Raelis made his way through the spacious academy hallways, heading toward classroom number six.
He glanced at the note in his hands, the sa note that he had found on his desk this morning.
It had basic instructions, such as wearing a fitted black uniform and bringing along the pen that had also been mysteriously placed on his table.
Nevertheless, he soon arrived in front of classroom number six and stepped inside.
The classroom was large and slightly elevated at the back, built like a lecture hall. Instead of individual desks, there were nine long wooden tables arranged in rows, each one able to seat around twenty students. Simple benches ran along each table.
At the front was a wide chalkboard mounted on the wooden wall, with a raised platform just below it for the instructor. A few small shelves nearby held jars of chalk, sealed scrolls, and a tal pointer rod.
Tall arched windows lined one side of the room, letting in light that bounced off the tiled floor.
It seed like the headmaster and staff had gone all out for this classroom, so Raelis was naturally very happy.
There were already nearly a hundred students present, so aside from the front row and the very back row, there weren’t many seating choices.
But I an... who would sit in the back? It’s so far away... I couldn’t even see the desk from all the way there, Raelis thought and settled on the far right side of the first row, the only row where no one else sat.
There were a few people missing, such as Charlotte, Alice, and Clea.
Not even a few minutes later, he saw those three walk right in.
Raelis’s gaze lingered on the three for only a mont before he turned to look out the window.
Class would start in around two minutes, at exactly the tenth hour of the morning.
He played around with the phoenix egg in his pocket until eventually, he heard soone pull the chair back beside him and sit down.
Raelis turned his head, and to his surprise, Clea was the one who sat beside him.
As for Charlotte and Alice, they went to the very back, the ninth row.
"I hope you don’t mind if I sit beside you," Clea said plainly. "I thought of going to the very back with the others, but my eyesight isn’t the greatest."
Raelis held back a chuckle. "It’s fine, go ahead."
He had made the sa excuse, but in reality, since they both practiced stealth, their eyesight was perfect.
Still, they shared a mutual understanding and waited for the lesson to finally begin.
And after a few more minutes, the bell rang. Right on cue, the classroom’s door swung open as a familiar figure walked in.
He wore a top hat and a single monocle as he strode toward the raised platform up front.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he placed his casual cane against the wall and grabbed a piece of chalk.
He swiftly wrote his na down and turned toward the students.
"It’s nice to et you, everyone. My na is Julian Evern, and from this day until you graduate, I will be your horoom instructor," Julian said with a curt bow.
He fixed his posture right away and continued with the introduction.
"I am a mystic, as so of you might know... but for those who don’t know what mystics are, I will give you a quick lesson," Julian said and turned back to the blackboard.
He scribbled thirteen pathway sigils, but soon after, he wiped away ten of them, leaving only three.
"Pardon , but I’m too lazy to explain the other ten. I’ll do that so other day, so bear with ," Julian added, and like that, he finished his scribbling.
He drew three pathways.
Pathway of the Veil, represented by the sigil of a mask with three eyes.
Pathway of the Hollow Star, represented by the sigil of a colorless star with a hollow center.
Pathway of the Binding Chain, represented by the sigil of a shackled hand in a circle.
"Mysticism is a rare and dangerous power," Julian explained. "It is tied to ancient knowledge and artifacts. Sadly for us Mystics, after the first great war, most of that knowledge was lost to ti."
He paused for a mont, his face turning solemn, then brightening again.
"Anyway, those who practice Mysticism follow unique Sigil Pathways, each centered around a symbol that grants them increasing power." He tapped the blackboard with his tal pointing rod, circling the drawings. "These are just the three, and there are thirteen in total."
His polite smile shifted into a cheeky smirk.
"I, myself, am a proud Eighth Seal of the Hollow Star Sigil Pathway."
After that, a mont of silence ensued, which extended for a bit longer than Raelis expected.
Even so, one of the more curious students spoke up.
"Instructor... what exactly do those pathways do? They seem fancy... but what exactly is the point of Mysticism when we can rely on our bloodlines for power?"
Julian clicked his tongue and tapped on the topmost symbol, the Pathway of the Veil.
"These cheeky bastards focus on three aspects: Prophecy, Illusion, Manipulation. They can detect most lies, and they’re very annoying to deal with since they can vaguely guess the future. I saw a natural-born Veil Mystic in the exam batch. It’s a pity he got eliminated," Julian said regretfully.
He let out a sigh. "But don’t be fooled. Literally. Those bastards could infiltrate a kingdom and act as rulers for weeks without anyone noticing. Still, I prefer my pathway more."
His grin returned as he tapped on the Hollow Star pathway.
"We, of the Hollow Star pathway, focus on the following three aspects: Void, Space, Detachnt." Julian tapped the blackboard with a bit more strength, as if he was trying to get everyone’s attention for the next part.
"People from this pathway have extre spatial awareness, a subtle resistance to all magic, and they can even teleport short distances," he said, his smile slowly fading. "But... in exchange for such power, we must detach ourselves from those we care about. We can never truly engage in relationships or have any long-term friendships. The only thing it does is distract us."
Another student raised their hand and spoke. "Instructor, then why would anyone beco a Mystic of that pathway? It seems... pretty lonely."
"It is." Julian nodded, his expression hardening. "I’m holding onto a rumor, one that I’ve seen in one of the ancient books we managed to recover."
He picked up the chalk and filled in the empty star, then turned back to the students.
"In the ancient texts... it was ntioned that originally, twenty pathways existed instead of the current thirteen. And one of the unknown pathways that was ntioned had sothing to do with ti."
Julian’s lips began to tremble, yet it was unnoticed by everyone except Raelis and Clea, who had heightened perception.
"Ti is a very strong power... and I wish to recover that secret pathway. There’s soone I... there’s soone I wish to bring back," Julian stated firmly. "And I believe with the power of ti, it would be possible."
Silence ensued, but it was for an entirely different reason.
He wants to bring soone back...? It sounds like necromancy. But if ti is involved, then maybe actual revival? Is that even possible?
Aside from that, there was one more concern.
Raelis raised a hand and spoke.
"You ntioned you wanted to uncover that pathway and bring soone back. Correct if I’m wrong, but can’t you only drink one Relic Essence potion tied to your pathway? If you try to drink sothing that’s different than your current pathway... won’t you die?"
Julian stared at him for a few monts before slowly nodding.
"That is correct. But that doesn’t stop from passing on my teachings to a disciple," Julian announced with a chuckle. "The only reason I’m here in this academy is because the headmaster promised to help in my search, so until then, I have plenty of ti to choose a successor."
Murmurs spread throughout the classroom at his unexpected announcent.
"Seriously... having such a strong person as your master will automatically make you rich and famous!"
"I know right? Maybe I can beco his disciple. I’ll just need to focus on studying... study... I don’t think I’ll beco his disciple..."
"Tch... it’s already obvious who he’s going to pick. The most talented person here, Zeri... on that note, where is she?"
"Zeri is currently in the pharmacy. She won’t be with us this week, so pay attention to now," Julian said and tapped the remaining symbol on the blackboard.
"This is the Pathway of the Binding Chain. They’re the most boring people I’ve ever t, and their main aspects are: Control, Contracts, Constraint. Though..." A shiver ran down Julian’s spine. "I think they should change Constraint to Restraint, because every single one of the Binding Chain Mystics I’ve t was a masochist."
Julian raised his hands, acting as if he had been tied up.
"They summon weird spectral chains to control their foes, and they also gain strength by lending their powers to those they have contracted with."
Suddenly, a student slamd the table as she stood up, a look of surprise on her face.
"I-Instructor, do you an contracts like with demons...?"
"Yes, but not in the traditional sense," Julian replied plainly. "Binding Chain Mystics can only share power that cos from their pathway. So uh... they can lend their chains and special notes which slow enemies when they make contact."
He tilted his head. "They also have a weird way of enforcing a short-term rule onto soone. So if I tell you to sit while invoking my Mystic power, you’re going to sit. Simple enough, right?"
With that, he began wiping the blackboard clean, only leaving his na in case soone forgot.
"That was a lot..." Clea whispered. "What do you think about becoming his disciple? Imagine running around with the power of Ti at your disposal."
Raelis shrugged. "I don’t think I have an affinity for Mysticism. But even if I did, there are plenty of other students in the academy who are just as special."
After all, Julian never ntioned that he was only limiting his search to the first years, so he could even turn a senior into a disciple.
It’s just too much. But if I do get a chance... I’d definitely take it.
With that, he chatted with Clea for a few minutes about the dormitories and learned that Charlotte and Alice were the two girls who stayed in the rooms beside hers.
It was a pleasant coincidence, and because of that, they had managed to beco friends.
But when the murmurs reached an alarming level, Julian slamd his staff down, causing an echo to reverberate throughout the classroom, sending shivers down everyone’s spine.
"Now now, that is enough idle chatter," Julian said, his grin softening.
"Why don’t we get started with the first lesson, shall we?"
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