Challenges of the Aether: Call of the Abyss

Chapter 14: First Day

Waking up in the morning, I grab my things and get ready. I walk over to the line of students to receive my ID card, I step forward and receive a blank card. As I say my name and age, the mage casts a spell that brings the card to life.
  The card begins to glow various colors and finally starts to list my information, Rune Withers, my name a picture of myself, and more things like my height of five feet and ten inches, a weight of one hundred fifty-seven point four pounds.
  It also says my age of seventeen, my hair color as white and My eyes described to be Dioxazine purple, adorned with a red-colored inner circle. Lastly, my class number along with my attributes and mana capacity are listed.
  I am placed into class one as a year one student, My mana capacity was one-hundred-thirtyfour and my attributes were listed as Basic Fire, Dark then intermediate Lightning.
  After getting my school ID I am directed to head to the school's Tailor, to get my size taken for my uniform and battle uniform. I got to choose the color of my shirts and I asked for some red and some to be white. I was also told that I would be given a vest along with black pants, combat boots, and gloves.
  After the tailor I reunited with them and told them that I was placed into class one, they all followed suit Edger being placed into class two, Pearl into class three, and Jacob into class four.
  We were a little disappointed that we didn't have any of the main classes together, but we all knew that we would be able to spend time with each other during lunchtime and outside of our classes.
 
  As I entered the main building I made my way down the hall towards my classroom. Taking a seat, as I eagerly awaited the arrival of my classmates along with my professor. It only takes a few minutes for everyone to arrive.
  “Good morning, everyone. Once more, I'd like to introduce myself as Mr. Cleo Wykle, your homeroom teacher for the next few years. I'm sure you all have a lot of questions, and I assure you we will address them, but first I want to go over a few things with you all.
  First off, let me clarify that just because you are in class one does not automatically make you better than any other student in the other classes; rather, it simply means that you have a naturally larger storage capacity and better mana control than most people your age.
The first item on the schedule for today is a discussion of the required courses that you must take to continue forward, as well as some electives you may want to take. Each of your tables has a piece of paper with a list of the required and elective classes on it.
  I'm going to spend some time with each of you discussing your plans for using magic and which elective classes I believe will best help you do that.”
  The Professor announced that he would give us fifteen minutes to review the list of elective classes and decide which ones we wanted to take. Afterward, he will call us up one by one to talk with us about it all.
  As the Professor was talking he changed the board over to display student rankings based on mana capacity. He said that it wasn't to cause drama within the class but to spark a friendly rivalry between us and to help us grow into stronger people.
  As I gazed at the board, my heart skipped a beat, as I found myself ranked fifth in my class. I couldn't help but feel a sense of passion and determination, to push myself further to reach the top of my class.

  As I gaze down at the paper, my eyes skim over the list of mandatory classes; Math, History, Science, English, Magic fundamentals, and Combat fundamentals. These are the foundations that we must take. But it's the list of Elective classes that truly excites me.
  Blacksmithing I, Herbology I, First Aid, Gods & Goddesses Worship and Study I, Language, Magical Research, Magical Experimentation, Intro to Potions... and a few others.
  The Magical Experimentation and Research courses are my first choices, I want to forge my own path, to leave my unique mark on the world of sorcery. And the only way I can do that is by learning all I can and creating magic for myself.
  then there's Familiar Caretaking I, a class that beckons me with its promise of understanding spirits and forging a bond with them.
  As I consider my options, a self-study course also comes to mind, a way to explore things that fascinate me and allow me to grow and explore as I want to do so.
  Lastly, Gods & Goddesses Worship and Study will help me on my journey to discover who my father is, this class will help me to uncover the secrets about the deities and who they are.
  After careful consideration, I have made up my mind. These are the classes, that I will be taking. Hopefully, these classes will help me understand who I want to become and challenge myself to become stronger.
 
  After a few minutes of waiting, Mr. Wykle called me to the front of the class and handed him my paper. He asked why I had an interest in the two new classes that had just launched this year.                     
  I told him that on my way to the academy, I got to meet and know Nytsul and we ended up being somewhat of friends after the many things that happened. And on our trip, He told me about his research into magic.
  I couldn't help but be drawn in by the mysteries behind magic and am one of the people who contribute to the advancement of our collective understanding. Along with the growth of our people that comes with a better understanding.
  He completely agrees with me on our shared desire to become individuals who relentlessly strive not only for personal growth but also for the betterment of those around us.
  He understands my wanting to study the Gods and Goddesses but is confused as to why I want to take the familiar caretaking class.
  I explained to him the realization I came to, That spirits are just living things that can use mana but are one of the purest embodiments of mana's essence and its unique attributes.
  Understanding the way they live and function while being able to wield magic seamlessly with the world around them could hold the key to unlocking the depths of my being. By unraveling their secrets I can understand the essence of Mana itself.
  He says he's surprised that I want to learn things that normal people wouldn't be interested in and that the desire to obtain knowledge and grow from it is an amazing virtue. He also agrees on every class iv chosen.
  As I stand up and prepare to go back to my seat, Mr. Wlyks tells me he has an announcement for the class in a few minutes so keep myself occupied.