After a few minutes of silence and calm that weighed heavily on the atmosphere of the place,
Alex arrived and cast a glance to see whether they had finished their task or not.
"Hah, good. You cleaned the entire place and didn't fight."
Eugene lifted his head while sitting on the grass and said eagerly, "Does that mean my punishment is over?"
Alex nodded in agreement, which filled Eugene with overwhelming happiness; boredom had exhausted him.
He stood up from the ground and began walking, leaving the earthen terrace and heading toward the hall, as only a few minutes remained before class.
Ralph set down the shears and headed off as well. As he passed by Alex, Alex placed a hand on his shoulder. Ralph raised his eyes, meeting Alex's gaze.
In a cold, stern tone, Alex said, "After the lecture ends, you'll help me clean the office and the bathrooms."
Ralph raised an eyebrow, irritation clear on his face. "Huh? Why? You said you let Eugene go—so why do I have to clean the bathrooms and organize the office?!"
Alex's gaze sharpened, the cool air stirring the strands of his hair as he spoke. "Why? … Heh. You used a weapon in an attempt to kill Eugene. You used your imprint outside the academy. You started a fight because of yourself. You caused damage to the Kanfi family's garden. Do you really think I'll put what Eugene did on the same scale as what you did? I won't repeat myself. After the lecture, go to the office, then to the bathrooms."
Alex walked away toward the teachers' quarters, while Ralph watched him, his heart filling with resentment and anger.
…
Tiiiiiin… Tiiiiiin.
The lecture bell rang—a golden bell engraved with twisting decorative patterns, mounted atop a dark wooden tower about twenty meters from the first-year dormitories.
The students headed inside the classroom and quickly noticed the injuries—hands, heads, faces.
Whispers spread across the room:
"Did they fight?" "I think they were training?" "Even if it was training, why all those wounds?"
Eugene and Rin sat on a wooden bench in the back. But when Reem passed by, she grabbed the collar of Rin's blue shirt embroidered with the golden Griffield emblem and sat in the seat in front of Eugene, beside him.
Eugene raised an eyebrow in surprise. Rin remained silent. Despite the irritation on Reem's face, he did not dare ask her anything.
Before Eugene could speak, a tall woman entered the hall. She wore a black robe with a short green scarf, and beneath it a long robe of the same color. Her white hair was tied in a ponytail. Wrinkles traced the lines of time across her face. She had a high nose, light brows, and sharp brown eyes.
She walked among the students until she reached the board.
The classroom was spacious, able to hold forty students. It consisted of long brown wooden desks that seated three people each, painted brown and carved with designs of trees, small fields, and flying books. The ceiling was rotating glass, allowing natural sunlight to pour in.
In one corner of the nearly circular hall stood a large piano, black and white, designed in a contemporary style for their era.
A strange mixture lingered in the air: damp soil, the scent of roses, and a faint trace of iron rust.
The teacher stood, lifting her head as she looked at the students. "Welcome, dear students, to the first lesson of Alchemy."
The chalk moved on its own, writing across the board as she spoke.
"I am Instructor Adelaide. Since today is the first lesson, and this subject depends on analysis, observation, patience, and memory, our first lesson will cover the basics and a general introduction to this subject."
"And because the end of the first year is approaching, all lectures from today until the final week will focus entirely on Alchemy."
Eugene frowned and muttered internally, "I hate things that involve patience and memorization… but on the other hand, I remember what Musa and Farid said when he lost his talent. Alchemy seems important. I guess it'll strengthen my skills as a cultivator… still, I hate this kind of subject."
His tone wavered between seriousness and grumbling mixed with excitement and faint happiness.
The chalk wrote on the board:
Lesson One: Definition of Alchemy.
Adelaide began explaining as she paced right and left.
"Alchemy is an extremely important element in the world of cultivators. They are the ones who craft potions, study feathers and energy, and create weapons and resources that help increase the speed of cultivation."
She pointed toward a red-haired girl with freckles. "You—what do you think the definition of alchemy means?"
The girl tensed. Her foot trembled as she stared at the desk.
"It's alright," Adelaide said. "Even if your answer is wrong, we are here to learn, and mistakes are part of success."
The girl spoke in a faint, broken voice. "I think… that alchemy is the analysis of the foundation and composition of elements."
Eugene leaned slightly forward, thinking, "What is she saying? Why doesn't she raise her voice?"
Adelaide nodded lightly. "Well done. That is part of the answer."
She pointed at another student, broad with light stubble and short hair.
He brushed his hair back and said, "And I think it is also the purification of resources and mixing them precisely."
Adelaide nodded again.
The chalk then drew a square composed of five columns, each column divided into four smaller squares.
"Alchemy, as your classmates said, is the analysis, study, purification, and merging of resources."
"But not all resources are suitable for merging. For example, you have the Ice Flower—a cold, rigid component. You cannot merge it with a hot, fiery element."
"Because that would create a contradiction, leading to an explosion—or worse… in the case of a professional alchemist."
Eugene noticed Reem shaking her leg and clenching her fist.
He quickly remembered their fight hours earlier and whispered softly so the teacher would not hear, "Are you really still angry?"
Reem looked at him, her eyes sharp. "Oh, angry? You throw us into mortal danger, act like nothing happened, and then ask if I'm angry?!"
Eugene raised an eyebrow with biting sarcasm. "Seriously? We came out alive. And how was I supposed to know we'd be attacked?"
Reem's tone grew more heated. "That crazy old man came because of your secret bag."
Eugene placed his hand on the back of the chair. "And who said that bag is mine?"
Reem placed her hand there as well. "Oh? Then whose is it? Ghosts from ancient times?" Her voice blended sarcasm and anger.
"It belongs to Milicia, alright?"
Reem's voice sharpened like a blade, full of tension and questions. "Oh, Milicia? And why are you carrying something that belongs to her?!"
Eugene felt torn between his relationship with Reem, Milicia's secret, and the risk of the teacher noticing. "She gave it to me to keep for her." He tried lowering his voice again.
But Reem's voice rose higher, forcing him to glance nervously at the teacher. "Wow, what a noble gentleman you are! Why doesn't Milicia keep it herself? And why you, specifically?"
Both of them pressed harder against the back of the chair, and faint cracks began forming beneath their hands.
Eugene clenched his teeth, brows knitting together. "Because she can't."
Reem lowered her tone into a question. "Why?"
Their voices grew slightly louder, prompting Adelaide to tap the chalk lightly against the desk.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
She looked at them. "Mr. Eugene… Miss Reem… is there a problem?"
A heavy, suffocating silence fell.
Eugene felt a headache and inner frustration. The words stuck at his lips. Not an explanation for Reem—but: "I'm sorry." He apologized to the teacher.
Reem felt heat rise to her cheeks, a mix of embarrassment and anger.
She sat upright, her foot trembling, biting her lip. "No, there is no problem."
Adelaide, given her long experience and her family background in psychology, read their body language easily.
The flushed cheeks, the shaking foot, the bitten lip. Eugene's furrowed brows, sharp reddened eyes. And the cracked chair.
"Focus with me," Adelaide said, resuming her explanation.
A girl seated to Eugene's left whispered, "They were fighting. Why?"
The boy beside her, with brown hair, green eyes, and a round face, replied, "Lovebirds' problems."
A pen struck his head.
"Ouch! What's wrong with you?!" He turned toward Eugene, who had thrown it.
Eugene glared at him, veins visible in his hand. "Lovebirds? I'll put that somewhere you won't like."
The boy stiffened in fear and turned forward again.
Eugene felt a pounding headache from irritation.
Rin thought to himself, "Ah… how long will they keep fighting? They're both stubborn and hot-tempered. Especially Eugene. I'm afraid this argument will turn into hatred and resentment. I don't want that."
His wide eyes made his worry easy to read.
"As I said, the number of discovered elements is large—perhaps forty or more. Some are rare and dangerous. Their prices vary depending on supply and demand."
"And in Monian, there are dozens of farms cultivating these resources."
Reem raised her hand. "Can anyone cultivate resources anywhere?"
Adelaide lifted her brows proudly. "An excellent question. Listen carefully, dear Reem."
"In this world, there are specific regions where resources can be cultivated. To determine land suitability, we use the T-X Index, ranging from one to ten. The higher the number, the greater the quantity and quality of the land—and the more dangerous it becomes to live there."
The broad student raised his eyebrow. "Why does it become more dangerous?"
Before Adelaide could answer—
Tiiiiiin.
The end-of-lecture bell rang.
"Oh, unfortunately the lecture has ended. I'll answer your question tomorrow. You may leave."
The students stood and began exiting.
Eugene's mind had been distracted since his argument with Reem. He felt a trace of guilt. On one hand, he had played a role in the attack. On the other, he had to bear responsibility.
He saw Rin and Reem leaving and hurried to catch up with Reem and apologize.
Inside, he thought, "I don't want to lose anyone again. My talent was enough. The village was enough. My mother was enough. Rin's sacrifices were enough."
As he stepped outside—
"Reeeeeem!" Milicia hugged Reem warmly. Since their birthday celebration, they had found many similarities between them—goals, hobbies, even personality traits.
Reem returned the hug warmly.
Milicia took her hand. "Come on, I want to show you the tree I told you about."
"Alright, but hurry. I'm hungry."
"Don't worry. I'll buy you food when we get back."
Reem and Milicia gradually disappeared toward the garden to the left of the hall.
Rin looked at Eugene curiously. "You want to apologize to her?"
Eugene glanced at him. "How did you know?"
Rin smiled simply. "You're my brother. I know you well. Especially since you've started becoming more responsible and more mindful of those around you. It's natural you'd want to apologize—especially since, in one way or another, you had a hand in the attack."
Eugene laughed softly and placed his arm around Rin's shoulder.
They walked toward the dormitories.
"You know me well. No, I'll leave her for now until she calms down. If I talk to her now, I wouldn't be surprised if she throws a stone at me."
Rin laughed. "No, Reem isn't that fierce."
As they walked away, Adelaide stood at the classroom door, watching the fading silhouettes of Reem and Milicia heading toward the garden. Then she slowly turned her head toward the other direction, where Eugene was patting his brother's shoulder.
She sighed, the sound like dry autumn leaves rustling. "Ah… there is nothing more difficult than teaching a group of teenagers… especially… when it's a boy and a girl."
She slowly closed the heavy wooden door, its sound like a single tear cutting through the empty corridor's silence.
End of chapter.
(Sounds of piano keys played clumsily, then stopping abruptly.)
Narrator (with a faint smile in his voice): My first time trying to play the piano… I suppose I'll need more practice to master chapter endings. Well… goodbye.