Elaine picked on her lips with her nails, her thoughts waging war. It was another bad habit of hers, and Sergio noticed it. Frowning, he gently grabbed Elaine's arm and pulled it away from her face.
"Hm?" Elaine blinked in confusion at the man's sudden touch, facing Sergio innocently.
"I told you to not overthink about Lady Sophia." Sergio sighed and placed her arm on her lap. He stared at her with worry. "What is it?"
Elaine pursed her lips, reluctant to tell him the truth.
"Are you disturbed by the fact that she is closer to the prince than you thought?"
"No," Elaine answered, taken aback at his question. "My eyes met Lady Sophia's just now and, she paled when she noticed me."
"...As if she was afraid of something," Elaine wondered softly.
"Perhaps she was scared you would tell the truth regarding the accident?" Sergio shrugged.
"Accident?" Elaine asked quizically.
Sergio blinked. "You were unconscious for two weeks, remember?"
"Yes, I remember..?" Elaine followed his actions and blinked, tilting her head.
"Did they not tell you?" He asked, astounded.
"Lady Sophia was the one who reported you falling off the back of the horse. She claimed that you challenged her to an equestrian race privately in the Academy, and due to your carelessness, you got injured."
"...That's why my family was reluctant to send me to the Academy." Elaine realised, remembering her father's words when she left.
"Did you believe her statement?" Elaine questioned.
"No." Sergio shook his head and said bluntly. "There were no other witnesses, and only Lady Sophia made a testimony."
"However, I lost my memory, so they cannot uncover the truth behind the incident."
"...Isn't it too convenient for Lady Sophia?" Elaine speculated.
Sergio wanted Elaine to explain herself as he was slightly confused at her thoughts, though he agreed with her suspicions. However, a body of blazing fire erupted before the class, causing students to scream in terror due to the unexpected flashy entrance of their professor.
The magic professor caught the attention of all the chattering students with that act, including Sergio's and Elaine's. He laughed in entertainment when many screamed at him in annoyance for frightening them.
Elaine let out a surprised laugh and stared at the enthusiastic professor in amazement. He looked as old as her father, but she sensed youthful energy surrounding his whole being. His ash grey hair matched with dark blue eyes made him look grim, but one must not judge a book by its cover.
"Okay, okay. I was wrong for shocking all of you." The professor put his fire out, then broke into a grin. "Anyway, hush!"
Many complained, but they respected their influential teacher and silenced themselves to start the lesson.
"I know everyone is thrilled about today's lesson, but don't get too excited, or you may cause a disaster in our Fort!" Professor Woods tried to calm his eager students. "All of you have experienced your magic accidentally, but your families refrained you from using it for a reason. Don't get mad at them for limiting your desires. The truth is, none of you can control them at that young age."
"Young Xavier here lit his whole room on fire multiple times due to his rampant emotions. He had no control." Professor Woods mentioned the youngest of Marquess Carlson's son. Elaine chuckled when he saw his ears turning red. "He had no choice but to learn to control his magic at a young age due to his latent potential, so don't be jealous that he is well-known for what he is talented in."
"Moving on, I know you are all tired of learning through textbooks because, in reality, practically practising magic is more logical. I agree with you, so from now on, I will try to reduce our time studying magic through books." Professor Woods informed.
"Alright, everyone, stand up!" Professor Woods clapped, ushering all the students to follow his instructions immediately. "I want you to group yourselves according to the elements you were born with."
"Fire." Professor Woods called and told them to form a circle to his right. "We don't want you lot burning people who are not heat resistant." Professor Woods made a face, and most of the students laughed along at his joke.
"Water," Professor Woods proceeded with a shout, "stand close to the fire group. Just in case they burn the entire building down."
"Earth and wind (or air)." The magic instructor moved on. He then helped some who did not know which category they belonged to, such as those born with the lightning element. Then, Professor Woods brought Prince Lucas to the fire group for this lesson since he was unique.
Victor was born to control snow and ice, so he was placed in the water element with Elaine. As a result, Elaine stood close to Victor.
"Nature is the foundation of magic." Professor Woods started without delay. "Now, people told you that you could only utilise the magic with the element you were born with, but I want you to erase that lie from your memories."
The students didn't understand what the professor was talking about. Professor Woods did not provide clarity to them with words, however, but with his actions. He lifted his arms with a mischievous grin, and suddenly, the chairs the kids set aside floated in the air. The gifted professor moved his fingers like a puppeteer. The chairs moved in a single line, stacking themselves one by one until it became a tall tower of chairs.
Gasps and claps of astonishment filled the Fort when their teacher did the deed, and everyone stared at him in awe. The beauty of teaching first years was, no matter how simple the magic was to Professor Woods, they would stare at him in reverence when he showed it to them.
There was a very plausible reason why Professor Woods instructed the adults and seniors in the Academy to keep this information a secret.
"Yes, many knew me as a fire magician expert, but I learned to connect with other elements as I aged and trained. However, you will learn only about the element you were born with in your first year." Professor Woods' words brought sparkles to his pupils' eyes.
"Whatever your element, one thing underlying your magic is certain and the same for all of us. What is that?" Professor Woods looked at them.
"Emotions." Everyone present in the room said simultaneously—even Elaine.
"Not feelings of rage nor hatred. Not jealousy or envy. These negative emotions are only temporary and not—" Professor Woods dragged his sentence.
"Stable," Elaine murmured, completing Professor Woods' statement.
"Yes..." Professor Woods could hear even the tiniest of voices through magic. He recognised the soft and gentle tone of the lady and immediately searched through the crowd for her.
"Stable." The teacher spotted the child from the front, and their eyes met. His eyes softened when he saw that Elaine was well, and he smiled and nodded at her. Elaine was startled that Professor Woods caught what she said, but she bowed her head slightly to greet the teacher at the moment.
"Put your arms out!" Professor Woods instructed, and every child obeyed. "Closing your eyes increases your concentration, and if you prefer it, you may do so."
"Immerse yourselves with the magic of the world around you." Professor Woods walked amongst the children. "Believe that you can make use of what God has placed on earth for you."
Comments (0)
See all