While for the majority of students here, this knowledge was basic, something they learned as mere toddlers, for Fate this was entirely new territory.
He had never heard of "hydrogen" or "chemical reactions," nor of "combustion." He soaked up all of this new information like a sponge, making diligent notes in which he outlined what to study further on his own time. By the end of the class, everyone was bored and ready to move on to something more exciting. Everyone except Fate, who wanted to run to the library and learn as much as he could. Too bad he couldn't read.
After an hour had passed, which was an hour earlier than the class was supposed to end, Professor Van Brawen dismissed them, urging them once more to pick up Chemistry as a class for the semester.
"Except you, Fate," he said after the lecture on why the class was important. "I believe it wouldn't do you much good."
"Why's that, sir?" chimed another student, a pretty girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She gave Fate the stink eye, a sneer common to nobility distorting her face. "Is he stupid or something?"
The class laughed as Van Brawen glared disapprovingly at the girl. After a quick glance to see if Fate looked offended, which he didn't and wasn't, he gave the girl a withering stare. "On the contrary, Ms. Hredaple. Unlike you all, Fate here doesn't have an Elemental Facet."
"Then why is he here? What makes him so special?" the girl retorted, crossing her arms.
"If you must know, Lady Alessandra herself decided on his curriculum. He has a unique Facet that doesn't fit into our available classes, so she had to improvise."
"A unique Facet? Those exist?" A different student asked.
"Apparently. Regardless, I am positive that Chemistry will only distract him from understanding his Facet, seeing as it doesn't work like all of yours'. All of you are dismissed. Please leave so the next class can enter." With that, the professor turned and started clearing his chalkboard.
The students left their seats and shuffled out of the room. Fate was among one of the last to leave, having gone over his notes to make sure he hadn't missed anything important. A shadow passed over his notebook, and he looked up to find the girl from earlier looming over him.
Her eyes were glued on the pages of his book, her brow furrowed and her nose scrunched like she had found something repulsive.
"What's this? You can't even write? You really are just a little urchin, aren't you? I bet your so-called 'unique Facet' is Garbage or Homelessness."
"That's warning one, Ms. Hredaple," Van Brawen said from behind his desk. "Leave, unless you want to be the first student of the year to get a strike. I can assure you it won't look good on your record."
"Hmph." Hredaple stormed off, leaving Fate to finish checking his notes.
Finding them satisfactory, he stuffed the notebook and his textbook into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, heading to Ms. Alessandra's office. His next class wasn't for another hour, so now was a good time to talk to her about reading lessons. On the way, amidst the mass of bodies as students went their various ways, someone started making a beeline for Fate.
Fate noticed the man because he was at least seven feet tall. They could easily see each other over the heads of their fellow students, even from the distance of forty feet that separated them in the hall. Fate stepped aside when he noticed this so they wouldn't collide, but the person in question followed his movement, continuing his course.
After trying this three more times with the same results, Fate sighed and stopped in his tracks, observing the man.
As mentioned before, he was tall, with short, spiky blonde hair and ice-blue eyes. He was built like a brick outhouse, with wide shoulders and thick arms. His looks left a lot to be desired, but it was obvious that if he bothered to shave the wild, uneven scruff along his jaw, he would look quite good.
He was the kind of guy that could wrestle a bear and win, and his eyes were currently trained on Fate, the rage within his gaze palpable, visibly distorting the air around him and coloring it red, giving him a crimson tint.
Fate could tell now that he took the time to look the man over that this blonde brute was itching for a fight. Fate was never one to deny people a chance at a brawl, so he dropped his bag gently behind him and widened his stance.
The man shoved aside the other teenagers in the hall as he approached, the students quickly making a circle around the two that was twenty feet wide and whipping out small crystals that they pointed in the direction of the action.
The stranger stopped seven feet away from Fate, eyes bearing down with anger and disbelief before his face relaxed, a rumbling chuckle leaking out. "Do you know who I am?" He asked, his voice so deep that it sounded painful to even use.
"Does it matter?" Fate responded.
"It does. I want you to know why I'm about to kick your ass, and who did it. I'm Garn Hredaple, Venessa's brother. She told me you got her in trouble and ruined her record on the first day. Not only that, but you're also some kind of special snowflake that has the personal attention of the principal."
"First off, she got herself into trouble," Fate said. "And secondly, I don't even know who the principal is."
"Now you're lying, eh? Van Brawen dropped her name for everyone to hear. We all know Lady Alessandra arranged your classes."
"Lady Alessandra is the principal?" Fate asked, raising an eyebrow. "But there are three Arch-Mages that work here."
Garn shook his head, a mock expression of pity on his face. "You really are stupid. I guess that thing she told me about you being illiterate is true as well."
The false pity changed to a grin as his eyes glowed with anticipation. "That's fine. I'll be putting you in your place soon enough. Commoners like you should know better than to mess with nobles."