"Dieora, y-you just read those words?"
Lucia stepped back slowly, her eyes wide in disbelief as she glanced at Dieora.
"How is that even possible?" Lucia's voice trembled with confusion.
"I don't know. Somehow, I can read this mysterious writing."
Dieora tightened his grip on his crystal. It shone brightly, glowing with an intense light.
At once, the students passing by stopped in their tracks. Some gasped, some whispered, while others stared in shock at what had just happened.
Dieora stepped closer to the statue again, reading aloud the words that appeared.
"The prophecy draws near. Prepare yourselves, three chosen ones."
The words faded, only to be replaced with another set of glowing letters.
"A sealed magic… a tremendous power lies within Pentaur Lyee."
Dieora furrowed his brows, clearly baffled. "Pentaur Lyee?" The name was completely unfamiliar to him.
A moment later, the statue collapsed into pieces, as if leaving behind nothing but remnants of an ancient past and its forgotten secrets.
"I didn't do it!" Dieora panicked, raising both hands.
His eyes darted to Lucia, searching for answers, but she only stood there in silence, deep in thought.
One small touch from Dieora snapped her out of her daze.
"You'd better come with me."
Lucia grabbed his arm and hurriedly pulled him toward Dermentian's chamber.
"I swear, it wasn't me!" Dieora tried to defend himself, his voice flustered. "I didn't break the statue!"
"This isn't about that," Lucia replied, walking briskly without letting go of his hand.
They stopped before Dermentian's door. Before Lucia could even knock, a calm voice from inside called her name.
The two entered in a rush. Lucia quickly explained the incident, but Dermentian showed no hint of surprise.
"Dieora," he said slowly, his gaze sharp, "I'm not entirely certain… but it seems you might be one of the chosen."
Lucia and Dieora both froze in shock.
"How could that be?" Dieora stammered.
Dermentian adjusted his glasses with a finger, his eyes narrowing as he studied Dieora.
"The Zhypon Crystal," he said firmly. "An ancient relic from the past. And right now, you're the one wearing it, Dieora."
Dieora stiffened. His heart raced as the truth struck him. He had always believed the crystal was nothing more than a hidden heirloom, passed down through his family for generations. Never did he imagine that the "Zhypon" was the very crystal said to bring peace to the world.
Dermentian turned toward the window, watching the students still gathering around the shattered remains of the statue.
"Tell me, Dieora… what message did the statue reveal to you?" he asked without looking back.
"I'm not completely sure," Dieora replied nervously, "but it said that a tremendous power lies within Pentaur Lyee."
"Pentaur Lyee? Isn't that the name of an old tower in Zordema?" Lucia asked, her face tensing.
"Zordema… I despise that place," Dermentian muttered, folding his arms.
Dieora glanced back and forth between them, struggling to make sense of the conversation.
After a long silence, Dermentian finally made his decision.
"We'll head to Zordema. But before that, Lucia—make sure the students stay away from the ruins. Let the cleaning staff deal with it."
Lucia nodded firmly, tugging Dieora's arm once more as they left the chamber.
"Zordema, huh…."
***
It was around noon, and the lesson on incantations had begun. Dieora and Lucia sat in the classroom.
"Do you know anything about Zordema?" Dieora whispered, trying to get her attention while she remained focused on the teacher.
"Zordema… a place where everyone wields dark magic. They're not truly evil, but their ideology is completely opposite to this academy," Lucia answered without turning her head.
She glanced sideways at him, lowering her voice. "Anyone who dares to enter rarely returns sane."
Dieora gulped. "That bad, huh?"
Meanwhile, the teacher's voice echoed throughout the room.
"Magic doesn't always require words, but incantations make it easier to channel. That's why countless incantations were created by our ancestors."
She strode across the room, her robe swaying like a banner. Black fabric lined with subtle streaks of gold shimmered faintly as she moved.
Her long hair was tied back neatly. In her hand, a staff tapped against the floor as she pointed toward the chalkboard. Her commanding presence was amplified by the glasses perched neatly on her nose.
"However, with great skill and magical capacity, one can cast spells without any incantation at all." The chalk moved by itself, guided by her magic, as words formed on the board.
"Such a person is called a "Vyeren." But not everyone can reach this stage. Most mages, whether skilled sorcerers or pure-born, can only achieve the "Yue" stage—dependent entirely on spoken spells."
The board cleared itself, replaced with a glowing illustration of a mage wielding a staff.
"There are three stages of incantation, Lear, Merda , and Erma."
She paused, gesturing at the board. The illustration shifted, showing a single spell attack, then multiplying into ten.
"Lear is the beginner stage—casting only one spell. Merda allows two spells to be used simultaneously or fused. Finally, Erma…"
Her voice grew firm. "…is the highest stage. At that level, you can unleash multiple spells in succession, even combining various types at once."
The class collectively nodded, the lesson leaving a clear impression.
Some students quietly tried to imitate, but of course, it was impossible to reach that level in the very first year.
The teacher paused, then offered a polite smile.
"Forgive me, I've yet to introduce myself. My name is Almeeri, and I'll serve as your class's vice instructor. Pleased to meet you, new students."
All the students stood, bowing in respect. Just as she said, this day marked the start of a new academic year—and for Dieora, he had arrived at just the right time.
When they sat back down, a boy with glasses and a thick book clutched to his chest raised his hand.
Almeeri gestured for him to speak.
"What's the difference between a pure mage and a sorcerer?" he asked.
Almeeri snapped her fingers and smiled. "Good question." She flicked her wrist, and the chalk drew two cups on the board.
"Imagine two glasses. One is empty, and the other is already full."
She tapped the illustration. "A sorcerer is like the empty glass—it must be filled with knowledge and practice. A pure mage, on the other hand, is already born with magic inside them… and can even create entirely new forms of magic."
The cups shimmered, showing the contrast between the two.
Another hand shot up, this time a girl seated at the far corner.
"Can pure mages also cast without incantations?"
Almeeri tilted her head. "It depends. If that mage is a genius with extraordinary magical capacity, then yes—it's possible."
The students nodded in understanding.
Her lips curved into a small smile. "Any other questions?"
This time, Lucia raised her hand. She stood gracefully, flipping open her book.
"How many basic incantations are there?"
"Basic incantations, hmm? There are hundreds," Almeeri replied. "Let me show you one."
She pulled an apple from her robe and tossed it five steps away.
"Uliona Lukio."
In an instant, she vanished and reappeared exactly where the apple fell.
The entire class gasped in awe, their excitement for magic spiking instantly.
"That was a simple incantation to vanish from your opponent's sight," Almeeri explained with a soft laugh.
"Technically, I'm not supposed to show this here. You'll learn such things in Mr. Dermentian's class later. So…" She pressed a finger playfully to her lips. "Keep this a secret, alright?"
Her wink made several boys blush on the spot.
Clapping her hands once, she concluded, "That's all for today. Class dismissed—enjoy your break."
Students rushed out enthusiastically, eager for their free time.
Dieora leaned closer to Lucia. "Are we really going to that place?"
"Just as Mr. Dermentian said, we have to," Lucia replied, still absorbed in her book.
The day passed quickly with various lessons—including Dermentian's class. Finally, the time came.
Dermentian fastened his high-collared robe and picked up his spellbook.
"Dieora, heed my words. Whatever happens, don't be tempted by their offers. No matter how much power they promise you."
He turned to them firmly. "Now then, let's depart."
Lucia nodded, handing her small wand to Dieora.
"You can use this to protect yourself," she said, slipping several daggers into her shoulder bag as well.
With preparations complete, the three left the academy together—heading toward their destination.
Zordema.