[Lifespan Remaining: 20 days, 22 hours, 52 minutes.]
Despite his popularity among the students, Instructor Nova was one of the strictest teachers within Rexford Academy. His classes always had a failure rate of fifty percent, and his grading was a lot less lenient than some of the other instructors.
Noct resented him when playing the game, as he would have to do multiple run resets just to achieve a good grade to gain the perks at the end of the school year. This time, however, he couldn’t’ save-scum to get a better grade.
After the man entered, two more people followed as well. They were upperclassmen, presumably the man’s teaching assistants if Noct had to guess. The two moved toward the table at the front, beginning to arrange the instruments while Apollo opened his book.
"Before we discuss control, we need to establish what you’re controlling."
He turned toward the board and wrote three words.
Aura. Mana. Holy Power.
"The three primary energies used on this continent. Most of you have already learned to manipulate at least one according to your classes. Some of you have been doing so for years."
Apollo placed the chalk down. "That does not necessarily mean you understand it."
Noct glanced at the first page of his textbook. The same three names appeared there, accompanied by descriptions that looked considerably longer than they needed to be.
"All three can strengthen an attack, protect the body, or produce effects that would otherwise be impossible," Apollo continued. "But attempting to control them in the same manner will produce very different results."
He pointed toward the first word. "Aura. In its natural state, it is solid."
One of the assistants stepped forward and raised his hand. A faint layer of rough-looking energy formed around it, closely following the shape of his fingers. It remained in place even as he turned his wrist.
"Aura originates from lifeforce. Developing it requires an understanding of the body that produces it—how it moves, how it exerts strength, and where its limits lie."
The assistant closed his hand. The energy gathered more densely around his knuckles.
"That is why physical training remains essential to its development. You can memorize every technique in this book and still fail to produce a useful result if you do not understand your own body." he explained.
"A strong Warrior must constantly be controlling their Aura to fit his needs. If not, it will actively hinder the user. This is why you see many noble families that follow a martial path have a prerequisite of being able to control Aura proficiently before they initiate their third class advancement."
Noct looked down at his thin wrist. ’Yeah. Probably not my strongest subject.’
His eyes briefly passed over the room to check for understanding or questions before he gestured for the assistant to step back.
"Mana, meanwhile, exists in a liquid state."
A thin stream of smooth energy emerged above Apollo’s palm. It curled around his fingers before gathering into a small sphere. Unlike the aura, it continued moving even after he held his hand still. This time, Noct could see what he was trying to do with it clearly.
"Mana is the essence of an object. It exists within the things around us, though its concentration and properties vary considerably."
The sphere stretched into a narrow ribbon. "Stone, water, wood. Even the desk in front of you. Their mana does not need to be abundant enough for you to notice it."
The instructor continued. "Like a liquid, mana flows. It can be gathered, transferred, and given a particular shape. But maintaining that shape requires control."
The ribbon loosened, losing its neatly defined edges before he gathered it again, causing it to loop around itself infinitely. "When channeling a spell, think of it like creating the vessel that holds the liquid. With a little intention and the right technique, anyone can develop a unique spell."
It does sound like something Noct had experienced before. Maybe it was why his spells were stronger than the average version. Was it because of his Arcadian affinity that allowed him to visualize mana, and therefore create a more suitable "vessel" for that specific spell?
"And finally, holy power."
The last assistant stepped forward, holding both hands together. After a brief prayer, a pale glow appeared between them and spread outward in a faint haze. Noct felt comfortable in the presence, as a strange warmth built in his chest.
"Holy power exists in a gaseous state. Its use is tied to faith and prayer, and the practitioner’s connection to the divine."
The light spread around the assistant’s hands, occupying the space between her fingers rather than settling into a fixed shape. "Where aura begins with an understanding of the self, and mana with the essence of things, holy power depends upon a conviction that cannot be held or measured in the same way."
Apollo watched the glow for a moment before continuing. "However, do not mistake that for an absence of discipline. A vague prayer does not excuse vague control."
The assistant lowered her hands, allowing the light to fade.
Noct leaned back slightly. ’Solid, liquid, and gas, huh? The game never explained anything like this. It was just a different colored secondary resource for players to use...’
"Instructor?" A student near the front raised a hand. "This is student Sophia. If mana is the essence of objects, does that mean it has always existed?"
"No. It means that it exists within them now."
That wasn’t an answer that Noct had been expecting, as he had been wondering the same thing since Apollo’s explanation.
"Several scholars have proposed that mana was not originally present on the Rexford continent," the instructor clarified. "Their theory suggests that it entered from another realm and gradually permeated the objects of this world. Under that explanation, what we now consider a natural property of those objects was introduced to them."
The student, Sophia, tilted her head in confusion."So mana came from somewhere else?"
"That is the theory."
"Do we know which realm?"
"No."
Apollo answered so plainly that she seemed unsure whether to continue. "We also lack sufficient evidence to establish precisely when or how it arrived. You should understand the distinction between a theory that explains an observation and a fact that has been demonstrated."
’Another realm...?’
Apollo closed his book. "But regardless of where your energy originated, you will need to control it in my class, without fail."
One of the assistants began carrying the instruments toward the students.
"And that is what we’ll be assessing today."