Strange encounters with strange people aside, I spent my time before the beginning of the semester familiarizing myself with the Academy’s campus and surrounding geography. Now I knew the names of different buildings on campus, where to go to buy groceries and other common goods, and the fastest route to the river or to the nearest elevated point. I had also stocked my kitchen and figured out the best process for changing my appearance while entering and exiting the dormitory. Overall, I was pretty satisfied.

Then I went to my first day at school.

As someone who prided myself on my quick thinking and adaptability, I had been confident that I’d be able to muddle my way through somehow. I mean, I’d learned all my letters and numbers even after all the times I skipped out on Teacher’s classes, hadn’t I? I’d even picked up reading and journaling as a hobby. And when I put my mind to it, I’d learned how to hunt real fast.

But here I was, sitting at a desk, staring blankly at the whiteboard.

This was bad.

I barely understood a single word.

Hey, wasn’t this a fantasy world? Wasn’t I in Fantasm World Economics right now? So why was this teacher talking about statistical formulas?

Teacher’s specialty had been in history and sociology, okay? She wasn’t good at math. So obviously, I was even worse. Wasn’t it asking too much of me to keep track of what was happening on the board?

In a daze, the only thing I could do was copy down the formulas as precisely as possible and hope that I could decipher it later.

The other classes were a little better since they weren’t as technical, but the Governance class assumed that I had knowledge of accounting methods that I definitely didn’t, and the other classes also assumed a baseline of knowledge that I just didn’t have. Reading books and journals in Acacius’ study for a week could only get me so far. I guess it was my fault for focusing on learning Acacius’ magic after the moon path incident, but what else was I supposed to do with something that useful right there?

I struggled through the classes, taking notes and writing down the homework, before going back to my dorm in a haze.

This was super bad. I needed to make a plan of action or it really would be over for me.

I cooked myself a simple soup for dinner to calm myself down before heading back out on campus, using Chen Xiarui’s face. After all, it would be weird to ask what I wanted to know as Acacius.

The school library, in the center of campus, was open until 9 o’clock at night. I went up to the front desk, where a stout old woman with dark skin and a frizzy bun was reading a book. Her golden nametag, pinned on her floral dress, read in large letters, BAKHTA BURZINSKI.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” I began.

The librarian peered up at me from behind her horn-rimmed glasses. “Just Miss Bakhta will do.”

“Miss Bakhta. Could you help recommend me some books?”

“What are you looking for?”

“Do you have an introductory textbook to history and politics?” Seeing her about to respond, I hastily added, “For idiots.”

She paused.

“For idiots?”

“Yeah. For idiots who don’t know anything.”

Miss Bakhta raised her eyebrows.

“For introductory courses, you may do better by visiting the municipal library. However…” She tapped at her holographic computer, scanning a dense list of small black text on the screen. “There are some textbooks that may help you here.”

“Great. Is there anything like that for math too?”

“What field of math?”

“If I wanted to learn statistics but only knew basic algebra…”

“Well now. You certainly seem to be in a bind.” She dimmed her holographic screen and beckoned for me to follow her. “Come along, I’ll give you some recommendations.”

She took me around the library with a brusque and direct attitude, but she chose her recommendations with care, clearly outlining each book’s strengths and weaknesses before leaving it up to me what to choose.

I decided to start with an introductory political history textbook, an algebra book, and an introduction to statistics.

This brought me to my next problem, which was Miss Bakhta saying, “You can check these out with your student ID card.”

If I used Acacius’ ID, then that would really defeat the purpose of coming here as Chen Xiarui.

“I like the quietness of the library,” I said. “Can I study here until closing?”

“Certainly. There are private study rooms available for reservation in the back as well.”

Those would probably also need my student ID, though.

“Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it.”

“Work hard at your studies.”

It was nice of her to not look down on me for being a total beginner at all of this.

I chose a table near the back of the library, took out my notebooks, and organized what I’d learned that day.

First, home room. This was a short administrative period at the beginning of the day, half an hour long, where the teacher responsible for my class — Year 2, Class 1 — would make announcements, organize events, and check in on students personally. My home room teacher was a soft-spoken and mild-mannered man named Raoul Sattari. He had brown skin and dark hair, and he wore round, gold-rimmed glasses along with a neat three-piece suit. Although he seemed pretty ordinary to me, my classmates treated him with a lot of respect. He was also supposed to teach my Ritual Development and Formation class tomorrow.

Governance & Politics covered civil history, modern laws, and current events in order to prepare us as government officials. Aside from going over the syllabus, the teacher also gave us a short lecture on the format of ministry forums and debates, which we were apparently going to practice throughout the year. Since Iyiria’s constitutional monarchy had been lacking a head of state for over a century, these mediating processes were more important than ever.

So I really needed to catch up on history.

Next was Literature, Culture and Frame Management. So far, I’d learned that frames were metaphysical frameworks that allowed different systems of technology and magic to be used in Kosmonymia, even if they contradicted each other. These systems usually originated from Fantasm Worlds, whose artifacts could be brought into Kosmonymia to create and anchor a new frame for that system.

Our teacher mentioned Iyiria’s most ubiquitous frames today: the electromagnetic (EM) frame, allowing for the operation of electric machines; the solid light (SL) frame, for light-based technologies; the aura force (AF) frame, commonly used by fighters and martial artists; and the three most common phenomenological system frames, the 4-element (4E), 5-element (5E), and 6-element (6E) frames. These frames had been adopted and entrenched in Iyiria’s culture for long enough that people didn’t need to use a corresponding artifact to invoke them anymore.

This class covered the cultural practices needed to maintain these common-usage frames, such as designing school curriculums that introduced them to children early, or erecting shrines where a frame’s artifacts could be produced or exchanged. As these frames entered the “common sense” of the world, they became accessible for everyone to use.

As for the other classes I’d had today, they were theoretical and math-heavy enough that they were going straight over my head. I’d barely had any presence of mind to pay attention to the social dynamics in my classroom, or to delve into the question of why some people wore school uniforms and others didn’t.

And unless it became immediately relevant, I’d probably continue to ignore it. I was screwed, so I needed to work hard.

I studied until the library was closed before returning to my dorm room and crashing.

The next day, I once again struggled through class, diligently taking notes I didn’t understand, up until the end of my first B-day elective.

If I didn’t die by some other unfortunate means, wouldn’t all these theory-heavy classes kill me by the end of the year…?

I could only hope that the exercise in Practical Combat class would help me clear my head.

I headed to the sandy arena behind the school’s gymnasium, slipping through the inscribed brick walls to position myself at the stands, where other students were similarly loitering. I spotted Luka to the side, talking quietly with a friend, and retracted my gaze before he could notice my gaze. Although we were in the same home room, there was no reason to encourage us to interact. I’d caught him looking at my neck a few times and it did not feel good.

I chose a quiet place away from my classmates, sat back, and stretched lightly, taking in my surroundings. The air was refreshingly cool despite the sun shining brightly overhead, its rays refracting into a shining halo around it.

Wait. There hadn’t been any rain or mist recently, so why was there a halo forming like that?

It was just a passing thought, but for some reason, the back of my neck prickled. I got off the stands and stood next to them near the back, where I could duck under the seats if something happened.

Maybe it was just my usual paranoia acting up. But now that I was in this world, there was also the possibility that one of my titles was trying to warn me.

Title: [Inevitable Survivor of Disaster]

Symbol: Flames

Description: The results of one who has lived alongside danger and catastrophe all his life, yet escaped each time all the same, up until his chosen end. To brush by death so many times — is this unluckiness, or prescience?

Passive Effect: As long as the title bearer is determined to survive, close observations of their surroundings will increase the accuracy of their danger and survival instincts. However, they will become more easily entangled in dangerous situations as well.

It honestly annoyed me that I couldn’t tell if this was my title or Acacius’.

A moment later, water droplets in the air condensed from mist into thousands of tiny needles, hanging in the air like glistening jewels. I hastily moved under the seats and covered my head as they fell. The needles that fell through the gaps in the seat couldn’t quite pierce through Acacius’ coat, and only lightly pricked my skin before dripping away. I peeked out. I couldn’t spot our attacker, but the water moisture in the area was gathering, coalescing into serpentine forms that corralled the students into the center of the arena. Even as I watched, two serpents charged accurately for me too.

No way I was just letting these things push me out into the open. I summoned [Caller] through my World Proof as I reviewed what I knew.

Acacius was a practitioner of 6E magic, specializing in the plant and darkness elements. Despite his vestigial reflexes, I’d discovered that my own affinity for plant magic was mediocre at best; darkness, on the other hand, came quickly. I’d been able to reproduce his magic by studying his notes.

First, feel the ether in the body. Then circulate it through the magus circles in the heart. Then…

I spread my ether out into the surrounding shadows and let it flood the area, creating a dark mist as I ducked away.

This was one of the most basic spells a dark mage could learn, but it was really useful, both because it obscured visibility, and because apparently dispersing my ether would make it difficult to pinpoint my exact position through ether sensing as well.

Sure enough, the serpents’ attacks missed. They paused and circled about, as if looking for me.

I glanced out at my classmates, vision unobstructed by my own magic. They seemed to be holding off the attacks alright, so I was free to act independently. Using the darkness as cover, I leaped up the rows of seats and vaulted over the wall of the arena, rolled to soften my landing, and sprinted for the side of the gymnasium. There it was: the fire alarm.

Not the greatest deterrent, but in lieu of any real skill at magical combat, this was the best I felt I could do for everyone before I got the hell out of here.

But when I reached out to pull, a strong hand caught mine.

“No need to take this exercise that seriously,” a low woman’s voice said, amused.

How did she get so close without me sensing? I reversed my grip on [Caller] and swung the knife around, but she caught that arm, too.

Before I could make another move, a giant serpent made of water rose from the ground and grabbed me in its jaws, soaring into the air. My vision spun as it dragged me up. I stabbed it a few times with [Caller] to absolutely no avail, and then it took me for a spin high enough above the ground that I didn’t want to fall. I clung on weakly as the woman’s cackles rang in my ears.

Then, in a dizzying spiral dive, the serpent rushed back down to the arena and spat me out next to my now-subdued classmates.

“Well, well, well,” said the woman, descending slowly from above. “What a promising bunch we have this year.”

I pushed myself to a sitting position and took a good look at her for the first time.

My first impression of her was short and smartly dressed, with an embroidered coat and high-waisted pants that flared out to the ankles, showing off her fashionable boots. Her dark hair was tied back with a stylish head scarf that fell behind her large, intricate hanging earrings. Though age had begun to carve laughter lines into her bronze skin, it couldn’t dampen her physical vigor.

“The name is Dalileh Khan,” she said, smiling broadly. “Call me Master Dalileh. I’m a water mage of the 6E frame, and a veteran of the Rainy Wars. I’ll be your Practical Combat teacher starting from today.”

With a snap of her fingers, the water serpents circling around us dispersed in an elegant pattern of radial symmetry. That was crazy. What kind of control did it take to do that?

“It seems last year’s teacher laid a good foundation. Your reflexes and organizational skills under pressure aren’t bad. However, your observational skills and situational awareness could use more work.”

She pointed at a young man with short dark hair in a modest vest, loose dark trousers, and a patterned sash. “You, young Sattari.”

“Mehran Sattari, ma’am.”

“Good job coordinating everyone past the initial attack. You aren’t confident or assertive enough. Stop giving suggestions and start giving orders.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She nodded and pointed at a different student with short white hair, a blue double-breasted coat, a pale silver crest depicting a hawk. “You, Morgan boy.”

“It’s Xander Morgan.”

“You’ve got confidence, but you don’t coordinate well with others. Getting too far ahead of your allies will only expose your back.”

Xander clicked his tongue and turned his head away. Was that arrogance or embarrassment?

“And you, girl. What’s your name?”

A tall girl with gold bangles, long purple hair, and straight-cut bangs shading her eyes planted her golden scythe in the ground, bowing deeply. “Dagian Naveen, madam.”

“You’ve got the same issue as young Xander. Your light magic may be dangerous to your allies, but that means you should work on your control, not give up on fighting alongside others.”

Dalileh then beckoned to Luka and a freckled girl with wavy auburn hair and a sleepy expression on her face.

“You two. Introduce yourselves.”

“Luka.”

“Rhoswen.”

“Good. Your flexibility and reflexes are strong for your age. Your performance this time was borderline satisfactory. Keep a steady heart, don’t grow arrogant, and continue to hone your skills.”

And then Dalileh looked at me. For some reason, she smiled. My neck prickled.

“And as for you, young Duval.”

“Call me Acacius,” I said, when she paused long enough to make it clear she was waiting for my name.

“Acacius. You didn’t join your classmate’s fight and only used a single basic spell in an attempt to flee.”

The looks my classmates were pointing my way were really uncomfortable.

“You noticed something was amiss first, but you didn’t tell anyone before making your own move.”

Their gazes were getting more unfriendly. Hey, why was she putting me on tenterhooks here? Was she picking on me?

“What was going through your head at the time?”

How should I answer to satisfy her and get everyone’s attention off me at the same time?

“I wasn’t sure what was wrong at first,” I said after a moment. “Then, during your attack, everyone seemed to be holding out fine, so I decided to prioritize other things.”

“Which was?”

“Raising an alarm.”

I felt kind of stupid for doing that over nothing. If I’d known it was just an exercise, I would’ve just pretended to swing my knife a few times, but how was I supposed to know that our teacher would be a maniac enough to ambush everyone without even introducing herself first?

“Good,” said Dalileh. “And how did you notice something was wrong?”

The more she asked me questions, the less I wanted to answer them, but with everyone’s gazes on me, I reluctantly answered.

“I noticed a halo around the sun, but there hasn’t been any rain lately. And the sky was clear.”

“What’s the significance of that?”

“If there were clouds, then the halo might be due to incoming moisture from other weather patterns.”

“Very good.”

Dalileh looked at me in satisfaction before turning back to the rest of the crowd.

“Martial might is important, but it’s equally crucial to be able to apply it well. You have all done well in fighting, but Acacius seems to be the only one here who treated this as a true survival exercise.”

Could she stop making it sound like I was the best performer of them? Way to put a target on my back! That Xander guy was already glaring at me.

“Teacher,” he began.

“That’s Master Dalileh to you.”

“…Master Dalileh. With all due respect, this is Practical Combat, not survival. We’re here to learn to fight, not how to run away well.”

Dalileh burst into laughter.

“Is that what you think? Let me ask you: in the Morgan family’s northern expeditions, do your soldiers always directly charge to confront the enemy?”

“No, but—”

“But what? Flexibility and adaptability are the wings that will let your combat prowess soar. It is what lets a good fighter turn defeat into victory.”

Xander narrowed his eyes. “So, in your evaluation, Acacius is stronger than me?”

“In my evaluation,” Dalileh said, “if you fight, you won’t necessarily win. But that’s enough of that.”

She clapped her hands, summoning two wolves made of water.

“Everyone, five laps around the arena. If you can’t find the motivation to move fast, don’t worry. I’ll find it for you.”

The wolves growled and stalked forward.

“What are you waiting for? Start running!”

I looked at the wolves, shed my jacket, and took off. The rest of my class was quick to follow suit. After observing my fellow students, I carefully lowered my speed to be in the middle of the pack.

Acacius’ body wasn’t as in shape as I wished it was, and not at all comparable to my old one. This class would probably correct that, but… hopefully the process wouldn’t be too painful.

And hopefully I would be able to keep my head down and keep a low profile. I didn’t like how much of a spotlight Dalileh had put on me on my first day. After using me as an example once, it’d be nice if she could just forget I was even here.

But when I chanced a look at her, I saw her watching me with a smile. As our eyes met, her smile widened.

I quickly looked away and ran a little faster.

Somehow, I didn’t think my days in this class would go smoothly.

Chapter 9 Chapter 11