The scene faded, and my vision returned.
That was when I realized what had happened.
It was all a fabrication of reality.
The class looked around in surprise and utter shock, unable to comprehend what had just occurred. If I was right, everyone in the class had seen the projection, a small glimpse into the history of Melisande.
And the culprit?
The man who stood before the entire class, Ethan Unger.
A long trench coat hung from his broad, enormous shoulders, and a purple vest hugged his torso underneath it. Beneath the vest was a pristine, white shirt that peeked at his chest, along with perfectly-ironed, black trousers.
His medium-length, dark hair that parted in the middle hung from his face like elegant chandeliers, while his deep, bead-like black eyes shone like gems. With a light stubble and a slight smirk plastered upon his incredibly attractive face, one could say he was a bit handsome.
Chuckling, he leaned to the side of his desk, facing the class that sat with shocked expressions at the scene they'd just witnessed.
I turned to my side.
The girl who sat beside me maintained a deadpan expression as if she hadn't received the vision. Her face devoid of emotions, she simply stared at the teacher blankly.
"How was it?" The teacher, Mr. Unger, asked in a curious yet knowing tone, breaking the students out of their daze. His voice contained a smidge of amusement, but mostly the anticipation to know what we thought of the vision.
I didn't pay attention to the question, however.
I was much too focused on what kind of witchcraft he'd performed. What kind of sorcery was this?
I knew it contained the same principle, or at least the same energy as Rutley had used to fill his projectile with an excess of power and speed. But this was beyond the realm of physical force and speed.
This was magic.
A way to play the mind.
If I could learn this… It would be astronomically effective on unsuspecting or weak-willed enemies.
But I also needed to learn a way to counter it, otherwise I would be just as vulnerable to someone like Ethan Unger. Had I been facing an enemy, I would've been completely useless and weak.
Such vulnerability was unacceptable.
Mr. Unger chuckled as he received no response to his question. As if he'd expected it.
"That was the day the Symons Empire began a time of prosperity, when the Pantheon Of Olympus granted its blessing to the Maiden Of Divinity, who sacrificed herself and her visionary abilities for the sake of the people."
He waved his hand casually, causing a holographic image to appear out of thin air.
"The Maiden was the beginning of the Symons Empire's reign, and their conquest of a quarter of Melisande. Today, the Empire has a peace treaty with 1 of the 3 Empires, but back then, we were the victims of oppression from all three sides."
"That is why we hold The Maiden in very high regard."
"She is the Mother Of Symons."
Suddenly, a hand shot up. Mr. Unger pointed at the student, a pink-haired girl dressed in cream-colored robes.
"Yes?"
"You said she sacrificed herself and her 'visionary abilities' for prosperity. What do you mean when you say that?"
"Good question. The Maiden was the first seer with power originating from the Three Fates Of Olympus. She had the ability to observe the future, the present, and the past, but alas, not the ability to change things."
"I see," said the girl as she stood down.
"Any other questions?"
Silence.
"All right, we'll move on to our first lesson, the creation of Melisande."
Many of the students retrieved their binders and blank paper to note down what he said. Some just yawned at the thought of sitting through a lecture. I was quite curious to know how this world had been created.
One thing was for certain.
Melisande was much 'bigger' than my world, in both power and land. I was merely a frog in a well.
Also, for a history teacher, Ethan Unger was quite skilled in combat and observatory abilities.
Because the entire time he was speaking, I had felt his energy scattering the class, analyzing each and every student deeply. It felt as if I were drowning in his domain.
I wasn't sure if anyone else noticed.
When I showed a slight reaction, Ethan raised an eyebrow at me, smiling.
"So, Melisande was a divine creation, a land created by four Pantheons."
A translucent, floating globe appeared in Mr. Unger's hands. He twirled it, so as to show the complexity of the creation.
"The four Pantheons, Olympic, Norse, Eden, and Egyptian, conjoined forces to establish it, after which they divided their forces into four, marking the beginning of the Four Empires. After that, they created the Dragons to represent them."
"Following that, they created the humans before dividing the land into four equal pieces. However, shortly after that, the Gods were forced to retreat to the Divine Realm due to an unknown phenomenon known only as 'the Celestial Syndrome,' in which the mortal world rejects divine intervention."
"Can anyone guess what happened when the Gods were no longer able to intervene?"
Silence.
"Mr. Ashford?"
"War," I answered blankly. It was quite the obvious reaction. When the cat was away, the mice would play. When the parents left, the children were sure to stir up conflict, resulting in uncontrolled violence.
Humans were like that.
Without a figure of authority, they would break out into chaos.
"Correct," Mr. Unger nodded. A few students snuck a glance at me. "When the Gods withdrew their forces, only the Dragons, Humans, and other beasts remained. The Dragons also entered seclusion for a short period of time because of their inability to sustain their power."
"That was when hell broke lose."
"Cold winds blew, and the earth began shattering. Blood was shed in enormous quantities in a fight for power."
"All for land and power."
"That was the beginning of the Eternal Siege, the greatest war in history."