Instructor Alveria’s gaze swept over the room, her expression calm yet intense. Her hands clasped behind her back, and her voice carried a calm authority.

“The Sorcerer Plane,” she began, “is a unique and inner world, bound within each sorcerer. It is a place that reflects both your mana capacity and your affinities—a realm that shows your potential, as well as your limits. Every sorcerer possesses their own Sorcerer Plane, and while it may be invisible to the outside world, it defines the very core of your magical abilities. In the simplest terms, it is the epitome of a sorcerer's mentality."

She paused, her eyes sweeping over the class. Tyrus felt her gaze linger on him briefly, though he couldn’t tell if it was out of curiosity or concern. Then, she continued, “In this realm, there exists a tree called the Karti Tree, a term coined by the Progenitors. Think of it as the visual manifestation of your potential. The more branches it has, the greater your mana capacity. Its strength and health show how well you’ve nurtured your mana and trained your abilities.”

Alveria’s expression softened slightly as she looked around the room, her voice almost reverent. “This tree grows only as you grow, and as you practice, you’ll begin to see the branches fill with white light, that being your mana. The stronger the Karti Tree, the stronger your mana heart."

“Remember this, Fledgling Sorcerers: The Karti Tree can tell you much, but only if you pay attention to it. Some sorcerers seek its wisdom in moments of doubt or meditation. And as you continue through this academy, the health of your Karti Tree will reflect the skills you gain, the growth you achieve. Your Sorcerer Plane is an extension of yourself, and in here”—she tapped her chest—“resides your potential and your future as a sorcerer. Treat it with respect, and it will grow with you.”

Another flick of her wand later, and the figure of a person appeared on the board; drawn in its chest was a white heart. “This is what we call the mana heart, a gift to sorcerers blessed by Sthito herself. Without it, there would be no magic, no ability to harness and channel the energies of the world. The mana heart is, quite literally, your magical core.”

She gestured toward the glowing heart as it pulsed rhythmically, faintly imitating the beat of a human heart. “It functions not only as the wellspring of mana but also as a vessel that stores, regenerates, and even circulates it throughout your body. When you cast a spell, you’re drawing from this heart, shaping its energy into an elemental form. The healthier your Mana Heart, the stronger and more efficient your spells.”

Her gaze softened as she continued. “Think of it as a reservoir. If you overdraw it—if you recklessly empty it or push it beyond its limits—you risk weakening it, even damaging it permanently. Your mana regeneration will slow, and you may find it harder to summon magic. Some spells, especially advanced ones, require deep reserves of mana and the capacity to replenish it swiftly. Part of your training here will be to strengthen your mana heart so that it grows resilient and efficient.”

Alveria let the words sink in and said, “Remember, each of you has a unique mana heart, with different capacities and affinities. Some may feel it in gentle pulses, while others may experience it as a fiery surge. But regardless of its nature, respect it, nurture it, and it will be your greatest ally. Without it, you would be left in silence—a world void of the powerful forces you were meant to command. Any questions?"

One hand rose, and the woman pointed toward a boy. "Instructor, how does one check their Sorcerer Plane, exactly? I've entered it before, but I take a long time to access it."

"A good question," the instructor said. "Accessing the plane is simply through instinct and practice. A hatchling cannot fly because they lack the strength and feathers, but as they develop, practice, and observe, they begin to fly in no time. Just calm your mind and envision a plane with the Karti Tree and your element."

Another hand shot up before the instructor could continue, this time belonging to a girl with glasses perched precariously on her nose. “Instructor, is it possible for someone’s Sorcerer Plane to be... damaged? Like, if something happened to their mana heart?”

Instructor Alveria paused, her expression unreadable. "Yes, the Sorcerer Plane can be affected by severe trauma to the mana heart. Such events are rare but not impossible. A damaged mana heart may cause instability within the plane, resulting in diminished mana flow, erratic spellcasting, or worse, an inability to use magic at all. However, with proper discipline and care, your mana heart and Sorcerer Plane will remain strong.”

The room fell silent as her words hung in the air. Then, a boy in the back tentatively raised his hand. “What if someone doesn’t have a mana heart? Are they completely unable to use magic?”

She gave a small, almost sad smile. “Without a mana heart, a person cannot channel, let alone store, mana the way sorcerers do. They may possess other talents, but sorcery, as you know it, would be out of reach. That is why the blessing of the mana heart is so treasured among sorcerers. Now, let us not get sidetracked. Today’s activity will be about accessing your Sorcerer Plane."

With a wave of her wand, the board behind her instantly cleared, making way for a drawing of the Karti tree and the four fundamental elements beneath it. "To begin, I will demonstrate how to access your Sorcerer Plane within the vision zone. You will also get a visual representation of what you need to look for when searching for your own. Kindly focus your attention on the center."

Like before, the instructor glided forward, hovering above the runic circle and lowering herself on top of the platform. Tyrus suspected it before, but the woman must've been using the air element to fly around. It reminded him of those two sorcerers he ran from all those nights ago. It was a miracle he got out of there in one piece when speed was to their advantage.

Once the woman settled, she straightened her back and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Meditation is an effective technique that allows one to clear their mind and open their senses. Muddled thoughts are roadblocks to a sorcerer's effectiveness, so be mindful of the state of your mental and physical condition. Once you are relaxed, focus on your breathing and imagine the Karti tree."

Not even two seconds had passed before a soft hum resonated through the room as the runes pulsed with a radiant blue light, casting shifting patterns across the walls and ceiling. The instructor’s mana flared to life, a faint yet steady glow that enveloped her form like a gentle mist. Tyrus felt the subtle pressure of mana, a sensation that was both calming and exhilarating, as though the room itself had momentarily connected to something far greater.

"Observe closely," Instructor Alveria said, her voice serene but commanding. "This is my Sorcerer Plane."

The light intensified as the vision zone activated, projecting a swirling image into the air above the platform. The students gasped as a vast, otherworldly landscape came into view. At its center stood a towering, luminous tree with shimmering branches that glowed in pure white, fading into a starry void. Beneath the tree’s roots, six distinct splotches of energy rippled and swirled—blue for water, red for fire, green for earth, white for air, yellow for light, and black for dark.

She has fifteen of twenty-two branches alit!? That's more than half of the whole tree!

Tyrus was shocked by how strong and healthy her Karti Tree was. Even without getting a glimpse of her Karti Tree, Tyrus knew that her mana heart was powerful with the help of mana sense. He used it as soon as the instructor walked in and broke up the fight between him and the group. He knew she was a strong sorcerer, and his thoughts were only confirmed with the clear visual of her Sorcerer Plane. But, compared to Selena or even the hat thief, her mana heart was easily weaker than theirs.

The comparison made Tyrus ponder: just how many branches did Selena and the hat thief possess? It was highly probable that they had far more branches than Instructor Alveria, judging by her lengthy explanation earlier. If having more illuminated branches indicated a stronger mana heart, then Selena and the hat thief must possess exceptional mana hearts.

However, what intrigued Tyrus the most was the appearance of their Karti Tree, particularly the total number of branches it had and how many of them were filled. At that point, it was a guessing game, a fun one at that.

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"Fifteen lit branches must mean she must be around the level of a Master Sorcerer," someone mumbled.

Tyrus glanced sideways to see the weasel kid furiously scribbling away, his face a mixture of awe and concentration. Sometimes he would look up from his work and murmur some more about the instructors Sorcerer Plane. It was hard to see what he was writing, but Tyrus could make out a few words. On the top of the middle of the paper was the instructors name and analysis next to it. A rough sketch of her Sorcerer Plane and her Karti tree was also drawn, though the details were lacking.

He's copying the instructor's Sorcerer Plane? Is it for an assignment or something?

Asking came to mind, but interrupting him seemed like a bad idea. So, Tyrus stayed quiet, focusing his attention back on her Sorcerer Plane. When his eyes focused on the elements underneath, Tyrus found it odd that it came out in colors instead of the usual images of how strong an element was. Now, it was as if colored ink were spread on top of a black canvas.

The instructor's expression remained tranquil. "As you can see, the Sorcerer Plane is a reflection of not only your potential and strength but also a visualization of the elements that you have acquired. Learning to access this different space is crucial for a sorcerer to learn and grow. You should be learning learning all of this in Mana Manipulation since it lays the groundwork for this class, but it seems I will have to cover the basics here. Most students tend to choose classes that sound fun instead of the ones that seem boring. They realize that error usually months later. I talked to the headmaster about this many times, and yet..."

After her little tangent, the woman opened her eyes. The runes around her flickered once more, and the Sorcerer Plane faded like mist before their very eyes. The instructor's mana also returned to her body, slinking back into her body.

"Enough about that. Now, I want you all to try with the person closest to you. Spread out with a buddy and start practicing entering the Sorcerer Plane. You've all already entered it during the physical exam, but I want you to get used to it as if it were a normal thing. Once everybody feels more confident in accessing it, that's when we can begin the overview of the four common elements. You may begin."

At her command, the students began shuffling around, grabbing their belongings and moving toward the nearest person. It wasn't long before the class was a sea of activity across the room, and Tyrus turned his attention to the weasel boy, whose nose was buried in his notes, still scribbling away. He was about to call out to him until Instructor Alveria flew toward him.

"Hold on there a second," she said, standing over his seat. "Tyrus, correct? I would like a moment to speak with you outside the classroom."

Tyrus nodded. The woman offered a reassuring smile before walking past him, heading for the exit. The weasel kid looked up from his work momentarily before returning back to his papers.

Tyrus followed after her, wondering what she wanted. Perhaps it was about the fight and she wanted to personally discuss his punishment? It seemed likely, but then again, the woman didn't seem the type to do something like that when she already gave him a warning. That only puzzled him more the longer he guessed.

They exited the room and entered the empty hallways. There wasn't a single student in sight, and the place was quiet other than the rambunctious noise emanating from the busy students talking amongst themselves inside the classroom.

When the two were alone, the instructor stopped and turned around. "I've heard much about you from the other instructors. You are among a handful of students to reach a perfect score on the physical exam. Actually, you even surpassed the maximum score. Only one student in the history of the academy ever achieved that."

So that's what Instructor Hugo meant, Tyrus thought. He hadn't expected to do so well that the other instructors were impressed, especially coming from someone like Instructor Alveria. Tyrus found it hard to believe until he remembered what that old woman with the heart-shaped frames said out loud.

Instructor Alveria continued and said, "Already do you have four branches of your Karti Tree filled, which means you've already have four elements under your belt. I've also heard that you accessed your Sorcerer Plane in a snap when it takes the common Fledgeling Sorcerer a maximum of five to enter. Even more surprising was that you used the silent casting method to summon your primary affinity. Do you know what that means?"

Tyrus had no idea where she was going with all of this, so he just shook his head. The woman's smile widened, her eyes shining. "We sorcerers are categorized into different ranks depending on our Karti Tree. Sorcerers with one to three of their branches filled are Fledgeling Sorcerers. You, on the other hand, have four."

The realization dawned on Tyrus. "Wait, does that mean..."

"Yes, Tyrus, that means you are, in fact, an Apprentice Sorcerer," she affirmed. "I would like to offer my congratulations for achieving a feat at such a young age, but a problem as arisen because of it. You do not belong here. Instead, I find it imperative you be placed in Elemental Mastery II so that it greatly reflects your skills. Usually the second and third years would take this course, but I believe it would be beneficial for you to attend it instead of the basic introductory classes. Ah, but you know silent casting as well, so you're at the level of a third year student in that regard..."

With crossed arms, she bobbed left right and as her thoughts wandered off. "I shall speak with the headmaster about this. He should not have a problem with me transferring you out of this class and into one that's more suited for your skill set. I would love to see you in the more advanced classes, so I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, I would like you to watch over the struggling students and lend a helping hand. If you don't mind, that is."

Tyrus shook off the initial shock, nodding eagerly. The sudden development surprised him, but at the same time, it didn't. Everyone's mana was abysmally weak and it seemed like even the simplest spell might've been difficult for them to use. This would be a nice change of pace, he thought, and not have to worry about being too far ahead.

"Lovely. I really am fortunate to have the opportunity to teach a student as capable as you! Now, let's head back inside and help your classmates." She ushered him back inside, already making her way toward the nearest group. Tyrus looked around, searching for who seemed to be struggling the most.

Unfortunately, Tyrus went through the entire class helping all but two people, that being the weasel kid and the girl minding her business. Both them decided to pair up when everyone else had their own groups, and it looked like they were having trouble accessing their Sorcerer Plane. Everyone else were purposely ignoring Tyrus whenever he tried to help, either looking away with scowls or outright telling him to go away.

When he went to the last group and offered his help, they only shrugged their shoulders, which was different from the cold treatment he was getting. Tyrus couldn't tell if they were being nice or were too scared to be rude to him. Either way, Tyrus was relieved to see them at least try and be kinder toward him.

And as he expected, it took them almost half an hour to even get a faint glimpse of their Sorcerer Plane. Most of the students struggled for an entire hour before finally giving up and waiting until the next bell rang. When the instructor finally dismissed the class, she gave everyone an assignment to work on accessing their Sorcerer Plane until the next time they meet up. Some groaned and moaned, but the instructor's gaze shut them up and they hurriedly made their way out the door.

Tyrus was the last to leave, and when he shut the door behind him, the weasel kid was waiting for him outside. He stopped Tyrus by grabbing him on the shoulder. When Tyrus turned and stared, the other boy flinched and quickly retracted his hand.

"Oh, um... hi, my name is Parsan, and I would like to thank you for your help."

"It was no problem," Tyrus said. "The instructor wanted me to help the others since I can already enter the Sorcerer Plane."

Parsan nodded, his eyes darting around the student-filled hallways. "Is it... true?"

"Is what true?"

"That you're a black tiger?"

Tyrus narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, it's true. What about it?'

"O-Oh, I mean nothing of it! I was just curious, that's all," Parsan said. "Beastfolk and humans are way different from each other. I'm someone who documents information about things that interest me."

"Like how you were writing down Instructor Alveria's Sorcerer Plane."

He scratched his head, sheepish. "Y-Yeah. It was for documentation. I was going to write it down and ask her a few questions the next time I got the chance, but she's scary! What I have right now will do just fine."

An awkward silence fell between them, and after a few moments, Parsan coughed. "A-Anyways, I should probably get going. It was nice meeting you. Maybe I'll see you around."

Like a rodent, Parsan scrambled away with his book and paper clutched to his chest. Tyrus watched him disappear into the crowd, confused about the interaction, but shook it off. He made his way through the crowd, entering the courtyard.

Since there was an hour before his next class, Tyrus decided to get a quick bite to eat at his hall once more. When he arrived, he found that were only a handful of people eating, way less than there were in the morning. For such a big place to eat in, it felt weird not seeing the place to be swimming wtih students. He ignored it and situated himself in the same seat as last time, using the communication device to order some stew and indulging in other delicacy's.

After the meal, he stayed put, taking out the wild beast's book for his next class and reading ahead. Keeping a close watch on the nearest clock, he continued reading until the bell signaling the end of the break rang. He put the book away and rushed off for his next class, which was also in the main building.

This time, he wasn't the first to arrive, as there were already around twelve students inside a classroom small enough to fit thirty students.

Desks were arranged in six columns with five desks each.. He sat in the middle row, near the door, and far from the other students who were scattered about the room. As usual, they whispered to each other, stealing glances his way. Tyrus brought out his book again and was about to continue where he left off until a familiar voice spoke.

"Is it okay for me to sit here?"

Tyrus looked up to see Ivy. She had a book tucked under her arm; a friendly smile was plastered on her face as she waited for his response.