After demonstrating in front of everyone, Darian had a slight satisfied smile. He was still a teenager seeking validation.
"And finally, let's move on to you, Élio," said Clarck.
Darian turned around, visibly annoyed to see that he wasn't the last. He wanted to leave a lasting impression by going last, as if to say, "The best for last."
Élio stepped forward with a smile on his lips, as if he had understood this intention. Clarck placed his hand on him, and right after, Élio materialized a wind katana. Everyone was surprised—he was the only one to possess the wind element.
"The wind is a rather rare element among Asturians. It is very difficult to master, but once controlled, it is particularly powerful," Clarck explained.
But it was neither Élio's element nor his unusual weapon that surprised Clarck. He was astonished that Élio had materialized his weapon without help. This didn't surprise him in Darian's case, as he was the director's son, but Élio had supposedly received no training that could have helped him achieve this. He had thus awakened his powers on his own and learned to materialize his weapon by himself.
"I'm surprised that you're able to materialize your weapon without assistance," said the professor.
"There was someone in my village, a former warrior, who helped me awaken my powers," Élio replied.
"I see."
Clarck was not entirely convinced. These kinds of things almost never happened. After that, the lesson ended. The professor instructed the students to practice materializing their weapons on their own and asked Arthur to follow him to check with the director whether his power was indeed sweat.
The others began attempting to materialize their weapons without help. Not a single one of them succeeded. Darian and Élio, who had already done it, remained seated without doing anything.
"Excuse me, can you teach us how to materialize our weapons on our own?" asked a student named Célia to Darian.
Célia was a beautiful girl with blue eyes, blonde hair, and pale skin. She perfectly fit the beauty standards of the Kingdom and was of noble birth. Her request also aimed to get closer to Darian, who would undoubtedly become a renowned figure in the future.
"You should all start by meditating," Darian replied.
"..." The class waited for further explanation.
A bit embarrassed for not justifying himself, he elaborated:
"The control you have over your weapon is correlated with the control you have over your mind. Of course, it will take training to master materialization itself, but the foundation is to first control your mind."
The entire class listened attentively, and everyone started meditating. The room became completely silent. Élio, who had already been meditating, appreciated that the newfound silence helped him focus better.
Meanwhile, Arthur was with the director, who confirmed through tests that his power was indeed sweat. To do so, he took control of Arthur's mind and forced him to activate his power, causing him to sweat profusely.
"It really is sweat... You can return to class," said Director Clément.
Arthur left, dejected.
"He really has no luck," said Clarck.
"So little luck, both in terms of power and element... Do you think it's a coincidence?" Clément asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Stop… This isn't the first time you've said that about a student, and every time you were wrong. You know very well how rare it is. Besides, if he were involved, he would have been dead long ago," Clarck replied.
"We'll have the answer at the Baptism," Clément said.
The Baptism was the final test of the first semester, which was mandatory to move up to the next class. It was known to be extremely difficult, and most students failed on their first attempt.
"Don't expect anything," Clarck said as he walked away.
He returned to the class, which was still silent as everyone was meditating, even Arthur, who had followed along without questioning it too much.
"I see that you are meditating to better control your mind. That is probably the fastest way to learn how to materialize your weapon," Clarck said with a smile on his lips.
"Then why didn't you tell us?" asked Jason.
"I forgot."
"..." -- The class.
"He just wanted to encourage exchanges among students so that the class would start bonding," Élio thought.
"Anyway, I'm informing you that a tournament will be held in two months to assess each student's overall level and, of course, to determine the best. The winner will receive a title, 1,000 gold coins, and the opportunity to train with a master of their element."
1,000 gold coins was an enormous sum, enough to buy a small house in the city. The runner-up would win nothing, which unsettled everyone, as no one felt capable of defeating Darian... or almost no one.