8th August
Yuki's mind wandered as he sat in Miss Yuan's class, lost in the memories of his first encounter with his new friends. The bustling canteen, Antonio’s warm smile, Naomi’s teasing remarks, and Joyce’s overpowering presence—it all felt like a whirlwind. Just as he started replaying the surreal moments in his head, thwack! A piece of chalk bounced off his forehead, snapping him back to reality.
"Pay attention in class, Mr. Tachibana," Miss Yuan's sharp voice echoed through the room. "Your friend has something to ask, and it would do you well to listen." She turned her stern gaze away from Yuki and shifted it to Antonio. "Go ahead with your question, Mr. Prada."
Yuki rubbed his forehead, muttering under his breath, "What question...?"
"As you said, certain elemental affinities are stronger against others. Does that apply to all of them? And just how many elemental affinities are there?" Antonio asked, his usual curiosity clear in his voice.
Miss Yuan sighed softly, turning toward him. "'Elemental affinities' is a broad and somewhat misleading term. To put it plainly, there are countless affinities. With enough practice and focus, nearly anything can become someone's affinity. However, the fundamental elements—the ones you’ll start with—remain consistent. Those are the basics that form the foundation of your training." She glanced around the classroom. "Any other questions?"
The room fell silent, no hands raised or voices volunteering.
"Alright then," she continued. "As I was saying, when practicing any type of magic, maintaining control over your aura flow is crucial. Using too many Crux Particles at once can deplete your energy to dangerous levels. Precision and restraint are just as important as power—"
Brrring!
The bell rang, interrupting Miss Yuan mid-sentence.
She clicked her tongue slightly in frustration, but then swiftly gathered her belongings from the desk. "Looks like our time is up for today. You’ll have your next class with Samuel Sir. Be sure to stay focused."
With that, she gave a curt nod and exited the classroom, leaving a buzzing group of students behind.
As Miss Yuan left the classroom, a collective sigh of relief swept through the room. The students visibly relaxed, some leaning back in their chairs, others exchanging quiet whispers. But the respite was short-lived.
Just a few minutes later, the classroom door creaked open again, and in walked a man who immediately commanded attention. He was a short figure, perhaps a head shorter than Yuki, with dark skin and an upright posture that seemed to add inches to his stature. His presence was magnetic, and despite his modest height, the way he carried himself made him seem larger than life. The sound of his shoes against the floor was sharp and rhythmic, each step louder than the last, until it silenced the room completely.
Reaching the front of the classroom, he paused for a moment, surveying the students before him. The air felt heavy with anticipation.
Clearing his throat, he began speaking in a slow, measured voice, with calm pauses between sentences, "Ahemm… My name is Jordan Samuel. I'll be teaching you history from now on."
There was a brief murmur of confusion, and then a voice from the back of the classroom broke the tension.
"What? This is a magic school, what kind of history are you going to teach here, huh?" John, the usual troublemaker, barked with a smirk, clearly mistaking Samuel’s calm demeanor for leniency.
Before anyone had a chance to react, a thin, wooden stick shot out from under the table like a blur of motion. It struck John dead between his eyebrows with a sharp thunk, then bounced back into Jordan Samuel's hand as though it had never left. The entire exchange had happened in less than a second, so fast that Yuki blinked in disbelief. The room fell into stunned silence, John's jaw hanging open as he gingerly touched his forehead, his eyes wide with shock.
Jordan Sir raised an eyebrow, his calmness undisturbed as he asked, "Now then, does anyone else have something to say?"
No one moved. Silence once again settled over the room, but it was now a silence born of awe. However, after a few moments, a hand timidly rose from the middle of the class.
"Yes, the girl with the big glasses. Do you have a question?" Jordan Samuel asked, his tone still controlled and slow.
Yuki and several other students turned their heads to see the shy figure of Christine Austin. She sat hesitantly, her large glasses slightly askew, her face flushed as the attention of the class fell upon her.
"Y-yes, sir..." she began, her voice faltering. "M-my name is Christine Austin. M-my question is, h-how were you able to s-swing your stick like that? I mean, the amount of air r-resistance it would face would d-drastically slow it down, yet you moved it so fast."
Yuki's mind raced, and he found himself reflecting on what Christine had said. Now that he thought about it, the stick had cut through the air almost impossibly fast, like sliding a knife through butter. Its trajectory had been unnaturally straight, with no sign of slowing or drop due to gravity.
Jordan Sir smiled slightly, seemingly pleased with the question. "I'm glad you noticed, Christine." He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing in his habitual slow cadence. "That is because I manipulated the air around me using my aura. By controlling the air, I eliminated any resistance that the stick would have faced. After that, it was simply a matter of building up momentum. Once I swung it at the perfect angle, I continued to guide its path by clearing the air in its trajectory. When it hit its target..." He gestured towards John, who was still rubbing his forehead. "...I used the same air to bounce it back to me."
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Jordan Samuel's calm explanation was impressive, but the slow, deliberate way he spoke made it feel like the explanation had taken longer than the demonstration itself. Yet the students, including Yuki, were spellbound by the precision and control required for such a technique.
"Well," Samuel concluded with a slight chuckle, "I could've done it much faster, but I'm getting old now."
His words hung in the air, as students exchanged wide-eyed glances with each other. For the first time since the class had begun, Yuki found himself both fascinated and intimidated. This wasn't just any history class—it was clear that Jordan Samuel was a master of aura control, and his lessons would likely be more than just lectures on the past.
Yuki couldn't help but wonder what other surprises this "history" class had in store for them.
"OLD? This man doesn't look a day over thirty-seven! Just how old can he be? And he could’ve done that faster?" These weren’t just Yuki’s thoughts—they were shared by everyone in the room.
"I'm in my sixties now, y'know," Mr. Samuel said casually.
The entire class froze, eyes widening in shock. It was as if he had read their collective minds and then dropped a bombshell that no one had been prepared for. The disbelief in the room was palpable.
"Now then, let's begin our first class," he continued without his usual pauses, his voice suddenly more brisk. "As I said earlier, I’ll be teaching you history. What kind of history, you ask? The history of Avalon, of course. Let’s start from the beginning."
The room fell into a hush as Samuel’s calm, deliberate words filled the space.
“Human civilizations date back to the earliest times, even before the concept of speech existed. Ancient civilizations like the Mesopotamian, Indus, Chinese, and Egyptian all left behind texts—records of their understanding of the world. In the Vedas from the Indus Valley civilization, there are mentions of Chakras, which were seen as focal points channeling the body’s energy. Alongside these were mentions of Auras, which you now know are composed of Crux Particles. These Crux Particles can be manipulated in various ways to perform different types of magic. However, there were no records—none whatsoever—of Avalon. That’s because Avalon as a concept wasn’t established until as late as the sixteenth century. But we’ll get to that in due time.”
The room hung on his every word.
“These ancient texts passed between civilizations through trade routes and explorers. Each civilization interpreted them in their own way, modifying and enhancing the knowledge over time. One such civilization was Ancient Greece. The Greeks were the first to distinguish between [Light Magic] and [Dark Magic]. When Avalon was officially founded, any use of [Dark Magic] was strictly forbidden. Meanwhile, in ancient China, mastery over the Fire element was widespread. However, as these great civilizations declined, so too did their magical knowledge. Only a select few families managed to preserve it, passing it down from generation to generation in secret.”
The atmosphere grew heavier as Samuel’s voice dripped with history and mystery.
“These ancient texts were lost to humanity for centuries, only rediscovered in the twentieth century. But by then, Avalon was well-established, and we had erased much of the historical record.” He paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in.
“This,” Samuel concluded, “was just a brief introduction to the history of Avalon. In the coming classes, we will delve deeper into its intricacies. Until then, I wish you all a good day." He picked up his walking stick and moved to leave, his calmness unshaken by the weighty history he had just shared.
The students sat still, processing the information. Not a single person dared to speak.
"Oh, and by the way," he added as he reached the door, turning back with a small smile, "I’ve ended today’s class early. You’re free to do whatever you like until your next session begins."
His casual words triggered an immediate uproar. The once-silent room burst into chaos as students began talking, laughing, and moving about. Desks were shifted, chairs scraped, and the noise levels soared.
But amidst the clamor, there were those who remained quiet. Yuki, Christine, and a few other loners stayed glued to their seats, observing the chaos unfold. Just when the room seemed ready to spiral out of control, a sharp voice rang out from the center.
"EVERYONE. QUIET. NOW."
The command cut through the noise like a knife. All eyes snapped to the source—a white boy of average height with sharp brown eyes, standing with authority. He wore gloves, and Yuki noticed that he had the same golden shoulder buttons as Antonio.
What do those shoulder pins even mean? And why is this guy such a total eye-catcher? Yuki thought, staring at the boy.
The silence that followed wasn’t one of obedience but rather sheer astonishment. No one had expected this student to speak with such authority.
John, however, was not one to back down. “HUH? Who the hell are you to tell us what to do?”
The boy remained calm, his gaze unyielding. "John, do you understand the situation? Or are you too dense to realize that your recklessness could get the whole class punished? Don't drag everyone down because of your stupidity."
The authority in his voice was unmistakable. He carried himself like a leader, and it was clear he wasn’t just some random classmate.
"Oh yeah? And who are you to order me around?" John’s defiance was waning, especially as the girls in the class had already begun to side with the boy.
"Maybe he’s right," one of the girls muttered. "We could get punished if we keep being noisy."
"John, just shut up already," another girl snapped. "You’re being stupid."
More voices piled on, each one further isolating John. His face flushed with embarrassment, his earlier bravado deflating like a punctured balloon. “I—if that’s how it is, then what should we do? Do you have a better idea?”
The boy smiled slightly. “It’s simple. Let’s start by introducing ourselves. That way, we can all get to know each other.”
He makes it sound so easy, Yuki thought, still unsure how this guy had managed to command the room so effortlessly.
“Hmph! What a stupid—”
“That’s a great idea, Arnold! Why don’t you start us off?” one of the girls chimed in enthusiastically, cutting John off.
Great. The girls are already falling for him, Yuki thought, rolling his eyes.
The boy—Arnold—smiled and nodded. “Sure. My name is Arnold Brown. I come from Britain, and my hobbies are fishing, going to the gym, and archery. I hope we can all get along well.”
GYM? THIS guy goes to the gym? For what? Aerobics? Yuki silently screamed, incredulous.
Arnold continued, “Now, let’s start from the back. Christine, right? Would you mind introducing yourself?”
Christine’s face turned crimson. “M-me?” she stammered, clearly unprepared for the spotlight. “M-my name is C-Christine Austin… I like reading… writing… and, um, experimenting with new things… I-I hope we all get along…”
The room broke into polite applause, led by Arnold himself. His charisma was infectious, and soon the rest of the class followed.
One by one, the students introduced themselves, until finally, it was John’s turn.
“Now, John,” Arnold said with a sly grin, “can you please introduce yourself?”
“Hmph! This is so stupid. Why should I—”
Before John could finish, the door to the classroom swung open again, and another teacher strode in.
“Hello, class. Your PE teacher is here. Get ready to unzip your pants.”
<18 - End of NostalgiaーEpisode 1 - Fin>