(3° person POV)

Higaki immediately sprang up, almost jumping, saying with a sweet smile on his face.

(Higaki): “Yes, Faera-san, I’m Higaki, this class’s teacher. Do you need any help?”

He asks, approaching the dark elf and extending his hand for a handshake. However, the elf doesn’t take his hand, frowning lightly, clearly bothered. Higaki, however, doesn’t lose the smile, saying as he retracts his hand:

(Higaki): “What do you need?”

(Faera): “Yes, I need you help with some things on this first class. Could you help me to give an example to the class?”

(Higaki): “Yes, whatever you want.”

He said, in a suggestive tone that slipped by most students but Akame and Fafnir, who looked at each other with strange faces. Faera took a sphere out of nowhere. It’s a crystal ball of the size of a head. Showing to the class, she explained:

(Faera): “This is an affinity orb. It will show the elemental affinity of your magic and the rank. The ranks vary from F, the lowest rank possible, allowing only basic magic, and SS the highest possible. You guys don’t have to worry, as heroes with the blessing of the gods, you will have at least one at rank A, an extremely high level of affinity.”

She laid down the sphere.

(Faera): “Mister Higaki, please, touch the sphere.”

Higaki nodded, touching the sphere. It started to glow while, and a letter appeared inside the sphere, an A. after a few seconds, it stopped glowing and stayed that way.

(Faera): “You can take off your hand now, mister Higaki. The white light means holy attribute, and the letter is your affinity rank. Please, form a line and touch the sphere. If you have more than one affinity, the glow will change to another element after a few seconds.”

The students got up one by one, walking to test their affinities. Everyone had one or two attributes, all on the A rank. And finally, he time of the idol trio came. First, Mary approached and touched the sphere.

It started glowing white, with an A, green with an S and blue with an A. Faera widened her eyes, saying:

(Faera): “Holy element with an A, wind element with a rare S and a water element with an A! Miss Mary, you have in your hands an amazing talent!”

Mary smiled, blushing a little with the praise from the tall elf. Next, Tsubaki Shinra touched the sphere, a bit nervous. The sphere then started to glow with a white with an A, red with an S and brown with an A.

(Faera): “Oh, one more rare case! Holy element with an A, fire element with an S and earth element with an A! very good Miss Shinra!”

She says, with a gentle smile. Next, before Taichi, Akame touched the sphere. First, it glowed black with an S, white with an A and green with an A.

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(Faera): “Oh my, a rare shadow element with an even rarer S, holy element with an A and wind element with an A! Miss Akame, you’re a rare find!”

She said, making Akame smile. Taichi then stepped forward, with only Fafnir left to touch the sphere. The sphere firstly glowed in white with an S, golden with an S and cyan with an A.

(Faera): “Mister Taichi, you’re an even rarer finder! Holy element with an S, sacred element with an S and ice element with an A!”

(Higaki): “Sacred element?”

He asked, Fafnir being the only one to detect a bit of sourness on his voice. However, he was also curious, by pure academical reasons. After all, he wanted to know the difference between sacred and holy, since they sound like the same thing.

(Faera): “The sacred element is something close to divine power, stronger than the holy element, and different front the holy element that can only affect shadow element creatures. However, the sacred element not only affect shadow element creatures, it also hurts severely creatures with the dark element. It’s rarely seen in ranks above D, and almost neve on an A. So yours, on the S, is the first after the Pope.”

She said. As Taichi nodded to himself, Faera looked at the last “student” to come and make his test. A really, really big guy, even taller than her. To an dark elf like her, who can detect magic by looking at it, looking into Fafnir’s eyes was like looking into two floodlights of power. Unable to look to him directly into the eyes, her cheeks turned a shade of gray darker when she asked him to come forward.

Fafnir approached, ignoring the blushing elf and Higaki’s glare and touched the sphere. First, it glowed golden, with an S, dark purple with an SS, electric blue with an S, red with an S and crimson with an S. Faera widened her eyes as she said:

(Faera): “What the hell… Fafnir… right?”

(Fafnir): “Yeah. So, what are my elements?”

(Faera): “W-well… Sacred element with an S, darkness element with an SS, tie first ever seen in a creature that has no demonic origin, thunder element with an S =, fire element with an S and crimson… if I’m not wrong… it is… draconic aspect… d-d-draconic aspect, with an S…”

(Fafnir): “Darkness and draconic aspect? Can you explain those to me please?”

(Faera): “O-of course. First, darkness element is the opposite of Sacred element, a tad lower than demonic aspect, but stronger than shadow element. You can make some crazy things with it, including summoning and taming.”

(Fafnir): “Alright. It doesn’t have any evil power, does it?”

(Faera): “No, shadow element and darkness element don’t have any evil power, only the demonic aspect has it. However, only demons have it. The strangest thing is that you also have an S on sacred element, which should be impossible…”

Fafnir interrupted her from going sidetracked and asked:

(Fafnir): “We can theorize about that later when we are by ourselves, but for now, what about draconic aspect?”

(Faera): “O-okay. Well, an aspect is different from an element. When it evolves enough, an element changes into an aspect. It’s basically like a race change from one to another. For example, if a human acquires plant magic, and eventually it changes to nature affinity, and then to nature aspect, he could transform into an elf or another race related to nature.”

(Fafnir): “So in my case…”

(Faera): “it’s a rare case, that I can say for sure. To have draconic aspect… you would need a lifetime evolving feral magic… well, as you said, this is for another time, when we alone-“

She stopped herself, finally understanding what he said and what it could mean when he said, “alone with you”. She blushed a little before composing herself. She didn’t know what was affecting her. Something about him made her uncomfortable.

(Faera): “Well, anyway, I will start instructing you kids in magic.”

She said. Higaki, hearing her, said with an awkward smile.

(Higaki): “Sorry for the rudeness, Faera-san, but could you not call me kid, please? I just hit my forties.”

Faera raised an eyebrow, saying:

(Faera): “Well, I just hit my fifties, so to me, you’re still a kid. After all, all elves live for more than one thousand years.”

(Fafnir): “Wow, I’m older than a dark elf…”

Higaki immediately shut up with that, not daring humiliating himself more than this in front of the students, mainly in front of the girls.

(Faera): “Well then, if all of you return to your seats, that includes you, Mister Higaki, I will start your magic lessons.”

As they returned to their seats, Higaki a bit reluctant and Fafnir a bit hesitant as his mind was wandering around the whole draconic aspect thing, Faera started the magic lessons.

(Faera): “Magic, as you know, allows the user to manipulate the elements and even aspects of reality, and even change you in a fundamental way. However, magic is much more than that. There is a saying that magic is the art that the gods used to create the world.

We, mages, tap into that realm. We manipulate mana, the supreme energy that flows in every living thing. So, the first step, is to learn how to feel mana in the air. First, close your eyes and clear your mind. With your affinities the mana will come naturally.”

Everybody closed their eyes, concentrating. Fafnir also closed his eyes, exercising what he already did. After all, it doesn’t hurt to practice.