In the lecture hall, Drake, as usual, was
seated at the back of the lecture hall,
with Xena to his left and Mark to his right.
He lifted his head, still recovering from
the awkwardness of walking out of his
dorm room with Xena, heading to the
lecture hall.
Mark turned to Drake, noticing his
fragileappearance. "Hay pal, why are you
so weak today? You look exhausted, like
you haven't slept." He rested his left
elbow on the lecture desk, propped his
head on his hand, and focused on Drake.
Drake signs heavily. "Yeah, I was trying
to put something into practice and run
out of mana." He instantly noticed the
shift in the atmosphere and turned to
Mark, who was grinning at him.
He realised Mark had misunderstood
his words. "That's not what happened.
You are getting me wrong. I meant I was
trying to develop a way to assimilate
mana effectively." He grasped Mark's
shoulders, attempting to clear up the
confusion.
"Yeah,yeah. I understand. I can't just
stop laughing." Mark covered his opened
mouth as he chuckled. "I'm really
serious." Drake insisted, his eyes
narrowed, staring intensively at Mark, but
Mark did not take him seriously.
Mark stood up, stretching his upper
body towards Xena. "Sister in law," he
called out for her attention. "How was
your first night with Drake?" Obliviously
to the playful atmosphere, Xena quickly
grabbed Drake's arm tightly to her chest.
"It was really great," her voice filled with
warmth. "That will be the best
memorable night I have ever had." She
turned to Drake and smiled. Mark sank
back in his seat, erupting into laughter.
Drake rested his head on his right hand,
shaking it in exasperation.
They were on this when Victoria Luther
strided on the podium, a stack of
balanced precariously on her right hand.
She turned to the seated students, her
gaze locked with Drake, sparking his
curiosity. He leaned towards Mark. "What
is she doing up there?" He whispered.
Mark folds his arms, clearing his throat.
"You might not know yet since it's not
officially announced yet. Victoria Luthor
has been appointed as our class rep by
Professor Leo."
Victoria calls for everyone's attention.
"I just arrived from Professor Leo's office
to distribute these forms." She picked up
one of the forms with her left hand. "This
form lists all the courses offered in the
academy. Three courses are already
preselected, which are:
The Art of Mental and Resilience
Toughness, Strategic and Teamwork,
and The Foundation of Magic, taught by
Professor Leo himself. I will begin
passing the forms around, so choose
your remaining courses wisely." She
stepped down the podium and started
distributing the form.
The lecture hall became buzzed with
nervous excitement, a symphony of
hushed as students huddled in groups,
dissecting their chosen courses. Mark
noticed Drake had ticked Sword Mastery
and It's Stance, which fall under
Weapons Mastery and It's Impact.
"But I think you're a mage; what did
you need weapons mastery class for?"
Mark puzzled, glancing at Drake. "Yeah,
I'm planning to learn swordsmanship,"
he turned to Mark, seeing his inquisitive
gaze. "Mark, don't stare at me like that.
Just because that doesn't exist doesn't
mean it's impossible, and it's not like I
will abandon being a mage. That's why I
picked The Art of Materialisation and
Spellcasting as my fifth course. What of
about you?" Mark showed Drake his
form. "I only selected Fist Mastery and
Stance."
Everyone was busing filling out their
forms when a young lady wearing a dark
purple gown and shoes with a black hat
on her head in her early thirties entered
the lecture hall. She's 5.6 feet tall, with
striking light blue short hair and eyes and
a glossy white complexion.
Everyone went to their seat and kept
quiet, watching her stride towards the
podium. She turned to face them. "Good
morning, class."
They all stand. "Good morning, ma."
They responded in unison and settled
back to their seats. She turned to the
board behind her and wrote the topic she
was in charge of, then turned back to
them. "My name is Amara; I will be taken
through Strategics and Teamwork." She
paused for a moment, staring around the
hall, then continued.
"Who can tell me why strategy and
teamwork are necessary as humans and
mage?" Victoria raised her hand. "Okay,
I'm all ears." Professor Amara gave her
the go-ahead.
She stood up, clearing her throat. "For
easy eradication of enemies and
reduction of time consumption."
Professor Amara, shake her head
slightly.
"You are partially correct, but that's not
it. Anyone else." Gazing at the students,
Drake raised his hand and stood.
"In order to make up for human
weaknesses and enhance social
interaction." Drake said. Professor
Amara's eyes widened with delight.
"That's correct," she exclaimed.
"What's your name?" She asked,
pointing at Drake. "Alexander Drake. Oh,
you're the rumoured guy around the
academy," she said, smiling grace from
her lips. "You can sit." She turned back
her attention to the class.
"Strategie and teamwork have been
parts of human activities since the time
of dawn, even before the era of mana
and magic. Human weakness came from
various factors, such as human
behaviour, physical limitations, and their
relationship with their environment. To
compensate for these weaknesses,
humans devised some ingenious
solutions, and when the era of magic
arrived, driven by arrogance and pride,
human abandoned them until they
eventually realised that no matter how
much strength and magic they acquired,
humans would always be vulnerable,
realising that strategy and teamwork are
indispensable.
That is why this course is compulsory
for all aspiring mages and warriors.
There are three essential roles for a team
to achieve perfect teamwork, which are
offensive, defensive, and supportive.
offensive roles include War Mages, also
known as warriors, spellcasters, and
archer mages.
"Defensive roles are filled by shield
mages and ward weavers, and finally
supportive roles are played by healers,
medic mages, and arcane amplifiers.
Each team must have one member each
of these three roles." She paused
slightly.
"This reminds me. After class, you
should all form your teams of three,
adhering to these guidelines, and get to
know your teammates well before the
day of physical training. And before I
forget, be on guard at all times. We don't
want a repeat of what happened to your
seniors before their promotion. Have a
stellar afternoon." Professor Amara
exited the class.
Drake sensed the heavy mood in the
room and turned to Mark. "Why is the air
so thick with sorrow?"