Chapter 14: The First Lesson
"Serena, I'm back," Sky said warmly as he entered the house.
Before she could turn around, he hugged her gently from behind, resting his head on her shoulder. She gave a soft smile as she continued scrubbing the last of the plates.
"Welcome back, Master Sky. How was the exam?"
"Piece of cake," he replied, grinning.
"Good. Go take a bath, I'll prepare dinner," she said, her voice calm and composed as always.
Sky nodded, heading to the bathroom. After a long, hot soak, he dried off and changed into comfortable clothes. Soon, the smell of warm food filled the air. He sat at the small wooden dinner table, stretching out with a relaxed sigh as Serena brought over the dishes.
Dinner was quiet but comforting. Despite her usual stoic nature, Serena's presence had a way of making the world feel still—peaceful.
The next morning, Sky was up early, fully dressed and refreshed. With a confident stride, he walked to the academy, blending in with the crowd of new students entering the grand gates.
Inside the large lecture hall, he spotted an empty seat beside a beautiful girl with silver hair and amber eyes. Without hesitation, he sat down and greeted her casually.
"Hi."
She turned to him with a friendly expression. "Hi back."
"I'm Sky."
"Oh, I'm Elen. Nice to meet you," she said with a bright smile.
Before their conversation could go further, the classroom door opened, and the room fell silent.
Walking in was a breathtaking elf woman—tall, elegant, with long green hair cascading down her back. Her emerald eyes scanned the room like she was measuring each soul. Her body, curvaceous and refined, radiated mature beauty. The tight-fitting robes she wore swayed slightly as she took a step forward.
Some students swallowed nervously. Others sat up straighter.
"Good morning, students. My name is Celestine Storm, and I will be your instructor in elemental magic."
Her voice was confident and clear, yet soothing like a breeze through leaves.
"As you know, magic stems from one's spiritual roots. Some of you were born with them active. Others awakened them later in life. We classify these roots by color and element."
She raised her hand, and glowing illusions of elemental symbols floated in the air behind her:
Red – Fire
Blue – Water
Brown – Earth
Green – Wind
"Some of you may have dual-colored roots. That means you hold two elements, though training will be twice as difficult.
Elemental mages grow in stages—seven in total.
Seven Mage Levels
Beginner Mage
Apprentice Mage
Adept Mage
Expert Mage
Master Mage.
Grandmaster Mage
Archmage
At first, your magic pool will feel like a mist in your lower body. As you advance, it condenses into a liquid and then solidifies into a core. This core begins as white. Over time, its color will deepen as your power evolves."
She paused, letting the information sink in.
"Now, let's begin your awakening."
The students straightened in anticipation.
"Fire magic is born from imagination. Hold out your hands… and picture fire in your mind. Imagine how it burns—how wood crackles and heat consumes."
All around the room, students closed their eyes, focusing hard. Sparks flickered in the air.
Sky held out his hand under the table. He didn't imagine wood burning. Instead, he visualized the scientific reaction of combustion—fuel, oxygen, heat, and chain reactions. His knowledge made the image crystal clear in his mind.
FWOMP.
A perfectly shaped fireball formed in his palm—too big, too pure for a beginner.
Selestine's sharp eyes caught it immediately. She masked her surprise with a small nod.
"That's not supposed to be that big… and not that clean… for your first try."
But she said only, "Good. He got it."
Eventually, the other students began to manifest their flames—smaller, unstable, and barely hovering above their hands.
Next, Celestine turned to the other elements.
"For Water, think of calm lakes, flowing rivers, or crashing waves. Let your thoughts flow like liquid."
"For Earth, picture the weight of stone, the stability of mountains, or the feel of soil beneath your fingers."
"For Wind, visualize the breeze, the invisible force pushing leaves, or the rush of a storm."
Sky discreetly tried all of them—under the desk.
A quiet chime rang in his head.
[Ding!][Water Root Unlocked][Earth Root Unlocked][Wind Root Unlocked]
[Dick]
Sky kept his face perfectly neutral, pretending he was still struggling with fire.
Soon after, the students were called up one by one to demonstrate their magic publicly.
Celestine evaluated them based on elemental control, root strength, and potential growth. Once she had seen enough, she began to assign students to elemental classes.
"Fire users to Class A, Water to B, Earth to C, Wind to D…"
Students moved to their respective sections, forming groups of 30 to 40. Dual-element users were assigned based on their dominant root.
Sky, acting carefully, walked toward Class A, pretending to be an average fire-user. No one questioned it—after all, his orb had said low-grade fire.
Good. Stay under the radar. Let them keep underestimating me, he thought.
But somewhere in the corner of the room, Selestine's gaze lingered on him just a second too long.
But he didn't care; he acted like he didn't see her and just sat there looking stupid.