The afternoon sun shone on the academy . The students were walking towards the cafeteria to get their lunch .
In the cafeteria 2 people sat opposite to eachother . On the desk papers were spread out . Selena sat there holding the pen explaining while Kael sat there listening .
"Kael lets test what you know first okay"
Kael nodds while reciting from his memory "so the magic is run by mana . Mana is present in all living beings such as humans , animals , plants etc . They flow through paths called mana runes in our body . These runes convert the pure mana into their respective genetic attributes . "
Selena nodded approvingly.
"Very good. Now answer this. What happens when an ordinary animal is exposed to an excessive amount of mana?"
Kael thought for a moment before answering. "Animals that absorb too much mana gradually mutate into monsters."
"The greater the mana they absorb, the stronger and more dangerous they become."
Selena smiled faintly "Correct. That is why forests and regions with a high concentration of mana are often infested with monsters."
Selena nodds approvingly "Okay now tell me what are the types of magic present in the system"
Selena says to marking a line .
Kael thinks for a while and then answers "mmmmm well there are 3... " he looks at selenas face to check if he is answering right . Selena frowns a little.
Seeing it Kael corrects himself "Yeah sorry 4 types of magic . One is elemental magic . Which has fire, water , Nature, earth ,air , light ,dark. And other types include non elemental magic , enchantment magic and weapon arts " kael says a bit confidently .
Selena nodds approvingly "now explain each type of magic works"
Kael takes a deep breath . He is a bit comfortable with selena now .
"The second is Non-Elemental Magic."
"Things like healing, reinforcement, barriers, and telekinesis etc ."
Selena nodded. "So far, so good."
Kael continued more confidently.
"The third is Enchantment Magic."
" This type of magic is usually used to create magical artifacts and construct Magic Towers by engraving mana chants on them.....and..."
Seeing Kael hesitate , She helps him with rest of the answer "The artifacts are graded according to the skill of the enchanter . It ranges from S to F class where the former is strong .
Kael nodds and then continues" And the fourth is Weapon Arts. Techniques that strengthen the body or enhance weapon attacks through mana."
"They can be learned by anybody with a proper training . There are some special art are unique to a specific weapon . Generally, the stronger the weapon and more efficient the skill of the user , the more powerful the Weapon Arts it can support."
Good selena is impressed by kaels knowledge . "Now answer this question what are the 2 factors that determine the mage's strength"
Kael answers "mmm it is mana capacity and mana control . Mana capacity is amount amount of mana a petson can produce, while mana control is how efficiently a person can control and circulaate mana within their body"
"Good now tell me the principle of mana gauge"
Kael thinks for a while "mana capacity "
"No"Selena shook her head." It measures mana control. It measures how efficiently you can circulate and release the mana within your body."
"The result is expressed as a percentage and is used to determine a mage's Mana Control Level.For example, if someone has a mana control efficiency of twenty-five percent, their Mana Control Level is twenty-five."
Kael listened attentively.
"So if two people possess the same amount of mana, the one with better mana control will usually be stronger. Mana Capacity is inherited.But Mana Control is acquired. That is why a mage with average talent can surpass a genius through years of practice."
She paused before adding, "Of course, if two people possess the same level of mana control, then Mana Capacity becomes the deciding factor."
Selena placed the pen on the table "That's the entire theory syllabus." Kael stared at his notes in disbelief. "...We're done?"
She smiled "It only took twenty minutes.We still have plenty of time before lunch break ends." Kael scratched his cheek awkwardly "Thank you, Miss Selena." "I managed to revise everything because of you."
He hesitated before speaking again."...But I'm still worried."Selena tilted her head "Worried?" Kael lowered his gaze."I... can't manifest mana .I was accepted into the academy because of my theory examination and my mana capacity . My mana control is only level 6 ."
"I barely passed the entrance requirements. If I can't use magic...I'm going to fail the practical examination."
Selena gave a small reassuring smile "Everyone progresses at a different pace.
You know even lucian is like you , when he first arrived at academy , His level was just 4, which was considered extremely poor.But his mana capacity is around 4,000 units.An average adult only has about 1,000 units by the way ."
"Even though he couldn't manifest mana properly, the sheer amount of mana inside his body was extraordinary. Now his level is 20. Keep practicing.You'll eventually reach there ."
Kael smiled shyly."If you say so ...I almost feel like I can.Thank you for believing in me senior"
Those words struck Selena unexpectedly.
For a brief moment...she saw another boy smiling exactly the same way "...Aarav..."she whispered unconsciously.
"Miss Selena?"
She blinked. "Ah...It's nothing."Just then "Hey, Selena!" Lucian waved from across the cafeteria. "Finished tutoring?"
Selena nodded with a smile "Yeah.Let's go get lunch."
_______________________________________
According to the academy's official rules all the students are equal but the academy followed a set of unspoken rules. One of those rules was that nobles were always served first, while commoners had to wait until they had finished.
Selena naturally stood near the front of the line. Meanwhile, Lucian and Kael quietly moved toward the back with the other commoners.
Neither Selena , Lucian nor Kael said anything. It was simply how things had always been.
Today's meal consisted of soft and warm bread, roast chicken, and rich tomato soup. For the nobles, it was an average meal. But for the commoners, however, it was considered a luxury.
A few minutes later, Selena and Lucian found an empty table. Kael was still waiting for his turn.
Suddenly a loud crash echoed across the cafeteria "What the hell are you doing?"
Selena immediately turned toward the voice.
A tall student had grabbed a commoner by the collar. It was Hugh Rockwell.
"You fucking lowborn.Who gave you permission to stand before me?"
The frightened student trembled."I-I'm sorry...I didn't notice..."
Lucian immediately stepped forward.
"That's enough.He already apologized."
Hugh glanced toward him before letting out a cold laugh "And who asked for your opinion Huh?"
Without warning he swung the tray in his hand.
SPLASH!
Tomato soup flew through the air. The tray struck Lucian across the face. His nose immediately began bleeding.
Bright red blood slowly mixed with the tomato soup staining his academy uniform.
For one brief moment.. .Selena froze.
Red.
A trembling hand.
"...SeLeNa...WHy is it alWays ThAt BaStarD...?..Look at me..."
Her breathing became uneven.
"Miss Selena?" Kael's worried voice pulled her back.She blinked repeatedly. Lucian was sitting on the floor while Kael helped him stop the bleeding. The mixture of blood and tomato soup stained both of their uniforms crimson.
Selena immediately looked away. She walked towards Rockwell ""Mr. Rockwell, he already apologized.I believe this matter is settled. You may leave now."
Rockwell wanted to argue but before him was the daughter of House Brightmore and the future daughter-in-law of House Valden. . He knew better to not mess with them or her . So he walked away .
"I...I don't feel well." She thinks to herself before adding "Kael...Please take Lucian to the infirmary."
Kael nodded immediately"Yes, Miss Selena."
Without touching the lunch she had collected.. Selena quietly threw the tray into the waste bin.
She hurried toward the women's restroom before throwing up .Moments later after washing her face several times ,she called for the Brightmore carriage.
As soon as it arrived..she silently left the academy.