Author's Notes: Almost done with the next chapter. I didnt have internet for a few days, sorry. Anyway, im considering making the chapters shorter. I think i should increase the pace of the story too, which means a lot of Telling instead of going into detail. I realize waiting so long for a chapter and having few things actually happening when it comes is just not worth the wait. So hopefully shorter chapters means faster updates.

I think im going to expand the scope of the story in the future instead of focusing on only the school setting and such. I have been wanting to tell what's happening to other characters in the story and so I think i'll do that.

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Ah~, Its so quiet in here now. That's much better." He said, ignoring the taut atmosphere of the room. "Oh, and dont worry about the boy, he'll probably survive. Just let him sleep for a bit. So, let's get down to business. Im sure that you are all thinking that it was unreasonable to be thrown in here at the last minute, but blame that bastard Loki for this."

Roland, looking up, saw a large pinkish crystal ball attached to the ceiling. It gave off a faint lustre and was completely out of place in the normal classroom setting.

" Speaking of . . ." He picked up another pencil, flicking it toward the crystal.

Instantly the cystal shattered, sending shards hurtling down towards the students.

"Out of the way!"

"Everyone get back!"

They hurried to get out of the way of the sharp objects, some of them yelling loudly as they did. Although they would not die or get serious injuries from something like that, it would still hurt if they were stabbed.

They collectively glared at Roland, wondering why he had done such a thing.

"This bastard, what the hell is he. . ."

" He's crazy."

"But, where did those crystal shards come from, , ,? " It was Michael who asked the question, looking at the pile of shards on the floor.

The rest muttered to themselves in annoyance and curiosity, wondering the same.

Roland, however, smiled in satisfaction and spoke seemingly to himself. " Ha, that'll show you. Honestly, I would have thought you learned better by now"

A second later, a loud boom could be heard reverberating from throughout the school. If anything it caused Roland's smile to grow wider.

The crystal was one of Loki's favorite ways to spy on others as they were a bit special and created so that not many would notice them unless they were pointed out, hence the reason for the students' confusion. But Roland knew most of Loki's tricks by now. Really, that guy should have known he wouldnt be able to hide that from Roland with something of that level. Finding that thing was almost too simple . . . Hmm.

Well, whatever.

" That's taken care of now. Where were we? Ah, right. Everyone back to your seats." Roland said.

He smiled, going for a friendly vibe. " Sorry for the mess. I suppose we should get some kind of learning done, hmm?"

Roland sighed. " I honestly dont know what i can teach you here though. I mean before I just pointed out some things and had everyone spar for a bit. That was not really teaching in the truest sense. I really dislike how small this entire campus is. If it were up to me I would have created this place with some kind of Grand Barrier formation and create a small sub-space so that we could do as much damage as we want and not have to bother with caring about the environment.

But since I dont think we have that here I cant really show you any of my more destructive techniques. A shame, really. And this room is too small to even accommodate a few sparring matches. We plan to take you all out into the wilderness of the Higher Planes sometime later and when we get there we can really let loose. But for now we have to restrain ourselves. So, I will just lend you guys some higher-grade battle techniques for you to look through.

I want you all to study a bestiary too. I have a few that details the type of magical beasts that the Higher Planes are home to. Some of them are a bit dangerou, so its best if you learn about them beforehand. So just do that for now."

His words caused a slight disturbance. They heard nothing of any trip to the Higher Planes.

Ignoring the inquiring looks, Roland reached out a hand and a small, dark hole appeared in the air. It was his way of accessing his treasury. He only had to think of the items he wanted to take them out.

He pulled out several scrolls and books from the hole and reached in again for ten larger books with pictures of mysterious beasts on the cover. They all looked old but held together nicely.

" Dont try to actually practice these things here though. Some of these techniques can cause some backlash if done incorrectly. Just study them. I dont really know many of you so I cant give you ones that suit you best. But all the ones here are quite decent, I doubt that you will regret learning them."

With a wave of his hand, the books and scrolls flew out and landed in front of the students. The previous heated glares were withdrawn as they looked at the contents of the books before them. They were, it had to be said, quite astonished.

In the Higher Planes, the number of powerful experts was countless, and the number of battle techniques was also just as numerous. But the truly powerful battle techniques were almost always hidden and kept secret. Few of those experts would sell their more powerful battle techniques, for if an enemy were to learn of it someday, how would that not spell disaster for them?

So many kept their most powerful battle techniques a closely guarded secret. However, they came from wealthy and powerful families, how could they not have strong battle techniques at hand?

The only thing was, these battle techniques were even stronger than what they had!

There were a few ranks for battle techniques. Mortal, Earth, Sky, Divine, and finally Heaven.

The difference in the levels were how many evolutions they could go through, how powerful they could become, the swiftness with which they could be activated, the effective range and a variety of other factores. Each of the ranks were divided into three tiers: lower, middle, and higher.

The ones they had before were mostly higher tiered Sky rank techniques.

Generally higher tiered Earth rank techniques were the highest level of techniques that appeared in the Lower Planes. Well, there were some exceptions, but normally anything higher was very rare. Anything above Earth rank didnt appear anywhere but the Higher Planes where such things were common. Acquiring the higher tiered Sky rank techniques was already quite a feat all things considered.

However it seemed these techniques were at least lower tiered Divine rank! It has to be noted that as the ranks increase, the disparity between them becomes wider by a large margin. It was like the difference between a pond and a lake. Then as it rose higher it would become like that of a lake and an ocean.

They could feel the boundless mysteries the texts contained inside. They felt that they could study them their entire lives and still not fully understand them completely. Needless to say they were all excited.

As for the bestiaries, they were filled with a large variety of animals and such that they had never seen before. Each one was obviously monsterously strong judging from the descriptions. And they almost seemed to jump off the page, leaving some of the students to feel some slight unease.

The students, be it male or female, mostly had a look of slight awe upon their faces. They hated to admit it, but Roland did indeed seem like quite a formidable existence to take such things out so casually!

They originally had no plans or listening to him, but their opinions of him had raised considerably just now. Of course that didnt mean they really liked him, but rather that they realized being friendly and cooperative would likely reap great benefits for them.

Only three of the students were not interested in the battle techniques they received. That's because they didnt recieve anything at all.

Roland looked at the list of names and their pictures. " William Vasilius, Alexander Bathory, Sara Rainsworth. Come here"

The blond haired boy with the beautiful face, the pretty glasses girl and the indifferent-looking boy, Alexander, who Loki and Roland talked of before, walked to the the front of the room.

The blond haired boy offered a small bow as he approached. " William Visilius at your service." He greeted politely, with a refined and elegant manner that oozed charisma. However, that smile didnt quite reach his eyes and his gaze flickered to Roland's neck briefly as he approached.

" Sara Rainsworth, nice to meet you again." The bespactacled girl greeted coolly.

Of course they had not officially met before either. It was really only a small exchange of words not even worth mentioning. She remembered the man had sat in the library quietly reading for some time. However, they never talked unless it was to help him find a particular book or section.

She was not quite sure why she was called but she didnt want to offend the man before her. Somehow she thought that would be a very bad idea. Not to mention that one rumour she had heard of how he handled his class on his first day.

It was said they went back bruised and bloodied. She was honestly quite nervous meeting a person like that. How long had it been since she felt intimidated by a man...?

Although unbeknownst to her that intimidation was not from the his actions, but stemmed more from a sense of self-preservation. When meeting one who you unconsciously knew was not one you could mess with, you would almost automatically be wary of the other party. It was a natural reaction.

Of the three only the Alexander boy had not uttered a word. Rather, he chose to stand back and observe Roland with a slightly interested gaze. Somehow he felt he knew Roland from somewhere, but could not for the life of him remember from where.

Roland ignored William, almost seemingly to not be aware of his exisence. "And good to meet you as well, Sara. I hope its fine if I call you by your fist name? Good. Anyway, If you're wondering why I've called you all here its merely because you three have made more of a impression on me than the others."

Sara arched a delicate brow. " How so?" He had not been here for even five whole minutes. They couldnt have done anything impressive in such a short time.

" Other than that Michael kid, you three were the first to notice me. The others were completely oblivious, not responding to my presence at all. You all probably dont realize it, but i had realease a very small amout of my spiritual energy when I first tried grabbing your attention. The fact that they didnt notice even after that means they are of a lower calibre, not even able to notice something of that level." He curled his lips in distaste. " If I had been an enemy, they would all be dead now. But since you three knew of me as soon as i stepped in, it means you either have good perception abilities or good instincts."

This caused the three to be slightly surprised. They didnt notice the spiritual energy at all, but they knew immediately that he walked in the classroom from the strange aura he had. It simply drew their eyes.

Well, for William it was that delicious scent that first attracted his attention.

"As such, I plan to keep more of an eye of you than the others. Sara, tell me about yourself. I already know what to give the other two, but you I dont know much about. I wont know what would suit you unless I know more. ."

Sara was momentarily hesitant. From the expressions of her classmates behind her, what he gave out was pretty good. If she could get something even better suited for her. . .Well, she was not one to turn down something freely given. " My specialy lies in the use, creation and study of Artifacts. I also have a vast knowledge of the Higher Planes and it's history if that counts for anything."

"Oh? Interesting. Not many people choose to learn of Artifacts in detail. What made you?"

The study of Artifacts was a never-ending pursuit. Even Solomon, who has lived for many years and have studied many different things, or Loki, that ancient god who is said to be one of the most knowledgable of his kind excluding Thoth and Athena, has not reached the point of mastery in regards to Artifacts. It was something that was always ongoing.

What's more, she even said she studied the history of the Higher Planes. . . As vast and chaotc as the place is, several eras had been long forgotten even by the oldest of its residents. It was said to exist even before the first universe was created. If she divided her time two those two pursuits, she must either have been extremely bore or have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

He wasnt sure which was more frightening.

"I simply found them interesting. Do I need any othere reason?"

"Nope, that's as good a reason as any. Hold up. I'm sure I had something that seems perfect for you somewhere. . . " He once again reached into that strange space in the air. He pulled out a 12 inch book that was at filled with small, intricate runes which glowed a faint purple. it was both eerie and mesmerising.

" This book has a large variety of Artifacts sealed within its pages. I dont have any use for them, so I never used them before. You can just take it. Well, they're all mainly for support and defense though. But I think there are a few pretty powerful tools there that could be used as weapons if done right."

Sara looked at the book curiously. She put her hand over the runes and found a slight tingling sensation spread throughout her palm, warm to the touch. It almost . . . Felt alive. How fascinating, she thought.

" As for you, Alexander, I've had you for a few of my classes before. I had long since chosen one for you" Roland handed him a red necklace that seemed to pulse. . "This here is a little something to help you control that Ignition ability of yours. It'll help you conserve the energy output too. Feel free to just keep it. I have no use for the thing anyway."

" I have no need. The thought is enough. I don't wish to owe you anything in the future." Alexander had already been given many gifts by others hoping to leave an impression on him. T

he reasons for them doing so had obviously been noticed by the clever young man. Of course he would not accept something so easily. Things always came at a price, especially those given for "free" or out of "goodwill".

"Just take it, if there is ever a problem i cant handle calling for you would be useless. You think i would ever need your help in the first place? Dont get too conceited." Roland understood the other's thoughts perfectly.

He shoved it into his hands.

Alexander frowned but didnt say anything. Truth be told, he did find the thing appealing. But he decided that he would return it as soon as possible. He truly didnt want to owe anyone anything.

Roland turned towards the other two.

"You, Vasilius. Dont think I dont know what you are. If you ever make a move against me, I will hurt you. Understand? Keep those fangs in you mouth." He said coldly

" Such warnings are unneeded. I am a gentleman who abhors violence" William smiled charmingly.

" And dont think of using that glamour either. Something that weak wont work on me. " Roland said.

William frowned. When did he notice. . .?

" Dont look surprised. It wasnt that hard. You're a few hundred thousand years too soon to be able to hide something like that from me." Roland spoke with disdain.

William's eyes flashed. This one would be difficult to handle, he thought.

Using force seemed a bad idea to him. Seduction then? Unlikely to bear any fruit. This Roland fellow probably preferred women. But who knows, appearances could be decieving.

William decided to bookmark the idea. He knew that his looks were of the kind that attracted both genders if displayed right. He had no set preference in the first place. Men, women, it mattered not to him.

For now he decided to hold off on trying to over power the man. Instead he settled on getting into his good graces.

"How observent. Im amazed. To be able to see through that so easily, you must have quite a few skills." William praised.

Sara and Alexander snorted in disgust. They both had been on the recieving end of this guy's flattering. They saw through to his intentions at once. Needless to say his efforts were all for naught. The two felt sick seeing him now. He may have become a bit popular with the others at the school, but the two didnt think much of him at all.

" Whatever. Anyway, as much as it pains me, i have something for you as well." Roland sighed and once again opened the black hole and pulled out a eerie-looking gauntlet. It had a certain cold atmosphere about it, a hunger that made Sara and Alex on edge. The thing felt wrong

"This. . ." Willaim was astonished, instantly recognising the strange object.

" Ah, so you recognise it then? Good. Well, enjoy. You wont be getting anything else from me." Roland stated.

"Thank you for your gift." William spoke smoothly, eyeing the thing with a strange expression.

The othe two didnt know what that thing was, but they decided that it didnt concern them.

"Well that's it. Go on now." Roland shooed them away. The three felt indignant at this, but refrained from speaking about it. As for the other people in the room, they were too busy looking at the books and such. They decided that in the future they wouldn't act against the new teacher in the future. If he gave out things like this so casually, he must have other, more valuable treasure with him.

Simply put, they were bought off.

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Around thirty minutes in Roland, who had been idly sitting on his chair with his legs propped up on the desk, heard a faint scratching sound. Like nails against wood.

The noise kept persisting for several seconds before he decided to check out what it was, With a sigh, he got up and walked towards the door.

He opened it, looking left and right and seeing nothing. " What the hell. . ."

"Meow~"

"Hmm?" He looked down. "Ah, so its you." He said, surprised.

What he saw on the floor was the black cat he had found a few days ago. When it suddenly disappeared he thought nothing of it but wondered when he would see it again. Roland never mentioned the disappearance to the others though.

How odd. What was it doing here?

The cat rubbed on his leg, purring sofly.

Forget it. Doesnt matter anyway

Roland decided to not think about it too much. He rubbed the cat's head a bit before it suddenly walked over to his desk and sat down on top of it, it's tail curling by it side.

The students unconsciously looked at the cat, but ignored it as soon as they saw it.

Roland didnt think much of the cat's appearance, but the behavior of the students caused him to be a suspicious.

Why would they treat it like it was an everyday occurance? Surely it would be odd to see a cat suddenly walk into a classroom. Why wouldnt they even take a second glance?

Roland suddenly remembered. Loki said that his daughter was going to be in this class, didnt he?

But he never saw anyone that looked like Loki, or anyone who had energy patterns similar to his.

Roland thought about how he had never seen any other animals inside the boundaries of the barriers. No birds or any other kind of animal. Only some small bugs and such.

He did think it was strange for that cat to be inside of the barrier when he first met it. But he didnt think of it too much at the time.

He looked at the cat.

Several seconds ran by.

Suddenly it raised it's head and looked back, seemingly to appear a bit cautious.

It's eyes, aren't they a bit too intelligent?

" Dont tell me. . ." Roland walked toward the cat.

Suddenly it jumped off the desk and ran toward the still-open door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Roland reached out a hand and easily plucked it off the ground by the back of its neck.

The furry animal struggled to get free. It hissed and growled, swiping his hands with its claws.

The students glanced at the scene before going back to what they were doing. Only Sara and Michael showed more interest, looking at the two curiously.

The cat finally gave in after it realized it couldnt get free and merely curled up in his hand.

It looked a bit pitiful. If Roland was wrong, he would feel a bit bad. " Change back." He commanded. He wast sure it it really understood him at first.

It was really only a hunch and he could be wrong, but. . .

The cat struggled once again, unwilling. It growled deep in its throat.

"Dont give me that. I can have a bucket of cold water here at any time." Roland threatened. Cats, in his experience, hated water. Especially when it was cold. Loki had once expressed that when he chose to appear in cat form, cold water was what he hated most.

"Rawrrr~~!" The cat struggled even more after hearing his words, trying to bite him. It seemed to be getting pretty mad.

So it does understand.

Well, looks like he wasnt wrong after all. Or, well, it could just be a very smart cat.

Well, there's a simple way of finding out, isnt there?

" Fine. Have it you way. Michael, go and fetch me a bucket of ice water, will you?" Roland called out.

The cat growled once more, this time though when it scratched him he felt a great bit of power striking out at him. This caused him to let go suddenly.

An instant later the cat's figure shimmered slightly.

The change was nearly instantaneous.

The cat disappeared from sight and in it's place stood a tall, beautiful young woman with short black hair and mesmerizing light-blue eyes whose pupils were slitted. Just like a cat's.

She had flawlessly smooth skin and a bountiful chest that would induce all kinds of wicked thoughts in a man. However the angry look on her delicate, doll-like face was even more unmistakable.

If one had to try placing her age by looks alone they would probably place her around 18 or 19. Though Roland knew better.

Michael, who had stood to get the water, froze when he looked at her.

Which was understandable considering she was naked.