"...And the voting starts now," Professor Howard said. Alec felt mana shift right in front of him, a soft, tingling pressure on his skin. Another holographic circle flickered into existence, jolting Alec. His gaze shifted, gauging the others’ reactions. They were all straight-faced. 'Hah. I'm just a student and I have to deal with this?' he thought, a wry smile tugging on his lips. The holograms started lighting up – green or red, illuminating the room.

Alec tugged and pulled on his mana flow, manifesting an ethereal tendril. He touched the tendril against the hologram. He felt two distinct mana shapes, pressing against his awareness—one a rough tick, the other an equally clunky 'x'. Whichever he completed, the hologram would light up accordingly. He let out a quiet huff of amusement. 'Huh, neat. Just like Magikards...'

Without further ado, Alec "ticked" the vote by flowing his mana through the shape and lit up his own hologram green.

"6 no's and 4 yeses, the first result is rejected," Professor Howard announced monotone, a frown adorning his face. His own hologram was green, after all. His gaze darted across the committee. They were too focused on the result. Raising his finger, he squeezed the air using mana and suddenly let go, causing an audible pop to jolt everyone awake. "Then please, start the discussion."

Immediately, three hands shot up. Namely Professor Enoch, Miriam, and Simon. Enoch seemed steadfast in his rejection, a resolute glare in his eyes. His back was perfectly straight as he locked eyes with Professor Howard. Miriam, on the other hand, was burning a hole in Enoch's face with her glare, gritting her teeth. Simon remained untouched by the tension, his expression unreadable, his posture relaxed.

'I should just watch for now...'

This felt a bit like the time he’d been on a review committee in his past life, trying to tread lightly in a room of sharp opinions. He’d learned then to talk less but say more—something he’d need to keep in mind now.

Professor Howard acknowledged Enoch's glare with a nod, granting him the right to speak. All eyes turned to the man now representing the opposition.

Enoch rose slowly, pulling his mage robes tighter around his shoulders as though drawing strength from their weight. A sign of respect, yes, but also of resolve.

"We’ve debated this before, and the logistical issues remain unresolved. I respect Mr. Alec’s contributions to elemental magic, but without a solution in sight, we’d be inviting chaos by moving forward with a reorganization."

The room filled with telepathic murmurs, an invisible undercurrent of whispered arguments and swayed opinions. Heads nodded, glances were exchanged, and then—a subtle shift. One of the green lights flickered and turned red. Seven to three. The opposition had gained ground.

Alec buried himself deeper into his couch, watching the discussion unfold. He enjoyed the chaos as it distracted the professors while he calculated what he would say if the decision didn't lean in their favor.

"Mr. Enoch is approaching this from a conservative perspective," Professor Miriam said after standing up. She threw a cursory glance toward Enoch before continuing. "However, we will never be ready enough if we keep delaying. The rotted roots of misplaced magic branches will cause a malunion if left untreated. The sooner we switch, the less the damage."

'That's a good one,' Alec mentally commented, his hands clasped together and resting on his lap. His mind, now coupled with the mana brain, breezed through different dialogues. Two votes shifted, turning green. Still, equal. 'No choice. Simon will represent the opposition. There is a good chance he takes the lead back to their side. What will he strike with? He is too relaxed. It must be something integral to the professors. And why is he looking at Professor Howard? Oh. He will try and challenge his opinion on the matter. I should be ready to support Howard then.'

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"I don't really like how our classifications will change if we accept the reorganization. Will you be able to bear losing your title as a fire mage, Professor Howard?" he asked. The meeting room went silent. The committee's eyes shifted from Simon toward Howard before stopping. The tension in the air was palpable, making Alec uncomfortably shift on his armchair

'What is this atmosphere? Did he say something controversial? Could Professor Howard be attached to the title in some way?' Alec thought.

"I will..." Professor Howard muttered indecisively. He caressed his beard for a moment, his mana lingering in the air. It shifted a few times, almost about to change his vote.

However, before he could come to a decision, Alec finally raised his hand. He did it neither too slowly nor too fast.

'If they are treating me as an equal I will abuse it. Give me an inch, I'll take a mile.'

His legs crossed, both arms resting on the armrests of his chair, one supporting his chin. Alec took his time to get up. He began speaking as soon as Professor Howard gave a brief nod, his voice steady and calm.

"I think we’re forgetting the fact that magic is a tool to shape the world, not the other way around," he started. "Words are vehicles for meaning, not its source. They’re tools of communication. Even if we change the classification, Professor Howard will remain the legend he is. Even if he’s placed in a different class of magician, his legacy will still be that of flame and fire. When heavenly flames rain down from above, mages will still think of Hunter Howard. Shedding the title from its bloat will make it more meaningful. After all, who dare call themselves a fire mage as long as Professor Hunter walks the realm?"

'Perfectly delivered. Though, I almost slipped at the end. Can't call this place Earth—what the hell is this planet's name anyway?'

Alec's words injected confidence into Professor Howard. His back straightened, his eyes glowing. Whatever worry weighed on his shoulders was blown away by Alec's lengthy monologue.

'What about this one?' Alec thought as his gaze darted across the room, settling on Simon. The man slowly sat down, his eyes still locked on Professor Howard, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. His relaxed demeanor was nowhere to be seen. His hands rested on his knees like he was being interviewed. 'Hah. Act smug now, bastard.'

Surprisingly, not only did Professor Howard not switch to the opposition, but two other professors changed their votes, finally tipping the scale toward the supporting group. A quick telepathic message later, Alec learned that this was the first time this particular topic had a majority vote. Although he felt proud of the fact, it didn't entirely depend on his prowess as a speaker but on what he had brought to the table, namely his model of the atom.

"This is utter madness!" Professor Enoch slammed his hand against the table, his voice cutting through the room. Deep creases lined his forehead, and his face twisted into something halfway between outrage and disbelief. Alec couldn’t help but find the display amusing, though he kept his expression neutral.

"Alec Greenwood is nothing but a mere student," Enoch barked, gesturing toward him like he was the source of all the world’s problems. "How could someone like him possibly understand the hardships behind such a decision?"

'Funny. He is somewhat right but what matters is to win,' Alec mentally commented while leaning against the backrest of his chair, his arms crossed. Hardships were unavoidable on the path of development. And after all, if they were so worried about it, they could just graduate Alec early and make him a professor. 'Ugh... That might alert the anti-meme though...'

"There’s no need for finger-pointing, Professor Enoch. Let’s keep this professional," Professor Howard settled the situation with a small smile. Enoch sat back down with a sharp snicker.

"Please finalize your decision and get ready for the second round of the votes..."

***

'Horrifying...' Alec mentally muttered, watching the ongoing discussion with wide-open eyes. 'It has been two hours! What is this? The tenth round of discussions? No wonder this academy runs so shitty! How can anything get done if they are just talking all day!?'

Fortunately for Alec, and for Professor Miriam, whose quiet sigh of relief mirrored his own exhaustion, the discussion finally reached its end with a satisfying 9 to 1 supporting vote.

"Now that we have concluded this discussion, I am proud to say that all the elemental magic branches will be amalgamated into a single one. Still, this births another problem and a new topic of discussion!" Professor Howard announced with a shit-eating grin on his face. Alec could swear the man glanced in his direction, as if taunting him. "We have to find a name for our soon-to-be magic branch! One that fits the start of a new age of magic! Start the discussions!"

Alec’s mouth fell open, his brows shooting up in pure disbelief.

"Oh god..."