She see it as a teachable moment

When Stephanie arrived, the twelve members of her class hopped off the stands to stand on the packed dirt. She didn't even look at the audience, instead walking down the line looking over her students. When she reached you she said. "Today we'll be imbuing."

The audience's aura collectively pulsed with excitement and you swallowed nervously. "Twelve in the middle, the rest the the outer line." She said and walked to stand in front of the audience.

You were glad you weren't first and walked to the line with the others. Twelve looked nervous as she grabbed a sword from the rack and returned to the middle of the field. She faced Stephanie but her eyes kept jumping to the audience as she readied her sword.

You watched as magic flowed down her arms and into her sword. Entwining the metal blade with her magic she maintained a perfect pattern. Then someone in the audience coughed and the pattern faltered, a tiny section at the tip left as plain metal.

Stephanie walked over and put her finger on the part that wasn't imbued. "Distraction will lead to ****." Magic flowed through her finger tip into the sword. Twelve's imbuing was shredded from Stephanie's fingertip down the blade. "You will never be in combat without an audience. Be it an opponent or an ally or a neutral party if you allow your focus to be weaken you will die and die easily." She reached down and took the sword from Twelve's grasp. "Eleven."

Twelve walked to the line as the audience had a burst of hushed conversation. Eleven took her place and the sword from Stephanie. She imbued without any interruption from the audience but you saw the gaps she had left. Without knowing anything about imbuing that could be on purpose. Stephanie looked over the blade and nodded. "Ten." You guess that meant the gaps were down to technique rather than a failure.

Ten took her place and as she was halfway through imbuing someone in the audience sneezed. You moved your head faster than anyone else so you the wisp of magic returning to Stephanie. You looked back to to Ten and saw her imbuing fall apart. The surprise on her face was quickly replaced with embarrassment as she started again.

"There are no second chances in combat, you do it correctly the first time or you have failed." Stephanie said walking to take the sword from Ten. Ten looked dejected and started walking when Stephanie stopped her saying. "You're technique is excellent you need to work on speed."

Ten looked a bit happier as Nine replaced her. One after another the women imbued with varying levels of ease, the audience would make some noise every now and then but no one let it interrupt them. When Stephanie called up five you smiled at Vatarie as she took the field.

Unlike the others the audience didn't have a chance to interrupt her. Also unlike the others her method of imbuing was to wrap the blade in a magical shell, same as she did with her fist. Stephanie didn't make any point about it and Four replace Vatarie.

When Four was done you felt the audience buzz with excitement. Anastasia walked on the field and took the sword. Holding in one hand you saw her magic split into tendril at her forearm. Each tendril rushing forwards to pierce the blade at different points. When the magic passed through the metal it spider webbed out, coating the blade in a intricately fine latticework that shimmered in the light. She shifted the blade a little and a rainbow of colours shined from forth.

"Using a common action to disguise an attack is an extremely effective tactic, however I instruction you to Imbue nothing else." Stephanie said, catching you off guard. You looked at Anastasia and saw her free hand and the magic pooled in it.

"Neglecting an advantageous habit for the benefit of others is poor decision." Anastasia responded sounded like she was repeating something she had been told. You looked at Stephanie and saw a hint of a smile.

"Two." Stephanie said as the audience burst into applause. Most of ten other students also applauded and you joined. It was an extremely impressive display but without having any grasp on the concept you didn't know just how impressed you should be.

Asune took the sword from Anastasia with a bow. She took her spot and looked at you. You remembered watching her imbue during your impromptu sparing session. She smiled at you and then her sword was imbued. There was no flashy show of magic, no careful drawing of patterns. The sword was near instantly lit up, it's edge a solid line of magic as the core was woven and bound. She hadn't just imbued the sword, it was longer. Not by much but the tip of the sword was longer than it had been. You wondered what would have happened if she hadn't been trying to lose that sparring match because that is significantly more magic than she used against you.

The audience had still been clapping for Anastasia and it took a few claps before everyone registered what had happened. The dead silence lasted for long enough that you checked to make sure you hadn't activated your magic. It was broken by Anastasia clapping. You joined in and soon the audience did as well.

"One." Stephanie said and your clapping stopped.

"Uh oh." You mumbled walking up to Asune and taking the sword. She smiled at expectantly and walked to her place in the line. You looked at the sword and felt a faint tingle from the lingering magic after so many imbuings. 'Don't blow up, don't blow up, don't blow up, don't blow up ...' you mental repeated as you nervously held the sword.

You look up to ask Stephanie if you had to do this when heard a laugh from the audience. The wannabe bully was pointing at you and talking loud enough for you to hear. "Told you, his mum probably bribed Lady Stephanie."

Stephanie didn't react at all to the comment just stared at. The other eleven students didn't fail to react. You couldn't see them but you felt magic pooling among a few of them. There was no illusion in your mind that their response was related to Stephanie's impugned honour than yours.

You were looking at the sword. No the risk of it exploding was to great, turning a lesson on imbuing into the a lesson on the power of fragmentation was nothing something you wanted to be involved in. "I can't." You say loosing your grip on the blade. You refusal stopped the pooling of magic and made the audience quiet for a moment.

"Return to the line." Stephanie said without giving any indication how she felt about your refusal.

You poked the sword into the ground to leave it standing up and returned to the line. Standing in the number one spot felt a little weird after that, you objectively knew you were stronger than the other eleven but still. Stephanie walked into the ring and grabbed the sword.

"When you imbue you must remember three things." The bottom third of the sword was coated in a pattern less intricate than Anastasia and more intricate than Asune, but faster than both. "The first is that you should shouldn't need to think about it you should know how to imbue and what your imbued sword looks like." The middle third was wrapped in a shell like Vatarie's. "The second is that it is an indicator of talent, so you should decide how much you want to give away for show." She looked at Anastasia as she said that but it was clearly meant for everyone. The last third of the blade lit up in Asune's style, extending the tip further than the metal itself. "The third is that intimidation can be more fatal than any blow." The imbued sword began to glow brightly enough that you had to look away slightly. The light suddenly stopped and the imbument was gone. "Collect a sword. We will work on styling your imbuing. Four, Three, Two. You may leave if you want. One, you will not take a sword but you will watch."

As she finished speaking her students hopped to obey. You took a seat on the stands to watch as something itched your brain. Both Asune and Stephanie had extended the length of the blade with magic rather than metal. You'd always been told a pure magic sword won't work because it is too volatile. A single point of failure being your focus.

Anastasia walked over and said she would departing. You figured she would be going to spend time with Edin, she was still clearly annoyed at you. You were a little surprised to see Asune walk off without talking to you. Maybe your showing had dissuaded her pursuit of you. That you felt a mixture of relief and disappointment probably meant you needed some level of therapy but before you could delve into this Auria and Oriana sat down next to you.

"Did you know Asune could do that?" Auria asked sounding thrilled.

"Her Highness's required more skill and had more uses." Oriana countered leaving you wondering if this debate had been going for a while.

"Asune's is much more impactful when she swings at you." You say recalling the sparing match.

"Have you fought with her?" Auria asked excited.

"Kinda. She was holding back." You said not wanting to give all the details.

"Shh, they're starting." Oriana said as the eight remaining students took up places and started to repeatedly imbue their swords, Stephanie walked amongst them making comments to each about how to improve.

"Can you imbue?" You asked the sisters.

"Yeah 'course." Auria said watching with moderate interest, "Not like them though."

"Shhh." Oriana hissed at the two of you.

You kept watching people doing what you couldn't and started to get bored. Watching wasn't going to undo your inability or give you some epiphany on how to. If it could you would have had it long before this. And your thinking about a pure magic sword came down to the same problem, if it disappears the moment you lose focus it's pretty much worthless.

You looked to the crowd as frustrated boredom took hold and saw it had mostly emptied. You guess without Anastasia, and to a differing effect yourself there wasn't much worth watching.

The class went on until Stephanie called a halt. Vatarie quickly made her way to you and asked what you thought of her imbuing. You'd kept an eye on her, not just her ass, and told you the shell she was making was impressive. She had started to sink parts of it into the blade. You heard Stephanie tell her that the shell is strong but it a single point of failure. If the metal is strengthened along with the shell it will make it much harder to overcome.

As you spoke Stephanie walked over. "Christopher wait there." She walked away and spoke to some of the others. Vatarie and the sisters seemed to get the hint that Stephanie wanted to talk to you alone and departed after dragging confirmation you would be at the dinning hall for dinner out of you.

When the stands were empty Stephanie walked over to you. You figured this would either be a chewing out or a kicking out.

She held out a sword for you. "Imbue it."

"I –"

"Melt of exploded do it now." Stephanie interrupted.

You took a breath and the sword walking to the middle of the field. "If it –"

"I have a shield." Stephanie said. As you watched she wrapped a shield around her so think you were actually confident she was taking you seriously.

You squint and lean away from the sword as you push you magic into it. In an instant the blade goes from grey to white and liquefies falling to the ground in a puddle of molten metal. The sound of the dirt being burnt and melted under the heat of the metal punctuated your turn to Stephanie. "See."

She blinks a few times and drops the sword. "How did you do that? Talk me through what you did."

"Exactly what I was told. Feel the metal with my magic, find it's strengths and weakness then push my magic out of my body to fill in the weak points. I figure there is more too it than that. But I never got past that stage soooo," You look down at the hissing puddle of metal. "yeah. I can't imbue."

"And while you were being taught no one made any comment of how strong you are?" She asked walking over to grab a new sword.

"No, and trust me I've gone through a lot of sword more isn't –"

The sword is pushed into your hand. "You are more powerful than anyone alive, you were taught the same way as those weaker than you. Do not push your magic into the blade. Make the smallest silver of magic you can and only use that to fill in a single weak point."

You open your mouth to retort then close it. She might actually have a point. Looking down at the blade you wonder if that is really all there was too it? No surely someone would have said or done something, even if your father had insisted. You raise the sword again leaning away from it in case it blows up and check that Stephanie's shield it up.

Using the absolute smallest amount of magic you think would work you thread it through the sword. Which suddenly becomes lighter as just above the hilt the metal melts and blade falls to the ground.

You look at the dull red of the broken sword and a single thought enters your mind. "That fucker." The blade had still failed but the metal had boiled which meant Stephanie was right, you problem was that you had been taught as if you were average. Your father's insistence that you were average had limited you so much.

"It's an improvement." Stephanie said looking at the remaining swords. You take a step towards them infused with the spark of learning and discovery when she stops you. "Other people need those swords. I will arrange something for you."

You look at her and consider just take a sword anyway, not she can really stop you.

That thought hits you kinda hard. You'd maybe not consciously know it but felt yourself building to it. The self acknowledgement that maybe you could do whatever you wanted since no one could stop you, at least not easily.

'My dad had a point.' You think to yourself. If you had know from the start that you were above everyone would any of this have even happened? You would never have met Edin, if not Anastasia due to her being a Princess. Him having everyone treat you as average, while retrospectively aggravating, did mean you thought you were.

You were still pissed at him and if you didn't have the maturity of a past life to rely on you would probably be more than pissed. But you understood him and you missed him. It hadn't been a week and you missed him. Maybe you should go back home to talk to him. If nothing else it would give your both proverbial and literal wings stretch.