Chapter 50: The First Lesson

The voice came from beyond the hidden door.

"Ethan Vale."

It sounded exactly like Ethan.

Same tone.

Same rhythm.

Same irritating confidence.

Noah Blake slowly raised his knife.

"I have a question."

Ethan did not look away from the darkness.

"What?"

"If that is your voice, does that mean you are talking to yourself?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Because it sounds like something you would say."

Ethan drew his sword.

The blackboard immediately wrote:

**NO WEAPONS INDOORS.**

Ethan looked at it.

"There is an ancient voice beneath the classroom."

**THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE.**

Noah pointed at the board.

"Finally, someone is enforcing school rules."

Ethan turned toward him.

"You are holding a knife."

The blackboard wrote:

**NOAH IS ALSO IN DETENTION.**

Noah’s smile disappeared.

"What? Why?"

**POSSESSION OF UNAUTHORIZED KNIFE.**

"It is authorized."

**BY WHOM?**

Noah held up the knife.

"By me."

**REQUEST DENIED.**

The knife slipped from his hand.

A tiny wooden box appeared beneath the desk and swallowed it.

Noah stared at the empty space.

"Give it back."

**AFTER CLASS.**

"That is confiscation!"

**CORRECT.**

Adrian looked toward the hidden door.

"Can we focus on the mysterious voice?"

The blackboard wrote:

**ADRIAN HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO CLASS REPRESENTATIVE.**

Adrian straightened immediately.

"What are my responsibilities?"

**KEEP EVERYONE QUIET.**

Adrian turned toward Noah.

"Stop talking."

Noah pointed at him.

"You have been waiting your entire life to say that."

Adrian looked pleased.

The hidden door opened another inch.

Cold air flowed into the classroom.

The voice spoke again.

"Ethan Vale..."

This time, the sound came with a soft laugh.

Ethan stepped forward.

"Who are you?"

The voice answered:

"I am the reason you were invited."

Noah whispered:

"Did you receive an invitation?"

"No."

"Then it is a suspicious invitation."

Ethan ignored him.

"Why did you call me here?"

"Because you are the only one who can open the lesson."

Ethan looked at the door.

"What lesson?"

The blackboard answered before the voice could.

**HISTORY OF THE FINAL WAR.**

Everyone turned toward Veyron.

He stood beside Professor Voss, holding his stack of lesson plans.

Veyron looked offended.

"I was not informed that my lecture had begun."

The hidden voice laughed.

"You are not qualified to teach this lesson."

Veyron’s face became cold.

"I personally participated in the Final War."

"That is precisely why you are unqualified."

Noah raised his hand.

"Can we vote?"

Professor Voss looked at him.

"No."

"What if the vote is unanimous?"

"No."

"What if it is funny?"

"Especially no."

The hidden door opened fully.

Beyond it was not a dark chamber.

It was another classroom.

It looked almost identical to Room 13, except everything inside was covered in dust.

A blackboard stood at the front.

Desks filled the room.

At the teacher’s desk sat an old skeleton wearing a professor’s robe.

A small sign hung around its neck.

**TEMPORARY SUBSTITUTE.**

Noah stared.

"I have several concerns."

Adrian looked at the skeleton.

"It appears to be dead."

The skeleton lifted one hand.

Everyone froze.

The fingers tapped the desk.

Once.

Twice.

Then the skeleton pointed toward Ethan.

The blackboard behind it wrote:

**LATE STUDENT.**

Ethan looked at the clock above the door.

It had no hands.

"I am not late."

The blackboard changed.

**YOU ARE CENTURIES LATE.**

Noah turned toward him.

"That one is fair."

Ethan stepped into the hidden classroom.

The temperature dropped.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the door closed behind him.

Elena, Noah, Adrian, Rowan, and Veyron entered after him.

Professor Voss remained outside.

"I will be in the main classroom."

Ethan looked at her.

"You are not coming?"

"I am supervising from a safe distance."

"You are the professor."

"I am also familiar with the academy’s survival statistics."

The hidden door locked.

Professor Voss’s voice came through the wood.

"Try not to destroy anything."

Ethan looked at the skeleton.

The skeleton raised a finger.

The blackboard wrote:

**NO DESTRUCTION DURING CLASS.**

Noah whispered:

"I think this room has a personal problem with you."

"I have never been here."

The skeleton pointed at him.

The blackboard wrote:

**THAT IS WHAT THEY ALL SAY.**

Ethan walked toward the teacher’s desk.

The skeleton pushed a stack of papers toward him.

The top page read:

**FINAL WAR — POP QUIZ**

Noah leaned over.

"How can there be a pop quiz before the lesson?"

The skeleton turned its skull toward him.

The blackboard wrote:

**SURPRISE.**

Noah stepped back.

"I dislike the teacher."

Veyron reached for the papers.

The skeleton slapped his hand away.

The blackboard wrote:

**SUSPICIOUS HISTORICAL FIGURES MAY NOT CHEAT.**

Veyron stared at it.

"I am not suspicious."

The skeleton pointed at him.

The blackboard wrote:

**YOU STARTED A WAR.**

Veyron sat down.

"That is an oversimplification."

The skeleton lifted a second sign.

**SIT.**

Veyron sat.

Noah leaned toward Ethan.

"I have never seen anyone defeat Veyron with a piece of cardboard."

Ethan looked at the skeleton.

"Who made this room?"

The skeleton pointed toward the blackboard.

The answer appeared:

**THE ACADEMY.**

"Why does it know about me?"

**THE ACADEMY REMEMBERS EVERY STUDENT.**

"I was never a student here."

**FALSE.**

Ethan frowned.

The skeleton pointed toward the first question.

Noah picked up the paper.

"Fine. Let us see what the terrifying classroom wants."

He read aloud:

"Question one: Who started the Final War?"

Everyone looked at Veyron.

Veyron raised his hand.

The skeleton pointed at him.

Noah wrote on the paper:

**Veyron.**

Veyron objected.

"I did not start the war alone."

The blackboard wrote:

**PARTIAL CREDIT.**

Veyron looked offended.

"Partial?"

The skeleton held up another sign.

**A WAR REQUIRES MORE THAN ONE BAD DECISION.**

Noah nodded.

"That is actually very wise."

The skeleton pointed toward him.

The blackboard wrote:

**NOAH IS NOT ALLOWED TO AGREE WITH THE TEACHER.**

Noah frowned.

"Why?"

**IT ENCOURAGES HIM.**

The next question appeared.

**Question two: Why did the Final War begin?**

Adrian raised his hand.

"Because the First Door was opened."

The blackboard wrote:

**INCOMPLETE.**

Elena answered:

"Because Azeroth wanted to destroy magic."

**INCOMPLETE.**

Veyron said:

"Because Azeroth refused to accept the necessary sacrifice."

**INCOMPLETE.**

Rowan looked at the paper.

"Because everyone believed that one person had to carry the consequence."

The classroom became quiet.

The skeleton slowly nodded.

The blackboard wrote:

**ACCEPTED.**

Ethan looked toward Rowan.

"That was a good answer."

Rowan shrugged.

"It was written in the explanation under the question."

Everyone looked down.

A smaller line appeared beneath the question:

**THE ANSWER WAS NOT HIDDEN.**

Noah slapped the desk.

"I would like to complain about the educational design."

The skeleton pointed at him.

**COMPLAINT ACCEPTED.**

Noah blinked.

"Really?"

**IGNORED.**

The third question appeared.

**Question three: Who was responsible for the Final War?**

The room became tense.

Veyron stared at the paper.

Ethan looked toward the skeleton.

The skeleton pointed at Veyron.

The blackboard wrote:

**ANSWER HONESTLY.**

Veyron picked up the pencil.

He wrote:

**I was.**

The answer remained.

Then another line appeared:

**NOT ONLY YOU.**

Veyron looked at the board.

The blackboard continued:

**THE KINGS WHO CHOSE WAR.**

**THE MAGES WHO BUILT THE WEAPONS.**

**THE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED WITHOUT QUESTIONING.**

**THE ONES WHO KNEW THE TRUTH AND STAYED SILENT.**

**THE ONES WHO BENEFITED FROM THE CHAOS.**

The room became colder.

Ethan saw the lesson clearly now.

This was not an ordinary classroom.

It was a memory of the academy before the Final War.

The teachers had tried to understand what happened.

The academy had recorded every answer.

Every excuse.

Every name.

Every failure.

The skeleton stood.

Its bones moved with a dry clicking sound.

The blackboard wrote:

**THE FINAL WAR WAS NOT CAUSED BY ONE VILLAIN.**

Veyron lowered his head.

**IT WAS CAUSED BY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO DECIDED THEIR CHOICE DID NOT MATTER.**

The blackboard changed again.

**LESSON COMPLETE.**

Noah raised his hand.

"What about the rest of the quiz?"

The skeleton pointed toward him.

The board wrote:

**EXTRA CREDIT.**

Noah immediately lowered his hand.

The skeleton walked toward the back of the classroom.

A small door appeared in the wall.

Above it was a sign:

**PRACTICAL EXAMINATION.**

Noah stood.

"No."

The blackboard wrote:

**YES.**

"No."

**YES.**

"Absolutely not."

**DETENTION.**

Noah sat down.

"I hate this academy."

The door opened.

Beyond it was a training room.

The walls were covered with magical targets.

Some were shaped like monsters.

Others were shaped like students.

One target looked exactly like Ethan.

Noah pointed toward it.

"Why does that target have his face?"

The skeleton pointed at Ethan.

The blackboard wrote:

**ACADEMICALLY RELEVANT.**

Ethan stepped into the room.

The door closed behind him.

A bell rang.

The targets came alive.

The first Ethan-shaped target drew a wooden sword.

The second raised a shield.

The third began casting a spell.

Ethan reached for the black sword.

The blackboard immediately appeared on the wall:

**ORDINARY STUDENT WEAPONS ONLY.**

Ethan looked at the sword.

"It is an ordinary sword."

The board wrote:

**IT HAS CUT THROUGH DIMENSIONS.**

"It was having a difficult day."

**WOODEN SWORD.**

A wooden sword appeared in Ethan’s hand.

He stared at it.

Noah watched from outside the training circle.

"Try not to destroy the classroom."

Ethan attacked the first target.

The wooden sword broke upon contact.

The target remained unharmed.

Ethan looked down at the broken weapon.

The blackboard wrote:

**POOR TECHNIQUE.**

Noah covered his mouth.

Elena’s lips twitched.

Adrian looked embarrassed for Ethan.

Veyron watched with deep interest.

"Your form is inefficient."

Ethan looked toward him.

"I have defeated armies."

"Using power."

"I have also defeated swordsmen."

"Using power."

Ethan picked up another wooden sword.

The first target attacked.

Ethan blocked.

The impact sent him sliding backward.

The target moved faster than expected.

It was not using magic.

It was copying Ethan’s movements from before he had gained the fragments.

His old technique.

His old weaknesses.

The target struck again.

Ethan blocked too late.

The wooden sword hit his shoulder.

The blackboard wrote:

**HIT.**

Noah shouted:

"Ethan was hit!"

"I noticed."

"Do you need medical attention?"

"No."

"Do you need emotional support?"

"No."

"Do you need me to stop laughing?"

"Yes."

Noah continued laughing.

Ethan attacked the target again.

The target changed its stance.

It anticipated him.

Ethan realized the room was not testing his strength.

It was testing whether he could fight without relying on the fragments.

He lowered his sword.

The target attacked.

Ethan stepped aside.

The wooden blade passed over his shoulder.

He struck the target’s wrist.

The target dropped its sword.

Ethan kicked it backward.

The blackboard wrote:

**ACCEPTABLE.**

Noah stopped laughing.

"Did you just win?"

"I did not win."

The target picked up its weapon.

Three more targets activated.

Noah looked at the skeleton.

"That is not what acceptable means."

The skeleton pointed toward the students.

The blackboard wrote:

**GROUP PRACTICAL.**

Elena entered the circle.

Adrian followed.

Rowan stepped in behind them.

Noah remained outside.

The skeleton pointed at him.

The blackboard wrote:

**NOAH.**

"No."

**NOAH.**

"I am emotionally unprepared."

**NOAH.**

Noah took a deep breath and entered the room.

The targets attacked.

Elena froze the floor.

Adrian blocked the first strike.

Rowan raised a violet barrier.

Ethan moved between them, redirecting the targets without using the fragments.

Noah crouched beneath a wooden sword.

"Why are the training targets so aggressive?"

Adrian blocked another attack.

"They are testing us."

"They are trying to kill us!"

"They are wooden targets."

"One of them insulted my knife."

"That was a different classroom."

"It is all connected!"

Elena froze two targets together.

"Focus!"

"I am focused!"

A target struck Noah in the back.

He fell forward and hit the floor.

The blackboard wrote:

**NOAH: DOWN.**

Noah lifted his head.

"I am not down."

The skeleton pointed at him.

**NOAH: VERY DOWN.**

Rowan helped him stand.

"Are you injured?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

The final target moved toward Rowan.

It copied the form of the First Sovereign.

Its violet eyes glowed.

The room recognized Rowan’s fear.

The target raised one hand.

Rowan froze.

Ethan stepped between them.

"No."

The target attacked.

Ethan blocked with his wooden sword.

The impact broke the weapon.

The target raised its hand again.

Rowan looked at it.

Then at Ethan.

"What should I do?"

Ethan answered without turning.

"Choose."

Rowan stepped forward.

"I am not a vessel."

The target’s violet eyes flickered.

"I am not a successor."

The training room shook.

"I am a student."

The target lowered its hand.

Rowan raised his own.

Violet light formed around him.

Not a weapon.

A simple shield.

The target struck it.

The shield held.

Rowan pushed forward.

The target shattered into harmless light.

The bell rang.

The skeleton returned to the doorway.

The blackboard wrote:

**PRACTICAL EXAM COMPLETE.**

Beneath it:

**GRADE: ACCEPTABLE.**

Noah raised his hand.

"What is the highest grade?"

The blackboard paused.

**EXCELLENT.**

"What is needed to get excellent?"

**DO NOT ASK STUPID QUESTIONS.**

Noah looked toward Ethan.

"I am appealing this grade."

The board wrote:

**APPEAL DENIED.**

The hidden door opened.

They returned to Room 13.

Professor Voss stood outside with her arms crossed.

"You were inside for seven minutes."

Noah pointed at the door.

"It was a nightmare."

Voss looked at Ethan.

"What did you learn?"

Ethan glanced toward the blackboard.

The classroom had returned to normal.

No skeleton.

No targets.

No hidden door.

Only the sentence:

**WELCOME TO ROOM 13.**

Ethan answered:

"That the academy remembers more than it should."

Voss’s expression became serious.

"And?"

"That it is not hostile."

The blackboard changed.

**DEBATABLE.**

Noah pointed at it.

"See?"

Voss looked at the board.

"You are not supposed to be active."

The board wrote:

**NEITHER ARE YOU.**

Professor Voss took a deep breath.

"Class is dismissed."

The doors opened.

Students began leaving.

Noah walked past the blackboard.

"Goodbye, Room 13."

The board wrote:

**DETENTION TOMORROW.**

Noah stopped.

"For what?"

**YOU WILL FIND OUT.**

"No, I will not."

**DETENTION EXTENDED.**

Noah hurried away.

Rowan remained in the doorway.

He looked back at the room.

"Was that my first lesson?"

Ethan nodded.

"What did I learn?"

Ethan thought for a moment.

"That you are not the only dangerous thing in the academy."

Rowan nodded seriously.

"And the second lesson?"

"Never ask Noah for advice."

Noah shouted from the hallway:

"I HEARD THAT!"

The blackboard wrote:

**NOAH HEARS EVERYTHING.**

Ethan looked at it.

"Can you erase yourself?"

The board replied:

**CAN YOU?**

The lights went out.

For one moment, the blackboard displayed a final sentence.

**CLASS 1-B HAS BEEN REGISTERED.**

Then another line appeared beneath it.

**THE ARCHIVE IS WATCHING.**

Ethan’s smile disappeared.

A third line formed slowly.

**BUT IT IS NOT THE ONLY THING INSIDE ROOM 13.**

From inside the teacher’s desk came a quiet knock.

Once.

Twice.

Then three times.

Noah returned to the doorway.

"Please tell me that was the desk."

Another knock answered.

The desk opened by itself.

Inside lay a small black notebook.

On its cover was a name Ethan had not seen since his first life.

**DARIUS VEYR.**

Ethan reached for it.

The notebook opened before he touched it.

The first page contained only one sentence:

**Lesson Two begins when the students stop laughing.**

Noah looked at the others.

"I think we should continue laughing."

Ethan picked up the notebook.

The pages turned by themselves.

Somewhere beneath the academy, a bell rang.

And the room whispered:

"Welcome back, Ethan."

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**Author’s Note: Add the novel to library, and send support if you like it!**