Ascension Of The Failed Mage

School was nothing Ciara pictured it to be.

An Institution boasting the highest prestige in the Empire, grooming the future mages of the world, yet it was not the way she expected it to be.

The night before the first day of proper classes was the Orientation, which she enjoyed greatly. She was already so motivated and raring to go.

On the day of classes, she woke up early, got everything set, and left her dorm. She promised Mia that they would meet in class, but maybe she should have decided for them to walk to class together.

"I'll bring that up when we see each other," Ciara said with a smile.

She walked a while before reaching the lecture theater for her class. She smiled in confidence and assurance, ready to brace the new future that awaited her.

This sublime moment was cut short by chattering and noise from students who waltzed into the hall so casually. As they opened the door to the theater hall, more noise from within leaked out, almost deafening to Ciara.

"It's just like in the orientation. Will I have to get used to this sound?" Ciara shuddered.

Still, she wouldn't be discouraged by just that alone. She walked into the class, and just as before, all eyes fell on her.

She felt uncomfortable, but these were her new classmates.

She could at least try being friends with them, and so she returned their stares with a smile. Perhaps she could ask Mia to introduce her to some friends later. Speaking of which... Where was she?

She couldn't find Mia, and classes would start soon.

'Did Mia sleep in? She didn't seem like a tardy person.' Ciara found herself thinking.

The girl had even managed to get a decent seat for both herself and Ciara back during the Orientation, showing she came considerably early for it. Then why would she be late for class?

"She was probably held up. I should save a seat for her." Ciara muttered thoughtfully.

Class started not too long after, and as the Lecturer entered the class, immediately the noise and conversations ceased. Ciara was relieved.

"Good morning class, my name is Richard Lawcroft. I'll be your Homeroom Teacher for this class, I'm also going to be taking you The Practice of Rune Grafting." He said to the students present.

Ciara noticed that while this man didn't carry as much presence as Trevor, he was still pretty decent.

The students felt the same, and it was evident in their demeanor. It seemed the Lecturers here were well respected. There was no doubt about that.

"During your orientation, you must have learned the rules and practices of this Institute. Since I'm not a fan of repetition, I'll just go straight to the point.

I'll be giving you your Academic Calendar and Activities for this Session. There are two sessions in an Academic Year. First and Second session." He said calmly.

No student dared to say a word. They paid apt attention, all ready to learn.

"At the end of every session, you can take the Exams to further advance to the next Class, but after two sessions if you still don't pass the exams for the next Class, you'll be forced to repeat the same class. After 4 consecutive sessions of not passing, you'll have to drop out of the Institute."

The Students twitched, some had panicked faces.

"Though, at the Foundation Class, it's not something you see often, repeating 4 consecutive times. It mostly happens in the other 2 classes. Since it gets exponentially more difficult from there on out. By the end of the Foundation Class, you are expected to have moved up by at least one Tier, and get a Class Awakening, such as Warrior, Priest... or whatever else." The man continued.

"Now, as for..." The man was still talking, when he was interrupted by the doors of the hall opening.

Ciara looked back and saw Mia enter the hall.

"Oh my, I apologize for interrupting your lecture. Please go on." She said with a casual smile.

'A-ah...!' Ciara worriedly glanced at the lecturer, wondering how he would react to Mia's disrespect and impudence.

Even Ciara knew that Mia had crossed a line since Lecturers were highly revered in the institute.

However, the young girl was surprised by what she saw.

"F-fine, just take a seat." The Lecturer replied, stuttering a bit.

A ball of sweat trickled down his face, and he looked uncomfortable.

'U-uh?'' Ciara was surprised.

Why was the man acting like this? She looked around and saw the students with almost identical reactions. Their casual smiles had vanished, their attentiveness had disappeared.

There was only discomfort.

"Oh hey, Ciara... Did you keep a seat for me?" Mia approached the stunned girl, smiling broadly.

"Oh y-yes," Ciara quickly answered Mia, showing her to the seat.

Mia sat beside Ciara, but the friendly vibe she had with Mia was compromised. She felt strange.

The lecture continued as though Mia never interrupted.

The Lecturer went on for quite a while until he was finally done with the basics. He wrote out the Academic Calendar on the board in front of him, which Ciara diligently wrote down.

The list of courses they were offering, as well as Elective/Supplementary courses that one could offer if they wanted to—Ciara took interest in a few of them and she decided to offer them as well.

The timetable and schedules of the classes were also written out, which she memorized and wrote down too.

"Finally, there's the issue of class representative." The Lecturer, Mr. Richard said.

This sudden statement instantly sparked Ciara's interest.