The contract demanded that Vega finish the task by the end of the week. Even though the library was basically forbidden, Vega could take some of the free classes he hadn't taken to prepare for his second adventure outside of the academy.
Shoal Blue Sea Academy focused on their learning toward the water element. Vega studied the list of classes carefully. The Moon Phases and the Waves, Several Properties of Water, The Nature of Water Creatures, and Other Things Water. The list went on and on until Vega found something that he could benefit from. The Siren's Song and Their Multitudes of Power was the only title related to sound magic in general.
As far as he knew about sirens, they were another species living around several islands, stopping invaders from coming. The race were humanoid creatures made up of different closed communities with a hierarchical system. Even though the strongest sirens ever recorded were only first-level adepts, the way they used sound magic was unique to them. His mentor, Professor Addelyn could overpower the sirens in theory but not much.
Of course, because all the titles of the classes were vague, Vega chose three more classes that have connections with the arts and music. After thinking for a long time about what the titles actually meant, Vega chose The Art of Singing with Your Mouth Close and The Arts and Their Usage for Relaxation. He also added the Basic Potion Class to help him figure out any potions that could be used as offensive measures.
He took notes on the titles of the classes and where they were. After making sure he didn't miss any more classes, Vega gave his thanks and paid using only five contribution points. Luckily, most of the time, he only used his magic crystals, so his medals still had about 100 points left after killing the scarlings.
He counted that it would take him around three days outside, so he basically had around three days to take some classes to catch up with the rest of his study after doing so many adventures outside the academy with his mentor.
His first class was The Siren's Song and Their Multitudes of Power, in one of the weirdly shaped buildings overlooking the ocean. It was Vega's first time being there, especially with only seven other students in the class. The surface of the floor was decorated with wooden panels that had several different sizes. In the center, several hollow tubes of various sizes hung from the ceiling.
The other students were girls, and all of them got comfortable sitting on the floor with their legs crossed. Vega carefully glided on the floor, afraid of making any sound that would disturb the quiet in the room. He took his seat at the back of the class and sat down.
The mistress was an older woman who walked gracefully to the class while touching each tube from the bottom, respectively. The sound was familiar to Vega because he used to practice listening to it the first time he picked his meditation exercise.
"Welcome everyone!" She said with an enthusiastic tone, something that Vega had never heard from the teachers in the academy. "I am Mistress Lorainiard."
She then turned her head back, drawing a figure of a humanoid. Vega caught a glimpse of lines on the mistress' neck similar to gills. A real life siren.
The gills vibrated and Vega heard a high-pitched sound originated from the neck. "We, sirens live together with adepts as the first line of defense from the invaders searing through our water. When we screech, we take lives. Music and sound are not only for arts but also the power we have to change the entire universe. With our soul, I can even ask everyone here to feel any emotions. For example," she snapped her fingers and the gills on her neck vibrate.
Vega heard a high-pitched scream and erected an air barrier around him. The vibrational sequence helped him repel most of the sound going through his barrier, but his head was still dizzy.
The sound slowly dissipated, and Mistress Loreta smiled, showing her sharp teeth. "Good, most of you know how to defend yourself from the voices around you."
Mistress Lorainiard caught Vega's eyes and her smile widened. "Song is, in fact, no different from other forms of magic. When you will the song using your mana, you can change the entire universe to bow down, following your own command. Everyone can learn songs, but sound magic allows you to affect the people who listen to them." She said with a twinkle in her eyes, enjoying the scared looks from the students in the class.
Vega felt an intense pressure coming toward him. And then the whole class stared at him after the mistress. His hairs stood up when he heard the question.
"Do you know how to use the sound magic, boy?"
Vega swallowed heavily and nodded.
"This class is of no use to you. You already know the basics, and from the way your barrier deflected my sound, it's too similar to Professor Addilyn's barrier. You must have been one of hers. Go!" Her face turned scary, with her ears elongated and the gills contracted when she creamed.
Vega felt his head pounding and closed his ears. Using the best barrier, he erected several barriers around him, but the screeching noise broke all of his defenses. Vega stiffened and looked confused. "But…"
"So, you do still have the knowledge to block some of them." She exhaled and turned back to her previous beautiful feature. "Any questions you may have, you can ask the professor. Even the sirens bowed themselves to her use of the siren's song. Go, now. I don't want to harm her prized possession."
Vega nodded and thanked the master while he left the classroom with his mouth wide open. Never in his life was he driven from the classroom just because he was a student of Professor Addilyn, not that he had many classes before. But it was uncomfortable, to say the least.
Fortunately, the next class went better. The Arts and Its Uses for Relaxation was located not far from the previous classroom. He had grown bored with the grand building overlooking the Mernoralin statue, and the change of view was a nice one. Some of the apprentices already filled the classroom with obvious droopy eyes. Probably because the classroom had its windows opened, letting in the breeze from the ocean, the room feels safe and relaxing.
Mister Drior came inside, bringing several unrelated things. Candles, incense, and wooden tubes The wooden tubes whistled when they caught the wind inside, making the whole class laugh at the weird sound they made. "So, here you go. It's funny, right? Because the wind itself is funny." He started. Vega thought there must be a reason why most of the masters and mistresses in the academy who understand music had the best knowledge in sound magic.
"I'm not going to teach you any sound magic; that's a little bit forbidden anyway for adepts. However, songs can be used to help people relax. Everywhere, the world gives us the best music to listen to. Even the plants, the earth, or even the fire Hear that? The ocean has this sound where each wave hits different notes when we listen from time to time. The fire crackles, eating the media it burns. The earth—well, the thumping sound when you hit the rock and the ground together. And the plants, well, the sound they made together was like singing together with the wind. Can anyone tell me why?"
No one answered the question, and most students even frowned while listening to the weird lecture from Master Drior. But Vega understood it right away and raised his hand. "Because of the vibration it creates, master."
"Great, great. I heard you already. The prodigy of the Master of Sound, Professor Addilyn But tell me, can you understand why the vibration helps you feel something?"
Vega shook his head, not understanding the question.
"Right? See this?" The master lit the incense and blew out the smoke. He stood further from the incense and waved his hand. The smoke moved a little, affected by the wind from his hand.
"Anything we do over here can affect things over there just because we're connected. If it's an ordinary sound, the only thing you feel is the vibration in the air that helps you hear the sound. But sound magic is different; the mana is imbued there, affecting the mana around us. Even though the mana you keep inside you is your own mana and your own property, the core is still the same. The sound magic affects the core inside you to make you feel whatever the user is thinking." He stared at each student one by one, looking into their eyes. Most were already bored enough and chose to close their eyes to meditate because they knew this was the only class in which they could relax and wouldn't get punished if they fell asleep.
But Vega listened with rapt attention. Even though the master didn't explain as clearly as he had hoped, he understood the gist of the whole concept.
"See? The sound of nature helped your friends fall asleep. This is why in the past, songs, paintings, and even dances were common to help people relax and enjoy themselves. When you dance, you can show your emotions through your dancing. The same is true when you paint; you can just color the paper according to your own mood and emotions. Every art form, when done correctly, will help you feel something. Remember, observation is important during the creative process because by only observing, you can make everything your own."
Master Drior ended the class by blowing on the wooden tube he brought to class. He played the most relaxing song ever, and even without imbuing the music with mana, Vega also felt the relaxation the music brought him. His eyes felt heavy, and he started to fall asleep.
When he woke up, the classroom was empty, and the sun had already gone. He felt like he just woke up from the best rest he's ever had. Even though most of the apprentices used the class to relax, Vega gained something from Master Drior, even with his weird style of teaching.