Brilliance and obliviousness

[A/N: Co-written with ScarletRabbit.]

"Welcome, everyone," Sienna's melodic voice echoed throughout the large class. The turquoise-colored ponytail swayed as her head moved. Brilliantly silver eyes scanned over the fifty heads sitting in the auditorium. They took up less than a third of the available seats, and they appeared to have formed small groups already. "If that's everyone, we may begin."

The atmosphere in the room became quieter. Barely a whisper or two could be heard as Sienna's nails tapped on the desk in front of her. Standing up from her position, she fixed her long, dark robe and took a few steps to the side. She took a deeper breath in.

"Firstly, I see that many of you did not come here last Monday, so I'll use a short moment to introduce myself again. I am Professor Sienna Riven," magic welled up around her as she pointed a hand to her side. A small sigil of magic formed on her palm and then dispersed, causing a piece of chalk to float up from its container nearby and begin scribbling on the blackboard behind the woman.

The room nearly immediately went completely silent, the majority of students awestruck at the showcase of what Sienna could do. Between them, only a few kept a neutral countenance. One of whom was Lucas.

But that was for a different reason.

'...sleep...' the thought permeated his mind. He was just barely able to support his head with his elbow. The violet eyes stared lazily at the cyan-haired woman who kept on speaking as the piece of chalk wrote away behind her.

=Professor Sienna Riven, 6th circle Mage=

=Magic Theory=

=Conditions of passing:...=

Lucas's eyes closed. Every second that passed appeared longer than the last one. The pulses of his veins sent extra pressure up his temples. The headache started becoming uncomfortably strong.

'I suppose that's what pulling an all-nighter does to you... status.'

[Lucas Stormrider (Age: 19)

Class: Hybrid Class (Dream Walker / ???)

Level: 2

HP: 488/488

MP: 1379/1379

WP: 424/424]

...

But he was completely fine. His current state had nothing to do with any lowered stats.

He sighed lightly, closing his eyes and dismissing the panel. Professor Riven's explanations entered his ears, but he couldn't understand the exact words. In all sincerity, he wished he could slump on the desk and sleep.

Opening his eyes, Lucas looked around a little. Some groups of students sat at different seats, most focused on the blackboard as the chalk was finishing up its travel and ventured back to its container. Or... perhaps on the woman in front of it. Seeing Sienna's body hugged by the robe, either was plausible.

Her shapely breasts bounced slightly in a delightful fashion with every step she took. This motion would be barely perceptible usually, but Lucas's eyes were exceptionally sharp. Likewise, the gentle, almost sensual sway of her hips also failed to be hidden from his gaze.

For some reason, he felt... invigorated, staring at her like that. For but a moment, he imagined Sienna sitting on the desk, revealing her robe a little and giving him a peek at her delightful globes. The sense of anticipation made his heart beat with more power momentarily.

A faint thought appeared in his mind. His class... he thought about what happened with Ina at night. The <Subliminal Guidance> had proven itself to be capable of altering her reactions. Perhaps, if he played his cards right, he could do something similar to Sienna...

'What am I thinking...' Lucas groaned to himself quietly, trying to wipe away the luscious image. Instead, he attempted to focus on the lecture as much as his state allowed him to.

"--most of you gathered here are Mages," Sienna said. The long ponytail swayed gently as her gaze swept over all the students. "Does anyone wish to tell me, what is the most important thing one needs to learn magic?"

Silence befell the classroom.

To one, this question might appear subjective, but everyone listening to it knew otherwise - there was an answer that was better than others. For a moment, Lucas could hear a couple of people behind him murmur something, but nothing concrete entered his ears.

'The answer might not seem obvious, but it's instinctual.' he conceded, deciding against speaking up. Doing his best to not yawn, the white-haired man supported his head better. 'It's--'

"Knowledge," came a sudden answer. Lucas's eyes snapped in the direction, scanning the face of the young man. The sleek body sat in his chair, supporting a black-haired head. His earthy green eyes looked at Professor Riven, his mouth closing.

"...Knowledge..." Sienna repeated the man's words. "Why would that be, mister...?"

"Prescan Glenn," the student introduced himself before standing up. "Knowledge is required to know the spells. To utilize the magic we want, we need to know and understand it," he spoke, his voice full of confidence.

Lucas sighed lightly with dismissal. 'It's not a completely wrong answer, but it's not the main prerequisite. It's wholly possible to use magic that one does not know.'

Deciding against shaking his head, he looked to Sienna.

She appeared to agree with his thoughts.

"Is that so?" she asked. "Then, please tell me, mister Glenn, what 1st-circle magic do you know?"

"<Magic Missile>, <Fireball>, <Gust>, and <Shock>," the man answered in an instant. He appeared prepared to answer questions about himself.

"I see. Then, do you know what ice is? How does it appear?"

"Ice is an effect of lowered internal energy. When water's temperature drops below zero degrees, it solidifies into ice."

Sienna's eyes glistened with wit. "Then, knowing what ice is and how it forms, can you use 1st-circle <Icicle>?"

"...no," came a hesitant reply.

Professor Riven remained silent for a short second. Finally, she said, "Knowledge is a great help, yes, but it's not a complete necessity in using magic. One cannot know everything, after all. Now, any other suggestions?"

"Power," a female student from the back stood up. Amber eyes combined with soft cheeks gave her a gentle appearance. "I'm Dahlia Lepperin. With enough power, a Mage can attain more powerful magic that will allow them to make up for their lacks."

"That is also not correct," Sienna answered shortly. Then, her eyes looked at other students expectantly. Once again, her gaze lingered on Lucas for a short moment.

Slowly, new answers came in.

"Effort."

"Hard work."

"Memory."

...

...

...

But none of them were correct.

Lucas almost huffed some air at his hair as he glanced toward Sienna. She sat down in her chair, listening to all the answers and dismissing them one after another.

Eventually, silence befell once more. The students appeared to begin small talk between themselves, attempting to brainstorm a new answer.

Lucas's violet eyes scanned the multitude of heads. Suddenly, he noticed a student who appeared uninterested in the discussions. She sat just a couple of seats right of him, one row above, all her attention focused on the book in her hand, even ignoring that he looked at her for some seconds.

Her lusciously dark hair was a shade or two brighter than Nimue's, but it complemented her dark eyes perfectly, tied in a pattern reaching just below her shoulders. The small nose and close-sticking ears gave her an appearance that struck Lucas's memory... somewhere. He felt as though he had seen this woman before but couldn't recall the exact time or location. 'Must've been a long time ago.' he mused.

Turning back to the other students, he let out an inward sigh. Professor Riven was still awaiting an answer. Her silver eyes scanned over the class, a bit of curiosity stirring within. Meeting his gaze, she formed a questioning expression for but a blink, as though she was asking him 'Why aren't you speaking up?'. Then, her attention turned to the large group to Lucas's left.

"Well? Does anyone have another answer?"

What answered her was silence.

'Their reasoning so far isn't all wrong. The problem they face is that they understand the 'result', but not the 'concept' of magic.' Lucas sighed inwardly, seeing that nobody had anything to say. 'How ironic, that the only Classless person in the room would know the answer. I guess it's time to speak up.' he huffed at his hair.

Lucas's mouth parted, "The most important aspect in learning magic is--"

"Insight," he spoke in unison with the dark-haired woman he looked at before. Her voice appeared infinitely stronger than his own, echoing in the auditorium and dragging everyone's attention to herself.

Sienna's eyes shone with brilliance. Her mouth showed a gentle smile that confirmed it to everyone.

"Very well," she spoke, her eyes bouncing between the two. "That is the answer I was looking for. You both score a point. Now, do either of you wish to score a second one by giving me an explanation? Miss...?"

"Ester Breshnaw," the woman in question stood up, fixing her black hair. "I have nothing to add, Professor."

'...what?'

Did he hear that wrong?

"Very well, miss Breshnaw, that's a point for you. You may sit down," Sienna said slowly, dipping a feather in ink and scribbling a small mark on a sheet of paper by her binder.

'That's Ester?!' Lucas's head exploded with a couple of images. This woman... Illan's sister. At the very mention of the name, he reminded himself of the old times. Back when having a class wasn't everything he yearned for. The times when the Breshnaw family was as friendly to him as it was to Ophelia. When Illan looked like someone Lucas could aspire to be one day...

He huffed inwardly. Since the time Lucas's father passed, he had not seen Ester. He could not even recall Illan speaking of her...

Now, tracing what memories he had of the woman, the white-haired man quickly noticed a dissimilarity. 'Last time I saw her, I'm pretty sure her hair color matched Illan's... did she dye it like Aveline?' he pondered momentarily.

"Now, what about you, mister...?" Sienna asked, just like she had asked every other student before.

Lucas refocused on the cyan-haired woman. He needed not a second to recollect his thoughts. At the end of the day, he had been preparing himself to answer since the initial question was posed.

"Lucas... Stormrider," he replied, shaking all tiredness off and ascending to a standing position. "I suppose we all know what one plus one equals," he started, relaxing his stance ever so slightly. He brushed his hair gently. "But do we have an explanation as to why that is?"

"An explanation?" he heard someone ask quietly. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Could you elaborate?" the Professor inquired.

"An explanation to the phenomenon defining the value '2'.That is the 'knowledge' we have, proven through academic research and the effort of scholars. But even without that process, we all know the answer. It's fundamental to us because we know it as a law of the world. One plus one will always equal two. That's an unchangeable fact. We can accept its concept because we feel it."

Silence answered him as he took a deeper breath in, preparing more words to speak.

In the meantime, Sienna felt... astonishment at his words. 'I... didn't expect him to reach as far.' Sienna thought with surprise. She already knew Lucas's knowledge extended beyond the curriculum this subject was a part of, but... 'Isn't this too much? We'll be having a high-level discussion at this rate...'

Yet, she didn't want to stop him.

She felt enthralled by Lucas's exposition.

"Magic works on the same principle," the white-haired man spoke again. "It has always existed in the world as a law that governs our lives. Through insight, we can also accept and feel it even without a proper understanding of its mechanics. Insight requires no power of the user, is faster than hard work, and more accurate than effort or memory," he said before slowly sitting down.

He felt nearly fifty pairs of eyes staring at him. Most of those were filled with bewilderment.

Lucas, in the meantime, stared at Professor Riven. His violet eyes were full of somnolence, but he still could notice the sharp glint of amazement in her silver orbs. Her lips, done with a bit of bright red pigment, formed a smile.

"...that is... an excellent answer. This begs to be called 'two points' in your favor," Sienna scribbled on the paper.

The young Stormrider felt his body slump ever so slightly. He exhaled quickly, his eyes glancing to the side. He had most of the eyes in the room on himself still.

'<Keen Senses>.' he commanded his spirit.

As his senses expanded, he focused on the quiet voices intermingling in discussions.

"That guy's a Stormrider?"

"I thought there were only two women heirs?"

"He must've been attending some private school."

"Perhaps he came to our Academy after studying in Pizman. I heard the academic level in the capital is very high."

"Do you think he'll talk to us? I heard Stormriders were uptight."

Lucas let out a small sigh as his hands interlaced.

'The blissful ignorance, my dear shield. If they knew of my state, they'd do their best to ignore me.' he stared at his fingers, thinking. 'Maybe... I could upkeep this appearance for now. Until I figure out how to use Dream Walker properly, at least.'

...

Suddenly, some peculiar words entered his ears.

"I think I saw a woman with hair similar to his yesterday at the marketplace. Do you think she could be related?"

'...what?' he frowned. 'Did Ophelia leave the manor? What for? Don't we have guests currently?'

"Really? White hair doesn't mean she was a Stormrider, now does it?" another student sounded quietly. "Can you describe her a little?"

Lucas listened in on the conversation. A few points about the woman's looks entered his ears. However, the overall shuffling of paper around and the quiet scratching of feathers against those sheets made most of the message too scrambled for him to make much out of it. His hearing had its limits. In the first place, what he was picking up were mere whispers. He could do this solely due to possessing <Keen Senses>, and the skill itself had limitations.

He glanced at the people who spoke. It appeared to be that man who introduced himself as Prescan, speaking with a brown-haired woman whose golden eyes glimmered like coins. Their gazes met for a split second, and Lucas noticed the people's stares turning sheepish.

'...the distance isn't that great... at most eight to nine meters... wait?' he summoned the information panel of his initial class skill. 'I could... couldn't I?' a ponder entered his mind. 'Nobody would be able to see my astral form anyway. As interesting as the subject is, I know it won't be anything I haven't learned already. It's all basics, for now.'

Therefore, he quickly adjusted his position, canceled <Keen Senses>, and used <Astral Projection>.

Knowing what to expect, he instantly flew up above everyone. Stretching out his hand, he could almost touch the ceiling before some invisible **** restrained him from moving further. A smile graced his face as another thing became apparent.

'I feel neither fatigue nor headache anymore...' he turned around, chuckling lightly. Looking at the multitude of heads below, he scanned them all. Lucas mused, lowering his flight to be just above his desk. Looking at his body, he noticed his eyes had automatically closed, but his position was firm.

Sienna's voice entered his ears. Hearing it, Lucas could not dismiss a strange sense of... a barrier of sorts standing between them. Her speech appeared ever so slightly muffled, exactly how it'd sound if he had a thin layer of water over his ears. Should Lucas focus, her words would be discernable. However, he opted against that. That's not why he used the skill.

He quickly flew toward the duo that spoke of Ismeria. Lucas floated in front of the two, crossing his hands over his chest as he listened in.

"Where did you notice her?" the female student asked.

"In the marketplace last evening. I think she was going to the southern parts of the city. But there was something about her that stood out."

"Something?"

"You know that Mages can feel each other's mana faintly when they focus, right?"

"Not quite," the woman shook her head gently. "I'm an Artificer. Mana sensing is for items for me."

"Well, Mages can do that with people, but it requires some focus. And that woman was kind of strong."

'What...?' Lucas frowned. 'A powerful Mage, strutting through Weydan, in the direction of Ureliar district no less?'

"Are you sure?"

"Maybe it was just me. I'm only 2nd circle, even a 4th circle Mage is like a mountain to me."

Lucas stopped listening to the conversation, deciding that he had heard enough. Making some space from the two, he put a hand on his chin and thought about what he gathered. Recalling what points he heard about the mysterious person's appearance, he could faintly picture the voluptuous woman with silver hair and a purple robe. Undoubtedly, such a person would stand out easily in a crowd.

'...the only people I can think of are either Ophelia or Mother... or someone completely different. It's not impossible.' he frowned deeply. 'I don't think that person is Ophelia. She likes purple, but I cannot envision her stepping between the masses so casually. She'd have taken a carriage no doubt.'

His expression, however, only sunk further after some seconds.

'But Mother also doesn't fit the profile. I may not see her daily, but a visit to southern Weydan is not something I'd expect of her. That's Ureliar district. I've been near it a few times, and it's not a supremely pristine space. Mother always loathed uncleaniness... not to mention that we have guests right now.'

The voice in the back of his mind whispered in his ear. It told him that with his class, perhaps a search for information was possible... should he find out who to ask.

Lucas dismissed the thought, turning around.

For some long seconds, he looked at Sienna. Focusing his hearing, he discerned the topic of her speech to still dabble on the topic of 'Insight', this time referring to its importance as a stat. Nothing he hadn't already read of.

Shuffling in the air freely, Lucas floated toward Ester. The young woman was engrossed in her lecture, her nigh-black eyes running over the lines of text quickly. The black hair that flowed onto her shoulders gave her a slightly ominous aura as she hardly moved bar the motions required for turning the pages.

Then, her eyes snapped in a direction. A muscle or two appeared to tense up, and the so-far neutral stare seemed to warm up ever so slightly. The corner of her mouth moved upward.

Following her gaze, Lucas stared at his own body. Glancing back at Ester, he noticed that she was once again focused on her lecture, her expression turning neutral.

'I wonder if she took after Illan in personality...' Lucas mused momentarily, but inwardly, he hoped for the opposite. He approached the woman. Was it not for him being in his astral form, she would notice his hand almost touching her body.

A spark of an idea appeared in Lucas's mind. Reaching out, he immediately noticed that his fingers had sunk into Ester's shoulder, but he felt nothing. She also didn't react to his act, proving she was unaware of his presence.

'It's just like in that dream, huh.' Lucas sighed before retreating and floating upward a little. He laughed silently. 'The name of the class checks out, I guess.'

He let out a sigh before floating as far forward as he could. From about ten meters in front of himself, he looked at every last student in the classroom.

'Other than Ester, I can't recognize a single one of them...' he mused after some long seconds. He also noticed that a few heads nearly constantly glanced at his body, seemingly still taken aback by his identity. He could not help but wonder how much trouble they'd give him once they found out about his official status.

The faint voice in his mind snickered at his pointless ponder.

-Sometime later-

Sienna eventually glanced at the clock on the wall. Gauging that the time they had left was coming to a close, she dismissed the class.

"Please remember," she said. "Power is important, but so is knowledge and insight every Mage possesses. Every little detail that makes each of us up is a building block that should not be abandoned in the process of growing stronger. Now, I believe the time of this lecture is up," she nodded, her lips forming a smile.

The numerous students began getting up from their positions at the words. Those who brought bags filled them with their notes. Others, who appeared entirely unprepared to be scribbling any knowledge down, hastily exited the auditorium. One after another, they left.

Except for one.

Lucas's steps showed a bit of fatigue. The tiredness in his eyes was palpable, but he firmly stayed awake as he approached the desk. Then, he looked at Sienna, just a few steps away.

"Professor," he said. "I came to speak about that research group you mentioned."

"Splendid," her gentle smile widened as she took her binder from the desk. "How much time do you have on your hands?"

"About half an hour."

"That will be plenty. Now, come with me, please."

-Meanwhile-

Nimue fixed up her outfit. The cascading, black skirt reached just below her knees, fluttering as she took a step toward her dresser. She smoothed out the white shirt, running a hand along the buttons holding it together. The tent created by her bust was difficult to rid of, so she resorted to only repeating this activity once.

The black-haired maid looked at the mirror atop the dresser. Confirming that her skin looked pristine, she quickly reached for a brush and did her hair hastily. Today, she decided to go with a singular ponytail.

She struck a pose. Although her mirror was small, it did capture the voluptuous nature of her body, which her outfit failed to conceal completely.

A tiny smirk entered Nimue's mouth. She wished for Lucas to look at her and take all her womanliness in.

But her expression stiffened up slowly. She knew the man she longed for was at the Academy. It was a reality she had to come to terms with since the beginning of this month. She was going to see him far less now. Her heart stung momentarily.

Nimue let out a small sigh. Raising her hand lightly, she inspected all the crevices and nooks of her skin. It was hard to believe that this was the body of a nearly sixty-year-old person. The springiness of her skin was not shy of a teen human, and the alluring shape of her body was a trait many in their twenties would envy and desire. Indeed, elves had it better in that department.

Shifting her fingers a little, Nimue felt some feeling well up in her heart. It was a sensation that pounded in rhythm with her heart, sending out faint waves of power through her veins. From her fingertips, she could notice faint blue glimmers begin to appear before transitioning themselves into threads of mana.

She frowned. Her previous actions had their repercussions.

Slowly, Nimue stepped nearer a drawer in the dresser. Opening it, she shuffled through some clothes before reaching a tiny box in the very corner of the space. A clatter of some vials entered her ears. Fiddling for a while with its lock, she finally opened the container and grabbed one.

Uncorking the container, she downed its contents in an instant. It left a slightly unpleasant, sour aftertaste in her mouth, but it was nothing she couldn't put up with.

Glancing at her hand again, she noticed the threads diminishing into nothingness. Within a dozen seconds, all signs of them were gone.

Nimue sighed.