Chapter 21

"Room 106, that's where our first class is." Meghan scrolled through the academy map on her phone. "It's back there through the left, she said, pointing to one of the hallways."

Ana's and Meghan's first class was with Margarett Sanders. They made their way through a narrow hallway along with a few other students. Walking into room 106, Ana took in the environment her fist class was set in.

The dimly lit classroom held a mysterious and enchanting vibe. The walls of the classroom were made of rough grey stone. Students looked around in awe, as if they suddenly stepped into another world. The high vaulted ceilings had ornate carvings of various magical runes. The dark wooden floor was covered in thick plush rugs that looked like they had been cleaned recently.

The room held four large round tables with high-backed chairs around them. Several small stones of different colors were placed in the middle of each table. A fireplace and some candles played as the only source of light in the room. Margarett stood behind the teachers desk wearing a long robe that looked like she'd owned it for years.

"You may leave you bags at the wall by the door. You will not be needing anything but your focus today."

Ana forgot sleep as she dropped her bag and seated herself on one of the tables. Walking over to the middle of the room, Margarett spoke in a low but confident voice.

"Welcome to Mana Manipulation. You've all met me before, my name is Margarett Sanders. I've spent the last twelve years teaching young women like yourselves how to use mana to heal our brave Wahren's from serious war injuries."

She walked back to the wall behind his desk and pulled out a blank screen, fumbling with a remote, she turned on the projector, to walk students through the history of mana. The candlelight's went out as she started to speak.

"Mana is a form of energy as ancient as the earth itself. It has been used for centuries by cultures all around the world. Mana is the energy that flowed through all living things, and it can be harnessed by healers to perform magic. While humans and Wahren's also have mana flowing within them, they do not hold mana affinity. It is you healers, who are blessed with such fortune and it is your duty not to misuse it."

She went on to share several personal experiences and stories about her research on healing and mana manipulation. Margarett was a scholar before she started teaching, but she still continued her research to this date. She spoke about different types of mana. Healers mostly studied spiritual mana, but if they decided, they could further their knowledge by studying elemental mana. High Healers tried to master elemental mana to restore towns and nature destroyed by wars.

The class continued as Margarett kept the students' eyes glued to her while she spoke.

"On the table, you will find mana stones that will help you develop mana affinity. I urge you to practice as often as you can. Your ability as healers is only as strong as your mana affinity."

Ana picked up a lilac stone, watching it gleam in her hands. Grasping it tightly, she felt a strange energy tingling through her.

Margarett guided the students on how to use the stones, explaining that the stone would help them channel their spiritual energy. As the class ended, she gave them a list of books that she expected them to go through to help them understand the concepts and principles of mana.

The students picked up their bags and walked out holding mana stones in their hands. The eagerness to learn was etched in their faces.

*****

Khai stepped out of his classroom along with Elliot and Austin. A cold feeling ran through them as they made their way to breakfast. They just spent the last hour learning all the enemies they had to face during war. A Wahren's life after twenty one did not belong to them, it belonged to the communities they had sworn to protect. War was not a choice, not a option, but the only way forward.

Thousands of years ago, vampires and werewolves ruled the world, surviving on humans and their blood to feed themselves. The history was lost in translation but they soon started to turn corrupt and go rogue, causing mass havoc on the people around them.

A small tribe consisting of Wahrens and Healers that lived deep within the Amawindi Forests came to the world's rescue, fighting the rogue vampires and werewolves and healing those that were attacked. As the tribe grew, the rogue attacks could be controlled.

However, healers realized that their powers did not heal anyone fully, leaving deep scars on injuries. Excessive healing also caused corrupted mana to pool within humans. After these healed humans eventually died, they came back as the undead. It was only Wahren's that could be healed without pooling corrupted mana. And thus, the order of today's world was formed.

"Well that was fun." Elliot said with a grim expression, staring vacantly at the hallways.

"Man, I'm beat. We have another ninety minutes of this? When can we just start killing those fuckers and get drunk in peace?"

Khai walked silently, zoned out from his friends' words. Hearing about rogue creatures created a violent sense of turmoil in him. His parents were killed in an ambush by the very creatures he was learning about. The mere thought of them made him see red. His hands itched for war so he could smash as many rogue heads as possible. An icy chill engulfed him as he walked. Until he saw her.

Her hair that usually fell on her waist like a waterfall, was now braided loosely and her skin held a pearlescent glow as the sunlight hit her. He heard her laughter reach his ears like a soft whimsical tune, lifting all the darkness from him. His legs moved on their own towards her, as if she had him bound to her by a spell.

Austin nudged Elliot as they saw Khai make his way to Ana. He told Elliot about Ana, the girl that made iron-clad Khai Heathcliff turn soft. They walked behind him with excitement, wanting to get to know the girl better.

Austin reached her first. She was flanked by George and Meghan on each side, as usual. He greeted them cheerfully.

"Hey guys! How was your first class?"

Ana greeted them with a broad smile, her heart glowing with warmth as she spotted Khai. A strange realization hit her. Had she missed him? Butterflies flooded her stomach, but she didn't let her voice betray what she was feeling.

"Austin! Khai! Join us for breakfast." Meghan invited them to sit with the group.

"Hey, I'm Elliot Greene." He shook their hands, introducing himself. When he shook Ana's hand he felt like he heard someone's knuckles crack. Khai shot him a gloomy stare, but immediately moved his gaze to look at Ana.

"Did training wear you out? You look tired." He said, grabbing a plate and passing it to her. Taking one for himself, he placed a huge pile of meat on it.

"My legs don't hurt at all. It's only my neck and shoulders. They're a little stiff." She told him. "How was your first class?"

"Irrelevant. Eat some meat, you need to gain strength if you're training often."

They filled up their plates and walked to the table. Khai went back to get juice for them both while they all settled themselves.

"So Ana, you're training with Khai. How is that going for you?" Elliot asked.

"It's great! I'm not very fit, so it's exhausting, but Khai is a very patient teacher."

Elliot coughed at her words. "Khai is a patient teacher?" He looked at her in surprise. Khai was a beast on the field. Though Elliot took pride in being a skilled fighter, he didn't stand a chance against Khai unless he was blindfolded with his limbs bound.

"Mhmm, he is. I really enjoyed training with him." She flushed lightly as she spoke.

"That's…. That's an interesting opinion." Austin said, mimicking Elliot's expression. Khai returned with two glasses and placed one next to Ana.

"Khai! Ana was just telling us what a patient teacher you've been." Elliot's eyes were taunting his friend as he spoke.

"I am, to her. And I suggest you shut up about me training her." His tone was casual, but the temperature on the table dropped as he continued. "Or I can start training you two as well."

"Hehe, Elliot, skip the chatter! We need to eat up if we plan to survive ranger training later this evening." Austin interjected, trying to cut the tension.

Ana and Meghan exchanged glances, wondering what that was all about. They were slowly coming to realize that Khai was a stronger Wahren than most. Meghan screamed with joy internally, while a sense of awe for Khai rushed within Ana.

"Do you guys have ranger training at 6:30 PM as well?" George asked.

"We do and we also train an hour earlier than the other Wahren's every morning."

"I didn't know you were all legacies."

"They aren't." Khai intoned. "It's just me, but they're strong and extremely capable leaders. They're going to make great captains."

George looked at the three men, assessing their relationship. There was sense of camaraderie in the way they moved, like they were brothers. Khai was sometimes cold to them, but that was just his personality. He pushed them to be their best and everyone on the table now understood that.

As they chatted away, Austin noticed Natalie walking to the table and let out an audible groan.