I felt time stop for a split second.
It was a projectile, but not any projectile. The projectile contained hints of a power I'd never seen before… a power on a different scale to anything I'd ever felt. It wasn't very potent… but it was fast.
A piece of chalk.
That was what was headed my way.
I tilted my head slightly in the nick of time. My hair fluttered somewhat, and I heard a loud, cracking noise behind me. The chalk cracked the wall behind me… My eyes widened at the scene as I turned my head.
"What the f–"
"He dodged it," I heard a snarky voice. As I turned towards where the students were, my eyes focused on a certain boy sitting at the very back.
It was a teenager with an incredibly sharp jawline; frighteningly so. With a light stubble at the age of 14, and long hair that fell to the ends of his arms, it was safe to say his getup was a bit weird.
He possessed dim, grey eyes and an expression that caused his face to seem incredibly punchable.
I remained silent while walking up the pedestal to find a seat. The professor hadn't arrived yet, so the class had turned wild. There were about 90 kids in the class, most of whom were engaged in their own conversations.
There was only a single group of students staring at me, to which the one who threw the chalk belonged.
As I glanced at him, he stared back.
We locked eyes.
The boy smiled viciously, trying to appear intimidating.
But his appearance–which resembled a garden gnome–didn't make him look very dangerous. I unconsciously revealed a slight smile, to which he bared his teeth. His group remained indifferent to the wordless interaction.
I ignored them.
As I tried to find a seat, I passed by many who put their bags beside their seat, not allowing me to sit.
Seriously, what had Ryan Ashford done that had ruined his reputation so much?
"Could I sit here?" I asked as I arrived at a certain desk. On the other side sat a girl dressed in a white-gold magical robe. She stared blankly at the front of the class, as if in her own little world. Hearing my words, she broke out of her daze.
"Hm? Yeah, sure," she replied half-heartedly, moving her bag to the side.
The girl could be considered quite attractive, with her long, pristine, white hair and midnight-purple eyes that seemed to contain the wisdom of the world within them. I turned away to observe the class, next.
It was quite massive.
Antler horns and enormous paintings hung from walls, giving the class an ancient appearance at first glance. A few paintings had warriors waging war upon their horses, and others contained gods granting mercy to their worshippers from above the skies.
I found that quite interesting.
As I continued gawking at the paintings hung up on the professor's class' walls, I heard a few murmurs circulating across the space.
"Isn't that the Ashford kid?"
"I heard he's a lunatic."
"Why's he sitting next to 'her?'"
"I heard he jumped a kid because he looked at him funny."
"I heard he's really weak."
"Can't be. Didn't you see how he dodged that piece of chalk Rutley threw?"
So the garden-gnome-looking kid's name was Rutley. Anyway, I ignored the murmurs, releasing an exhausted sigh.
As a few minutes, I felt myself starting to get bored.
Where had the professor disappeared? Was he skipping class?
However, at that moment, my vision darkened. As if a dark cloud engulfed my surroundings, I felt myself traveling at terrifying speeds. I tried to scream, but there was no voice as if I were in a vacuum.
What was going on?
Suddenly, wind began pushing me forward, but due to a lack of illumination, I couldn't see where I was, or where I was going. Had there been an attack? Had I died again? Was this the end?
Was this the end of my second chance?
I began flailing my arms in the air but to no avail. There was nothing beside me.
Suddenly, a white light flashed across my eyes, blinding me before promptly disappearing, allowing darkness to encroach yet again.
Then, the scene slowly faded into one I could make out.
I also noticed something.
The energy surrounding me was very similar to the one Rutley had infused in the chalk he threw as if I were in a world fabricated solely of that material… that source of energy.
What could that be?
What had happened?
Was this all just a projection?
I wasn't certain.
Before me was a scene that seemed to be of an era that had long passed. Tiny monuments of marble lined the barren lands that expanded for thousands of acres. The sun shone brightly atop the civilization.
Farmers could be seen swarming their fields, but there was no water to nourish the crops. The water-gatherers stood helpless, and the commoners without work or food could only stare at the sky helplessly as the world slowly drained their lives.
It was a time of desperation.
A drought had befallen the world.
In such a predicament, a certain maiden knelt before a temple of gold, one that connected the world to the stars.
She knelt to save the world, to bring back the glory of Melisande.
Suddenly, a golden beam shot down from the skies. As cracks formed in the barren earth, a single tear trickled down the maiden's cheek.
Her eyes faced the clouds as they parted.
Orbs of light descended from the skies, engulfing her in a stream of explosive energy that held the power to wipe out everything.
Releasing a sigh, she took one last look at Melisande.
The figures of the Celestials formed in the clouds, their blessings falling upon the previously cursed lands.
Following that fateful day, Melisande never lacked resources.
It never lacked minerals.
It never lacked happiness.
All because of the mother's sacrifice.