After finding out the approximate combat ability of all the students, the four teachers convened for a few minutes in order to give a preliminary ranking of the students' combat ability.
Each teacher quietly went over what they had observed, occasionally pointing out a student or discussing the results of a particular match.
After a short while, they finished making the list and turned to announce the results to the students. The teenagers were still talking amongst themselves, with many of them wondering how their performances had been judged.
"Alright, guys and girls, I will project the list of students onto the front of the classroom. I hope you all will use these spots as a means of motivating yourselves. After all, as you are all just in your first year, the only way for you to get extra resources is through ranking well on here."
With that said, Teacher Levina made a sign with her hands, gathering the Lightning Kei elements around herself before reaching for a pouch of metal sand.
Ignoring the students and her fellow instructors' confused faces, who had no idea what her next step was, she proceeded to pour out the sand onto the ground.
The tiny metallic grains immediately reacted to the Lightning Kei surrounding them, causing a silvery-purple light to illuminate the auditorium for a brief moment as the brilliant energy surged through every grain.
The students instinctively shielded their eyes from the sudden flash, while several of the teachers simply watched with amused expressions. Levina, however, remained completely focused as she molded the sand with her Kei.
The ordinary metal gradually began to change until it turned a royal purple color, with tiny specks of silver shining throughout it like stars scattered across a night sky.
Upon raising her hand, the now mesmerizing sand floated upwards and began moving toward the back of the classroom.
As it passed above the students, everyone became transfixed by the sight. What had once been a simple pile of metallic sand now appeared to be a purple sky with countless silver stars floating above their heads.
It slowly meandered through the air as though carried by an invisible breeze.
Even some of the students who had been complaining moments earlier fell silent as they watched the strange display.
Having finished its path, the metal sand gathered toward a point on the back wall that would be in view of the whole class whenever they entered the door from outside. The grains began shifting and moving across the wall, rearranging themselves with surprising precision.
Within moments, the sand formed itself into a large tablet displaying a list of ranks and names, numbered from one to twenty-five.
All the students immediately started looking for their names.
However, it did not take long before they realized there was a problem.
Half of their names weren't even on the tablet.
The realization spread through the room almost instantly. Students looked around at each other, some checking the tablet multiple times as though their names might suddenly appear if they stared hard enough.
Others began whispering to their friends, trying to figure out whether the rankings had somehow been mixed up.
That caused all the students who had lost in their matches to become even more nervous. Alicia took a glance at the ranking tablet and found herself both relieved and confused.
In first place was Zesher Pitch, the teen with an unbelievable mutation in his spirit, which Alicia could understand. His abilities had been strange enough that it would have been difficult for anyone to deny his strength.
Second place went to Lyon Sable and his Lightning Shadow Dragon Spirit. Again, that was something Alicia could accept, even if she still wanted to fight him again to properly settle the score.
The problem was that Alicia was in third place.
That alone surprised her, but what confused her even more was that a good portion of the names on the list belonged to students she remembered had not won their fights.
Alicia narrowed her eyes as she studied the tablet.
Something wasn't right.
While Alicia pondered the implications of the rankings, Lyon, Zesher, and soon the rest of the class saw the same inconsistencies.
A low hush started up in the class as, for the first time that day, some of the students finally began to get agitated. A few were openly whispering about whether the teachers were playing some sort of joke on them.
While others were becoming frustrated because they could not understand how someone who had lost could possibly rank above them.
Hearing the students' confused and agitated voices, the teachers all looked at each other and grinned.
Teacher Levina stepped back toward where the platform still lay unblemished on the ground and cleared her throat, gathering the attention of the slightly riled-up teens.
"I will explain the Tablet system a little. Firstly, each of us," she paused here and gestured toward the other three teachers, "will have our own tablet that will be testing a different aspect of your combat ability."
The students quieted down, though several still looked suspicious.
"After the Initiation Month, or Hell Month as some of you have already heard it called, we will compile all the information we have gathered. From there, a final list of twenty-five students will end up on the Heaven Tablet and become official students of the real Heaven Class."
The moment Levina mentioned the Heaven Tablet, the atmosphere in the room shifted.
Many of the students had assumed that simply being accepted into the academy meant they were already part of the Heaven Class. Now they were learning that what they had entered was only the beginning.
Levina allowed them a moment to process the information before continuing.
"I will let you all know that I am testing your ability to control. Not just your innate spirits or your body, but every aspect that makes you an individual should be controlled."
Her voice became more serious as she looked across the room.
"If not, at higher levels, regardless of your talent, you will become weak."
That statement settled over the room far heavier than the students expected.
Some of the more confident students shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Others glanced down at their hands, seemingly wondering just how much control they actually possessed over themselves.
"I will let the other teachers tell you their criteria when you go to their classes. From now on, this will be your homeroom class with me.
Today we won't go too far since it's everyone's first day. Instead, we'll review some of the basic knowledge you will need to have memorized in order to survive out in the wilderness."
The students were a little disappointed.
After everything that had happened throughout the day, however, they were also more than willing to allow their hearts a rest from all the shocks and surprises.
"So, everyone understands that you are born with an Internal Kei Beast that comes into being in your Spirit Door, otherwise known as the Life Chain."
Levina looked around the classroom before continuing.
"Does anyone know how your innate spirit is decided?"
One student raised his hand, with Levina nodding for him to speak.
"Uh, isn't that just based on your parents' spirits?" the student answered, though he seemed puzzled by his own answer.
"Yes, Jimmy, that is partially correct. What many don't know is that it goes much deeper than the actual spirit of your parents."
Levina spoke up, immediately gathering the attention of all the students.
"First, we must understand that the potential of a person is determined by their spirits. This is considered the reality because of two factors: Ancestral Lineage and Attribute Lineage."
Several students began taking mental notes as Levina continued.
"This is not common knowledge since it could cause people to get into feuds or much worse, all in the attempt to create the perfect offspring."
A few students exchanged uncomfortable looks.
"That is not something you guys have to worry about yet. Back to the point, following the Ancestral Lineage simply means that there was a series of similar or identical beings.
Whether animals, plants, or mythological beings, as the Innate Spirit of most, if not all, of your ancestors."
By this point, the room was pin-drop silent, with all the students focusing on Levina's words.
"On the other hand, Attribute Lineage is slightly more complicated to understand in terms of its origin. Essentially, in most cases, every person has an element or more that they attract."
Levina raised one hand, allowing a small spark of Lightning Kei to dance between her fingers.
"Given enough lucky coincidences, that slight attraction will be strengthened and passed down from your ancestors, growing that attribute slightly more each generation, all the way until we get to today and have someone like Lyon."
She pointed toward the teen, who was looking deep in thought.
"Lyon has Shadow and Lightning attributes, which can only mean that his ancestors were lucky or determined enough to either marry people with those attributes or grow them themselves.
That was then passed down to their children after their strength reached a certain level."
Lyon remained quiet for several seconds.
Then he lifted his hand.
"That doesn't explain how mutant innate spirits are so rare, though. According to what you told us, shouldn't it be a much more common occurrence? Barring that, it also doesn't explain how Tool Spirits came to be."
His eyes glinted as he spoke, almost as if he already had a theory and simply wanted to confirm it.
Several students turned toward him.
"Ah, that's a good point," Levina said.
She seemed pleased rather than annoyed that he had interrupted her explanation.
"Before getting to the case of mutants and other dissimilar occurrences, I can tell you what we know about Tool Spirits."
The room became even quieter.
"During the Forgotten Years, when the first Kei Masters had just appeared and the flames of war had still been spreading throughout the world, that's when the assumed first Tool Spirit was made."
Levina paused at this point, allowing the significance of her words to sink in.
"According to the clues we have found, we can only assume that some sort of ritual was performed to allow ordinary people of all races to access Tool Spirits."
A few students immediately began whispering at the mention of all races, but Levina continued without stopping.
"Now, there are a lot of discrepancies in this story, but regardless of the true origin of Tool Innate Spirits, one thing cannot be denied."
She looked around the room, making certain that every student was paying attention.
"They are just as powerful as any other type, if not stronger, so long as they are properly trained."
The students remained silent for a moment after Levina finished.
The rankings had shown them that their first day at the academy was already going to be difficult.
Now, they were beginning to understand that the world outside these walls was far more complicated than they had ever imagined.
And for the first time, several of them began wondering just how much there was about Kei, Innate Spirits, and their own origins that they had never been told.