Alonzo, after a few seconds, dropped the boulder on the ground hard, creating smoke from below. The other students started coughing. The teacher, still shocked, got a hold of himself and said to Alonzo:
"Impressive, I will give you two strengthening pills since you lifted it more than was asked!"
Every student looked at Alonzo with new eyes. They never thought such a frail-looking kid could exert such monstrous strength. Even Evelyn was shocked by this burst of strength but didn't say anything. Ansel looked at him with envy and scoffed, saying to himself:
"Just wait, physical strength is not everything. We will see in the magic class how you do!"
Soon the students got back to the classroom since they had to attend the next lesson, entitled Basic Magic. Every student was eager to learn magic. They all knew legends about legendary Luminari mages who could throw meteors and slice mountains in half. Each of them wanted to become a successful mage.
After some time, a very old woman entered the room. She had long white hair, wrinkles on her face, but her eyes were still full of life. She wore a plain yellow dress. She smiled and said in a warm tone:
"Hello, kids, my name is Joana. I will be helping you learn the basics of magic!"
She looked around and said:
"Now, before I start, I need to tell you something about this class. You might have talent for practicing magic, but remember—perseverance can beat talent!"
She continued:
"There are many branches of magic, but the main ones are: rune formation, alchemy, magic forgery, and battle magic—or at least the ones you will be using the most. Now, can anyone give me a definition of what magic is?"
The class was quiet. Only one hand was raised—it was Evelyn's. She looked confident and said:
"Magic is a byproduct of the human nervous system. Certain people are born with rare neural patterns that release energy directly into the environment. Spells and rituals are unnecessary—what we call 'training' is really just helping those gifted brains activate their natural discharge."
Joana giggled at this answer and said:
"As I told you before, talent is not everything. Yes, it gives you an advantage, but if you don't make use of it then it's useless. Any other answers?"
Suddenly Alonzo stood up and said:
"Magic is the manipulation of the world's fundamental energy field, an omnipresent force that permeates matter and life. Through controlled mental focus, symbolic language, and precise gestures, a mage can influence that field to produce measurable changes in physical reality. In essence, it is a systematic interaction between consciousness and the world's energetic substrate."
He spoke with such directness that it could make a person believe him. The teacher shook her head and corrected:
"An excellent answer, but incomplete. Magic is indeed the interaction with the universal field, but it is not merely shaped by the will of the caster. It also responds to natural laws and constraints beyond our control—temperature, geometry, resonance, and more. Without acknowledging these external conditions, one risks catastrophic failure."
She continued:
"The so-called magic is amplified by our emotions—that's why we need to keep them in check."
The teacher demonstrated by releasing fire magic from her palm. Slowly, she manipulated it, throwing it from one hand to another and moving it between her fingers.
The students were fascinated by this display of magic. Joana explained her actions:
"Notice how I keep calm, yet stay focused on the casting!"
Then she clapped her hands and the fire disappeared. She continued:
"Now, I know each of you has your own elemental affinity, but that doesn't mean you can't cast spells from other elements. But first, I want each of you to try and cast a spell. You will be given a book with a singular spell—a tier 0 spell. If you have more than one affinity, you can choose which affinity's spell to get. I recommend choosing the more common affinity because it will be harder to learn a rare spell. The books will be chosen by each of you in the library. The deadline is one week. Before that, take these absorption zephyrs!"
From her sleeves flew a dozen zephyr-looking balls onto the table of each student. They were the same Alonzo used in the affinity testing area, but these ones were different: they were completely black, with a hole, and inside there was a white dot.
The students looked confused at the teacher. She noticed their confusion and clarified:
"Until this lesson ends, I want you to try and insert your magic inside the absorption zephyr in such a way as to manipulate the white dot inside and get it outside. You just need to focus on the dot and stay calm, like I showed you before. I will be helping you!"
The students were eager to try. They all started attempting to get the white dot out, but to no avail. After a few minutes, Joana decided to give them a hint:
"You don't need to focus solely on the object. You also need to imagine yourself manipulating the object in the way you want!"
Giving them this insight helped. Soon, the first one to get the white dot out was Ansel. As soon as the object came out, it disappeared. Ansel had a smug smile on his face and turned his look directly to Alonzo, who hadn't gotten the white dot out yet.
After Ansel, Evelyn managed to get the object out. But when she did, it didn't immediately disappear—it stayed in its form for around a minute before vanishing. Soon another girl managed to get it out. Her name was Phloria; she wore glasses, had short red curly hair and beautiful violet eyes. She got so excited that she almost fell off the chair. Then more and more people managed to complete the task. The only one left was Alonzo.
Ansel looked at him with ridicule.
"I knew it, he's just a brute. Being a mage is not about how strong your physique is, it's about mental capacity. How could someone like him be better than me!" he thought.
After a few more minutes of nothing happening, even the teacher was a little doubtful about Alonzo. But before she could intervene, Alonzo managed to get the white dot out from inside. This one was different from the others—it was shining brightly and didn't disappear. The teacher quickly took the dot and threw it out the window. The dot soon exploded.
The students didn't understand what had just happened. The teacher's face looked solemn as she said:
"Everyone dismissed. Student Alonzo, remain in class—we need to talk!"
The other students quickly left, even though they wanted to hear the discussion. After the last student left, she looked at Alonzo, and suddenly an invisible force choked him in the air, taking away his breath.
"Who are you? Are you a spy sent by the Drakensholt? Speak quickly before I snap your neck!" said Joana.
She was suspicious of him, after all. He had overloaded the absorption zephyr, which was something humans usually did. Luminari people tended to keep the dot intact, while humans blew it up because of their chaotic nature, and orcs usually made them melt.
Alonzo, despite being choked, managed to mutter:
"I am the son of the regional lord Adal Arden, I am no spy!"
The teacher released him and he dropped to the floor.
"I think I got too carried away," she thought.
She opened her mouth and said to him:
"I am sorry for acting so rashly. Let me make up for this. Instead of the one spell given for the assignment, I will give you another one of your choosing."
Alonzo saw this opportunity and said:
"Teacher, I feel so weak cough. Perhaps, if your grace decides, may I have a tier 1 spell?"
The teacher shook her head and said:
"I am sorry, but such spells are only given to those who have already mastered many tier 0 spells!"
She took a breath and then continued:
"But I can give you a low-tier artifact I made, for compensation. What do you think?"
Alonzo took a thoughtful look on his face and said:
"Fine."
Alonzo was unwilling, but it was still better than nothing. He didn't know if it was his charm that saved him or luck, but one thing was for sure: he needed to lay low and accumulate. He had been showing off and making enemies since he came here. All he needed to do was not attract any unnecessary attention!
The teacher took something from her pocket and gave it to Alonzo. It was an amulet. She then said:
"This amulet will help you in your greatest need. Keep it around your neck and it will protect you. Now, farewell!"
After that, she disappeared from his sight, as if she had never existed.
Alonzo looked at the amulet in his hands, put it around his neck, then left and went straight to the library. He needed to choose his spell books. He found the library. On the outside there were two imposing giant doors. He pushed them open and saw a grandiose room full of bookshelves, on which stood countless books.
There he saw many students studying, including his colleagues, who were trying to choose a good spell book. Before he could move, a golem appeared in front of him. It was made of rock. The golem didn't let him pass and said in a high-pitched robotic voice:
"Identify yourself and state the reason you're here!"
Alonzo took a deep breath and said:
"My name is Alonzo. I am a new student. My teacher Joana gave us an assignment about learning a tier 0 spell, and she also mentioned I could take another tier 0 spell!"
The golem stared at Alonzo for a few seconds before responding:
"All right, seems like you're not lying. You can go."
There he also saw Ansel and Evelyn, but he didn't bother greeting them. He went to the nearest bookshelf and started looking around. He browsed from book to book for hours until he found suitable ones for him.
The first was called Shadow Puppeteer—it would allow him to control shadows. The second was called Short Distance Teleportation. Alonzo was pleased with the books he had chosen.
He went to the golem to confirm his choice and prepared to leave, but before he could, he was approached by Evelyn. She looked at him, but this time she wasn't shy or avoiding his eyes. She looked directly into them and said:
"Listen, I don't know why you did what you did back in the trials, but I forgive you. I don't know if it was provoked by me—I just want to leave what happened behind. Are you okay with that?"
She extended her hand, waiting for a handshake.
Alonzo was surprised. After all, she had caused him a lot of pain, but she didn't seem to resent him, unlike how he resented the organization from his homeworld for causing him pain. Even though his pain was far greater than hers, he looked at her hand and said:
"I don't understand. You almost died because of me. Why don't you hate me?"
Evelyn looked confused at Alonzo and said:
"It's because I don't want to waste my life hating someone for the mistakes they committed. I want to live not chasing other people. I want to live without remorse or regrets!"
Alonzo was shocked at this response.
"Maybe I should give her a chance," he thought.
He shook her hand and said:
"I respect your reasoning, even though I don't agree with it."
Evelyn smiled and ran away, leaving Alonzo extremely confused.
"Did I say something wrong?" he wondered.
Anyway, he had other things to do—like taking a meal. He went to the middle floor to eat dinner. The food wasn't high quality but neither was it bad. Alonzo wasn't picky when it came to food. He took some salad-looking food and a soup and prepared to sit, when suddenly he was stopped by a bunch of higher-year students.
The one at the front said:
"You need to pay a fee if you want to pass!"
Alonzo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He took a better look at the person who spoke to him. It was a Luminari who wore a mantle and a monocle. He was almost bald and had a small scar on his cheek. He gave more the impression of a butler than a student.
Alonzo tried to ignore them and choose another table, but he was blocked again. He didn't want to draw attention to himself, and those students were bound to have better spells than him. He thought of giving them some of his salad, but from behind him a voice was heard saying:
"Leave the kid alone, if you don't want me to get involved!"
It was a very tall person, standing at around six feet tall, which was quite tall for a Luminari. He wore a purple robe, signifying that he was in the terminal years. He had a long blue ponytail hair and his eyes were covered by bandages .
The monocle-wearing person, hearing this, backed off unwillingly. The person who protected him approached Alonzo and said:
"Hello, my name is Julien. I come from the Winstone family, and I can't stand those bullies picking on juniors."