But Silas's eyes drifted back to Jacob, who was stealing nervous glances at Theron from under his bangs. He didn't know why, but it felt like Jacob was hiding from the instructor. 'Do they know each other?' the question echoed in Silas's mind.
They finished their breakfast, and the couples paired off. Kael whisked Rhys away, and Silas left with Draven, a quiet understanding passing between them to leave Jacob and Theron alone.
Jacob immediately stood up, intending to escape back to his dorm room before their afternoon class. As he turned to leave, a voice stopped him.
"Wait."
Jacob froze as a sturdy hand came to rest on his shoulder.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
He turned to see Theron's firm, questioning eyes fixed on him.
Jacob had known Theron for a very long time. They were from the same barony, and though Theron was four years older, they had grown up together as inseparable childhood friends. For Jacob, that friendship had blossomed into love the moment he was old enough to understand what it meant. But he had always believed Theron was straight. Theron had a string of girlfriends in their youth, and Jacob, certain he had no chance, buried the aching pain in his heart.
The breaking point came four years ago when Theron was set to leave for the academy. Unable to face a real goodbye, Jacob left a separation gift at their usual spot and never showed up.
Theron had waited there for hours, confused and hurt. Jacob was his only real friend. He eventually had to leave, taking only the small, unopened gift with him.
Now, years later, they were reunited at the academy, but Jacob had been a ghost. He ignored him completely, never once meeting his eye in class and vanishing the second it was over. Theron, desperate for an explanation, had figured out who Jacob's new friends were and used his connection to Kael and Draven to orchestrate this confrontation.
"Actually, I wasn't avoiding you," Jacob mumbled, not meeting his eyes. "I just don't have anything to say, so I was going back to my dorm."
Theron looked directly into Jacob's eyes. "Lies. You're lying, Jacob. From the day I left the village, you never contacted me again. You didn't even show up to say goodbye." Theron's voice was filled with a hurt he hadn't realized he was still carrying.
He tightened his grip on Jacob's shoulders, forcing him to look up. "Just tell me, Jacob. Just say it to my face. If I did something that hurt you, I'll apologize. Just please, don't ignore me like this."
Jacob's composure finally broke. His eyes welled up with tears as he looked into Theron's worried face. "You didn't open my present, did you?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Theron was taken aback. He hadn't. For four years, that little box had remained untouched, a symbol of his fear that opening it would reveal a message from Jacob officially ending their friendship. He gulped, the truth catching in his throat. "No. I didn't open it."
Jacob's teary gaze became firm. He lowered his head. "Open it. Then you'll know why I've been avoiding you."
With a final, sad resolve, he gently removed Theron's hands from his shoulders and ran from the canteen, leaving Theron standing alone in the empty hall.
Dumbfounded, Theron stared after him. He finally had his answer, or at least, the key to it. Without another thought, he turned and headed straight for his apartment to find the present Jacob had given him four years ago.
Jacob returned to the dorm room, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. He was alone, as Silas and Rhys didn't come back before it was time to head to their afternoon class.
When Silas finally met Jacob at the classroom door, he took one look at his friend's red, puffy eyes and knew something was wrong. He immediately understood. Placing a comforting hand on Jacob's back, he asked gently, "Are you okay, Jacob? You know you can tell me and Rhys anything. Was it Theron? Did he hurt you?"
Jacob looked up at Silas, a flicker of gratitude in his tear-filled eyes. He was truly lucky to have friends like them. He shook his head. "No... actually, Theron and I know each other from childhood. Something happened between us. I'll tell you later, I promise."
Silas could feel the waves of hurt rolling off Jacob, not physical, but mental. His Divination ability subtly confirmed Jacob was telling the truth. He nodded in understanding. "No matter what, Jacob, we're with you. Don't worry, everything will be okay."
Just then, Kael strode into the classroom, clapping his hands together. "Alright, everyone! Bit of a change of plans. Theory is for nerds. This class will be held outside on the battleground. Let's go see what you're actually made of!"
A murmur of excitement went through the class as everyone followed him out into the bright afternoon sun. They arrived at a large, open field littered with various training equipment. Man-sized wooden puppets stood in silent rows, practice wands were laid out on racks, and other magical implements were scattered about, waiting to be used.
Kael twirled his personal wand, a sleek rod of dark wood, between his fingers. He surveyed the eager faces of the first-year students.
"Welcome, everyone, to your first practical class," he announced, his voice carrying across the field. "In this class, you'll learn how to stop being useless and actually use your magic properly. As you should all know by now, we mages store our mana in our dantian."
He paused, letting the point sink in. "To cast a spell, we need to channel that mana through a medium in most cases, a wand and use our affinity for specific elements to shape it into elemental magic. It sounds simple, but the flow and control are what separate a true mage from a glorified sparkler."
Silas felt a jolt of confusion. Mages stored mana in their dantian, warriors in their heart... but he had never felt a concentration of mana anywhere specific in his body. So where did he store it?
He mentally queried his system.
[Ding!
Host, you store mana in your cells. Each and every cell in your body contains the mana that you absorb or collect through experience.]
Silas focused inward and felt it a subtle, humming energy suffusing his entire being, present in every fiber. It was true.
He looked back at Kael and decided to test his power again, but this time with a different intent.
"Divination."
[Kael Aetherion (Human)
Real Identity: Count Kael Aetherion, young lord of Aetherion duchy
Class: Magus
Level: 49
Strength: 350
Stamina: 300
Agility: 100
Mana: 500
Intelligence: 200
Affinity:
1. Water Element (Excellent)
2. Gale Element (Excellent)
3. Ice Element (Excellent) - A fusion element born from Water and Gale, very rare.
Gains 25 free points after each level up.
Stores mana in his dantian.
Spells: Ice Spikes, Water Balls, Water Currents, Ice Arrows, Gale Blades, Gale Control, Water Manipulation, Ice Sculpture...]
As the information flowed into his mind, Silas murmured a new command under his breath, "Analyse."
At that exact moment, Kael demonstrated his power. With a flick of his wand, he fused two of his primary elements, water and gale. Countless shimmering ice spikes materialized in the air before him and shot forward, slamming into one of the large wooden puppets. The puppet was instantly shredded into a cloud of splinters and dust, disappearing before the students' astonished eyes.
But for Silas, something more profound happened. The world around him faded, and he was once again face-to-face with the mysterious mage from his visions. The man smiled faintly, then struck the ground with his own wand. A beautiful, intricate icy magic circle flared to life above his head, and the air crackled with power. Countless ice crystals formed around him, hovering like a swarm of deadly diamonds, ready to attack. The mage gave Silas a single, knowing nod, and then the vision vanished.
Silas blinked, and a new understanding flooded his senses. He had gained a new affinity. He quickly checked his status.
[Affinity:
1. Thunder (Divine) - So rare that 1 in a million can have this element.
2. Space (Divine) - So rare, perhaps only a handful of people possess it.
3. Ice (Divine) - Rare element to have, only appears in mages with affinity for both water and gale.
4. Water (Divine)
5. Gale (Divine)]
He startled. He had only analyzed the ice attack, so why did he also gain Divine-grade affinity for water and gale?
He asked his system.
[Ding!
Host, Ice is a fusion element. To acquire it, you must also have affinity with Water and Gale.
That is how you received them from the Ancient Mage.]
The words "Ancient Mage" clicked into place for Silas. It was the same figure from his previous visions, the one who demonstrated different powers each time. This powerful, multi-elemental master... he had a name. Silas made a mental note to check the academy library for any mention of an "Ancient Mage."
He looked up to see Kael basking in the bewildered awe of the students, a deeply satisfying grin plastered on his face.
Kael's eyes scanned the crowd of students and landed on Silas. "Silas! Get over here," he called out, a challenging glint in his eye.
Silas made his way to Kael's side. Kael gestured with his own wand toward a rack of simple, unadorned practice wands. "Take one from that pile. Since you don't have a personal wand yet, you'll have to make do with what the academy provides."
Silas nodded and selected a plain wooden wand from the table, feeling its unremarkable weight in his hand. He stood ready, waiting for instructions.
"Alright, try it on one of the puppets," Kael said. "Let's see how much you've actually been paying attention in my class."
Nodding again, Silas pointed the tip of the practice wand toward a distant wooden puppet. He mirrored the process he had just witnessed. Closing his eyes, he focused, drawing on the vast well of mana now spread throughout every cell in his body. He channeled it, a surging river of power, into the simple wand and invoked his Divine affinity for thunder.