Ethan awoke the next morning feeling refreshed. Despite having spent a day in a comatose state, he was still tired after having dinner with Barry and returning to the storehouse where they were staying. He had discovered something interesting. He took a deep breath of the fresh, floral air and was instantly reminded of the gardens outside that same church. While he was out, volunteer students had come to help clean the place, even offering some disused bed rolls for the two men to use until they found better accommodations.

  Before even heading out to breakfast, all Ethan could do was think about how the economy of the point system worked. He couldn't explain it to himself, but he had expected the competition for those top spots to be ruthless. Yet, since the Academy awarded points based not only on combat prowess but also on how much they helped others within the house, he supposed it made sense. In Gale House, using magic to help your fellow students gave you a better grade. That’s what it all boiled down to.

  Ethan had already dressed in a fresh pair of robes and did his best to shine his shoes. The gleaming brass badge hung from his chest, and he felt ready enough to face the day. Barry spoke, breaking him from his self-appreciation.

  “According to this sheet, this class starts early. Our professor is called Professor Marsh, and the class is called Array Foundations 1.”

  “I’m ready,” Ethan said, pressing his hand to his chest. Somewhere below, he could feel the pen waiting to be summoned. It had been easy enough to place it back in his soul yet he was still unsure how to use it. “Do you feel your system coming out, yet?”

  “Nah. What did it feel like for you?”

  “Like I was going to pass out. Then I did.”

  Since Barry was the one who already had experience finding his way to a class, Ethan let him lead. It was a strange sight to see class buildings mingling within normal neighborhoods. After getting breakfast, the pair followed the street signs, stopping once to ask for directions, which an elderly elven woman was happy to give. The class itself was held in a building fairly close to the coastline, nestled against the wall that segmented the inner part of House Gale and the outer part. A sign hung on the outside of the stone and timber building. It read “Bantari Building 1.”

  Ethan was happy that this was a fantasy world set in something analogous to the vague medieval era, but it wasn't so fantasy that they didn't have clocks. Most businesses had one hanging outside on an ornate lamp post or something similar, as this class started at 8:30 in the morning. The pair was about five minutes early. Upon entering the squat building, Ethan found it to be rather plain. There were rows of chairs and desks facing a raised platform at the front. It was unassuming.

  Despite its humble appearance, the classroom was already packed with a range of different people. They varied in age from their late teens to early 40s, from what he could tell. Some of the other races were difficult to judge age by, so he could only guess. It was the lizard people who were especially hard to tell. Despite considering himself a good student, Ethan found a chair in the back row with Barry. The muscular guy might not have admitted it, but he seemed nervous.

  The class filled over the next five minutes, most students seeming to be quite punctual. By the time it was completely full, there were at least 60 people there, all of whom stole side-long glances at the new additions. It wasn't until five minutes after class started that the teacher appeared. The squat lizard person was only notable as their teacher by their declaration.

  "Ah, there you are!" they shouted, pointing a dramatic finger at both Ethan and Barry. Their skin was a dull brown color that seemed slick. Like most people in Gale House, they wore an intricate robe… but no shoes. "I received a notice. You were joining our class late. A bit of a special situation, huh?"

  “Yeah, that's right, sir.” Ethan stammered, unsure how to respond to the casual tone of the professor. He couldn’t even tell if the lizard person was male or female. Did it matter for them, or what?

  “Excellent. We'll do things slightly differently, just for you two. I have been informed of your specific difficult circumstances, but it will not impede this class. We're quick with the information and big on self-study and outside practice.”

  With that, the professor moved to the front of the room, climbing onto the stage like a goblin and dusting himself off. Since the teacher did not oppose the "Sir" honorific, Ethan decided it was fine to refer to them that way. Professor Marsh began his speech by talking about last week’s assignment. Apparently, the students had to use a simple cleaning spell to accomplish a task. They went around the room, describing what they had done and how it had improved from their first casting. This was a class of repetition, apparently.

  “And that’s how this class works!” The professor beamed at the class. Barely 15 minutes had passed since the class started. The students were quite efficient with their recounting of the spell and its effects. Professor Marsh withdrew a short piece of wood from his robes and began drawing in the air. It left behind a blue trail. "Now, this is this week's spell. It is a very simple barrier spell with a very specific problem. Does anybody know what the issue with this spell is?"

  The human near the front of the class raised their hand and was called on a moment later. "The spell stinks.”

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  "That's exactly right. This spell is almost useless. It's a rank one barrier spell that can't block rank one spells. Anyway, all I want you to do, everybody except our two new guests, is to get with the other students and try to make it not break." Professor Marsh smiled, swiveling his head to pass over everyone in the room.

  Ethan didn't know a thing about the structure of the spell the professor had drawn. It was a series of concentric circles with three symbols drawn at the points of a triangle, but he still raised his hand because he had seen this before back on Earth.

  "Yes? Sorry, I don't know your name yet." Professor Marsh placed his hands on his hips.

  "But this is an impossible task, isn't it?" Ethan asked. "If the spell works as you described, then what is the purpose of trying the impossible?"

  "Great question." Professor Marsh moved to the platform’s edge, gesturing dramatically to a few students. "Remember, as this is a Foundations class, there are no bad questions. We're not taking anything for granted here. We're drilling down on it when needed. Now, can anyone answer our guest's question?"

  Just about every hand in the classroom shot up, but the professor only called on the person to Ethan's right. It was a younger elven woman with short blonde hair. She smiled brightly. "There's no one answer. A spell array with three sigils for us at rank one is about as high as we can go. Practicing the spell over and over will help us speed up our array-forming process, along with improving our mana control, our focus, and so on."

  "So the spell is just a vehicle for practice?" Ethan asked, nodding. "The students will end up smashing each other's barriers hundreds of times. Does that have anything to do with it? Does something special happen if a spell is broken off?"

  "It shatters our concentration." Another student Ethan didn’t recognize was quick to pipe up without prompting. "If you put yourself through something like that over and over, your concentration will improve."

  Ethan rubbed his chin. So this was like focusing really hard on keeping something in mind. Breaking concentration meant forgetting that thing. “Could the students add more distractions to improve their concentration?”

  "Absolutely." Professor Marsh’s hands shot into the air with excitement. "You're already getting into the spirit of the class, Mister… what was your name?"

  "Ethan Walsh," he said, looking around and seeing the excited faces of the students. It was an extreme contrast to the university's back on Earth. "I'm sorry if I'm being disruptive."

  “Nope! This is what makes Foundations classes worth taking. Now, with your assignment in hand, we’re going to spend the remainder of the class doing something special. This is optional, by the way.”

  There was a brief shuffling of seats. About half the class left through the exit. It wasn't that they disrespected the professor's time, but they clearly had other things to do. Once the room had settled down, the professor once again commanded their attention.

  "Both of our guests are in a unique situation," the professor said, beaming from up on the stage. "It hasn't happened in quite some time, and I can't remember which academy last had one of their kind. But they have new, or otherwise undiscovered, systems that haven't quite unfurled yet."

  Ethan's hand shot up, and he was called upon, although he planned to give no details about his class yet. He was happy to share that it had indeed come into its own. "My class came in yesterday.”

  Professor Marsh clapped his hands in excitement. "Perfect. Do you know if it's a mage-compatible class? If it is, you'll be able to participate in this next part."

  "I'm not entirely sure. I'm waiting for the headmaster to give me some more information."

  "That's fine, that's fine. You’re a special boy. Now, to everybody: to demonstrate to our new students how to form these spells, I want the best among you to try to do it without calling upon your spell book. Is there anyone here who can do it?"

  Although only a few hands shot up, the professor only nodded with approval.

  “Perfect. You two, I want you to observe and do your best to sense what they're doing. I don't care if you have or haven't developed your mana sense yet. Look at them and try to feel what's going on. Do you understand?”

  Both Barry and Ethan voiced their agreement. They were already getting into the swing of things, accepting that magic was magic, and they just had to try their best.

  As a singular unit, the students began moving the chairs and tables outside the room. Barry stood up, flexing and carrying several tables over his head at the same time. Ethan wasn't quite sure how he managed it, but it earned a few amused claps of excitement from the professor. Perhaps word had spread of the shirtless aspirant who had joined Gale House, but nobody really looked at him too oddly anymore. Once each of the desks and chairs were moved outside the room, the spellcasting began.

  Two students began the task, moving their hands through the air in intricate motions that eventually resulted in a blue sheet of faintly glowing energy appearing before them. They were praised by the professor, but Ethan could feel absolutely nothing. Three more students did the same. Then there was the blonde elven girl. When she began casting her spell, he could feel it. Something within his chest twitched as she called upon the power without moving her hands at all. The barrier simply appeared before her without a single motion.

  “There we are,” the professor said. “As always, Miss Hearthbrook, coming to shame us all. Excellent work.”

  The more Ethan watched her maintain the barrier, the more he felt the twinge in his chest. But his concentration was broken momentarily when Barry elbowed him. "I think I'm sensing something. It's very faint though."

  “She's the only one doing it in a way that I can truly detect.” Ethan tipped his head toward the elf. Everything else just felt too distant. “I can feel it in my chest as though my soul is responding to her spell.”

  A few more minutes of awkward watching passed, and Ethan realized something. It wasn't just that his soul was twitching to reach out to that spell. It was something greater. He placed his hands on his chest and felt around, sensing the spot where his pen wanted to come out, pinching his fingers. He withdrew it, gaining a surprised look from the elf named Miss Hearthbrook.

  Ethan twirled the pen between his fingers. “So much for hiding my class powers.”