The only sounds reaching Elysia's ears were the explanation and the scrape of chalk on the blackboard. Every child sat upright, their gazes fixed straight ahead. Even Celina, who was usually restless, now sat neatly with her arms crossed on the desk.
Magic.
A spiritual power deeply ingrained in this world. At first glance, it seemed like an absurd, illogical force. Yet, upon closer study, the concept of magic closely resembled energy conversion.
Converting magical energy, commonly called 'mana', into other forms of energy was the basic principle behind how magic was created. Heat, cold, lightning, wood, and many other forms were fundamental outcomes of this magical conversion.
However, there was something that set it apart. In fact, its products weren't always natural energies, but also other abilities that defied the logic from her first life.
Time magic, spatial magic, gravity magic, teleportation magic, and soul magic. These were magics that transcended the limits of human logic.
"Professor, can you use any of those?" Celina raised her hand, breaking the classroom silence with her question.
Antoni puffed out his chest. "Didn't I already demonstrate? The falling candies earlier came from my spatial magic."
"Huh?" Celina tilted her head, her lips puckered in disappointment. "So that wasn't magic to create candy, right?"
Antoni chuckled softly. "Unfortunately, no. Sorry to disappoint you, but such magic doesn't exist. Or, more accurately, it hasn't been discovered yet."
"So such magic could exist?"
"It's possible." He shrugged his shoulders. "No one knows. Perhaps someone will invent it someday. Or... it might be you who accomplishes it, Lady Velharis."
Celina's eyes seemed to glisten.
Elysia raised her hand. "Professor, what about magic related to the soul? I mean... is there magic that can find someone's soul?"
"Of course, Lady! That's Soul Magic! The methods are in the academy library." Antoni sounded enthusiastic, but his smile quickly faded. "Unfortunately... no one has managed to master that magic to this day."
Elysia bit her lower lip, waiting.
"Most of the records are very old. I'm not sure if the original versions still exist or have been eaten by termites. Try looking into it yourself when you visit the library."
Elysia just nodded slowly. As she had suspected, even with magic, finding 'his' whereabouts remained extremely difficult.
"Thank you for the explanation."
"Professor, I'm tired of all this theory. Can't we just practice?" asked Cindy, a dark-skinned girl with cat ears on her head.
"I love your enthusiasm, Cindy. But let's recall what I said. You can't use magic without burning mana as fuel. And mana flows through your magic pathways. The question is, have you awakened your magic pathways yet?"
Cindy snorted in annoyance, turning her face away. The other students fell silent. No one answered. Indeed, it was nearly impossible to awaken their magic pathways at their age, mostly under thirteen.
Naturally, one typically awakens their magic pathways after the age of fifteen, or sometimes not at all.
Yes. Naturally. That's how it was...
"The academy's special method," Elysia responded amidst the students' silence.
"Oh, you know about that, Lady Alveria?"
Elysia nodded. All eyes turned to her, but she paid no mind.
Antoni shrugged. "Yeah. You are their little sister. You must have heard it from your older brothers and sisters, correct?"
Elysia once again answered with a nod.
"Academy method?" Celina turned, tilting her head towards Elysia. "What's that method like, Elysia?"
Elysia shook her head slowly. No one had ever told her. She had never wanted to ask them either.
"Allow me to explain, ladies and gentlemen." Antoni combed his hair back with his fingers, a confident, sharp grin etched on his face. "As you know, this academy has stood for hundreds of years. An academy founded by the first Arc Mage, Shysypus," he began. "Beyond just magic, this academy has also discovered various new techniques and methods in the world of sorcery."
"One of them is the method for awakening magic pathways. A special method discovered just a few years ago. This method is called Lumen Astralis."
"Lumen... Astralis?" Celina tilted her head.
"Yes. From the name, you should guess it involves stars. Or more precisely, imaginary stars."
At that moment, many students immediately raised their hands. Questions poured from their mouths; only Elysia did not, choosing instead to listen intently.
Antoni clapped his hands once to regain the attention of his curious students. "Quiet, everyone. Let your handsome and brilliant teacher explain."
He cleared his throat. "Your magic pathways are like clogged hoses. Letting nature take its course takes too long, but forcing it too harshly will cause damage. Lumen Astralis is a method to channel a very gentle, tiny stream of mana to break that clog."
He raised a fist towards the ceiling. "With this method, you won't need to wait until you're fifteen just to awaken them. Furthermore, you can progress much faster than others."
Everyone's eyes shone hearing the series of inspiring words proclaimed by Professor Antoni. Especially Celina, who couldn't stop shaking Elysia's body.
"Did you hear that, Elysia?" her words were mixed with an Algarve accent. "I can't wait to awaken my magic pathways and try that magic!"
Elysia resigned herself to letting her body be shaken by Celina, who kept chattering in her mixed-up language. She never knew how to handle people like Celina.
This girl... she's like a hyperactive puppy.
Amidst the commotion, a boy stood up. He had brown skin. His long black hair was thinly braided on the left side. His steel-grey irises narrowed sharply at Professor Antoni.
"If that's the case, why not spread this method elsewhere? Do you intend to monopolize it? Wouldn't this method allow everyone to awaken their magic pathways?"
A faint smile appeared on Antoni's face.
"You're quite sharp, Alonso. Unfortunately, we can't do that yet. The method is still under development; certain aspects need refinement. Moreover, only a few individuals can act as its medium. That's also why I was chosen as your homeroom teacher."
The two exchanged glances for a moment. A calm tension settled over the room. "Is that answer satisfactory?"
Alonso was silent for a moment before replying flatly, "Yes."
The professor clapped his hands to lighten the mood.
"In that case, let's continue. I will begin. A thick fog will envelop the classroom. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and concentrate. You will enter your subconscious and meet the stars. Take as many as you can."
Click.
The sound of a finger snap was the last thing she heard before thick fog swallowed the class in utter, vacant silence.