'What do I even pick?!'
From the courses, we were allowed to pick four each, and each day we would be participating in two of them on a bi-daily schedule.
So, while it sounded great that we would get a lot of opportunities to practice and train, there was still a major problem. I didn't even know what kind of role I would have in the future!
'-Bah! Don't worry about it so much, you can become whatever you want! My cur... blessing is very versatile! However, your vessel does seem to be more inclined towards using mana than using your body.'
Lucifer spoke the truth. From my status alone, it was clear to see that I was more suitable to become a mage than some sort of a warrior. However, when looking at my little status panel, the spells and skills that accompanied it was just... so weird...
===Status===
Name: Aarick Laupier
Rank: F [Potential S]
Strength: F
Agility: F
Stamina: F
Intelligence: F+
Mana Capacity: E
Blessing(?): Gravitational Bond - Rank I
Elemental skills: [Inherent gravity]
Bond skills: [Claws]
==========
Just like most people, I had acquired two abilities with the blessing, one of which was the ability I had accidentally used when Ms. Zito had woken me up. Its usage was quite simple, I could change how much I would allow gravity to affect me.
So when waking up, I had somehow managed to put myself in a state of zero gravity, which ended up in me floating in the air. How did it work? I have no idea.
The second ability that I got, I still hadn't had the chance to test it, as I had more or less just gotten dispatched from the hospital, slept in the streets, got my uniform from an unknown man with a suitcase, and then arrived here.
Despite this, I had a pretty good feeling about what the ability did, as it was kind of obvious from the name. So, would I even get the chance to use it without risking people suspecting me of being a monster or a demon?
In the end, I could only rely on [Inherent Gravity] for now, and although I had a couple of ideas on how I could use it, none of these could be translated into how a mage would fight.
Granted, I could still try to learn general spells, spells that didn't adhere to any of the elements, but it sort of felt like a waste to not get guidance about my element. The element that was... Wait!
'What is my element?!'
'-Oh, didn't I tell you? You don't actually have an element, my ability is gravity. This thing about humans only aligning to the main elements are also something kind of new. In fact, when I was young, there was no...'
'Fine, I get it! But, if I don't have an element, how am I supposed to receive guidance from any of the teachers about using my ability?'
'-Oh... Right, that was a thing...'
'Lucifer!'
'-It's fine, it's fine! Just don't pick any courses that focus on elemental manipulation! After all, you have me to teach you about my powers, so what need would you have for another teacher anyway?'
Somehow, the words that she spoke actually seemed to make a lot of sense. In fact, it could even be seen as a large boon as I would get training using my 'element' without having to pick a course for it.
'Okay, so what do I pick then?'
'-Well...'
"I hope that everyone has made their choices now. For the rest of the day, you are welcome to walk around the academy on your own and get to know each other a bit better. Because tomorrow, the semester will begin for real. Dismissed."
'Huh?'
As everyone else suddenly stood up, I was left in a cloud of confusion and anxiety. Because I still hadn't picked even a single course, and judging by the looks of my teacher, she was well aware of it as well.
So, not wanting to look anyone in the eye because of shame, I turned my gaze down at my desk, intent on not interacting with any of my new classmates.
As soon as they had left the room, Ms. Zito arrived at my desk, and out of nowhere, the aura of domination she carried suddenly disappeared as she all of a sudden felt quite mellow.
Unable to understand what was happening, I looked up at the woman with her hands on her hips, highlighting her well-shaped hourglass figure.
"Haaa... Are you really the one master chose?"
****
[Will's Pov]
Walking through the hallway with Levi on my side, it was hard to contain my frustration over what had just gone down. The boy who should have died had somehow not only managed to survive, but he was for some reason even in the same class as us.
If it really was him...
Because the Aarick that I knew didn't look like that boy at all.
With white hair, red eyes, and flawless skin, it would have been a lot easier to think that someone had merely stolen his identity. Yet, I knew this couldn't be the case, as the academy of Augustus would never allow someone like that to attend their school.
"I'm going to excuse myself for a moment."
As Levi suddenly took a turn toward the women's restroom, I couldn't help but think about just how complicated everything suddenly had become while looking at the back of the girl I adored.
It had been years of seeing her torture herself by continuing to visit the boy lying in a hospital, disregarding the words of her father just to see Aarick.
Everything that had happened, how things had just spiraled completely out of control in the past, it was impossible for me not to feel guilty about it when hearing his name being called out. I had been immature, though I doubt that word would be enough to explain my state of mind at that time.
Making our old classmates bully Aarick, just to try and show Levi that he was too weak for someone like her, which ended up in them going absolutely overboard and blowing his chest open. In the end, it was still my sin, no matter what.
That was the reason I had begged my mother to pay for his treatment, and even if it was a very meager attempt to pay my dues, it was the only thing I could do.
Seeing him now, standing up and moving, a part of me was obviously happy, a very selfish part of me. Because that meant that I had at least to some extent managed to repent.
However, seeing Levi's reaction when she heard his name...
'I can't accept it...'
I still couldn't acknowledge her being together with someone like that. It didn't matter that he had somehow managed to get accepted into Augustus, he was never going to live in the same world as us.
A world where we felt the pressure of the whole world on our shoulders, and we would have to bear the weight of being responsible for two of the most powerful guilds in existence when we got older.
Luckily, I knew that Levi had matured a lot in this last year, ever since she resolved herself to stop thinking about Aarick and made up her mind about her future. She was also intent on not letting her father down anymore, now training harder than anyone to reach her full potential.
Still, on the slim chance that Aarick would try to approach her, and somehow managed to start tearing down her newly found resolve...
"Hey, Will!"
As a very familiar voice rang out behind me, I could only quickly repress the dark thoughts in my head and turn around with a smile.
"Hello, Matthew. What's up?"
Matthew Maxwell, a purple-haired youth that carried an impressive blessing and was the heir of one of the medium guilds in Rellea and a childhood friend of mine. Although it was unfortunate that he was placed in B-1, the other freshman class, and not in A-1, I was still happy to see my childhood friend getting to attend the same academy as me.
So, deciding to push away the worries I had about Aarick, I decided to just go with the flow and not interfere. As long as that now white-haired boy didn't try anything stupid...
****
[Levi's Pov]
Washing my face with water from the sink for the fifth time, I was still unable to completely calm myself down. Because somehow, Aarick had woken up and adding on to that, he was going to attend the same academy in the same class as me.
Though I had sworn to myself that I would shed no more tears after deciding to become the heir that my father wished for, I had to bite down on my lip hard to make it so.
It was all so incredibly sad. If only he had woken up a year ago, when I still hadn't begun walking on this path, then maybe things would have been different.
Because now, it was too late. We were already living in different worlds, and no matter how much I wished for it, there could never be a future for us.