The entire classroom remained silent. Even Brak no longer dared to speak.

The woman stood at the front of the room with her arms folded behind her back, her golden eyes moving across the students one after another like blades scanning for weakness.

Leo gazed at the woman as an unknown feeling crawled into his soul. Looking at her he could tell she was a teacher but asides that she was looking exceptionally strong. Leo could almost compare her to Yariel but no one was better than his aunt.

Finally, Brak straightened himself painfully and spoke first.

"He attacked me first."

Leo looked at him in disbelief.

"You lifted me off the ground by my neck."

Brak pointed aggressively. "Because you insulted me!"

"I asked you to move."

"You said it disrespectfully!"

"I literally said please."

A few students almost laughed before immediately suppressing it after feeling the teacher’s posture shift slightly.

The woman’s gaze moved toward Leo.

"And your response was violence."

Leo nodded honestly.

"Yes."

Silence settled into the class again. Everyone’s expression was the same — they were all stunned. Typically, one would have argued and give excuses but accepting straight up without a hint of fear was something rarely seen.

"Interesting." The woman said.

Her gaze lingered on Leo for a few seconds longer before shifting toward the shattered desk beside Brak.

"Name."

"Leo Atlantis."

"Brak Ironheart."

The moment Brak said his surname, several students reacted slightly. Leo noticed it immediately.

"Weren’t you in this class last year semester?" The woman asked Brak.

"Yes..but—"

"But you failed," she cut him off. "And the first thing you do after given a second chance is to bully new students. And you’re also bad at that also. Tch, what a waste for the Ironheart Family."

Brak gritted his teeth and clenched his fists but the woman simply tilted her neck amused by his reaction as if waiting for him to pounce on her.

No such thing happened, as the pink haired boy finally spoke. "Don’t even think about it. You’ll get hospitalized and expelled."

The woman nodded once before turning around and writing something across the black metallic board behind her.

AURA THEORY

Without turning back, she spoke.

"If either of you damages academy property again, I will personally throw you from the eastern tower."

Only after that did she finally face the class once more.

"My name is Instructor Seraphine Vale. Capricorn D’s Aura Theory instructor."

She paused briefly.

"Before we begin, understand something clearly. This academy does not care about your family names."

Her golden eyes swept across the room.

"Not your clans. Not your wealth. Not your political value."

Then her gaze landed directly on Leo.

"Once you enter this classroom, talent is the only thing that matters."

Brak quietly returned to his seat.

Leo did the same.

The pink-haired student casually sat near the window without saying a word.

Instructor Seraphine picked up one of the books from the desk.

"Now then."

She opened it slowly. "Tell me." Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"What exactly is aura?"

Not expecting a reply, she continued. "Aura is something we can’t define yet. No one knows who or what created aura but from the knowledge humanity had gathered so far, aura was never meant for Primoria."

"Instead it was meant for Asgard, Gehenna and Eldrath. Humanity only started using aura during the Age Of Astrali where we found out about the existence of other realms, traveled there and brought aura back to our world through contracts. Pacting became the foundation of modern Aura Farming. Humans formed contracts with beings connected to Aura and slowly learned how to cultivate it properly instead of letting it consume them entirely."

Instructor Seraphine calmly flipped a page of the textbook while the class listened attentively.

"Of course, the process wasn’t perfect. Early Aura Farmers were unstable, violent, and half insane most of the time. Many lost themselves before humanity even understood what Aura truly was."

A student near the back frowned slightly. "Then why continue using it?"

The woman looked at him.

"Because powerless humans die very quickly."

Leo rested his chin on his palm while listening quietly. Unlike the boring political teachings at Atlantis, this actually sounded useful.

Seraphine continued walking slowly across the classroom.

"Aura is not simply energy. That’s the first thing most ignorant people misunderstand. Aura carries intent, influence, and traces of where it originated from. The stronger the Aura, the more influence it possesses over the user."

Several students immediately stiffened.

"Relax. If Aura corrupted people that easily then half this academy would’ve lost their minds already."

Leo silently glanced at Brak.

’Some probably already have.’

Brak noticed the glance and narrowed his eyes aggressively.

Leo looked away innocently.

"Humanity eventually developed the Aura System after the appearance of the Crimson Orb in Primoria. Before then, Aura cultivation was primitive and extremely dangerous."

’Developed? Elara just brought the system from nowhere.’

He wanted to argue but he didn’t think it was a good idea since the academy might have changed most things to make the teachings healthy and fully academic.

As she spoke, she wrote several words across the board using glowing chalk formed from Aura itself.

AURA. SYSTEM. PATH. VOLUME.

"The Aura System exists to stabilize humanity’s connection with Aura. It monitors growth, compatibility, ranking, and several other factors you are not qualified to fully understand yet."

That immediately caught the classroom’s attention. Not qualified?

The students looked interested but Seraphine ignored their curiosity entirely.

"The moment you Awaken, your soul forms what is known as an Aura Core. That Core becomes the center of your cultivation and allows Aura to circulate through your body properly."

She turned toward the class again.

"Without an Aura Core, humans cannot evolve through Aura safely."

A silver-haired girl raised her hand.

"Instructor, what determines someone’s Path?"

"Compatibility."

"Compatibility with what exactly?"

"Your soul."

The instructor leaned against the desk calmly.

"Every human soul reacts differently to Aura. Some align better with Celestial influence. Others naturally lean toward corruption and become Tenebris. Some possess compatibility with elements, beasts, constructs, mental influence, or stranger things."

Her eyes briefly landed on Leo.

"And occasionally... abnormalities appear."

Several students immediately glanced toward him again.

Leo almost groaned.

’Can everyone stop staring at me like I’m diseased?’

The pink-haired student near the window lazily rested his face against his hand while observing everything silently.

"For now, all you need to understand is this," Seraphine continued. "Your Path affects your growth, Aura behavior, fighting style, and in some cases... even personality."

That line made Leo pause slightly.

He immediately remembered the strange aggression he sometimes felt during fights. Wait, he always felt aggression even before awakening.

’Arghh.’

The teacher continued before anyone could ask questions.

"The stronger you become, the deeper Aura integrates with your existence. This is why mental discipline is important for every Aura Farmer."

Brak suddenly raised his hand.

The entire class looked surprised. Even Seraphine raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Speak."

"What happens if someone loses control completely?"

"They become Condemned."

Leo knew this already so he didn’t pay much attention to it.

"Madness of Aura occurs when the soul collapses under pressure Aura was never meant to carry. Some become monsters. Others lose their sanity entirely while retaining human intelligence."

A student swallowed nervously.

"Can they be cured?"

"No."