"You three are way too early." Professor Cross sighed as she looked at Aether, Erika and one other young girl who had arrived even before they did. "There's still almost a quarter of an hour left!" The professor exclaimed.
"Aren't you supposed to be happy that we're actually eager to learn?" Erika grinned. "Can't you give us a head start, Professor? It's a solo practice session anyways, so give us the basics and let us start practicing already."
Professor Cross sighed. "You're way too eager, Erika." She gave each of them a piece of chalk. "But sure, I'm not about to pass up on an eager student." She grinned. "Or three," She said as she glanced at Aether and the other, quiet girl. "What was your name again?" She asked after a moment of hesitation.
"Mara Willow," She sheepishly replied. She was covering her nose with a handkerchief, so her voice was slightly muffled as she spoke.
Aether didn't think much of it. While he couldn't smell anything unpleasant, he wasn't about to judge her.
"Alright then, Mara, Aether and Erika." Professor Cross said with a smile. "To summon a creature, we must first create a summoning circle. The shape, size, material and surroundings of the circle will determine what it does." She dropped on one knee and began drawing a circle just large enough to fit Aether's stretched hand.
"Why so small?" Erika asked as the three of them also knelt down to see better.
"The larger the circle gets, the more difficult it is to keep the spell stable." Professor Cross explained as she drew some symbols within the circle. "For now, we'll go with a standard summoning circle."
"Alright," She said after finishing the circle. "Now I want all of you to draw one of these." She grinned. "Let's see if you were paying attention."
Mara nodded and picked a spot far away from Aether and Erika. She knelt on the ground and began drawing.
"Well then, let's give it a try." Erika said with a huge, excited grin on her face. She walked a few steps to the side and started drawing the circle.
Aether looked at Professor Cross' circle for a few seconds longer. "Alright…" He mumbled after a few seconds passed. He also walked a little farther away from the other two, then knelt down on one knee and began drawing the summoning circle.
"I'm done," The first to speak up was Mara, moments before the other students began arriving. "What do I do now?"
Aether shot a glance at the newly arriving group. He furrowed his brows for a moment as his eyes met with Iris' as she led the crowded group. "Are we late?" Someone asked with some fear in his voice.
"No, no, not at all!" Professor Cross said with the same grin on her face. "I've got a very fun experiment for all of you today." She pointed at the circle she drew moments before and then at a small basket filled with chalk sticks. "Now, take a piece of chalk and try to replicate it. The correct order is from the outer edge to the centre." As the students looked at it, confused, she turned her attention on Mara. "I'll take a look at yours now."
As she walked towards the shy girl's circle, Aether turned his attention to his own circle.
He had almost perfectly replicated Professor Cross' magical circle. The only things that remained were the four symbols near the centre of the circle. He purposefully acted slowly, hoping the others would do the summoning before he did.
"That's a good try," Professor Cross was speaking with Mara as she inspected the shy girl's circle. "I don't see anything that could pose an issue, so why don't you go ahead and try summoning something?"
Mara's eyes lit up with excitement. "Can I?" She asked as she put the piece of chalk aside. Professor Cross smiled. "Of course. Just touch the edge of the circle and pour some mana into it. Be gentle and slow."
Mara nodded, then placed her palms on both sides of the circle. Aether narrowed his eyes and watched. He felt the shy girl's mana for a split second, then the circle let out a faint glow.
"Whoa!" Someone exclaimed in disbelief. "It's a feline!"
It was, indeed, a feline. Not larger than a housecat, it had shiny, black fur with two red stripes under its eyes. It's tail was fluffy, like that of a lion.
"Aw, so adorable!" Iris exclaimed, dropping the piece of chalk in her hands.
Aether looked away. The black cat wasn't weak, but it was by no means a powerhouse on its own.
"Good job, Mara." Professor Cross said with a smile. "You're quite fast. Check your stat bracelet, you'll see new information there."
Mara did as she was asked while also petting the summoned black cat, and Aether turned his attention back to his own magical circle. It was ready for a summoning ritual, though a weak one at best. The final four symbols he needed to draw were drawn with weaker, less confident strokes.
"I've finished as well," Aether spoke up. Professor Cross hurried over but had to pause and help someone else first. Aether didn't mind that, his gaze was fixed on Iris' circle. It was drawn perfectly, so much so that it could be easily confused with the one Professor Cross drew before. The young man sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Is my class so boring?" Professor Cross' voice startled him. He hadn't noticed her approach at all.
"No, not at all." He glanced at his magic circle. "What's next?"
Professor Cross chuckled. "Just place your hands on both sides of the circle and let your mana pour in." Her smile widened. "I wonder what you will summon." She mumbled as Aether did as he was asked.
"Professor! I'm summoning too!" Iris' voice sounded, drowning out all other noise. Without waiting for a response, she placed her hands on both sides of the circle and let her mana pour in. Her eyes glimmered with excitement as the circle let out a bright golden glow.
"Ooh!" Someone exhaled as the bright light faded, revealing the summoned creature.
It was a phoenix. It was about the size of a small dove, but there was no mistaking it with those bright, yellow, and orange feathers and bright golden eyes.
"My goodness," Professor Cross whispered as she hurried over to Iris' side. "A phoenix! That is absolutely amazing, I've never seen a first timer summoning one before!"
The young girl was almost shining with confidence and pride as Aether sighed and turned his attention back to his own magic circle. He let his mana flow through the lines drawn with chalk, and then smiled as a single, black winged butterfly flew up from the faint shine of the circle.
"A butterfly?" Erika asked, raising her eyebrows. She would have said more, but the smile on the young man's face stopped her. He seemed almost happy.
Why was he so happy because of a simple butterfly?