Chapter 22: Part I – Kanade and the Enigma of Spirit Contracts

  The cssroom looked more like an arcane boratory than a lecture hall. Vials with small blue fmes floated, books written in forgotten tongues spun around themselves, and in the center stood Kanade, wearing a slightly shimmering robe and a pointed hat (more for style than practicality), writing in the air with floating runes.

  "Today we’ll talk about spirit contracts. No, they’re not magical pets. They’re pacts with entities that can think and might refuse to help you if you treat them badly," she said, as a translucent samander-like creature floated beside her.

  A student raised her hand."What happens if a spirit gets mad at you?"

  "Well..." Kanade smiled calmly. "It might abandon you… or curse your family for fifteen generations."

  The students’ faces went pale.

  "Rex! Mine have only cursed me three times. And one was because I got their name wrong," she added, as if it were a funny anecdote.

  Then, with a gesture, she summoned a wheel of symbols.

  "Now. We’re going to perform a basic contract. Each of you will choose a spirit according to your magical affinity."

  The students grouped themselves by element, and one by one, small floating lights approached those they felt drawn to.

  In a corner, Shadow watched in silence. He didn’t teach, but when one student failed to summon a spirit, he simply appeared behind him and whispered something.

  The student tried again… and this time, a shadow spirit emerged.

  Shadow vanished again.

  Kanade smiled.

  "Sometimes, to summon the invisible, you just need someone who lives in the shadows."

  Part II – Estede and the Paths of the Soul

  In the east wing of the building, a cssroom open to the gardens was filled with the scent of flowers and damp earth. Estede walked between the desks with the serenity of one who knows the rhythm of the world. Her spear rested against a nearby tree, but her eyes shone with a light that inspired respect.

  "Today we’ll talk about spiritual connection with the environment," she said, as several minor spirits surrounded her without fear. "To understand spirit magic, you must understand that the world also breathes."

  The students listened with devotion. Every word of hers seemed to calm the soul.

  "The roads that cross Melrose aren’t made only of stone. They’re made of intention. Every step taken by someone with hope strengthens the path. That’s why, when Elena asked us for help with the roads, we knew it was more than logistics. It was spiritual."

  A soft breeze caressed the cssroom.

  "Now, close your eyes. Call upon the spirit of the pce. Not for it to come. But so it knows you exist."

  One by one, the students began to feel the presence of ethereal beings: trees, flowers, even the wind. One cried upon sensing his te grandmother among the roots of an oak.

  Estede knelt beside him.

  "The strongest magic is the one that connects. Never forget that."

  Part III – Haruka: The Witch of Benevolence and Unbreakable Barriers

  The defensive magic practice room was magically reinforced, and even so, Haruka had added five more yers to the walls. Not out of excess… but caution.

  "Some people think barriers are just shields," said Haruka, as a baby dragon settled beside her like a cat. "But a good barrier can be a refuge… or a prison."

  With a gesture, a golden bubble enveloped all the students. Inside, sound faded. The temperature became perfect. Fears disappeared.

  "This is an emotional barrier. It protects the soul before the body."

  A student raised her hand, tears in her eyes.

  "Do you always look so calm because… you live inside one?"

  Haruka barely smiled.

  "No. I’m calm because I trained myself to always have my barriers active. That way, I can protect without thinking… even from myself."

  Then she pulled out a staff with amethyst inys, and the css began to conjure shields. Some shattered on the first try, others vibrated, unstable. But everyone understood: protecting wasn’t just resisting. It was understanding.

  And meanwhile, the baby dragon slept… because in Haruka’s aura, everything felt safe.

  Part IV – Final Css: “Optional Logic,” by Maple

  The st css of the day had no cssroom. No desks. Just a bckboard hanging from a tree… and Maple sitting atop the tree, eating a donut.

  "Hi everyone! Welcome to ‘Optional Logic’ or as I call it: ‘Why Not?!’"

  The students were confused.

  "First lesson," said Maple, jumping from the branch without taking any damage. "If everyone thinks you can’t do something, try anyway."

  "What if it’s physically impossible?" a girl asked.

  Maple waved her hand and walked through the air as if climbing invisible stairs.

  "Physically… what?"

  Everyone stared, mouths agape.

  "Second lesson: ‘Common sense’ is just a popur opinion. I decided not to have it."

  With an innocent smile, she pulled a giant cannon from her inventory, fired a mana-filled cake into the sky, and it exploded like fireworks forming the word “MAPLE.”

  "Magic css: If you think about it hard enough, it might work. And if it doesn’t… sometimes the system gets confused and gives you the win."

  A boy raised his hand.

  "Have you ever broken the game’s logic?"

  Maple raised a finger.

  "Once? No. I broke it…" she pulled out a list as long as a roll of toilet paper, "…this many times."

  At that moment, Kanade appeared with a tired smile.

  "Don’t listen to everything she says… just 70%. The other 30%… is pure ‘Mapleology.’"

  Estede joined, smiling."But admit it, learning with her is unforgettable."

  And Haruka, with a soft expression, simply nodded.

  "Sometimes, the heart needs to believe that the impossible… is just an opinion."

  And thus the day ended at Maple’s Kingdom Academy. With a lesson no one expected… but that no one would ever forget.