Knowledge

Twenty eight students swiveled in their seats, their faces a mix of curiosity and trepidation, as Aiden entered the classroom with Diane by his side. Diane her jaw clenched tight, scanned the room, her gaze flickering over the silent students.

"This is Aiden heyes, a new unranked student."

"A waste." A young dark haired boy said as he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"So you have a problem Daniel?" Diane fixed him with a stern look.

"No miss Grey." He replied lowering his head.

"Good! Aiden here is the only survivor in Nara town." 

The mention of Nara town sent shivers down everyone's spine. It was a place forever marked with tragedy. Buildings lay in ruins, choked by an unnatural darkness.

"Have a seat Aiden, the teacher is coming very soon. Don't hesitate to ask questions if anything is unclear." Diane said with a smile.

Aiden remembering Freya, blinked hard, willing back tears that threatened to spill. He clenched his fists and squared his shoulders, trying to project an air of composure. He sat on the front row as Diane left the class.

A boy with short dark hair, the same age as Aiden nudged his shoulders. Aiden looked back at the boy with a beautiful yellow mark at the back of his hands.

"Hi, I'm Peter Skyfire." The short haired boy extended his hand for a handshake, his grin wide and friendly.

"Aiden Heyes." Aiden accepted his handshake.

"This is my twin sister." A girl with bright brown eyes and a warm smile extended her hand to Aiden.

 " Hi I'm Pelia." 

Aiden smiled back, relieved to be meeting other students.

Peter leaned in conspiratorially.

"Having a close relationship with a Grey is...uncommon. Tell me how'd you manage that?" 

" Are they famous?" Aiden asked

"Yes they are! Wait you don't know? Oh my goodness! Tell him Pelia." Peter said as he looks at Aiden in disbelief.

" The Grey family is known for three things, their intelligence, the ability to communicate with the mind, and the mastery of mana.

"Woah." Aiden said in awe. "But what is mana?"

Peter and Pelia's jaw dropped.

" Mana is the foundation of everything magical! It's what makes the world go round." Pelia said.

"Mana in my definition is like a fruit ready to be eaten." Peter said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Huh?"Aiden said with confusion written all over his face. 

Pelia covered her face and shook her head in disappointment.

"That is too much for him to understand brother.... What his trying to say is mana is kind of like an energy, that fuels spells and magical abilities. Think of it like a fruit that grows inside you, ready to be used for magic.

"I see.... Aiden nodded his head slowly. " Can humans use mana?" 

"No." Peter answered.

Pelia looked at an empty seat and sighed.

" She isn't here." 

"Who?" Aiden asked.

"Rhea." Pelia replied.

"Who is Rhea?" 

" She is a student just like us and she is really strong." Pelia said with excitement in her voice.

"Tsk you haven't seen her fight so how do you know she's strong?" Peter said as he folded his arms.

"Interesting." Aiden said as he quickly stood up from his seat. "Where is she?" 

"Hey calm down you don't even know her." Pelia said.

"Plus, she doesn't attend classes every time." 

When Aiden heard that, he slumped back on his chair, a flicker of frustration crossing his face.

"Wait! Aiden shot upright on his chair, his eyes pleading. "Where can I find her?" He looks at the twins expecting a satisfying answer.

"We don't know." They both said.

"Maybe you should ask the higher..."

Peter's conversation with Aiden was interrupted by the sudden appearance of their teacher. He was dressed in a grey suit, wearing glasses. His eyes sparkled with the intensity that both excited and intimidated the students.

"Good morning everyone." He said.

"Good morning sir!" The students responded.

"My name is Erik Lawman....." He paused when he looked at Aiden.

"Ah yes, we have a new face in our class. Please stand up?"

Aiden stood up from his seat with a bold expression.

"Aiden Heyes, thirteen years old, unranked, correct? " Erik asked for confirmation.

"Yes sir." Aiden replied.

Students began to murmur.

"What about his ability."

"A worm with no abilities."

"What a pity."

Aiden clenched his fist and sank back into his seat. He heard all their rants about him even though some was a whisper. On his first day in Zeru's academy, this is what he gets because he has no abilities.

"Silence!" Erik's voice cracked like thunder, and the classroom fell as silent as a tomb.

"Aiden here has what we call a restricted awakening. It happens when a person gets overwhelmed by negative emotions, when awakening his or her abilities."

"All he needs is just serious training to breakthrough it." Erik explained.

The teacher was right, Aiden hasn't fully recovered from the shadow beast incident. He was so frustrated about it.

Don't worry Aiden, this is not the first time this has happened to a student. Erik reassured him.

"Anyways, today we are going to discuss the ranking system. The ranking system forms the foundation of abilities in this world. Understanding it will be crucial for you success.

A white haired girl raised her left hand to interrupt Erik's teachings. Erik paused in his lecture, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Yes?" Erik said.

"Sir, the class records." The girl said.

"Oh! Erik exclaimed as he brought out a book from his drawer, then he checks the number of students currently.

"Twenty nine students here.... except Rhea Ironheart." He said with no reaction. "Alright then! Where was i? Oh yes the ranking system." Erik continued from where he stopped.

"The ranking system is a system that is classified into five different ranks, starting from the lowest to the highest. Unranked, D-rank, C-rank, B-rank, A-rank, and S- rank.

Aiden listened intensively as Erik explained the ranking system.

" I see..so that's how it works. No wonder that guy called me a waste, maybe he has a higher rank.." Aiden said as he looked at Daniel, who returned a glare of disgust. Aiden quickly faces the teacher as he continues his explanation.

"A lower rank status can elevate to a higher rank when a student performs very well in missions or tests. The higher the rank, the more difficult the missions or tests become."

Erik paused and looked at everyone's faces. Some students were excited about the test including Pelia and Peter, while others were nervous about the test.

"In seven months, you will all face a critical challenge that will test your courage and abilities. I'll reveal more details later.

"A challenge? I wonder what we are going to expect."Aiden thought.

Suddenly a cold dread washed over Aiden, prickling his skin with goosebumps. The horrific image of the shadow beast flashed in his mind, it's guttural roar echoing in his ears.