The trio’s hurried steps echoed through the long corridor as they rushed to reach the auditorium on time. And they weren’t alone, several latecomers practically running by their side. Yet, Percy’s thoughts were far removed from the Mana Flow lecture right now.

‘I can’t believe I’m going to miss these guys…’

Klatz and Lyn had helped him hang the painting in his host’s room before leaving with him. Their continued, near-suffocating love had nearly brought him to tears: the only reason he’d held back was because he was keenly aware that the art piece hadn’t been meant for him. At least, his success in healing Leo had tempered his guilt over deceiving them, allowing him to leave Felmara with his chin up.

‘It doesn’t look like he’s going to wake up before I go… I should probably write him a new diary entry, to brief him in on important matters…’

Soon, the group reached the auditorium, finding the place packed with students. The buzzing cacophony of chattering kids instantly filled Percy’s ears as he carefully scanned the room. It was downright enormous: large enough to fit over a thousand people, with plenty of space to spare! The centre stage spanned a massive half-circle, two hundred metres across.

Rising from the stage, dozens of tall steps extended outward, lined with rows of spacious, well-cushioned seats. The academy could have easily squeezed in twice as many students had they arranged the seating more tightly, but comfort seemed to be the priority here. Each seat was equipped with a wooden table, complete with a dedicated space for books, food, and drinks. Overall, a rather luxurious arrangement.

And the architecture was just as extravagant. Every surface: floor, steps, walls… even the ceiling: was made of polished marble, streaked with veins of gold. The only exception was the flat wall at the inner edge of the semi-circle, which was stark white, devoid of any decoration. It had a square shape, reaching the tall ceiling a couple hundred metres up. There were no windows either, but the room was bathed in a steady glow from the enchanted crystals embedded along the circular wall.

‘Wow… once again, these people went all out building this place…’ Percy thought.

Had they really done all this just to make a bunch of kids comfortable? It honestly resembled a venue fit for a royal wedding more than an educational facility… Then again, Dugris had mentioned that Rhaziel tended to personally oversee these Mana Flow lectures. That alone explained why the mortals had gone to such lengths to make the auditorium presentable.

Admittedly, Percy had been a little worried about coming face to face with the deity. The only god he’d ever met in person had been Metatron, and the titan had already learned everything about him through the challenges, before their first meeting. Suffice to say, he had no idea if other gods had the means to see through his bloodline.

In fact, he’d even briefly considered skipping the lecture entirely. Granted, Mana Flow was probably the most valuable thing on Felmara, but he didn’t want to risk getting his clone destroyed: or worse, captured: and losing everything else he’d obtained.

Luckily, it hadn’t taken much digging to learn that Rhaziel wasn’t going to visit the academy in the flesh. Apparently, he was only going to oversee the lesson from afar, via some kind of projection.

“Quiet, everyone!” a booming voice said.

An old man stood on the floor of the auditorium, dressed in the nicest robes Percy had seen since arriving on Felmara. His face was marred by wrinkles, his fur a snow-white colour, yet the presence he passively exuded carried with it the unmistakeable aura of authority.

‘He feels stronger than Baldy… Don’t tell me…!’

Percy drew a sharp breath upon examining the guy’s sternum with his Mana Sense. He was currently located hundreds of metres away, yet the distance failed to mask the vibrant White star burning brightly in the man’s chest. This had to be the dean of the academy: and the first White Percy saw in his life!

Back on Remior, this would have qualified him to lead one of the Great Houses: a position that only seven people on the whole planet could currently boast of having reached. Well, other than the Green-borns, of course…

Scanning the auditorium, Percy quickly noticed that the dean wasn’t the only strong person here either. Three more people stood out amongst the crowd. They weren’t quite as powerful as their boss, their cores “only” at Violet, but Percy could still practically feel their thick presence oozing into the air around them. None of them bothered to conceal it, as it probably helped them get the rowdy crowd of students around them under control. Two of them were men, the last one a woman. All three were middle-aged.

‘The vice-deans…’ he guessed.

Beyond that, there were dozens of teachers scattered around the room, many of them at Blue, the rest at Green. He even spotted Dugris sitting at the front, as well as Mrs. Lia a few rows behind him. Naturally, the sight made Percy more than a little nervous. He’d never seen so many powerful people gathered in the same place.

Oblivious to his thoughts, the dean waited a couple seconds for the commotion to die down before continuing.

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“I sincerely hope everyone is here today. Please, pick a seat and make sure to press your palm on the enchantment by your right to sign in. The older students should already know this, but it’s imperative that you all do that, otherwise we won’t have proof of your attendance, and you will be punished severely along with those who are absent.”

Grabbing his hand, Lyn dragged him to the very back of the room, Klatz following right behind them. She clearly wanted to shield him as best as she could from whatever had bothered Leo last year…

Percy smiled wryly at her behaviour. He would have preferred to sit at the front instead, to get a better view of the demonstration, unwilling to miss any important details. But he didn’t resist, letting the girl do as she pleased, knowing he was supposed to hate it here for whatever reason. At least, he made sure the three of them sat at a place without any strong teachers nearby, for his own peace of mind.

As soon as everyone was seated, the dean walked up the steps to the back of the room, sitting at the top row. Though he did so in the other side of the room, dozens of spots away from Percy’s group.

Next, the crystals on the circular wall dimmed, plunging the auditorium into darkness. This only lasted a second, before countless runes of various colours lit up along the flat wall, blending into a giant image. At first, it was impossible to make anything out, but the lines and contours inside the screen soon settled into a clear picture.

Percy’s eyes widened as he realized what: or rather, who – exactly it was they were looking at. At first glance, he appeared to be a Felmaran man, similar in many ways to the hundreds of others he’d already seen. Yet, both his fur and his eyes shone in a dazzling golden light, his features flawless as a sculpture’s.

‘No… they’re even better than that…!’ he realized in disbelief.

Originally, Percy had thought the artist who’d carved the statue in the garden had exaggerated the god’s beauty, but it appeared the exact opposite was true. The pitiful mortal had clearly failed to capture the sheer perfection in the man’s otherworldly features.

His mane was long enough to reach his waist, yet it flowed outward like a blazing inferno. Every fibre woven into his robes looked more expensive than the whole academy put together. He was adorned with jewels of all shapes and sizes from head to toe, as his lips curled and parted into a confident grin. He was sitting leisurely on what could only be described as a throne, sipping some blue liquid from a finely crafted wineglass.

‘Rhaziel Proudheart…!’

“Good morning, students.” the god’s voice was soft as a whisper, but it still permeated the auditorium like a tremor, causing Percy’s fur to stand on end.

Everyone: from the youngest student to the dean himself: rose from their seats, bowing deeply in deference to their leader. Percy followed along, unwilling to stand out from the crowd.

Several seconds later, the god finally nodded, granting them permission to return to their seats. Only then did he continue.

“Today, you are gathered here to study one of our world’s most precious arts: a powerful spell that can elevate anyone’s magic to the next level. I hope you will cherish this opportunity dearly, and that you will all burn this knowledge firmly into your minds.”

Next, his eyes shifted to the back of the room, looking straight at the dean. The old man stood up again, before clapping his hands twice.

A series of inscriptions lit up by the bottom of Rhaziel’s image, touching the centre stage. They outlined a rectangle that looked tiny beneath the god’s feet, yet which was actually about tall and wide enough for a few adults to walk through it at the same time.

Accompanied by a grinding noise, the surface sank a few inches into the wall, before slowly sliding aside. But Rhaziel didn’t wait for it to open all the way, speaking again.

“As you all know, these classes are always delivered by some very special guests of mine. In fact, today, I have a little surprise for you. Your lecturer this time is not just a normal mortal, but a Green-born!”

Rhaziel paused for a moment, seemingly appreciating the startled gasps and shocked exclamations of the students before him. Even Percy was taken aback, not having expected the equivalent of a Holy Child to bother teaching a bunch of low-borns.

The god chuckled.

“Yes. It’s quite a special occasion, isn’t it? This person holds within his core the potential to become a god: the same as me! But today, he is nothing more than your personal instructor!”

The door by the centre stage finally slid open, revealing a long, winding corridor behind it. Soon, a series of footsteps echoed through it, growing louder as the guest lecturer slowly approached. And he wasn’t alone. It appeared there were three people in total. Most curiously, there was another strange sound coming from the corridor. The metallic rattle of chains, clinking rhythmically between footfalls.

It didn’t take long for the newcomers to emerge before the students, Percy’s eyes widening at the bone-chilling scene before him.

Suddenly, the image of the beautiful academy set up to nurture the next generation crumbled in his mind. The vibrant gardens decorating its outskirts… the polite students and gentle teachers… the dazzling statue of the powerful god… all the good memories he’d forged during the past month shattered like cheap glass, the hidden truth about this place slamming into him like a meteor.

Unaware of his thoughts, Rhaziel continued, however, his smile only deepening.

“All of you should have hopefully strengthened your bodies and tempered your mana channels by now. Mana Flow can be separated into two components: Internal Flow and External Flow. Your tutor will showcase both of them, and it’ll be up to each of you to learn what you can from this demonstration.”

But Percy wasn’t paying the god any attention, his incredulous gaze still glued onto the newcomers. The three men were of the same species, though they weren’t Felmarans. All of them were at Green, but the two standing on the side looked older than the one in the middle. They wore fine clothes too, only a touch cheaper than the Felmarans in the crowd. And they appeared healthy.

As for the last one… he wasn’t in good condition. He stood barefoot, wearing nothing but ragged trousers. His skin was covered in bruises and cuts from head to toe. And there was something else. It was difficult to make out beneath the dried blood, but his body was decorated in all sorts of tribal tattoos that Percy found extremely familiar.

He sported two pairs of arms, yet one of his hands had been severed at the wrist, the other three: as well as his feet: bound in shackles. They were linked to chains that his two escorts gleefully held, as was the collar around his neck. Instead of a mouth, he had a long, curved beak. It was cracked in a couple of spots, a chip missing from one side. His left eye was gone too, a long vertical wound marring his face.

As for his remaining eye, it was listless, devoid of hope…

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