When it finally got close to class time. Meredith left the dormitories and walked towards the center of the academy. Coming out of the large hallway of the researchers' dormitory, the sun was already strong, illuminating the academy uniforms that shone with the light. Soon she became aware, with her keen half-fox hearing, of the various steps of the dozens of people walking back and forth. Some with a certain pace, others slower, going in all directions in the long square.
Meredith was to perform in one of the main teaching buildings, which was a little behind the main building. The distance was relatively long if walking, it should take about 15 minutes, the girl walked calmly, until, little by little, it was possible to notice the other students and members of the academy who would be attending classes. Even though they still had a little free time, most of them were already getting ready for another day of teaching.
Following the region's architecture, the teaching center building stood out with long columns at its entrance. The black wooden door was striking from a distance, at least 26 feet long. It was illuminated by a series of small white spheres, which glowed to illuminate the entrance.
The building was made of white brick, with small details in a wood finish. A little in front of the columns was a large stone slab, shaped like a square turned sideways. In the center, there was an engraving of a book and a quill, and just below, there was an illumination spell engraved in the stone, going around the stone.
Adrian had explained to Meredith that this was another symbolism of the academy. The book and quill signified that it was a study building, while the simple spell of light magic represented: "Knowledge illuminating the demons of doubt."
The academy was surrounded by small, yet elegant highlights that showed the care and knowledge of the inventors who built it.
After Meredith climbed a short flight of marble stairs that led to the second floor of the building, the half-wolf came upon a long hall that was divided into three corridors. There were two staircases at the sides, one of the corridors in the center, and two others that led off to the left and right of the large entrance hall.
The floor was marble, as were part of the columns inside the building. The handrails were made of wood, as were part of the walls of the building. While some of the walls were the same white concrete, others were dark oak wood and white plaster.
In front of the entrance door of the building were several picture frames of teachers, some of whom were still teaching at the academy, while others had already passed away. What always caught the half-fox's attention was the picture of Zhanid, who appeared to be much younger than he really was.
'I wonder when this painting was made.' thought Meredith, as she started up the stairs.
In her arm were two notebooks and a book that she was told to take to the next class. It was not very heavy.
On the second floor would be the first half-fox class, there was a bleachers with several oak tables, the seat was connected to the table. With each seat the height of the bleachers rose a little more, so that all the students would be able to observe the teacher from a distance. The capacity of the room was at least 100 students, as much as it was an enclosed space, the ceiling was far away even from the last row of chairs.
Seats were marked off inside the tables, where there would be a small hole to put their utensils, such as pens and pencils. On top of each oak table was a block of black stone, where calculations and drafts of some subjects would be made.
To Meredith's sensitive sense of smell, that gigantic amount of chalk in every corner of the room was a nightmare. The first moment she sat down, her nose was already bothered. At the end of the previous day, she ended up with a runny nose.
As the time for the first class approached, several students came through the wide doorway. There was a small elevation to the stone board where the teacher would lecture. The gigantic stone board was made up of several black squares, each one able to move from one direction to another. On top of the wall of the room were still the notes from the day before.
In a few minutes, the entire room was already crowded. Meredith was able to recognize a few faces from the day before, but because of her lack of understanding of the magical art, as well as a certain fear of starting a conversation, she remained silent. Not initiating conversation with anyone.
It wasn't an unwillingness, but she simply wasn't able to completely trust the students around her. She was also afraid that they would notice her magical ineptitude, or even be prejudiced against her race. Even with some kind people like Adrian and Zhanid, it was still Melki's territory.
Some students began to take notes from the previous day, others used the stone squares on the tables to perform small calculations. Conversation was on a low note, although lively in some cases. The whole room made Meredith a little dizzy, the smell of chalk mixed with so many conversations was a bit exhausting for her.
After 15 minutes, a lady with a big gray hat entered the room. It was one of the professors of chemical magic. A subject that made no sense to Meredith. The creation of potions and medicines using only natural products and mana was different, to say the least. From what the half-fox had heard, in the students' conversations, this teacher was a disciple of Zhanid.
'Maybe she started studying with him already a little older?'
The truth was that Zhanid was a prodigy in magic, having started teaching at the academy at a very young age, which explained how a woman who appeared to be much older than him could be his student.
The professor walked with a white cane, which seemed to be made of wood. On top of the cane was a small crystal flower. She brought several glass apparatuses, which resembled the equipment Zhanid carried back and forth. As she carried out her explanations, the boards moved to give her more space to write. Her class went on without any problems.
When the teacher finished her lecture, the students slowly moved to the various other classrooms. Those who were more interested in combat magic usually took the opportunity to go to practical or battle theory classes. While those who were interested in a specific theory part, could go to a lab or study with a professor of that subject.
Meredith was taking the standard academy classes. There were several classes with extremely different subjects, however, the general notions of magic were learned with excellence. Even if it was not possible to completely master a subject or to advance in depth in an area that you wished.
That was enough for the half-fox who just wanted to use her days at the academy to learn the basics of how spells work. She didn't want to become the best, or have that much battle experience. But to be able to help Luke a little more.
Even though the chemical magic classes were boring, she was still trying to understand. Especially since it was one of the most important forms of magic for the production of medicines. This was one of the main focuses of the half-fox, to be able to take care of Luke, as well as to be by his side when needed.
To this end, she chose that she would give a main focus to these subjects. But in order not to lose the necessary and general notions, she continued studying in the regular grade. One of the classes the day before that surprised Meredith the most was undoubtedly botanical magic.
Seeing the different functions of flowers and plants was amazing. The teacher from the previous day was named Merukyuin Hoshigaki, an extremely nice and fun-loving gentleman from Zhao. Meredith's next class was precisely botany, however, another teacher would be teaching the class.
It was another part of botanical magic. Meredith was equally interested to learn about it. So, she made her way attentively to the professor's room. It was on the third floor of the building. The room was a little larger, especially the professor's desk. Where it was possible to see several potted plants.
After a few minutes the teacher who was going to give the class arrived. His name was Max Willford, he had blond hair and was extremely elegant. He wore a brown suit with the academy's coat of arms in the pocket of his blazer. He was one of the youngest teachers at the academy, and one of the most coveted men by all the women on the island.
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