Chapter : Magic

For a brief second, dead silence hangs over the classroom. Then, the entire room erupts into a chaos of overlapping shouting and baffled outrage.

​“What do you mean, you don't know?!”

​“Is this some kind of joke?”

​“You can't just end it there!”

​

Mark simply stands at the front of the room, letting the wave of noise wash over him while keeping that amused, unbothered smile on his face. He waits patiently until the indignation runs its course and the class finally quiet's down.

​

“If you actually take a moment to think about it, you will realize it makes perfect sense,” Mark replies, leaning slightly against his desk. “I am a Tier 3 mage hired by the Academy strictly to teach you the fundamentals. Just a year ago, I was sitting in those exact seats, a student just like you. How could I have possibly interacted with someone at Tier 6? I’ve never even caught a glimpse of our own Vice Headmistress.”

​

Mark raises a hand, tapping a finger on the podium as he lays out the raw numbers.

​“Do you have any idea how rare they actually are? Across the Empire's population of over one million, there are fewer than ten thousand true mages or knights altogether. And among that handful, fewer than twenty are Tier 6.”

​Mark locks eyes with the stunned class, his smile turning sharp and serious.

​“So mark my words—if you ever find yourself standing in the presence of a Tier 6 mage or knight, it means something in the world has gone disastrously, terribly wrong.”

After the commotion fades, William raises his hand once more, his voice slow and deliberate. “So... you really don't know anything tangible about Tier 6?”

​Mark contemplates the question for a moment, crossing his arms as he leans back against the chalkboard.

​“If you are asking for verifiable facts or spell records, then no,” Mark replies quietly. “However, the world is filled with endless rumours about them. Most are exaggerated tall tales not worth the breath it takes to speak them... but there is one consistent detail across every account.”

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​Mark looks directly at William, his tone dropping an octave.

​“At Tier 6, a person stops being human.”

What does that even mean? William muses silently, letting the phrase stop being human echo in his mind. If you really think about it, none of the things magic can do sound very human-like anyway.

William’s quiet thoughts are soon interrupted by Mark's voice.

​“I take it you don't have any more questions?” Mark looks around the room for confirmation before continuing. “Your official first-year classes start in two weeks, which means all of you should be able to complete the meditation task I assigned within the next seven days. For that reason, there will be no lectures held over this next week—so you can focus entirely on your meditation.”

​

William raises his hand, his brow furrowing. “I have been trying every single day, but nothing happens.”

​A chorus of quiet hums and nodding heads ripples through the room in agreement.

​“It will happen,” Mark replies calmly. “It’s a bit of a paradox—if you actively strain to find something, you won't. It only works when you stop searching and focus entirely on the meditation itself, rather than the result.”

​“What if it still doesn't work by the end of the week?” another student calls out.

​Mark’s expression turns hard as he rests his hands on the podium. “Well... if it doesn't happen naturally, then we will have to force it open. And let me tell you—that is not going to be pretty.”

Another day lost, William thinks, opening his eyes and letting out a long sigh. Idon't even know if this is possible. What if it's just some weird test from Mark or the Academy itself? The chances aren't that low, right?

​William sighs once more. I hope everyone back home is doing well. Auntie and Uncle must be worried about me. Matt would be on another caravan route, Craig might have found his first gemstone while river diving, Emma probably spends all her time learning to read and write, Trojan probably hired another person to take care of Betty, and John probably got married and finally owns the whole house.

​Thinking about all of this, a genuine smile appears on William's lips.

​

Two days have passed since Mark's announcement, and every student has started meditating at their own time and pace. Some have even begun skipping physical exercise to dedicate all their efforts to meditation. However, not a single student has succeeded—until the sound of insistent knocking snaps William out of his memories.

When he opens the door and looks at a disheveled Edward, panting heavily from a lack of air, William blinks in surprise

​“Edward, what happened? Why are you in such a state?” William asks.

After catching his breath, Edward stammers, “Tye... he did it.”

William blinks. “Did what?”

Edward breathes “Magic”