The classroom was plunged into an attentive silence, each student hanging on Professor Lana's every word. The subdued light filtering through the high windows gave the scene an almost mystical atmosphere, as if the secrets of the universe were about to be revealed.
Lana stood before them, her slender figure draped in a deep blue gown, dotted with silver patterns reminiscent of constellations. Her eyes, an intense violet, seemed to reflect an ancient wisdom and a deep knowledge of the arcana of magic.
"Today," she began in a clear, steady voice, "we will address a subject that, I have no doubt, raises many questions in your minds. We will talk about the origin of Mana and its place in the universe."
With a fluid gesture of her hand, she conjured a holographic projection in the center of the room. Planets, galaxies, and nebulae began to slowly revolve, bathing the room in an ethereal glow.
"Mana," Lana explained, "is an energy that permeates many worlds across the universe. It is a primordial force, present since the birth of the stars and the dawn of time. Some worlds are naturally imbued with it, while others hold only faint traces."
She gestured, and the hologram focused on one planet in particular, a bluish-green sphere that looked strangely similar to Earth.
"Our world, however, has long been devoid of Mana," Lana revealed. "At least, until the Awakening."
A murmur rippled through the room, each student trying to grasp the implications of this revelation.
"But then," Mina interjected, her green eyes shining with curiosity, "how did the Awakening happen? If Earth had no Mana before, what changed?"
Lana smiled, clearly delighted by her student's astuteness.
"That's an excellent question, Mina," she approved. "The truth is that the arrival of Mana on Earth is no accident, but the result of a long process, initiated decades ago by visitors from another world."
A stunned silence greeted this declaration. Aiden exchanged an incredulous glance with Ethan, then with Kai, who was gaping in astonishment.
"Nearly a century ago," Lana continued, "a group of beings from a distant, Mana-rich planet arrived on Earth. Their mission was to prepare our world for the advent of Mana, so that we would be ready when the time came."
She conjured new images, showing hooded figures working in the shadows, erecting strange buildings and engraving mystical symbols.
"This is how Elysium came to be," she revealed. "Our founders were these visitors. They built this school in the utmost secrecy, writing some of their knowledge, and preparing a few individuals to be ready."
Aiden was stunned. So Elysium wasn't just a school, but an extraterrestrial legacy, a bastion of Mana on a planet previously devoid of it.
"But how did they manage to bring Mana to Earth?" he asked, intrigued. "And why now?"
Lana nodded, as if she expected this question.
"To understand this," she replied, "we need to look at the very nature of Mana. Mana, you see, is not simply a magical energy. It is a quantum force, obeying subtle and complex laws."
She brought up new diagrams, representing equations and schemas that seemed straight out of an advanced physics course.
"Mana," she explained, "is closely linked to the very structure of the universe, to the fabric of space-time. It manifests when certain conditions are met, when quantum fields reach a certain state of excitation."
Aiden frowned, trying to follow these explanations that far exceeded his scientific knowledge.
"What our founders did," Lana continued, "was to slowly lay the groundwork, to subtly modify Earth's energy fields to make them conducive to the emergence of Mana. It was a long-term work, requiring decades of preparation and subtle manipulations."
She paused, giving her students time to digest these revelations.
"And when the conditions were met," she concluded, "when the stars aligned, literally and figuratively, the Awakening occurred. Mana poured onto Earth like a wave of pure energy, transforming our world forever."
A reverent silence hung in the room, each person measuring the magnitude of what had just been revealed.
"But why now?" Kai insisted, voicing aloud the question burning on everyone's lips. "Why did the founders choose our time for the Awakening?"
Lana gave an enigmatic smile, her violet eyes glinting with a strange light.
"That's a question even I don't have a definitive answer to," she admitted. "But what I can tell you is that something is happening on a larger scale, and there's a good chance we'll be involved sooner or later."
She swept the room with her gaze, encompassing all her students in an intense look.
"What is certain," she concluded, "is that the Awakening has changed our world forever, and it's up to you to explore its possibilities and master its powers. You are the first generation of Earth Mages, the pioneers of a new era. The future of Mana, and our planet, is in your hands."
With those weighty words, Lana ended the lesson, leaving her students to their reflections and wonder.
Aiden left the room as if in a dream, his mind buzzing with questions and hypotheses. He felt as if his universe had just expanded immeasurably, as if the boundaries of his world had been shattered.
But it also made him very excited, it was so stimulating to think that there were other people in other worlds, that things were happening on a larger scale.
"It confirms to me that I need to become stronger, and faster."
The afternoon passed quickly, and evening was slowly approaching.
Aiden joined Ethan in his room, preparing for their famous mission that was about to start very soon. Was everything going to go as planned, or would everything go haywire? They didn't know yet.