Stella is the homeroom teacher of class E1. This year the class she was given should be full of potential. Surely her first class as a teacher isn't full of troublemaker. She opened the door full of expectation, her brown hair spreading in the air and as she looked around...
Sitting there were a lot of kids from wealthy families, troublemaker and some with no hope. She should have known, the E in E1 stands for extra... -work. But this is her class, she can reform them into orderly people of society!
---
While Stella was holding her inner monologue the class chattered even more. Torben who had piercings on his ears didn't know anyone here. Some chatted about their previous school, others met on the way to school but he did not. So he approached the most normal looking guy. He was starring blankly into the distance. With his shart brown hair, most average height for this age and even the face of an average person, he had no presence.
"Hey, you, what's up?" A terrible conversation starter he thought. But he never had the problem before of talking to someone with no remarkable features.
"Are you talking to me?" Torben nodded. "Nothing much."
Torben felt so irritated and weird. "So from which school did you came from?"
"Generic school." A school with classes of 200 kids, a school that has no other remarkable features you could talk about.
"So, äh... How is it now with the smaller class size?" He did not know how to progress the conversation with that guy.
"Not much different." That was all he had to say? Can't he at least help a little bit in this conversation? Or was he talking to a rock? Well maybe besides someone with so little presence, he could shine like the person he always wanted to be. The hero of hunters!
"Quite down and sit down class! I want to start class now." Stella announced.
"As you all know this school is a hunter school. Aside from your regular German, English, math and sports classes you will have classes for ethics, Mana control, skill Management, field studies and level studies. I will now hand out your timetables.
I am your homeroom teacher if you have any concerns or questions you can come to me anytime. Today I as your homeroom teacher will give you lectures about Mana control. Who knows what Mana is? Yes, else."
"It's Elise, teacher and Mana is external energy that can be controlled by humans."
"Yes that is how it is written in last years textbook. However to put it into simpler terms Mana is the feeling that allows you to use magic. Strengthening your muscles and shooting fireballs. At the end of this year I want all of you to be able to learn the most important skill for any hunter, the Mana bubble. Yes, Kevin?"
"What is the Mana bubble?"
"Ah, yes the Mana bubble is a shield to protect you from all harm. It is especially useful when entering a teleportation gate.
Anyways this week we are practicing internal Mana control. For this I have prepared this special crystal ball. When touching it you will have an earie feeling. That is the Mana that is circulated in your hand by the ball. I will give out one ball for four persons."
"Ey Mark, what do you think? Don't you think our teacher is hot?"
"I don't know but she doesn't look sick."
"Man, you are no fun. Ey, Justin what do think?"
"Err,... I think we should focus on the-"
"I totally agree with you, teacher is dressing with so much more style compared to that old director." Cecilia intruded.
Cecilia and Justin are siblings sitting in front of Mark and Torben. Groups were formed just like they are sitting, just combining two tables with another.
"You have met the director? Did you get an autograph?"
"Not really, he looked really busy talking to an old lady."
"Here is your crystal ball." Teacher seemed awfully aggressive to us. Did she hear our remarks?
"Me first!" Torben put his hand onto the crystal ball. The Mana that spun in the ball slightly attached them self to his fingers and palm, spinning in a circle. He then lifted his hand, eyes still closed, and circulated the Mana in his hand.
"Is that it?" asked Cecilia.
"Yeah I think that was all." said Justin.
When I opened my eyes, there was nothing except a smug face before me. Where did my Mana go?
"Let me show you how it should look like." Cecilia said while snatching the crystal ball. She put her hand on the ball. Small lights started to show, slowly swirling inside the ball. She then looked really smug into my face and just stopped.
"Shouldn't we feel the Mana outside the ball with this exercise?" I asked teasingly.
"Ohh, but I can already control Mana without the help of such tools, look." She held up her palm and a small light ball just danced on it.
"Yeah, our private teacher made us do it when we where 8." Justin said.
Come on Mark help me out here! I looked at him.
"Ähh, uhh... this is my first time seeing such things." Thanks, I knew I could trust you average guy.
"Fine if you two are already pros then you won't need this, come Mark give it a try while I recharge my Mana."
"You haven't even spend Mana." Justin you traitor, I will not talk to you for the rest of class!
Mark put his hand on the ball. Just like with my attempt the air seemed to look slightly different inside the ball but nothing happened. But when I look at his face, I feel really mocked for some reason.
"Oh, my gosh are you even trying?" Yeah this time I'm with you, what is with this awful acting?
"Ehh, sorry guys seems like I can't feel it. Torben you can try again." That guy is not real. Is he a robot brought in here as an ai experiment?
"And how is the progress in your group?" Asked a voice behind me. I didn't even notice when Stella was approaching our table!
"We're doing fine but these two seem to not get it." Cecilia pointed at me as if I was some filth.
"Justin have you tried it out?" Yeah, show them teach, what did she mean by 'we'?
"N-no not yet."
"Here give it a try, I want to see how you do." Stella took the ball from me and placed it before Justin. He put his hand on the ball and bright light shines, before he even touched the ball! This is just discrimination! With
"Ohh that's good, if you two don't need it you can teach the others more." Stella smiled at Mark and me annoyingly. Then she turned away from our table and to the others in the class.
"Well class, I think it is time for the next step." She took our crystal ball. "After you made the crystal ball glow, the next step is to hold the light in place." She slowly lifted the glowing crystal ball in her hand. The glowing ball did move downwards inside the ball as if it was stuck in place, free from the balls reign. "At the end if you can, try to remove the crystal ball completely without breaking the Mana light." She gave us back the crystal ball and walked away.
I wanted to try again, this time I will not close my eyes. I placed my hand on the ball and there it was, a small spark of light and then... it dispersed inside the ball. See! I can do it. I looked for approval but Mark looked at me with confusion and Justin and Cecilia talked about the lunch already. In defeat I gave Mark the ball.
Mark grabbed the ball and for a second I though I looked into a mirror. It must have been a fluke right? He began with the practice. This time he kept his eyes open. He closed his eyes for a moment and then, there it was, a small spark of light that quickly dispersed. This felt really humiliating, I am sure of it that he is mimicking me!
He handed the ball back to me casually. "Here maybe you'll get it this time."
This fells really strange, as if someone stole your own self. For the rest of class I couldn't concentrate because of this.
"All right, class, good work for today. Let's wrap this up and grab some lunch. Afterwards we will watch a film in ethics class." She clapped her hand together and started going around collecting the crystal balls.
As we gathered our things and headed for the door, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Mark. It wasn't his weird blank stare or the way he was blending into the background, it felt more like he is hiding himself.
Anyway, I will show you next time how effort looks like, try to copy that! By the time this is over, he'll have to keep up with me, not the other way around!