It wasn't long before the classroom began to fill with other mages, all taking their respective seats and waiting for Miss Aster to begin the class. Jackson was sat going over the introductory section of a textbook that had been laid out on the desk in front of him, but he was having a hard time making any sense of it. Considering he lacked noble status, he was pretty decent at reading, having learnt how from his mother before she passed—but the book contained terminology and phrases that were completely alien to him. Letting out a sigh, Jackson decided to leave the studying until he could at least understand what the book was talking about, turning his attention to Miss Aster at the front of the class. She was flicking through the same book Jackson was before closing it shut and scouring the crowd of mages that had flooded into her domain.

"Well then," she began, "I think it's high time we got started with your classes. I have introduced myself and this class to most of you here, but for those who are unfamiliar, I am Celestia Aster, and I will be your teacher. This class is focused on students who have awakened to Ego magic—that being you lot. Now, before we begin, I'd like to get a baseline for your current knowledge, so can someone please remind me what 'Ego magic' in particular is?"

There was a small amount of chatter before a litany of hands shot up around the lecture hall, Miss Aster skimming over each one before settling on who to pick. "Hm, Miss Railora. Care to inform us?"

The fiery-haired girl next to Jackson, Louise, began to answer the question with a clear, confident voice. "Ego magic is one of the rarer ways magic can develop in mages. It manifests differently in each Ego mage, with their abilities generally reflecting the wielder in some way, shape, or form."

"Very good, Miss Railora," Miss Aster responded, giving a small round of applause. "Now, can someone else tell me what separates Egos from other mages such as Shapers or Constructors? How about you, Mr. Deirdre?"

"Egos generate their own magical energy. Shapers and Constructors just manipulate the magic already around them."

Something about the voice was familiar, causing Jackson to look over his shoulder towards the back of the class where he saw a familiar face—the silver-haired boy who had picked a fight with him earlier that day. Great, he thought to himself, clenching his fist underneath the desk.

"Excellent," responded Miss Aster. "I see at least some of you were paying attention during our introductory lessons. Speaking of, today marks our first actual class. Now, I could have you all go over the book I assigned, but I always find practical lessons more exciting. As such, I want you all to come down here and showcase what you can do. I need to know what I'm working with to help you young mages develop properly, you see."

One by one, students began to descend from their seats to the large cobbled floor at the centre of the room. Jackson was hesitant to go down, given that he didn't know how to actually use his magic, so remained seated longer than most of the other students. After a few moments had passed, Louise tapped him on the shoulder, asking him to move so that she could exit their row of seating and join the other students, which Jackson obliged. He was beginning to get cold feet about the whole exercise, but all it took was reminding himself of the opportunity he'd been granted by the Board of Appraisal to force himself down to the centre with the rest of the class.

There was murmuring all around him—mostly students excited to show off what they could do—but amongst the sea of confidence and pride, there were whispers of uncertainty. It was reassuring for him to know others, his fellow mages no less, were at least somewhat as nervous as he was.

"Alright," Miss Aster began, "all I want you to do is show your magic and explain it in its most basic form. I'll start, so eyes on me."

Miss Aster shot her right arm up with a flair, her index finger outstretched and pointed at the ceiling before it all of a sudden seemed to disappear, revealing a sea of stars and cosmic structures.

"My magic allows me to manipulate space. The exact extent of my abilities isn't relevant right now, so I won't go into them."

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She swished her finger to the side while admiring her handiwork, causing the image cast on the ceiling to change into a view of the academy's main entrance before she snapped and the image faded away altogether. The class was abuzz with excitement and discussion about Miss Aster's demonstration, with everyone enthralled by the visage they had witnessed.

"Alrighty, who wants to go next?"

"May I?" Louise said from beside Jackson, startling him since he had been too absorbed in Miss Aster's spell to notice her next to him.

"Of course, Miss Railora."

Louise stepped into a small clearing where Miss Aster had just been standing and positioned her hands out in front of her, a small scarlet light beginning to form at her fingertips. She closed her eyes and furrowed her brow, concentrating harder on whatever it was she was doing. The light in her hands began to expand until it was around the height of Louise herself.

At first, it was just a formless blob of red light, but soon it began to take shape—the base splitting into two humanoid feet followed by legs. The torso followed, and the arms and the gloved hands developed soon after. At last, a head formed in the shape of a sallet helmet with a tuft of light resembling hair forming out the back of the helmet. Armour began to sprout from the head, Louise covering the body of the construct in higher densities of her energy before it fully formed—a blood-red knight created from thin air.

"My magic allows me to summon constructs. I can choose their form and abilities. The more powerful or complex a construct, the more difficult and draining it is for me to create."

Jackson stared at the construct, in awe at such an amazing ability. It was detailed and intricate, beyond being simply well-crafted. He recalled Louise's scarlet colour from when he awakened, noting now just how well it seemed to fit her magic. Everything about her seemed noble—from the way she presented herself to her ability to summon constructs to do her bidding—it all seemed to fit Louise nicely.

"That was amazing," Jackson found himself reflexively blurting out. "Just... wow."

Louise gave him a polite smile. "I know. Thank you."

"Wonderful, Miss Railora—top marks!" Miss Aster exclaimed with an enthusiastic clap of her hands. "Now then, who's next?"

Excitement swelling from the two striking demonstrations, the students began to show off their magic. Even the silver-haired boy from earlier demonstrated his ability—seemingly disappearing and reappearing in another place within an instant—but he didn't mention what his actual ability was or how it worked. Time passed, and Jackson was enamoured with the class. He'd always loved magic as a concept, but he never thought he'd actually get to see it up close and personal. It was magnificent. But his problem persisted—he didn't actually know how to use magic.

Sure, he could see colours around mages, but according to Mr. Landy and the Board of Appraisal, that was just the manifestation of a heightened sensitivity to magic, not magic itself. He knew his turn in class would eventually come, but he had no idea what to do when the time came.

As he was lost in his thought, Miss Aster appeared in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You ready, slick?" she questioned as Jackson looked at her, the worry evident on his face. "Just relax—it'll come."

Unsure as he was, Jackson trusted Miss Aster's advice, stepping forward into the opening so many of his classmates had occupied before him. He slouched his shoulders and lightly closed his eyes. He focused on the familiar sensation sitting in his chest, pumping magic around his body. As he began to relax, it was like resistance in his veins had been lifted, and the magic could rush through him with less effort, now surging through him without pushback.

Every part of his body vibrated with energy as Jackson calmly charted the course of his magic, oscillating it across his whole being. The colours came back once again—now visible even behind his eyelids—as Jackson pictured his own being. Vibrant greens, blues, and everything in-between began to swell inside his soul. He began to feel light as the magic gathered around his body, as if he were totally weightless.

He felt the air get caught in his hair and his robe begin to flow more loosely around his body as he felt his feet leave the floor. Jackson opened his eyes to see what was happening, convinced he'd somehow managed to tap into his magic. He looked around, up, and finally, down. Beneath him, he saw his class look up at him, some impressed and some disinterested, but he didn't care about them at this moment.

"I'm... flying," he whispered to himself in disbelief. "I'M FLYING!" he yelled before bursting out into laughter and clutching his stomach, unable to contain his overwhelming joy at having actually performed magic.

He couldn't hold his concentration for too long. The sheer excitement he felt was too overwhelming, and he began to descend roughly and in sudden jolts before managing to land on his feet back with the rest of the students.

"Nice work," Miss Aster congratulated him as he landed at her feet. "Knew you had it in you."

Jackson didn't respond. He didn't even hear her. He just stared down at his hands, shaking and coated in sweat, adrenaline coursing through him. Eventually, he shifted his gaze upwards to meet her eyes, matching her wide, roguish smile with one of pure euphoria.

"I can fly."