The next morning, a bell chimed throughout the academy.
Rhys, Silas, and Jacob woke up together, freshened up, and went to their respective classes. Rhys headed for the warrior academy while Silas and Jacob entered the mage academy, in the Argent Spire.
They had already received their schedules from the registration office, so they knew exactly where to go. They arrived at a large hall already bustling with students from all the different regions where the academy held its tests. Among them were many of the students selected alongside Silas and Jacob.
When Silas appeared at the door, the chatter in the room quieted. The students who recognized him from the test fell silent, already aware of how powerful his elemental ability was. In contrast, those who knew Jacob gave him unimpressed glances; to them, he wasn't special at all.
Silas and Jacob found seats at the far back of the enormous hall. There were nearly four hundred students attending the class.
Just then, a man entered and stood before the professor's desk. He was handsome, wearing a fine mage's coat, and his face held an air of profound knowledge and wisdom. His presence seemed to make him the center of the room. He had slightly brown hair and hazel eyes.
He looked out over the students. "Welcome, everyone, to your first year in the mage academy, the Argent Spire."
"I am Instructor Theron. I will be taking your first-year classes from now on, alongside Instructor Kael."
Everyone watched him with bright, eager eyes. They had been waiting to meet their instructors, and Theron's dignified demeanor already made a strong impression.
Theron began to walk down the central aisle. "For some of you, you were born to nobility, so you know the specifics of mage elements. But some of you know nothing at all. So, let me describe them."
"For mages, the most important thing is affinity with elements. Every mage has a different kind of affinity. This affinity is divided into five grades: Poor, Mid, Pro, Excellent, and Divine."
"Some of you may have an Excellent affinity with your elements. You will become one of the greatest mages of the future."
"As for Divine grade affinity, it is so rare that on this entire planet, we know of only seven people who have it. And all seven of them are the most powerful mages of our time."
Suddenly, Theron's gaze landed on Silas, sitting at the far back. His eyes flickered for a moment before he announced, "But let me tell you an interesting fact. In this year's registration test, we found the eighth person with a Divine elemental ability."
The entire class went silent. Those who knew who he was talking about were already looking at Silas. The others erupted into hushed, urgent whispers.
Theron walked down the aisle until he stood next to Silas. He put a hand on his shoulder, smiled, and said to the class, "This is Silas, your classmate. He is the eighth magician on the entire planet who wields a Divine affinity with the Thunder element."
"Thunder is already a rare element, and he has a Divine affinity for it. He will be the greatest mage of your time."
Every eye in the room was fixed on Silas. He had no idea why Theron would single him out like this. Wouldn't this just bring him unwanted attention, and even the hatred of his classmates?
The answer came from Theron a moment later.
"Some of you come from noble families, so you are proud. You think of yourselves as the pinnacle of humanity. But I showed you the eighth divine user because I wanted to remind you not to get proud over petty things. Practice hard. Reach the highest level on the planet. Only then will everyone respect you. Otherwise, you will be buried by someone else while lost in your own imagination."
A new resolve settled over the class. In his mind, Silas found himself admiring Instructor Theron. But he still had questions. He wanted to know the specific levels of mages, and if the instructor knew, the same for warriors. He raised his hand.
Theron saw him. "Yes, Silas? What do you want to ask?"
Silas stood. "Instructor, can you describe the specific levels for mages and warriors?"
Theron nodded and looked back at the students. "Silas asked a good question. Some of you may know this, but I think most of you don't. So let me describe them for you."
"For mages, there are five corresponding stages:
1. Apprentice Mage (Level 1 to Level 10)
2. Mage (Level 11 to Level 30)
3. Magus (Level 31 to Level 50)
4. Archmage (Level 51 to Level 70)
5. Grand Magister / Wizard (Level 71 to Level 90)
Above that, no one knows what that realm is called or what power it holds."
"For warriors, there are also five corresponding levels:
1. Apprentice Warrior (Level 1 to Level 10)
2. Warrior (Level 11 to Level 30)
3. Knight (Level 31 to Level 50)
4. Warlord (Level 51 to Level 70)
5. Saint / Grand Marshal (Level 71 to Level 90)
And again, above that, no one knows what level of power that realm holds."
At that moment, another student asked, "Um, Instructor, which stage are you in right now?"
Theron smiled. "Most of the instructors in the academy are in the third stage. I am a Magus. The Dean of the Argent Spire is the most powerful in the academy, and he is at the fourth stage, an Archmage."
The students' eyes grew even brighter. Their new professor was truly powerful and knowledgeable.
The class continued for another hour, filled with new information. Meanwhile, Rhys also attended his first class, learning things about being a warrior that he had never known before.
After class, Kael went to Rhys's classroom to get him for lunch, while Silas contacted Draven, who came to his class to meet him. Jacob, however, had vanished. Silas looked for him but couldn't find him anywhere.
The two pairs met up for lunch in the canteen.
Draven and Kael went to the counter to get food for everyone.
"Where's Jacob?" Rhys asked as they waited.
Silas frowned. "I don't know. He just disappeared after class."
Rhys looked confused, but before he could ask more, Kael and Draven returned with trays of food.
Draven sat beside Silas, and Kael sat beside Rhys. Kael and Rhys were already in a relationship, and Kael immediately started piling food onto Rhys's plate. Rhys, in turn, would occasionally feed a piece to Kael.
Draven commented dryly, "I'd get a toothache if I had to see this much sweetness every day."
Silas was about to say something when Kael shot back, "What? Are you jealous? Just ask him to feed you." He pointed at Silas.
Silas's face turned beet red. He never imagined Kael would drag him into the conversation.
But Draven simply picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and placed it on Silas's plate. "Eat," he said calmly. "You said you needed more energy to heal."
Silas's ears turned red, but he didn't refuse. He nodded at Draven and ate the meat. Across the table, Rhys and Kael watched but didn't say a word.
Then, Kael's expression turned serious. He asked Draven directly, "Did you take him to a dungeon yesterday?"
Draven looked at him in surprise. How did he know? He glanced at Silas, whose face was sheepish.
"I got caught by Rhys and Jacob last night," Silas confessed. "I told them."
Draven sighed. "Yes. I took him out yesterday."
Kael's temper flared. "Are you nuts? He was just level one!" He then looked at Silas. "Oh, now he's level five? Just how many dungeons did you take him to?" He glared at Draven.
"Um, Kael," Silas said apologetically, jumping in. "I was the one who asked him to take me. It was my fault. If you're going to scold someone, scold me... and nothing bad happened, so..."
Kael's expression softened as he looked at Silas. "You don't understand what's going on in the world," he said, his voice less harsh. "We are in a constant war with the other two continents, the Beast Continent and the Demon Continent. Draven knows this perfectly well, yet he took you to a dungeon without the academy's permission."
He was about to scold Draven more when Rhys placed a calming hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Kael took a deep breath, reining in his anger. "Fine," he said to Draven and Silas. "Don't take him to another dungeon without informing at least me, Rhys, or Jacob. That way, we can send help if you don't come back in time."
Draven and Silas both nodded. Then Draven added, "Okay. We're going to the forest again today. Now you're informed."
"You...!" Kael snapped, about to explode again.
But Rhys acted first. He cupped Kael's face with both hands and kissed him hard, right there in the middle of the crowded canteen. Draven and Silas stared, completely dumbfounded.
Silas knew Rhys was bold, but this was on another level. He sighed and glanced at Draven, only to find Draven already looking at him. Startled, they both quickly looked away.
The canteen erupted in whispers. Kael was easygoing and popular, constantly receiving confessions from other students, but he had never accepted any of them. Now, everyone had just seen a first-year student kiss him on the lips, and Kael had actually let it happen.
Anger and jealousy flared in the hearts of many onlookers, but they could only grit their teeth in silent agony.
After a long moment, Rhys finally released Kael's face.
Kael licked his lips slowly, a playful glint in his eyes as he looked at his bold bunny. "Can I get some more if I get angry with Draven again?" he asked, his voice a low murmur.
Rhys shot him an exasperated look. "Heh! In your dreams," he snapped, annoyed. "Just finish your food. Everyone is looking at us!"
Kael just smirked. "So what if they are?" he declared, raising his voice so it carried through the hall. "We did nothing wrong. I just got kissed by my boyfriend!"
Every eye in the canteen now fixed on Rhys, their gazes filled with even more hatred and jealousy. Rhys, however, didn't seem to mind at all. The four of them started eating as fast as they could, eager to escape the spotlight. After finishing everything, they quickly left the bustling cafeteria, which was still buzzing with discussion about what had just happened.