Professor Avery stared at Nessa, while Nessa stared into a mirror.
'How does she have an orange cursor already? I have a hunch, but it's not solid yet. Either way, turns out I was right to choose her. She could save us all...'
"Now I think you know why everyone was staring at you." Principal Avery said.
Nessa could barely nod. She scanned the room hoping to see someone else with an orange cursor or higher and she did. Professor Avery had a blue cursor looming above her hair.
"You are probably wondering how you have an orange cursor already." Professor Avery said interrupting Nessa's thoughts. "Well, I don't know how you have an orange cursor already, but I do know what it means to have an orange cursor. Like I said earlier, your cursor changes as your strength increases, magically speaking. But when I said strength I meant your Ki reserve."
Nessa couldn't help but look confused. Professor Avery pinched her nose in frustration.
"This is harder than I thought." She said. "Ok, I told you magic happens when you manipulate your Ki. But there's a limit to how much ki one could use at a go. Your cursor is an appropriate measure of that."
Nessa finally understood what Principal very had been trying to say.
"So you're saying, people with blue cursors like you have larger Ki reserves than people with red and orange cursors."
"Exactly," Professor Avery replied.
'I was definitely right.' She thought.
"But how does one improve his cursor level?" Nessa asked.
"That is called leveling up, and I will explain that just after the lesson. Today, you all are going to learn how to even feel your Ki. Close your eyes..."
Everyone, including Nessa closed their eyes.
"...and look into your mind. Imagine yourself in a room. A white empty room preferably. Now there is one black door in that room. Behind it holds all the power within you, churning with your stomach and flowing through your heart. Now open the door and let that power flow."
What the hell are you saying? Nessa yelled within herself. This was pointless and it sounded like some sort of religious mantra.
"Some of you probably think this is useless." Professor Avery said like she could read Nessa's mind. "However I suggest you actually give it a try before you judge."
Nessa bit back a curse. She pictured herself in a white room with a black door. She yanked the black door with all her might but it wouldn't budge. Suddenly this was getting interesting. This was supposed to be her imagination, she could do whatever she wanted in her mind, yet opening a door seemed impossible.
She tried for fifteen minutes but nothing happened. Suddenly Professor Avery's voice pierced through Nessa's thoughts. "Accessing you your Ki, requires precise concentration. You have to focus your mind
on nothing but what is behind the door. Don't even focus on the door. Sometimes it helps to paint a more vivid and detailed picture in your mind."
Nessa wondered how she was going to make a white room with a black door. She decided to imagine that there was an inscription on the black door that read: Your key to survival lies beyond me. Focus on that you idiot.
Surprisingly it made Nessa's concentration to be focused on nothing but what lay beyond the door. Seconds rolled into minutes and Nessa hadn't moved as much as a finger.
Moments later, Nessa felt a tug in her stomach. She remembered that Professor Avery had mentioned something about stomach so she felt she was on the right track. Nessa imagined that whatever was beyond that door was located somewhere within her abdomen, although biology classes never taught her that.
After a few moments, Nessa finally opened the door. At first nothing happened then like magic (which it was) a wave seemed to rush through Nessa. It coursed through her veins and spread to every inch of her
body. She had never felt more alive in any world.
"I see someone has successfully accessed their Ki." Professor Avery said as she beamed at Nessa.
The moment Nessa stopped concentrating, the euphoric feeling ceased. She repeated the process again and this time it took her half the time to access her Ki.
By now only about ten other people out of the 5000 present had successfully unlocked their doors. Luka included.
Nessa noticed that the moment she stopped concentrating, the Ki stopped coursing through her and each time it
happened, it took her less time to regain access to it. She repeated the process until she was able to access her Ki within ten seconds. That seemed to be her limit.
By now about a thousand people had accessed their Ki just once and they seemed like they'd rather be off fighting monsters, than doing it a second time.
"Alright that's enough." Professor Avery said. "Before the class ends, I promised to tell you how to level up. Leveling up is practically easy. Once you have gained enough exp, you automatically level up. And the only to get exp is to gain experience and get better at magic."
Professor Avery waited for that message to sink in before saying "Class dismissed. Your next class is scheduled for the next hour. You are free to leave."
{A.N. By exp I mean experience points given by the game/world. By experience I mean normal experience you get with practice. The difference is exp is awarded by the game/world}
With that the class breathed a collective sigh of relief. Luka walked down to meet Nessa.
"Whoa," he said, "I thought this was just a game but I feel like I'm in some sort of fantasy novel."
Nessa suddenly remembered what Professor Avery had said earlier, concerning seeing this as our current reality than a game.
Nessa was about to ask Luka how the lesson had gone for him when someone called her.
"Miss Coburn, a word?"
Professor Avery was the last person Nessa wanted to have a word it. She hadn't really thought about it, but part of her hated Professor Avery and blamed her for everything that had happened. But some
other part of her thanked her.
If it weren't for Professor Avery, Nessa would have never gotten the game and then Luka would be all alone in this nightmare.
"I'd catch up," Nessa told her brother before walking up to Professor Avery. Nessa wondered why Professor Avery needed to have a word.
Moments later, Nessa was standing before Professor Avery.
"Follow me," the Professor said.
The only reason Nessa followed was because she was sure the Academy was a safe zone. Professor Avery led her through a network of wide and narrow hallways, as well as carpet laid staircases before they stopped in front of a door. On the top of the door there was a golden tag that read: Professor Avery.
'This has to be her office.' Nessa thought. 'Wait why does she have an office? Does this mean...'
"Let me guess," Nessa said to Professor Avery. "You are trapped here just like the rest of us."
Professor Avery smiled at Nessa's intelligence. "Not necessarily like the rest of you, but yes I'm here and I can't return to the real world until the game is completed."
"Why? I thought..." Nessa shut her mouth immediately as she decided to keep the rest to herself for now. She wasn't ready to know why Professor Avery had trapped her self in her own game. Assuming it was her game.
Professor Avery opened the office and moments later, Nessa was facing an almost familiar setting. The office looked just like Professor Avery's office back on earth but with a few added specs. There were several portraits hanging on the wall.
Nessa scanned the room until she saw something that forced her to say. "Why do you have a picture of me hanging on your wall?"
Professor Avery flushed. "Well you won the National math tournament for the school. I just still hang on to that moment."
Nessa didn't believe Professor Avery but she decided not to press the issue. She figured if she did she would have to spend more time there.
"So why did you call me?" Nessa asked. "I hope there aren't more gifts from you."
Professor Avery's face saddened. "I heard you got into a fight just this morning."
"Those b*tches started it." Nessa defended.
"Nessa language." Professor Avery said as she took a seat behind her desk and beckoned Nessa to sit opposite her.
"You aren't in trouble. I told Van-Tyse that the rule book was inadequate but he ignored me."
"Van-Tyse?" Nessa asked.
"Forget about that," Professor Avery said almost immediately. "The reason I called you here is actually very simple, I have decided to teach you magic personally."
"What?" Nessa was forced to ask.
"Didn't you hear me? I'm offering to train you."
"Why?" Nessa blurted. She couldn't help but feel suspicious. She didn't trust the Professor one bit.
"Because, I want this game cleared almost as much as you do. Maybe even more."
"You already know magic, why can't you just clear the game yourself? You have a bigger chance than the rest of us put together."
Professor Avery stared at the portrait of Nessa receiving an award. "I...I can't. I wish I could but the rules only allow you players to participate the game."
'Rules you set yourself.' Nessa thought to herself.
She looked at the professor and she noticed she had never seen the professor this sad. Nessa almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
But she wasn't an idiot. She didn't trust Avery, but this wasn't an opportunity that she could just pass up.
"I'm in." Nessa said finally. "I'd be your private student."
"Excellent." Professor Avery said and she truly seemed happy. "There's just one thing. You definitely can't tell anyone about this."