Mana Academy (IC) (Open, Fantasy)

[Charlia]

"Let's just say that I don't go by Aether just for the heck of it. And when I said light and life were literally standing beside you, it wasn't hyperbole."

She smiled grimly.

"...Interesting..." Rabbit replied, wondering what she meant by that. Was she possibly...

No, she couldn't be...

Could she?

But she looks human...but then again, that doesn't mean anything...

If only there was a way to tell...

Besides her magic, anyway...

Aether was dropping hints, but those hints didn't help very much. She could be anything. Even something as forbidden as...

No...she couldn't be.

"Ah, is Professor Rabbit having trouble figuring out who and what I really am?" She winked. "Just take what I've said literally. It's not that difficult to figure out, is it? Or you could do some deep research into Aetheric mages, but..." She shrugged. "Perhaps not. Not everyone is capable of dealing with such knowledge."

[Luminesa]

"...Interesting..." Rabbit replied, wondering what she meant by that. Was she possibly...

No, she couldn't be...

Could she?

But she looks human...but then again, that doesn't mean anything...

If only there was a way to tell...

Besides her magic, anyway...

Aether was dropping hints, but those hints didn't help very much. She could be anything. Even something as forbidden as...

No...she couldn't be.

"Ah, is Professor Rabbit having trouble figuring out who and what I really am?" She winked. "Just take what I've said literally. It's not that difficult to figure out, is it? Or you could do some deep research into Aetheric mages, but..." She shrugged. "Perhaps not. Not everyone is capable of dealing with such knowledge."

Rabbit simply eyed her for a moment, and then they seemed to smile under the mask. "I'm not saying I don't know...or that I can't handle whatever you're trying to say...I'm simply interested...if you're really what you say you are..." They looked away at Ruta's classroom and paused. "...Of course, you may not want to say anything to Antonius. Though that's only if you're what I think you may be..." they whispered. Of course, Tsukuyomi nearby probably wouldn't say anything, neither would Ignis. But if Ruta were to find-out...

[Kaledoria]

Aidan read through the first chapter of the "Suggestive Inquiry into the Hermetic Mystery".

The first mentioning of the quintessence in the book was attributed to a certain Maximus Olybius, an old roman Mage, possible of the Air element, who designed lights, that would shine on forever. Aidan was intrigued. He could manipulate light, but he did not create it.
The passage did not define the nature of the quintessence but describes how it was stored: In an urn, placed in another urn (both inscribed, possibly with spells), a lamp flanked by a golden "vessel" on one and a silver "vessel" on the other side both filled with a clear liquid? Was quintessence the liquid? Then why did the Author mention Maximus Olybius "skill with the gaseous element?"
Aidan read on and found out, that Atwood's knowledge on the topic came from a 15th century mage who had discovered the ever-burning lamp and was able to analyze it for a while, before "barbarians" of some kind destroyed it due to the value of the gold and silver components. This man, named Hermolaus Barbarus supposently was a water mage.

Of particular interest was this passage, quoting Hermolaus Barbarus:
There is a celestial, or rather a divine water of the chemists, with which both Democritus and
Trismegistus were acquainted, calling it divine water, Scythian latex, &c., which is a spirit of the
nature, of the ether and quintessence of things; ...

Does this mean, that the divine water is synonymous with nature, ethereal and quintessential magic, or does it consist of these thinks? Aidan thought. He continued and could quickly rule out the former, as other cited alchemists attributed them with various different properties.

So this were three things - Nature, Aether and Quintessence, related but with different subtexts. Does that mean, there were seven elements? Aidan wondered but then realized, that "element" was a rather vague term and it was clear, that the trinity of Nature, Aether and Quintessence was on a different level then the classical four elements. After all, Professor Aether had just this morning explained to them, that Aether was the combination of all the four classical elements, yet, as Aidan continued to read...

...Quintessence of the magi which they introduce, not as a being of speculation merely, but of experimental science; not perceptible only in mingled forms, in the common air or elementary water...

So, quintessence could be found in air and water, but in it's pures form it was only, when air and water were removed!

Aidan made a mind map of it all: He wrote Fire, Earth, Water and Air into a circle. Then added secondary elements in a slightly bigger circle. There were (besides air mages) some fire mages capable of lightning, so Lighting went between those two, Lava was obviously the crossing of earth and fire and ice was a solid water, thus he wrote it between earth and water. Light fell between water and Air, it was the only symmetrical option. "This does not make any sense!" Aidan mumbled. There had been no Water mages in the Light-manipulation course last year. He moved Light closer to Air. It wasn't pretty but he was not done yet.

He wrote down Aether, Akasha, Quintessence. And then Divine Water. Due to Professor Aether's course, he moved Aether into the middle of the square of the 4 prime elements then thought about it some more and suddenly had an idea. Dragging apart Air and Water, he opened up a gap for a pentagon. And into the last corner moved "Quintessence". That looked good. Light was labeling the Air to Quintessence edge well. He moved Divine Water to the last one and made some further annotations and drew some lines.
On the right side of his map, there was still a lot of question marks, but on the left the picture looked quite good already.


Aidan opened the book again and glimpsed over the next few pages. Atwood continued about the divine water and it's relation to Mercury and the rest of Paracelsus' alchemical ideas. He was more interested on the matter of the ever-burning light and quintessence mingled in it's aerial solution.

The book contained many references to other works but one was especially mentioned in relation to "the celestial light": "The Three Principles of The Divine Essence" by a german named Jacob Böhme.

Aidan went to the librarian again, who looked at him curiously: "So, what's it this time, young man?" she asked, obviously intrigued by the fact, that Aidan was reading into rather rare books. "The Three Principles of The Divine Essence" Aidan answered, "I think this was written in German, is there an english version, too?"
The librarian walked to a shelf and took a large folio out of it, "Author, date?" she asked and Aidan gave her the name. He only knew the book must have been written about 1600.
"Ah, it's from 1605. There are actually three translations, Sparrow (John, not Jack) 1655 and then C.J. Barker 1899 and Watkins 1910 - no wait, those are just reissues."
"Well, I saw it referenced in a book from 1850 and want to read from the same source Atwood had, so if we still have the first english issue, the one definitely not translated by a pirate."

The librarian once again went into the archive and returned after quite a while. "I've renewed the spell, protecting the paper. You know how long those spells last? Decades. Nobody cared for that one in a while it seams. It's fine paper, though. Still very readable after over 300 years."

Aidan handled the book like a fragile thing, despite the spell, that the library provided. He took it to his place and read into it. Quickly it became obvious, that the Author had not only been a mage but a very pious monk, too. He regarded his magic as a gift from God and it was hard to read, without some innate understanding for divine magic. It was an unpleasant change, he had preferred the last one, where he did not know whether Atwood's concept of "celestial" were addressing some Christian, ancient pagan or maybe some dharmic Indian concept.

He shut the book again. Aidan decided, he needed first hand experience. He remembered the girl from the sorting, that had claimed to be a clerical mage. He packed his stuff and searched for Sophia.

[Prusselanden]

"Ah, is Professor Rabbit having trouble figuring out who and what I really am?" She winked. "Just take what I've said literally. It's not that difficult to figure out, is it? Or you could do some deep research into Aetheric mages, but..." She shrugged. "Perhaps not. Not everyone is capable of dealing with such knowledge."

Rabbit simply eyed her for a moment, and then they seemed to smile under the mask. "I'm not saying I don't know...or that I can't handle whatever you're trying to say...I'm simply interested...if you're really what you say you are..." They looked away at Ruta's classroom and paused. "...Of course, you may not want to say anything to Antonius. Though that's only if you're what I think you may be..." they whispered. Of course, Tsukuyomi nearby probably wouldn't say anything, neither would Ignis. But if Ruta were to find-out...

"Does Ruta have some kind of grudge against people like her?" Ignis asked Rabbit. "Why would he be unhappy?"

[Rhomaia]

Antonius Ruta

Ruta walked from desk to desk, eyeing each student's work with curiosity. Some had more difficulty in shaping their element, namely some first years Ventas that didn't quite know how to perform their air magic that well, save for Soleil, who seemed to have it figured out. The same could be said for Annice, Aria, Henry, the sisters Kasumi and Hikari, Katelyn, and just about every upperclassman in the room. Everyone that completed the task he gave a slight nod of approval to, . For a moment he glared at the latecomer Shaun, who had evidently made his first fall into the courtyard fountain.

Once he was satisfied with most of the student's work and had given the struggling ones some encouragement and advice, he walked over to Shaun. The boy's appearance was somewhat strange to him, with his disheveled white hair and eyes that were a shade of royal purple. It heavily contrasted with Ruta's straight jet black hair and deep blue eyes, and he ended up letting out a small sigh.

"Calhoun, I'm not going to ask why you're late. Today's lesson is one the shaping of magic, and I want you to create a small amount of whatever element you wish to use. There will be no fighting today. Please get to it." he said promptly, walking back to the middle of the classroom and continuing to observe the students.

Catherine's magic was interesting: her own blood was being used in her demonstration, and she had control over it, as well as being able to lacerate her body at will. He remembered one rather reclusive mage in the Accord who was capable of the same feats, and functioned as an excellent healer. Ruta wondered how exactly she would use her talents in combat, and the thought managed to excite him.

Walking back to his desk, he spoke again, giving a second set of instructions to the students this time.

"Alright, I am seeing excellent work from almost all of you. Now, once you have completed your first task, I would like you to form a shape, or an object using the magic which you have just shown to me. This can be anything from a weapon to a symbol to something that one would find in their dorm room. If anyone needs help, just call me over."

[Luminesa]

Rabbit simply eyed her for a moment, and then they seemed to smile under the mask. "I'm not saying I don't know...or that I can't handle whatever you're trying to say...I'm simply interested...if you're really what you say you are..." They looked away at Ruta's classroom and paused. "...Of course, you may not want to say anything to Antonius. Though that's only if you're what I think you may be..." they whispered. Of course, Tsukuyomi nearby probably wouldn't say anything, neither would Ignis. But if Ruta were to find-out...

"Does Ruta have some kind of grudge against people like her?" Ignis asked Rabbit. "Why would he be unhappy?"

"...Oh, it's nothing to worry about, Ignis..." Rabbit answered, nonchalantly. Though at the same time, they put a finger to their lips, as though they were asking her to not say anything. After all, Aether was not was she seemed, and Ruta did not like people who were not what they seemed. If Ruta was to find out what Aether might be...

[Charlia]

Antonius Ruta

Ruta walked from desk to desk, eyeing each student's work with curiosity. Some had more difficulty in shaping their element, namely some first years Ventas that didn't quite know how to perform their air magic that well, save for Soleil, who seemed to have it figured out. The same could be said for Annice, Aria, Henry, the sisters Kasumi and Hikari, Katelyn, and just about every upperclassman in the room. Everyone that completed the task he gave a slight nod of approval to, . For a moment he glared at the latecomer Shaun, who had evidently made his first fall into the courtyard fountain.

Once he was satisfied with most of the student's work and had given the struggling ones some encouragement and advice, he walked over to Shaun. The boy's appearance was somewhat strange to him, with his disheveled white hair and eyes that were a shade of royal purple. It heavily contrasted with Ruta's straight jet black hair and deep blue eyes, and he ended up letting out a small sigh.

"Calhoun, I'm not going to ask why you're late. Today's lesson is one the shaping of magic, and I want you to create a small amount of whatever element you wish to use. There will be no fighting today. Please get to it." he said promptly, walking back to the middle of the classroom and continuing to observe the students.

Catherine's magic was interesting: her own blood was being used in her demonstration, and she had control over it, as well as being able to lacerate her body at will. He remembered one rather reclusive mage in the Accord who was capable of the same feats, and functioned as an excellent healer. Ruta wondered how exactly she would use her talents in combat, and the thought managed to excite him.

Walking back to his desk, he spoke again, giving a second set of instructions to the students this time.

"Alright, I am seeing excellent work from almost all of you. Now, once you have completed your first task, I would like you to form a shape, or an object using the magic which you have just shown to me. This can be anything from a weapon to a symbol to something that one would find in their dorm room. If anyone needs help, just call me over."

Kasumi's orb of water morphed quickly into a miniature version of the dancer from earlier. Playing with it a little, she made it spin in place.

---

Hikari frowned, and turned her flame into an eye.

---

Katelyn just stared at her whirlwind with a tiny glare.

The glare grew bigger.

The whirlwind slowly began to change, and then... it vanished.

Irritated, she tried again. This time she at least managed to make a visible, tiny tornado at about EF2.

[Charlia]

"Does Ruta have some kind of grudge against people like her?" Ignis asked Rabbit. "Why would he be unhappy?"

"...Oh, it's nothing to worry about, Ignis..." Rabbit answered, nonchalantly. Though at the same time, they put a finger to their lips, as though they were asking her to not say anything. After all, Aether was not was she seemed, and Ruta did not like people who were not what they seemed. If Ruta was to find out what Aether might be...

"Oh, please," Aether said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm sure not even he would try to harm one of the only three Aetheric mages in existence. We're hardly an unnatural occurrence, anyhow--just rare. Although the only way to learn about Aetheric mages is to ask one," she added with a small laugh. "Aetherics through history have influenced people so that they believe all the wrong things about aether. There's not a single source in existence that is accurate when it comes to aether, since the real facts are simply told from mage to mage. It's really an interesting process. It's also hilarious to watch people frenetically researching and finding nothing but lies."

[Luminesa]

Antonius Ruta

Ruta walked from desk to desk, eyeing each student's work with curiosity. Some had more difficulty in shaping their element, namely some first years Ventas that didn't quite know how to perform their air magic that well, save for Soleil, who seemed to have it figured out. The same could be said for Annice, Aria, Henry, the sisters Kasumi and Hikari, Katelyn, and just about every upperclassman in the room. Everyone that completed the task he gave a slight nod of approval to, . For a moment he glared at the latecomer Shaun, who had evidently made his first fall into the courtyard fountain.

Once he was satisfied with most of the student's work and had given the struggling ones some encouragement and advice, he walked over to Shaun. The boy's appearance was somewhat strange to him, with his disheveled white hair and eyes that were a shade of royal purple. It heavily contrasted with Ruta's straight jet black hair and deep blue eyes, and he ended up letting out a small sigh.

"Calhoun, I'm not going to ask why you're late. Today's lesson is one the shaping of magic, and I want you to create a small amount of whatever element you wish to use. There will be no fighting today. Please get to it." he said promptly, walking back to the middle of the classroom and continuing to observe the students.

Catherine's magic was interesting: her own blood was being used in her demonstration, and she had control over it, as well as being able to lacerate her body at will. He remembered one rather reclusive mage in the Accord who was capable of the same feats, and functioned as an excellent healer. Ruta wondered how exactly she would use her talents in combat, and the thought managed to excite him.

Walking back to his desk, he spoke again, giving a second set of instructions to the students this time.

"Alright, I am seeing excellent work from almost all of you. Now, once you have completed your first task, I would like you to form a shape, or an object using the magic which you have just shown to me. This can be anything from a weapon to a symbol to something that one would find in their dorm room. If anyone needs help, just call me over."

Soleil tried to think of something nice he could turn the small tornado into. He wasn't sure if he could actually do something like what Kasumi had done with her water. That dancing girl she was created was beautiful and perfect. He wanted to make something just like it. He closed his eyes, and he focused on trying to make something beautiful. He especially tried to focus the mana point in his head, trying to summon mana to form it into something.

Suddenly, something odd happened. White mana began to flow into the whirlwind, and began to shape it. Eventually, it became a tiny, timid creature-little fawn, all wobbly and newborn. It tried to stand carefully for a moment, and but it was very cautious about walking around. It took a few steps, as though it was trying to figure-out its surroundings.

When Soleil opened his eyes and looked at the tiny, glowing creature, his eyes widened with pleasant surprise. Not only was the creature fully-formed, but it was also beautiful, fragile, and sweet, just like he had imagined it. He took especial care to focus his mana into it, to keep it steady and calm, as it walked around his hands and up and down his wrists.

"...Hi there," he whispered to it, gently.

The tiny fawn heard him and looked up at him, slightly startled, but also curious. It then began to walk up his arms, falling over once in its lack of grace. It then walked unsteadily again, and simply sat in his hands, feeling safe there. It then laid its head down, and went to sleep in his hands. One could even see its flawless, vaguely-fluffy body rising and falling slightly, as it slept peacefully in his palms.

"...M-Mr. Ruta?" Sol whispered, not wanting to wake it.

[Prusselanden]

"Does Ruta have some kind of grudge against people like her?" Ignis asked Rabbit. "Why would he be unhappy?"

"...Oh, it's nothing to worry about, Ignis..." Rabbit answered, nonchalantly. Though at the same time, they put a finger to their lips, as though they were asking her to not say anything. After all, Aether was not was she seemed, and Ruta did not like people who were not what they seemed. If Ruta was to find out what Aether might be...

She nodded. "I understand. I won't say anything." At the same time she was worried for her own well-being. She had to be more careful around Ruta from now on...

[Luminesa]

"...Oh, it's nothing to worry about, Ignis..." Rabbit answered, nonchalantly. Though at the same time, they put a finger to their lips, as though they were asking her to not say anything. After all, Aether was not was she seemed, and Ruta did not like people who were not what they seemed. If Ruta was to find out what Aether might be...

"Oh, please," Aether said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm sure not even he would try to harm one of the only three Aetheric mages in existence. We're hardly an unnatural occurrence, anyhow--just rare. Although the only way to learn about Aetheric mages is to ask one," she added with a small laugh. "Aetherics through history have influenced people so that they believe all the wrong things about aether. There's not a single source in existence that is accurate when it comes to aether, since the real facts are simply told from mage to mage. It's really an interesting process. It's also hilarious to watch people frenetically researching and finding nothing but lies."

"...Aether...the combination of all elements put together, am I right?" they suddenly inquired, now feeling compelled to ask for the truth. "...So you are...a Mana Being, then, Aether?" they inquired, quietly. They were indeed rare, made solely from uncorrupted mana and Life Magic-the rarest and the most fragile of Magics. Yet the rarest ones were the ones who were actually sentient. Even rarer than them were Aetheric Mages with free will.

[Charlia]

"Oh, please," Aether said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm sure not even he would try to harm one of the only three Aetheric mages in existence. We're hardly an unnatural occurrence, anyhow--just rare. Although the only way to learn about Aetheric mages is to ask one," she added with a small laugh. "Aetherics through history have influenced people so that they believe all the wrong things about aether. There's not a single source in existence that is accurate when it comes to aether, since the real facts are simply told from mage to mage. It's really an interesting process. It's also hilarious to watch people frenetically researching and finding nothing but lies."

"...Aether...the combination of all elements put together, am I right?" they suddenly inquired, now feeling compelled to ask for the truth. "...So you are...a Mana Being, then, Aether?" they inquired, quietly. They were indeed rare, made solely from uncorrupted mana and Life Magic-the rarest and the most fragile of Magics. Yet the rarest ones were the ones who were actually sentient. Even rarer than them were Aetheric Mages with free will.

"...I am pure aether," she said quietly. "Technically, I am not even human. I am simply a single element given a human shape and a soul. I live, eat, sleep, breathe, as all normal humans do, but I am not one of them... hence my rather unusual appearance."

She shook her head and smiled ruefully.

"It has caused me trouble in the past... but the abilities it grants me have paid me back in full."

[New Communist and Socialist Unions]

OOC: Tagged, did the time skip happen yet?

[Luminesa]

"...Aether...the combination of all elements put together, am I right?" they suddenly inquired, now feeling compelled to ask for the truth. "...So you are...a Mana Being, then, Aether?" they inquired, quietly. They were indeed rare, made solely from uncorrupted mana and Life Magic-the rarest and the most fragile of Magics. Yet the rarest ones were the ones who were actually sentient. Even rarer than them were Aetheric Mages with free will.

"...I am pure aether," she said quietly. "Technically, I am not even human. I am simply a single element given a human shape and a soul. I live, eat, sleep, breathe, as all normal humans do, but I am not one of them... hence my rather unusual appearance."

She shook her head and smiled ruefully.

"It has caused me trouble in the past... but the abilities it grants me have paid me back in full."

"Only one element? How odd...usually I thought Mana Beings were made of all of the elements and Life Magic. I'm not sure how one would make a human-like being from only one element and Life Magic..." Rabbit answered, slightly surprised. Indeed, they had been wrong about one fact concerning Aetheric Mages.

[Charlia]

"...I am pure aether," she said quietly. "Technically, I am not even human. I am simply a single element given a human shape and a soul. I live, eat, sleep, breathe, as all normal humans do, but I am not one of them... hence my rather unusual appearance."

She shook her head and smiled ruefully.

"It has caused me trouble in the past... but the abilities it grants me have paid me back in full."

"Only one element? How odd...usually I thought Mana Beings were made of all of the elements and Life Magic. I'm not sure how one would make a human-like being from only one element and Life Magic..." Rabbit answered, slightly surprised. Indeed, they had been wrong about one fact concerning Aetheric Mages.

"Aether is all of the elements," Aether replied, "as well as life. I am simply a more enhanced form of Mana Being, if that is what you wish to call me. To most, however, I am simply... Aether."

She shrugged.

"The moniker is a fitting one, isn't it?"

[Luminesa]

"Only one element? How odd...usually I thought Mana Beings were made of all of the elements and Life Magic. I'm not sure how one would make a human-like being from only one element and Life Magic..." Rabbit answered, slightly surprised. Indeed, they had been wrong about one fact concerning Aetheric Mages.

"Aether is all of the elements," Aether replied, "as well as life. I am simply a more enhanced form of Mana Being, if that is what you wish to call me. To most, however, I am simply... Aether."

She shrugged.

"The moniker is a fitting one, isn't it?"

Rabbit nodded. "It works. It certainly doesn't give you away like the term 'Mana Being' would. Hopefully, as I said, however, Ruta will not find out...he has been fighting Magical beings for so long, I fear he has lost sight of which ones may be truly good and which ones may be truly evil..." they pondered.

[Charlia]

"Aether is all of the elements," Aether replied, "as well as life. I am simply a more enhanced form of Mana Being, if that is what you wish to call me. To most, however, I am simply... Aether."

She shrugged.

"The moniker is a fitting one, isn't it?"

Rabbit nodded. "It works. It certainly doesn't give you away like the term 'Mana Being' would. Hopefully, as I said, however, Ruta will not find out...he has been fighting Magical beings for so long, I fear he has lost sight of which ones may be truly good and which ones may be truly evil..." they pondered.

"There are literally only three Aetheric mages in existence," she repeated. "I doubt he'd run the risk of harming one of them. And even if he did..."

Her bright eyes turned dark.

"I have certain abilities that I don't think he'd want to see used against him."

[Saldinado]

Antonius Ruta

Ruta walked from desk to desk, eyeing each student's work with curiosity. Some had more difficulty in shaping their element, namely some first years Ventas that didn't quite know how to perform their air magic that well, save for Soleil, who seemed to have it figured out. The same could be said for Annice, Aria, Henry, the sisters Kasumi and Hikari, Katelyn, and just about every upperclassman in the room. Everyone that completed the task he gave a slight nod of approval to, . For a moment he glared at the latecomer Shaun, who had evidently made his first fall into the courtyard fountain.

Once he was satisfied with most of the student's work and had given the struggling ones some encouragement and advice, he walked over to Shaun. The boy's appearance was somewhat strange to him, with his disheveled white hair and eyes that were a shade of royal purple. It heavily contrasted with Ruta's straight jet black hair and deep blue eyes, and he ended up letting out a small sigh.

"Calhoun, I'm not going to ask why you're late. Today's lesson is one the shaping of magic, and I want you to create a small amount of whatever element you wish to use. There will be no fighting today. Please get to it." he said promptly, walking back to the middle of the classroom and continuing to observe the students.

Catherine's magic was interesting: her own blood was being used in her demonstration, and she had control over it, as well as being able to lacerate her body at will. He remembered one rather reclusive mage in the Accord who was capable of the same feats, and functioned as an excellent healer. Ruta wondered how exactly she would use her talents in combat, and the thought managed to excite him.

Walking back to his desk, he spoke again, giving a second set of instructions to the students this time.

"Alright, I am seeing excellent work from almost all of you. Now, once you have completed your first task, I would like you to form a shape, or an object using the magic which you have just shown to me. This can be anything from a weapon to a symbol to something that one would find in their dorm room. If anyone needs help, just call me over."

Shaun Calhoun

After the professor explained what he wanted him to do, Shaun nodded in agreement as he softly sighed. It felt like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. No fighting; for today that is. But that didn't matter to Shaun. As longs as he wasn't doing some combat or something, he was happy with whatever. "Alright." He said to Ruta as he leaned back in his chair and thought about what he wanted to do. 'I think I'll do that..' he thought to himself as he got himself situated for what he was about to do.

He was now a little more drier than before and the sun's rays were warming his body quite nicely as he quietly sighed and began his shaping. Shaun put his palms together and breathed slowly out as he began to separate them from each other; a brownish-gold color illuminated from his palms as they began to slowly form into a figure of some out of clay. After about a couple of minutes, the clay figure was becoming more and more recognizable into something that could be easily made out as an animal's body; a feline's body to be exact as Shaun moved his right hand near and far from the figure as his left hand slowly spun it around to get a full view of it.

About 5 minutes later, Shaun was mostly done with his creation. He smiled as he looked at it. "Now let's do the finishing touches." He said to himself as he finished creating the finishing touches on it. As time passed, it was now becoming clear what Shaun was making. It was a lion cub made out of clay. It stood about a foot tall at the shoulders and about 3 feet long from nose to tail. The animal was detailed down to the last whisker, claw, and tuft of fur as if one would see in the wild with a real cub. Softly placing his hand on the creature's tail, Shaun's hand glowed a soft green color as moss, lichen, and other plant material grew along the body of the beast. The tip of it's tail was a group of ferns with it's small and newly developed mane a small patch of wild flower saplings with some of them in bloom, forming tiny dots of color over it. It's eyes glowed greenish-brown as it came to life by letting out a small grow that sounded more like a chirp. "There. Now we're done." Shaun said taking a breath of relief and sitting back down in his seat.

The lion cub looked around his surrounding as he walked towards Shaun and climbed in his lap, letting out another chirp or yelp as he curled up and relaxed. "Alrighty mate." He chuckled softly. "Let's just wait for the professor I guess.". With that, Shaun and the lion cub relaxed as the sun's ray's warmed them up and watched everyone else do their project.

[Luminesa]

Rabbit nodded. "It works. It certainly doesn't give you away like the term 'Mana Being' would. Hopefully, as I said, however, Ruta will not find out...he has been fighting Magical beings for so long, I fear he has lost sight of which ones may be truly good and which ones may be truly evil..." they pondered.

"There are literally only three Aetheric mages in existence," she repeated. "I doubt he'd run the risk of harming one of them. And even if he did..."

Her bright eyes turned dark.

"I have certain abilities that I don't think he'd want to see used against him."

"I am certain. Mana Beings are often more powerful than humans. If he knew what you were, I'm sure he would move forward with caution. He would be utterly foolish not to," Rabbit agreed. They then cocked their head to the side, signifying they had another question. "Though I am curious-who are the other two? Do you know them?" they inquired.

[Charlia]

"There are literally only three Aetheric mages in existence," she repeated. "I doubt he'd run the risk of harming one of them. And even if he did..."

Her bright eyes turned dark.

"I have certain abilities that I don't think he'd want to see used against him."

"I am certain. Mana Beings are often more powerful than humans. If he knew what you were, I'm sure he would move forward with caution. He would be utterly foolish not to," Rabbit agreed. They then cocked their head to the side, signifying they had another question. "Though I am curious-who are the other two? Do you know them?" they inquired.

"I'm afraid not. They tend to be scattered across the world. I know that there used to be one who lived in Japan, and I think one might still be alive in England, although probably very old. I don't know for certain, though."

[Luminesa]

"I am certain. Mana Beings are often more powerful than humans. If he knew what you were, I'm sure he would move forward with caution. He would be utterly foolish not to," Rabbit agreed. They then cocked their head to the side, signifying they had another question. "Though I am curious-who are the other two? Do you know them?" they inquired.

"I'm afraid not. They tend to be scattered across the world. I know that there used to be one who lived in Japan, and I think one might still be alive in England, although probably very old. I don't know for certain, though."

"I see...Hopefully the Jaëgars have not hunted them all down, in their overzealousness," Rabbit answered. It did happen. The Jaëgars-the group Ruta had been involved with-had lately been lathered in bloody scandal, after reports of some high-profile cases of innocent people and magical beings being injured, mutilated, or killed in firefights had spread to Mages around the world. The cases had been kept away from the non-Magical world as much as possible, since many of them were unspeakably horrible.

One very recent one, for example, had involved an innocent, non-Magical teenage girl, who had been mistaken for a monster-in-disguise. She had been dragged away from her home in the middle of the night, and tortured for several days in a remote location, somewhere in Wyoming, of all places. A reporter then found the body buried right outside of a cave somewhere right outside of Cheyenne. Soon after, the story exploded onto several major news station, and thus the term "Jaëgar" was often seen by both Mages and non-Mages with the same amount of fear and concern.

[Charlia]

"I'm afraid not. They tend to be scattered across the world. I know that there used to be one who lived in Japan, and I think one might still be alive in England, although probably very old. I don't know for certain, though."

"I see...Hopefully the Jaëgars have not hunted them all down, in their overzealousness," Rabbit answered. It did happen. The Jaëgars-the group Ruta had been involved with-had lately been lathered in bloody scandal, after reports of some high-profile cases of innocent people and magical beings being injured, mutilated, or killed in firefights had spread to Mages around the world. The cases had been kept away from the non-Magical world as much as possible, since many of them were unspeakably horrible.

One very recent one, for example, had involved an innocent, non-Magical teenage girl, who had been mistaken for a monster-in-disguise. She had been dragged away from her home in the middle of the night, and tortured for several days in a remote location, somewhere in Wyoming, of all places. A reporter then found the body buried right outside of a cave somewhere right outside of Cheyenne. Soon after, the story exploded onto several major news station, and thus the term "Jaëgar" was often seen by both Mages and non-Mages with the same amount of fear and concern.

"It isn't my concern. If they die, they will be replaced. However, I would still prefer to keep myself intact," she said with a frown.

I could be reformed, but it would hardly be me.

[Luminesa]

"I see...Hopefully the Jaëgars have not hunted them all down, in their overzealousness," Rabbit answered. It did happen. The Jaëgars-the group Ruta had been involved with-had lately been lathered in bloody scandal, after reports of some high-profile cases of innocent people and magical beings being injured, mutilated, or killed in firefights had spread to Mages around the world. The cases had been kept away from the non-Magical world as much as possible, since many of them were unspeakably horrible.

One very recent one, for example, had involved an innocent, non-Magical teenage girl, who had been mistaken for a monster-in-disguise. She had been dragged away from her home in the middle of the night, and tortured for several days in a remote location, somewhere in Wyoming, of all places. A reporter then found the body buried right outside of a cave somewhere right outside of Cheyenne. Soon after, the story exploded onto several major news station, and thus the term "Jaëgar" was often seen by both Mages and non-Mages with the same amount of fear and concern.

"It isn't my concern. If they die, they will be replaced. However, I would still prefer to keep myself intact," she said with a frown.

I could be reformed, but it would hardly be me.

"...Yes. I know this very well..." Rabbit answered, solemnly. They had heard this from Mana Beings they have encountered, beings that have tried to protect from harm. One in particular came to their mind, now...one who wanted to die, for some reason.

"Please, allow me to protect you."

"No. There is no need for you to utilize yourself that way."

"But I do not mind it. I want to protect you."

"No. I must die, because that is the end which I must meet.."

"But why? Why are you so willing to die, when you could continue to live peacefully?"

"I am not a 'peace' being. 'Peace' is not my state of being. If I wanted to be a 'peace' being, I would have created myself as a 'peace' being. Instead, I have created myself as an 'observing' being. I exist to observe, and when I have gathered what I have gathered, I shall destroy this shell and begin again as another shell."

"But...I don't understand. Can you not be both?"

"No. To add 'peace' would be to add complications to my current being. I take a form, and when I take a form, it is set for only one function. That way, I have no challenges or complications. All is accomplished exactly as I plan it, and so I continue to exist. When I am finished with this being, I destroy that form, I wipe that form's memories clean, and I start over. I am a constant cycle of cleansing and recleansing. If I do not finish my current state of existence because of 'peace', the cycle shall be broken, and I shall cease to exist."

It was a particularly sad memory, one that neither they nor the being they had wished to protect could ever completely understand. The Mana Being never would, because she had indeed died that night, and Rabbit never would, because they were not certain of what they had felt for the being, even know. A melancholy brew of violet, blue, white, and scarlet emotions and thoughts stirred through them even now, as they considered what they had seen, heard, and felt that night.

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Antonius Ruta

Ruta walked from desk to desk, eyeing each student's work with curiosity. Some had more difficulty in shaping their element, namely some first years Ventas that didn't quite know how to perform their air magic that well, save for Soleil, who seemed to have it figured out. The same could be said for Annice, Aria, Henry, the sisters Kasumi and Hikari, Katelyn, and just about every upperclassman in the room. Everyone that completed the task he gave a slight nod of approval to, . For a moment he glared at the latecomer Shaun, who had evidently made his first fall into the courtyard fountain.

Once he was satisfied with most of the student's work and had given the struggling ones some encouragement and advice, he walked over to Shaun. The boy's appearance was somewhat strange to him, with his disheveled white hair and eyes that were a shade of royal purple. It heavily contrasted with Ruta's straight jet black hair and deep blue eyes, and he ended up letting out a small sigh.

"Calhoun, I'm not going to ask why you're late. Today's lesson is one the shaping of magic, and I want you to create a small amount of whatever element you wish to use. There will be no fighting today. Please get to it." he said promptly, walking back to the middle of the classroom and continuing to observe the students.

Catherine's magic was interesting: her own blood was being used in her demonstration, and she had control over it, as well as being able to lacerate her body at will. He remembered one rather reclusive mage in the Accord who was capable of the same feats, and functioned as an excellent healer. Ruta wondered how exactly she would use her talents in combat, and the thought managed to excite him.

Walking back to his desk, he spoke again, giving a second set of instructions to the students this time.

"Alright, I am seeing excellent work from almost all of you. Now, once you have completed your first task, I would like you to form a shape, or an object using the magic which you have just shown to me. This can be anything from a weapon to a symbol to something that one would find in their dorm room. If anyone needs help, just call me over."

Henry Von Kressel

The ball of lava slowly expanded, and molded itself to Henry's hands, forming a sort of a gauntlet. It slowly evolved in a hand support. From the middle of the hand support, a retractable spear appeared on his hand: The hilt was made of colder, more solid lava, while the top of the blade was glowing. Inside it, his small trick: It could let out a good quantity of lava, just like a poisoned fang, an idea he had while observing Glacia.

He waited for Ruta's next orders, while holding the spear.

[Charlia]

"It isn't my concern. If they die, they will be replaced. However, I would still prefer to keep myself intact," she said with a frown.

I could be reformed, but it would hardly be me.

"...Yes. I know this very well..." Rabbit answered, solemnly. They had heard this from Mana Beings they have encountered, beings that have tried to protect from harm. One in particular came to their mind, now...one who wanted to die, for some reason.

"Please, allow me to protect you."

"No. There is no need for you to utilize yourself that way."

"But I do not mind it. I want to protect you."

"No. I must die, because that is the end which I must meet.."

"But why? Why are you so willing to die, when you could continue to live peacefully?"

"I am not a 'peace' being. 'Peace' is not my state of being. If I wanted to be a 'peace' being, I would have created myself as a 'peace' being. Instead, I have created myself as an 'observing' being. I exist to observe, and when I have gathered what I have gathered, I shall destroy this shell and begin again as another shell."

"But...I don't understand. Can you not be both?"

"No. To add 'peace' would be to add complications to my current being. I take a form, and when I take a form, it is set for only one function. That way, I have no challenges or complications. All is accomplished exactly as I plan it, and so I continue to exist. When I am finished with this being, I destroy that form, I wipe that form's memories clean, and I start over. I am a constant cycle of cleansing and recleansing. If I do not finish my current state of existence because of 'peace', the cycle shall be broken, and I shall cease to exist."

It was a particularly sad memory, one that neither they nor the being they had wished to protect could ever completely understand. The Mana Being never would, because she had indeed died that night, and Rabbit never would, because they were not certain of what they had felt for the being, even know. A melancholy brew of violet, blue, white, and scarlet emotions and thoughts stirred through them even now, as they considered what they had seen, heard, and felt that night.

"..."

Aether paused, and then turned.

"You wish to help your students, do you not?"