The class had mixed reactions as Tago read out their names to check attendance. Some were like me, their surprise clear on their faces, and others, including Amanda, were expressionless.

Was I finally meeting a new species?

I looked around at the unexcited students. This may have been one small step for them, but it was one giant leap for me.

“Andross Silver?” Tago called out.

“Present.” I put my hand up.

Tago turned towards me and the mana around me began to dance. I felt my attunements react, emitting waves of energy into my body. Then he looked away and moved on to the next student.

The switch to period one was announced by the sound of a bell that rang clearly within my ears. It was pleasant. There was no excuse for missing the school bell in this academy.

It certainly got my attention.

The students around me got up to leave, and Amanda and Agni were among them. I started to follow them out, then I felt something tug at the mana around me. I turned around.

The teacher was trying to get my attention.

He looked at me.

“We will be seeing more of each other.” Tago stated. “Please do not be late to your third period class.”

“Definitely. Third period. I will be there.” I spoke.

My voice turned out colder than I wanted it to. I wasn’t used to talking with a non-human. I only registered his words once I walked out the door.

Third period? That was my earth magic studies class.

Was he my teacher?

I spotted a familiar head of red hair waiting for me outside. Amanda gave me a smile and we walked towards our next class.

For the next week all the general classes would be shared by the homeroom. It was only specialised classes that were separated.

“What is he- is it insensitive to-” I found myself pausing as my mind raced.

I didn’t know how to talk about other species. I didn’t know what was culturally sensitive, or what might insult people. I didn’t want to be labelled a racist on the first day. Or a xenophobe.

“First time seeing a golem?” Amanda took my stuttering in stride. “It’s pretty advanced magic. The real teacher is around here somewhere. Probably eating or sleeping, lucky bastard.”

That was a human?

My spirits fell as I realised it wasn’t a completely new species. Then they perked up again. It had to be an earth spell. That meant I could learn it.

I’d seen something like this before. Master Wilhelm did it, but his copies looked exactly like him. William also had his onze, controlling it like it was his own body.

We quickly reached the classroom by following the rest of the students.

“Ugh. Math.” Amanda groaned. “Why would they make students go through this in their first period.

I agreed with her. When we took a step inside, we were greeted by a teacher that was already writing her equations on the board.

4 x 6 =

4 + y = 11

4x / 2 = 34

Huh.

That didn’t look too difficult. I was expecting something at a higher level.

A light appeared by my side, and I turned towards it. Amanda’s hair had started glowing, wisps of smoke trailing into the air as she stared at the board.

Then she caught me looking and it stopped.

We grabbed two seats that were free, and I caught her eyes drifting towards the window view again. She was looking at the same building she had been last time.

As the students settled down, I got a proper look at it.

It was a dome.

I could see the air around it warping and an orange glimmer caught my eye. It was wrapped up in a shield.

Gold could see it too, and he let out a low squawk of challenge.

I scratched his neck and he calmed down, but he had gotten Amanda’s attention.

“Heck yeah Gold, you tell that arena who’s the boss.” she whispered.

Arena? Like, for fighting?

“Alright students, I know math isn’t everyone’s favourite subject-”

The teacher's voice interrupted me before I could ask more questions. We turned our attention to the board, and I examined the rest of the equations.

Wait.

This was easy.

I may have been bad at math, but I still remembered the basics up until the end of high school.

My gosh. I have the ultimate advantage.

I leaned forward and listened to what the teacher was saying. Class was a lot funner when you knew the answers to everything.

Am I going to be a nerd this time?

The answer was a resounding yes as I finished the class with a giant smile. That had been a tension reliever. Somewhere along the line I’d forgotten that not everything thrown at me was an unknown. This was the first year of school, and I was ready to breeze through my math class.

Amanda on the other hand, had a confused expression on her face.

“Why would we need to know any of that, it’s not like it’s going to impact our lives.” She huffed.

I chuckled. I’d thought the same thing when I was young, and for the most part it was true. Then again, I remembered the skills my mum had tried to get me to unlock when I was a baby. It would help a lot to have them.

“I’ve heard that knowledge beats all.” I spoke.

“Prove to me that mathematics can stop a fireball to the face.” She poked her tongue out. “Then I’ll bow down to math and learn my equations.”

The sound of our conversation was swept up in the chaotic din of students changing classes. As Amanda and I chatted, I spotted a familiar head of hair bobbing up and down above the others and stopped in my tracks.

Amanda’s eyes followed mine.

“Is that the Wilhelm kid?” Her tone was light. “Someone’s going to fight him.”

I thought I had misheard her, but then I looked around and saw other students nodding their heads as well. William had disappeared into another classroom, but his brief passing had caused a small commotion.

We started walking again, my curiosity rising.

“Fight him?” I asked. “Right now?”

“Maybe at break.” Amanda smiled. “That’s why they make the arena available from day one.”

I hoped she wasn’t William’s enemy. She was nice, but if I had to choose between the two, I’d always have William’s back.

“You’re going to be one of them?”

“Not me, silly billy.” She had a bounce in her steps now. “He’s in the military section of the school. His classmates need to build their reputations. Fast. Some of them are real pit donkeys about it.”

Pit donkeys? I smiled.

We entered the classroom. Our teacher hadn’t arrived yet.

“He’s going to be challenged all week.” Amanda fed Agni a snack. “It’s how the pecking order for the academy rankings is established.”

Then she gave another to Gold and the two birds chirped in unison.

We sat down and a small worry blossomed in my heart. If William didn’t want to fight, could he be ambushed?

The existence of an arena moderated my fears.

The arrival of the teacher stopped any questions I had. He was a bespectacled elderly man carrying a giant red book. He slammed the book onto his desk and turned to us with a glare.

“I am professor Cahul.”

“There is a difference between school and life. In school, I will teach you a lesson and then give you the test. In life, you’ll be given a test that teaches you a lesson.”

He pushed his glasses up.

“That is why history is important.” My back straightened as he scanned the room. “Books won’t help you when you’re on the wrong end of a sword, or when your life is crumbling around you.”

Professor Cahul gestured with his hand and a bottle appeared on his desk. It was clear, and full of water. We stared at it, curious, but then he clapped his hands together to get our attention.

“That’s why I will be teaching you using different methods. I won’t just be teaching you history. I will be teaching you how to survive. The two are not exclusive from each other.” He turned towards the wall.

It had a traditional blackboard on it.

He waved his hand again and a piece of chalk appeared. He drew seven symbols onto the board, and I leaned forward. I recognised them.

“Artus, Mehta, Vita, Ength, Inné, Crijik, Fue.” Professor Cahul turned his attention to us. “The seven divines.”

“History always begins where the victors allow it to.” He walked towards the red book on his desk. “Here, I have the history of the world.”

The book was huge. I was sure that it was a prop for demonstration, and not actually a history book. Then he lifted the pages towards us, and I saw there was writing on them, and some pictures.

“This book is tiny, compared to what it should be.” Professor Cahul kept it raised in one hand. “That is because we do not have records of history before the appearance of the churches of the seven divines. Specifically, Artus’ church. The first to be formed.”

“When Artus first ‘appeared’ in people's dreams, their reaction was to burn all books of knowledge and especially history across the world. Governments fell, countries were ravaged, and continents were set aflame.”

“This was the first record of a divine’s interference in the world.”

A couple of students chuckled. The teacher stared at them.

“If you do not subscribe to the belief that the divines are real, then that is fine. We must still acknowledge how others' beliefs played a part in this tragedy.”

“Accounts differ as to why. Those who are against his ways say that he turned people mad and revelled in their misery. Others say that he commanded them because he could better control an uneducated population through their thoughts and dreams.”

Oh? I had heard about this.

I knew Artus was something akin to the devil in this world. He was a divine, but not all the divines were revered equally. He was hated, and yet he was still a divine.

That was why the first working day of the week was named after him. Society was petty.

“Either way, this was an incredible loss for our society. It is the reason that ruins are so highly sought after, and the main reason why lost symbols exist.”

“History always repeats itself. Given enough time everything that can happen, will happen.” Professor Cahul placed his book down and stepped towards us. “This is an introductory class, but I won’t go easy on you. Our history is important, and I intend to engrave it in your hearts and minds so that nothing can ever cause such a major loss of knowledge again.”

Okay, history was going to be a lot more interesting than I thought it would be.

I clung to every word Professor Cahul said. Most of the class was an introduction into why history was important, and I could see why he focused on that. The students looked bored out of their minds.

These were all things that they had heard from childhood. Or they didn’t care because it had already happened.

I was from Earth. Divines didn’t exist there, and magic and the system belonged to myths and video games. It was exciting, and every bit of information helped me.

To know my enemy, I had to know myself. But when my enemy is considered a God, I also needed to know everything about them. Their history, their prophecies, their feats.

I’m going to survive.

This class would help me do it.

By the time history ended Gold had gone to sleep, uninterested in the elderly man’s words, and more curious about his shiny glasses. I’d been worried for a second that he would swoop over and try to take them.

I let him rest on my shoulder, confident that he wouldn’t fall off. I also pulled a small amount of dirt out of my inventory to cushion him just in case.

“Break time.” Amanda stretched and let out a yawn.

Professor Cahul shot her a disapproving glance, but she missed it.

A flash of red crossed my vision as Agni flew around Gold teasingly. Amanda and I left the class, and she shot me a nervous smile.

“By the way, do you have a tex-”

“This is the unwisest decision I’ve ever had the dismay of laying my eyes upon.” A voice broke past Amanda’s words and echoed across the hall.

A silence fell across the students leaving their classrooms, and I turned towards the voice. It was William. I saw him with his head held high, and his chest sticking out proudly.

He was doing his stuck-up façade. I’d forgotten about that.

He wasn’t alone. Five students were in front of him, looking stunned. Then one of them sneered. The group surrounded William, blocking off his exits.

“Surely the great Wilhelm prodigy isn’t afraid to fight.” The leader stepped forward, revelling in the attention of his fellow students. “How about you put your money where your mouth is and accept my challenge.”

I sighed.

That kid was going to get their ass kicked.