When I arrived at the Mana Studies classroom, I noticed a small commotion. A group of students were clustered at the door, talking in hushed, uncertain voices.

  I wondered if I was late and perhaps the professor didn't accept latecomers, but there were too many students—probably the entire class was stuck outside.

  A C-rank student, perhaps noticing my confusion, turned to explain what was happening.

  "The professor asked us to wait outside," he said, keeping his voice low. "Apparently she's preparing something."

  I muttered thanks, wondering what she could possibly be preparing that required locking students out. The unease in the corridor was palpable—everyone seemed on edge.

  The door suddenly flung open with enough force to make several students jump.

  The professor walked out with confident strides. She was a beautiful woman of slightly short stature, with sharp features and an even sharper smile. Her messy black hair was pulled up in a careless bun held together by what looked like an actual quill, with loose strands framing her face. She wore casual clothes—a white button-up shirt that was unbuttoned just a bit too much and had one sleeve rolled up while the other hung loosely, paired with dark fitted pants. Her collar was slightly askew, and her shirt was half-tucked in a way that looked accidental but somehow worked.

  Her presence wasn't warm like Emberheart's, but it had energy to it. Something motivating, powerful, electric. The kind of presence that made you want to stand straighter without knowing why.

  She looked around slowly, her eyes scanning the gathered students with deliberate precision, searching for something.

  Until her eyes rested on me.

  Great. More attention.

  Her smile widened—confident, almost predatory. The kind of smile that said she knew something you didn't.

  The air felt slightly heavier. Her previously energizing aura shifted, becoming less motivating and more... threatening.

  She closed her left eye and slowly began raising her hand, pointing her right finger directly at me like she was taking aim with an invisible weapon.

  The other students all stood perfectly still. Everyone was trying to identify what was going on, the tension thick enough to cut.

  "Phew," she made a sound like shooting a magic missile, her finger recoiling slightly with the imaginary shot. Then she grinned. "You're dead."

  I looked at my body reflexively, trying to understand what was happening. Had she actually cast something?

  "It seems Emberheart is getting soft," she said, her eyes gleaming with something between amusement and disappointment. Her face showed exaggerated pity.

  She turned to address the entire group, her voice carrying easily. "All of you are dead. Except those three." She gestured vaguely toward the back of the group.

  Turning around, I saw them—three students who had taken about five steps back from the rest of us. They stood apart, watching warily, their postures tense and ready.

  "Come on, don't stay dead for too long," the professor said cheerfully, turning and entering the room. "We have work to do."

  Slowly, uncertainly, all the students made their way in. The classroom was spacious, with desks arranged in a semi-circle around a central demonstration area. I found a seat near the middle, trying not to draw more attention.

  "Welcome to Mana Studies," she announced once everyone had settled, her voice filled with theatrical energy. "The course that will save the lives of everyone here. Well, except those three—they already know how to save themselves."

  She leaned against her desk, crossing her arms. "Now, anyone who isn't part of our survivors, can you tell me why you died?"

  The C-rank student who'd spoken to me earlier raised his hand. "Your mana. It was all around us."

  She let out a wide grin, pointing at him approvingly. "Exactly! And do you know what happens when you let enemy mana surround you without noticing?" She pointed at me again, her finger like a weapon. "Death."

  This is going to be a long class

  "As it stands, most of you couldn't identify hostile mana if it hit you in the face," she continued, pacing in front of the class. "But we will change that. By the end of this year, you will be able to perceive mana around you and identify its nature, intent, and source. You'll know when you're in danger before the spell is even cast."

  She went over other details—schedules, extra practice sessions, recommended reading—before diving into the actual lesson. Her teaching style was theatrical, using grand gestures and dramatic pauses.

  "Now," she said suddenly, her attention snapping back to me. "Emberheart's prodigy. What do you feel when he's close by?"

  All eyes turned to me. I swallowed. "Uh... I feel... warm, I guess?"

  "Wrong," she said immediately, crossing her arms in a dramatic X shape. "You feel mana."

  She began pacing again, warming to her topic. "When you're near the prince, you all know that feeling, yes? That subtle pull that makes you want to look at him? That sense of presence?" She paused, making sure everyone was following. "That's his mana. The more mana a person naturally emanates, the more you notice them. And S-ranks emanate so much naturally, it's extremely hard for them not to be perceived."

  But Aurora…

  The C-rank student seemingly read my thoughts, voicing the question before I could. "But Aurora doesn't have that effect, does she?"

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Professor Silvani paused, and for just a moment, something sad flickered across her face. Though it did not feel genuine.

  "Yes... That girl is a prodigy even in mana control. She never attended a single one of my classes during her time here." A dramatic tear rolled down her cheek, which she wiped away with exaggerated sorrow before recomposing herself instantly. "She mastered everything on her own. Can you imagine?" Her voice let slip a bit of indignation.

  Then her finger pointed at me again, and I felt my stomach drop.

  "And some people," she paused dramatically, adjusting her glasses, "hide their mana completely, trying to remain unnoticed."

  The classroom was silent. Every student was listening intently.

  "Not noticing that for the trained eye, the lack of mana is more of a tell than the presence of it. It's like a blank spot in a crowded room—immediately suspicious."

  I felt my body tense. For a moment, I finally understood why I'd gotten so much attention. Hiding was the thing that made me stand out. I'd been trying to be invisible and had instead painted a target on my back.

  "But don't despair yet, Emberheart's project," she said, looking at me with a smile that made me genuinely fear for my life. "There's still one more thing you should know."

  She kept looking, waiting expectantly. The silence stretched.

  "W-What is it?" I finally asked, hating how weak my voice sounded.

  "The trained eye can also see when mana is used." She leaned forward slightly, her smile sharpening. "And when it is not."

  My mind raced back to the excuse I'd given Emberheart, about my mana taking different forms. Of course he didn't buy it. I hadn't used my mana during the combat at all—not in any way he could detect. He'd known from the start I was lying.

  Seemingly satisfied with my reaction, Professor Silvani pulled back, focusing her attention on the rest of the class.

  "Now, for your first practice, you will be trying to identify when I am emanating mana and when I am just being passively awesome."

  She continued explaining the exercise, but I wasn't listening anymore. My mind was spinning. There was so much I didn't know, so many mistakes I'd made. So many people who could see through me without even trying.

  For a moment, I just wanted to go back. To redo every conversation, every action, every decision.

  But I had a mentor now. And a friend. I couldn't simply undo everything. It wouldn't be right. And more importantly, it wouldn't help.

  The class continued around me. Professor Silvani moved through various concepts. But it felt like I wasn’t even there, not being able to leave my own mind.

  An hour passed in a blur of half-heard explanations and demonstrations I barely registered.

  "Hey," a sudden voice pulled me back to the present. The C-rank student was standing in front of my desk. "Want to be my partner?"

  "Hm?" I looked around, confused. The class had started dividing into pairs. "Uh, sure..."

  I got to my feet, still feeling off-balance from the professor's revelations.

  "Don't worry, I'll help you with the basics," he said cheerfully. "I'm actually quite good at sensing mana. Been practicing since I was a kid."

  "Oh?" I looked at him, genuinely puzzled. "Then why did you 'die' outside?"

  "Come on, you know how it is," he said with an almost dreamy expression. "Her mana was everywhere, completely overwhelming. I mean, who wouldn't want to feel that?" He looked at me expectantly. "Besides, there's no way Emberheart's student would actually fall for something that obvious. You stayed on purpose too" He accused me.

  In my mind, I sighed. He was a bit weird, but I wasn't going to waste time searching for another partner.

  "You can call me Kai," I said, tired of being called 'Emberheart's whatever.'

  "Sure, Kai. I'm Theo, by the way," he said with a friendly, if slightly intense, smile.

  "So uh, what are we supposed to do exactly?"

  "You really weren't paying attention, huh?" He didn't seem judgmental, just observant. "I noticed you seemed kind of off after what Professor Silvani said. Well, we're supposed to try emanating our mana so the other person can feel it. Then we alternate—one person projects, the other tries to sense."

  The exercise turned out to be less difficult than I'd feared, though not exactly easy either. Theo helped me with the basics of mana control, explaining concepts in a way that actually made sense. And Professor Silvani, apparently satisfied with her earlier demonstration at my expense, left me alone for the rest of class.

  By the end of the period, Theo could identify correctly when I was emanating mana, though the reverse wasn't true for me. A few times I managed to feel something—an unnerving sensation, like being watched by someone you couldn't quite see. A crawling awareness that something was off. But most of the time, that feeling was just me being creeped out by the way Theo talked about "feeling some girl's mana during lunch" and how "she probably didn't even notice him sensing her."

  When class finally ended, I felt exhausted. The mental strain of trying to perceive something I'd never consciously noticed before was draining. I was already too tired to even consider practicing mana sensing anytime soon.

  I gathered my things and started toward the door, ready to head to the library to meet Lina.

  "Kai," Professor Silvani's voice stopped me cold. "A moment."

  I considered my options. Turn back like a good student, or take off sprinting and accept whatever consequences came later.

  I opted to be a good student. Barely.

  I turned around and approached her desk. She was gathering papers, not looking at me directly.

  "Mana control requires emotional control," she said simply, as if stating an obvious fact I should already know.

  "Okay..." I said, unsure how to respond.

  "Right now, are you feeling scared because of my mana, or because you're actually scared?" She finally looked up, her expression more serious than I'd seen it all class. "You can read so much from a person through their mana, and the way it feels when you encounter it. And yours?" She paused. "Feels confused. Weak. Scared."

  I knew what was causing it. I just didn't know it was that obvious.

  "You need to get ahold of your emotions," she warned, her voice losing its theatrical edge and becoming genuinely concerned. "If you don't, you'll be an easy target. No amount of raw power will save you if everyone can read your fear like an open book."

  She picked up her bag and headed for the door. "Think about it," she said over her shoulder, then left me alone in the empty classroom.

  I stood there for a while, my thoughts churning. The sounds of the corridor gradually diminished as other classes let out and students dispersed. Eventually, only the quiet hum of the academy remained.

  I paced around the empty classroom, trying to organize my thoughts.

  After considering everything—the duel, Emberheart's offer, Lina's friendship, Professor Silvani's warnings—I arrived at the point I'd been dancing around all day.

  I couldn't afford to be alone anymore. I couldn't afford to not trust anyone. That wasn't the life I wanted to live.

  Constantly looking over my shoulder, second-guessing every word, keeping everyone at arm's length until I was so isolated that even genuine help felt like a trap.

  I looked toward the door, feeling something settle in my chest. Determination, maybe. Or just exhaustion with my own paranoia.

  A single decision formed, clear and final.

  Tomorrow, I would tell Professor Emberheart the truth.

  Not all of it—That I could not do. But enough. Enough to stop this constant dance of half-truths and deflections. Enough to actually accept the help he was offering instead of treating it like an elaborate trap.

  I took a deep breath and headed for the door.

  The library was waiting, and so was Lina. And after that, a long night of studying magic theory I barely understood.

  One step at a time.

  One truth at a time.