“... you flush mana into this symbol and then point it towards them, got it?” I explain the workings of the tool to Adele.

  “I-I don’t think this is a good idea. This is beyond mean, you know? And what if they attack me?” She hands me back my gadget.

  Don’t chicken out now, you big chicken!

  I didn’t work tirelessly for hours only for you to decide it's no longer a brilliant idea. I sacrificed so much to make… okay, I enjoyed it. Still, you asked for help, and you are getting it, no refunds.

  “Everything will be fine, Adele. This is necessary.” I lie through my teeth. I’m no longer doing this for her but to see my creation in action, for science. “Your Class is all about singing, right?” I ask, and she hesitantly nods. “What can it do with your voice?”

  “Oh,uhm… you see, when I sing, people become all happy and relaxed, and I can project my voice…” Adele starts to gush about her passion as if all her worries a moment ago were just illusions.

  But thankfully, the information I was looking for appears.

  “That!” I interrupt. “Can you increase the volume and restrict how far it reaches?”

  “Of course?” She tilts her head. “Those are the basics.”

  Brilliant. I don’t really know how the body works, nevertheless, it’s capable of sensing sounds so there’s an organ to overload there. Let’s burst those ears.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be nearby.” I reassure her with a smile. “And if they try to do anything scary, just scream as loud as you can, okay? Just try limiting the range, we don’t want the entire Academy to hear… Uhm, you know, crowds.”

  Man, I’m starting to doubt my own plan a little.

  ***

  We move on with our days. I sit through another boring math lecture while Adele does stuff in the Art Department, waiting for me to wrap things up and arrive at the meeting spot. Saying that I flee from the tiny devil of a woman torturing us with numbers would be an understatement. I’m pretty sure I am the first to bolt out of the lecture hall and sprint towards my feathery friend.

  Friend? No, not yet. That word has a little more value in my book, that has to be earned.

  With that said the professor didn’t lie about learning equations on how to calculate mana expenditure, the cost-to-weight ratio of Hadron crystal, and the adjusted value of mana. Yes, points of mana...

  For a Mage to figure out the most optimal man expenditure would take almost as long as forming the spell itself and as I already know; time is of the essence on the field of battle. It’s not bad knowledge, I just don’t know how to utilize it.

  I arrive in the park just between the dorms and the rainbow building of creativity before any of the actors and set up an observation post in one of the bushes. Adele is supposed to walk past here a little bit into lunchtime to make sure the place is as deserted as possible so the swarm of scum is guaranteed to follow.

  Or at least that’s how I imagined it.

  A few random students pass by, but none of them notice me, going about their day, completely oblivious and innocent. Unguarded and unprepared for possible assailants, killable in seconds.

  Wicked but lifesaving thoughts.

  Finally, a familiar face appears… Valka.

  She’s carrying a box yet again, and I can already feel my appetite wane as she walks past me, humming a merry tune. Of course, there’s no way I won’t jump at the opportunity to mess with her.

  I lightly launch a pebble at her back with plenty of power. It naturally bounces off as ifI just launched a booger but it gets her attention. She spins around as her fighting instincts kick in, hugging the box to her chest and looking for her attacker.

  I send the next one to fly around through the bushes along the trail and hit her butt again from the back. She surveys the park intently, growling threateningly, and guarding her box like a dragon her hoard.

  “Okay, Eli, knock it off!” She looks towards the bush I’m hiding in with a flat look.

  “How?” I poke my head out from my hiding spot.

  “I can recognize your smell anywhere.” She answers and walks over to me.

  How rude. I don’t even smell.

  “What are you doing in the bushes?”

  “C’mon, hide, you’ll see.” I wave her over, and she reluctantly joins me.

  Now two of us lying in ambush.

  “It’s lunchtime, you know.” She points out the obvious, and instead of answering, I flash a fiendish grin.

  It only takes like five minutes for Adele to arrive hurriedly with the three pre- no, delinquents in her wake. As expected. She holds my little surprise close to her chest, and walks past us with a panicked face, looking for me probably.

  “What’s the hurry? We just want to talk about the pillows you promised.”

  “Yeah, those feathers are so soft.”

  Are they into her or something or just trying really hard to be as creepy as possible? Like, I know it’s mean but they’re about that age Mom warned me about…

  I almost lose my cool and start handing them their asses when they corner and pin her to a tree. They laugh like some degenerates, hyenas playing with their food…

  Shaking like a leaf, the poor girl closes her eyes and points the container towards the delinquents. “Back away, please!” She threatens pathetically, only to elicit another round of roaring laughter.

  C’mon, do it! Don’t think just do as I told you!

  Pushed into a corner, Adele has no other choice. Even without Mana Perception, I can sense energy being pumped into my vile little contraptions.

  Just a second later the greenish-blue liquid is ejected from the canister, bursting forth with a loud pop, coating everything in its path. The substance gets to work right away, eating away at the white shirt, blue vests, and even the pants…

  Noble dignity and decorum aren’t spared either, melting away along the clothes amidst very unmanly noises.

  Luxury clothes especially such as our uniforms are made with a great deal of mana. But when that mana gets stripped by let’s say a light acid with minimal void properties…

  “You’re evil.” Valka whispers by my side as we watch the young men get undressed without their consent. “Should we cover our eyes?”

  “Nah, there’s probably not much to see.” I glower at the success. “But be ready, they might do something stupid.” I warn her and keep an eye out in case they attack our deathly pale songbird.

  Indeed, the reaction following embarrassment is anger, aimed toward the only person in sight and the one holding the outrageous weapon. The faces morph into an indignant rage, showing no hint of remorse or maturity.

  The boys act like victims instead and pounce on poor Adele.

  The girl's eyes well up, and her mouth opens wide.

  “Shit!” I mutter and do my best to cancel out any sound around me and, more importantly, around Valka.

  It's not only her nose that‘s like a dog's but her ears as well.

  Not a second later an ear-piercing shriek shatters the serene afternoon of the Academy bashing powerfully the barrier of silence I pulled up. Stripping and area of air was troublesome but this… Trying to stop all around is a real challenge.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  The sound is abruptly cut off a second later, just when my head is starting to get dizzy. The four figures around the tree, both half-naked and clothed, victim and wrongdoer fall to the ground.

  “Shit, Val,” I call out to my friend only to see her grimacing face with hands pressed to her ears. A tactical flick and probably some healing of her own returns her to normal and I issue orders. “Grab and scoot!”

  I take the box of what I suspect to be my lunch before taking off without explaining anything else. Thankfully, we’ve been through enough problematic situations together, so Val doesn’t question my decision and follows orders.

  For now that is, it’s gonna come back later. She will probably chew my ears off after this but it was worth it.

  Imagine if I could make that gadget more compact, have a stronger kick, and deliver something far deadlier… I gotta get back to the workshop. A successful test demands further exploration of the idea. Not to mention the test subjects are expendable and numerous…

  What a great place this dumb Academy is.

  We make a wide circle, rushing through the park, bushes, trees, and all, instead of taking the direct route leading straight to the dorms. I highly doubt Adele remembered to restrict her voice.

  We settle outside instead of rushing straight into the building with an unconscious girl in our arms. Only now do we properly check on our brave hero of the day who stood up for herself.

  It all played out a little faster than I expected.

  “Will she be okay?” Valka pokes the feathers around her neck. I can’t fault her, they really are insanely soft.

  “Probably.” I shrug. “I think the situation was a little too much for her peaceful heart and she just passed out. It was her own magic after all.” I sit down and catch my breath before the giggles take over.

  This was fun, a lot of it.

  “How can you laugh? She’s in so much trouble.” Valka chides me, still trying her best to wake up Adele.

  “Oh really?” I grin wickedly. “Do you think the three noble boys would admit to them getting humiliated by a nonhuman of low birth, three versus one? Who’s a noncombatant at that.” I add the last part to emphasize how ridiculous this story sounds.

  “So your point is that bullying nobles is fine because their pride won't allow them to go whistleblowing?” Valka grasps my idea splendidly.

  As expected of my right-hand woman.

  Retaliation is not unimaginable so either one of us will stick around Adele from now on but I think the message got through. I don’t care about changing the Academy, or want to cure what is rotten… I just want my peace, which includes my roommates’ peace, and the rest is none of my business.

  After the explanation, I turn to the ancient technique I developed to wake up Val when she sleeps like a rock.

  Insanely cold hands.

  “EEEEEEH!” Adele jumps up, and I clamp my frosty fingers on her mouth before she can scream again.

  “You did great.” I giggle again as her eyes land on me angrily.

  This is a good day.

  ***

  A little explaining was necessary for Adele to calm her nerves. That, along with the reassurance of Val accompanying her whenever she goes to do some singing. The rest of the afternoon was spent doing stuff alone-together, meaning we read books sitting on the couch or did our own stuff while randomly asking for the other’s insignificant opinions in our own field of expertise.

  It was quite pleasant.

  Sadly our day wasn’t over quite over or free yet. The absolute monster who put our class schedules together decided to add a bonus lecture toward the end of the day. One at a late hour at the other end of the main building…

  We’re climbing the seemingly endless flights of stairs toward the top of the gigantic building that is the Academy to get to our classroom. The moons have already taken their place high up in the sky and Sereban beneath us is lit bright, mirroring the stars above.

  The entrance to the lecture room paints the same scenery as the dreaded main gate whenever we try to enter Granhall. An endless flood of bodies trying to squeeze inside through the small door. The glaring difference is the lack of orderly queueing, so we just force ourselves forward using Val as a living wedge.

  Stepping inside, a glorious sight welcomes us, something that’ll likely burn into my memory for decades to come.

  Glass. The Entire hall is built out of glass, or at least the walls and ceiling, to be precise. Rows upon rows of seats are arranged in a semicircle around a grandiose podium under the clear night sky, where the light of the moons seems to gather as if waiting for the professor to arrive.

  “Whoa!” I gape before getting swept away by the human tide.

  We move quickly the secure our seats in the fifth row, just close enough to not miss anything at the cost of chit-chatting while far enough so our eyes rarely meet the professor’s. Shortly after everyone found their seats the door behind the podium swings open and a wizened old elf shuffles through.

  “Welcome younglings, I’m Sival Hamilton and I’ll be the professor for your Lessons of History class. What better source than someone who was there when many of the fabled events occurred, right?” The voice of the geezer rings quiet yet I can hear him clearly, magic for sure.

  I’ve seen plenty of elves throughout my life, however, all of them look no older than sixty by human standards. This man sharing his knowledge, this only grandpa might as well pass for a hundred and twenty or even older.

  “As children, surely your parents must’ve surely warned you on occasions to be good kids, or else you’ll end up in ‘Hell’.” The professor paces up and down, pretending to taste his own words. “Hell? The home of demons, a barren and hostile place beyond imagination, filled with horrors and death. Something often confused with the Silent Realm of Malor.” He stops and looks over our bored faces. “Fairy tales all of them, right? Has anyone seen it? Where is the evidence?” He spreads his arms wide as if expecting us to actually answer.

  As a matter of fact, a few hands do actually shoot up but get ignored like a knight without a dragon to slay. The audience isn’t supposed to disturb the show. Although the professor should definitely try his luck as a storyteller after retirement, or in his case, a third retirement. He has a knack for it.

  “You can only confirm what you see, yes? So look up.” He smiles and points towards the sky.

  Through the clear glass dome of a ceiling, we can see the map of stars like any other night. It’s exactly the same as when I still lived at home and looked at the fat moons while lying in the garden. Am I missing something?

  “I can see the confusion in your eyes. ‘What is this old fool jabbering about?’” He chuckles. “The fact of the matter is… it has always been there, you saw it every night, just didn’t know what you were looking at.” His eyes gleam with mischief despite this likely telling the same story with the same showmanship for maybe the hundredth time. “Hell… otherwise known as our moon, Ebon.”

  He drops the news and my eyes widen, looking at the dark brown moon.

  The lecture hall breaks out into furious chatter and sounds of disbelief but the old man cares little. “The Gods created puppets of their own. First, were the demons, driven by their desires to bring change and confusion, before the angels were made as a response. A cure to the poison. Since divine intervention is costly due to Aelion’s reluctance, they use these proxies created to be more…” He munches on thin air, looking for the proper word. “compatible with our world. Still possessing a hint of the divine, yet entirely physical and within mortal bounds.”

  How have I never heard of this? This is mental.

  “Aelion still rejects them, albeit less vigorously, which is why demons use contracts to walk among us. The contract is meant to bind not only the demon's actions but also its soul to the summoner. Similar to an anchor.” The ancient elf describes what is basically demon-summoning.

  Is it really fine to just talk about straight-up demon-summoning so freely? To me, it sounds like a topic inquisitors or other holy orders would love to keep a secret, even if it means taking heads.

  As if reading my mind, the professor raises a hand. “I’m talking about sanctioned summoners, of course. It’s no coincidence the identity of Hell is a soft secret. Oftentimes, there’s only a step or two between legends and reality… the truth where you’d never expect to discover it. Anyone who digs deep enough may uncover it, but it’s best kept away from the desperate and uneducated. ” Ah, there it is, pride mixed with scorn. “Demons are more than mere tools. A simple wording mistake when forming a contract can lead to outstanding disasters. That’s exactly why the angels exist, the residents of Lunova, sister of Ebon, to clean up after such incidents and guide us foolish mortals. They don’t respond to anyone and borrow power from their respective Gods and followers to descend and do their duty.” He nods slowly and stares into nothingness.

  “But, professor, there are three moons.” A hand shoots up, and a girl shouts from one of the front rows.

  Ah, a soon-to-be teacher's pet.

  “Precisely.” The man blinks, whatever memories are clouding his mind away. “The third, Arion, is not the result of godly machinations but is just as special as her two sisters. I mentioned a profession a few seconds ago, Summoner. Thousands of years before even my birth, the people wielding that Class were a terrible force to be reckoned with. Back then, another group of creatures more gentle and docile than demons were the ideal partners to form a contract. Spirits.” He says the world with a sigh. “They only asked for a supply of mana in exchange for lending us their power. Like a catalyst, you feed them your resources, and they turn them into unimaginable miracles and landscape-shaping spells.”

  Without a word, my eyes meet with Val’s sitting next to me. What we saw in that forest, down in the ruin,s was an extreme example of what the professor is talking about. Those magical creatures, spirits, hundreds if not tens of thousands of them… caught and exploited.

  And perhaps still trapped somewhere, away from their kin and the light of Solaire

  “We were too greedy.” The professor shakes his head with a sad smile. “We used, abused, and exploited poor creatures to no end. You see, they are nothing more than elements that came to life. Simple yet unique, with minimal intelligence… similar to a child. They are able to grow in their own unique ways and have feelings just like any of us. To their misfortune, that maturing process is quite a sluggish one. So over the centuries, they grew in power, intelligence… and resentment.”

  Goodness, and I thought conventional slavery was awful. It’s no surprise Tasmen is generally hated as the birthplace of slavery, but this is next-level.

  “For thousands of years, this went on until a young girl by the name of Pandora took pity on the docile spirits and revolted. She had rallied them and unified them to fight against their oppressors through a small, unexpected loophole. Back then, she could not have known her guardian spirit was the soon-to-be Spirit King, Daimon. With their weapons turned against them, the people all over Aelion were decimated, and casualties mounted horribly. The war was bloody and seemed endless, and thus the spirits created a new home for themselves to never be bothered again...”

  And making an entire moon for themselves was the best solution? That’s God-level stuff. A real shame an entire species this interesting is out of reach. Just because some people in the past had to act up…

  “After that came the Age of Regrowth, the great dragons…”

  Well, this might take a while.

  nothing I write feels right. Hell, sometimes I believe it's a waste of time since I'll only stare at the document and write and rewrite lines for maybe an hour. Sanderson said you write the best when you feel like writing the least... Well I think he's fucking wrong but I'll keep trying. I really wanted to finish this arc before summer, so I'll upload when I can and get my shit together asap...

  Cheers.

  And who knows, maybe there are things living on our moon as well...