"Classes were suspended following the attack on the academy three days ago. However, we cannot allow the suspension to continue much longer."

Short and thick, with an exaggerated mustache and a potbelly, Instructor Rosario stood at the podium and addressed the class with unusual calmness.

"Five of your classmates were caught in the explosion and are currently receiving treatment in the infirmary, along with one of your instructors, Instructor Mike."

He rubbed his potbelly gently.

"I can assure you that this will not happen again, and the academy is currently investigating the incident. Therefore, you have no reason to worry. However, you are first-class students, and such incidents should not frighten you. That is why, in Magic Phenomena class, we will examine some of the horrors you may encounter within citadels, rune realms, and the floating islands."

The room was noticeably gloomy, and Rosario could see plainly that none of the cadets had any desire to be there. It didn’t concern him, though. Preparing the class for the harsh world ahead was all that truly mattered.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"There are four types of citadels, four types of rune realms, and one hundred floating islands. Who can explain what they are?"

Eyes moving across the room, Rosario handpicked a lady who looked almost entirely lost in her thoughts.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Cadet Marie, could you explain these three wonders to the class?"

Marie sweated bullets, eyes jumping from place to place, until a raised hand at the far-left corner of the room drew Rosario’s attention elsewhere.

Little did Rosario know that Marie’s best friend had been caught in the explosion and was in a dire state.

A moment or two to collect her thoughts was all she needed, but Rosario had already moved on before she got the chance.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Very well, Warner. Address the room."

Warner nodded in understanding.

"The four citadel classifications are Lesser, Great, Epic, and Hellish. Every citadel is ruled by a lord whose rank falls under Lesser, Elite, High, Corrupt, or Supreme. A citadel’s classification depends on the level of malevolent energy it emits. As a result, a Supreme Lord from a Lesser Citadel would be weaker than a Supreme Lord from a Hellish Citadel."

Warner let his words hang for a moment, but Rosario cut in before he could go on.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Good explanation, Warner. But you left out something important. Citadel lords exist to conquer. They raise armies within their citadels and launch attacks on humanity whenever they choose. And like the other Four Wonders, citadels still emerge across the globe even after fifteen centuries."

He smiled.

"You’ve done well, Warner. Now, who can explain rune realms to the class?"

Even as the words left him, his eyes were already scanning the room, waiting to single someone out in a heartbeat. The classic lecturer type most students despised. But his little act of superiority never materialised. Raine was too quick with her answers.

"The four rune realms classifications are Terror, Malice, Abyssal, and Void. Unlike citadels, the malevolent energy emitted by portals affects only humans. A portal can only be closed by raiding the ruined ancient city or castle beyond it. Beyond every portal resides a creature called an Endbringer, believed by scholars to rival a Supreme Lord in strength."

Rosario, surprisingly, was feeling quite pleased. He’d gone three days without class and had been close to losing his mind watching the cadets grow sluggish, but he understood now why they were the first class.

Seated beside Raine, Lucius rushed his words out before Rosario could get there first.

"Cadet Raine omitted something important. Those who successfully raid Rune Realms are granted the title ’Ruler,’ attached to the class of the portal they conquered... like Void Ruler Aotain, the Philosopher of Solitude. These portals are also the source of artifacts and relics."

He’d attended this class plenty of times, and yet today was different. Pulling the cadets for class had been worth every bit of it. Every word felt like a melody to his ears, and he couldn’t stop smiling.

"That is a great addition, Lucius. Your mention of Void Ruler Aotain, the Philosopher of Solitude, is also an excellent point. He discovered a unique method of raiding portals to acquire relics that could even rival contracts."

Nearly half the class wasn’t where Rosario needed them to be in terms of motivation, and that prompted him to offer something he believed could lift their spirits.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Now this is something interesting — something to lift your spirits. I will speak to the authorities so we can be given a chance to visit the Pandora Floating Island."

He smiled as though the joy behind it was big enough to spill into the whole room.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Happy, are you? I can see you all daydreaming about the water streaming from the skies. Ha! It will be fun... Anyway, that won’t happen unless you answer a few questions."

Instructor Rosario’s voice turned into a distant whisper in Raine’s mind before long. Her attention had settled on Lucius, someone she’d been speaking to more often than not lately, and whose company she’d come to enjoy genuinely.

But Lucius had posed a question she’d spent days thinking over. And now he sat right beside her, waiting.

’I don’t know why, but it feels wrong. The answer is there, but it doesn’t sit well with me.’

She thought, sighed and propped her elbows on the table and tried to shift her concentration back to Rosario’s class. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

She’d reached for anything to keep her mind busy. How much she’d missed Ren, who’d gone with Sebastian to collect her customised weapons.

The irritation that flared when she realised Leomaris had been perfectly fine for a while, using old injuries as an excuse to skip Rosario’s class. Nothing helped. It just didn’t feel right.

While her mind wandered, never truly resting in one place, Instructor Rosario’s long class finally came to an end. But she couldn’t move.

She sat as most of the cadets filed out, Lucius right beside her. When he spoke, her heart skipped a beat.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"The class wasn’t as interesting as usual, was it?"

Her red eyes landed on Lucius. Silver-blue hair neatly slicked, his blue eyes on her with a quiet gentleness that made Raine uneasy. Then he spoke again.

"Oh, right. You were supposed to give me an answer today, correct?"

She gulped back bile, mustered the strength to push through her bitter feelings, put on a rehearsed smile, and spoke.

"Yes, I am..."