"Thanks guys, but there is no need to. Just tell the truth and everything will be fine. Of course, if you could share my selective memory loss it would be peachy."
Professor Khavos Rudd walked in just in time to hear their laughter.
His left upper lip curled up in an expression of unbridled disgust.
- "Damn Linjos. Seeing the heirs of proud magical families mingle with dirty commoners and a traitorous b*tch makes me sick. In the old days, I would teach them a lesson or two about respecting the hierarchy and keeping the mana-line pure.
To add insult to the injury, not only are those five among this year's top percentile, but also that Lith is one of the Queen's favourites, like Linjos wasn't enough already. I didn't survive this long by antagonizing powerful people for petty reasons, but the gods know how tempted I am to do it just this once."–
"Sit down. School's in session." Rudd's stern voice put a stop to the chattering, forcing the students to return to their seats.
"My dear students, I would like to say that I'm happy to see you still so numerous, but the truth is that I'm not." His tone was so full of bile that it could melt steel.
"In my long career I had many classes, but this is by far the most disappointing. The only reason so many of you are still here, is because despite my subject being compulsory, my evaluation is irrelevant towards your promotion."
Some students lowered their heads out of shame. The others stood tall, either because their grades were good or simply because they didn't care. Professor Rudd had long lost the respect and admiration of many of them.
The nobles saw him as someone unable to stand his ground against Linjos, the others as a relic of the past. As an annoying, pompous old coot.
"Whoever already succeeded casting Warp Steps raise his hand, please." A little less than half the class answered the call.
"Those of you that still haven't mastered the spell and fail at it sometimes lower their hands, please." Barely twenty raised hands remained.
"Three months of patience and effort brought us to such a pathetic result. Since some of you worked hard while the rest of the class twiddled their thumbs, I'm not going to waste my precious time anymore.
"I'll explain to you how to turn a Warp Steps into a Blink or a Switch and then we will all go to the practice hall. You'd better take notes, because I'm not going to repeat myself."
Rudd waited only a few seconds before resuming his lesson, many students had yet to take out their books and inkwells.
"Those of you that have actually read my book, should have already noticed that the two spells that will get you out of my face once and for all are only mentioned but never described.
"That's because they aren't new spells, they are simply variations in the execution of Warp Steps that require a lot of talent and skill in the art of dimensional magic. You already know the magic words and hand signs. You just need to take one last step.
"To turn a Warp Steps into a Blink, all you need to do is to make the entrance Gate move towards you and close it as soon as you have crossed it. Switch is the same thing, but requires generating two sets of gates moving at the same speed and leading almost to the same coordinates.
"Very few can do it, that's why learning Switch is purely optional while Blink it's not. To make a Gate move, you need to use the other one as an anchor and stretch the dimensional corridor without making it collapse.
"This requires boosting the energy flow by adding fire magic at the very last moment, and a further injection of air, earth and water magic so that the balance remains unchanged.
Between the further mana consumption and the speed required to make it work, Blink has a range of thirty meters (33yards) tops, despite consuming the same amount of energy it would take to Warp a kilometre (0.6 miles) away.
Switch is similar to a Blink done twice but with a single spell.
By adding light and darkness magic in equal parts during the first steps of the spell, it's possible to induce a resonance that doubles the number of energy cores, creating two entry and two exit points.
Using six elements in such short time not only is a rare feat, but also requires a lot of focus. Hence why its range is further limited to 10 metres (11yards) and needs a clear line of sight between the caster and the target."
After finishing his explanation, Professor Rudd Warped them to the training hall, splitting the students in groups according to their skill level.
Over an hour passed, many Gates were opened, but none managed to Blink.
Half an hour later, much to everyone's surprise, Friya disappeared from her spot reappearing a few meters away. In a matter of minutes, she managed to Blink several times in a row.
Professor Rudd was seething with anger, but managed to hide his feeling and even congratulated her, encouraging the class to follow Friya's lead.
Before Lith was forced into another group hug, a furious bellow resounded.
"It's not fair, she cheated!" Lyam Lukart walked toward Friya like he wanted to beat her, but despite being fifteen centimetres (6 inches) shorter than him she stood firm, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.
"She cheated and I can prove it!"