Couple of weeks passed and Alphonse continued to further his studies here in Royal Biblia Academy, trying to figure out what he really is, but most importantly, how to control these unstable powers of his. Speaking of how unstable his powers were, his slight reputation of fear has exponentially increased to an amount. For a brief moment of grace, ever since he had left his shitty apartment life in Great Britain, his situations of having his hands randomly explode had seemingly become less frequent.

Well, things weren't that easy it seemed. Just a few days after his first class, having also gone to his basic alchemy class with his professor, Asami Lilith, things had already begun to go awry. During one of the classes, learning the concept of equivalent exchange, something pinnacle and important in the concept of alchemy, his powers had once again caused trouble, grasping one of the materials in hand before they were incinerated completely and the black-haired teen was sent across the classroom.

Normally, this would cause laughter among the students, seeing this uncanny behavior happening to one of their peers was simply just not common to happen around here. Even if this academy was an esteemed magic school, it was usually very rare for something of a strange caliber to happen here. But if anything, the students were merely frightened. They worried for the partner he had been put with, who was nearly hit by the blast zone of the explosion, but they also worried for themselves if they concerned themselves with the radius. They began to fear for their lives if the radius could grow larger than the initial one they had seen. Anything that was caught in the radius of the explosion zone were reduced to basically atoms at this point, a small bit of Alphonse's desk having been destroyed by it. It was something to be alarmed of, obviously, but the Headmaster had paid no attention to it. He had been receiving complaints to have Alphonse removed from the school, but he obviously didn't. The boy was here under his protection, the only time he can expel him if his results to control his powers have been unsatisfactory.

But it had only been a few weeks of school for him, so naturally, Headmaster Biblia had given Euclidus leniency into this regard of what sort of commotion he causes. However, that time may be drawing near to an end, the evaluation coming soon in about another week or so. About time for Alphonse Euclidus to begin his special training under a special witch.

Cecilia Lucifuge, the Supreme Magus.

---

A yawn escapes the young Euclidus's mouth, the exhausted young man trudging down the hall whilst also ignoring the terrified gazes of the other students, some of them trying to puff out their chests and look intimidating. However, growing up with such a shitty life before and locked in rough patches beforehand, as well as being berated and physically abused a bit by previous employers, this was honestly much more pleasant. Most would usually not even acknowledge he was even there back home in England.

But in any case, he was continuing down the corridor and turning the next corner that would lead to the Headmaster's office, as he had been called there after his basic magics class with Professor Alzano. Even if he wasn't doing well on the social ladder of statuses, that didn't change his abundant curiosity and excitement to learning this world of magic he has now entered in. A breath of fresh air to his once terrible life to a more livable one, one where he can actually be at ease and actually spend time doing something he wants to further himself into. Something to actually devote himself to.

Besides, the social ladder wasn't something of importance. Aside from his studies, it seemed he had made an acquaintance in the form of fellow second-year, Akio Fudou. He won't lie, the "eccentric" behavior of hers was something he wasn't used to. She was rather cheerful, mostly gung-ho, and one of the most happy smiles he's seen on a person. Most people in Great Britain held neutral looks or had quite the scowl on, and usually they weren't interested in going out to socialize with people unless it was with good friends by heading down to the local pubs and what not. Even then, the only time when people were obligated to talk was during their jobs. Alphonse didn't really receive much kindness, at least, not to the extent that Akio gives. Perhaps there were people who were actually kind in the UK, but he had rarely met any fellows who were like that. Maybe it was because of the city he grew up in, Manchester, as he didn't really get much outside of the city. Didn't get to go to any other cities like London, Liverpool, or Leicester.

In any case, he was glad to have moved out of Manchester. Certainly, the architecture was very beautiful, something he could note down. Buildings based on the gothic medieval of the 1300s to 1400s, along with being incorporated of structures of the modern day, Manchester having turned into one of Britain's most urbanized cities, having been industrialized during the industrial revolution in the 1800s. Manchester is considered to be the first urbanized city in the world during that time period. But with the city being one of the most urbanized and industrial centered cities, the streets were quite dirty. Some mud and dirt stuck in the gutter, rainfall would come in every now and then, grime stained walls, and the smell of ash and smoke from the many facilities that were in use. Manchester was still a fine place to live in. He's found time to explore the city and he was fascinated by the beautiful sights there were to see, along with some other touristy areas to attend. Numerous fine arts galleries littered the city, rich with musical and artistic culture all around, already the city was captivating by the architecture alone, added with the fact that it also hosted by popular Premier League football clubs. However, those were in Greater Manchester, and Alphonse's financial standing at the time was mostly at an all time low so he lived in the lower ends of the city. But that didn't stop him from getting to know which city was in, considering that some of the jobs he had worked in were in Greater Manchester.

However, enough of the reminiscing of his poor beginnings in life. Alphonse flicked out his phone and checked the time. It was the late afternoon, just ten minutes after his basic magics class with Professor Alzano. He figured he had been dilly dallying long enough, so he decided to pick up his pace, the clicking of his penny loafers becoming more vivid in hearing.

Fixing his hair, as he had quite a bit of bed head from it, Alphonse was about to turn the corner. But he soon heard the quick footsteps of penny loafers coming from the corner as well, noting how that person seemed to be in a hurry due to their running footsteps. Both persons turned the corner and collided with one another, Alphonse letting out a grunt whilst the other let out a high-pitched yelp.

He stumbled backward, however, he was able to catch himself from falling. The young Euclidus sighed in annoyance, but shrugged this little predicament off. This wasn't the first time he's been in such a situation, most of the time the other person that bumped into him literally exploding into his face right about now. For now, he shook his head and extended a helping hand down to the fallen student, now having gotten a good look at the person.

It was a she. Just his luck, the second person he runs into during this school is another girl, aside from those who don't try to approach him at all. It was a beautiful young girl, about a year older than him. Maybe eighteen or so. She has long flowing blonde hair tied into twin pigtails, dazzling purple eyes that were lighter than the color of amethyst, and a well-developed body. But Alphonse paid no attention to those features, unlike other boys with lecherous attitudes, he was solely focused on helping the girl. The girl in question was in a bit of a daze, rubbing her head a little as she let out a slight moan, most likely due to her sudden impact onto the checkered patterned marble flooring.

Though, she soon looks up and notices Alphonse's extended hand down to her. By now, the black-haired teen was thinking she'd run off screaming by now, however, much to his surprise, she sort of looked up at him with a starry-eyed expression, a look of fascination on her face as she instantly shot up in a burst of energy. He was taken aback by this and looked at her nervously, unsure of how to act in this situation while the girl merely pointed her index finger at him.

"Those grey eyes, that black hair, and that spiky black hair...!" She first started.

"Uh..." Alphonse was simply confused.

"But... You don't look scary at all," she muttered. "Not from all the rumors I've been hearing..."

Alphonse cleared his throat. "Um, can I help you, Miss...?"

"Oh, right. Introductions are in order," the girl agreed. "The name is Lieselotte Sherlock. But you can call me Liese."

"Right... I'm—"

"And you're Royal Biblia's Menace!"

"...Huh?" He looked at her dumbfounded. What the hell kind of epithet was that?

However, the girl, Lieselotte, looked perplexed. "But now that I've gotten a good look at you, you don't look like a menace at all... Were people exaggerating?"

"Look, I think there's been some misunderstandings—"

"If anything, you're much cuter than a menace," she interrupted, the boy in front of her taken aback by the brief compliment. "Your grey eyes goes well with your black hair, you certainly have a pretty handsome face..." She soon began to feel his muscles under his clothing. "And you're certainly built enough, too..."

"Uh-huh... Can you please let me go now? I'm kind of busy with something."

"Hey, what classes are you in? Are you a first-year? Second-year? Third, even? What type of magic do you specialize in? Have you discovered your Thema yet? What's your Magus Mode look like? Can you show me? Want to go out some time?" Liese began to bombard him with questions.

"C-Can you please slow down with the questions?" The black-haired teen sweat dropped. "And first off, before I start answering them, shouldn't I give you my name first?"

Liese hummed. "You don't act like a brute, you're pretty polite, but you do hold an intimidating stature, that much is for certain... You really are quite different from the rumors I've been hearing about."

The boy let out a deep sigh, "Anyway, my name is Alphonse Euclidus. But you can just call me Alphonse. Though, I'm not sure whether to consider this first interaction of ours a pleasure or not."

"I know a way that can be considered a pleasure.~" She winks at him, pushing her chest up against his arm.

But Alphonse was unfazed by this. He simply removed his arm from the crevice of where her two mounds bridged before gently pushing her away slightly. Liese pouted a little, a bit surprised that her little tactic didn't actually work on him. A lot of boys his age would easily be swayed by such a thing, as who knows how perverted their minds were. But still, the blonde mage in training could sense a great deal of magic emanating within the black-haired boy in front of her. Though, noticing how nervous he was and hearing the rumors, hearing how uncontrollable with his powers is, she could tell he had barely even tapped into its potential.

And besides, it seems like some actual interesting things might happen if she hung around with him more. He seemed different from all the others here, not just another pretty face to look at. She could tell that he was also here at this school with a certain drive to find out something. She, too, was attending this school with a particular drive, wanting to become a more powerful mage and seek out all sorts of techniques and abilities. But what she was sensing from him did make her interested in him.

Perhaps she could entertain herself for a while by being stuck with him for a bit.

Giggling to herself, Liese crept up to him in a rather cutesy way. Tilting her head slightly, flipping her hair a little as she leaned forward to show a bit of her curvatures some more, she offered the boy a smile.

"Now that we've introduced each other, might you answer my questions again?" She proposed. "What classes are you in? You're a second-year?"

"Yeah, that's right," Alphonse nodded. "In Magic Basics with Professor Alzano and Beginnings to Alchemy with Professor Lilith," he responded to her questions.

"I see, I see..." Liese hummed. "Shame. I'm not in any of those. But perhaps we can see each other around the school, yeah?"

"Uh, sure, I guess," he shrugged. "But why? Considering you've heard the rumors about me, shouldn't you be avoiding me at all costs?"

"Why should I be? Because of baseless accusations such as those?" Liese snorted in a playful way. "Basing things off of rumors isn't the best way to define someone, right? Not all of them could be true."

"I suppose so."

She laughed and nudged him, "Well, I've got to run and meet with my younger sister in the library. I'll see you around, Alphonse.~"

She prances off, Alphonse staring at Liese's retreating figure down the hall before she evidently turns the corner. He stared at the direction for a few more seconds before he huffs under his breath. What a strange girl is the thought that circulated his mind. He didn't think he'd meet another person that would think otherwise of him. Acting all scared or anything like that.

He soon hurried down the hall and continued on toward the Headmaster's office. That little interaction with the girl had made him late.

But even still... Lieselotte Sherlock. What a peculiar girl.

---

Her fiery amber orange gaze was fixated on the Headmaster of Royal Biblia Academy, quite the scowl on her face as she merely tapped her arm with her black laced glove repeatedly. Annoyance ridden in her eyes, her stare alone could probably set someone on fire if you were to piss her off. Normally this would spell doom for anyone that did such a thing.

Despite catching the ire of the blonde witch in front of him, Master Biblia sipped on his chamomile tea that he had prepared himself, lazing away at a grimoire he was reading, clearly ignoring the woman's annoyed stare and the very important paperwork and documents that were next to him. Master Biblia was considered one of the most powerful Magus' in the world, and still is, and yet he had quite the lax attitude when it regarded more pressing matters to attend to. Then again, to him, right now, time wasn't of the essence and he would rather spend however he pleased. And that time was spent reading his delightful little grimoire, possibly learning new spells or just reading it for the hell of it.

The woman was the first to break the silence, "Hey, old geezer. Where the hell is the kid? I thought you told him to be here on the dot?"

"I did," Master Biblia casually replies, not even sparing her a glance. "But you should know, Cecilia, he is still a new student. It wouldn't be surprising if he was late and still hadn't gotten the layout of the school in his head."

"From what you told me, he's already been here for more than a couple of weeks. That's more than enough time to recognize the layout of this academy."

"Come now, no need to be so hostile, Cecilia. Just give him ten more minutes."

A tick mark appeared on her head. "You said that ten minutes ago. And who said I was being hostile?"

Master Biblia chuckled, "Then might I ask you to halt your magic? It's seeping out that it might as well burn this whole entire room down."

"I haven't an idea of what you mean." She feigned innocence. It looked like she was on the verge of exploding.

Though before she could act on that, a knock on the door was soon heard behind her. Master Biblia cleared his throat and announced for the person to come in, the door being pushed open and walking in was Euclidus, putting a hand to his hair and running it a bit as if he was combing it. A few tufts of his hair were a bit unaligned so he decided to fix it to look the least bit presentable. But the boy stopped short when he noticed the new face in the room, growing a bit uncomfortable by her intense gaze as she seemed to be scanning him up and down, taking a gander at his appearance. He's had people stare at him like this before, but her gaze felt like it was some sort of piercing laser beam from one of those sci-fi movies he's seen.

It wasn't borderline terrifying, but definitely unnerving due to how long this woman had been staring at him. With an uninterested gaze, however, Cecilia turned to the Headmaster of the academy and pointed her thumb to the black-haired teen. Alphonse couldn't help but shuffle in his spot slightly.

"Is this him?"

"Yes."

She sighed, "How unimpressively underwhelming. I was expecting more to be honest."

Master Biblia chuckled, "Must you really downplay my student, Cecilia? I can assure you, this boy is more than meets the eye. He is quite remarkable."

"We'll see. If he has nothing to prove, then you forget about him ever being a promising Magus." Cecilia scoffed.

Alphonse finally spoke up, "I'm sorry, am I missing something? Who is she? What the hell is she going on about?"

"It's exactly what I'm saying, kid."

The boy only grumbled. Who was she to judge him for his talent on being a Magus?

Sure, his current talent was quite lackluster, he had to admit that, and the only thing he was capable of was having things explode in his hands, but he couldn't even do that on command. Compared to everyone else in this school, he had barely begun to improve on his abilities, even more so to learn any new spells. Well, he has learned a little bit, the development of different chants and figuring out which words to pair them up with to get the desired effect of it was a little bit difficult. But he hadn't even discovered what his Thema was supposed to be. Whatever that was, anyway. He's even heard bits and pieces of something called Archives, but he was currently in beginner studies of magic, so he could only think that study of magic was a more advanced thing. But still, even if he is currently considered the worst student in the academy, he still had a drive, a certain fire in him to learn and prove himself.

Alphonse sighed internally, however, noting how he did come off as a bit rude when he came in. The least he could've done was introduce himself to the new woman that had shown up. He wasn't necessarily taught the right amount of etiquette back home, considering he was surrounded by nothing but assholes and shirt birds everywhere, and he told himself that he would be better than those. Better to start off on the right foot than the wrong one.

Rubbing the back of his head and looking away sheepishly, he cleared his throat. "Sorry, just... Prickly over what people assume of me. People often have low expectations of me..."

Cecilia merely stayed silent, staring at the boy with a piercing gaze. Alphonse cleared his throat again.

"Anyway... My name is—"

"Alphonse Euclidus," Cecilia interrupts. "I know. The old geezer told me everything I need to know about you."

"He... Did?"

"Yes, he did."

The boy falls silent. Cecilia's piercing gaze continued, scanning him up and down, seemingly still evaluating him. He only wondered what was going through her mind.

At first, Cecilia didn't think much of the black-haired teen in front of her. Alphonse Euclidus, a boy of English European descent, has a bit of a unique look to himself. Somewhat wavy, spiky black hair with grey streaks to them, lightly grey colored eyes that were lit up with confidence and a spark of optimism, but small hints of sadness and emptiness. She didn't know much, aside from the Headmaster telling him that he was living much worse than most people should. A tall young man that did seem to have some manners and etiquette to him, dressed properly in the uniform despite his physical appearance that made him look intimidating.

Silently, she walked up to him and stood side by side, however, not sparing a single glance to him. She soon spoke to him in a low whisper, the words being said to him almost making it so a chill had run down his spine.

"The Headmaster may have seen something special inside of you, but I don't see a lick of why he does. At least, not yet. So until then, you're nothing more than the trash he found you from. Got that?"

He gulped down his saliva, but he tried his best to keep his composure, able to keep his body from shaking and made no sign of physical vulnerability from it. Cecilia eyed him, which elicited a small, but unnoticeable smirk on her face. He was doing well to keep himself calm and collected, not doing anything that made him burst out from a fit of rage of sorts like he did before when he first arrived. He seemed to be cool and level headed.

First test passed. Cecilia wasn't going to take on a student who would blow up from any form of provocation, or anything to be provoked from.

It can be a good thing to be prideful, yes, but being prideful can lead to one's downfall, and sometimes, be a bane more than a boon. Either way, Alphonse passed the first test of hers. Not many do pass this one, and Cecilia has taken on very few apprentices in the first place. Her last apprentice was Lorenz.

She soon patted his shoulder and began making for the lavishly lacquered, dark colored doors behind him. "Well, we'll find out what your mettle is really worth. Let's go."

Master Biblia mused to himself, chuckling quietly as he eyed Alphonse's star-struck, but worried expression. "You needn't worry yourself, young Euclidus. I doubt she'll go very rough on you, so look forward to her tutelage. She's one of the best I know of."

"R-Right..." Alphonse couldn't help but remain worried.

---

A brief short walk down the hall and turning a couple of corners, both Alphonse and Cecilia arrived in front of an office door, the blonde witch pushing herself through it and marching in, the black-haired teen soon awkwardly shuffling in behind. But as soon as he walked in, however, he was quite surprised at the large spatial area that this room contained, the room nearly as large as an entire classroom. The boy couldn't help but wonder why this woman would need an office as large as this, considering that the room was especially empty, save for the lectern that was remotely in the center of the room.

The grey-eyed teen staggered a little, "Uh... Is this the right place to begin training?"

Cecilia only turned her head around slightly, an orange glint set off in the eye that stared at him. "Yes. This is the right place." She had replied rather sharply, a tone as nearly as icy and cold, quite the opposite of the fiery orange gaze she had.

"Okay... So, then. What's the first order of business?"

The Supreme Magus made no inch of conversation, merely walking toward the lectern and standing behind it. Placing both hands on the wooden stand, taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth and began muttering something. A chant of sorts.

Soon, a tome appeared on the lectern, surrounded by a magical aura as the room began to vibrate a little. Alphonse didn't even have time to comprehend what was happening, only for him to shake and lose his balance a little before he caught himself. The walls and flooring around him all began to peel away like wrapping paper on presents, a shuffling noise being vividly echoed as the pages of the tome began to violently scroll through its contents. For a brief moment, young Euclidus had closed his eyes, the rushing and howling wind that had surrounded him prevalently being the only thing that he could hear, like he was stuck in some torrential storm in a tropical place.

And as soon as he opened his eyes, he marveled at the sight, an awestruck moan escaping his lips as he gandered at the sight in front of him. Never in his wildest dreams, never thinking that his eyes would come face to face, beholden at the sight of himself floating in the starry night sky. Or something like that. One could call this a dreamscape, or some sort of astral plane, or some other higher plane of existence. Of course, the boy realized that he was currently in the moment of study, turning back to his teacher, who was sitting in a newly formed stone throne, sitting upon it with elegance and poise, fitting for someone who was essentially of nobility. Though Cecilia, on the other hand, stared at the young man with a stone cold face, on the inside, her heart warmed itself dearly. Watching him marvel at the sight before him made Alphonse look like he was some sort of kid in a candy store. Perhaps that isn't the correct analogy to compare it to, more so like it that he was amazed at the wondrous sight of the wilderness, say like a unique landform in a foreign land. It reminded her of a time that was about more than ten years ago, back when she was still teaching Lorenz. Those currently bored dark eyes of her former protégé looked rather excited and happy during that moment of her life, having discovered the first time of being able to activate a magic circle, running his mana through the circuits and watching as the mercury circle lit up with beautiful and bright colors. But reminiscing wasn't important right now.

Clearing her throat, Cecilia looked at him expectedly. "Now, then. First off, show me what you do know. How much have you learned so far?"

"Uh, not a whole lot, actually," Alphonse replied, his words stumbling in the beginning. "Really just some basic chants and with other mentions of things like Thema and Archives."

"What the hell has Lorenz been teaching you if you only know that much?" Cecilia groaned, muttering to herself.

"Umm..."

"No matter. Show me a couple of chants. So I can get a measure of how much your power is."

"R-Right." Alphonse took a deep breath and turned to the side. "Thunder sprites, pay heed, and strike with your electric shock."

Saying the lines for Shock Bolt, a purple magic spell formed in his hand, a slight thundering roar being heard as a purple electric lightning bolt was emitted. Zapping the open air, it crackled to an average degree, Cecilia able to feel some of the sparks emanating from his palm. However, near the end of the spell, the output power of the Shock Bolt plummeted, ending with a rather pitiful short fuse at the end, making Alphonse surprised as it looked nothing like the one his professor performed a couple of weeks ago. Because of the plummeted output he displayed, Alphonse felt a bit flustered, and a bit of fear welling up within him, feeling that his new teacher would be disappointed in him.

Jogging his memory up, he tried to remember another chant he was taught back in the basic magics class. If not lightning, how about fire?

"Explosive flame, pay heed, and strike true with your everlasting glow."

This time, another purple magic circle formed in his hand. Instead of a purple electricity bolt, however, it was now a ball of purple flame. Well, normally, the ball of flame would be much larger and look deadlier, but the size ratio of the flame was much smaller in comparison to what it would normally look like. Its normal size would be much comparable to that of a basketball, and the one that Alphonse had cast could be comparable to that of a baseball. It didn't help that when it reached the far end of a certain area, where the spell struck a barrier, the explosion radius and area-of-effect of the magic was rather pathetic looking.

He looked back to her rather sheepishly, "Uh... Usually they don't look like that..."

"Indeed. They usually don't." Cecilia still kept her stone-cold, icy look. She, however, soon sighed and stood up, "No matter. There are other ways to test one's magical strength."

"Really? How so?"

With a snap of her fingers, the astral-like plane of existence ceased to exist, the room returning to the normal empty office it once was before. Well, normal wouldn't be the precise thing to say, Alphonse taken aback that the office was actually now smaller in size, similar to that of Headmaster Biblia's.

A shiny dark oak table that was a bit off-centered, a little bit more close to the back of the room with bookshelves and another small desk that had some trinkets and framed pictures sitting atop of it. A small lamp that rested on the desk, a purple velvet shade that covered the lightbulb, shining the light down onto Cecilia's desk, the light reflected off the metallic gold plaque that had her name on it. Magic certainly had its wonders if a classroom-sized office could just then shrink down to a proportionate-sized one with desks and cupboards and other things that lined the office room.

Heading to a nearby storage compartment that was relatively close to the desk, Cecilia opened and reached down into it before she eventually pulled out a pitcher of liquid mercury. Another snap of her fingers and the room shifted once more, returning back to the empty room from previously.

"Whoa..." The young man voiced his amazement.

"This here is liquid mercury," Cecilia explained, beginning to map out a large magic circle with it. "After I finish forming the magic circle, what I want you to do is run your mana through the circuit. Of course, you must perform the chant to do so. I assume that your professor has taught you?"

"Yeah. But this'll be the first time I'm ever activating a magic circle. Well, one that's on the floor, at least."

"The only way to get results is to give it a try." Cecilia finishes drawing it out. "Now then. Go on and run your mana through the circuit."

"Right." Alphonse cleared his throat. "Cycle, cycle, oh origin of life. Form your path within the circle of truth."

Briefly, the magic circle lit up with a mixture of colors, Alphonse's eyes widening in excitement, thinking he did it correctly. He said the chant, not shortening it at all, keeping it at the required five phrases.

Though it looked like he had celebrated rather too quickly. It seemed like the magic circle had short circuited or something like that. The mercury-made circle shut down before it evidently exploded, Alphonse facing directly in front of it as he was launched back and blown right outside of Cecilia's office door. Tumbling onto the hallway's floor, the boy let out a pained groan, having finished off his launch with a slam into the wall. He half-expected for his explosion to launch him right out of the window, but the trajectory was off.

To him, that probably sealed the deal on blowing his full ticket out of this school. That performance of his most likely didn't impress the Supreme Magus, so she was probably furious with him at the fact that he accidentally tried to blow her up, even though it really wasn't his fault. His power was out of control and he still couldn't find a way to control it. Grunting as he stood up, dusting himself off of the soot and ash that was on his uniform, Alphonse poked his head inside the office to try and read Cecilia's expression. But her back was faced toward him. It prevented him from being able to see whatever face she was wearing right now. And probably for the best. Whatever he feared at the moment, he was hoping the sentence was going to be a lot less punishing than those he received back home. Then again, in this school, the punishment could be much more severe.

On the contrary, however, Cecilia's face did not display that of disappointment, but rather, one of mere shock and surprise. Her mouth was slightly agape, staring down at the smoking and sizzling magic circle that at this point had been reduced to nothingness, the circle of ash and the black markings of where it once was being the only remnant of it. She was watching the boy very carefully. The boy did it all correctly. He said the five phrase chant like it was taught in the textbook. So what went wrong?

Intriguing. She couldn't be mad at him. This output of power was something she's never seen before. Not even her student had this kind of power to his magic. Normally when running magic through the mercury circle, the most it would do is cast and summon bubbles, unless the magic circle was a lot more highly advanced or doing a different spell to summon something. But no, this magic circle in particular was made for the purpose of measuring one's magical prowess. Nothing more. So the fact that it ended up in this explosion, reducing the magic circle to nothing but mere smithereens was quite a feat. In fact, she only knew one other person that had powerful magic such as this. Cecilia put a thumb to her chin, reducing herself to be in deep thought. It can't be that... Can it? Last she checked, there was no longer any remnant of him left. No descendants or anything.

Could it all be just a coincidence? Surely it couldn't. There's no way it could be. The many thoughts running rampant in her mind were frustrating her to no end. She did not want to draw that conclusion. She did not want to think it would be that man of all people that could possibly be connected to all of this.

"Uh... Professor Lucifage? You okay...? You look kind of pale..."

The boy's voice broke her out of her in thought trance, blinking a few times to find him standing behind her, a sheepish expression on his face. Probably due to the trouble he had caused. But that really wasn't what concerned her in the slightest.

But of course, she remembered she was supposed to be training this boy. However, she didn't have her thoughts fully collected so she simply shook her head.

"It's nothing. Consider your first lesson done for the day."

"H-Huh? Eh? But we barely just got started..."

"I'm still considering my evaluation of you," she replied briskly, crossing her arms under chest. "I will notify you what I think and whether or not I will have you under my tutelage. Understood?"

He looked down slightly. "I... Understand."

"Good. Dismissed."

And with that, he departed back from his room. He didn't feel the energy to continue on with the day.

---

Nearly a week had passed. Six days to be precise. Alphonse was anxious. He hadn't heard back from the professor in quite a while that it left him restless.

There was some noticeable abnormal shifting during class time, often catching the sight of his teachers and Akio. But he assured them that nothing was wrong and it was merely because he lacked sleep. He didn't want to let them in on his stresses and whatever was currently making him nervous. Alphonse felt that if he did, it would make them fret too much and add more onto his plate of worrying over things.

Currently the seventh day, Professor Alzano's class had just ended, as per usual, Alphonse was seated next to Akio. The both of them gathering their things, as was the rest of the class, Akio was speaking to the black-haired teen.

"Hey, Al, after your second period, want to head into town to get some lunch? It'll be my treat."

"Nah, it's alright," Alphonse declined. "Probably going to spend the time studying for some of the upcoming written quizzes."

Akio merely laughed joyfully and pat his shoulder. "Ah, come on, no need to sweat over all that stuff! Come on, just have some fun!"

Alphonse deadpanned. "How can you be this lax...? Especially when we have exams right around the corner..."

"Is Alphonse Euclidus in here?"

A new voice had spoken up. Everyone halted in their tracks and turned to the door, a lot of the students eyes lighting up in elatedness as they saw it was their former professor that was previously heralding the class before Lorenz took over. Cecilia's eyes kept scanning the room for the black-haired teen, soon enough, her fiery orange gaze was locked onto those grey orbs of his. Alphonse shivered slightly at her stare.

Lorenz hopped on over, a rather gleeful expression on his face. "Eh? Eh? Hey, Cecilia, are you finally taking over the class again? If that's the case, I'll be heading on—Gah!?"

Cecilia had kicked him in his gut, "No, that isn't the case. I'm merely calling a student over because I need to speak with him. Besides, this is good for you, you freeloading neet."

"Tch! You're so cruel..." He muttered before he let out another grunt, Cecilia's heel on top of his head.

"Oh, can it already." Her gaze moved back to Alphonse, "Euclidus, in my office. Now."

Removing her heel off Lorenz's head, she began to walk away, Alphonse hurriedly putting his things away before he followed her out of the door. He began to feel the burning stares of some of the other students. Well, not many get the chance of getting a one-on-one session with one of the most powerful and beautiful professors in the academy.

The journey to her office was silent, this rather tense atmosphere surrounding him as he couldn't even muster up the words to speak. Not enough to choke the life out of him, but enough to make it feel like he couldn't even breathe in this exact moment. He could even say that it was like some sort of impending doom was awaiting for him once he arrived at her office, news that he was expecting of him, notifying him that she wouldn't take him as her apprentice. Perhaps this wasn't the worst situation he's been in, but it sure felt like it. The true event, however, the one that everything would be riding on will be his so-called "test". The one where Master Biblia will send him out on a monster extermination mission.

But he'll only know his answer the moment he arrives at her office, which is now.

Cecilia gently opened the doors to her office, motioning for Alphonse to enter. He did so, albeit very hesitantly, a breath of nervousness escaping his lips as he tried to conceal his quivering. Once he stepped toward the center of the room, he turned to the professor with a slight expecting gaze, trying to prepare himself for the inevitable answer, no matter how saddened he will be.

"I will keep it simple, Euclidus. What you displayed to me in your first lesson was rather pitiful. Disappointing at best." Cecilia didn't even mince her words.

He hung his head low, "I... Understand. I take it this means that you won't be taking me on, correct?"

"Let me finish first, brat. I didn't say that."

"I... Er... Sorry. Continue, please."

She stared at him, beginning to pace around the room as her heels began to click along the wood floor. "Some very important things to note. You're too timid. When chanting your spells, it felt like your heart wasn't in the right place. Fix that when doing so. Put more emotion and confidence into it as depending on what your research is, Thema and Archive, that will make a difference at it. Another thing, while memorizing the basic chant is good and all, try to shorten it, make yourself unpredictable. Then again, you are only a beginner Magus, so thinking of a shortened chant will be a little difficult. And lastly, control of mana is shaky. When you were channeling your mana into the mercury circle, keep it steady and calm. You let it surge into the circuit rather instantly. At times, it may be the right thing to do so, it will most commonly cause it to short circuit essentially."

"Like... What happened yesterday..." Alphonse said, seemingly connecting the dots on the previous events.

"Exactly. Remember those key points," she nodded. "Your magic is quite powerful, I can tell. But because you don't know how to control it, and considering how unstable it is, it leads to those consequences you've suffered all your life. But... With the proper training, teaching, and discipline... A proper Magus can be made out of you yet."

"Wait... So you're saying...?"

"It's exactly what I'm saying, kid." Cecilia then smiled rather warmly. "From this day on, you will be my apprentice. But be warned. I won't spare anything on your training and it'll be harsh. Maybe even backbreaking from time to time. Are you up to the challenge?"

Alphonse grinned, confidence now fueling him. "Not the first challenge I've gone up against. When do we start?"

[0.5] | The Supreme Magus' Tutelage