As Dzer went through all the other classes while keeping a diligent facade and sometimes talking with the people behind him or with his friend next to him, time passed slowly. That was until the most important lesson of the day -- magic.

Now, while everyone in the Academy was able to cast magic from a young age because of their talent, the raw power of it couldn't be enough. The most powerful mages had studied -- that was something everyone knew -- at the top talent works hard, because if you slack off and don't manage to find efficient ways to cast magic, you're going to lose in fights even if you're stronger than your opponent.

Dzer Aerbach was never ailed as a very skillful mage, but he wasn't bad either. One could say he was in the top 1% of the most talented mages thanks to his genes and the lessons he received prior to entering the Academy, yet that wasn't much of an impressive fit for the royal family. After all just two generations prior Senar Aerbach, the father of the Crown Prince, was ailed as the most powerful mage in the world at the time after just a few lessons at the Academy.

It was clear that talent ran through the blood of the Aerbach family quite easily.

Lyra understood that too -- she was not as talented as him when it came to magic. While someone may believe that is unfair due to the enormous difference in effort that Lyra put over Dzer to improve her casting, it's just the way the world works; to be honest, Lyra was one of the most spectacular members of the Sandcastle family by a long shot already. 

Due to her special existance, they managed to transform a house in decadence to one that has ties with the royal family.

Which meant that Lyra herself could not fail at all in magic, hence the effort. 

As a slender figure entered the class, only a few students could manage to keep their excitement in check.

That figure had long, gray hair, small eyes, was older than anyone in the Academy, even teachers, and was known to be the greatest magic theorist of the time.

"My name is Henene Arnai. I'm the grandfather of that boy right here--" he said, then pointed to the blushing Herien, "and I'll be teaching you all magic, how it's properly used. As everyone who has done this class for the past sixty years knows, on even days we'll be doing magic theory and on uneven days magic practice. Remember, because I won't be lenient." Those were the first words he said with an excited tone, ready to teach a new class.

"Let's start with a few important things you need to know. There's going to be a tournament in two months of magic dueling. You shouldn't care about it -- the winner is always from the fifth year, so it should be better to participate in it only after you've passed the other years. Anyway, I've been the person doing the public training for that tournament ever since I was employed here, so you can join the extra-curricular classes in a month or so if you like."

Everyone in the class nodded their head as Henene arrived to a full stop.

"Now, I'm sure you're already full of questions, so let me ask you one: what is magic, in particular?"

As expected, everyone in the class immediately put their hand up in the air.

"You." He asked to a random person at the back of the class.

"It's when a human uses the magic-amplifying entricular veins to concentrate mana in their body and externate through a process of ramificati--"

"Give me an example beyond magic." Henene immediately cut him off, but the kid that had learnt that definition by memory could not answer him. To that, he triumphantly smiled like a child and immediately jumped all the way to the black board in front of the teacher's desk.

"Alright. Let's think of a lake. The water is mana," he said, drawing it on the blackboard.

"Then, this circle, which is mana, is taken by our body through the magic-amplifying veins. If we were to explain this easier, it'd be like a ramification of a river that starts from that same like. Have you ever heard of an estuary mouth?" He asked, then received a nod from the entire class. To no one's surprise.

"Well then. It's like that. The mouth develops into the sea, in this case that's just the outside world. We take mana from outside, work it inside and expel it as magic, if that's clear to you."

"Which one of you is Dzer Aerbach?" He asked the class, receiving a hand up in the air only from one person, the blonde-haired kid. Like any other professor in the school, his job was way too difficult for him to take time off and attend royal events, which meant that he had no idea about how the Crown Prince was like.

"Come here." He asked, to which Dzer nodded and immediately shot up with elegance, walking to the blackboard.

"Can you make this black board white for just a second?" He asked.

Dzer nodded and, just as if the past had been a lie, the black board turned to a white board without much trouble.

"This brings us to our main point. How did the veins know they had to produce that kind of magic?"

Dzer answered without a hitch: "Because our mind told them so?"

"Precisely. This means that the veins are linked to our brain -- it's important to have clear thoughts in your head when you cast, there's no space for irrationality. Ironically, this is what makes human mages able to threaten beasts well above their height, size and much more. Our mind works better and knows what we have to cast for the fight to be even. Theirs can't." Happily explained Henene, using the easiest words he could think of.

"But that can also be a limit." The Crown Prince added after having thought for a while.

"Indeed it can be. Our minds aren't perfect at all. Good job, Aerbach. You were definitely worthy of being ranked first."

To that, the class looked amazed. Their eyes were wide open like their mouths -- did he really not know Dzer Aerbach did not rank first in the test? That was the question that went through everyone's head.

"Well, really..." The most courageous student trailed off, being met with a curious gaze from the professor.

"His Majesty the Crown Prince was ranked third..." Those were the words he muttered.

"Oh." Just said Henene. This wasn't grounds for anything serious, just a problem being led by distraction that he easily shook off while smiling, then said: "Then this class must be stacked."

Of course, that wasn't the same thought Dzer Aerbach had -- he was again swimming in rage as he felt envy.

"Who were the people who were ranked first and second?"

And at that point Gabriel Neferles and Lyra Sandcastle put their hands up in the air and both said their names, along with their rankings.

"From appearance alone, I'd have never guessed." He said amazed. "Not that you're ugly, I just mean that usually the first ranks are on the front of the class. Like the Crown Prince." Explained the professor, making Lyra inevitably facepalm in her mind. Gabriel had chosen the spot for himself while there were many not taken, so he didn't really care.

"Your success is to be expected. You're truly a shining star." Henene said to the young noble girl, meaning it. He had heard the rumors -- he knew the extent of her greatness. Then, he was full of doubt while analyzing the first ranked student.

"And you? Neferles... you're a commoner, aren't you?" He asked.

"Yes, I am." Courteously responded Gabriel.

"Well then. Analyze." He simply muttered, then casted a spell to see their qualities. He was moreso interested in them because he already believed Dzer to be really talented and expected these two to be even more.

"You're both once in a lifetime mages, like him. Still, he has bigger veins than you two and should be the greatest out of all of you three." Explained the professor while looking at them, talking about Dzer. "If you managed to rank higher than him, you should be proud. Especially you, Gabriel Neferles. Trust me, you're going to bring your family to something higher than commoners. Remember to study properly."

"The lesson is finished. Head to the dormitories, higher-class students will show you the way. You'll all have a private room with your name on it, you got the keys today in the morning." Henene explained, then started taking his leave with more than twenty minutes still left on the lesson.

There was no way that one could leave from the Academy, after all. It lied on the peak of a high mountain, with much of the communication to the outside being blocked by its height. There was only one main road that led to this place but it was generally far from any civilization.

At the peak of this not-too-tall mountain poetically lied an enormous castle, the main Academy, with libraries, classes and much more inside it. There were only two more buildings, one that was dramatically smaller than the other two that served as a gym, and one that served as a dormitory. 

When the Academy was initially founded, you could choose to stay or head back home, but staying had become compulsory after a few generations when the professors and the Headmaster soon realized that nobody had interest in taking that road everyday, just for how bad it was -- a road that only went up or down with frequent holes in it, the perfect recipe for nausea.

-=-

"I can't believe they had the guts to watch me like that!" Angrily explained Dzer Aerbach to his friends, who just couldn't understand the rage he felt at that time.

"Like what?" Senselessly touched Herien, who only had business defending his family member.

"Like I was inferior to them! All their gazes were on me, it was terrifying! I hated every single second!" Screamed Dzer. He was in his dormitory room, which of course was not bigger than the others, talking about how everyone dared disrespect him.

Herien was the only one who had enough courage to answer.

"I get it, but it's not their fault, Prince." He said.

"Then whose fault is it?!" 

"Those who had higher marks than you, I'd say." Herien finished, dealing the last blow to Dzer's sanity.

"You're right, actually. Maybe I treated Lyra far too well. For that other scum, life's gonna show that he can't compare with me. A commoner, pfft." Just said Dzer, to which Herien hurriedly nodded, hoping that'd close the conversation.

And while they were talking on and on, someone was hearing everything from outside.