When I awoke the next morning, the first thing I remembered of the night before was that there had been no second Notice, no second Quest complete, no Notice from the System at all. Part of me wanted to use that as an excuse to write off the entire experience, but that seemed foolish now. Just in case, I checked my Stats.

Name

Gerard Viscoti

Primary Class

Noble Assassin

Secondary Class

Mage

Soul

F-Class (Stage 1)

Strength

18

Cunning

15

Perception

30

Energy

15

Skills

Lucky Number 7 [10.50%]

Silver Tongue [1.40%]

7-Lives-Bloodlust [5.00%]

The increase in my Perception from just last night was wild, and I wasn't sure I enjoyed being given level ups like that. I much preferred leveling up by hard work. But I'd also have leveled up my Perception beyond this though, so it wasn't as if I couldn't have done it myself.

The most ridiculous out of everything though was my [Lucky Number 7] Skill. I had almost 11% Mastery of it for no reason. It was a passive skill. I couldn't even use it in order to level it up. The other ridiculous part about it was that I had it was obvious the System was trying to prove something here. As if this Skill had been working passively this entire time to get me to this moment. I hated the thought of that.

So the System had been setting all this up so that I'd live through last night? I wasn't even sure what had happened for all this to have been worth it. I wasn't sure still what I'd even seen.

Maybe the void mirror wasn't supposed to show us that hellscape. I wasn't convinced, no matter how much everyone acted like what we'd seen was normal, that it was in fact normal at all. The Shevirat were pure Energy, but they lived in darkness? Perhaps I didn't know what the Shevirat looked like, but the beings I'd seen looked like the Demeot, like a hoard of demons hungry to enter our world. Or, rather, their world.

So perhaps the spell hadn't worked as it should've? Rather than linking to the Plane of Shevirat, wasn't it more likely based on what I'd seen that we'd connected instead to the Plane of Demeot? I didn't know enough about either plane or about the spell or about magic in general to know. And that pissed me off.

Huxley had already left the room by the time I finished preparing for the day, but he left a note on my desk with the week's schedule. Since it was welcome week, we had a lecture to attend each of the seven weekdays. Then on the three-day weekend, each house was supposed to give a demonstration of their strengths to compel us to join them.

Today was Systems Theory with Professor Zell, though she was better known for her talent with battle magic. She was also listed as the supervisor for House Jascar's battle magic demonstration. Maybe I'd get a chance to talk to her about that opportunity she mentioned after my interview.

Changing into my uniform, which was just loose white pants and shirt because the weather was always so hot. They were lightweight, probably through the use of magic. My shirt collar was lined with white so everyone knew that I had an F-Class, Stage 1 Soul, which seemed like an arbitrary detail to know about someone. As far as I was concerned, I treated everyone as though they had the potential to stab me in the back. Why would I think any differently?

I navigated to the room listed on the schedule for the lecture. It was a large auditorium-style lecture hall with tiered seating in a round room. Probably could seat at least fifty students. Almost like I was in a college classroom but nothing was modern even in the slightest. Domed ceiling with a chandelier and a painting of what was supposed to be the Plane of Shevirat--which was not what we saw last night. Textured white walls like the rest of Brugge. And all the seats faced a cleared area in the middle of the room.

There were very few seats left, and there were a lot of people who'd chosen to stand. Huxley saw me enter, unfortunately, and I lost my chance to be one of them. He waved me over enthusiastically, and in front of so many people, ignoring him or refusing his kindness would only make life more difficult. So I smiled and headed over to him.

He was sitting with a few of the other first-year noble kids in the front row. They talked loudly as if they weren't nervous, but that was probably the reason for the loud talking. To cover the nerves. Attending Caemor was probably a big deal to them, since failing to progress would shame their family and nobles actually cared about that bullshit.

As soon as the clock tower announced the new hour, Professor Zell swept into the room from the door in a swirl of wind. Everyone went quiet as she made a desk appear in the center of the room, sat on it, and surveyed the room. Two standing mirrors also appeared at either side of the desk. She wore a teacher's robe and her red hair was in a messy bun with some loose curls framing her face. Her dark skin shined in the bright light pouring in from the windows.

"You all look so starstruck," she said and then laughed. "Let me guess. It's not me, is it? It's that this is your first lecture?"

There were some nervous giggles in the back.

"Ah, yes." Professor Zell smiled. "So I'm your first lecture. Lucky you. Let’s be easy and casual about it then. I’m Professor Mhyraela Zell. This is supposed to be an introduction to Systems Theory, or at least what we teach of Systems Theory here at Caemor Academy. Systems Theory is of course far too complex to cover in its entirety at even a prestigious academy such as this. Even the foremost Systems theorists have much to learn, myself included, which is why I’ve decided to start teaching it. So while this is your first class, it’s my first class as well. We’ll learn together."

She hopped off the desk and started circling it and the mirrors. “Systems Theory is a required course in your first year here. In Systems Theory I, we’ll be talking big. I’m talking about Souls, Energy, the Shevirat and the Universe System. In Systems Theory II, we’ll talk about the specifics. So that means we’ll focus on our World System and our Soul Systems. I’m hoping you’ll discover more of your special Soul System and how it is specific to you and your soul along the way. Knowing what makes your Soul special is tantamount to growing the quality of your Soul."

There were murmurs, though I wasn't sure what she said that might invoke it. She stopped walking and tilted her ear as if she were listening in.

“Yes, I said quality," she said, nodding and holding her elbows elegantly as she started circling again. "Quality of your Soul. Usually we talk about Souls as Classes and Stages. I see a lot of F-Class, Stage 1 souls in here. One Stage 2, impressive. However, rather than discuss Souls in terms of Classes, I want us to experiment with discussing Souls in terms of quality. Anyone want to take a guess by what I mean by quality?”

“Well, in terms of Classes and Stages,” one student said without hesitating, “quality would refer to the leveling up process. As our Soul becomes able to generate and store more Energy, we move up Stages. After we reach Stage 3 of F-Class, we then start back at Stage 1 in the E-Class. This gives a sense of unequal leveling.”

The Classes and Stages never really made sense to me. Maybe this was why. It seemed like one step forward, three steps back.

“Fine," Professor Zell said, throwing her hands up in the air dramatically with a chuckle. "We can start in terms of Classes and Stages. There are 27 Stages altogether and 9 Classes. What is the difference between F-Class, Stage 1 and F-Class, Stage 3? What is the difference between F-Class, Stage 1 and SSS-Class, Stage 3?”

There were a few long moments of silence, then someone up front quietly said, “Aren’t there 27 Stages of difference between them…and 9 Classes of difference?”

“But what does that mean?" Professor Zell urged. "Go on, give it a go.”

“Well, they’re better," one of the noble kids near me said. His voice was incredibly annoying--all nasal. "Their Souls can channel Energy better. Way better. Didn’t they say the Legendary Lulac Rulshas could channel 1000 therms? He was the first S-Class, Stage 3 the world had ever seen. Oh, then there’s Hiazzith, who we think could channel almost 5000 therms? Which would put her at SSS-Class, Stage 3 along with King Eshon XXI.”

The current king of Broweathen was King Eshon XXI. King Eshon I was said to be the first true king of the continent, which was why the continent was named after him. After him, no other Royal was named Eshon. Instead, from what I remembered, Eshon was the title given to kings of great merit. King Eshon XXI was said to be the strongest living person in the world.

He will also get stabbed to death in three years if this life goes anything like my past ones. In every one of them, his second son inherits the throne and reunifies his mourning country under the banner of revenge.

“Isn’t better just another way to discuss quality?" Professor Zell said.

No one said anything, and so she leaned back against her desk again. She put her hands in front of her and generated a ball of light. Compared to what I saw last night, it seemed artificial. She then took her right hand and aimed it at the mirror on her right, and it absorbed it and started glowing.

Professor Zell continued, "Through channeling Energy, our souls are purified and cleansed by the Nix Fin Lux, just like how this mirror is becoming brighter as I channel my Energy into it. When our Souls find a Form on this plane, they’re muddied by it. We’re almost as far away from the Divine when we are born as the Demeot."

Now she took her other hand from the ball of light floating in front of her and pointed it toward the mirror on her left. The light in front of her was now joined but not one glowing mirror but two.

"Then as we grow, mature, age—as we use Energy more and more—we become closer and closer to the Divine. The Energy that we channel becomes closer and closer to the Nix fin Lux. This is why I talk about quality in regard to Souls instead of Classes and Stages. Classes and Stages don’t say enough when we consider the larger picture—our Universe System."

A string of light drifted from both mirrors, reaching in the air for each other.

“Now," Professor Zell said, "has anyone ever wondered why we might want to be closer to the Divine? No, I’m not talking about Avatars. I’m talking about Contracts. What do you all know about Contracts?”

The moment the two strings of light touched, they immediately vanished along with the candles lighting the chandelier. Once again, the air started to grow cold. My breath grew thinner, and I hated that I knew to look at the mirrors.

Instead of the dark figures with pools of light, this being was light itself. Reflected. Refracted. Like staring at a prism glowing from within. All different colors. It was sensory overload, but I couldn't blink. I couldn't move.

All I could do was watch that figure of light cross into this plane right in front of me.

[Notice]

Congratulations! You have completed the second part of your Quest [Meet Your Patron Shevira]. Further rewards will be calculated after you complete the entire Quest.