Many students in the classroom didn't react as their faces were expressionless, while a few students had looks of surprise and puzzlement in their gazes as they waited for Mumbe's explanation to conclude.
"What I mean is that, there are no such things as visible rings of fate, Circles of Essential Heart or Circles of Fate." Mumbe said, her expression slightly cloudy.
"It is but a mere concept made by humans to comprehend what we couldn't understand." She sighed, her gaze revealing a complex look. "That's why, one of the names they have is Imaginary Circles of Fate, just like the imaginary divisional line that was said to classify our planet Earth into different parts in the Imperial Era."
Shaking her head slightly, she took out a polished wooden stick with a sharp edge out from her pocket. It was neatly designed with a few carvings on it.
"This," She waved the wooden stick a bit as it's edge glowed with an almost ethereal glow. She then went forward and pressed the stick's edge against the white board as the white board shone briefly with white light before revealing an image of a black and blue heart with nine circles surrounding it as each circle had a node, which was at the same point, place and direction for each circles respectively.
"...Is an Essential Heart. Unlike Imaginary Circles of Fate, it has been proven as something that is physical but very complex and complicated, to the point that we, humans, after decades of research aren't able to unravel all it's of it's numerous secrets." The image on the white board changed, representing an vintage clock with only two hands. "Now, shifting to Imaginary Circle of Fate's simplified explanation, let's assume each Circle as a minute hand on a clock."
The wooden stick she held pointed at the seconds' hand. "The seconds' hand, slowly goes over each second as time passes, eventually completing a 'rotation'." She then pointed at the minute hand. "After a single rotation of the second hand, the minute hand moves, thus completing the Cycle, or Circle in your cases."
Tick!
Many students stared at her simplified and compressed explanation with astonished gazes, even Belite was one of them.
'Unlike the scattered, crudely and briefly explained Imaginary Circles of Fate written on the Divine Vow where you have to ponder for a few seconds to actually understand while reading twice or thrice, using a clock as an example to explain the Circles of Fate... Is really creative.'
"Now, this rotation can be classified as itself, the Rotation. While the completed cycle can be classified as Circle, in simple words, Circles of Fate." Mumbe flashed a smile that looked forced at her students as she continued. "In Circles of Fate, these are the said Circles and Rotations."
"The more you complete your Fate and draw nearer to it, the more the Rotation completes and after each Rotation, a Circle gets completed." Her lips curled up slightly. "Just like a minute is completed after the seconds' hand goes through a full rotation in a clock."
She then sighed. "Ofcourse there are limitations to it. Since Circles of Fate basically complete their Rotations and Circles dependent on the Seeker's Blessings, if the Blessings is lacking, the amount of Circles a Seeker could complete and reach are limited."
'Just like how even after I've completed my Fate and my Blessing of Future has a 'true meaning', I'm still a 7th Circle Seeker.' Mumbe sighed bitterly to herself.
"In simple words, it's like the seconds' hand and the minute hand circling the clock to complete a rotation, but finding out half the clock is destroyed or that the battery has ran out."
"Currently, the Seekers' Society has concluded 9 Imaginary Circles of Fate, all of you students are in the 9th Circle — After graduating you will be classified into different ranks." She heaved a deep long sigh as she muttered. "But don't be too overconfident... One's Fate is dependent on Fate itself, I've seen many outstanding students skyrocket in their growths and potentials, eventually reaching Circle 8-7 in a few years, but then reaching a bottleneck because their Blessing isn't capable of going any further."
The thin and frail boy who sat at the backrow scratched his head awkwardly as he raised his hand in the air, his palm facing the front.
"Uh, Miss Berknalz, can you explain them in simpler words please?"
Mumbe snorted coldly, gesturing the student to sit down as she concluded. "In short, there are Circles of Fate which are reliant on the Blessing of a Seeker. Blessing are also known as pre-determined Fates or Fate Carriers, Fate Appropriates."
"To explain this in simpler terms, I need to first explain what a Blessing is." Mumbe said sternly as her gaze swept past the students. "There are two types of Blessings, Blessings from Past or Blessings of Future."
"Seekers who have Blessings from Past cannot walk on the Circles of Fate, because they have already completed their Fate, their only path of ascension being the Essential Heart's mana pool also known as the Path of Heart."
'Blessings from Past are like going through the trouble of finding your mobile phone and finding it in your pocket the next moment, hence all your previous actions and time are wasted since you had already completed the goal and action of finding your mobile phone.' Belite thought. '...Maybe I'm wrong?'
"Blessings are also known as one's Fate and Seeker's who have recieved Blessings from Past are mostly ostracized and lowly valued compared to the Seekers with Blessings of Future — But this in no means is a disencouragement to those with Blessings from Past, our academy treats everyone fairly." She pushed her glasses back with the knuckle of her index finger. "Because Seekers with Blessings of Future still have a Fate to be completed. They can walk on the path of ascension while coming across their pre-determined and unfulfilled Fate."
"And the closer they draw to their unfinished Fate and complete it, the more the Rotation of a Circle completes. And after a full Rotation, you advance to the next Circle — in your cases, the 8th Circle."
Seeing the complex and puzzled gazes of the few students, Mumbe snorted softly as she compressed and simplified it even further. "Why don't we take an example to help all of you understand further? Let's take Mister Kofter's Blessings, Warm Influencer as an example." All the attention in the classroom and the students' gazes were instantly focused on Eric as the latter chuckled awkwardly.
"His Blessing, Warm Influencer is obviously a Blessing of Future." Mumbe hesitated a bit as she spoke. "Even through the name of the Blessing is said to carry a Seeker's Fate, it's difficult to know about their Fates just by knowing their names. As just the name 'Warm Influencer' might contain a hidden and roundabout meaning with various paths that we would never be able to guess."
"This applies to both, a Blessing's Fate and it's combat ability."
"But let's take it to face value, shan't we?" Mumbe clapped. "Let's say that the 'Warm Influencer' Blessing actually means 'Warm Influencer' and Mister Kofter influences many people warmly in the future." Mumbe smiled, seeing the curious expressions of the students. "Then Mister Kofter will experience a Rotation and Cycle depending on the scale."
"If his Fate is meant to influence very little of Fate, then he will only advance to Circle 8th or maybe even only complete half a Rotation — please remember that it's only a hypothetical explanation used for showing the classroom an example — but if he influences a Thread of Fate, then he'll probably advance to Circle 5-7 after completing his fate. Possibly even higher."
'Is she ridiculing me — no, us, on purpose?' Eric's eyelids twitched.
"Understood?" Mumbe smiled in satisfaction after seeing the brightened and understanding gazes of the students. 'Those so-called private tutors can never compare to us, the professionals.' She swept her gaze past a rich nobleman's son who had an understanding gaze as she nodded approvingly.
"But since Blessings from Past means you have already completed your Fate and have no Fate to influence in the Future, that means you cannot advance through the Circles of Fate because the Circles represent your path towards the Fate that is yet to be fulfilled."
'Or It can probably be explained as such...' A few students made guesses inwardly. 'Like trying to cause ripples in a well but finding out that it has already dried out?'
At this moment, Belite raised his hand and stood up as he asked. "Miss Berknalz, if a Seeker posses a Blessing of Future called... Let's say Berserker, then is there a chance that the Fate can go unfulfilled? Or... Do every Seeker always fulfill their Fates before dying."
A few students also stood up at his questions as they asked.
"If a Seeker completes their fate, does that mean that they'll instantly reach Circle 1?"
"What if a Seeker doesn't complete his Fate..."
Mumbe gestured him to sit down as she nodded, her gaze undecipherable. "A stupid but an important question, Mister Levester Bostorne." She said. "Stupid because if there was anything as such, then everyone fulfilling their given Fates... Is a bit ridiculous as we would not be humans. We would work on set-instructions with no free will. We will be like those Artificial Intelligence fake lives made a few years ago."
"But it is important as well, because it leads to another question to solve it; What is fate, is it never changing?" Mumbe smiled as her complexion brightened softly. "Fate,"
"Is something that we can't understand." Mumbe said unexpectedly with a brightened expression. "It's something that I doubt we would ever understand."
'Her expression... Is something wrong in her head?' Belite commented as he sneered softly. 'Saying that you are possibly a...' His thoughts here halted abruptly as his expression froze slightly.
But she quickly shook her head as she sighed softly with a bitter smile. "As for the questions asked by Mister Berner and Mister Lmner, first, the Circle and Rotation a Seeker completes depends on how important and impactful their Blessing and Fate is on the Threads of Fate." She said. "If it's miniscule, then even though it was an arduous fate, a Seeker may barely complete half a Rotation."
Many students in the classroom had varying expressions, but the majority were unpleasant.
"But in my twenty years of experience, I've very, very rarely seen those who had easy to accomplish Fates while recieving a huge leap to their progressive Imaginary Circles of Fate."
'Rarely,' Belite noted the key word as he chuckled softly. 'So there are still those so-called prodigies even among the Superhumans. Those people who don't lift a finger and reap all the gains with the bare minimum.'
Mumbe smiled as she explained further. "I'm now going to reveal a piece of information that the majority of you might possibly not know... So listen closely."
Mumbe, under the gazes of all the students, said slowly, as she enunciated each word. "After a Seeker with a Blessing of Future completes their Fate, they will received a 'true meaning' which changes the way they perceive the world."
Belite's eyes twitched as his eyes widened slightly, his gaze showing hints of surprise.
'This... Wasn't mentioned in the Divine Vow at all?'