What used to be a quiet class, filled with bored expressions and students eager to move on to the next lesson, became a class filled with anticipation, and eagerness to continue learning more.
For each of these students, space had been something they never thought they would be exploring, despite knowing that a great deal of Blessed traverse it.
Yoel especially, found himself entranced by the beautiful representation of each skill that had been necessary to survive in space, and the quick but still informative speech given after each showcase.
He had never seen this kind of teaching style in his life; it filled him with a new sense of excitement as if trying something new for the first time.
He occasionally broke out of his trance, to peek at how everyone else was taking these lessons, so he wouldn't overreact too much.
When he threw a glance to the left, he found Connor, Brandon, and Silenus staring with blank faces to the screens above and in front, while also throwing a glance occasionally at the old lady on the stage.
When he looked to his right, he saw Cole, Vasil and Loki also staring, however they also occasionally looked to the side, in hopes of discerning everyone else's expressions.
"Psst, isn't this kind of cool? I mean, space and all. We are not only learning about space but also learning about skills we have the potential to acquire later on. I'm excited."
Cole spoke, to nobody in particular. He had been referring to the entire group.
"Eh, it'll take us a year until we're there, right? What's the use of getting excited now?"
Vasil sounded as if he was growing bored of the countless showcases and explanations without actually being able to learn them.
Yoel nodded, that was true, even though they were merely trying to incentivize them to continue learning and practicing, some might be discouraged due to the display.
"Space Knowledge has always been one of the subjects I wanted to pursue, I even signed up for the extracurricular classes for it."
Loki's response had been more positive, but Yoel believed that it was due to the fact that space and his enigma have the potential to create a new kind of synergy with each other.
"I'm neutral on it. I don't really have an interest in going out to.. outer space. It sounds kind of scary, actually."
Brandon's response had been more normal than Yoel had expected to find in this academy. Actually, he thought it was out of place instead.
"I really don't believe-"
Before Connor could finish talking, a clear and terrifying pressure descended on the group.
Almost instantaneously Yoel felt a pair of eyes as if a cat had been scratching his back, and froze at the sensation.
The feeling pirouetted his entire body, not leaving even a single cell untouched. The feeling was mortifying, and Yoel felt like an eternity had passed while it covered his entire body.
[When I teach, you listen. Or must I use other, more… direct means to make you listen?]
Professor Jude's elderly voice which had felt so kind and warming when Yoel first entered the classroom was now laced with sharp ice, not leaving even a shred of sympathy.
This… this damned woman. What kind of battle has she fought to be like this?
"I-I'm sorry. Mrs Jude!"
Cole was the one to speak first, and the rest followed suit quickly.
They had never felt such fear in their lives before, even the rest of the professors did not exert such pressure on them; or didn't let themselves do so.
The rest of the students there, stared in horror because they too, could feel the pressure slowly encompassing their body.
Under its strength, they could barely draw breath. This phenomenon continued for several more seconds, and then the pressure suddenly lessened by a large margin.
A quiet sigh escaped Professor Jude, as the bodies of the students who were trying to fight against the pressure suddenly flung themselves standing, and nearly lunged over the seats in front of them.
[Let's get back to the lesson before the bell rings. And I expect all of you to listen. All of you.]
Professor Jude eyed the entire crowd equally now, her cold stare seizing the stares of every student present.
[Good. Now, let us move onto the next skill.]
The scenery on the ceiling began transforming once again, forming into once again the same man with the brown hair, now located even farther from Earth.
The man was once again standing still as a rock in the middle of space, where he should have been floating.
[As you can see here, the very fact that he is capable of keeping his balance in space and make it seem as if he's standing is a skill in itself.]
[The skill is called Platforming. However, like many other skills, its original name has been lost to time for centuries now.]
The scenery changed once again, and now the void under his feet began changing color, right under his feet, the void had been changing into a deep blue color, and everywhere else around him had become a lighter blue.
A small radius around his body had also been a deep blue color, but Professor Jude paid no attention to that.
[As you can see from the projection here, the man has a platform of a deep blue color right under his feet. And to make it clear, the colors you see here is the avon in the atmosphere. The large void leaves way for natural avon to reside in large quantities, disturbing our ability to extend our own avon to the outside.]
The deep blue avon began morphing, paving the path forward for the man.
[So, we must carve away the natural avon to replace it with our own. Being capable of this feat means you possess all qualifications to be assigned to space exploration units, and it also signifies great control over your avon. However, at later stages of power, you become able to exert your presence over the natural avon, allowing it to abide to your commands.]
The scene began to change, the deep blue color dissipating from below the man's body and instantly being replaced by the lighter blue color all around him.
The man began to slowly walk towards the Earth, keeping a steady pace. As he did the avon under him swirled and began to accelerate, paving a way for him.
[Next, there are two types of Platforming. The first, and easier version to perform is Momentary Platforming. This is performed by creating a single platform which disappears after its initial use. It can be modified to accommodate more people, but all in all it is a temporary foothold and is what most Blessed rely on.]
The man in the screen began abruptly running, and the avon under his feet began to lessen until it only occupied the man's feet.
[Next, is the Permanent Platform. This one, the hardest of the two, allows the user to essentially fly through the open space, giving them supreme movement over the empty terrain. Like an open canvas, they may traverse the void how they see fit. To master this, is to essentially master control over avon, both atmospheric and their own. A pinnacle of growth.]
The man in the large projection came to a halt as he closed his eyes like a pulse of a heart the deep blue under his feet slowly rushed over the rest of the light blue particles in the void like a tidal wave, and a bigger platform appeared, bigger than one's avon capacities could maintain.
This time, the man did not move. Not even a single inch, instead, the avon itself began to move, carving a path through the atmospheric avon as if cutting butter with a hot knife.
To the students' eyes, the man was simply being moved by some sort of avon cloud, but if the function were to be removed, it would simply look as if he's floating through empty space, some unknown power carrying him through the emptiness.
The man crossed the void as if riding on a surfboard, occasionally touching his own hands on the platform, and performing tricks like handstands. He even held a smile, however it never reached his eyes.
Sometimes, he switched between the two versions of Platforming. Sometimes, even pushing the Platforming created forward, as a means of attack. The uses of such ability seemed to be as limited as the user's imagination was.
[Now, there are many other abilities that are necessary or useful in space. But if I showed you any more, I would completely crush your spirits, wouldn't I? So how about we get to the theoretical studies first?]
A disappointed gruntle sounded through the crowd; the show they had just witnessed was an incredible thing, and they wished to keep watching more of it. Deep down, however, they knew that any more of this would end up with negative results.
Yoel himself was disappointed, but he was looking forward to gaining knowledge about space.