“Tell me, class,” the professor began, pacing slowly and methodically in front of the students, “what elements do we know at the moment?”

[What a silly question,] Elaine thought. [Obviously, the answer is…]

“Four! Water, earth, wind, and fire!” one of her classmates declared, looking as if he had just solved the greatest puzzle in the world. [Idiot...] Elaine thought, annoyed by his arrogance over such a basic answer.

[I can't wait for this class to end] the elf mused, stretching her legs and imagining her upcoming meeting with the elves.

Elaine had her doubts about the meeting. Firstly, she questioned how things had gone with Miriel, thinking they had struck a deal too quickly. She suspected Miriel might be fooling her and that no one would be there when she arrived.

She had no idea what to expect at the appointed time, but she couldn't afford to show up relaxed, believing everything would go smoothly.

Moreover, she was worried about the "favor" she now owed Miriel, especially since the half-blood hadn't specified what it entailed.

[Damn, I should have insisted more...] she thought, frustrated, looking up at the sky as if expecting a solution to her problems to materialize out of thin air.

"…Cy…Ucy…Lucy…Miss Blazestorm!"

Lost in her thoughts, Elaine didn't realize that the professor had been calling her repeatedly. Embarrassed, she quickly stood up and bowed.

"I apologize, Professor. It won't happen again, I promise."

"Oh, that's alright, but you didn't need to bow" the professor replied, looking perplexed by such behaviour. "Next time, pay more attention. I asked you a question. Can you answer it?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't hear the question" Elaine admitted, feeling ashamed. [I need to stop behaving like those other idiots...]

"Oh dear..." the professor sighed. "Alright, I'll repeat the question: Which element has no Deviant evolution?"

The question left her puzzled, as she believed all elements had some form of advanced evolution.

"I'm not sure..." Elaine mumbled, taken aback by what seemed like a simple question.

"Does anyone know?" the professor asked, looking around the class, which remained silent like Elaine.

"I understand Miss Lucy not answering, but the rest of you..." the professor muttered, disappointed. "The element in question is fire."

[Fire? But I was sure that...]

"You seem confused," the professor said, interrupting Elaine's thoughts. "You see, Deviant elements, though derived from the primary elements, completely change physically. For example, water and ice share the same base, but they are physically different. The same goes for earth and metal, which have little in common. These are the Deviant elements, elements that evolve into something different."

The professor moved to her desk, filled her glass with water, and after refreshing her throat, continued her explanation.

"Fire is different. Instead of a Deviant element, it has seven stages. The first flame, the 'base flame,' is what we all know. From there, there are five more flames with different abilities, culminating in the last flame, the 'black flame,' the most powerful. It's rumored there's another final flame, but that's mere speculation..."

[Interesting...] Elaine thought, surprised once again by what she had learned, diligently taking notes on everything the professor said.

"I have another question for you, Lucy," the professor said, pressing Elaine further. "Can humans develop the same Deviant elements as other races, and vice versa?"

This question, though more complex, didn't catch Elaine off guard, as she already knew the answer.

"No," Elaine replied confidently. "There are Deviant elements that some races can't develop, like metal, exclusive to dwarves; lava, exclusive to orcs; and plant magic, which belongs only to elf and humans."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Excellent!" the professor applauded, pleased with her student's answer. "And can you tell me why?"

Elaine paused, thinking for a moment, then responded, "For millennia, the four races on this world have lived in distinctly different areas. The most accepted theory is that exclusive Deviant elements represent these diverse habitats. And it is that also the reason why some races can only use certain types of elements"

"Exactly! Well done, Elaine, you're very intelligent!" the professor exclaimed, happy to teach such a bright student. "You see, class, exclusive Deviant elements depend mainly on the environment where we were raised. It's like when a mage awakens a Deviant element: it's not uncommon for multiple people to have the same Deviant element, but if they grew up in different places, they can develop even more diverse and rare Deviant elements. This is the distinction between common, rare, and ultra-rare Deviant elements—"

*RRRIIING! RRRIIING!*

Just as the professor finished speaking, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson. "Alright, class, that's all for today. Make sure to study today's material, as it will be on the exam!"

As soon as the bell rang, Elaine hurriedly gathered her things and dashed out of the classroom like a sprinter, not bothering to listen to the professor's parting words. Her mind was elsewhere...

----------------------------------------

*Elaine's P.O.V.*

Without wasting time, I headed to the academy's "Grand Library." Unlike the dormitory's library, this one was immensely large, so large that I was overwhelmed by the amount of material inside.

"Wow..."

I hadn't been impressed by anything I'd seen in the three days I'd been at the academy, but this library, with its vast collection of books, ancient texts, research papers, and more, made me question why they kept all this here, considering some of these theoretical books were pieces that ordinary students shouldn't have access to.

"One of these days, I'll borrow a book..." I muttered, not overthinking it and focusing solely on my final objective.

Without further distraction, I made my way to the meeting place, climbing the marble stairs that, like 90% of the room, spiraled upwards into the sky.

Even though I was here, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if I would find anyone or if they would ambush me. The only thing I could do was stay calm and serene... And hope that at least this time, things would go differently.

I reached the second floor after almost two minutes of climbing the stairs. It was the top floor, and unlike the ground and first floors, there were no books here, just a long hallway with closed rooms.

[The last door...] - I headed towards the last door. As I walked down the hallway, I noticed signs on the doors.

[Literature Club...Agriculture Club... Don't tell me...] - I realized I was about to enter an academic club, which was bad news for me since I didn't want to interact with people and was there for other reasons, not to play farmer or anything.

When I finally reached the designated door, I read the sign above it, feeling a bit confused: [Do-Whatever-You-Want Club? What the hell...?]

Before I could knock, the door swung open by itself, revealing Elaine's face with her horrible smile plastered on it.

"Lucy! You're finally here!" said the half-elf, energetically grabbing my arm and pulling me inside the room.

The room wasn't much: there were books, a table, snacks of all kinds, couches, and little else. However, a dozen people inside looked at me, more bewildered than curious, seemingly taken aback by my presence.

[Hmm... Yes, these are the elves who disappear. So this is where they come...] I observed, partly finding an answer to one of my nagging questions...

"Hey!" - A tall, robust guy approached us with a visibly annoyed expression. "Who is she? Did you forget our rules?"

"H-Haldir, calm down! The thing is—"

"No, I won't calm down!" Haldir's voice rose, startling Miriel, who stiffened and changed her expression abruptly. "This is the only place where—!"

"Watch your tone, big guy...uh?"

[Why did I respond?!] - I hadn't meant to respond, really. But seeing Miriel's frightened expression, something clicked in my head. Something that pushed me to defend her.

But by doing so, if the situation was tense before, now it was probably...

"What did you just say?" - Haldir turned to me, his eyes filled with annoyance at my reaction. "Listen... girl, this place isn't for you! So I'm asking you to leave!"

I wanted to stand up to that brute, to push my luck now that I was here. But seeing his scowling face and the annoyed expressions of the people inside, I realized I was absolutely not welcome here.

"Fine, I'm leaving..."

I turned to walk away, but before I could take a step, Miriel grabbed my arm again, this time with an even firmer grip. [What's this fool doing...] I thought, annoyed.

"I invited her, so she's my guest!" Miriel retorted loudly, defying Haldir, who was surprised by her reaction. "She hasn't done anything wrong; she just wants to learn about our history! And I do know the rules, I'm not stupid!"

[She's ditzy, but she's got guts...] I thought, watching her "fight" with her friend... if you could call him that.

"No, you're not stupid" Haldir growled, trembling with anger. "You're doubly stupid! If you know our club's rules, then you also know not to bring humans here!"

Haldir turned his gaze back to me, looking even more irritated. "It's nothing personal, but this club is the only place where my friends and I can relax. Every day, you humans invade our space just for a bit of popularity, and this is the only space where we can relax. So please, leave—"

"She's not human" Miriel interjected, cutting us all off.

[What did she just say?]

At first, I thought I had heard wrong amidst all the noise. But when I saw the confused expressions of the people in the room, I realized I had understood correctly.

[It must be a joke, she's bluffing...] I thought, convinced that Miriel wanted to get me into their group at all costs.

"Hey, don't make stuff up—!"

"No! I know the truth!" Miriel exclaimed, her voice firm, not letting go of my arm. "You... you're an elf!"

END OF CHAPTER 39 – ELVES