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”What would a fatherless scum like you know?" A grey-winged Angel youth mocked Raziel. It wasn’t the first time, though Seraphiel was seriously considering making this the last time. Her brother was somewhat used to the mocking by now. He’d grown a lot in the last fourteen years.

“You know, you keep bringing up my father. Are you sure it’s not you who has daddy issues?” Raziel shot back with a slight smirk. He’d gotten used to verbally sparring with Seraphiel, so a small group of Angels of similar age was hardly a problem. “Besides, why would I lack knowledge of combat just because I do not have a father? My mother is a great teacher, and my sister would trounce all three of you.” And he might’ve also become a bit of a sis-con. The worst part was that he wasn’t wrong, so it was a bit hard to discourage his tendencies.

“It is the father’s job to train children in winged combat.” The boy argued, not very convincingly. Well, it probably seemed convincing in the boy’s mind, but not so much to anyone with any sense.

“Oh really? You’re suggesting that female Angels can’t fight?" Raziel goaded, and Seraphiel was already quite sure about where this was headed. With a small sigh, she set down the wooden sword that she'd been swinging for the last two hours. Repeated practice allowed her body to learn what her mind already knew and her body was reaching a point where it could barely keep up. Slowly but surely.

“Everybody knows that the Seraphic Guard are the experts in combat, and nearly all of them are men!” The boy kept arguing. Even though stats evened out sex differences for the most part, that didn’t mean that old ideas were gone entirely. And it was true that men tended more towards becoming warriors, while women were more inclined towards magical, or even mercantile Classes. The difference came mostly from interest according to what Seraphiel had managed to figure out, but some still managed to draw all the wrong conclusions. “Just because you’re a sis-con, that fact doesn’t change!”

Oh, others had also noticed that Raziel tended to put her on a bit of a pedestal?

It wasn’t surprising considering she’d outshone him, and everyone else of even remotely similar age for that matter, in almost everything. She was still holding back from showing her true abilities in public, but Raziel learned most of his skills from her these days. Skills that in turn allowed him to outshine everyone else in his classes. She wasn't just tutoring him on most academic topics, but she was guiding his physical and weapon training as well. He could likely easily trounce the three idiots teasing him, which was one of the reasons he was so calm, but that wasn’t the point of the argument. Not to him anyway. No, defending his sister’s honor was much more important.

"Would you like to make a bet then? You three against my sister. If you are supposed to be so much better, what with having a father and being male and all, you three should manage it easily." Raziel goaded further. This wasn't the first or the last time either. It was a rather common trick he liked to pull, as he knew she could defeat them easily, and it would allow her to show off. He hadn’t pulled this trick in the winged combat dojo yet though, so the boys didn’t know better.

“Fine! What’s the wager?” The idiot asked.

“Well, you’re always bragging about how rich your family is, so how about it? Put your money where your mouth is.”

Seraphiel was quite sure her brother would get offered Skills along the lines of ‘con-artist’ or ‘shyster’ with how often he scammed idiots out of their money. The money wasn’t strictly necessary with their mother being an archmagus, but the two of them both liked a bit of spending money anyway and their mother believed in earning their own money whenever possible. The problem was that you couldn’t really take any part-time jobs before your System unlocked, and then the two of them would most likely be sent to an academy, assuming their grades were good enough. A safe bet that.

“Fine! I’ll happily fleece your poor ass!” The idiot took the bait, and the trio quickly circled her. “Any last words little birdy?”

She was only slightly shorter than the three older Angel boys. She seemed to be growing a bit faster than average, and even though she was four years younger than her brother, she was already just as tall as him. She was now sixteen, which in Human years would be around nine, but she looked closer to ten or even eleven. Ironically, she looked like she was close to unlocking her System any moment now, just like her brother and the three idiots surrounding her. Raziel would turn twenty in only a couple of days, and that’s when Angels had their System Day.

“What’s it like knowing that the System will be offering you Skills and Classes associated with being a coward and a craven any day now?” She added her own jibe, which caused the grey-winged Angel to rush her with his wings poised to strike, his face frozen in an expression of anger.

His rushed action caught his allies by surprise, and the two were a bit slow in reacting. That allowed her to easily slide inside his guard, as she used her wings to brush his aside, before using one of his wings to sweep his legs from under him. Just for emphasis, and to make sure he didn’t get up, she smacked one of her wings into his stomach while he was still in the air, driving him into the ground and the air out of his lungs.

She quickly turned to meet the charge of the other two, using her wings as a shield to deflect, not block, their strikes. The two were not wholly unskilled, but they were not used to coordinating their attacks, and she was quickly able to outmaneuver them so that one of them was always between her and the other boy, which allowed her to dismantle their defenses with brutal efficiency. And she didn’t even have to use anything besides her wings to do it.

The Angel in charge of the dojo called a halt to the fight when the trio lay groaning on the ground. The man subscribed to the idea that a little fighting was only to be encouraged and you had to be able to fight the fights you picked while running your mouth. As he’d taught them other classes in another dojo, he knew that she could’ve done much worse if she was using the wooden sword she’d placed aside before the fight.

As the two were merrily counting their ill-gotten gains, Raziel happily asked what she was going to do with her cut.

“I think I might get a new game to play with my friends.” She mused. She’d continued playing games with the same group that she’d started with almost a decade ago. The group had grown a lot closer over the years, united by their shared genius, and often spent time with each other even outside their games nowadays.

Raziel wasn’t too fond of the trio as he felt they were competition for his sister’s attention and time, but he was also smart enough not to show it. Besides, with his sister’s tutoring, he too could keep up with them somewhat and was often invited to join their games when they were visiting the siblings’ home. “Tell them I said hi. Also, you know you could get something for yourself as well? Or me for my System Day present!”

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got your present already covered.” She smiled mysteriously.

Raziel smiled at that. “Thanks for the help sis. It was fun seeing those three get their comeuppance.”

“We both know you could’ve beaten them. I think this was some twisted way for you to defend my honor.” She shook her head in slight but fond exasperation.

“For you sis, always!” He replied cheekily.

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“Today we’re talking about elements and how they tie into Classes.” The teacher lectured in front of the classroom. Despite her bluntness, her lessons were rather popular, as they were very informative and to the point. “Every Class is associated with at least one of the elements. Usually, the first level of most Classes is associated with one of the basic elements, while more advanced Class evolutions of the basic Classes might be associated with the advanced elements. Even if a Class you choose has no elemental attacks or effects, it is still associated with an element, and you can assume safely that some sort of elemental abilities are available to the Class at some point or another in the future. In some rare cases, even a base Class can be associated with an advanced element, though that is not something you should expect or necessarily even wish for. Despite the name, the advanced elements are not any better or worse than the basic ones. Can anyone tell me what the basic elements are?" She asked and didn’t even bother calling on Seraphiel as everyone knew the youngest person in the room already knew the answer.

After being pointed at, one of the Draenei students replied. “The basic elements are fire, water, earth, air, death, life, dark, and light.”

“Very good.” The teacher nodded in approval, though she didn’t expect anything less at this point. The students had been in her lessons for a decade by now. “The advanced elements are simply a mix of two of the basic elements. Some combinations like fire and earth combining into lava are somewhat obvious and intuitive, but some are a little less so. Dark and light combine into time, and life and death combine into creation. You can combine with the same element as well. For instance, earth and earth combines into metal, and fire and fire combine into solar. Now, I said that advanced elements are not inherently better than the basic ones, as their power depends on how you use the element, but some elements are inherently more powerful. In return, they are also much harder to utilize and usually require more stats to become effective. For instance, a mage wanting to utilize time or space magic will need a lot of mana to be able to accomplish even the basic things, which is one of the reasons why taking a basic Class with a powerful but demanding element as your first Class might not be the best idea. Despite the lower stats, getting a lower-ranked Class isn’t always a bad idea, as they are often easier to level and utilize. It has happened more than once that someone takes a first Class that would require them to perform activities that they cannot perform due to lacking the stats, which means they become stuck at level one. Now, the risk isn’t large as you can reset your Class for a price, but it is there, and you should keep it in mind. We call these Classes newbie traps. Although you cannot discuss the Classes you are offered in the moment your System is unlocked, that doesn’t mean you can’t listen to the advice of your elders beforehand, as they’ve gone through it and know roughly what to expect.”

“What is it like when you gain your System?” One of the Angel girls asked curiously.

“It’s different for everyone, and it’s also something very private. In general though, the System provides you with a Guide that can help you in making your choices, inside your soul. Anything beyond that is up to you and your Guide. Time spent inside your soul passes much more quickly than on the outside, so even if you spend some time making your choices, very little time will pass on the outside. Generally. Again, this too will vary from person to person." The teacher moved on as the topic was rarely addressed for a reason. It was almost taboo to go into too much detail before you experienced it yourself, as any such information might influence a young child's experience unduly. Advice was good, detailed instructions were not.

“Now, I said that Classes are associated with at least one element. Some Classes can be associated with several, though one will always be the main element. Once again, multiple elements won’t necessarily make the Class any more powerful, as the System often rewards specialization. It doesn’t necessarily make it weaker either. There is power in versatility, and some Classes are simply better. Also, keep in mind that just because a Class is associated with an element, that doesn’t mean utilizing other elements can’t be done. We keep using the perennial example of a fire mage, but for a reason. Even the fire mage is capable of using magic of other elements, but since they don’t have the requisite support Skills, the spells of those other elements will be weaker. Some Classes are by their nature using more than one element, and they usually have their own support Skills to compensate that style, but once again, specialization has its advantages. It's not uncommon for single-element magic Classes to be offered a choice during Class evolution. Will you keep focusing on your single element, making your Skills of that element even stronger, or will you evolve into a Class that uses more than one element, in which case your support Skills will include the new element or elements? The same applies to other types and not just mages, although for mages it's the most obvious.”

---------

“Happy System Day!” Both Seraphiel and Ophiel cheered while waking Raziel up. They’d brought in a cake with twenty candles and they also had wrapped presents in their hands.

“Thank you, mother! Thanks, Sephy!” The boy that was looking less and less immature every day thanked them cheerily, despite just being woken up. He took a look at the cake. “I assume Sephy made this one? It looks good.”

“Son, are you implying that if I had made it, the cake wouldn’t look good?” Ophiel asked with narrowing eyes.

Raziel seemed to hesitate for a moment before deciding to go with honesty. “Yes. We both know Sephy is much better at making food.”

“I’m hurt! My son is looking at his dear mother with such disdainful eyes!” Ophiel decided to go the overly dramatic route.

"He's not wrong though." Seraphiel muttered just loud enough to be heard, causing all three to burst into laughter. "Now open your presents and then we can eat the cake."

Ophiel knew Raziel wanted to become some kind of a warrior, so she’d enchanted a large and very angelic blade for him to use. His first real sword. Seraphiel on the other hand had purchased him a necklace that could hold moving pictures. In one picture was their mother giving a lecture, while the other picture was of the two siblings hugging. “This way we can be together even when you’re at the academy.” She explained, getting an emotional hug from her brother as a reward.

“So, when’s the big moment?” Raziel asked eagerly.

Ophiel looked at a magical timekeeper on her wrist. "Right about…now." And just as she said 'now' Raziel went glassy-eyed and froze in place.

“Does that happen often?” Seraphiel asked in a whisper as they stood a bit away from the boy.

“Only during Class evolutions or when you reach certain level thresholds where you get a new Class. Don’t worry, it won’t happen in the middle of a battle. You can defer it until you’re safe. The experience will also be banked in case you’re worried about losing any benefits." Her mother explained in an equally quiet voice.

As she was told before, the time Raziel was distracted didn’t last very long, only counted in minutes. Once he did return though, she could sense a new kind of power inside him. He was now significantly stronger than just moments before. He was also happily grinning. “Sephy, you were there helping me!” He announced right away.

“Sephy was your Guide?” Ophiel asked. “Should’ve known. What Class did you get?” To Seraphiel, her expression looked a little wooden for some reason, but that didn’t matter for the moment.

“Oh, I got the Path of the Seraphim of course! I’m only a trainee for now, but the dream Sephy told me it was a great Class!” Raziel announced proudly.

“As usual, your sister was right.” Ophiel nodded and patted him on the head, clearly satisfied with the choice. "Seraphim is a powerful Class. It might start as B-ranked, but it has the potential to become S-rank. Well done Raziel baby!”

“And it’s a Class named after Sephy, so of course I took it!” Raziel shamelessly declared, causing Ophiel to groan and his sister to chuckle.

Most of the rest of the day was spent looking over academies. Now that Raziel had gained a powerful Class in combination with his grades, his approval to a good academy was all but assured. In fact, he could almost pick what academy he wanted to go to. “What academy do you want to go to Sephy?” He asked instead.

“I’m not certain yet, but I’ve heard some good things about Mahora, and mother went there.” She replied. She was unsure what classes she’d be offered so it was impossible to say for sure. “At least it isn’t specialized in just one type of Class.”

“Then I want to go there as well!” Her brother announced. It was understandable though. They’d be away from home for a long time, so having a member of the family close would be quite beneficial.

Their celebration went on for most of the day. At one point Seraphiel pulled her mother aside for a moment. They ended up in the rather spacious kitchen. "Why did you look so off when Raziel mentioned the Guide?" She asked directly.

Her mother grimaced a bit. “Hard to hide things from you, isn’t it? Long story short, I’m just sad that I wasn’t his Guide. Parents often are. Just goes to show that while he might not show it, he might still harbor some things from when he was just born, and his father had just died. I wasn’t the best mother to him back then.”

“You know, it might not be that? We’ve grown quite close over the years, and we both know he’s quite fond of me.” Seraphiel pointed out.

“True, but I think one of the reasons he’s grown so attached to you is because you’ve always been there for him, while I did let him down when he was a kid. I know, I know, I might be overthinking it, but I can’t help it.”

Deciding to change the subject, Seraphiel decided to talk about the academy instead. “Will we be visiting the place when Raziel enrolls?”

"I'd say we probably should. It's a good chance for both of you to check the place out. I think you'll like it." Ophiel accepted the change in topics and encouraged her.

“Well, it’s not like I have some burning need to go somewhere else like some of my friends.” She pondered. The name Mahora also sounded a little familiar, although the translation from the Gift of Tongues might have been interfering a bit…