(3rd POV)
Stepping out of the classroom, Lyon finally got a chance to take in some of the surroundings that he couldn't see before due to the unique way he and everyone else had found themselves inside that classroom.
Speaking of which, Lyon turned back around to make sure he remembered what the door to his homeroom looked like, only to abruptly gasp in disbelief.
There was a black-and-gold gilded door, approximately six feet in height (1.8m) and three feet (1m) in width. The door had no handle and was covered in strange runes that Lyon had never seen before.
All of these things were strange enough, but the thing that truly surprised Lyon was the eye.
Yes, that's right.
It was an honest-to-god eye, or at least a very convincing replication.
Now, Lyon had seen his fair share of strange decorations. It came with the territory when the biggest pastime for almost everyone he knew involved hunting beasts or enemies of all kinds. Not to mention that certain body parts from Kei Beasts and even other enemy races could be used to further Alchemical studies.
It was certainly a more bloody side of the profession, but according to what his uncle had told him, it was a necessary evil.
Apparently, long ago, Alcatum had suffered from a terrible disease epidemic due to the different races and hygienic standards of all the people living there. It had become so bad that even established Kei Masters could die if they had open wounds that became infected.
All of that only changed after the Head Alchemist of the Kingdom at the time was brought in and managed to find a cure after studying and experimenting on the body parts of some of the deceased Kei Masters unlucky enough to fall victim to the disease.
The final outcome was a special recipe that became the very first vaccine and body booster shot. That same shot was now given to everyone upon birth and helped prevent all but the most severe illnesses from affecting ordinary people.
After all, cultivators came from the common people and innately had more resources to fight off any illnesses they might contract, so long as those illnesses hadn't reached a critical point.
Lyon digressed, shaking his head before looking more thoroughly at the eyeball. There was a glint within it that seemed a little too lifelike for comfort.
So lost in his observations was Lyon that he didn't even notice Teacher Virden had saddled up next to him and was observing the reactions playing across his young student's face.
Deciding to relieve the obvious confusion Lyon was experiencing, the teacher tapped him on the shoulder.
"I see our lucky trinket has attracted your 'eye,' huh?"
Lyon wasn't sure if his teacher was really corny enough to make such a low-tier joke, but his curiosity about the strange eye and everything else superseded everything else. Ignoring the comment, he immediately asked about the oddity.
"I wonder, sir, is it supposed to be a detection mechanism or something? I know that some Alchemists use Kei Beast body parts that have special properties in order to perform specific tasks. Is this something similar, and if so, can you tell me what?"
Lyon spoke all of the important points he wanted answered at once, a trait he had picked up after years of his uncle going off into completely different topics whenever he answered one of his questions.
Teacher Virden blinked, a touch of pleasant surprise appearing in his eyes.
"I see we have a budding Alchemist in our midst, but you are partially correct, young Lyon. This is called the Eye of Keirus, and it comes from a very dangerous Stage Six Kei Beast. They are well known for being able to cause bad luck, insanity, or even suicide to anyone who looks into their eyes without permission."
Virden paused there, turning around to see that all the students were watching him. They were obviously still waiting to be led to lunch, but they were curious enough about the strange eye that they weren't making any noise.
Seeing that he had everyone's attention, Virden decided that giving them a little information wouldn't be so bad. He could always warp everyone to the cafeteria afterward.
Actually, upon thinking about the hassle the other teachers would give him, he decided it was probably better not to.
Still, best to get on with it, he thought.
"Every classroom with a certain level of status is entitled to one of these babies, or a cheaper imitation if the real thing isn't available. The reason for that is multifold, but the most important reason is that it prevents anyone without the authorized badge on your shirts from entering the dimensional space where the classroom is located."
Virden gestured toward the eye as he continued.
"On top of that, it attracts Kei Energy and good luck to whatever area it is placed in, which provides benefits you guys are too young to understand right now."
Virden finished explaining and saw that many of the students seemed amazed and in awe of the eye and, by extension, the Academy.
He then noticed that Lyon was frowning.
Virden had a good idea about what he was about to ask, but simply waited for the teen to get his thoughts together.
"Sir, I don't mean to doubt you, but as far as I know, there is no such attribute as luck. And even if it does exist on a higher cosmic level, that shouldn't be something that's measurable by the standards of anyone less than a Tenth-Level Epos World Master."
Lyon thought for a moment before speaking again, unable to understand how the Academy could know such things.
"Hmm, I like your thought process, but don't let the facts of what you know prevent you from seeing the truth the world hides right below the impossible. After all, you yourself are considered an impossibility from a certain perspective."
Virden spoke casually, and Lyon had to admit that the laid-back teacher had given him a response he hadn't expected but couldn't really deny either.
Seeing his continued frown, Virden decided to spare the boy and the other students, who had begun questioning the same things after hearing Lyon's words.
"But to provide an actual answer to your question, the eye calms the natural Kei Energy of the environment it's attached to. This, by extension, helps prevent unwanted Kei interactions from occurring."
Virden paused again, making sure he hadn't lost the students entirely.
"All that is a very technical way to say that it's like sterilizing a portion of the world and decreasing the likelihood of unwanted activities occurring."
He gestured toward the various students as he continued.
"Alchemists have increased rates of success with pills, and the same applies to Runemasters and Keismiths. So you see, while it's not exactly a luck booster, it does indeed help."
Virden finished his explanation there.
Lyon remained silent for a few seconds, his eyes returning to the Eye of Keirus.
There were still several things about the explanation that bothered him, but he couldn't deny that the concept was interesting. If what Virden said was true, then the eye wasn't creating luck so much as removing certain environmental factors that could interfere with a person's actions.
That was something Lyon could understand.
"Alright, that's enough about these things. We need to get going, unless you all don't want to eat lunch anymore?"
Virden questioned them and couldn't help the smile that came to his face after hearing his students' stomachs rumble at the mention of food.
Their faces immediately blushed with slight embarrassment.
On that note, Lyon and the other students followed Virden down the hall they had emerged from, watching as they passed more doors. All of them obviously had separate dimensions for their classrooms, with the doors themselves being nothing more than entry and exit points, as far as the students could tell.
The walls were made of a glistening white and green jade that brought a feeling of peace to the area, while the floors were a glazed-looking mahogany brown. The wood was likely taken from centuries-old trees that subtly increased the Kei presence in the area.
Lyon found himself wondering just how much wealth had been poured into the Academy.
The materials alone would probably be enough to make most ordinary nobles jealous.
After walking for around five minutes, they found themselves in front of another black door with a golden spatula of all things engraved into it.
This time, however, they could tell by the faint sound of voices that it wasn't another separate dimension, but an actual room that lay on the other side of the door.
Happy to finally be able to eat, the students could barely restrain themselves as they watched Virden open the door and usher them through.
The first thing Lyon noticed about the cafeteria was its size.
The place was absolutely massive.
It stretched at least three stories tall, with a small distance-warp portal placed at set intervals along the walls. Each portal showcased signs for all sorts of cuisines, ranging from foods Lyon recognized to others he had never even heard of.
There was another set of small warp portals placed directly next to the first ones that seemed to lead to different environments for the students to eat in.
Lyon had to wonder what the point of all those was since the actual cafeteria seemed big enough to accommodate all the students and then some.
All those thoughts, however, proved to answer themselves not five minutes later.