Aidan made it to his last class with five minutes to spare. The class focused on the history of Demon Hunters and how they came to be. Aidan already knew the stories and history behind this profession thanks to Lucy.

As soon as she found out that he was interested in becoming a Demon Hunter, she immediately gave him history text books and answered any questions he had.

Aidan let out a long sigh as he glanced around. Thankfully, he didn’t notice anyone from his first class. But he still sat in the back and reserved both seats on his left and right in case someone had the brilliant idea to sit next to him.

When class finally began, the teacher, Mr. Freeman, gave a brief introduction to the course and started explaining how Demon Hunters were created out of necessity to keep balance on earth.

“Demons, just like magic, have always been a part of this world. Questioning their origins would be like questioning our own. Despite the different beliefs among humans, no one can come to the same conclusions about how we came to be. There is no set belief so there is no set answer. With that being said, it makes it easier to understand demons, magic, and how to protect this world.

“Being a Demon Hunter is much more than applying magic to fighting or fighting to magic. You can fight a demon without combat just as you can fight it only using combat. The two, magic and combat, do not have to correlate despite what you may learn in other courses. Yes, you need to be strong when battling demons. You need to be powerful when fighting demons. But being strong and being powerful are two different concepts when applied to Demon Hunters. You can be a strong fighter but you cannot be a powerful strong fighter.

“Being powerful is a concept applied to using magic and nothing else. Being strong is a concept applied to the physical strength of the body and nothing else.” Mr. Freeman gave the class a daunting look before continuing. “You might not know this, but there are different levels to Demon Hunters. Fighting isn’t the only course in this path you have chosen. There are Fighters, Healers, Scouts, Informants, Researchers, Engineers…you name it and it most likely exists. Not every Demon Hunter will face battle but every Hunter will know how.”

Aidan took a moment to let this sink in. He had always believed that having a strong core meant having a strong—powerful range of magic. He raised his hand, his eyes narrowed in thought.

“Yes… Aleta, right?” Mr. Freeman called on Aidan with a genuine smile. 

“Yes, sir,” Aidan began. “I’m a little confused.”

 “I don’t blame you,” Mr. Freeman replied.

 “I always thought that if the core was strong so was a person’s magic. Don’t people fall prey to their own magic because they aren’t strong enough to withstand it?”

“Ah, so you’ve spotted the conundrum in the academic world. An excellent question, Aleta,” Mr. Freeman praised. “Can you take a wild guess as to what the core actually is?”

Aidan frowned in concentration. “If the core isn’t physical…could it be that it is part of a person’s aura?”

“Precisely!” Mr. Freeman shouted. “I see you were paying attention to Machin. The aura is everything to a Demon Hunter. Find your core in that, strengthen it, and you won’t need a physical strength to help you on the battlefield. Of course, it does help to be strong. The core isn’t physical in the sense that it’s flesh and blood. Only magic can reach the core. In turn, if your core is powerful and well-trained, you don’t have to be a strong fighter to have powerful magic. Just like you don’t have to have a powerful core to be a strong fighter.

“Next class I will be explaining how to find your core. It’s best you not try it on your own. The consequences could be devastating. When you receive your textbooks tonight, I want you to read the first two chapters and come ready to discuss. You didn’t just come here to learn how to fight.” Mr. Freeman finished in a stern voice. “Class dismissed.”

Aidan let out a sigh as he pushed his chair back and made his way down to the front of the classroom. He had a few more questions for Mr. Freeman.

“Excuse me, sir,” Aidan called out when he reached his teacher. 

“Not quite ready to believe me, are you?” Mr. Freeman asked with a chuckle. His green eyes were warm and polite. Aidan guessed he was nearing his fifties since there were age lines and a lot of gray in his once blonde hair.

“It’s not that, sir. I just didn’t know the aura was so important. Why is that?” Aidan asked with a true curiosity.

Mr. Freeman took a deep breath before saying, “You’ll have better luck with Machin since she’s specialized in auras. However, I will say this. Just because a fraction of our world can see auras, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t important. Our auras determine our strength. It’s true that some become fixed while others are constantly in motion. But that doesn’t make them any less important.

“If our world would take time to understand auras, then I think there would be a decrease in people succumbing to their magic. But, Aleta,” Mr. Freeman continued in a serious voice, “be careful about the people you befriend at this university. Not everyone is open to this idea of auras being more than a projection of our magic. And not everyone is here for the right reasons. Take care in who you share your thoughts with. As your professor, know that you can come to me for anything during your studies.” Mr. Freeman continued in a slightly brighter voice.

“Thank you, sir.” Aidan responded in a serious voice. 

“Off with you now.” Mr. Freeman stated, not unkindly. 

Aidan offered him a smile before he turned around and left the classroom far behind. He had a lot to wrap his head around.

All his life, he had been told by everyone that having a strong physical core was the key to becoming a strong magic user. What was wrong with saying otherwise? He didn’t have an answer and that frustrated him.

He quickly glanced at his watch before pulling out his map and locating the Resource Room. It wasn’t too far from the main building and he arrived just on time. However, the good mood he was starting to have evaporated once he spotted Fabien.