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Chapter 338 - One out of Seven
🕑 Added 2025-07-01 09:01:02 +0000 UTCA/N: 2.9k chappy :)
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Kai watched the students file out of the hall, sharing looks of relief and jokes.
A group rearranged the rows of desks, wiping every surface and storing the elemental tools back into their cabinets. With Strength and Dexterity at Yellow, their movements looked almost like a coordinated dance, lifting and carrying piles of boxes with no effort.
After spending most of his life in the archipelago, he couldn’t help feeling a little jarred being surrounded by higher-grade people—though not in a bad way.
“I’ll wait for you,” Valela gathered her notes in her spatial satchel, motioning to the desk where Professor Thornwyn had called him.
Kai threw his bag over one shoulder. “You can go ahead. I don’t know how long it’ll take. You don’t need to be late for your next class.”
The professors hadn’t proved forgiving of tardiness even on the first day. No point in them both being late. His next lecture started in fifteen minutes. He didn’t like his chances to justify his delay if Professor Thornwyn took him too long.
“It’s fine,” Valela gave him a reassuring look. “This is the last class of the day. The rest of the evening is personal study for me. Hmm… I’ve also promised to accompany Lys to a restaurant that opened during winter break in the Wing Aurae, but there is no hurry.”
The last…?
“One moment,” Kai half-turned to rummage through his backpack, taking out a crumpled sheet with his weekly schedule. His brows creased into a deep furrow.
Why the fuck do I have four more hours on my first— Oh, damned Winter Intake!
His jaw clenched to avoid a loud curse. It was the sixth hour of the afternoon, and he had arrived at Raelion yesterday, for the Spirits’ sake! He understood the professors might want to weed out less committed students, but it was starting to feel like active sabotage.
Do they think I’ll give up for a little inconvenience? They’ve no damn clue.
“I still have a couple lessons.” Kai stuffed the sheet back into the bag, softening his irritation before looking at Valela. “You should go. I’ll have to rush to my next lecture once I’m done. I’ll catch up to you at dinner. Or tomorrow.”
Valela opened her mouth, probably to argue, when two girls moved to join them. “Why don’t we leave this lovely hall?”
Lys tiptoed with the grace of a ballerina, unhindered by the skirt of her uniform. Rena glided behind her. A speck of char marred her cuff that she quickly dusted off.
“How was your first lesson together?” Lys’s perfect smile lit with amusement. “I can’t believe I missed your demonstration, Mat. How did it go? Did you survive the grilling?”
“Not exactly. Still have to do it.” Kai motioned where Professor Thornwyn sat, sifting through a pile of papers and noting them with precise strokes of a silver-tipped quill. “Uhm… I'd better not make her wait. I’ll see you later.”
Or in a couple days. Three would be good…
He slipped toward his fate, hearing wishes of good luck at his back.
New students threw him curious glances, especially those close enough to witness Professor Thornwyn single him out. A blue-haired teen sneered at his friends about lowbloods inevitably failing short.
Let’s talk again in a few months.
Kai was about to step on the dais when he remembered some senseless rule about getting permission to approach. “Professor,” He quietly greeted her.
“Matthew Reece Veernon,” Professor Thornwyn said without emotion or inflection, her gaze buried in her papers. “Patience is a virtue that will serve you well at Raelion.”
Uhm… Guess there must be some rule about greetings, too. Well… in for a copper, in for a gold.
He took the acknowledgment to walk up to the enchanted wooden desk. “My apologies for the hurry. I don’t want to arrive late to my next lesson,” he said, doing his best not to sound flippant.
The scratching of her quill stopped. She raises her gaze to him, her eyebrow forming a thin arch. “They assigned another lesson after this?”
“Two.”
Her mouth pursed in disapproval as she turned back to her papers, resuming the scratching of her quill. “Which class and professor?”
“Fundamentals of Arcane Languages with…” Kai checked his schedule for the name. The lecture hall was in the same building on a different floor. He calculated a three-minute run if he didn’t get lost. “Professor Asmondous.”
“Percival is a reasonable man. His introductory classes stick to the textbook material. I’ll write you a note for the delay.”
Finally, someone reasonable!
“Thank you.” Kai waited for her to continue, but she seemed intent on finishing her task before addressing him. The ticking of the clock above echoed in his ears. He lasted about twenty seconds before speaking. “Do I need to demonstrate an exercise?”
Fine. Maybe patience isn’t my strongest virtue. Sue me!
Even with a signed note, he’d rather not arrive after the lecture had already started and get questioned in front of every new student. The first day was a little early to kill his anonymity.
Professor Thornwyn maintained her stoic focus on her work. Every lock of auburn hair was neatly tucked in a chignon. Kai thought he saw a flicker of amusement, but her tone remained dry. “Do you know the purpose of basic courses?” she asked.
Why do teachers always answer with more questions?
He couldn’t see what she was getting at, but gave his best answer. From his knowledge, the Republic didn’t have a unified schooling system. The widest initiatives covered a province, catering to teach writing and math fundamentals to commoners, while patricians preferred private education.
“I imagine the academy wants to bring every student up to a minimum playing field. And shore up their gaps before moving into harder courses.”
Teachers loved to drone on about foundations.
The professor rewarded his answer with a studious glance. “That is mostly correct. You reported no formal education in your enrollment filings, but have a deeper perspective. Have you truly never frequented an academy or tutor?”
Damn.
Kai bit his tongue. “My father taught me.” He shrugged, remembering to answer as Matthew. “And I like reading books. A lot.”
Short and sweet. The fewer details he provided, the less chance someone would disprove his story. He didn’t think he had said anything special, though he’d noticed he tended to see things from a wider lens; probably, a consequence of his memories of Earth, living in a global world with information at his fingertips.
Thornwyn peered at him; a smooth visage hid her thoughts. Her suspicion didn’t matter as long as she didn’t pry. If rumors were to be believed, she’d be hard pressed to find any student at Raelion without secrets.
“Each patrician House, tutor and preparatory academy has their own teaching methods. Without mentioning the students enrolling from more… unconventional backgrounds.” She punctuated the words with her gaze. “The basic courses in the first semester bridge the gap and build a solid foundation. Though they’re not designed to be completed in two months.”
Kai gave her an attentive nod, keeping silent till she continued.
“General Elemental Magic Practice serves to confirm a student's basic proficiency before moving to advanced elemental courses. Since you seem impatient, show me the seventh exercise of chapter twenty-seven.” She took out a copy of the textbook from thin air, opening the book on the exact page of The Seven Moons’ Journey.
Thanks.
The ticking seconds swallowed his questions and puzzlement. He skimmed through the steps, summoning eight spheres of water before the desk. One planet and seven moons. Adjusting the speed and orbits, he checked the texts to confirm he remembered the exact angle of the axes.
He was done in less than a minute.
Not much of challen—
“Rotate the fourth moon’s orbit by 30 degrees and double the speed of the second.”
Uh… alright.
Kai made the adjustments. “Like this—”
“Halve the speed of the fifth moon and turn the angle perpendicular to the sixth. Then move the first…”
The list of changes continued. As he finished one, the next followed without pause. Again. And again. Adding a new sphere, stopping another, switching them, creating parallel orbits. His mind pulsed with Split Mind, losing track of the number of changes when he noticed the demands had stopped coming.
“You can dismiss the spell. Cast the eleventh exercise in chapter twenty-three. ”
That wasn’t part of the lecture.
Another three minutes had passed. Kai harrumphed and quickly flipped the pages. The exercise had the shortest descriptions he had seen today, paired with an apt name—Crystal Clear.
Is this some type of dig at me? It looks easy enough.
He summoned another fist-sized orb—half the Water exercises seemed to require one. Fiddling with his image of the spell, he quickly stilled the floating water sphere to look clear as glass.
“Summon one more," Professor Thornwyn said without lifting her gaze from her writing—he was half-certain she was feigning her disinterest.
A glowing wisp appeared between his orbs, the spell so subtle he hadn’t detected her casting. His fascination morphed into annoyance when the wisp highlighted any ripples that crossed the surface of his spheres.
“Another.” Her voice droned on.
It’s just a niche application. Nothing that hard.
“One more.”
Of course…
A minute later, Kai added a fifth sphere. He had a growing suspicion that she’d increase the number until he bailed. Not that it changed anything—he wouldn’t give up, not on his magic skills.
The spell was deceptively simple. He could easily summon twenty more; the issue was shaping perfect spheres. The tiniest tremor spread ripples through the water, taking several seconds to settle. He couldn’t brute force a solution either. Using too much mana destabilized the spell; even varying the amount he channeled caused distortions if the supply fluctuated by more than a couple specks.
Just… there! Seven—
“Move them in a clockwise motion. A complete turn every three seconds.”
Oh, c’mon! Is this some punishment for being impatient? It’s the first lesson.
Changing his image sent a wave of ripples across the spheres. Shadows criss-crossed the surfaces as the globes began orbiting the wisp like a floating chandelier.
He understood the exercise: sloppy spellwork wasted mana, and empty reserves meant no defenses when a beast attacked him. Still, at some point, the cost of focus wasn’t worth sparing a half a mote.
“Watch the ripples. The goal is Crystal Clear.”
Kai scowled at the terrible pun. He would have glared if he could spare the effort without messing up his spell. Spirits damn him, if he let her win.
I can do this.
Breathing out, he focused on Mana Observer till his mundane sight blurred, the whole world reduced to seven glowing blue spheres. He had to actively hold the spheres to counterbalance the impact of the air as they traveled, but clamp down too hard and he’d squish them.
It took a nonsensical amount of precision and patience. A lot of patience. The first sphere stabilized—calm like the surface of a mountain lake.
One down…
Once he figured out the right approach, it was only a matter of copying it four more times.
Without messing up the others…
Time and thoughts fell away. Each sphere became increasingly difficult to maintain as the number increased. His head throbbed with a rising headache, his eyes turned watery from the unblinking stare.
Done!
The wave of triumph almost caused another ripple. Almost.
“You can dismiss the spell,” Professor Thornwyn said without interrupting her work. “Your ability to splitcast and adapt is notable. I advise you to work on your control and efficiency, though you’ve shown acceptable proficiency.”
Acceptable? I’ve seen the other students—
Growling in relief and irritation, he nearly let the spheres splash in front of the desk, catching them a palm above the floor and turning the water into vapor that he spread across the hall.
That wasn’t—
Ding
Mana Observer (lv51>52)
Mana Weaving (lv38>39)
Water Magic – Advanced (lv31>33)
Split Mind (lv31>32)
Uh… that was a fine exercise. Maybe I should ask for private tutoring?
The experience was sure to fall once he acclimated; the question was how many levels he could earn before then.
“Here.” Professor Thornwyn offered him a paper above the desk.
“What’s this…” He recognized the thickness of expensive paper, confirmed when he saw the crest for Mana Studies in red ink, depicting a wand and quill crossing over a tome. His eyes widened at the contents.
Huh…
Certificate of Basic Proficiency in Water Magic
Issued under the supervision of: Professor Jolene Amarys Thornwyn, Senior Lecturer of Elemental Magic at Raelion Academy for Superior Studies.
Awarded to: first-year student, Matthew Reece Veernon.
This certificate attests that the student has demonstrated basic and practical understanding in the elemental discipline of Water Magic, including but not limited to…
“Congratulations on passing the course.” Professor Thornwyn said in a deadpan tone. “I usually prefer a longer, more comprehensive test, but you were in a hurry.”
“Thank you…” His eyes dashed over the fixing on the bottom line.
Final Score:
Casting Adaptability: 100/100
Casting Speed: 100/100
Elemental Proficiency: 100/100
Elemental Control: 100/100
Kai noticed a tiny smudge on the zeros of Control, as if the quill had changed course mid-stroke.
“I assumed you would have insisted you retake the test if you received less than full marks,” Professor Thornwyn—Jolene—said. Again, Kai wasn’t certain if he saw the hint of a wry smile or just imagined it. “I’d rather we both spare the time and effort. You’ll be short on them in the coming weeks.”
I’m not sure if that’s a compliment.
“Thank you, professor,” he said, unsure about the proper form to express his gratitude. A heads up would have been appreciated, but he wasn’t gonna complain about having passed a course on the first day. “Does it mean I don’t have to continue taking this course?”
If his schedule was anything to go by, he could use the extra time.
“Weren’t you in a hurry?” Jolene watched him as if expecting to see him bolt, then turned back to her stacks of papers, probably grading them.
“I’ve been told I should be more patient,” Kai said—completely straight-faced. If he had to enter the hall late, five or ten minutes made little difference. He felt remarkably less hurried after passing one of the seven basic courses.
“Indeed, you should…” The professor said. “After passing the basic course, you'd usually join more advanced courses. Though considering you’ve enrolled during the Winter Intake, I’d advise you to wait. You won’t be required to attend this course for the next eight weeks, not unless you wish to attain basic proficiency in other elements and attend their advanced courses.” She threw him a meaningful look.
Hmm, is it about the oath of secrecy from the intake?
“We can discuss my skills if we’re alone,” Kai said, carefully storing away his certificate. “I’d like to test my other elements. Not right now. Would it be a problem if I skipped a few lessons to practice on my own?”
“Depends. I remember Water was your highest skill. What’s your proficiency in remaining elementals? Especially with shaping exercises?”
“I… I’ve mostly trained in practical settings.” Saying he fought beasts in a hidden realm probably wouldn’t be wise. “This lesson was my first time seeing a text of elemental exercises.”
The scratching of her writing ceased. Professor Thornwyn put down her quill, giving him a long, weighed look. “You had no experience before today?”
“Well, I’ve trained my Magic skill, but not with these kinds of exercises. Another student helped me figure out how to approach them. I probably wouldn’t have reached full marks without her.”
“You’re speaking of Miss Hightide?” Jolene noted something on a paper. “I see… You can let her know she’ll receive five Credits of Merit for exemplary conduct during my lectures.”
“That’s— I will let her know. Thank you.” He’d make sure to tell her. That was quite a generous amount to gain from what he knew. “Uh… and about attending the lesson—”
“You won’t be reprimanded for skipping them,” she said. Even her sighs managed to sound dry. “Though I expect you to send proper notice if you wish to test another element. Three lecture days at the earliest.”
Kai nodded. “I will.” He still planned to attend to get targeted advice for his other affinities. “And… I’ve heard some professors offer to counsel students on skill paths.”
Maybe I should ask her hourly rate in credits?
“Find me after one of my courses. Bring specific questions,” she curtly said. “We’ll also need to discuss your elements. “
Seeing her resume her work, he turned to move toward the exit. If he hurried, he should reach the hall only ten minutes late.
“Matthew.”
Kai pivoted to see a slip of paper flutter towards his face. Reaching for magic, he nearly ripped the sheet before recognizing the words on it. A signed note for his tardiness.
“You’ll need to show that to Professor Percival. If you don’t speak, you won’t have problems. Now, leave.” Jolene shooed him to go.
“I… of course.” Kai turned, sprinting down the halls.
One course down. Six more to go.
Comments
Brianna Stormcloud
Thank you for the chapter 📖🍿
Gorane
I really hope (for Valelas sake) that kai continues to come to these classes. He has 4 other major affinities that he is less proficient in. Specially Earth and Shadow, which both are still in the middle of orange w their skills. Also surely getting a certificste for 5 elements in a single semster is worthy of a favor giving feat:)
Gromaul
Could probably apply what he learned from these exercises to train on his own. In his shoes seeing how effective this is I would try in order 1.) how many crystal clear orbs he can have up at any time 2.) do the crystal clear exercise with other exercises. I.e. multiple seven moons. 3.) split casting different elements. Do seven moons while maintaining some nature based spell. The possibilities are limitless since he now has a book of systematic exercises and he doesn't need to save on mana.
Martingrant91
That is what I was thinking. I think the last we saw his experience points he was 15k away from Yellow 2 but since entering the academy he said he was only a few thousand away.
Gabriel Medeiros
looks like Kai gained around 5k experience this chapter alone. Will we see Yellow 2 soon? On another note, this is not the same professor that measured Kai's affinities. How does she know that he has others?
Snooze Bear
Over time, I think we need to see some practical benefits from these classes. Like they help him to use his spells some new ways to really show what he is getting out of the academy. Would love some training with space mana that finally lets him use it more offensively
Snooze Bear
This!!!
Trevayne
Thanks for the chapter. I would love to see a discussion in the faculty lounge regarding the interesting students from this Winter intake.
Trevayne
He might be back in a week or so. IIRC, Water is his best element. While he might pass with the other elements, I think he can use the extra polish and details from this class for the other elements.
JH
Poor Valela. Lost the only class they have alone together.
agentjongon
Big fan of this professor so far. Seems to be someone who will definitely help Kai improve his abilities
Rip Woodham
I love how much Kai gave away with his responses without realizing it.
Brandon Steele
something tells me that will be Kai's hardest challenge
George
thanks for the chapter! how fun!
Some Guy
TFTC
Jan Ischebeck
Great chapter, I really liked how you showed the eagerness and cluelessness of Kai.
Kris Piskorski
Awesome, take all my money
D.
I really like this professor; she seems impartial and genuine. I hope to see more of her in the upcoming chapters. Thank you for the chapter.
Catherine
Remember Kai: don't speak! Just hand over the late slip and sit down. Nothing else!
Stephen Pearson
Great chapter, thanks! :-)
Garrett
Tyftc
