too," he said, "I'll even make it worse than the one I'll give you right now," he added. 

The moment he finished speaking, Aiden held out his arm and dropped the text book in his hand. "And by warning, you mean you'll attack her?" Aiden asked, cracking his knuckles. 

The eyes that Aiden gave to Leonel were fierce, but oddly calm in a way as well. 

"Why do you care? You just met her, right?"

As their conversation continued, students noticed the altercation, ignoring the bell that started to ring as their attention was now focused on the two. 

A few courageous ones entered the courtyard on either side. From the back and venturing through the crowd, Rena poked through, pushing through the students while pushing up her glasses. 

"What is everyone doing? The bell rang just now? Get to class!" She'd command, but only a small few listened. The rest wished to watch Aiden and Leonel, with the two behind him now standing back. 

"Don't worry, little princess! I'll get to you right after this guy! He just needs to know where he belongs," said Saelhart, his fist now pulled back, entering a wide stance. 

The dirt under his heel was grinded into the stone walkway before his hips turned and his fist flew, a strong current of air following it as well with Leonel aiming for Aiden's face. 

The echoing sound of contact was made, but not with the flesh of Aiden's cheek, nor the cracking of his nose. It was knuckles pushing against Aiden's open palm. It was the white haired young man that sharply exhaled, turning his head to look at Rena while his fingers and thumb held onto Leonel's fist tightly, bringing him down to his knees. 

"Lady Krueger. This man wished to attack you after making an attempt at bringing me down. Any orders from me as to what I should do with him?" Aiden asked her, with the female's brow raised and head tilting to one side. 

"L-Lady? Why would you…" Rena's words soon trailed off for a moment, calling back to recent memories to formulate an answer. Rena looked at Aiden, responding with, "Just knock him out. He already swung at you. Should count as you defending yourself when I tell father." She seemed to understand the situation, placing her hand on her slim hip. 

Aiden let a smile curle on his lips, his eyes now lighting with excitement. His attention returned to Leonel, who struggled to regain any sort of footing. It was a fruitless effort. "Sounds like the old man was right. I got myself a pretty damn cool master," he'd say with a smile before punching Leonel to the ground with his head falling into the bush that was in the shape of an eagle. 

The other side of the crowd parted as another teacher entered. Their scowl was fierce as their arms folded over their chest. It was a large, muscular man with a buzzcut who wore shorts and a tight fitting t-shirt. It was clear that he was a gym teacher. 

"What is this!?"