As Aeric returned to the Institution alongside the Speaker and Head Mistress Lysandra, his mind could not stay at a place.
It kept spinning and spinning as he stepped into the corridors, climbed the staircase and approached the lecture room. 'Seven days,' his mind echoed the words of the Divine Priest. 'Just seven days. I have seven days to prove that I am not tampering with the natural order. Seven days for my Class to Declare itself, which it's never going to do.'
Aeric's heart clenched with the gravity of the situation. 'What am I going to do now?'
He wondered what the punishment could be for 'hacking'. The Divine Priest had said he had been added into a list for Suspicious Tampering of the Divine Order. But what would happen to him if he was found guilty?
Would he be banished? Killed? Would his mother have no choice but to give him up? The people of Erothyria revered their Divine Order and gravely punished people who attempted to attain its powers by illegal ways.
Was the Celestial Depravity System an illegal way? It did override the natural order of things and gave him an overhaul of Divinity inside his body, including the God Tyrant Class and the [Claim] Skill.
There was a legit discussion on whether it was illegal or not, and the chances were he was going to lose that battle.
Once again, it was clear. No one had to ever know of his Class and Main Skill. No one ever. He needed it to survive. And for now, he needed to come up with an idea to get out of this mess.
After walking for a short while, Aeric realized that he had entered a room. Looking around, he concluded that this was a lecture room.
It had a blend of scholarly austerity and medieval grandeur. The windows are large stained-glass and rays of multicolored light came through, filling the room in brightness.
There were two massive bookshelves opposite each other, and they had tomes on every subject, from the history of the Divine Orders, to the geography of Erothyria, to complex magical theory.
Above, there was an enchanted chandelier of fine candles floating lazily in the air, though barely needed now as the light from the outside was enough. Seats were arranged, and everywhere seemed to smell of strawberries.
Aeric had been absent-minded that he hadn't noticed when the Divine Speaker had seperated ways with them. Now, he was standing in front of the room with Head Mistress Lysandra.
There were only three of the Daughters present in this class. Looking briefly at them, Aeric was not surprised to see Meira of Dawn and Linnette of Elysium, but he was surprised to see Melina of Moonlight.
It seemed the last daughter of Mother Selene was also around his level, or so it had been before this… situation. They all glanced at him briefly, their expressions ranging from indifferent to amused, with Melina already flashing her irritated, condescending smirk.
The teacher, who introduced herself as Felda, gestured at a free seat and told him to take it. Aeric made his way over to the empty which was right in the center between Linnette and Meira.
Meira of course refused to share eye contact with him, while Linnette gave him a big, friendly smile as he sat down.
Melina, who was directly behind him, scoffed.
Aeric wasn't one to get rattled easily, but after what he had just experienced, his calm exterior was beginning to fray. Settling into the chair, he could feel the tension in his shoulders, his jaw clenched in a desperate attempt to maintain composure.
His mind, however, kept drifting back to the words of the Divine Priest: 'Overflowing with Divinity. Tampering with the system.'
"Regarding the situation with Aeric of Starlight and his inability to produce a Class or a Skill," Head Mistress Lysandra began, "the Divine Priest has confirmed that he does bear the Divinity within him, but he is experiencing a very rare case of Divinity Block. This is not something that happens often, but in the coming week, it should resolve itself, and his Class will be ready for Declaration."
The teacher, Lady Felda asked, "What happens if it doesn't?"
Lysandra's gaze sharpened as she stared deep into Aeric's eyes. "The Priest says it will then be up to him to take extreme measures. I do not know any more beyond that."
Lady Felda nodded.
"This information will be carried on to other Daughters and teachers to make sure there's no confusion, and to avoid rumors from spreading."
Aeric had a look of surprise on his face. Headmistress Lysandra was covering for him! 'Why is she doing that?' he wondered. 'The Priest had also told her about me being a potential 'Hacker' and being added into the list for Suspicious Tampering, but she didn't include any of that? Why?'
"Remember to be respectful in the Institution Grounds," the Headmistress warned. "Words which are abolished are abolished! Any use of them will attract punishment."
After she said that, the air in the room felt like it was being sucked out, leaving a heavy silence in its wake. Aeric stared straight ahead, forcing his breathing to remain steady, though the weight of the situation pressed down on him like an invisible hand squeezing his chest.
Head Mistress Lysandra gave him one last sharp look before carrying her heavyweight ass and tits out of the room with stern steps.
That was when Melina of Moonlight leaned forward, her long silver hair falling over her shoulders like a waterfall of moonlight.
Once she was close enough to Aeric's ear, she whispered something with her voice that was as sharp as it was mocking. "Well, well… looks like you're not Unawakened after all. But you're still a Classless Player, one who doesn't have a role. Who knew that you were a late bloomer, huh? That's if you even bloom at all."
She let out a small, cruel laugh. "It's clear the Divine Order just doesn't want you. Because they can abolish it all they want, but we both know what you are. It starts with an A, and it's not your birth name."
Aeric's hand tightened into a fist beneath the desk.