"What the hell do you mean I ranked fourth?" Hanz asked, obviously irritated. "Who scored higher than me?"

"Their names were Renz Fronston and Leiah Lexington," I said as I loaded my lunch tray with all the delicious accommodations.

We were currently at lunch. A few classes had gone by, but they were nothing too interesting, just martial arts, which was sort of like a P.E. class, and mana core theory.

Hanz's eyes widened as we sat down at a free table. "How did that brat Renz score higher than me?"

"I take it you know this kid?" I asked, taking a bite of the rather delicious pudding.

"Yeah, I'm related to him through my mother. He's from her side of the family. His siblings are Worthies, and he's a spoiled little brat. The Leiah chick, I've never heard of. She's probably some nobleman's daughter."

"Spoiled or not, he still scored higher than you, which speaks to his strength."

"It's probably because of that tie with Tasha. How the hell was I supposed to know she would pull wind magic out of the blue like that? It was heartless, is what it was." Hanz said as he slouched down in his seat, obviously disappointed. "This was supposed to be my big debut, you know. The second price finally proves himself kind of story."

I chuckled, "The tie is a plausible explanation. But the whole debut thing will come soon. I'm sure there will be some other time to prove yourself, and maybe in front of a more important crowd. The question is, what will you do right now to change your situation?"

He lazily took a bite of his food. "The only thing I can do is up my power and score high in class to raise my rank."

"Well, now you have a temporary plan, and all you have to do is execute it. Problem solved."

"You know what, you're right." His whole demeanor seemed to change as he straightened his back and puffed out his chest. "That's all it takes."

To our surprise, Tasha came and joined us, sitting right next to Hanz. "You look like you're in good spirits, Hanz," she said, patting him on the back. "I had assumed you would have taken fourth place more personally. Glad to see you don't seem to mind, though."

At the instant reminder, he slouched back down in his chair, and he seemed to have forgotten about our entire previous conversation.

I shook my head. Wrong time, Tasha. Wrong time.

***

The bell rang, and I went to my next class. Apparently, the headmaster had placed me in a mix of regular and higher-level classes. I didn't ask why or bother too much, as I didn't mind. I already knew the basics of what the first years were learning, anyway.

The class was High-Magic Theory II, which was supposedly like an elective, not a main course, but some people preferred to take it for the credit and knowledge it provided.

As I walked into High Magic Theory II, I was greeted by the professor. She was dressed in caster's robes and had a genuine smile on her face, saying hello to everyone. "You may sit wherever you like," she said as I walked in.

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I immediately went to the back of the classroom as I did in my previous classes, sat down, and waited for the starting bell. I didn't pay much attention as the students trickled in, but then one student, in particular, walked in.

His face was familiar, and I knew I had seen it somewhere, but I couldn't exactly put my finger on it. Eventually, it clicked. It was Kent. The last time I had seen him was at the adventure assessment. His eyes trailed the classroom, eventually locking onto mine. He looked almost the exact same, hadn't changed at all. I wonder if he's still an asshole.

His eyes eventually moved away from me, but I knew from the look he gave that he had recognized me. He didn't do much after that and just sat down.

The bell rang, and the professor closed the door. She stepped up in front of the class and spoke, "Hello, everyone. My name is Professor Janis, and as you may already know, this is High-Magic Theory II. Some of you may be new, and some of you may be familiar with this class, having taken High-Magic Theory I. In this class, we will study and explore the logic behind High-Magic and why it is so special." She began writing on the chalkboard. "Most of you know the name 'High-Magic,' but how many of you know the name, 'Sui-generis Magic'?" She pointed at the board, having just written down, 'Sui-generis.'

A small sum of the class raised their hand. "Well, for those who don't know, this is the official name for High-Magic. The true name." She turned back to the class. "Sui-generis means unique."

The teacher held out her palm in front of the class. A moist, almost wet-looking clump of dirt appeared in her hand, and she began channeling mana. A bright green sprout began to grow and expand until reaching the peak of life as a beautiful daisy.

"Being able to use Sui-Generis magic myself, I can assure you it is out of the ordinary. The spells are way more powerful and magical than any of the natural elements." She sculpts a vase made of hard earth and sets the plant inside, putting it neatly on her desk. "Is there anyone in the class who can use Sui-generis magic and demonstrate to the class? If so, please stand up."

Three people stood up: Kent, a girl, and me.

The teacher seemed delighted. "So, we actually have some this year. Amazing." She pointed at Kent. "Tell the class your name and demonstrate a spell, even if it's just a simple bit."

"My name is Kent Ashfall." He didn't leave much room for greetings as he conjured a surreal amount of thick mist from his palm. The mist formed and was given a new purpose. There were now three Kents standing side by side.

Illusions. Interesting.

A few people in the class gasped in amazement.

"He's ranked second in his class. Abilities like this are a given," a kid whispered to another classmate from my left.

"Isn't he second to no one but the student council president in strength? I'm sure I've heard that somewhere," another kid added.

"I've heard he's stronger; the only reason he is second is that the president's grades are all top-notch."

"Kent Ashfall. The student council treasurer. Yes, I've heard your name before," Professor Janis said. "It's a pleasure having you in my class. Even the headmaster speaks highly of you."

"Thank you, professor," Kent said as he sat down.

The professor moved on and pointed at the lone girl.

"My name is Leiah Lexington."

"Well, damn. This class is just full of surprises, isn't it?" I thought.

She pulled out a wand and began chanting. Particles of sand wound around her, almost as if each spec was alive. She sent the sand floating toward the professor. It moved in the air like a snake, slithering, spinning, and turning, eventually making it to the plant on her desk. The sand encased the plant.

Leiah put her wand down, and the sand around the plant dispersed.

The entire class looked at the sight, astonished. The plant was now all dried up and withered away.

The professor smiled. "Well played, Mrs. Leiah."

Leiah sat down, and finally, the professor pointed at me.

"My name is Falyn Elway."

Immediately at the announcement of my name, I heard murmurs I couldn't make out.

I really didn't know what spell to use with ice magic. Leiah and Kent had both done something rather interesting. But there was nothing interesting about ice.

I sighed and went on a whim.

Raising my palm, I shot a surge of Ice mana at the withered plant. The ice-encased it, and inside the clear encasement was a flower, made purely of ice. Little speckles of glistening snowflakes fell onto it, making it sort of look like a snow globe.

The class seemed impressed, which meant I had done something right.

"Very beautiful, Falyn," the professor said.

I sat down at the professor's words, and as I did, I could have sworn I saw Leiah look my way. She had an acknowledging glint in her eye, followed by a slight smile.