Feeling a little nervous I sit down at my desk and prepare for the history and common knowledge class. I can see very clearly that the disciples around me share my emotions. Even though we've been having lessons with Hiroshi sensei for half a year now, I can never shake this uneasiness I feel when I am going to have a lecture with him.
Everyone is ready and now we wait in complete silence for Hiroshi sensei to arrive.
The doors open and the teacher enters the classroom.
His posture is as good as ever. His back is as straight as a string and with long, graceful strides he walks towards the teacher's desk. As always, he wears a blue robe, signaling his position as a teacher with a stripe on the left side of his chest. The stripe shows a dragon with spread wings and a large golden star below. The teacher is bald, but what really sets Hiroshi sensei apart is his long white mustache that reaches his collarbone, though he never lets his beard grow. When sensei looks at you with his bright blue eyes, you feel like he could read your every lie and secret like an open book. No one knows sensei's exact age, but I'd say he's around 60 years old.
"Good morning. As you know, today we are reviewing the material from the last few lessons because there is an exam next week. I hope you've all already started preparing. Do not take my theory lessons lightly, for without the proper understanding of the commonly known history of Aterra and the roots of divine power, you will never grow strong."
"Yes, sensei!" - We all reply simultaneously.
"Very well, then let us begin." - says Hiroshi sensei as he stands up from his desk.
"Let's go back to the ancient times when the world of Aterra was full of wars and conflicts. We have very little knowledge from these old ages and for the most part, we just try to make correct assumptions. Dangerous and powerful monsters roamed freely and the price for human life was very low. Humanity was on a verge of extinction as bloody and long wars continued. People not only fought between themselves but also against previously mentioned beasts and only a few powerful tribes were left. Can anyone tell me how our race survived these dark times?"
"We received help from the Precursors, sensei!"
"Yes, the Precursors, mysterious race with powers beyond our comprehension descended upon Aterra. Nobody knows where they came from and all pieces of information about either their appearance or behavior are long lost. Even though they knew just how far people can go to achieve what they desire and witnessed our violent self-destruction, they also noticed great potential within us and decided to extend their helping hand. Can someone tell me what exactly did the Precursors do?"
"The Great Reconciliation happened!"
"Indeed, the Precursors organized a meeting of the leaders of all six great tribes. They were the mediators in the conflict and because of their great wisdom and understanding, the six leaders came to a mutual agreement and declared peace. Thus we now call this meeting the Great Reconciliation. Is that all we can say about the Precursor's gifts for our race?"
"No sensei, they also shared their powers with us, the divine powers!"
"That's right, even though one of the problems was gone, the other remained. Believe it or not but tribes, even united, had no chance against the terrifying beasts. After long internal battles, they just didn't have enough manpower to face them. That's when the Precursors showed us their mercy yet again. They gave the six leaders their own blood thus making them able to use their divine powers. Unfortunately, there was a grave rule connected with this gift. After all is settled and the leaders will ensure the safety of our race, they will be drained from their life force and die. The Precursors believed in us but their trust wasn't absolute. An individual having this much power for oneself is too dangerous. After all, ambition and hunger for strength is a natural trait of us, humans" - says Hiroshi sensei while caressing his mustache.
"And so after years of continuous efforts, the leaders killed many ferocious beasts, and the few which survived hid in the darkest corners of Aterra. Now my disciples, can you name four strongest beats our ancestors fought with?"
I raise my hand alongside few other students.
"Sunai?"
"Dragons, chimeras, giant serpents and elementals"
"Very well, these creatures killed uncountable numbers of humans. Even nowadays, many believe that the representatives of this frightening species are hiding somewhere, regaining their power and waiting for an opportunity to strike again."
"Now back to the topic, after six leaders killed and banished these beasts mankind regained hope for the future. Humanity was saved but the pact the six leaders made with the Precursors didn't disappear and the inevitable happened. They died with pride as the Precursors extracted divine blood from their bodies. Humans reunited and feasted for six days to memorialize the noble sacrifice of the leaders and a new beginning."
"And this may seem like the end of this story, mankind was given another chance and the merciful Precursors returned with their magical flying ships back to their home above the clouds. Does anyone want to add something at this point?
"After generations, the divine powers surfaced again!" - Kai says with a raised hand.
"That's right, we can only guess if it was all planned by Precursors or did they just make a mistake and missed something, there are many theories relating to this matter but divine powers appeared again! The six great leaders had many children, after all, who can be a better husband and father material than a man with power so great that he is able to control the physics and laws of our world. The six large families that great chiefs left behind, in other words, leaders' direct descendants created a council and ruled over the lands. Now, can somebody tell me how was this council named before we will talk about the sudden return of divine powers?"
"The Council of Divine Blood, Hiroshi sensei!"
"Indeed, they called themselves this way to show how proud they are of sharing the same blood as great leaders and also to pay respects to the Precursors for their priceless help in the form of divine abilities."
"But we got off the topic a bit, lets say something more about the unexpected divine powers come back..."