The purple truly did seem to have some impact on Dio, his eyes wandered through the window and fell upon random frolicking students, their laughter breaking his momentary zoning out.
"Could I hear that…?" he asked himself as he thought about whether there was an actual auditory sensation or if his mind had substituted that with a perceptual assumption. Nevertheless, today was the first day of classes, he had a lot to look forward to, it was the first official step he would be taking toward becoming a full-fledged mage.
As such, every student had to select at least 2 electives in an academic year regardless of their year. There wasn't an upper limit, however, more courses meant more exams and portions to study. The core courses were set by the faculty, unlike electives these courses were the same for every student in Hexora. The higher-class students just had a more advanced version of the same courses.
"Philosophy? Now why would I take that?" Dio blurted out to his mother, who simply looked forward and awaited their destination calmly. "It is important. You'll thank me, so trust me," she smiled.
"Will do, Mother" he gripped his hand and brought his mind back to reality.
"Mmmmmeeemmrr….class?" John groaned with both his eyes glued shut, his bed sheet stretched out all over him with the exception of his toes sticking out, "coldddeeeemmm" he continued to make noises half asleep.
"Nope. Elective, go back to sleep," Dio announced as he swiped his hands and muttered something in John's direction, the next instant the sheets moved to Dio's will and covered his knocked-out roommate entirely.
"Haah…" he looked down at the slip of paper between his hands, "Duality of M&M - Professor Ember Mert"
"Clever" he snorted as he walked towards the classroom. The school environment was pleasant, one that allowed for learning, and freedom to experiment and navigate through their interests. It was contrary to how things were in the ancient times.
The door closed right behind him with a unique gentleness and consideration, his eyes were stuck to the ceiling of the corridor and every step rhythmically resounded, every person he passed by, every word he heard, everything was retained by Dio. It truly was a curse in some ways. For a brief moment, he was nearly consumed by the gaze of the other students, nearly suffocating him. Wouldn't narcissists have this feeling emphasized way more? Or is it that they would be used to it?
The walls of the corridors were castle-like with green moss growing in some parts, they were comforting to look at, especially for someone like Dio who grew up in a rather quant little neighborhood.
"...." He stood outside the classroom door and took a deep breath. He could hear the screams and chatter from behind the door. Contrasting and clashing with the sound of his own heartbeat.
Just half a step in, his body barely entering the room, he was welcomed with a sudden gust of wind that shot past him and crashed into the wall. Confident in his reflexes Dio calmly turned to the side to find two students rushing over and apologizing.
"That was an accident!! We're so sorry!" the skinny boys seemed to be genuinely apologizing. Not that it mattered to Dio, who nodded and smiled lightly before walking past them. He was merely startled by the unexpected welcome, there was nothing more to it than that.
The classroom was like a typical slanting room, the lower part included a few benches, and the board as well as a desk for the teacher. As he continued walking up, he found a spot a few rows in front of the last benches. Dio wasn't there to make friends, he really had no interest in socializing with those around him, nevertheless, he wasn't cold, he would respond and react if anyone approached him. This could be where his narcissistic tendencies showed more. The idea that he wouldn't go out of his way to make friends, the effort had to come from the other person.
The room consisted of only 10 or so students, perhaps the elective wasn't as popular as he had thought, six boys and four girls. Before he could finish his scan around the room, the door flung open, and appearing in the room was none other than Professor Ember Mert.
The chatter and conversations died down instantly, and everyone took their place. 10 pairs of eyes were stuck onto Ember who seemingly took his own time unpacking.
"Ahem.." He cleared his throat, "Welcome and good morning to you all," he looked up and smiled, his eyes were sparkling a little too bright, his man bun was messy and his jet-black robe with golden stripes all over was contrasting to his sunshine demeanor. In the first place, Dio had grown tired of seeing the man buns. At least, in this case, the person was actually a man and not a snotty brat.
"I'm happy to see the numbers increase from last year. Not many people appreciate discourse and its importance anymore," he nodded and massaged his chin, "the content of this course has often been looked down upon and even rejected by a lot of scholars,"
"However, not a single one of them has ever claimed for the content to be false or untrue but merely unnecessary," he chuckled as sparks danced around his fingers. "OH!" he suddenly exclaimed causing a literal mini sphere of light to combust above his head.
"Apologies, where are my manners, allow me to introduce myself," he patted his robe and walked away from the desk, "I'm Professor Ember Mert, I was a student of this institution much like the bunch of you. Let's see…..I enjoy reading and fulfilling discussions," he nodded in confirmation of the information he just shared.
"Enough about me, considering the small number, I'd request all the students to shift to the lower benches," he smiled and stared dead into Dio's eyes. "Once you are all settled down, you may begin to introduce yourself one by one,"
The students quickly moved a little lower. Dio wasn't one to be disobedient, he viewed it as a reflection of his parenting, and he wanted nobody to question that. After the quick introductions, one of the skinny boys from earlier raised his hand and waited for Ember to notice him.
"Ah yes…..Mr. Ian…what can I do for you," Ember spoke as he walked back to his desk and looked for a piece of chalk.
"I was wondering….what does M&M stand for…?" Ian asked with wide eyes, almost as if he was surprised by his own question.
'….Honestly, I hadn't thought about that as well…' Dio groaned as he now awaited what the Professor would respond with.
"Oh….OH…wait….you guys decided on this course without knowing that?" Ember sighed before turning to the blackboard. "Never mind, we can begin with what this course is about I suppose…" he sounded a little disappointed.
"We will be exploring the functions of magic in our lives and its connection to living beings. In particular how magic has come about and the purpose for its existence. Hence the name, the duality of M&M, meaning the Duality of Mind and Magic," he wrote down those words on the board and smiled.