The classroom smelled faintly of coffee and warm electronics. Hyselia leaned against the edge of the teacher's desk, smiling gently at the students. "All right, everyone, settle in," she said softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Today we are going to talk about the Blightborn."
Her voice was calm and patient, wrapping around the modern room filled with sleek desks, glowing tablets, and a humming smartboard. "The Blightborn are physical manifestations of the sorrow and pain humanity experienced during The Wail. Back then, they appeared far more often, almost ten times as frequently as we see them now. But even today, they still form whenever humanity suffers. They will never truly disappear, not as long as people exist and feel grief. And the worse the catastrophes we face, the stronger these manifestations become."
She tapped the smartboard lightly, and a chart appeared. "Now, the Blightborn are divided into six classes, each with its own hierarchy. At the bottom are the Ascendants. They are around C rank Aetherial level. Above them are the Risings, at B rank. Conquerers follow, A rank. Overlords are next, S rank. Then come the Cataclysms, which are multiple S rank Aetherials. And finally, at the very top, we have the Mourningstars, EX rank Aetherials, the most powerful of all."
Hyselia smiled again, leaning slightly closer to her students, her tone warm. "It might sound scary, but it is also fascinating. These beings are tied to humanity itself. By understanding them, we learn about our own emotions and the echoes they leave on the world. Remember, knowledge is the first step to understanding and control."
She gestured to the smartboard as the lights of the modern classroom reflected softly off the screens. "Any questions before we dive into the examples?"