After they ran away from the prince, Zalu's hand remained clasped around Elara's as they stepped into Professor Eldrin's classroom. Just as in Professor Kyfman's class, an immediate hush fell over the students. All eyes turned towards Elara, a wave of silent scrutiny washing over her.
The memory of Crown Prince Ullian's presumptuous touch on her cheek flared in Elara's mind, a wave of disgust and simmering anger tightening her jaw. She shot a brief, hard glare at the observing students, a silent warning, before deliberately ignoring their stares and making her way to the available seating.
Zalu trailed slightly behind, her bright demeanor dimmed. She couldn't shake the shock of the encounter with Prince Ullian – the forbidden intimacy of him using Elara's second name, "Lunari," and Elara's audacious retort, even daring to call him "Rurich." A knot of worry tightened in Zalu's chest for her friend, sensing the barely leashed fury radiating from Elara.
Before they could settle, a strange sensation washed over the students. The familiar stone walls and desks of the classroom seemed to dissolve, replaced by the vibrant green of open grass under a clear sky. A collective murmur of confusion rippled through the students as they looked around, disoriented by the sudden change of scenery.
The sudden shift to the open field sent ripples of panic through the student body.
"What's happening?" a student blurted out, his voice laced with fear.
"Did we get kidnapped or something?" another exclaimed, her eyes wide with alarm.
A high-pitched cry pierced the air. "Oh, mother! I don't want to die yet! I'm still young!"
Elara observed the escalating panic with a detached amusement, a ghost of a smirk playing on her lips. Idiots. So easily thrown. It was obvious to her that this was likely a prepared training environment courtesy of Professor Eldrin.
Zalu, however, was also visibly shaken by the abrupt change. Her usual bright eyes now clouded with worry, she looked towards Elara, taking a sliver of comfort from her friend's apparent calm. "Hey," Zalu whispered, leaning closer to Elara, "do you know what's going on here?"
Elara met Zalu's gaze with a small, almost imperceptible shrug, her emerald eyes betraying nothing. But Zalu, having known Elara for a while now, sensed the knowing glint beneath the surface. Before Zalu could say anything, something magical happened.
Then, as if conjured from the very air, Professor Voz Eldrin appeared. He materialized with a soft pop, a very short, old man with remarkably bright, rosy cheeks and a conspicuously balding head. He held a simple wooden wand in his hand, his eyes twinkling with an almost mischievous energy.
"Welcome, welcome, my young apprentices!" his voice chirped, surprisingly loud for his small stature. With a flick of his wrist and a murmured incantation, the patch of grass before him began to stir. A tiny sprout emerged, quickly growing taller and thicker, its branches reaching towards the sky, leaves unfurling in a vibrant display of natural magic. Within moments, a fully grown oak tree stood majestically before them, its presence solid and undeniably real.
A collective gasp of awe swept through the students. Even Zalu's usual bubbly enthusiasm was momentarily suspended in stunned silence, her eyes wide with wonder. Elara, however, maintained her characteristic blank expression on the surface. But beneath that carefully constructed facade, a storm of astonished curiosity raged within her. For a fleeting moment, the lingering anger and disgust from her encounter with the Prince were swept aside by the sheer wonder of Professor Eldrin's magic. Oh, my Arewt! How did he do that? Her mind raced, analyzing the spellwork. I know he just conjured magic and combined a few spells… the speed of the growth, the intricate manipulation of earth and life force… but, her thoughts spiraled, a torrent of questions and observations. Why didn't I know this specific application before? The efficiency, the raw power channeled with such finesse…
The sheer efficiency of the conjuration was breathtaking. Her mind instantly began dissecting the components. Elemental infusion, clearly earth and life force as the primary conduits. But the speed... the acceleration of growth defies standard temporal enchantments. Was there a localized temporal distortion field, infinitesimally small, focused solely on the seed? Her mental fingers danced across theoretical constructs, visualizing the flow of magical energy. The density of the manifested matter... it's not simply conjured ex nihilo. There must be a rapid assimilation of ambient atmospheric particles, restructured at a molecular level. The incantation... the rhythm and cadence suggest a complex harmonic resonance, likely key to the accelerated growth and structural integrity.
A cascade of related theories flooded her consciousness. Could the wand be a focus, amplifying a pre-existing seed of magical potential within the earth? Or is the entire process an external creation? The lack of residual energy signature suggests a remarkably clean and efficient transfer... almost too perfect. Her thoughts spiraled, each observation birthing a dozen new questions. The leaf structure... the venation... it's not a generic template. There's an inherent understanding of botanical complexity woven into the spell. Did he pre-program a growth matrix? Or is it a real-time manipulation of cellular division at an astonishing rate?
A flicker of frustration touched her analytical fervor. Why haven't I encountered this specific technique in the Academy's archives? The level of control... the finesse... it speaks of a mastery beyond the standard curriculum. Then, a dawning realization. The simplicity of the wand... the brevity of the incantation... it belies a profound understanding of fundamental magical principles. He's not brute-forcing the growth; he's coaxing it, guiding it with an almost intuitive connection to the life force. A mental image formed: Professor Eldrin's will acting as a catalyst, shaping and accelerating a natural process with elegant precision. Yes... a catalytic acceleration combined with molecular restructuring and possibly a localized temporal micro-field. The efficiency stems from leveraging existing natural energies and directing them with masterful control.
Lost in this internal whirlwind of analysis and burgeoning fascination, Elara didn't register Zalu nudging her arm and speaking her name.