The swell of voices in the classroom were rising like a tide. The students laughed, whispered, or even traded rumors, the sound filling the wide stone chamber until it seemed like the walls themselves hummed with energy.
It was then that the air shifted.
At first it was subtle, a sudden pressure like the weight of an incoming storm. Conversations then faltered mid sentence.
The laughter died, their heads turned instinctively toward the doorway as the the doors automatically opened.
The, She entered.
The very first impression was color: a cascade of amethyst hair filled in loose waves over her shoulders, shimmering faintly as though touched by starlight.
Her uniform was unlike the students, a tailored robe of midnight violet trimmed in silver, fitted to her talk frame with elegance that bordered on regal.
Her eyes were a deeper violet still piercing, luminous, and unblinking. They swept across the classrooms in one smooth motion, and that very gaze felt as though their very souls laid bare beneath her gaze.
Silence gripped the room.
She carried no visitors weapon, no need for flashy ornament of status.
She didn't need them. The sheer presence that she exuded was enough,.an aura of condensed authority and restrained power that seemed to hum against the skin, making even the air vibrate.
Her heels clicked against the floor, each of her steps were measured, deliberate.
She then stopped at the front of the class, turning to face the row of her 10 students. For a moment she said nothing.
Then, with a voice that was smooth as silk but yet shape enough to cut:
"Good morning, first year students."
The words she said we're simple, but the tone carried weight. Firm. Unquestionable.
"I am Professor Seraphim Duskveil. Your homeroom instructor and an S ranked awakened. For the next cycle, I will be your guide, your judge, and if necessary, your executioner should you prove to be way too foolish to respect the power you wield."
A shiver then passed through the room. And even Duke, who had joked about everything moments ago, sat up straighter, his grin fading into something more cautious.
Seraphim allowed the silence to settle before continuing.
"You stand here now today because you have awakened. Because fate or even blood, or by blind chance has marked you with the spark of mana. But let me be clear: awakening is not just a gift. It is also a burden. And most who carry it will die before even reaching their true potential."
Her words struck like hammer blows.
Some of the over confident students shifted uncomfortably. Other stiffened, their pride wounded but silent.
Adam just remained motionless, silver hair catching faint light from the window as he just listened.
"Before you take another step down this path, you must all understand what it means to be an awakened. And so, we begin with the foundations. So pay attention. There will be no second chances in this lesson."
She raised one slender hand. At her fingertips, violet mana flared, sharp and brilliant. It stretched, shaping itself into a web of glowing runes that expanded across the air above like a tapestry. Symbols pulsed with life, casting pale light over the class.
"First," she said, her voice was resonating with the hum of power, "it's the matter of Elemental Affinity. The spark each of you carries resonates with the forces that underpin existence. Fire, water, earth, wind these are the basic pillars. Some of you will be limited to one. Others may walk with two or more affinities. And a rare few will inherit affinities that transcend the basics, light, shadow, thunder... or even absolute rarities like space and time."
At that, a wave of students all gazed at Adam, dozens of eyes flickered towards him. But he just ignored them.
Seraphim's gaze flickered across the students as sharp as a hawk's. "Yes, you've already heard the rumors. Some among you wield rare affinities. But do not let envy for your focus, remember this: rarity alone doesn't determine survival. Sure it might provide a bit of an advantage. But the graveyards are littered with the very bones of prodigies who thought they were untouchable."
The whispers then died once more.
"Beyond affinity," she continued, weaving another layer of runes int the glowing tapestry, "is Bloodlines. Some of you carry the heritage of creatures not wholly human, dragons, phoenixes, leviathans, qilin. Mythical creatures whose essence lingers in mortal veins. Their gifts can grant strength behind imagination or cursed that consume their hosts from within."
Her gaze then softened,. through only slightly. "Do not romanticize bloodlines. They are power, yes. But power that demands a price."
The tapestry shifted again. Symbols twisted into patterns that then glowed with pulsing rhythm, like a heartbeat.
"Third: it's Physiques. These are rare conditions, mutations of the body and soul. A physique may allow one to absorb mana faster, or to regenerate wounds, or to channel elemental power more efficiently. Each one is unique, a dive accident or perhaps the inheritance of gods long forgotten."
A murmur then passed through the class. Duke leaned slightly towards Adam, whispering under his breath, "Bet you've got one of those too huh? Considering your strength." Selena silenced him with a glare.
Seraphim let the moment pass before continuing.
"Now. You will hear people talk about ranks. F-SSS, this ranking system just measures your progress, your strength, your survivability. But do not get complacent with letters and titles. A clever F-rank may slay a careless C rank. Power is nothing without control, but there are beings whom you can't touch as the power their have is oppression and that's S-SSS ranks."
She then lowered her hand briefly, letting the weight of her words settle. Then, she traced a new set of symbols into the glowing tapestry.
These ones flickered darker, colder, as though the light itself hesitated.
"Next, you must understand about the enemies of mankind. The Outer Gods, beings whose very existence is corruption. They hunger, not as beasts do, but as concepts. They unravel reality, they twist the mana, and they spawn horrors that claw at our world. To speak their true names is just an invite to madness, or corruption."
A chill then swept through the class. Even Adam felt it, like the faint echo of something vast that was pressing against the edges of the world.
"The Demon war, that you all have read about in history was but just a symptom of their influence. Demons were our enemies, yes but they were also victims, driven by whispers from beyond, this also made all races dragons, elves and humans come into an alliance even the demons.
Now, a fragile peace exists between our races. But don't get fooled, the shadow of the Outer Gods lingers still."
Then runes again have shifted, forming some jagged shapes that opened like wounds in the air.
"These wounds, these scars, are what you call Gates and Rifts. Portals where reality thins, torn by the touch of gods and demons past. From them emerge beasts, nightmares, abominations and the restless dread. Many of you will face such things before you training is done."
Then class listened in rapt silence, their eyes wide.
"And yet, not all the gateways are curses. There are also Realms, pocket worlds, legacies left behind by the gods. And Dungeons, mazes seeded by the Awakened of eras long gone. And within them lies their treasures, knowledge, weapons, and even death in equal measure."
The tapestry dimmed slightly, though its patterns were still hovering in the air, shifting faintly as though they were alive.
"Finally," Seraphim said, "you must understand Mana. It is the very breath of the world, the blood of all living things, even demons although they wield demonic mana, dragon's dragonic mana, and elves the pure mana of the world tree they worship. To wield it is not to command, but to harmonize. Your path forward will depend not just on the strength of your will, but in the discipline. Through cultivation techniques, you will be able to refine mana, strengthen your core, and ascend through the ranks. This path is slow, painful, unforgiving. But it is the only path worth walking."
Her voice the fell silent. The tapestry then dissolved into motes of violet light that rained down softly, vanishing before they touched the ground.
For a moment,.the class say frozen stunned by the weight of everything they had just been told.
Then Seraphim's lips curved into the faintest of smiles, warm, but knowing.
"This, Students, is the world you now belong to. You will stumble. Some of you might fail, and some of you will rise beyond even my reach. But remember this: the burden of awakening is not your alone. It is tied to every soul that walks this earth. Carry it with pride, or be crushed beneath it."
She then turned, sweeping her gaze across them one last time. When her eyes passed over Adam, they lingered for half a breath longer unreadable.
"Class," she said simply, "begins now."