"Okay, okay. Some of you stop crying now. It's just a prank."

The voice suddenly changed into something they were familiar with as well. Some of them got the idea of what was happening, including Eigh. To which she just snorted and didn't bother saying anything, just minding herself on the side.

The teacher's body slowly changed, especially her face, to the exact normal look of herself, including her distinct blonde hair as well.

"Wooaaaahhh!" Some of them who were clueless over what happened were shocked by what just happened. Ford was one of them that took a lot of time to realize. "Oh.. ohhh. she can do that as well."

But to some, they were quite disappointed in her prank. Some even expressed their disappointment using the words, "I hate you!"

"Whaaat. You guys want to get rid of me already? Don't you enjoy having me as your instructor?"

The class looked at her with pity and fed-up faces. They do like this teacher of theirs; that's a fact, but their former teacher has an irreplaceable place in their hearts.

"Alright, alright, it's a bad prank on my side. Sorry about that, but let me tell you something.

I could only do that if I've met the person around less than a day; after that, I'll have to see the subject again, which means? "

She looked at the kids to see if they got what she said, but she didn't take much time before telling them what was up.

"I visited your beloved teacher yesterday, and she asked me a favor to send a message to all of you, her students."

Her body shifted back to how it was earlier—a pretty average-looking woman.

"Everyone, I've missed you all for the past few months. I miss all your noises and naughty antics in our class. It's saddening that I had to leave the tribe and give birth in my husband's family in State of Wagner. I'm sorry that I couldn't see you all do your first step in your journey, but I believe that everyone of you are special. Don't be afraid, you lots. It's alright if you won't get the result you are looking for. Failure won't define you. Go write your stories and etch it on history for the next generation to know your might. Be proud of being Tawt. Be proud."

The teacher shifted back to her original look. She could see everyone fired up by the message from their previous teacher. There was a slight envy in her heart; she also dreamt of having kids that would look up to her as well. But this was just her side job. And if she wanted to transition to this mentoring thing, she had to survive in her current job first before she could start her new journey.

They wiped their tears; Eigh and Ford didn't cry, but the words of etching their name in history struck their hearts. They long for such a title even if they both have different goals, their hands clutched as a sign of courage to defy the odds.

"Thank you," one of the group members said. It was followed by another kid who expressed her gratitude. The kid who was given a needle by the Hystio suddenly hugged the teacher's waist and said, "Thank you, teacher."

The teacher was shocked by the new treatment she was receiving. Then, when the other kids saw this act, they also followed. Including Eigh and Ford, they said thank you in unison.

The envy that the teacher felt earlier was melted by the warm gesture she received. Her tenure as their teacher will be short, but forever, the kids will be part of her good memory.

She patted everyone's back and said,

"Alright, everyone. You are just hours away from your first step. I commend all of you for taking the challenge of this coming of age rite. As I can see, no one decided to be left behind; in courage alone, I can see a group of celestials now."

Her words made everyone slightly shy about the praise she was giving them. It also gave them another surge of confidence in themselves. The fear of not harvesting any results faded from their minds. Like their teacher had said, failure won't defy them. And this event is just one of the countless opportunities they could encounter.

"We are only waiting for the tribe leader to come here to lead our expedition. Later on, once he has come, he will make a signal. Once that happens, you have to put your lamps on the ice sheets, and then the tribe leader will be asking the lake guide for help.

This guide will lighten up the ice sheets as a sign that they're strong enough to stand or walk on. If a place on the ice sheet isn't glowing, it means it's brittle. Being brittle means that as soon as it feels a force upon it, it will crack and the ice around it will collapse.

It will be dangerous to anyone as the water below us, even if it's our source of drinkable water, is so cold that upon contact, your body will freeze rapidly and die in seconds. So, everyone, keep this in mind. Got it? "

"Yes." The kids felt fear of the ice sheet, but they trusted the process and had a guide, so the fear was taken over by excitement instead.

The other group of kids was also briefed by their instructors; some were still ongoing, but some were already finished way before they were even done.

One of the instructors from another group went to theirs, or more specifically, to their teacher.

"Hey, I saw your skills earlier; I'd like to introduce myself again. I'm Wilson."

"Umbra, call me Umbra, my fellow colleague. Taw't Umbra." Their teacher cut the visitors words, to which his face twitched from annoyance, but it disappeared before anyone else noticed.

The teacher used the name Umbra to refer to her based on the culture of courtesy. It's a must for a person to call someone they are not close to in a form derived from one's title. Titles were not made by oneself, but they're made by the people. Most of the names were based on their names with their weapon or element as a suffix, but when people named somebody with your place of origin, that meant that for them, the person reached the pinnacle of the said person's origin ladder rank. There are only a couple of people in the population of the tribe with such a title.

"I'm sorry about that, Umbra," the other teacher replied.

"What can I do for Celestial Wilson? Heh."

Taw't Umbra smirked as she called the man Celestial Wilson. This only meant that her colleague hadn't received his title yet. Being called celestial is only for those who can conjure their own constellation but are not powerful enough to be praised by the public.

"I only came to make a bet, just you and me, playing fair, you know?" Wilson crossed his arms and smiled charmingly. Umbra didn't know what to say or react to what he just did. For her, he's not charming at all. She has very high self-esteem and a high standard for a man; not even the current tribe leader was on her shortlist of men.

She gave it a thought and said, "Okay, what do you have for me? What are we betting on?"

"It's nothing really hard; it's just that the class that has the highest count of success will win. Easy, right? This will help the students get fired up as well. You know very well that competition can lead to the birth of geniuses and talents."

Umbra knew what he was talking about, because even she is a byproduct of competition as well. The hunger for winning led her to her current standing in society, which led to a name that made a lot of people nervous.

She looked at her students. She can see fire in their eyes, burning. She also looked at the group of students under Wilson, and they were acting as if they were already the winners in this wager. This only fueled their desire to win. Her group of students looked at her in unison, giving her the sign to accept the wager.

"Alright, then. What am I going to get if we win?"

"Anything you like," he said confidently. He felt like his scheme was already a success. "But if I win, you owe me a dinner the next day after all of this is done."

Everyone around who heard his demand felt disgusted by what he just said. Some of his own students gave him a side-eye look; if they only said what's on their minds, you will hear the words'shameless' from their mouths.

The receiver tried her best not to puke on the spot and only smile at him while her cheeks twitched uncontrollably. But suddenly, she thought it'd be a dinner date with someone she didn't like. She's done it a lot already, so it's not new to her anymore. At the same time, she got an idea of what her wager would be: her right hand formed into a fist, ice coated her first, and protruding needles formed on it.

"Sure, but if I win, I'll get to punch you squarely in the face, deal?"