When I was put into a class full of nobles, I expected them to be the usual cliche nobles, acting high and mighty as if they own the place and bullying those lower than them. I removed the chalk dust off of my chair messily, barely trying to clean it. In a way, that is what happened, but it wasn't anything like: "My Father shall kill you," it was more like: "Your clothes aren't black/white/blue/red/yellow enough so i put ink/chalk powder/blue/red/yellow dye on your chair."

Truly despicable.

It was the liquid ones that actually annoyed me because I couldn't just sit in it unlike chalk, or brush it off, I had to either tell the teacher or get a cloth. The most frustrating part was that I feared that retaliating would put me in more trouble than it was worth, and therefore had to just take it. This was not helped by my continously aching body, not only from physical training, but also magical training. Before, I focused on getting the spell out quickly so I could improve the speed and achieve 'instant casting' but now I'm trying to make a highway specifically for mana to take and make it more efficient. I had almost 5 years to work on it after all, so I better improve my mana and body as much as I can before learning magic. Speaking of learning, class 1A wasn't much different than 1B, except everyone knew how to read and do maths. Science was basically the same thing but with the line "This'll be useful in X academy in the future." Was said after anything new. Or old. Basically after anything.

However, the biggest difference was the lessons we had now. I sat down on the chair. It was weird how this classroom had individual seat while the other had benches but I wasn't complaining. The teacher stood, ignoring my predicament as always, and picked up chalk to write with on the black board.

"As I promised a month ago, today we'll be learning about spells, and magic."

She began to draw a 5 point star, then connected all the ends with a circle. She wrote 'LIGHT' around the circle, before encircling it as well. She put the chalk down and faced us.

"This," she pointed at the board,"Is a spell that, like its written there, will produce light. Spells are comprised of 5 steps. First is the star," she drew in the air, "then the circle connecting the points," she encircled the star, "then the name of the spell," she wrote 'LIGHT' once again,"then the seal so that the spell holds," she put her hand in the middle and mana condensed to circle the rest ,"And finally: activation."

The light wasn't intense, maybe like letting in the sun through the window during a sunny day but coming from a single point.

"Writing using ambient mana, which is mana all around us, has a high efficiency. This means it takes less mana to activate overall than other methods. However this means that it isn't as strong as it could be. She again pointed to the board. "Chalk conducts mana well, and is therefore used to make more permanent spells. It also has the added effect that it has a stronger effect then ambient mana. Look away."

We all turned a little before she activated it. It was like a floodlight arrived in the classroom, painting the walls, ceiling and floor white, contrasted by dark shadows hidden behind the desks and chair. The light disappeared slowly and we looked to the board again. The chalk diagram was still up, but it looked as if it was scratched, or slowly began to disintegrate.

"Another difference between ambient mana and material conductors, as they are called, is that ambient mana is all used up, being 100% efficient, while material conductors slowly dissipate. So, material mana circles last longer and have a stronger effect. So why aren't they used say, in combat? Well, they are mostly impractical while moving, and they cannot be drawn quickly or,"

She flicked her hand and a Light spell appeared, fully drawn. "Quick cast."

She let the spell dissipate. "But also material conductors are slower, much slower than mana made ones. They will cast a fireball spell after a much longer time than ambient mana ones. They also can't be mostly reused or have continued use. With ambient mana, you can keep giving it mana, but with a material conductor, you have limited material. Not to mention that sometimes this material can be converted in such a manner it breaks the spell construct and therefore stops the spell."

She moved around her desk to sit upon it. "Now why might we use material conductors instead of ambient mana?"

She left the question unanswered, prompting a few hands to sprout up, but she ignored them.

"The biggest reason is ease of use. Anyone can put mana into the construct, not just the person who made it and that makes spells easy to use. This makes them great for people that might not be good with mana."

I kinda feel she is looking at me. Is she? Currently, I don't care, let her speak. I've been waiting years for someone to explain magic, even if I knew some of this. I didn't know about material conductors, however.

"Now, why aren't they good? Well, everyone is born with 2 gifts: a mana core," she stood up off her desk and went over to the board, wiping the spell construct and drawing a circle, before smudging some chalk to look like gas.

"And a mana gate." She drew a sort of circular opening that gushed out something. "Mana cores are found in our abdomen, and mana gates are not physical things. A mana core is usually," she tapped the board with chalk, creating a small dot. "That big. It can get bigger, and smaller, and can contain less or more mana. Core's feel much bigger than they are, but no one has ever gotten a core large enough to kill them.

I almost couldn't stay in my seat. Finally, FINALLY! I get to know what something is or does without speculation, or testing. Years have passed since I have been reborn, and finally answers have arrived!

"Mana Gates are called as such because its said that its a connection to a higher realm and what comes through it is wisdom. This wisdom isn't what you and I think of as knowledge, but its the way we control mana. It is located in the head, towards the back and bottom of it, almost feels like the back of the neck. This gate also gets bigger, but never smaller. The larger it is, the more 'wisdom' we receive. Wisdom let's us manipulate and control mana. If we try to move too much mana with little knowledge, it'll be like lifting 3 things with 2 hands. The growth of this gate can be painful, though it mostly feels like itchiness."

I have been searching for an answer for literal years! It makes sense, the reason it hurt when I first used mana breathing was due to it opening perhaps, and all the other times it hurt was due to me getting more wisdom! I think it's starting to hurt a little right now from the amount of wisdom I am receiving.

"Mana cores also hurt a little when expanding, this happens as mana moves around the core when you cast a spell. Or, as many of you shall know, when you use the breathing technique: Goddess Breathing, moving mana as the Goddess had breathed life into the world. The movement stretches the core and makes it expand. Now, any questions?"

I'm sticking to the name mana breathing. I am so giddy! I know, I KNOW! I know for sure how the mana core works, what the breathing technique is, what the thing in the head had always been! I know everything I wanted to! Well, apart from why spells get easier to cast with practice, and not just because you gain a muscle memory for them, as well as to why spells feel so deep, and how a spell is made. But this gives me hope I learn those as well!

The teacher then proceeded to draw diagrams again and explain how everything was connected, but it was just an overly complicated way of saying: "Mana goes from core outwards, wisdom helps from the gate in the brain." As to why or how wisdom works... Guess I'll have to learn more about that as well. The lesson ended with the teacher stating other material conductors commonly used, including: flour, ink, and salt. A student said "Blood" under her breath and she got the sharpest look from the teacher, I thought she would be cut in 2, anime style.

As I walked out to go outside, I noticed some people in front of me looked at me and seemed to be laughing, one in particular seeming to be the leader of the group. I ignored them, it's not like they could do anything anyway. But just in case I took a right instead of following the group to the left, wiping chalk off of my trousers. This will take me to the stairs opposite the staff area, and close to my old classroom. I want to talk to Rohan again. I turned to go down the stairs.

I gasped as I got kicked, before shutting my eyes and curling into a ball, trying to keep chalk residue out of my eyes. I got battered by the stairs before mercifully rolling on flat ground. I got stopped by a wall, and almost heard the glass in the windows shake. I opened my eyes and looked at who kicked me. At the top of the stairs stood an older kid, about 8 or 9 or 10, sneering. She almost laughed as she descended the stairs after me. I contemplated running down the other half of the stairs, but she could easily just grab me. Unless I used mana. No, I can't. I stood up into almost a kneel, keeping one side of my body away from her, just in case.

"My brother has told me about you." She said, definitely a noble. "Told me a little... 'bug' was in his classroom and you were stinking it up!"

Alright, thinking about it, if I don't do anything nothing will change. But I can't use magic, unless... and I can augment myself with mana to gain strength, just in case; it's not like she could tell how hard a ounch could be considering she probably never fought. I mean, neither have I but I've seen many shows.

"So I'll come to tell you," She reached me and leaned closer, her pale face turning from a sneer to disgust. "Go crawl back to where you-" Mana surrounded my right bicep, tricep, deltoid, I even put some into my legs and back. I launched off the ground and my fist dug into her chest, right under her ribcage. I hope that wasn't a crack I heard, I'll be in deeper shit if that was the case. She almost flew backwards, tripping on the first step and landing hard on the stairs, trying to breathe in air after it all left her lungs. I immediately decided to bolt it down the stairs, but my legs buckled and I fell. I quickly stood up and continued but I choked as my collar pulled me and I was pulled back up against the window, falling down to be against the wall again.

"Agh, uhh." She gasped. "You little..."

Time for Plan B!

She got closer.

Plan B, plan B, plan B!

She twisted.

Plan b, plan b, plan b, plan b, COME ON!

She delivered her kick.

'Finally!'

It was ready. I let the spell go wild. A stone pillar shot out of the ground and hit her other leg, causing her to fall and yell out. I leaped over her while displaying a bit of confusion, almost tripping down the stairs, before sprinting it towards the staff area, towards a teacher, towards anyone.

The noble slowly stood and walked down to look after me but all the colour drained from her face when she met face to face with Mrs Tims, the 'guardian' of the playground.

"Hello, missus, what seems to be happening here?"

...

Of course, the noble's lying was immediately proven wrong by the fact I was clearly more injured, I mean I could barely walk! When I returned to the classroom, the leader boy, who's name I heard was something like Susoido, first name Erick. His sister, Siledur Susoido, heard I was in his classroom, and that he, being a little twat, didn't like me, so she decided to attack me, and possibly kill me. Yeah, movie bully syndrome. Like, children shouldn't thing of ever doing these things, but killing is apparently a run of the mill activity. As to what punishment they got, the school didn't do much, just gave her detention. But considering how sullen Erick arrived yesterday, I believe their family had a stern talking to them.

However, this made me think: I can't keep hiding forever. Sure, my little act after the pillar, made using Create Earth, made it look as if someone else did that, and I'm sure that Siledur, or Miss Susoido as strangers are supposed to call one another, thinks Mrs Tims intervened. But, one way or another, I have to do something about this hiding because if I keep hiding, nothing will change, but if I stop hiding I could die. For now, I can't stop hiding. I'm not strong enough, I have to be stronger and smarter. I need to learn my spells, practise them, train my body more. I need to make sure I have a contingency plan in case I get found out. Sure, before I used magic because it was exciting to use it, and then I planned to use it to make sure I stay alive, while being hidden. Now I need to step it up a notch. Before was survival, in case an emergency occurred, in case goblins or other monsters attacked. Now it wasn't just about survival, but about fighting. Because monsters don't care if I have magic at a young age, or that I know how to use it, humans will find it strange. And if I know anything about history, standing out in a bad manner usually led to death. I doubt they'll think I'm the second coming of a God. Surviving being attacked by people isn't enough, I have to fight, protect.

But to kick start all this, I have to break it to the only people I trust.

...

"Mum!" I called from upstairs. Mum was usually helping Ferrar during the day, usually working as a clerk of sorts and talking to customers. Or such as when I help Ferrar, going shopping to get supplies. Right now, she was coming up, probably thinking I did something bad, which could be seen to be the case. She opened the door.

"Yes Arry, what is it-" she gasped.

I turned, just as I practised.

"Look! Look!" I almost shouted excitedly, feeding some real excitement and adrenaline as I revealed my abilities. In my hand I held a Candle spell. I moved it so Mum could see.

"Look what it does!" I blew out the candle in my hand, making the room only be illuminated by the light in the corridor and the magic circle. I activated it and it pulled, growing a bit in size before collapsing or shrinking into a small candle flames, waving above my finger. I twitched it and it flew through the air onto the candle, lighting up the room along with my smile and my Mum's astonishment.

"Did you see?" I asked.

"Ye- Yeah Arry, I saw." She walked in and sat on the bed next to me. She reached towards the candle, and I passed it to her but she didn't take it, only extinguishing the flame with her fingers.

"Mum?" I asked, remembering I need to be a stupid 5 year old. I could see a small smile as she raided her left hand. A circle began being drawn, a star appearing at the same time as a circle, followed by writing and a second circle, all under a few seconds. Then a flame danced upon my mother's finger. She twitched it and the candle relit.

I acted amazed.

"Woah, Mum you can do magic as well!"

"Yeah." She laughed. "I know it from a long time ago."

"Woah."

"But how do you know, Arry?"

"I learnt it at school!"

"At school?"

"Oh yeah! I did very good on my test, so they moved me up with the smart children."

She immediately tried to hide a small look of fear as she knew the children I was talking about were nobles.

"Is that why you keep coming home covered in chalk?"

"Yeah! They're very excited to put some on my chair." Personally didn't care, but made it better if I thought they were joking instead of knowing it was bullying.

"Oh Arry sweetheart." She hugged me. We hugged for a bit before she asked me: "Did you learn any more spells?"

"Yes!"

I proceeded to cast Light, very slowly to mask my already partial mastery. I then thought about doing any more, but decided this would be enough. Mum seemed to be happy, thought something else was in there as well.

"Mum, is it bad?" I decided to point it out.

"Oh no, no honey. Its... well... Arry do you remember your father?"

"No?" I don't have any memories of him.

"Oh..." my mum whispered. "Wellz your father and I, we met because we both liked magic. You see, you father... he died fighting monsters. He was a good Knight, and..." she seemed to pause a bit, tears beginning to swell. "And he was also a student in magic. He kept being injured... and people blamed it on the magic. In the village. So, I feel like... they'll come get us for using it..."

"That's dumb."

She gave me a strange look. Oh wait did I say that out loud?

"We're not in the village! No one can stop us using magic. I like it!" I quickly saved myself. Mum looked at me blankly before smiling, tears rolling down her cheeks. She hugged me, putting my head to her shoulder, and whispering "Arry..."

The hug made me remember the goblins, and it seemed something poured cold water on me and I almost tempted, goosebumps going up my arms. I remember that day as the worst day of this life, losing my first home and seeing Olivia and Otto distraught, seeing it all burn down. I clenched my fists. There was another reason I wanted to get stronger.