Kael rested his cheek on his palm, half-lidded eyes staring at the floating lecture screen at the front of the room. Professor Greaves's droning voice echoed around the hall as he went on about the War of the Eastern Rift.
"...thus, the Empire of Embers fell when the third Flame General betrayed the sovereign..."
Kael blinked slowly.
"I was wrong... I definitely underestimated how boring this would be..."
He fought to stay awake, but his eyes were heavy, and his thoughts drifted toward training, shadow forms, and the next realms to unlock.
Then RRRNNNNNNGGG!
The period bell rang like a divine trumpet, and Kael straightened with a jolt.
"Finally…" he muttered, grabbing his things. "I nearly passed out."
He followed the flow of students exiting the hall, sighing in relief. The core class was finally done. As he made his way to the Mana Control room, he found a new sense of focus returning to him.
This class was different.
It wasn't in a lecture hall but in a spacious room lined with mana-sensitive crystal pillars and dim lighting to help them see aura flow.
Kael took his place in the back corner, again his usual spot.
The instructor, a lean woman with sharp eyes and a calm voice, stepped forward.
"Welcome to Mana Control. Today, we'll be gauging your control and flow rate. Don't worry about strength. Focus on finesse."
The class paired off with the crystal pillars, and Kael placed his palm on the one before him. Blue lines began to glow faintly as he channeled mana through his palm.
The system chimed:
> Mana Flow Stability: 97%
Control Rating: Excellent
He smirked faintly.
"Good. Better than most of the cast, probably."
After a short break, the next period began Mana Theory. Kael found himself in another classroom, this time filled with diagrams of mana veins, core types, and the five principles of energy conversion.
The instructor for this class was eccentric, passionate, and spoke fast enough to give anyone a headache but Kael kept up. Barely.
"Theory's not as boring when you realize it lets you break the rules later…"
And finally, after what felt like a week stuffed into a few hours, the last class arrived.
Combat Simulation.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
"Now we're talking."