To begin her lectures, Professor Grim didn't define aura, for she was confident any individual who had made it into this academy—and into this very course—understood what it was.

"Aura usage!"

Her calm voice, amplified through the speaker via the microphone she held, echoed throughout the lecture hall.

"How does one use Aura?"

She didn't need its definition, but its usage—because that was why they were here. So, she posed her question to the masses, seeking an answer.

"Ma'am!" A black-haired student raised his arm.

"Name and answer?"

She had the habit of rewarding the first students who answered her questions with extra credit. Taking out another notebook—this one with a white cover—she gestured for his details.

"Damien Silver," he responded, earning surprised expressions from a few of the students.

"So, he's that girl's brother!"

Jotting down his name, Grim was reminded of a certain fourth-year student currently making waves within the academy.

"So, the question was: How does one use Aura?"

"Through circulation," he answered.

If this had been the magic class, she would have asked for more elaborate details, but aura users weren't much into the technical aspect of a procedure. They were more into the practical aspect.

"Well done." She closed the book, satisfied—but it seemed the boy wasn't, as he remained standing. The silver-haired girl behind him tried to pull him down.

"Teacher, may I elaborate?"

"No extra credits will be allocated."

"It doesn't matter."

"Go on, then."

For some reason, the fierce look in his crimson eyes beamed with intelligence and a sense of determination to prove himself. With her permission, he began to voice his thoughts.

"Circulation—primarily, Aura circulation—denotes the expulsion of aura out of one's core and moving it throughout the body. It is categorized into "coating" and "reinforcement" : the former strengthens the outside of the body, and the latter the insides."

"Amazing insight!"

Professor Grim clapped, then, placing the book back within her coat, gestured at Art.

"Dagger."

Intrigued by the mention of a weapon, the students focused their burning excitement on Art, who stood up and tossed a medium-length silver dagger to Grim.

Catching it, she walked closer to the students, then—making sure all gazes were on her—took a short breath.

"I want you all to take anything—be it a pen or even a book—and follow my instructions."

Waiting for them to prepare, she glanced at Art, who was tapping the face of the sleeping pink-haired elf beside him.

She wanted to tell him it was useless—how problematic that student was—but strangely, she did not wish to discourage him. He seemed to have a way with his words, so she decided to leave it to him and, from now on, focus on the attentive students.

"Now, close your eyes!"

---

Taking out the sword badge on her chest, Valerie kept her hold on it with her fingers and closed her eyes under Professor Grim's instructions.

"Now, clear your mind of all thoughts and visualize the following words of mine."

With her eyes closed, her other senses seemed to amplify in the process, filling her mind with anxiety as she was faced with darkness.

She hated the darkness. She feared it—because every time she saw and experienced it, she remembered how her parents were dragged into that darkness.

[Val… Val… Val…]

Their cries seemed to cling to her, their faces devoid of life flashing within her mind.

She saw the building she once called home, now raging with intense flames. She saw her mother—once a warrior—pick up her blade, watching in horror as the head of her husband was cracked open by a hand extending out from the entrance of the house.

She felt sorrow and nausea, her heart pounding with fear, her body growing cold, and her balance unstable.

She felt fear—her mother feeling the same as she thrust an injured boy into her arms and gazed back at her with a terrified look.

"Run…" she shouted, the burning flames in the background illuminating her dread.

"No matter what, run… Never look back… He'll take care of you. So please, don't…"

Her words were cut short—because any more talking would be dangerous. She had passed her intention to her, and now she just needed to buy time for her escape.

Valerie would never forget the scene of her mother charging at the distorted silhouette within the burning building—her mournful cries, her silver flowing hair fluttering behind her, and most of all, the brilliant golden light that infused her sword as she disappeared into the darkness—and soon, the abyss.

"M…om."

In the end, those cries of hers were left unheard by her mother, whom she never saw again.

"I can't do this."

Quickly opening her eyes, the familiar scene of the lecture hall filled her sight as she sighed in relief, watching the other students trying to visualize what Professor Grim was saying.

"Firstly, imagine a maze… a pattern of complicated paths, but not an exit—just an entrance."

Some expressed confusion, knitting their brows in the process.

"Now, visualize a door at the entrance, keeping a sea of water from flooding the maze."

"The maze is now your body, the sea is your aura, and the door is your authority."

"Now, with all that visualized, picture a scenario where the door is opened—but carefully, to prevent a rush. Just open it slowly, gradually letting in small quantities of water, repeating and repeating until every crack and space within the maze has been flooded."

Right as the professor finished, a surge of colorless energy began to slowly engulf the bodies of Trish and Damien—and soon, almost the whole class, with the exception of Valerie and a few others.

"Good!"

Opening her eyes to see the ghostly aura emitting from her students, Grim nodded in satisfaction and soon held her dagger forward.

"Finally—until now, before classes end—I want you all to apply the same scenario to coat the objects in your hand with aura."

Since today was the very first day some would officially begin circulating aura, she didn't have high expectations. She just wanted them to familiarize themselves with it.

Of course, some people really had a way of surprising others.

The granddaughter of the Sword Saint effortlessly performed coating on her pen, and the son of the famous vampire hunters, Damien, easily imitated her achievement. Of course, compared to Trish, Damien's foundation was still quite weak—evident by how his coating flickered back and forth—but Grim knew after a few more trials, he'd be a master.

With everything said and done, almost everyone had more or less achieved circulation—but the keyword was almost.

Three individuals had not participated in her exercise. Two didn't bother with it—which she ignored, because one was already repeating a year, and the other seemed to have long grasped the concept of circulation.

As for the last one… she seemed to have problems that Grim considered needed to be addressed.

"Another round of problematic students…"

Spinning the dagger in her grasp, she leaned against the podium with a distant gaze.

"…another year of unpredictable incidents."

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