Location: Teacher's Offices, Main Building, The Octagon Academy
Time: 12:45 PM
Miss Aurora's POV:
"Hi, Aurora, here are the student data you requested from the Department of Student Affairs", said the courier from the Realm Rider service of the Academy. These guys are great, fast, reliable, and sincere. They do all sorts of transfers from inter-departments to inter-kingdoms, it was a service started by a group of students of the academy, and they set up their base of operations within The Octagon Academy to assist in transferring any and all the documents safely(with utmost care) from sender/donor/source to recipient.
The First-year group is indeed promising, there are many students that have the potential to become great in the future. By looking at these data sheets we teachers can provide them feedback and some directions. This data sheet will also be useful when these students will compete against each other in the dorm games which will actually be the first time where their strengths will be truly evaluated against their own classmates and an objective report and assessment of their abilities will be given to them. Well, for us teachers, this stat sheet serves as a reference point to track a student's growth and know his starting point. Each student is an individual and we need to provide that individual with an environment that promotes his growth and overall development of their abilities.
Now, Let's look at the first-year students' data at the academy.
"Aren't you excited, Misthy", I asked my cat as she licked her feet.
"meow, meow", was all she responded as she came and sat on my lap, falling asleep on it.
"You are not that excited it seems," I smiled a little while petting her.
"Ok, you want to sleep on my lap, fine, but don't disturb the pile, all the first-year student data is in there"
Let's get started now:
So, the first one is:
"Elora Silverspoon, see it's funny, don't you think, Misthy, she clearly carries the blood of Slyvaanaras and yet, is trying to hide her identity, when it's so obvious. Well, as teachers we respect our students' decisions. Ya, maybe she doesn't want her status to affect any decision she makes here and live her school life peacefully. But, it's funny, how she is not trying to wear any aura-concealing patch or anything to hide that distinctive green aura of the Sylvanaras, Many won't notice it, but my eyes, nothing gets past that don't you know, Misthy."
"prrr," was the only reply I received from her, as she adjusted herself back to sleep as I patted her.
Hmm, the next on the List is:
"Oh, Prince Salem, He is clearly standing on the two-way fork, He needs to choose, whether he wants to uphold his father's ideals or create his own and follow his dreams. These four years are very crucial for him, He will have to make a tough decision in the future, but we teachers will give him the best environment for growth and freedom to express himself freely in these four years."
Oh, so these people were absent from my class today:
The Princess of Drakoria, Freya Drakoria, and some of her attendees( children of ministers serving the throne of Drakoria ) were absent due to their wyverns not woken up after they went to sleep in the month of Astralis and as the princess didn't want to part with her wyvern, they will arrive now a few days later.
Then, we have the Young Prince of Emberlyn, Prince Alistair absent as he caught a cold, due to the sudden changes in temperature, coming from Emberlyn to The Octagon. Since young, he has been frail, compared to his elder Brother Prince Cedric, we need to work on his strength if he wants to stand on an equal level as his elder brother.
Oh, The dwarven Prince Thorinn of Ironhelm, will be coming a few days later, as he is visiting his Uncle Master Grimbold as he wanted to learn some weapon making and alchemy from him. Well, as Sir GrimBold is a close friend of the Principal, he personally requested, Principal Adolas for Prince Thorinn to be granted leave for a few days and the Principal agreed, no issues from my end. It's also written here that Thorinn is going to be living with his uncle for all four years of his study here at Octagon, so I can meet Prince Thorinn on my way back to the Teacher's housing as Sir Grimbold is living there only. Ya, Professor Grimbold teaches a minor subject on Casting and making weapons here at the Octagon, many don't take it as it is not a necessary subject, while the remaining are scared of Sir Grimbold's strict behavior. Out of 100 students who have taken his subject in the past 4 years, only 20 managed to pass with a near failing grade and just two with a grade of B-. He is even the Teacher's supervisor for his strict and particularly detailed nature. Well, I hope he passes his own nephew, work hard young Prince Thorinn.
Oh, Currently, Avaloria has no successor, the younger Princess, Princess Lyra married the 2nd prince of Sylvanara while the Elder Princess, Princess Amya Avaloria is not interested in any man who comes to woo her. Well, The Elder Princess of Avaloria, I remember her, as she was my junior during my time as the student in the octagon, we used to call her the "warmonger", she was not looking for war but she is a battle-hungry mage, while in the academy, she declared that the only person, noble or common, the only person who has the right to see her{ as in to "marry" her} is someone who can defeat her in a proper battle. No one has been able to do that to this day.
Finally, the Young prince from Frostholm, Prince Desmond Frostholm will be arriving here in a few days, it is mentioned in the report here that, he is delayed due to some sudden matters concerning the kingdom, well practically, he is running the Kingdom currently, as the King is bedridden. While he will be here, it is mentioned that he will be doing frequent travels to and fro from his Kingdom as he needs to attend to both duties. Such, a kind, dutiful soul, and praises for his keen intellect and knowledge are wide-known around the eight kingdoms, even the current King of Avaloria, wants to have him as his son-in-law, but he still needs to pass that "Princess Amya Avaloria" test. Truly, he is a prodigy amongst the best here. We need to provide him with the best environment for his further growth and development.
Now, let's go back to our List of students present today:
So, the next guy on the list is: Interesting, he is a commoner but his magic capacity exceeds most of the new nobles, Siddhanth, according to the examiner who took the selection test, made a special note stating he stands out even when he isn't doing anything. Something about him makes him different from not only the commoners but even the Nobles. It feels as if he is "Untouchable". His nature, on the other hand, is so warm and caring, truly a gem. Well, the examiner went into great detail about him, explaining his aura attribute and color. Not even nobles get such a detailed description of them from the examiners. Well, Siddanth is the 2nd person after, Aurelius Skythorn, to get such an elaborate and detailed description. Well, the only difference here is the fact that while in Aurelius's case, the examiner himself was scared of his Aura, here it's the exact opposite, the examiner wrote that he felt calm due to Siddanth's aura.
Moving forward, now we have Miss Mohini from the Kingdom of Celestia, interesting she is the daughter of the "Vajra" of the Kingdom of Celestia. Decent, Mana, higher than many nobles, hmm, good. She is a fast learner and adapts well to situations but is very innocent.
What do you think, Misthy, isn't this interesting info about the students!
She isn't even responding now, it seems that she is in deep sleep now!
..
..
..
Ya, I went through almost all the students, and each of them was alright and performed well in their respective groups.
However, there are a few who student out from the rest:
The first-year students are enrolled and ranked based on a reference level/criteria determined at the time of their enrollment. Though this is just a normal ranking and it doesn't show the true potential of the students as many are late bloomers, this serves as a reference point for us teachers to create our respective approach towards students and focus on students that require more help compared to some who don't need much influence or guidance.
First, let me take a look at the minimum criteria for enrollment decided this year for the students:
The following criteria are determined by the committee consisting of Teachers, Student Council, and governed by the Principal, Sir Adolas Frostguard.
Strength: 2.03
Speed: 3.12
MP(Mana/magic Capacity): 4.35
Intelligence: 2.12
Stamina: 2.00
Elemental Affinity: Require at least one affinity and ability to produce that element without any incantation.
In addition to the above physical tests, students need to give written tests as well, in case the students are not able to write, oral tests must be conducted to access the student's intelligence. Further, if a student cannot speak or write, he will be asked to solve puzzles and match patterns to access his intelligence. Students just need to pass this examination. The questions here are not theoretical but test the student's aptitude and reasoning capabilities.
Note: The following criteria are not absolute but relative based on the average of the stats of the different populations in different kingdoms.
The following stats are the average of all the students who enrolled in the academy this year.
Strength: 3.15
Speed: 5.22
MP(Mana/magic Capacity): 5.59
Intelligence: 4.12
Stamina: 3.03
Elemental Affinity: 1. Most common Attributes: Water and fire.
Note: These are just the average stats at the time of enrollment. Some students will have stats lower than the average while some may be higher.
So, now, I will take a look at the students based on their rankings:
1. Desmond Frostholm
2. Siddhanth
3. Elora Silverspoon
4. Mohini
5. Salem StormGarde
6. Thorinn Ironhelm
7. Freya Drakoria
8. Brandon Thunderveil
9. Ravenna Shadowstrike
10. Eveline Spellcaster
11. Alistair Emberlyn
..
..
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90. Riya Suryavanshi
91. Maria
92. Debraj
..
..
..
286. Railan Braveheart.
287. Malcolm
288. June
289. Brad
..
300. Rustom.
This is a pretty interesting thing going on here, it seems we have two anomalies here:
1. Siddanth, a commoner is so high in rankings.
2. Railan Braveheart, a noble, is so low in rankings.
Well, typically nobles constitute the top 100 rankings and some go till 150, however, it's my first time seeing a noble so low in rankings.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
It's understandable in the case of Siddhanth but then what about this Railan Braveheart?
I need to see his student data.
Let's see, The examiner's notes: __________________
That's strange, why are there no notes, I mean whatever maybe the result for his tests but it can't be that there are no notes, not even mentioning his behavior during the test. That's pretty strange.
This is really peculiar.
Let's go forward with his data, he is from Avaloria, the current master of the Braveheart Household, and son of SIR SIMON BRAVEHEART !!!!!!!!!!!, How is this possible, he is the cursed child, the child that survived the "doom",
Just then as if my cat was possessed, she jumped up and transformed into her human self.
"Misthy, what are you doing? Don't you remember you can't take human form so easily! The entire Emberlyn is looking for you!!" I shouted unsure of this sudden transformation.
"Calm down, Aurora, that's not important now, we have a bigger task at hand, you know that I belong to The Coven of Liberation, the movement established to save witches from the clutches of slavery and give them freedom." I nodded my head as she continued,
"This student, Railan Braveheart, as you know he is the sole survivor of the "curse of doom", we witch from the coven fear that this curse was just the beginning of something bad, a mere warning of the danger that lies in the future, something far more disastrous than the world cannot possibly think of, so that's the question we had in our minds: how was he able to survive the curse? we need to find out more about him, he might hold the answer to avert the danger that lies in the future. "
"Misthy, I know what your mission is, but this guy, he can't be that, did you look at his stats from the examination results?" I asked, not that he cannot improve, but I don't want Misthy to have her hopes high from the start.
"No, but how bad can they be!"
"take a look for yourself," I said to her as I passed his data sheet to her.
Student: Railan Braveheart( Age: 17 years)
Son of Sir Simon and Lady Amelia Braveheart
Examiner Notes: ______________
Examination results:
Strength: 2.03
Speed: 3.22
MP(Mana/magic Capacity): 4.40
Intelligence: 5.11
Stamina: 2.23
Elemental Affinity: Fire(?)
Aptitude Round: Passed
"So, these are bad? I don't know", asked Misthy not understanding the significance of the examination results.
"Were you really sleeping while I was looking at the average results? He is literally at the bottom, His stats just clear the minimum criteria, and there are only a few possible explanations as to the rank he got, technically he should be the last, the first reason is that the people below him gained enlightenment just before the examination and their Magic capability just started so they weren't aware of their own strengths as below him all are commoners and it is normal for them to not know their strengths before coming in the Academy, that is the very reason why the criteria are so low so that anyone with the ability to wield mana is not ignored. The 2nd and most applicable reason is that he is a noble and despite Academy being "status free", there are people in the shadows that cannot see commoners rising up against nobles. And finally, the most reasonable explanation is that he has high Intelligence compared to all other stats and Intelligence is one of the most notable stats for a mage.
"Ya, so he is good, right he has a high Intelligence stat," said Misthy as she didn't want to lose this possibility.
"Friend, the top 50 have far high stats in all respects, whereas Railan's stats are just that of commoners, though I am not trying to sound like I differentiate between them, the reason that commoners rank low is that they do not get any opportunities to learn about Mana and training, and their real growth begins when they enter the academy. That is why, the most common pattern observed is that Commoners rank low in the first few years while Nobles rank high, but by the end of their student life, they reach similar levels to Nobles, so in terms of growth possibilities, commoners outperform Nobles. However, this is only because, the nobles by the time they enroll in the Academy have already reached or are about to reach the saturation level of their Mana Capacity, while Commoners still grow exponentially while focusing solely on building their Mana pool. It is an observed trend that most Nobles gain enlightenment by the age of 10-12 while commoners gain enlightenment around the ages of 15-17."
"so he has growth possibility right?" asked a concerned Misthy.
"Well, technically yes, however, we know from the data that Railan achieved Enlightenment at the age of 10, so I am not sure how much more will he grow," said Aurora really concerned for Railan.
"So, when one achieves enlightenment at a young age, his Mana pool or Magic capacity grows as he grows until it reaches a point where the growth becomes very slow/negligible, typically around the ages of 18-19, and that's when the ability to efficiently wield Mana becomes important. "
"Now when one achieves enlightenment late or typically in the ages of 15-17, their MP or Magic capacity is more or less decided, there are cases when even at this age, during the enlightenment, a person's body constitution can change and Mana Pool or Magic Capacity can increase, however, like above, the growth rate of the Mana pool becomes very slow or negligible."
"Technically, even at this point my Mana Pool might be increasing but the rate of growth is practically minimal. Unlike you witches, that are loved by Mana, we tend to have a fixed rate of growth that gradually starts to die down as we mature." As I finished my explanation, I could see, fumes coming out of Misthy's head and her expression showed that she understood nothing that I told her just now.
Finally, taking a deep breath, I exclaimed, "SO, in regards to your question whether he has a growth possibility? yes definitely, however, if his Mana Pool at this age, is just this much after gaining enlightenment at 10, then I don't think it's going to be huge changes by the time he graduates from the Academy."
"Don't be disheartened Misthy, but that is the sad truth, just look at the stats of the top 3 students", I said to her as I magically pulled out the data sheets of the top 3 students:
Student: Desmond Frostholm( Age: 17 years)
Son of His Reverence King Reginald and Queen Seraphina Frostholm
Examiner Notes: {Expand}
Examination results:
Strength: 7.45
Speed: 8.22
MP(Mana/magic Capacity): 8.89
Intelligence: 9.00
Stamina: 7.83
Elemental Affinity: Fire, Water(ICE), Wind and Light
Aptitude Round: Passed
Student: Siddhanth( Age: 17 years)
Son of Joseph and Jasmine
Examiner Notes: {Expand}
Examination results:
Strength: 7.75
Speed: 8.22
MP(Mana/magic Capacity): 8.34
Intelligence: 7.5
Stamina: 8.03
Elemental Affinity: All
Aptitude Round: Passed
Student: Elora Silverspoon Age: 17 years)
Daughter of Maximus and Pheolona Silverspoon
Examiner Notes: {Expand}
Examination results:
Strength: 7.23
Speed: 8.44
MP(Mana/magic Capacity): 7.95
Intelligence: 7.34
Stamina: 7.89
Elemental Affinity: Earth, Wind
Aptitude Round: Passed
{Note: These stats are not absolute but relative compared to the general population of all the Kingdoms}
"So, you see now, what I am trying to imply. All of them achieved enlightenment at the age of 10-11, yet see the difference between Railan and them. I am not trying to compare the possibility of his growth with theirs but I just don't want your hopes to get high. I would suggest you look into Siddhanth rather than Railan while his background is great, being the son of Sir Simon and the sole survivor of the curse of doom, as a teacher I am all about pushing my students to their utmost capabilities but I also have a duty to keep them safe, so I don't think he will be of much help to the Coven now or in the future. That child has already suffered a lot, and I don't want him to lose people he has left, so I won't allow you Misthy to give him false hopes of a future that will ultimately lead to his ruin."
"I hope I have made myself clear, Misthy," I said to her.
"Ya, ya, Aurora, I get it but I still feel that we are too quick to judge him, Surviving the curse of doom, is no easy achievement, even the brightest of the witches failed the moment they came in contact with the curse, yet don't you think it's amazing that he survived, and don't you think it's worth looking into as to why his Mana pool is so less, despite him achieving enlightenment at the age of 10?" asked a curious Misthy, and she continued: "The more you think about it, the less sense it makes, and you know, what we witch from the Coven believe in?", it's this: "When you don't understand what's happening in this world, it's probably a witch's doing" "
"So that's why the more I think about it, the more I believe that there might be a witch involved in his survival, and if we can find that witch maybe we can get the cure for the curse or other possible similar curses that we might need to face in the future!" said Misthy, her face filled with motivation.
"Misthy, you may be right, but you know, even if a witch was involved in his survival, it will be impossible to find her, if she has been able to escape not just the kingdoms but also the Coven of Liberation, we won't be able to find her," I said to her.
"You may be right, Aurora but I still feel maybe if we can just observe him, maybe we will discover something, you know my hunches are always right, call it a witch's sense if you may, but I do believe following him would be the right direction!" replied back Misthy filled with such motivation that it would be impossible to deny her.
Though she is right, her hunches are never wrong, but I can't just put the safety and future of a student at risk based on just a hunch we will need strong evidence, "ok, we will just observe him for now, from the sidelines, I will be the one in charge of observing him not you, if I feel that your motivation and instinct is correct you may approach him then, but as of now, you focus on these top 3 students and leave Railan to me. Got that, Misthy?"
"Whatever, you say Aurora, after all, I am just a cat" and there she transformed back to her cat form, as a refreshment attendant approached me with tea and some snacks, that I ordered sometime back when I began studying student data.
Well, indeed, her hunches are never wrong, never!
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{After the attendant left}
"Come here Misthy, these are the treats you were looking for, right?", I asked Misthy as she came running to me in her cat form, and greedily looked at those treats on the table.
"Enjoy" was the only thing I could say, as she jumped on them and started enjoying those delicious fish treats.
Sometimes, I wonder such an innocent girl, what would have happened to her innocence if she wasn't freed from Witch Camp in Emberlyn. I still cannot believe that there was someone strong enough to destroy the entire Camp and free those witches, though, by that time, many witches had already been brainwashed but he was able to free the remaining. Maybe he felt he lost as he couldn't free the remaining ones, that person never showed them their face and just carried them to a safe location and left. Due to Misthy's meta attribute, she has a strong sense of smell. Actually, her meta attribute allows her to transform into any animal she becomes familiar with, and she begins to gain the attributes of that animal. She met me first, before I was a student at the academy but had been an assistant to a teacher here, initially, I thought she was just a cat, but my eyes, they immediately catch on that her mana is very different from that of a cat{or any animal in general}, that's when I finally learned of the existence of the witches, Misthy is herself from the wolf clan, so according to her, I am the fated person, she was meant to be loyal to.
Misthy was young when she was abducted from her clan and separated from them, but according to her, this is her hunch that I am the person she needs to be with. Hence, she has been with me ever since we first met.
I am not a part of The Coven of Liberation as I am not a witch, but I am one of those people that "has connections" with the coven. The coven is not bad, but they proceed with their own sense of values which might be at times against the policy of the kingdoms or Octagon.
Principal Adolas knows about Misthy and the Coven. Other than me, he is the only other person to have the knowledge that Misthy, is not just my pet but also a witch that escaped the Camp in the Emberlyn.
Well, enough thinking, time to go back to my duties as the Tecaher here at Octagon.
These data sheets will also be sent to the students, after I add, my notes to it and give them suggestions on areas to improve as well the timings as to when they can come and meet me to discuss their own ideas in person.
Though I am free after my classes, we cannot have all the students approach me at once, as these sessions have to be 1-on-1 to provide them with my utmost attention. The students are also free to consult any teacher they wish to, however being their homeroom teacher, it is a part of my duties.
Buckle up, Aurora, today marks the start of the new session for you as well as the first-years.
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To be continued