"Are you sure about this, Suzy?" Mr. Sam asked, his eyes narrowed in a way that suggested he thought she might be biting off more than she could chew. "You're not the same as that kid. He's clearly quite talented."
'You think you're good enough? this kid learnt how to cast a spell less than one day after he awakened!' He thought.
"To put it simply, Mr. Sam, whatever a commoner can do, a noble can do better," Suzy said, her voice filled with pride. The class burst into laughter, and Suzy, feeling quite pleased with herself, sashayed several feet away from the mannequin.
"Ugh. Rich kid jokes. You know I was from a rich family once, too," Poison began.
"We'll talk about that later," Robert said in his mind, his gaze fixed on Suzy.
"Suzy, if you make a mistake that endangers anyone here, there will be consequences," Mr. Sam warned. "Are you sure you want to do this, or should you just return to your seat?"
Suzy glanced at Robert's face, and Poison sensed the hatred behind her eyes. He quickly made Robert's mouth form a smirk of disdain.
"If she sees the expression on your face, she'll have even more resolve to cast the spell and prove that she's better than you. As I anticipate, she will undoubtedly be unable to cast the spell!" Poison said, his tone suggesting that he was up to no good.
"You're good at psychology, man," Robert thought, impressed by Poison's insight.
Suzy could tell by the expression on Robert's face that he was thinking he was better than her. She felt a surge of annoyance - who did he think he was, bribing his way into the elite class? He probably wasn't even that wealthy, judging by the simple school uniform he wore. But then she thought, if he was poor, how could he possibly afford to bribe his way into the elite class? Could he really have merited it? She wasn't sure, but she was determined to show him that he wasn't as great as he thought he was.
"Please move out of the way, Mr. Sam," Suzy said in a stern voice. "And you, Robert, can choose to move or stay where you are, but don't say I didn't warn you if I 'accidentally' hit you with a spell." She cracked her knuckles and took her stance, ready to cast.
Robert and Mr. Sam both moved to the side of the classroom.
She closed her eyes and focused on gathering her magic energy in her fingertips. She felt the energy building, and it began to transform into lightning. She could feel the power coursing through her, and she slowly opened her eyes and pointed her hand towards the mannequin. She wasn't sure if she should release the lightning all at once when her hand was pointing at the mannequin, or if she should release it gradually as she moved her hand.
If she released the spell all at once, it would be like trying to draw an arc in the air with lightning - a fun, but ultimately fruitless endeavor. If she released the spell slowly, it would be akin to making an arc-shaped design with lightning and then casting a lightning strike, neither of which had anything to do with the actual purpose of the spell. The spell was designed to be cast and retained for a certain amount of time, like a pressure cooker that had been turned on but not yet released. Many spells were designed to be cast and released immediately, and if not released quickly enough, the magic energy would dissipate slowly or, in the worst-case scenario, explode from too much pressure. This spell was different. It required patience, timing, and focus. One wrong move and she could seriously injure herself or someone else.
However, the Lightning Arc spell worked differently than others. The caster gathered magic energy in their fingertips and kept it there, connected to their body so it wouldn't dissipate. To maintain the spell, they had to transform a portion of the energy into lightning, which would enable them to use the spell at any time without needing to visualize or release their magic energy again.
So, if someone wanted to unleash the spell, since it's already a finished spell that was stored and can't be released through visualization, they would have to use a bit of physics to cast the spell, and the most effective way was to move their hand in an arc.
Suzy was caught in a dilemma, her magic energy thrumming with tension. She knew that she couldn't keep it contained for much longer, and if she didn't make a decision soon, it would explode. Desperate, she decided to transform the energy into a spell she knew well - Lightning Shock. The spell swept through the room in a wave of crackling electricity, sending the students scrambling for cover.
The students who were slower were shocked by lightning, while some faster students in third rank cast a lightning fence that was shattered because they weren't strong enough to protect themselves from Suzy's spell, which was in the fourth rank. As a result, they were also shocked by the lightning from the spell, although not as severely as the slower students who had not set up any defenses. Their shield had absorbed some of the spell before breaking. The only people who were not affected were Mr. Sam, Robert, and Alexander.
Mr Sam had cast the lightning fence reflexively and being a mystic wizard, he could easily block the attack of a rookie like Suzy. As a fifth rank common wizard, Alex's lightning fence was barely holding, but it was still able to protect him, while Robert effortlessly conjured a rock wall to block the attack and then removed it before anyone could register what had happened.
For a moment, everyone in the classroom glared at Suzy, including the teacher. Suddenly, a loud outburst of laughter shattered the silence. It wasn't coming from the class because no one would be laughing in a situation like this. Robert followed the source of the laughter to the window and saw... ZACK!!! laughing uproariously.
"Hahaha, I'm sure Alexander would do the same thing if he tried to cast the spell!" Zack chuckled, continuing to laugh. Alexander's eyes sparked with lightning, and purple magic energy gathered in his hand, but Mr. Sam suppressed him with his aura before he could cast a lightning strike spell.
"Alexander, calm down," Mr. Sam said sternly. "Zack, leave the vicinity of the classroom." Zack snickered as he walked away, clearly amused by the entire situation.
Mr. Sam turned his attention back to Alexander, who was still fuming with rage. "Take a deep breath and release the magic energy you're gathering," Mr. Sam said. Alexander struggled to do as he was told, but eventually the lightning in his hands dissipated and his expression softened.
"Suzy, I warned you, but you still chose to do the obviously wrong thing. I told you that you're not on the same level as Robert, and trying to outdo him would only backfire. Thinking you're better than anyone else doesn't change anything, you've got to learn to understand your strength and weakness. You're suspended for a week. Leave the classroom now, and when you get home, tell your parents what happened. And if you want to come back, you'll have to bring your parents with you," Mr. Sam said angrily, pointing to the door. Suzy shot a dirty look at Robert and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Heiss Magic School, similar to Bright Future Model School, was a boarding school where students resided on campus. However, unlike Bright Future Model School's hostel-style accommodations, Heiss Magic School's students each had their own rooms.
"Alright, everyone okay? Sorry for the commotion. Anyone else wants to give the spell a shot?" Mr. Sam asked in a sarcastic tone. He knew no one would volunteer, given what had just happened.
He sighed and continued. "Alright, moving on with my lesson. Remember, next Thursday is 'Bring Your Magic Beast to School' day. Don't forget it, it's part of your homework for next week. Anyway, on to the lesson - as I was saying, the Lightning Arc Spell is..." The students quickly recovered from the shock and the atmosphere in the classroom returned to normal. But many of the students had turned against Robert. He was the one who caused Suzy, the second-best lightning student in the Elite Lightning class, to be suspended.
In fact, Robert's sycophant from the Magic Technology class, Zack - the one who always followed him around - had even dared to mock Alexander in front of everyone.
That was a recipe for disaster. Despite their magical strength, their powerful and influential background could potentially result in Robert being expelled from the school. Or so they thought.
"A magic beast? Where do I even get one? I've heard they're really powerful, but how can I subdue one?" Robert asked Poison telepathically, ignoring the stares from the other students.
"Relax, Robert. Your other school would be going on break next week, so you'll have plenty of time to hunt for magic beasts. My dad had the greatest magic beast of all time during his time, it was an Elemental Dragon - the entity that united all the elements in the world. It was the most powerful magic beast ever found, and it belonged to my dad." Poison's voice was filled with pride as he spoke of his father's achievements.
"Right, Manhawk mentioned that you were cursed by the Ancient King, who was the ruler of Kreete and the most powerful entity during the Age of Sorcerer's. But you told me that you were cursed by your father, meaning your father was the Ancient king?" Robert asked telepathically.
"No," Poison's response was clearly intended to side step the question.
"Poison, is there something you aren't telling me?" Robert asked, with a tinge of suspicion in his mind's voice.
"Alright, yes. My father was the Ancient king," Poison admitted, finally coming clean. "To be clear, my father did not curse me. He cast a spell that bound my soul and those of his other children to this world, preventing us from passing on to the afterlife. The main reason for this spell remains a mystery to me. Perhaps he had a deeper purpose, a reason for wanting us to remain here. Or perhaps he simply acted out of desperation, knowing that we were the only ones who could face the threat of Normagog's return. Before he and his magic beast perished in battle against Normagog, he bestowed upon us a mission: to seek revenge for his death and protect Kreete. He used his soul scepter to cast a spell that trapped our souls in this world, preventing us from entering the afterlife. He believed that Normagog would one day return, and he wanted us to be ready when that day came. He also left behind the ancestor seal, a powerful artifact that he believed would grant us the power to defeat Normagog. And as he cast the spell, two of our servants, Solomon and Martha, rushed into the arena and were caught in the magic as well, binding them to the same mission. His final words were, 'If you find the seal, I will come again.' And as he said it, he looked at me, his gaze lingering for just a moment. I felt that there was a hidden meaning in his look, a message that I couldn't quite comprehend. It's a moment that I've never forgotten." Poison's voice was heavy with emotions as he recounted the events.
A strange sense of familiarity washed over Robert. This story felt like something he already knew, something he had seen before in a dream. In fact, he could almost recall a similar scene from his vision in the hospital, when the x-ray machine was turned on. He struggled to remember more, but the memories were hazy and indistinct.
"Who's Normagog?" Robert asked, the name unfamiliar to him.
"He was my father's greatest enemy. He was the one who killed him, or at least, was responsible for his death. He's a powerful wizard with abilities far beyond what most wizards are capable of. I'm not sure if he's still alive or not, but my father believed that he would return one day." Poison explained, his tone filled with caution and concern.
"Which implies that you're merely training me for your own purposes, to use me as a tool to defeat Normagog, and that this would inevitably lead to my death," Robert said, his tone laced with frustration.
"All other ancestor souls on Kreete are doing the same, maybe except Doom." Poison interjected. "And let me clarify something, I'm not trying to get you killed, and I want you to know that there's more to this story than you might realize. I'd like to share some of my history with you, if you're willing to listen." He paused, waiting for a response.
"Go on," Robert said in a flat, unenthusiastic tone.
"Robert, can you please focus on what I'm saying?" Mr. Sam asked, his tone polite but firm. He could tell that Robert's mind was wandering. And to be honest, Robert's distracted expression gave the impression that he was listening to something else entirely... which he was.
"Understood," he said. In his head, he thought, "Please go on with your story, Poison."