"It has been 100 years since the tower appeared from dust, releasing mana in our world. This in return, gave rise to people who decided to climb the tower in order to find what lies in the unknown. Some were filled with the spirit of adventure, some were motivated by there greed for riches, and some just wanted power. They all had there own reasons, but there goal was the same:
Reach the top of the tower
Though having a goal doesn't mean reaching it. Countless lives were taken by the tower, however, it was not as if there were no rewards for the risk takers. A lot of people began to found there affinity for mana, becoming 'awakeners' and were able to continue there journey. Among those people, were few, who were able to awaken there true abilities in face of danger, getting the 'blessing of the tower' and becoming 'players'.
The chances of becoming a player were found to be 1 in a million, and even among them, few are able to reach there peak, and reach the 'S' rank. Even now the number of 'players' currently registered is less than 10. Over the course of time, we were able to adapt to this occurrence and advance in our utilization of mana. This consists of the industrial revolution and the awakener act..."
Miss Smith paused, taking a deep breath. After taking a look at the bright colors of the book in her hand, she turned her face to the class filled with students, drowsy and yawning after the seemingly never ending lecture.
She then continued, "However, that is for us to study this semester, so we will save it for later. This was the basic summary of what's to come in your 'History of the awakened' course this year. It's highly recommended to buy your course books as soon as possible and do some self study. We will try to cover the time lost by going a bit faster than the regular pace, so you are advised to pay attention in your class. You may contact me for help, in case needed, but for now.... Class Dismissed"
Just as she said that, the bells of freedom rang across the floor. The timing was so on point, it makes one wonder weather the bells were only waiting for her signal only. The students, who were slouching on there seats, stood up with vigor, savoring the taste of freedom, and discussing there plans for the weekend.
As they flooded out of the room, there voices started to fade away in the distance. After the voices disappeared completely, I stood up from my seat, and went to have a talk with Miss Smith, who was putting her stuff back in her bag.
"Hey miss, if you don't mind, I wanted to talk to you about that trip."
She looked at me first, as if trying to remember my name. Can't blame her though, it is not easy to remember the name of a bunch of students suddenly, especially after getting appointed as our in-charge, 2 months after the actual classes started. To my surprise, she did remember it.
" Ah, Kisna right? How can I help you?"
"I wanted to withdraw my participation from the upcoming trip on Monday due to some personal reasons. I thought it would be better to let you know in advance"
Suddenly, her face that carried a small soft smile throughout the class and there was a look of concern in its place.
"Your concern is appreciated. May I know what's your reason? I believe an opportunity like this is not something that you should miss out. If its because of bullying, you don't need to worry, you will be supervised. I may have joined your class late, bit I am here to help you only-----"
Well, if the lecture may have left any doubt, I was now certain that this lady here is a raging train with no stops, and though I'd like to admire her passion, I had to stop this conversation from getting side tracked.
" NO, No, it's not because of anything like that, it's just because of some family issues"
".... Alright, I assume you are not comfortable in sharing this, so I will not press further, but again, in case you face any problem, you can come and talk to me. As one of my students, its my responsibility to make sure you have a comfortable experience here. Now, as the class is over, let's leave"
As she said this, her face was filled with a bright graceful smile. She then proceeded to take her bag, and move out of the class. I followed behind her, I had some questions of my own.
"What made you think i was being bullied though miss?"
"Ah, in order to get to know you all better, I went through your files to learn your names. That's also why I knew your name, in case you were wondering. I, naturally, also saw that you were an awakened one with an ability."
I see, so she knows about it.
" I have to say, I was surprised about it first though, I mean how does that ability work?"
" We can't call it an ability, it's more like a disease. Basically when i am around mana users, or any machine that uses mana, there mana starts getting a stroke and not working as intended. Thanks to it, I can't even use any mana either."
"That seems like a real hassle."
"Not entirely. Over time, I have been able to adjust with it. It goes off mostly due to emotional turbulence. However, a lot of people still prefer maintaining there distance from me. Not much of a issue", I answered to her, nonchalantly, trying to brush off the topic.
She was listening carefully, and seemed a bit saddened by my response. At that moment, I didn't knew what to do, but I wanted to avoid it from getting awkward, so I asked her a question instead.
"What about you miss? Why are you so interested in helping? Not complaining about it, but it's just that most teachers here don't like getting involved in these matters."
"Well, I have my own reasons. I am a awakened one as well, but all I can do is conjure up a ball of light. Though it may have its own uses, it was not enough to save me from the negative attention."
"It must've been hard for you like this. I mean, most of the time, it's worse for weak awakeners than the normal crowd"
As she walked down the stairs, she answered, " It was hard, can't say it wasn't. however, on the good side, I was able to find my passion for teaching, and now i get to teach in one of the top 4 universities of this country. Plus, as a teacher, I can make sure that my students don't experience the same"
At this point, somewhere I did feel happy about having her as a teacher. her gaze was soft but filled with determination.
" I see, well then, I will be in your care miss. I will be taking my leave now. Goodbye and have a good day."
" Yes, you should go home now. Thanks for this short chat, it was good. Let's talk again, I'd like to talk to you about your bad grades in your other subjects as well.", she said, as she walked towards the teachers office.
That statement felt like a punch in my gut. She knows about that too? Is it written in my file? What else is there in those files? However, I had to save my questions for later, as I heard a noise of 'thud' from one of the rooms.
I may have been late, but due to my curiosity that is bound to spell my doom one day, I decided to take a look.
I peeked inside the room through a window. It was the room that was used as a storage for the gym equipment. Inside, there was a classic scene playing out, with 3 dumb looking guys, ganging up around a single kid. There's some link between your average bully and a dumb face. These guys seemed to be lacking in both the looks and personality department. The guy getting bullied looked a bit weak, and his face looked as if he hasn't slept for days.
After understanding the situation, I decided to step in. I am not saying it was a good decision, but that guy was Tim, the same Tim who gave me his notes to prepare in the last exams. Did i score well? nope. Does that mean his good intentions meant nothing? not at all, and that was why i felt like i should help.
I then slammed open the door. the attention of all four of them was now on me. I then spoke in the most menacing voice I could manage, " Hey fellas, you mind if i take my friend over there with me? We are getting late now"
Then the shortest of the trio, a guy who's most rememberable feature was his braces, spoke in a rough voice, " Huh? Who the heck are you? and can't you see we are in the middle of some important discussion"
"That doesn't look like a discussion to me, but then again, who am i to comment on your way of doing stuff. However, i am still taking him back with me"
As i said this, the second guy with his bowl cut and glasses that looked too big for his faces, stepped in. Considering the regular pattern with these things, that third guy was the leader. I ignored the glasses while I attempted to provoke the leader.
" Hey man, I am not interested in wasting my times with these morons, so just let the guy go, and we can all go home."
That guy turned his face toward me, away from Tim, whom he was looking down at all this time, quite literally. the scorpion tattoo around his left eye was now visible. He then looked me in the eyes and then spoke to me, " Sorry bud, we are kinda busy. Why don't you wait outside? He's gonna need someone to walk him home"
" I guess the boss of idiots is gonna be one as well", and as i was about to continue, both the minions decided to butt in.
"Idiot? you seem like you don't even know who he is. You should stop now if you know what's better for you."
"Yeah. he is in a good mood today, so step out while you still can."
I can't explain how annoying listening to there rant was. I'd rather listen to Miss Smith's lecture instead. I wanted to get over with this, so i decided to hook for the big fish.
"Let me guess, you have these guys around you to give you an ego boost huh?"
He, while looking confused, said " What now?"
"I mean I am not surprised. Let me guess, you decided to pick on someone else so you can hide your own social anxiety and look cool?"
He was clearly irritated and wanted to say something but i continued.
" I bet the only reason you went for Timmy over there is because he looked like an easy target? You wouldn't be even talking so loud in a crowd, would you? "
I was about to keep going on, but i underestimated that guy's short fuse. As he was going in to punch my face, I thought it was overall, not a good decision to step in, because the next thing i knew, I was in the Headmaster's Office.