As soon as that voice rings out, students that were searching for a seat scramble to sit down. I spin around, and see that it's the stocky man the was introduced as the Alchemy instructor - Povenmire, I think his name was?

A young woman sits directly next to me. She looks over, and her eyes widen in recognition.

"Your Highness! I didn't think you'd be in this lecture."

I grin as I greet Patricia Norton. Her eyes flash a gentle green.

"Hey, Patricia - I was curious. Figured I may as well see what it's about."

"An' what are you two discussin', hmm?"

We turn with a start to find that Instructor Povenmire is standing before us.

"N-nothing, sir," Patricia stammers.

"Good. So yeh won' mind stoppin' yer blabberin', so I ken get a start on th' class."

"N-no sir…"

"Good." He turns his attention to me. "An' how abou you? Gonna 'ave any noise from you, Mister Moore?"

I don't respond. He nods with a crooked smile that I can hardly see through his thick beard. His eyes flash a very light shade of green.

"Good! Tha's what I like t' hear from mah students - silence!"

His demeanor suddenly shifts completely as he stands behind his desk.

"O' course, if ye have any questions, feel free t' raise yer hand. There's nothin' better than an inquisitive mind.

"Now then - introductions! Yes, I am a dwarf. An' yes, I am an alchemist. And YES, I am aware tha' those things don't typically mix. But I am wha' I am, and I am nothing else."

Huh. I might just steal that.

"Now then - Alchemy! The art of manipulatin' the world around ye, withou' tha' namby-pamby magic."

As the lecture continues, I find myself growing increasingly disappointed.

I was hoping for some kind of transmutation stuff or something. Instead, what I'm getting is basic chemistry.

There's no clear identification of subatomic particles yet, but they're at least aware of atoms and elements. They're currently stuck on the cannonball model of the atom.

I probably won't be bothering with this class in the future - I've never really loved chemistry all that much, so if I can choose to avoid it, I definitely will.

When the class is finally over, and Povenmire is getting ready to leave, Patricia turns to me with a fire in her eyes.

"So? What did you think? Isn't Alchemy amazing? Isn't it amazing that the world is made up of all those tiny balls?"

I shrug. "It's interesting, but I don't think I'll be focusing on it in the future."

"Ah, right - you said you'd like to focus on Magical Engineering, correct?"

"Magical Engineerin', eh?" Povenmire stops to look at both Patricia and myself. "Wha's yer fascination with tha', lad?"

His eyes flash a light green, again.

"I feel like there's a lot of wasted potential," I explain.

He arches his eyebrows at that. "Ohhh, wasted potential, y'say? Well, I believe tha' you'll get right along with Instructor Trentor. Tha' elf is full o' hypothesis and theories on how t' better use magic crystals. I prefer the practicality o' alchemy, o' course - but I must say, there is a certain charm to th' adventurous spirit o' her craft."

Hearing him speak so highly of an Elf throws me off guard. I've always thought of Dwarves and Elves as being polar opposites, and constantly being at odds - is that not the case in this world?

"Now, I'd best be goin' - I'd rather not hold up Instructor Felmin's preparations. Last time I did, I had t' grow back half o' me beard!"

"That was no fault of mine, Povenmire. You put your face in front of a fire crystal."

Jesus! I nearly jump out of my skin when the guy shows up - I never even heard him coming!

Instructor Felmin delicately places a wooden box on top of the desk, and Povenmire readily excuses himself.

"I apologize, but I'll have to take my leave, as well." Patricia stands and curtsies to me. "Have a nice day, Your Highness. Dame Alex."

"You too - maybe I'll see you around?"

"I truly hope so. Until then." She curtsies again, and makes her way up the stairs and out of the lecture hall. I wave to her as she goes, and then somebody else catches my eye. His eyes flash red, and he approaches me, gritting his teeth.

Michael stops at my desk to glare at me. His knight silently stands by his side.

"Eric…what the hell are you doing here?"