Maximilian's words still hung in the air like smoke, their weight unshakable. Then, with a sweep of his hand, the light above the head table flared, casting long shadows that stretched down the rows.
"To temper ore into steel," he said, "you will require more than willpower. You will require guidance. And so… your instructors."
From their seats at the long head table, the professors rose one by one.
First came a stern-faced man in simple robes, chalk dust clinging to his sleeves. His eyes, sharp as daggers, carried the weight of calculation itself.
"Professor Gavel, Mathematics. In this Academy, numbers are not mere symbols — they are equations of the cosmos, the language of stars and steel."
A ripple of awe ran through the first-years as he sat.
Next, a tall woman whose hands still glimmered faintly with sparks of arcane light. Her voice was measured, resonant.
"Professor Caelith, Spells and Incantations. You will learn the syllables that bind, break, and bend the world."
Beside her stood a round, jovial man whose robes were stained with bubbling hues of violet and green. He raised a vial that hissed with smoke.
"Professor Bramble, Potions. Fail, and you may poison yourself. Succeed, and you may brew eternity."
Then came a broad-shouldered woman with sea-worn skin and eyes like the deep tide. A conch shell hung from her belt.
"Professor Nereya, Aquatics and Swimming. The water will test your lungs, your strength, your soul. Few can tame it. Fewer survive it."
The introductions continued, each voice a new chord in the Academy's symphony:
- Professor Thalor, Language Arts and Speech, a silver-tongued orator with a voice like velvet steel.
- Professor Mourn, History of the Zodians, his presence grave, his words spoken like tombstones.
- Professor Kyrel, Swordsmanship and Combat Drills, scarred and silent, but radiating discipline.
- Professor Athelia, Runes and Enchantments, her fingers always tracing unseen symbols.
- Professor Soren, Natural Sciences, with owl-like eyes that seemed to see the hidden in all things.
- Professor Velmir, Astronomy and Celestial Navigation, his cloak glittering with real starlight.
- Professor Deyra, Healing and Recovery, with hands that pulsed faintly in a rhythm like a heartbeat.
- Professor Halbrecht, Strategy and Wargames, armored even in the hall, his every step echoing like a drum.
- Professor Lirenne, Music and Resonance, carrying a lute that thrummed softly without touch.
- Professor Veyra, Art and Aesthetics, her gown a canvas of shifting colors.
- Professor Onrik, Engineering and Forgecraft, his apron scorched, his arms blackened with soot.
One by one, fifteen instructors revealed themselves — a tapestry of knowledge, danger, and opportunity.
Finally, Selora stepped forward from Maximilian's side, her staff striking once against the marble.
"I am Selora. Head Instructor. I stand beneath the Headmaster, but above all others. Your paths will cross every hand at this table, but it is I who will see to your trials, your order, your survival."
Her eyes swept across the first-years like a blade. For a moment, silence clung once more, as though the hall itself bowed to her authority.
Maximilian's wisp-light flickered, dim but steady, as he reclaimed his seat.
"Behold your guides. Behold your judges. Fail them, and you will not rise."