After Proffesor Anvil finished his lecture i went straight for Elizabeth's office.
Although she is now a teacher and has much more things to do than before, i was now her student which would make it her responsibility to help me atleast in some way.
I had to figure out how to use mana or else.
If what Anvil said was true then i wouldn't be able to stay inside the rift for long, it would be a suicide.
Sealing it wouldn't help either since gathering strenght was of the highest importance to me.
- Knock
Standing outside her office i heard a sound of multiple footsteps.
It seemed as if the commotion inside blocked the sound of me knocking.
I decided to wait a bit before opening the door and seeing something i didn't really expect.
People were walking around in a hurry carrying various stacks of paper some of them bigger than their own heads.
Amidst the commotion i quietly maneuvered my way around them reaching a big desk in front of which sat Elizabeth herseld signing papers left and right without reading any of the contents.
She didn't seem to notice my presence as her hollow eyes were focused on swapping to the next paper.
Seeing her like this i hesitated.
'maybe i should leave her alone'
She was the type of person that didn't like to be disturbed no matter what she did even if it was as simple as small as having thoughts.
I started to turn around before she spoke up startling me.
"Did you come here just to see me?'
I looked at her, who didn't even raise her head to look my way.
'right i almost forgot'
Even if she looked that way, she was a superhuman being wih capabilities far higher than mine.
The way she looked right now was most likely because she hasn't adapted to living like this yet so the change caused a little problem for her.
But it didn't change who she was, one of the most reliable people i could think of and the person who knew most about me.
"I need your help with something."
"What is it?"
"Please teach me how to use mana."
*
The days went by quickly, or atleast it seemed that way for me.
New students seemed to have already settled in the dorms as the previously crowded and noisy corridors were quite empty with everyone focused on either studying or training.
With them being busy i felt as if the entirety of it was for myself and a few other students who decided to laze around.
'I have yet to get used to this place'
Although i've seen many things already, this place held things that regular people couldn't even think of.
"Where would you like to go today?"
Like this thing for example.
A somewhat robotic voice spoke to me as i took in the view of the academys garden.
Next to me stood a manequin-like machine who just like me faced the flowerbeds.
Looking at him from the side i still couldn't believe that technology could amount to such things.
Taking in the role of the students guide aswell as security system, it had a copy of the same manequin stationed at almost every corner of the academies premises.
Naturally since most people had already memorized most of the academies layout, the request for their help had dissapeared, hence why he has been accompanying me.
It was also easier to get away from Marco who was like a parasite.
There was almost no place for me to hide except the garden that was a private place for all students.
Everyone who entered had to be accompanied by Samson who hid the said students using a camouflage spell.
'quite the overkill for a minute of peace'
But i didn't complain.
Matter of fact i came to appreciate it since the flowers placed inside this garden were something i actually had started to study.
I intently watched a single flower that stood out from the rest.
Its texture and looks matched the rest of the flower garden.
Yet my eyes as if i was in a trance locked onto its pale green petals and its amethyst-like stem.
It was the seventh flower that made me react like this and yet they werent special in any way.
Almost as if my mind couldn't register something that my body did.
This peculiar reaction is the reason i spent most of my time off in the garden.
'i wonder if anyone else can see the difference in them'
Although the camouflage spell was cast, it mostly masked the figures of students unlike their presence.
It was so that when walking around people wouldn't bump into each other while appreciating the quiet view.
Flower slowly started to bloom, its petals revealed the hidden golden anthers.
Not a moment later, the flower started to fall down.
Its body collapsing under its own weight as the previously colorfull stem's shine started to crumble.
The petals, leaves, stem, one after another twisted and crumbled, they became a bundle of wilted mess.
And it wasn't just the flower that i observed that started to wilt.
Everything around me be it bushes or even freshly grown grass started to lose its color burrying itself into the ground.
'it surprises me every time'
The fresh air was filled with the smell of rot and dust as the garden turned into an empty field.
The ground turning so dry that cracks had begun forming on its surface making small popping sounds all around me.
As if putting a stop to the process, a gust of cold, moist wind blew all around me.
The ground has been frozen in place as it started to regain its earlier dark brown color.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a sprout has appeared in front of me.
Then another.
Then another.
Dozens of hundreds of sprouting flowers had begun to appear in the ground followed by the yellowish grass and small shoots where the bushes previously stood.
It didn't take long for it to regain it's previous appearance as the flowers stood closed preparing for yet another cycle.
'i guess its time to change benches'
I stood up taking one last look at the one flower that has stopped exuding the earlier sensation and turned to the path not waiting for Samson who followed right next to me without a word.
As i was walking, i noticed a faint glow on the ground.
A root that has never been on the path, seemed as if it was stretching itself to my feet but my mind was occupied with something else.
Small, faint glow was coming from between the stones of a sidewalk.
I knelt down, digging into the ground with my fingers before feeling a smooth and soft texture at the tips of my fingers.
'a seed'
It was a seed of some sort, yet it wasn't influenced by the garden at all.
It stood still without changing itself not breaking its delicate shell.
Looking around i checked if someone was around before stuffing it into my pocket and going back to my dorms.
'i should keep it just in case'
The roots had faded away.