CW-TL - Chapter 1

Clashing Worlds: The Time Loop - Chapter 1- (in editing -v0)

Pain. Horror. Loss. Sadness. Astonishment. Excitement.

Hope.

A flurry of emotions ran through Gabriel’s mind as he blearily raised his head from his desk, a mire of confusion settling upon his shoulders. He blinked several times as he sat up, staring around with a blank expression.

He was sitting in the back row of a prestigious lecture hall. The room was shaped vaguely like a triangle, with layers of desks that rose up alongside a set of stairs on two sides of the triangle, while the lecturer stood at the bottom point.

The desks were made of fine marble, while the walls of the hall were painted white and gold. This lecture hall currently held 25 students dressed in various outfits, most of them sitting attentively as they listened to an elderly woman speak from the front of the room.

“…the Base Class of every being is determined at birth. For humans, you are born either a Wizard or a Warrior, with a few very rare exceptions. The only way to change your Base Class is to reach Level 20 and Evolve,” The female speaker had a long grey braid that rested on her shoulder as she spoke, elegantly tied in a complex pattern. She was dressed in a green, silk dress that accented her slim figure, making her look younger than her lined face appeared.

Behind the speaker was a large, black metal board that had been drilled into the wall. A large wooden desk was set up next to the wall, cluttered with various papers.

As the woman finished with her explanation, her blue eyes began to scan the room.

Gabriel observed all of this, his heart racing as he tried to understand what had just happened.

‘Did I fall asleep and have a nightmare?’ He shook his head slightly as he immediately dismissed the thought.

‘No, that’s not right.’ He rapidly began to break down what he had felt and seen, his confusion deepening.

A flurry of undeniable emotions had swarmed into his heart, emotions that felt so vivid and real it felt impossible a mere nightmare could have spawned them. In his mind, however, he could find nothing to attach these emotions to. It was as if they had come out of nowhere.

He also had no recollection of dozing off. His eyes narrowed as he began to review what had happened before he entered this classroom, going over the start of his day.

Today was his very first day of class at the World Academy of Magic and Might.

This academy was easily the most famed of any academy across all of the 7 Kingdoms and 2 Empires. It was located a neutral piece of land that bordered every major nation except the sea-faring Tolth Kingdom, an academy that welcomed any and all of those that could pass its entrance tests.

‘I woke up, meditated for 20 minutes, memorized all of our textbooks, ate breakfast…’ He mentally counted off what he’d done, finding nothing that stood out. He scanned his memories carefully, looking for any discrepancy…

He found none.

And, given that he had a near-perfect memory, he would’ve remembered even the slightest thing off.

‘Was I hit with a memory wipe? Some type of Spell that I am unaware of?’ As he considered the possibilities, his eyes lit up with excitement.

‘Wow, coming here really was the right idea. Thanks, mom!’ He couldn’t help but smile.

On his first day, something interesting had already happened. There was nothing more that he could’ve hoped for.

While half of the reason he was here was because it was his mother’s dream that her son attend and graduate from the World Academy, the other half was because he thought it might be an interesting experience.

For Gabriel, a natural prodigy and genius that had entered the Academy at the age of 16, 4 years younger than the normal minimum age cutoff, things that interested him were few and far between.

As he began to mull over what this all meant, the instructor continued to give a basic start-of-the-year review lecture.

“The highest number any stat can achieve is…? Anyone?” The teacher looked around the classroom, smiling slightly as she nodded at a girl that was sitting on the front row.

“100 Points, with the exception of Health and Mana!” The girl immediately replied, smiling back. Her long red hair shook slightly as she nodded, matching her fiery red eyes. She was dressed in a bright red shirt and grey silk pants, complimenting her freckled face.

“Excellent… Mora, is it? Yes, as you all have learned, 100 Points is the highest any Growth Stat can reach.” The teacher’s eyes narrowed as she glanced from student to student, her voice unhurried as she went on.

“The closer your Stat gets to 100, especially if one reaches the legendary Stat of 90, the more powerful each Point increase is worth. A person with a Strength Stat of 91 will be notably stronger than someone with a Strength Stat of 90.” Her explanation was cool and logical.

Gabriel paused his excited line of thought as he listened in to what the instructor said. He forced himself not to yawn as he silently shook his head.

Almost every school or academy he had attended did this at the start of every year. Did they think the students here had learned nothing at all up to this point? Wasn’t there a complex entrance exam that he, and all of these students, had to complete to even be considered?

The instructor ignored Gabriel’s silent objections as she picked out another student.

“Darvol, yes? Ah, Darvon, my apologies. Your question: what is the definition of a Growth Stat?” She stared at the student expectantly.

“Any Stat that grows as you increase in Level.” The reply came with a surprisingly deep voice, one that caught Gabriel’s attention.

The speaker this time was a young man sitting in the third of the five rows of desks. He wore a long, gold and white robe and sported a variety of gem-enshrined necklaces and rings. He had short blonde hair and a gruff, blonde beard, with deep green eyes that glimmered like emeralds.

“Good, good. And the definition of a Reliant Stat?” The instructor questioned him again.

“A Stat that cannot be increased directly, but only indirectly through other Stats or means, like Health and Mana.”

“Excellent!” The teacher clapped her hands together, her voice pleased.

Gabriel forced himself not to grind his teeth, already starting to plan on ways to skip class but still be able to graduate. He reconsidered after a moment, curious if the mystery of his emotional onslaught had something to do with this classroom. It was worth investigating.

The instructor turned to look around the room for a few moments before settling in on a new victim.

“Sylva, is it? Good. My question for you: Health relies upon which stat?” She picked out a girl that was sitting in the back row like Gabriel. The girl was slightly overweight, with a stocky body dressed in plain black robes. She had short brownish-black hair that matched her brownish-black skin, complimenting a set of piercing blue eyes that gave off a rather intimidating air.

“Health relies on Strength, the Stat which enhances the physical strength and resilience of one’s body.” Her response was very matter-of-fact.

“Mana relies upon…?” The instructor continued.

“Magic, the Stat which enhances the power of Abilities and Spells and increases one’s Mana Pool.” The girl replied again, just as quickly.

The teacher smiled and nodded. Her gaze roamed over the class before settling upon a boy in the second row.

“Sai Lu. Tell us what you know about the two remaining Growth Stats.” The boy she’d picked out had the uniquely thinner, almond-shaped eyes and olive skin that was home to the Kingdom of the East, Charon, and the sea-faring Tolth Kingdom. He was dressed in a loose white shirt and a set of black pantaloons, smiling as if he hadn’t a worry in the world.

“That would be Dexterity and Resistance,” the boy replied, his voice chirpy, “Dexterity is a Stat that enhances a being’s physical senses as well as their perception of time. Resistance is a Stat that enhances a person’s inborn ability to resist attacks with their Innate Barrier.”

“Perfectly put. I can see why this is the Excelsior Class, your basics are solid enough.” The instructor smiled demurely.

“As I said before, I am Instructor Varma, and will be the Home Professor of the Excelsior Class this year at the Academy. I will also be teaching three courses on Gravity Magic and one on General Space Magic, so if you take any of those, you’ll see me then as well as here every morning at 8:30.” Instructor Varma began to finish her introductions as she finished talking about basics that everyone knew about, slightly assuaging Gabriel’s boredom.

As she finished speaking, her eyes alighted upon Gabriel for a brief moment.

His long silver hair, tied up in a loose ponytail, and bright silver eyes made him stand out. He wasn’t tall, nor was he short, so at least that part of him didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. However, in a classroom with so many richly and uniquely dressed students, his plain, brown leather shirt and black leather pants looked quite out of place.

He’d never particularly cared about fashion. He had been born poor, raised by a mother who was a Warrior that couldn’t hurt a fly.

He’d resolved that particular issue for his mother years ago, back when his grasp for Magic was ever-burgeoning. Hunting Magic Beasts, even Low-Tier ones, was a feat that could bring in a sizable amount of income.

By the age of 12, he had already singlehandedly brought his small family of 2 out of poverty, letting his mother live a relaxed, lovely life, and achieving one of his very first life goals.

Still, even if he had the money to buy fancy clothes now, he simply didn’t care to make the effort.

The teacher’s gaze landed on him for a different reason, he knew. A genius prodigy entering the Academy at the age of 16… what instructor wouldn’t be interested?

Genius, prodigy, freak, monster, he’d been labelled half a dozen nicknames in his time, his intelligence far outstripping his age. The insults had gradually faded to compliments as he grew older and stronger, the number of people that were willing to offend him vastly smaller than those trying to befriend him.

To his mild surprise, the Instructor’s gaze moved on quickly after, not opting to say anything that drew attention to him. Well, he wasn’t truly surprised. The Academy was famed for the wisdom of its teachers, they would know how to be tactful, unlike his previous schools.

His opinion of Instructor Varma went up a notch.

Their Home Professor began to explain several more basic things about the Academy, like where each building was located, what was and was not allowed, the required etiquette between the Wizard and Warrior sides of the Academy, and so on.

Gabriel’s eyes wandered once more as he observed his classmates, memorizing each and every one of them. He kept his gaze subtle, trying to notice if any of them were staring at him strangely. He still had yet to determine where that flare of emotions had originated from.

This thought occupied his mind for the next 15 minutes as the Instructor rambled on, all the way until their first Home Class ended.

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