The next two days passed by quickly. Luke had avoided social gatherings and student introductions, practicing extremely hard to improve his proficiency in the first fundamental control exercise.
Every time he would practice rotating the black stick to his utmost limit, gradually increasing the time he could hold on. However, each time he forcefully improved in this manner, he felt a deep pain within his self and couldn't concentrate anymore for at least half an hour, when he began to feel better and he could practice again.
However, after two days passed, Luke had only managed to somehow improve limit from five minutes to six and a half minutes. He was disappointed. Quietly he made his way to the guide selection and ended up choosing the same guide as before, Professor Alok, who never even saw him once.
Luke went back and continued practicing the control exercise desperately like before. He would appear in the common classes looking tired and weak and would often doze off during class. However, as the days slowly passed by, he avoided contact with other students and at the same time, the pressure of the impending doom was mounting upon him. He took solace in his almost constant effort practicing the control exercise which helped him escape from the pressure.
After three weeks of constant painful practice, Luke could actually hold on to the stick rotating for around twelve minutes. According to what Melinda had told him in the train, an hour or more could be considered average proficiency, half a day or more was master proficiency. He didn't know what grandmaster proficiency's criterion was, but he knew that he was now firmly at the novice stage of proficiency.
At the same time, he recollected the most basic spell he had learnt in the previous timeline, the light orb. Luke could feel his growing flexibility in how he could control the brightness and dimness of the spells, increasing the efficiency by changing the intensity.
With only a week before the doomsday, Luke could no longer ignore it. He was helpless. He was too weak. He couldn't do anything. "I have to find a way to save myself from death. The powerful mages will take care of that hand."
Thinking of this, Luke walked towards his guide's office. Even if this professor Alok wouldn't meet him, he had to meet him and find out a way to be safe. He went to Alok's office and knocked, but the door knocker suddenly turned into a snake.
"Master is not in the Academy. He will return on the night of the celestial equinox." The snake spoke, before it transformed back into a door knocker.
Luke was shocked by the magic, but he kept calm and turned away in dismay. His first possibility was a failure. He gritted his teeth and walked towards another office, sighing a bit, before knocking.
"Come in." A melodious voice replied.
Luke entered to find Melinda wearing glasses, and reading an ancient tome. Luke could make out the name of the book's cover. 'Pandora and the Celestial Equinox'. When he saw that, Luke suddenly became even more cautious and his heart chilled.
"Does she know about what is going to happen? Isn't it too coincidental that she is reading a book about the celestial equinox?" Luke had a rush of questions in his mind.
Melinda looked at Luke and raised an eye. "Luke, you look pale. Don't tell me you've been over exerting your mind will practicing the control exercise?" She raised an eye. Then she pulled out a drawer and took out a small pill.
"Take this. It will heal your mental injuries." She said.
Luke looked at the medicine and was reluctant to use it, but he couldn't randomly be suspicious of the professor. So he swallowed it. Immediately he felt like his self was being fused together and the pain and hollowness he was feeling for the past few weeks was healed and he felt his mind clear and his thoughts became more rapid.
"I feel like I was going through the motions muddle headed." Luke suddenly thought in shock.
Melinda didn't react. She asked. "How long can you perform the first exercise?"
"Twenty minutes." Luke replied.
Melinda was slightly surprised. "Oh? You've been working hard. I'm guessing you didn't come to me for guidance because you couldn't reach eight minutes?"
Luke nodded. "After two days, I could only reach six and a half minutes."
Melinda nodded. "Your talent in control is average, but you could've stopped practicing after two days, yet you continued practicing like crazy at the expense of the common course lectures. I like that."
Luke did not know what to say. He had come to ask for a way to hide from a disaster, but he didn't know how to broach the subject and now Melinda had gone on a complete tangent.
"Your guide, Mr. Alok is rarely at the academy. You can come to me for guidance when it comes to control. Take these pills, they are mind calming pills made by an alchemist friend of mine. They are indispensable if you wish to grow your control quickly." Melinda said.
Luke thanked her for the pills. But then he looked at the book in her hand with an obviously puzzled expression. Obviously this was a premeditated and intentional move.
Melinda saw his look and laughed. "Are you curious why I'm reading this children's folk tale?"
Luke nodded. "I was. But considering the arrival of the celestial equinox festival, I'm not too surprised. As a child I always wondered about one thing about the story that didn't make sense.
Before Pandora opened the box containing Desdemona, she received a warning that opening the box would lead to a doomsday, yet it actually turned out to be the birth of mana. It was always a point that felt awkwardly placed and out of context in the story about the birth of the mana."
Melinda's eyes shined. "You aren't the first to be puzzled by that. Throughout the history there have been many mages who have puzzled over this matter, and this is my interest as well. There have been rumors throughout history, that this story is actually a prophecy. A prophecy about an impending apocalypse that would destroy Ariel completely and that the Celestial Equinox is actually a signal of its arrival."
Luke raised an eye and pretended to be surprised and shocked. "...Then would the upcoming festival be dangerous?"
Melinda shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows? The arrival of the celestial equinox is often heralded as the arrival of a new era, but why? We aren't too clear about these facts."
Luke finally grasped the opportunity. "If a calamity truly hit, what could we do? Is there no way to escape?"
Melinda smiled. "Do you think a calamity is going to hit?" But she soon changed her posture. "Do you know the Abyss Dungeon below the Academy?"
Luke nodded. "The place where serious and irredemable academy offenders are thrown into."
Melinda rapped her fingers on the book. "Indeed. There are rumors that the Abyss Dungeon is a disconnected space channel. Even if the an apocalypse occurs, those who enter the Abyss Dungeon would be safe. However... the dungeon isn't exactly safe either."
Luke felt like his mind was completely read through by Melinda. She continued speaking. "If you want, I can have you arrested and thrown in, until the day after the celestial equinox. But I have a condition."
Luke was shocked and surprised. Melinda kept becoming more and more unfathomable to him. Melinda took out a blue pearl and handed it to Luke. "Pour a drop of your blood on this pearl. Once it recognizes you and fuses with you, I will send you off to the Abyss Dungeon for solitary confinement. My daughter is lying asleep in the pearl. I only ask you to protect her."
Luke was having a melange of complicated emotions on him. Suspicion, relief, fear and surprise. Eventually, he nodded and dropped a blood drop on the pearl, which absorbed it and turned into a shallow tattoo on his palm.
Immediately, Melinda raised her hand and a huge explosion struck the room, turning the entire place into soot and Melinda coughed out blood. Luke remained unharmed. Alarms began ringing and several professors came in with urgency expecting an enemy.
"Take this unruly student to the solitary confinement in the Abyss! How dare he try to assault me!" Melinda screamed in anger.
The other teachers heard her rage with dumbfounded horror and then turned into rage. One of the professors cruelly dragged Luke away and eventually into the Abyss Dungeon, where he was locked up.