Nevan looked into the lady's eyes with disbelief on his face.
"They're planning to what?"
Suddenly, he found a finger pressed to his lips as if to silence him. The woman made a "shhh" sound with the gesture.
"Keep it down. I don't want them to hear that I told you."
The woman removed her finger from his lips, and Nevan found himself too stunned to speak anyway.
Realising his confusion, she swiftly elaborated.
"I'm Lucy Nightingale, a specialist in Alteration magic." She spoke in a posh accent, as she nodded her head towards Volan and his friends. "I'm currently using an Alteration spell which allows me to enhance one of my five senses per day. I can hear them whispering."
Nevan's ears shot up at the newfound knowledge.
So it seems that alteration magic is about augmentating your physical body. Though I feel I could've guessed that...
He then turned his attention back to the matter at hand. "So they want to kill me? That seems a bit serious for a simple spar."
Lucy shot him a glance as she shrugged her shoulders. "He's claiming that you cheated. They're planning to wait for you in the hunting grounds, and attack you all at once."
The Hunting Grounds.
That was one of the portals in the hallway of mirrors.
"Is it common for students to fight each other there?" He asked confusedly. Such a concept didn't sound safe for an academy. But Lucy shook her head.
"No. Fighting isn't prohibited, though, of course, there are rule breakers. I'm sure you know that The Hunting Grounds is predominantly used to hunt monsters."
Nevan remained silent.
No... I did not know that.
...
Monsters exist in this world?
He tried his best not to show his surprise, lest he was questioned on why he was so unfamiliar with this world and academy.
I'll have to visit that library soon. I can't remain a fool forever.
"Anyways," Lucy continued. "No matter what, do you not go to The Hunting Grounds today. I don't know how you managed to beat Volan in sparing, but in a real battle, where he has access to all of his spells, you won't stand a chance. Not to mention that he won't be alone."
The lady's words only deflated the confidence that Nevan had gained only a few moments earlier.
Just as he was about to ask her some more questions in an attempt to learn about the academy and its systems, the professor spoke in a loud tone, drawing all to silence.
"Destruction class is over. You will all be returned to your dorms in ten seconds."
The movement in the room slowly died down.
In that short moment, Nevan risked one more glance at Volan and his friends.
All three of them were glaring at him and wore menacing looks on their faces.
But Nevan no longer shared any of their anger. After all, he had none.
And so, he flashed them a cheeky smile, before he felt himself being pulled from the strange location.
It was like he had been sucked into some sort of vacuum. His eyes went blurry, and his body suddenly felt light.
Only moments later, he was thrust back into reality, and landed flat on his behind.
"Ouch! Did it have to be done so rough?" He muttered, before swiftly realising that he was speaking to himself.
He looked up to see the first mirror of the hallways standing before him, no longer accessible as a portal.
It was as the professor said. He had been brought back to his dorm. Returned to the eery silence of the hallway.
Nevan took in a deep breath to help ease himself.
It was a disjointing thing, to be teleported against your will.
As he pushed himself to his feet, Nevan went over the events of the past class. He surely had not expected it to be so dramatic.
In such a short period, he had made himself three enemies. Ones that supposedly wanted to kill him if he entered the hunting ground. But he also might've made a friend in Lucy Nightingale.
Although the class didn't allow him to gather much more information about the Academy itself, he was given some clues about the term 'Ascension'.
It seemed to be something that could only be done by the powerful, as the students whispered about Volan, and how it was something he planned to do.
Nevan looked over at the large golden-lined mirror at the centre of his hallway. The one that he didn't dare to approach due to the large power emitting from it.
He had a feeling it might be tied to the Ascension.
Afterwards, his eyes landed on the mirror next to it. The Library.
If I want to learn more about this world, that should be the place I go next. Especially now that I know the mirrors are safe to travel through.
Without wasting any time, he made his way over to it and stepped through.
Once again, it was as though he had merely stepped through a door.
The silence of the Hallway of Mirrors was carried through, as the library was equally quiet.
Nevan found himself standing between a row of bookshelves which stretched to impossible heights. It stretched so tall that ladders were spaced around the place to reach the higher shelves.
Nevan made his way through the row of shelves, only to find more and more.
To his surprise, he saw no others in the library. It seemed to be empty.
Until he reached the centre of the room.
The rows of bookshelves all lead to a reading area in the middle of the room. Not only was the location filled with hundreds of wooden tables and chairs, but he also found many students reading in silence.
No one looked up at him as he approached, and no one spoke, as they were all engrossed in their books. All that could be heard was the turning of paper pages.
It was then that Nevan noticed something strange at the centre of the room. There was a large table which seemed to be made from a reflective material.
A few students walked to and from it, bringing Nevan great confusion. So he made his way over.
As he stood over the face of the large table, his reflection stared back at him. It was a mirror, similar to those in the hallway.
As he stared into it, he was met with words in his vision once again. A sensation he had now gotten used to.
«Think of a book title, and draw it from the Scholarly Well»
Nevan was taken aback by what he saw.
The Scholarly Well.
Just as he was observing the words in confusion, a young lady made her way over to the opposite side of the table and suddenly placed her hand inside the mirror.
Only a moment later, she withdrew her hand, and with it came a book. One titled;
The Rise of the Heax Kingdom
Whilst Nevan was left speechless by the incredible use of magic that had taken place in front of him; he also felt that he had a grasp of how the library worked.
Not only that but the book the woman took was plastered with information. Valuable information.
And so, without wasting time, Nevan placed his hand into the Scholarly Well and felt it become submerged into nothingness.
The Rise of the Heax Kingdom. He thought to himself.
He knew no other book titles, so he had to call for the same one as the woman had.
As soon as he said the words in his head, he felt a solid object in his hand, and as he withdrew it, he found that he was holding a decently sized-book.
His face lit up with satisfaction as he made his way over to an empty table.
Placing the book down on the desk, he took in a deep breath.
Finally... I can learn something about this foreign world.
Then, Nevan Heart opened the book to the first page and began to read its contents.