How To Survive A Calamity

'I'm something that the common sense of the world no longer dictates or determine.' i thought silently as i stepped into the classroom.

I had become someone who exists beyond the constraints and restraints of facts and reason, especially under such a topic.

Different from other Aura users, my prospects and nature are no longer only thinly limited to the Combat Department.

The Faculty of Magic.

To be perfectly honest with myself, despite my nonchalant and easy going attitude outside while i answered Alexander like my choice and response was immediate and obvious, I've actually been thinking about this for a while now.

If Ether allowed me to use Mana, which i still haven't been able to confirm personally, that meant i was, or might be pretty eligible to Major under the department of Magic.

But alas, the constraints of 'Facts' no longer fully contained me anymore, but they still existed in the rest of the world after all.

It is utterly impossible and unheard of for someone who possess both the ability and nature of Aura and Mana at the same time. Or for an Aura user, to suddenly reveal he can suddenly use Mana out of nowhere.

That was simply preposterous, and crazy.

Impossible.

I knew literally next to nothing about Mana, or Magic, even after possessing it for over a year now. I had practiced a few times with my Ether before in the past. The concept of Aura Manipulation and sensitivity was vastly more different than the concept of Mana manipulation and sensitivity.

That was actually the full extent of my knowledge concerning that subject.

"If i had to put it in simpler words, it would be that Aura feels more rigid, and thicker to manipulate, kind of like a murky, and almost stationary stream..."

"Hm? Did you say something?" Next to me, Alex tilted his head as he stared at me oddly.

I shut my mouth and looked away as i realised i had somehow let my thoughts leak out.

"It was nothing." I casually dismissed the moment, and took the opportunity to turn away from Alex at the entrance since the class was soon about to begin.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Aura was like the flow of a thick and murky stream, while Mana was like trying to grasp and manipulate something as gaseous and free as air. Contrary to the viscous and liquid like nature of Aura, Mana was more gaseous and intangible.

As someone who has become more accustomed with the viscosity and rigidity of Aura, it was an odd sensation.

Ether. These two opposite and contrasting natures existed in this even more surreal energy. Perhaps, that was what made Ether a bit more chaotic and erratic to control.

In order for me to use magic, I'd first of all have to learn it.

'It would be a lot more easier if i could just get my hands on a spellbook or Grimoire...'

With an expression that betrayed nothing of my thoughts, i took a seat at the back of the classroom and swept a glance through the class.

The classroom this time was different from our usual home room. Instead it was a kind of 'Class hall' that was slightly more larger to hold an even larger capacity.

Immediately, this lecture hall was already filled and brimming with the chatters of cadets.

"Hey, this will be our first real general course class, right? I heard we'll be merging with Class 1-B too."

"Isn't this kind of exciting?"

"1-B? That's the class of the top 5th, 7th and 10th ranked cadet. Doesn't that mean we'll get to be in the same class with the Second son of the Locke family?"

"We're already classmates, you idiot. But o understand what you mean. Hehe, i actually got the chance to see him last weekend at the banquet."

The lecture hall was literally buzzing with excitement, and i unintentionally picked up a few things from here and there. The reason for all the excitement and tension was because of the general class that was about to begin.

General courses or classes, actually usually, or occasionally involved not only a single class, but a merge between often two or more classes of the same year.

Derrick's General Combat Class from before was actually supposed to be an example. It was also one of the reason why an assistant instructor would be needed.

Although this time it was different, and Derrick only decided to take on A-class alone for some reason.

In any case, excluding certain instances like that, General courses were bridged together with other classes.

And in this case, it seemed we would be conjoined with B-class.

It was the first conjoined class for Class A, and perhaps even Class B, too, for the year, since the semester has officially began, there was an ebbing tension and buzzing excitement amongst the cadets because of that.

Looking around, i could already catch sight of a few unfamiliar faces mingling in with the crowd.

But that was as far as my interest went on that topic.

I filtered out the unnecessary chatter of the cadets and silently reflected.

In time, the instructor in charge of the class soon arrived through the door, and the whole room was plunged into silence with his gait.

-Step. -Step.

A young man with glossy black wavy hair, neatly parted over his forehead and eyes stepped through the door.

He was a fairly young man, tall with a chiseled, cold face and fair white skin. A thin black round framed pair of glasses sat against his straight and high nose bridge, hiding his hazel coloured eyes behind its transparent lens.

-Flutter. -Flutter

He wore a thick and flowing all black robe draped over his whole body from his shoulders, that fluttered and ruffled only slightly as he moved.

With light, and gentle thuds, his steps were precise and measured, slowly and powerfully resounding in the reclaimed silence.

He's heavy black robe flowed and ebbed like tides of a dark ocean, moving almost surreally.

"..."

The instructor's back was straight and exuded a boundless presence as he finally stood before the whole class, silently, from the podium at the front.

It was at that point we all finally got to get a clearer and forward look at the instructor's face, and some cadets drew gasps at his sight from all over.

"Gasp! Is that out instructor?"

"No way, but he's so young. He's not much older than us, is he?"

"Oh my gosh! Look at that face...!!"

Most of the noise came from the enthusiastic females at the young instructor's appearance. It was an appearance that rose questions and doubts concerning hos eligibility as a professor.

But.

Aegis would never be so blatantly careless.

'A young instructor, a man who doesn't seem to be in his mid twenties...'

In the end, what mattered in this part of the world wasn't age.

It was talent and ability.

"I don't recall anyone like that from Adrianne's information...?' i tilted my head slightly in thought.

And besides, the current class we were having right now, i don't originally think the instructor in charge was someone this young either.

The young professor at the front of the class coldy glared menacingly as he exuded an intimidating and chilling pressure.

Silently, without a sound, he placed down his text bools against the podium, and his bastardly pretty face tilted upward slightly.

His eyes turned even fiercer.

Then, the instructor tapped a single finger against the surface of the podium as his lips cooly parted.

"Silence."

-Tap.

An intimidating dark blue energy pulsed through the classroom from his finger like a shockwave pressure, instantly reverberating through the room and atmosphere.

I felt the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck prickle instantly as my eyes sharpened instinctively, as the blue wave of energy swept over my body like a sudden tide.

'Mana?'

No, Intent?

With such a simple action, the instructor had spread a powerful, yet subtle release of his intent and once again seized the silence of the room.

The faces of some of the cadets had turned pale and drained. While a few others were immediately put in edge and pensive like i was.

"..."

But regardless, nobody spoke.

And in that silence, only one voice prevailed.

"...Good afternoon, cadets. My name is Gale Cromwell. You can call me Instructor Cromwell, and I will be the one currently in charge of this class."

The young instructor, Gale's voice was layered and deep, easily catching the attention and notice of everyone. It held an undeniable resonance, and his cold fierce glare persisted as he spoke.

"Some of you may already know me. Especially those of you who will belong to the Department of magic eventually. I am the main instructor of a specialised course there, and I'm currently only present here as a fill in."

And so, the young instructor flipped open one if his textbooks in the silence. As he lowered his gead slightly, strands of his his black bangs fell over his face.

'As i thought.' i crissed ky hands, leaned back and nodded silently.

Gale was here as a kind of substitute. I really didn't recall a yiyng instructor who was mych older than 25, although there was tge very plausible chance that he was newly hired.

And besides, the there are over a thousand Instructor's and assistance in Aegis, it would be completely impossible for Adrianne to know all of them.

What gave me the confidence of my assumption was the class subject.

Once again, Instructor Gake tapoed aa single finger against rge podium ti converge attention. Differently this time, there wasn't an oppressive release of bloodlust, and only a dull echo resounded.

Then Gales voice followed.

"Allow me to welcome you to your first class of the subject Rudimentary Study of the Awakened Society." GLe steppd away from behind the podium and approached the sits slightly.

"Now...who can tell me..." His fierce gaze swept the taces of the cadets coldly as his low voice resounded.

"What are Awakened?"