Silence greeted him. For a heartbeat, his worst fears clawed at the edges of his mind.

  But then, as his eyes adjusted to the dim classroom light, he saw them.

  Under the pale sunlight streaming through open windows and fluttering curtains, three girls awaited him.

  Miraculously, the classroom had been restored to its original state: glass shards no longer littered the floor, scribbles no longer defaced the posters on the wall, and the blackboard once again displayed Thomas's large, decorated welcome sign. Collectively, the girls swivelled their heads, eyes riveted on the man before them. "Oh, there you are, Teach," Lilith said casually, perched at the desk between Nia and Gretchen. "Was beginning to think you wouldn't show."

  "Y-you're really here..."

  "Hah?" Tilting her head, the halfling stared at him through half-lidded eyes. "Why wouldn't we be? We lost the wager, didn't we?"

  "Lily may say that, but it is true we were planning on breaking our promise and skipping classes even after you won," the orc added with a smirk.

  "O-oi, he doesn't have to know that!"

  "It was actually Nia who made us come here—told us it'd be lame if we went back on our word. She even cleaned this place up with her magicks."

  "N-Nia did?" Stunned by this revelation, Thomas turned to the elf sitting by the window.

  "I merely saw to it that we upheld our part of the deal, that's all," she spoke matter-of-factly, with her back to him. "Besides, I am rather interested in that performance of yours yesterday."

  "Ah, that's right!" Lilith exclaimed. "What kind of damned defence spell was that?! Gretch told me it even withstood an unbridled attack from Nia! What type of element was it?! Can it be replicated in rune form?!"

  Bombarded with a whole host of questions, the man could only chuckle and raise his hands in mock surrender. "Now, now, we can focus on that later. Before we get into the questions, let's get this class in session." And he strolled up behind the podium and faced his pupils, mood considerably brightened. "Just to make sure, you three did return everything you stole to their rightful owners and apologised to them, right?"

  "How rude! Of course we did," Gretchen boomed.

  "S-sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything..."

  "We brought all the stuff we took and dumped it in the lost and found section!"

  "Um... and what about your apology to the people you stole from?"

  "We left a note on the pile, duh."

  Realising his students hadn't quite learned from their mistakes, the man rubbed his temple. "That's not exactly how I intended you to handle it... but oh well."

  With the issue of proper restitution cast aside, the man turned to the chalkboard, erased the text, and wrote 'SELF-INTRODUCTIONS,' underlining it for emphasis. He then swung around and cleared his throat.

  "Now then, since we'll be together for at least a year, I figured we'd get to know each other better. Let's start from my left and work our way toward the right. When it's your turn, stand up and tell me your full name, the element of your Gift, and a little bit about yourself! For those of you who are curious, my name is Thomas, and I hail from Linxuei. I have no last name, so you can just call me Professor Thomas. Understood?"

  Clicking her tongue, the halfling sneered at him. "What do you take us for? Kids?" She grumbled.

  "Alright!" Thomas clasped his hands together. "Without further ado, let's get the ball rolling! Our first person is..."

  None of the girls reacted. Soon, however, Nia and Lilith turned to Gretchen, who blankly stared at the man as he waited for her to begin.

  "Gretch, he means you, dumbass," the halfling whispered loudly.

  "Oh." And the orc stumbled to her feet and beamed proudly, hands perched on her hips. "Name's Gretchen Schmidt, human! I wield earth magicks and love pummeling weaklings! That's about it!"

  "Pretty terse self-introduction there, Gretchen. But it gets the point across. Nice to meet you."

  "Likewise! You're strong, and I like that! We should spar one-on-one sometime—minus the spells!"

  "M-maybe later. Okay, next up is..."

  When the orc sat back down, the halfling, her legs dangling from her chair, hopped off; her head barely peeked over the table. "Lilith Stormfallow. I specialise in wind magicks and runes. Nothing else of note." Pulling herself up onto her seat, the halfling groaned, not even trying to hide her disinterest.

  "Come now, Lilith," the man laughed. "Where's the energy? You ought to follow Gretchen's example and—!"

  "Look, let me be clear, Teach: I don't like you. Don't know about the other two, but I think these classes are a waste of time for students like us. The only reason I came was because Nia asked us to. That's it. So don't expect me to play the part of the happy-go-lucky student, got it?"

  "You're just mad you used up all your folded charms and still lost against him, aren't you Lily?" Gretchen teased her, a toothy grin creeping across her lips. "That batch alone took months to make."

  "Doesn't change the fact that I'd rather be someplace else right now."

  While it seemed as though her statement would ruffle the man, he instead stroked his chin and considered her complaint. "I see... thank you for your honesty. You're right, though; I shouldn't have pressured you to up your enthusiasm if you aren't keen on it. My bad."

  Lilith blinked, her mouth half-open as though she'd prepared a snarky reply. Yet, the unexpected sincerity in Thomas' voice disarmed her. Slightly taken aback, she averted her eyes and rested her chin on her palm. "A-as long as you're aware..."

  "Mm, I look forward to teaching you, Lilith." Warmly, the man smiled. "And last but not least, we have..."

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  All eyes were now on Nia. Gracefully, she rose from her chair.

  "Right, my name is Nia Everfrost. I look forward to your classes," the elf said, wearing her usual simper.

  A hush descended over the room as everyone waited for the rest of her introduction. But when she casually returned to her seat, it became clear that was all Nia intended to say. Hoping she'd volunteer more information, the man let his eyes linger on her for a full minute longer, but her serene, unreadable expression made it apparent that was all he was getting. Brimmed with indignance, the halfling snapped at the man.

  "Oi! How come she gets a pass for that, and I don't?! That was way more half-assed than mine!"

  "W... wait, I'm just as confused as you are, Lilith..." Thomas blurted in defence before confronting his tight-lipped student. "Um... Nia, don't you have more to say? Like the elements of your magicks, for instance?"

  "That's a secret, I'm afraid," the elf instantly answered.

  "C-can't you at least tell us something about yourself?"

  "What about you, Professor? You haven't exactly told us about your magicks either."

  Put on the spot, the man was compelled to reveal to them the truth behind his 'spell' and how it had really been a curse that he had borne for as long as he could remember. Yet, for whatever reason, he just couldn't bring himself to tell his pupils this. Did he not want them to pity him? Or did he feel as though revealing himself as someone without the Gift would undermine his authority as their educator? Whatever the case, Thomas bit his tongue.

  "I'll only tell you if you tell me yours," he retorted in an attempt to deflect the inquiry.

  "Hm? Then, I suppose we've reached an impasse."

  With neither party willing to budge, the man straightened his posture behind the lectern and let out a cough. "W-well, on a separate note, I believe that concludes our opening session. Now, onto today's lesson. Since this is our first official class, I'd like to measure the extent of your knowledge. So, for the next three hours, you'll be taking a written exam I created myself."

  "Wait, we're seriously starting with a quiz already?" Lilith groaned. "What a drag!"

  "Don't fret! It isn't graded or anything. It's so that I get an idea of how much material you retained from your previous lessons... if any at all. You three flunked all your classes last year, didn't you? I know it's not exactly exciting, but it's important to establish a baseline."

  "What even is the point of all this magick theory stuff? It's not like we couldn't live without it before!"

  "Obviously, you don't need it now. But if you desire a career in any field of magicks, you'll need to learn the proper terminology, the inner workings, the maths—"

  "For what? We're already the most powerful in this academy! The demand for us must be through the roof! We don't need these classes, period. Ask me a question from any one of these subjects and I'll prove to you that we don't need them!" Cockily, the halfling asserted.

  Discerning the ego in her provocation, Thomas deemed it necessary to rein it in before Lilith got too unruly. "Well then, for starters, what are the six elements."

  "Easy. Earth, water, air, fire, light, and dark!"

  "Unfortunately, you're wrong."

  "Come again?"

  And the man chalked up a diagram of all the elements on the blackboard. "Your answer would've been correct a year ago, but very recently, the designation for the elements has changed. Earth has been replaced with solids; water has been replaced with liquids; air has been replaced with gas; fire has been replaced with plasma. And light and dark have been combined into life magicks. Which leaves the sixth element: chaos."

  "What?! Says who?!"

  "Says the Bureau of Magickal Affairs. They're the ones who passed the law last year to change the official name of the elements to use in paperwork. Remember, outside of the academy, every spell you cast needs to be reported to them—it was made this way to discourage magi from using magicks carelessly, especially given the recent uptick in terrorism."

  Confounded by the news, the halfling stared at the ground. "That's just..."

  "Alright, what about the tax rate for gear enchanted with protection runes? This should be your area of expertise, shouldn't it?"

  "I... I don't know... l-like five per cent?" Lilith mumbled, confidence shaky.

  "Wrong again. It's fifteen per cent for standard protection runes but twenty-five per cent for advanced ones—the distinction matters. You may have unmatched talent in inscribing runes, but it won't matter if you don't know how to sell your services. You need to set your prices in accordance with current rules and regulations. Otherwise, you'll lose a lot of money in the long run or even go bankrupt."

  "Y-you're not wrong, but..."

  "Then there's the problem of etiquette. You have a short temper, and you tend to use crass language."

  "What does that have to do with anything?!"

  "It's fine if you behave that way in private settings, but you should start getting used to acting polite. Given the attitude toward magi in this country, such aggressive conduct will make it harder for you to get hired. Even worse, it could get you fined or even falsely imprisoned," Thomas sternly said, locking eyes with the halfling.

  Hit hard by his statement, the halfling shrunk in her chair. "B-but..."

  "Basically, what I'm getting at is that magi are gradually being restricted within an inch of their lives, and soon, you'll be thrust into that cruel world. Now more than ever, you three should prioritise your studies to prepare yourselves for what's to come for the sake of your future. This academy—and by extension, my classes—exist solely for that purpose."

  Unable to counter the man's arguments, Lilith backed down.

  And the elf spoke up. "There's no point in protesting, Lily. We're already here, so we might as well give this test a go."

  Cheeks puffed, the halfling glared at her desk. "Fine... I guess I'll take the stupid test if you say so, Nia..."

  "That's the spirit!" Thomas encouraged with an ecstatic grin, handing out reams of parchment to each student. "Remember, this is just a diagnostic assessment. No pressure. Just try your best."

  Lilith huffed but whisked the parchments anyway, her petite fingers drumming irritably on the desk. Gretchen seemed oddly enthusiastic, cracking her knuckles like she was about to wrestle the papers into submission. Nia, as expected, kept her composure, her pen poised delicately above the sheets. And the man returned to the podium, silently proud as he monitored his three students. Despite his initial doubts, they were here.

  "Alright, your time starts now!"

  As the low scratches of steel nibs again paper filled the classroom, a smile tugged at Thomas' lips. For the first time since taking this teaching post, he felt hope—not just for his students, but for himself.

  Three hours flew by in the blink of an eye, the clock tower tolling the end of class. And the man clapped his hands to draw their attention. "Alright, time's up," the man announced. "Drop your pens, everybody!" As he collected the tests, Thomas offered them a reassuring beam. "That concludes your first day of class. I'll review these and tailor our lessons accordingly. But for now, you've earned yourselves a break. I'll see you in class same time next week."

  Simultaneously, the three students packed up and headed out of the room.

  "Fuck, I'm beat!" Stretching as she stepped out into the hallway, the halfling grunted. "How'd you do, Gretch? I couldn't for the life of me understand a single question."

  "I think I did pretty good!"

  "Horseshit! You just circled the answers at random, didn't you?"

  "It was a good spread. I guarantee I got more than half of them correct!"

  As the elf sauntered away, Lilith called her. "Oi, Nia, what about you?"

  Stopping dead in her tracks, Nia placed her digit against her chin. "I have to say, it was quite tricky."

  "See? Even Nia struggled with it! If she can't do it, what chance do the rest of us have?"