Of the four students remaining, only two sat in stunned awe. Their jaws dropped, eyes widened, as if they'd just stumbled into a different world. Part of it was the transformation of the classroom itself. What had been a shadowy dungeon now shimmered into a magnificent lecture hall worthy of Rhodeia. But even more jarring was the strikingly beautiful woman standing before them.
"Now then... fufu~ shall we begin?" Silva giggled, her voice sweetly lilting. "A small class this year. Only four students. About what I expected. As I said before, dark magic isn't exactly... popular. Most would rather avoid it entirely, even if it's offered as a course at Rhodeia. And as for the few who do choose it... Well, they tend to be a rather troublesome lot. Ah, but don't fret. I fully intend to have faith in you lovelies."
Her gaze swept leisurely over them, lingering on each student in turn before settling on Caelus. Her lips curved into a slightly wider smile.
"Oh! I just had a wonderful idea. Why don't we introduce ourselves?" Silva asked, clapping her hands together. "Since we'll be stuck with one another for a full, grueling semester, it's only fitting we grow acquainted. I'll start."
She placed a delicate hand on her chest.
"My name is Silva Ains, a professor here at Rhodeia College. I'm proficient in a number of magic disciplines. Wind, Lightning, Spiritual — and Dark Magic, naturally. I did have an interest in Sylvian magic long ago, but I couldn't breach the basics. I even dabbled in alchemy in my younger days, though I left that behind in favor of deeper arcane pursuits. Now then..."
Her gaze landed on the girl sitting alone on the far end of the aisle. She was a petite thing with shoulder-length lime hair with bright, sky-blue eyes that gleamed like polished glass.
"You there, darling."
The girl flinched before she bolted upright, bowing in a frantic, clumsy motion.
"H-hello, Professor Silva! I'm Mia Isolet! I... um... I think I'm pretty good at Holy Magic, but I wanted to give something else a try!"
"And you went with Dark Magic?"
"Ah... I figured there wouldn't be too many students around. Fewer people to... see me... embarrassing myself..."
Her voice grew quieter with each succeeding word. She seemed far too innocent to be dabbling in Dark Magic.
Silva chuckled, clearly amused.
"Thank you, Mia. But don't forget, you're not just introducing yourself to me. You have classmates, too."
Mia's face turned red as she whipped around and gave an equally frantic bow to the rest of the room.
"H-hello, everyone! I'm Mia Isolet! I think I'm pretty good at Holy Magic, but—"
"Alright, alright. No need to repeat the full line, darling. Why won't you come over to this side instead of brooding over there by yourself?"
"O-oh! Okay!"
Mia hurriedly gathered her things and scampered over, plopping down in the seat just ahead of Caelus. She turned around, beaming, and waved.
Caught off guard, Caelus hesitated, then simply raised a hand in return.
"Hmm... how about you in the back?" Silva asked, gesturing with a delicate hand.
The boy seated just a row behind Caelus rose to his feet. His disheveled appearance spoke volumes on its own. Long, wavy black hair hung in messy strands that nearly obscured his half-lidded, sleep-starved eyes. If anyone here looked the part for a Dark Magic class, it was him.
"Hey, everyone," he muttered, his voice sluggish and unmistakably lazy. "My name's Zedidiah Stadt. You can just call me Zed. I, uh... don't really have anything interesting to say."
And true to his word, he plopped right back down, shrinking into his chair like he was trying to vanish from sight. The room went awkwardly still. Caelus simply stared, equal parts bewildered and unimpressed.
Of them all, there was only one who didn't seem to match the rest.
Mia Isolet still wore that radiant, unfazed smile as if she'd just met her new best friend.
"Aha... Alright then," Silva chuckled, a touch too eager to move along. "Next up — you, darling. At the end."
The girl, who'd remained leaned against her hand, finally stood. And now, her appearance drew a ripple of surprise even from Caelus.
She bore a striking resemblance to Professor Archeota. The same sharp-cut features, the same confident, tranquil gaze that shimmered like twin sapphires. A tired face, tranquil and composed, but by no means unconscious.
The only difference was her hair. Long, pale pink locks falling neatly down her back. Tucked behind her ear on one side was a thin, lengthy braid.
"I humbly greet you all as Castorica Lancinox," she announced, her tone a sweet lilt matching her drowsiness. "Like Professor Silva, I've long been proficient in some forms of Elemental Magic. But, I've always believed one should broaden their horizons, and Dark Magic happened to catch my eye."
"Ah... Castorica," Silva cooed fondly, hands clasping before her. "The younger sister of my grumpy old friend, Archeota. My, how you've grown into such a fine young woman in so little time."
"Compared to you, Lady Silva, I still have a long road ahead."
There was something strange about her gaze as she said that. Although it was endearing, there was a hint of scorn.
"Haha, you flatter me," Silva giggled, seemingly unaware. "And lastly — you, darling in the center. Go ahead."
Caelus rose to his feet. And just as he did, his eyes caught Castorica's. She'd settled back into her casual lean, but now her head tilted ever so slightly toward him, a knowing smirk playing at her lips.
Knowing what? He had a pretty solid guess.
"Hello," he said evenly. "I'm Caelus de Luvelaine. You... might've heard the name. I've dabbled in Dark Magic before, and I'm here to hone it. That's all."
He took his seat again, ignoring the weight of Castorica's gaze. Instead, it was Silva's smile that lingered in his peripheral vision, wider than before. It was obvious she remembered him. How could she not? After all those years visiting House Luvelaine, there was no chance she wouldn't.
"Now that introductions are out of the way," Silva smiled, "any questions before we begin?"
Zed timidly raised a hand.
"Yes, darling?" she said, pointing at him.
"I... wanted to ask... why disguise yourself like that earlier? And why offer for people to leave when we barely have any students to begin with?"
Silva chuckled, nodding.
"A fair curiosity. The answer is simple. I only welcome those with a genuine interest in Dark Magic. Until three years ago, my classes were packed. Fifty, sixty students at a time, and I was ecstatic. But over time, I noticed a... pattern. More than half would fail out."
"Fail out? Why?" Zed asked.
"Well... " Silva grinned mischievously. "Zed. What was the first thing you thought when you saw my real appearance?"
"Uh... U-Um..."
"No need to be so nervous, darling. Go on."
"The first thing I thought was... that y-you might be the most... beautiful lady I'd ever seen in my life..."
A soft laugh.
"Fufu~ And therein lies the problem. Dark Magic is a rather difficult subject, and my class certainly does not make it any easier. First-years would register out of intrigue, but they stayed for the wrong reasons. Flattery and infatuation, which ultimately led to... distraction. I'm not so humble that I would deny my own beauty. There is very little I can do to stifle it, not that I would choose to anyway. However, it has left a rather unfortunate blemish on my record."
"I-I see..."
"Worry not, darling. We're all adults here. Now, any more questions?"
Mia eagerly raised her hand.
"Yes, Mia?"
"You mentioned Dark Magic is looked down upon and not commonly practiced. It's essentially considered taboo, but... why? What makes it different?"
"A good question, one even the dusty old men of the Arcana Spire refuse to answer. You see, Dark Magic is considered forbidden for one reason alone: it is the only school of magic we have yet to fully understand despite decades of research."
Full of curiosity, Mia tilted her head.
"What... what does that mean?"
"Hmm... Perhaps a more practical demonstration will help you to understand."
Silva conjured a crackling fireball in one hand.
"Fire Magic serves one purpose: to destroy."
She hurled it into a row of seats, reducing them to ash and splinters. Then, kneeling, she pressed her palms to the floor. A rune circle flared to life, and the seats reconstructed themselves as if untouched.
"Earth Magic? It can both destroy and restore. We know its limits. Its nature. Its risks. We decide what it should and should not do."
Raising her hand, a shimmering orb of deepest violet bloomed in her palm.
"But Dark Magic...?"
She crushed it, and the room plunged into utter darkness.
"W-What's happening?!" Mia yelped.
"Hello darkness, my old friend..." Zed mumbled.
In the pitch black, Silva's voice echoed, velvet-smooth.
"Dark Magic... is everything."
A burst of flame flared before Mia. "It can destroy."
A faint warmth flowed through Zed, easing the weariness from his limbs. "It can restore."
A biting, illusory wind brushed Castorica's cheek. "It can make you feel what isn't real."
And for Caelus... he saw the Luvelaine manor engulfed in flames. "It can make you see what does not exist."
A pulse of mana, and the room returned to normal. The torches flickered steadily once more, and the air felt colder and heavier.
Silva stood at the lectern, arms outstretched.
"This... is Dark Magic. Everything... yet nothing, all at once. And that is what makes it so dangerous." She leaned casually against the stand with a smirk. "Now then, my lovelies... have I piqued your interest?"