He arrived at the school and transformed back to his human form behind a nearby bush. As he walked towards the school, he thought he saw an eyeball in the bushes, similar to the one he'd seen in Dean Sieg's office. But he decided not to dwell on it. He was in a new environment - a magical one, at that!
"Now, off to class," Robert said to himself as he started walking. Wait - where was he going?
"I believe you should meet with Dean Seig. He's the one who can guide you to the appropriate class," Poison recommended.
"Of course," Robert responded, lightly smacking his forehead. "How did I manage to forget about Dean Seig?"
He didn't need directions this time, but even if he had, he wouldn't have been able to ask anyone, because all the other students were in class. The school grounds were deserted, and the only evidence that other people were there were the sounds coming from the classrooms.
Within seconds, he found himself at the familiar brown door. He straightened his shirt and knocked gently.
"Come in!" he heard Dean Sieg's deep voice calling from inside. Robert entered slowly, feeling a bit nervous.
"Well, hello, Robert!" Dean Sieg said with a smile. "What a pleasant surprise! I thought you were only supposed to come for night classes."
"I thought otherwise," Robert said with a confident smile.
"I see," Dean Sieg replied. "So, are you ready for the next phase of your training?"
"I actually wanted to know where I'm supposed to go for my classes." Robert replied, glancing at the wizard eye hanging from the ceiling.
"Oh, well, that's easy," Dean Sieg replied. "We'll come back to that shortly. But first, I'd like to know if you've learned how to cast spells."
"Yes, I've already mastered that," Robert said, confidently.
"And what makes you so sure of that?" Dean Sieg asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as he appraised Robert. "Learning to cast magic spells takes a lot of practice. It doesn't happen overnight."
"Okay, then how can I prove it to you?" Robert asked, a proud grin spreading across his face.
"All right," Dean Sieg said. "Why don't you show me one of the spells you think you know?" His eyes narrowed as he watched Robert closely. He was expecting the boy to laugh it off and admit he was just kidding. But to his surprise, Roberts aura soared menacingly and purple magical energy gathered in his hand. The air around him seemed to crackle with electricity, and a long, thin bolt of lightning began to take shape in his right hand.
*CRACK*
A blinding flash of lightning shot across the room, and Dean Sieg just barely had time to summon a water blanket that blocked the bolt. In truth, he was a 3rd-ranked legendary water wizard, and he could tell that the magic energy behind the bolt was no joke.
"Holy cow!" Dean Sieg exclaimed, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Where and when did you learn to cast a lightning strike?"
Robert's smile only widened.
"Wow," Dean Sieg said, looking shocked. "That's... incredible. Did you have a private tutor, or something?" He paused, shaking his head. "No, that's impossible. Only super-rich kids can afford private magic tutors."
"Now that's a little offensive," Robert said, still smiling.
"I'm really surprised," Dean Seig said, clearly in awe. "I know it usually takes students at least two days to learn how to meditate, let alone to visualize and control a spell. But you, you learned in just one day!"
Poison cut in telepathically, "Actually, it only took him two hours."
"Robert, I'm really impressed," Dean Seig said. "You can ask the other students about the location of the elite lightning class and they'll direct you there." He dismissed Robert, still clearly in awe of his achievement.
"Thank you, sir," Robert said, turning and leaving the office. As he opened the door, he was astonished to find Zack, the blond boy from the magic tech class, standing outside and listening with a blue device resembling a megaphone held up to his ear.
"Zack? What are you doing here?" Robert asked, annoyed. This was the same guy who had charged him two gold coins just to bring him to an office!
"Hey, Robert!" Zack greeted enthusiastically. "Check out my new invention. I've named it Zack's Magic Sound Amplifier. It makes sounds louder by utilizing sound magic. Cool, right? I used it to eavesdrop on your conversation with Dean Seig. And I'll charge you two gold coins to take you to the elite lightning class. But wait a minute, the elite class? Only very talented students are supposed to be there. Wait a minute." He felt Robert's aura. Robert merely scowled at him, his face betraying no sign of emotion.
"But... you're already a peak 1st rank common wizard!" Zack exclaimed, disbelief written all over his face. "I thought you'd just awakened yesterday! It usually takes an average of two days for a wizard to learn how to cast spells, but you - you did it in less than a day! You're really talented, Robert!" he continued. "Anyway, if you give me two gold coins, I'll take you to the elite lightning class."
"Didn't you say you'd give me a discount the next time I ask for directions?" Robert asked, his expression neutral.
"I might have said that," Zack grumbled, "but I'm not in the best mood today. Some kid from the fire class was giving me a hard time."
As he spoke, Robert noticed a burn mark on the side of Zack's neck.
"Hey, are you okay? That's a nasty burn you've got there," Robert said, taking a closer look at the burn mark. He had formed a connection with Zack because Zack was usually the only person he talked to, and Zack had helped him a lot yesterday, even though it had cost him money.
"What did you do to the person?" Robert's asked as his expression turned cold.
"Well, I was working on my class project in the garden behind the staff room when I accidentally connected two magic nodes of opposing elements. This caused my project to explode and an irritating smoke to spread. After the smoke cleared, I apologized to everyone in the garden and tried to pick up the scattered pieces. Then the Marvin kid from the fire class used a Dragon Breath spell on me and scorched my neck," Zack replied. "I couldn't do anything, so I just left."
"Take me to the moron," Robert said angrily.
"No way!" Zack exclaimed, trying to persuade Robert to drop the idea. "That guy's one of the best students in the fire element elite class, and he's already a 3rd rank common wizard. If you confront him, he'll turn you into a piece of charcoal!"
"The way those kids act like they can do whatever they want, say whatever they want, and hurt whomever they want - it's not right!" Robert's voice was soft, but the resentment was obvious. "Tell me the guy's full name so I can set him straight." He was starting to develop a dislike for the pride stricken students of this school, who often seemed entitled and arrogant.
"Um, Parker Marvin is his name and he usually hangs out in the garden with his friends after class, but I really don't think it's a good idea..." Zack's words were abruptly interrupted by Robert.
"I'll give you two gold coins. Take me to the elite lightning class, and also, give me your phone number. I'll call you and you can guide me to the garden," said Robert, forgetting that he didn't have a phone with him.
"That'll be four gold coins..." Zack said, earning a glare from Robert.
_
In the elite lightning class.
The room had four rows of four seats each, with a large open space in the front. In one corner, there was a group of mannequins standing eerily still. The walls were painted a deep purple, and hanging from the ceiling was a large, spherical object that emitted intermittent bursts of lightning-like energy. The room had a distinctly futuristic feel to it.
"Quiet, everyone!" The teacher's voice cut through the hubbub of the classroom. "This is Robert Manuel, our newest student. Robert, please take a seat." The teacher was a young man in his late twenties, with a clean-cut appearance and a professional demeanor. He spoke with authority, but there was a friendly smile on his face.
"Excuse me, Mr. Sam. I thought students in the elite class had to be at least third rank," a female student spoke up, a note of skepticism in her voice. She was dressed in a purple robe like everyone else in the class, but she had an unconventional appearance, with a neat black hair and bright green eyes.
"He just awakened yesterday," Mr. Sam, the teacher for the elite lightning class and an eighth-rank mystic lightning wizard, replied.
"So we're just going to go back to basics?" the girl asked, her voice tinged with annoyance. "And spend time helping him learn to cast a simple spell that's more suited for the ordinary lightning class? By now, everyone in the ordinary lightning class can probably already cast a spell."
"Suzy, he can already cast a spell," Mr. Sam said with a hint of impatience in his voice.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Suzy exclaimed, disbelief written all over her face. "How could he possibly be able to cast a spell already? He just awakened yesterday!"
"That's why he's in the elite class, now shut up!" Mr. Sam snapped.
He pointed to an empty seat in the back row, next to a silver-haired boy. "That's your seat, Robert."
"Isn't that the handsome Alexander kid?" Poison asked in Robert's head.
"Oh, geez," Robert shuddered, his unease growing as he took his seat.
"Today, we'll be learning a new spell called Lightning Arc," Mr. Sam announced, rolling up his sleeves. "It's a penetrative lightning spell that's very useful in combat. Now, watch me carefully as I demonstrate." He stood facing a mannequin, a few feet away. Magic energy gathered at the tip of his right index finger, swirling with purple light. Then, he threw his arm forward in an arc, and a bolt of lightning flew from his finger, tracing a path through the air and striking the mannequin. It was instantly reduced to splinters.
"You'll need to be at least a third-rank common wizard to make a decent impact with this spell," Mr. Sam said, glancing briefly at Robert.
"Can I try it?" a voice called out from the back row. Heads turned, and the class looked to see who had spoken.
It was Robert.
"Hey, new kid," Suzy said, standing up from her seat. "A spell isn't something you can just pick up in an instant. It takes time and practice to learn." She scowled at him. 'Who does he think he is, a first-rank common wizard acting so cocky around elites? Maybe he bribed his way into the class, since no first-rank common wizard has ever been promoted to the elite class before. Something must be going on here.' She thought.
"Robert, you need to practice this spell before you can try it in class," Mr. Sam said seriously. "We can't have any mistakes that could endanger anyone here."
"But, Mr. Sam, I asked if I could try," Robert replied. He wasn't sure what had come over him, but he felt strangely confident. He felt like he needed to prove himself in this class if he wanted to gain respect (as Poison had advised).
"No mistakes will be tolerated," Mr. Sam said, gesturing for Robert to come forward. He thought to himself, This boy doesn't understand that he's in the elite class now, where a single mistake could get him demoted to the ordinary class. Well, once he messes up, I'll send him back where he belongs, and it'll be one less problem for me to deal with.
Robert took a deep breath as he stood in front of the mannequin. He'd noticed that one of the perks of housing Poison's soul was that he could learn new spells with ease.
"Can you walk me through the steps again, please?" Robert thought to Poison as he assumed his casting posture.
"All right, boy," Poison replied. "Gather your magic energy at your fingertip, and then slowly let the lightning magic energy seep out, as if you were aiming at something very close to you. Then, release the magic as you swing your arm forward in an arc."
"Lightning Arc!" Robert shouted, following Poison's instructions. As he threw his arm forward, a long arc of lightning crackled through the air, blasting the mannequin's head clean off. Mr. Sam had been able to blast the whole mannequin because he was already a mystic wizard, and his magic was therefore naturally more powerful. He hadn't expected Robert to cast the spell at all, let alone with enough power to blast the mannequin's head off. Lightning Arc was known to be very taxing on one's magic energy, so only third-rank common wizards or higher were expected to be able to release enough magic energy to blast off part of the mannequin with that spell.
"How did you learn the spell so quickly? I hadn't even explained the steps yet!" Mr. Sam exclaimed, a look of astonishment on his face. "And how did you release that much magic energy at the first rank? That's incredible!" Mr. Sam clapped his hands in admiration, but the other students in the class remained silent, glowering at Robert.
"Pfft. If he could do it, then so can I," Suzy scoffed, standing up from her seat. "After all, apart from Alex, I'm the top student in this class." She said confidently as she walked to the front of the class. Robert felt her aura - she was a powerful fourth-rank common wizard. If Suzy thought Alex was better than her, that meant he must be at the peak of the fourth rank, or even at the fifth rank! How was he supposed to teach him and his hench boys a lesson if he doesn't reveal his other element?