First to arrive

“Greetings, Mister Newman. My brothers told me that you have been exceeding expectations all day. I hope the trend continues in my class. I am Professor Sai. Please, take a seat.”

John sat. The classroom he was in was much smaller than the first two. It also had actual tables and chairs in rows, unlike the semicircle of cushions in his other classes. John guessed that instead of the 50, there would be maximum 30 students. As he took a seat towards the rear of the class, a group of four girls walked in and greeted the professor. They sat in the first row. As the last girl sat, Professor Sai closed the door and begin speaking.

“Good afternoon class, today we will be covering the complexities that are involved in the creation of protective auras. It is not a dangerous practice, and mastery of it can render many situations harmless. The most common procedure for procuring a protective aura is to will your spirit into this plane.

“Your spirit is always within you in this plane, but when in spirit barriers it flares out into an aura to protect you from the high levels of spirit energy usually found within them. Not many humans can actually see auras, even in spirit barriers, but they are there. Of those who can see auras, even fewer can feel the spirit energy within.

“It is this spirit energy that you must feel within yourselves before you may will it into this plane. When called into this plane, your auras will not have the high levels of spirit energy to fend off, and will instead protect you from physical attacks. They way your auras protect you will differ from person to person, as each individual’s aura is like a finger print in its uniqueness.

“That being said, there are three archetypes for protective auras: The Attacking, the Blessing, and the Blocking. The Attacking protective aura attacks enemies who draw near enough to harm you. The range of such effects will depend on how much spirit energy you manage to channel into an aura. The Blessing protective aura blesses you with an attribute that increases your chances of avoiding harm in a pressing situation. The strength of the blessed attribute depends on your spirit energy. The Blocking protective aura blocks attacks from enemies or other physical assaults that may harm you. The effectiveness of the blocks depend on your spirit energy.

“Any questions?”

The girl sitting farthest to the left raised her hand.

“Yes?”

“How do we know what kind of protective aura we have?”

“The only way to be sure of your protective aura is to see it for yourself. This is too dangerous to test in a real life threatening situation, so we will be doing so in class today. Although, I believe Mister Newman already knows what kind of protective aura he has. Am I correct, Mister Newman?”

John nodded from the back row. All the girls looked back at him, apparently noticing him for the first time.

“And what kind would that be?”

“Attacking.”

“If what my brother told me is true, you are correct. Why don’t you demonstrate for the class?”

John didn’t stand.

I can’t…

“Why not, Mister Newman?”

John raised his eyebrows.

How many mind readers are there at this school?

“Four. My three brothers and I. Please answer my question, Mister Newman.”

My aura only manifests as an Attacking protective aura when I am angry.

“That is nonsense. You aren’t concentrating hard enough. Come to the front of class and try harder.”

John’s eyebrows furrowed. The professor’s logic didn’t make sense. But John wasn’t one to turn down a challenge. He walked up to the front and closed his eyes. He dug deep inside himself and felt his “Spirit.” He knew it as mana, but spirit was pretty easily interpreted that way. The energy burned inside of him, but it zapped as well. Not only that, but it pushed and pulled. These sensations weren’t new to him, they represented the elemental powers that intermingled in his aura. There was a new feeling though, one that wasn’t there this morning. It was grounded, an immovable object of unquestionable strength. That must have been the earth that he acquired earlier. He was mentally grasping at all the different attributes, but as soon as he caught one he couldn’t keep hold of it long enough to grab another. Frustrated, he just grabbed a zapping sensation and pulled it up to the surface. There were feminine gasps of wonder and an aged ‘hmm.’

He opened his eyes and looked down at himself, he was covered in webs of red lightning. They sparked and shot all across his body, never standing still or going in the same directional pattern. He raised his head and looked to Professor Sai,

“You were right! This is really cool, not what I was expecting, but still really cool.”

“This is most unexpected. Never in my years have I seen someone who could manipulate their aura in more than one protective form. And the fact that you have both an Attacking and a Blessing. Most intriguing.”

“Wait, how do you know that this is a Blessing protective aura?”

“You are speaking and reacting at a speed that took me years to master. More than twice what is normally seen.”

John cocked his head in confusion, then looked at his classmates. Their faces were slowly transitioning from awe to confusion. It was comical, really.

“Should I stop?”

“I see no more reason to continue.”

John dismissed his spell. The sparks disappeared.

Ding!

“That was good Mister Newman. Would you care to explain how you managed to manifest your aura after thinking you couldn’t?”

“I reached inside, to my… Spirit. And then I felt around for a bit until I felt a… Tendril, I guess would be the best word for it, of… energy. Then I grabbed it and pulled it up to the surface.”

“That was a hesitant explanation, Mister Newman. Are you sure of your wording?”

John nodded. The Professor looked at him with… What was that? Suspicion? Amusement? This was really frustrating him.

“You may take your seat. The rest of you, try Mister Newman’s method and see if it works for you. It is an unusual one, I have never heard of it, but it may work for you. Magic is very subjective, and works in mysterious ways. There is always more than one method.”

John sat in his chair and checked his notifications. There were a few piled up from his hectic morning.

New Summon: Elora, Pixie General

Achievement Unlocked! Welcome to the Jungle: Complete the Tutorial

+New Skill: Developer Message Level 1

Achievement Unlocked! Bring you to your sha na na na na knees: Activate the coma less than a day after completing the tutorial

+1 Intellect, you seriously need more than this but… you probably aren’t reading this are you?

Achievement Unlocked! I wanna watch you bleed: Activate all three stamina conditions in one coma event

+Guardian Angel

New Skill Unlocked: Sparkbody level 1

Sparkbody level 1: Your mana becomes a web of red lightning covering your body, speeding your perceptions and reactions.

+50% time slow

-1 mana every 5 min

*Incompatible with Rageflame

John shook his head.

Damn Deve-

“Mister Newman, please refrain from such language.”

John raised his eyebrows.

“Even in my thoughts?”

“It is from the thoughts of mind that spring the words of mouth.”

John thought he saw him hide a smile. The bell rang and John was teleported to a different classroom.