Mana, a phenomenal power granted to us by the Pheno god. People from this world control mana to form spells that could be used for daily usage, but mostly to fight mana beasts. And who is the Pheno god? He is the one who rules over the whole of Skystead, seen as the absolute being, and it seems a good deal of citizens worship him.
On the way to school, the man reminded me that everyone attending the school were associates with people of extremely high caliber - with relations to at least Adept rank mages. Very carefully, he reminded me to not get into a fight with them or I could end up in serious situations with dire consequences.
"We still don't know your mana level but you should NEVER provoke anyone. Everyone present in your school has relations to Adept rank mages, it's the third highest mage ranking. They could take on a whole Dusk general alone. Oh..right... I haven't told you about the Dusks yet".
"When an evil brain and magic collide, it creates something even more repellent than both. Something revolting. The race known as Dusk. These beings originated as rulers from the underworld, a scorching land of fire where unknown creatures reside. Even while they were sealed down below, they were still feared on the surface where they once roamed. For centuries, they made many attempts to break the gates to the over-world, but none of them were successful. Then, one unseeing day, an omniscient being made a pact with the King Dusk. Nobody knows what the pact consisted of, however, that same day, the gates to the over-world were destroyed. The Dusks were ready to once again, rule the surface. And they haven't stopped invading our land, up to this day."
"So... I assume the mages are opposing the Dusks? Wait a minute... are the 'mana beasts' actually referring to the Dusks?".
He let out a smirk and responded "You're sharper than I thought, for a 13 year old, who used to live in the slums".
So I was right.. wait..what? What did he just say? I'm 13 and I lived in the slums..? MY PREVIOUS LIFE, HOW COULD HE KNOW? I haven't disclosed any personal information, how could he possibly-? It wasn't long for him to spill the beans.
"When a reincarnate arrives to this world, their consciousness is released into the mana around them. I happened to be wandering the forest of Qraville and caught sight of you, and then this whole unexpected series of occasions came to. We'll talk about this later".
Before he could say anything further, we arrived at the ICM, ready to trek into becoming a Celestial rank mage - hopefully. A whole line-up of rather high-rank looking mages could be seen across the entrance. They all bowed down to..me? or maybe to the man beside me, or it could just be a way of politely greeting in this world.
"Go wait in the chairs, you won't be with me for a while" Mr. Paul said. I wondered if he had some sort of errand to run?
Not that it affected me much, so I sat down in one of the many chairs lined up across the hallway. The stage was massive, larger than any I've seen in my previous life. The ceilings were cladded with enormous chandeliers. It was an auditorium prodigious enough to house over twenty thousand seats, and still spacious to roam around. The seats were arranged in a gradient with the back having the height superiority.
I bided my time and eventually the opening ceremony finally came about. The man I was with took the stage, something I was never expecting.
"Greetings, parents, teachers, mages, and most importantly - the promising youth of students that have gathered today to attend this prestigious school. I am the founder of the Institute of Celestial Mages, rather known as the Celestial Mage Paul Erwin."
I was shocked more than ever. The 'mysterious' guy that has taken care of me ever since I got here, turned out to be a Celestial ranked mage! And nonetheless, the founder of the most esteemed school. Knowing this improved my morale by a high margin.
"As we all know, a few millennia past, the Pheno god granted this world with 'mana', and I'm sure many here has already awakened their affinity. There are two types of mana usages in this world, Emitters and Conjurers. Emitters control the mana in the environment to cast spells, while Conjurers use mana from their inner soul to cast spells - both of these are very important to consider when choosing your oath. Of course, oaths may sound unfamiliar but the very purpose of this school is to teach you everything about being a mage, and fellow parents and mages, I hope you can trust us with helping your children become full-fledged mages."
A rowdy round of applause could be heard following Mr. Paul's speech, and it's finally time for me to start learning.. and I can say with confidence that I'm gonna endeavor to be one of the strongest mages to exist.