Chapter 206 - Lacrymae

Faustina's mind is in the clouds.

At least, that was what the closest she could say for herself. She was in Professor Ramsha's class; Professor Ramsha Colt, the instructor for Elemental Theory, whose personality was considerably shy and timid as it is, made it more impossible for Faustina to pay attention to.

Faustina stared at her notebook which was filled with scribbles from last night.

Right… she didn't have the time to sleep.

She stared at the sketch of her very own staff. Maybe it was because of the lack of sleep, but she was able to see the color even with only having the ink-black in the white paper in actuality.

"Weird," she murmured.

"Now then, class…" Professor Ramsha started. "Let us summon your staves."

The professor then thumped her staff to the floor three times, which then summoned an enormous magical hex—and from that magic circle, staves and wands came out and drifted to their owners.

As Faustina received hers, she was only able to stare at its gem.

Its broken, cyan gem.

"Alright then, everyone." The professor exclaimed as he swings his staff to the air. A magic circle which was the size of the room then appeared to the floor. It was the same as the one that she had seen in the exam, right before they were teleported into the dungeon.

"Prepare yourselves," Professor Ramsha Colt exclaimed as he smiles at the students before he thumped the end of his wooden staff to the eye of the hex, which then sent the entirety of the place alight. Faustina felt that odd feeling again as if she was being dragged somewhere else by the light.

**

Leviticus slowly opened his eyes, looking at the vicinity. It was still morning, so it was considered a bit cold. The grass was also damp and was sweet-smelling. Leviticus scanned the place. It was like they were in an arena.

"This is the colosseum," said the professor. "Usually, we use this at extensive activities that require space. And as you all can see, you aren't the only students here."

Leviticus then glanced around, seeing others who were one by one arriving in a crowd.

"Wait, different Ianuas?"

"What, really?"

It was true. There are different Ianuas here—but strangely, only one section per Ianua is present, based on their numbers.

Leviticus glanced towards the last to arrive—and it wasn't just him who set their eyes to them.

Everyone else.

"That's…"

"…the first Ianua," Leviticus exclaimed.

Unlike the others, the first Ianua has only one section which is comprised of a few, selected students. Appearing before all of them were the selected twenty students of Magierstadt—the elites; the first-year students of Ianua I.

Leviticus could mark familiar faces, such as Chastity Beverly, who won the elemental race by defeating the hermit and getting the ticket to the first Ianua. He met her eyes. Leviticus lifted his forearm as if to wave, but she averted her eyes after making eye contact.

"I have gathered everyone here for a single activity." Professor Ramsha announced. "We, Professors, have arranged the classes of every section; and this class is all the 1-As,"

"The task is as follows. It is to test the strength of your compatibility in every element. With that, we can take corrective actions and suggestions on how to improve your magic."

"U-um, how can we know which element we're using or very compatible with, professor?" Asked one of the professors.

"I assume all of you, by this time, were given assignments by Professor Lotus Madne in Alchemy, right?" Professor Ramsha asserted. "The compatibility is based on the research you've conducted on your mediums."

Leviticus then glanced towards Faustina, who was gripping her staff tightly.

'I wonder what's the information she found out that night?' Leviticus asked himself as he stares at her.

**

The activity started with the students testing each of their compatibility among the elements. Ezekiel's classmates were also doing the activity, but he was looking at one, specific person among the crowd.

Faustina Feuerlon.

She wasn't wielding her staff—she was only staring at it.

"Ezekiel?"

Ezekiel then glanced at the person who spoke. He smiled. "Yes, Chastity?"

"Can you help me with observing which element I'm compatible with?"

On Ezekiel's peripheral vision, he sees his other classmates eyeing Chastity Beverly with sheer disbelief in their eyes. Some with indifference, and others with contempt.

Chastity was the one with the poorest performance among all of them, after all.

"I…" Chastity blushed. "I've got no one wanting to help me observe my performance."

Professor Ramsha announced that students must work in pairs in recording their performances. They also didn't limit it to only finding partners in their classes. Ezekiel has seen many that went to intermingle with other Ianuas and pairing up with them.

Ezekiel smiled.

"Alright, then."

Chastity brightened. "Really? Thank you, Ezekiel!" She then leaned to him and then wrapped her arms around his back. Ezekiel himself didn't see this coming.

"That girl…"

"The audacity."

Chastity flinched, hearing these statements. She then drew away from Ezekiel, blushing still. Ezekiel only smiled.

And then again, amethyst eyes found chocolate-brown ones. In Ezekiel's opinion, they were almost amber.

Ezekiel's smile faded as he sees a familiar, young man approaching Faustina.

**

"Do you have a partner?"

Faustina snapped from her thoughts as she turned to the one who then stood in front of her.

"Anakin," Faustina said in surprise. "You don't have a partner yet?"

"Well, I don't. Leviticus' partner is Michelle, so there's that," Anakin said.

"But I'm pretty sure other girls are waiting for you to ask them…" Faustina then glanced at the girls from higher Ianuas.

Anakin only smiled. "I still want to be with you."

Faustina stared at Anakin and then smiled as well. She then glanced at Anakin's staff.

"Why don't you go first?" Faustina asked.

"Alright," Anakin exclaimed as he tightened his grip around his staff, which had a ruby gem on its peak. Faustina noted that Anakin was said to be most compatible with the fire element and also water—two opposing attributes. Faustina then observes as Anakin conjures a magical hex—it was warm in color, and the inscriptions on it were also pertaining to the element fire.

"Ignis!" Anakin then conjured a spell which was enough to draw everyone's attention.

"Whoa… would you look at that."

"How is he in the last Ianua? You can easily pass for the second Ianua with that,"

"Ah, I heard he tried to frame a girl… that girl."

"The one who's with him?"

Faustina noted the attributes of the fire and how much its radius and strength was. Clearly, such skill doesn't fit in the sixth Ianua, which makes the students draw their attention to the two of them.

"Now then," Anakin exclaimed. "Aqua!"

A water spell then was used, taking the appearance of a water orb which was almost the size of the fire spell that Anakin conjured a while ago.

"Hmm," Faustina began to write down. 'Unlike his fire spell, he has less control over the water,'

Droplets of water were pouring down. Anakin then swings his staff upwards, having the water evaporate to the skies. He panted afterward as he finishes and wraps up the spell.

"H-how was that?" Anakin asked, wiping the sweat in his forehead.

"It was good," Faustina said. "You have quite a good command to both spells. I think you can refine your water spell more, though."

"Thanks," Anakin exclaimed.

The two of them then conducted many other spells that check for the compatibility and such. It didn't take a while after Anakin finished with the assessment.

"How did I do?" Anakin asked.

Professor Ramsha gave a template they would fill in depending on the results that correlate to the reference, "you did great."

Anakin smiled as he stares at Faustina. "Want to rest for a while?"

Faustina nodded, and then the two headed to the seats in the colosseum.

--

"Are you alright?" Anakin asked, the moment the two of them sat down.

"Don't worry," Faustina exclaimed, despite her chaotic thoughts.

Anakin didn't look convinced. He stared at Faustina whose smile didn't look to be the same as usual. He marveled at the thought that perhaps she was sick, or there was something or someone else bothering her.

Faustina then blinked as she felt a palm draping around her forehead.

"You don't seem to have a fever," Anakin said as he pressed his other hand to his forehead as well.

Faustina chuckled.

"I really am alright," Faustina answered with a smile. "I just didn't have much sleep today." Faustina lies; she didn't sleep at all.

"I've heard from Leviticus you were doing the assignment in alchemy last night," Anakin exclaimed. "Did you have a hard time?"

Faustina stares.

"I did,"

Anakin only stared at Faustina, whose eyes look distant as she stares down at the students conjuring spells and doing the activity.

"Did you find out what your gem is?" Anakin asked, knowing for a fact that Faustina's staff is different—in fact, too different from the rest. A staff with a broken, cyan gem.

"I did," Faustina answered.

"I see." Anakin stares at the gem which Faustina's fingers tentatively caressed.

"' Lacrymae'," Faustina asserted, eyes deep in thought.

"Lacrymae?"

Faustina stared at the skies.

"The name of this gem."