*Thud!*
Dan closed the door as soon as all the students left the class, making Kyle feel even more tense.
"Hush!"
Dan moved his hands and cast a spell around them, causing their surroundings to warp into a mini vortex—one that didn't seem to affect them directly but distorted the world outside. Kyle's eyes widened at the sight.
"What was that?" he managed to ask, his voice tinged with awe.
"It's a magic spell," Dan explained with his usual calmness. "It's an air bubble that surrounds us, making it so no one outside can hear our conversation, not even those at the doors."
Kyle's lips curled into a smile as he imagined himself wielding such a spell one day. Dan, catching the gleam in Kyle's eyes, smirked.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, lad," he said with a slight chuckle. "It's a wind spell, and you only have a lightning affinity, remember?"
Kyle felt like laughing at Dan's comment, but he quickly composed himself, forcing a sad look onto his face.
'Joke's on you,' he thought with a silent grin, 'I can awaken all the elements.'
"I don't have time to waste, so I'll get to the point," Dan said after he was done explaining. "You'll be my disciple from this point onwards. I can't let you wield an aura without control, okay?"
'Wait! What?' Kyle thought, his mind flashing back to the Dean's last words. He hadn't paid much attention then, as his "murder" had been bothering him.
"T-Thank you," Kyle managed to stammer, unsure of what else to say.
Dan lightly chuckled. "I'll need your ID to inform you of our meeting schedule."
After collecting Kyle's ID, Dan added, "I'll consider your current commitments and craft a schedule that won't infringe on your time, okay?"
Kyle nodded in acknowledgment, murmuring another "Thank you" before Dan dismissed the spell with a flick of his wrist. The vortex around them dissipated instantly, and the normal sounds of the academy returned as if nothing had happened.
Kyle made his way to the door. As he reached for the handle, the door suddenly swung open, revealing a few students who had been leaning against it, their ears pressed against the wood in an attempt to eavesdrop.
They nearly toppled over as the door opened, trying to regain their balance.
Kyle spotted Zack among them, glancing at him with a smile.
"Kyle, you're done?" Zack quickly said, embarrassment written all over his face.
He quickly straightened up, trying to keep his cool. "I was just, uh... waiting for you... so we can go to class together."
Kyle couldn't help but burst into laughter from the silly excuse.
"Zack, you do realize you're in the Terra wing, while I'm in the Thundra wing, right?" he managed to say between laughs.
Zack froze, realizing the unplanned blunder he just said.
"Oh, right... 8:57 AM? I completely forgot!" he immediately diverted, glancing at his comm. "Sorry, Kyle, but Ive got to get to class. I'm going to be late!"
Without waiting for a response, Zack zipped out of Kyle's sight, disappearing before Kyle could say anything more.
Kyle shook his head, still amused of Zack's actions. He didn't quite blame him, as a kid, it was alright to be curious, and that was just what he was doing.
He glanced at his comm, confirming that there were three minutes left before the start of his wing class.
'Three minutes... Should I eat first?' he wondered, his stomach growling in agreement.
He hadn't had breakfast, and he knew that skipping another meal would make the upcoming class feel like torture.
'I guess being a little late won't kill me,' he thought, recalling the misery of sitting through his first day on an empty stomach.
That memory was enough to convince him, and he quickly made his way behind the building, ensuring he was out of sight before retrieving his hot meal from the inventory.
Kyle entered the class to have his meal and wasn't surprised to see a few students already inside, chatting casually as they ate their missed breakfast.
He found a spot near the back, away from the others, and dug into his food, savoring each bite as he kept an eye on the time.
Kyle didn't waste time to finish his meal, taking his bag and running to his wing.
'9:01 AM.' Kyle thought, 'Don't come early, please.'
His thoughts were interrupted as he stepped through the door of the hall.
The hall was very wide, large enough to fit over a hundred students.
It was arranged in a circle of twenty mats spread across the floor, each carrying a student— well, except one.
"You're late."
Kyle heard a sharp voice from inside. At the front of the hall, stood the instructor.
She was a beautiful figure, with fair skin and light blue hair that fell gracefully over her shoulders.
Her robes, of a midnight colour, contrasted sharply with her bright blue eyes.
"Sit."
She commanded, pointing her hands at the only empty mat in the hall.
Kyle went to sit down at the mat immediately, to his side was Orion who ignored his wave as he sat.
'I wonder how Dual Elementalists have their classes,' Kyle thought as he sat.
The Instructor used her fingers to count the students again, in an attempt to agree with her previous count.
"... 19… 20."
"Nice." she remarked after she finished her count. "Now we're complete, the class may begin."
"Good morning, young mages," she greeted like they've never met. "My name is Layla Von, your Instructor in the the Thundra wing."
"Good morning." the students greeted back in unison.
She clasped her hands in front of her and began to speak.
"Lightning," Layla began. "Is one of the most versatile elements you can wield. It's not just about speed or raw power. Lightning can be used for attack, support, defense, and so much more. With the right control, you can harness it for nearly anything."
She paused, letting her words sink in. "For attacks, lightning can br deadly, fast and precise. It can strike before your opponent even realizes what's happening.
But it's not just about offense. With lightning, you can create barriers of pure energy to shield yourself or others, deflecting or absorbing incoming attacks. On the support side, lightning can be used to enhance speed as it is one of the fastest elements."
Layla continued. "And that's just the beginning. Lightning can also be used in powering machinery or magical constructs. The possibilities are nearly endless."
She stood in the center of the room, turning to face the class once more.
"But before we dive deeper into these applications, I want to know more about each of you. Introduce yourselves, and tell me what your goal is with your lightning affinity. What do you hope to achieve by mastering this element?"