Chapter 19: Big BOOM
"Tell me," she continued, "what happens when you overuse mana without proper control?"
Nathan raised his hand without hesitation whatsoever like the big ass nerd he was..
"Mana depletion"
Sophia nodded. "Correct."
She then turned on her heel so quickly that even Merlin felt an instinctive urge to straighten his posture.
"And what happens when you use too much mana at once?"
Silence.
Then, reluctantly, Elara spoke up. "It becomes inefficient?"
Sophia smiled. "Exactly."
She raised her hand, and in an instant, a small sphere of blue water formed above her palm.
"This is a basic mana construct using just mana and my affinity." she explained. "Simple, clean, and requiring minimal effort."
'The water affinity...'
Merlin's eyes gawked at the sight.
Then, without warning, she poured more mana into it.
The sphere grew in size, its glow intensifying—but instead of becoming stronger, it trembled violently, distorting and cracking like overheated glass.
A second later—
BOOM.
A harmless shockwave erupted, sending a gust of wind rushing through the hall.
Sophia lowered her hand, her smile never fading.
"This is what happens when you fail to regulate your mana."
'Didn't she just basically overload it with mana..?'
She looked at them all, but for some reason, Merlin felt her gaze linger on him just a bit longer.
'Why is she staring at me like that?'
Then, before he could react—
"Merlin Everhart."
'Fuck.'
Sophia gestured for him to step forward.
"Let's see, what was your affinity again?"
She asked as she looked down on some notes.
"I can't demonstrate it..I have a space affinity."
"..."
Sophia smiled silently then cleared her throat moving onto another topic like nothing ever happened.
"Can anyone tell me the difference between two affinities? Let's say...Water and Space."
'It's easy.'
Merlin thought as he looked at Sophia, he didn't want to seem like a smartass though..
The room fell into an awkward silence. A few students exchanged glances like they were preparing to be executed. Finally, one brave soul, clearly not blessed with a filter, raised his hand.
"Uh... Water is wet?"
'What the fuck is he talking about..'
Merlin looked at the dude whilst trying to hold back his laughter.
Sophia didn't flinch, but the way she pinched the bridge of her nose made it clear that for just a moment, she questioned her life choices.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," she said with a deep sigh. "Let's try again."
With a flick of her wrist, a sphere of shimmering water appeared in her palm, floating like a mini lake that had decided to vacation in the classroom.
"Water," she explained, "is an elemental affinity. It's physical. It exists in the world as we know it. If you have a Water Affinity, you can create, shape, and control water. Freeze it. Boil it. Bend it to your will. But," she said, eyes narrowing dangerously, "most of you will fail miserably at it."
She let the water fall, watching it splatter on the floor with all the grace of a toddler's first attempt at using a fork.
"It follows the laws of nature. Drop it, and it obeys gravity. Simple. Clear. Understandable."
Then her eyes flicked toward Merlin, locking onto him like a hawk spotting its prey.
"Merlin," she said, voice smooth as silk but with an edge of challenge. "Would you care to demonstrate Space Affinity?"
Merlin let out a long, exhausted sigh.
'Not this again.'
"Fine," he muttered, rising to his feet. He raised a hand, fingers curling slightly, and the air around them shimmered like heat rising off a road on a hot day. A deep crackle echoed as space itself seemed to crack a little.
Sophia clapped once, satisfied. Thank the heavens.
"Space isn't something you create," she said, voice almost purring. "It's something you manipulate. You can't make space out of thin air. You can only twist it, bend it, fold it. It's a much more... delicate art."
She tapped a wooden spear that was leaning lazily against the wall.
"If I wanted to, I could flood this room with enough water to drown you all. Tragic, but effective. But if I had Space Affinity..." She gestured towards Merlin. "Merlin, would you like to demonstrate with this spear?"
Merlin, still reeling from his earlier role as the class's favorite guinea pig, focused on the spear. A subtle pressure seemed to wrap around it, and with an ominous crack, the spear snapped in half as if an invisible hand had squeezed it like a stress ball.
The class gasped. Some students instinctively scooted away from Merlin, eyeing him as if he might accidentally snap the space-time continuum next...which wouldn't even be possible for him.
Sophia smirked, her brown eyes gleaming with quiet amusement.
"With Water, you manipulate something that exists, with water you create. With Space, you manipulate existence itself."
She stood tall, arms crossed over her chest like she was about to deliver a sermon on the meaning of life.
"Now, before any of you get bright ideas about using Space Affinity to skip your exams—don't." Her golden eyes gleamed with a predatory intensity, like a lion sizing up its next meal. "You're nowhere near that level, and even if you were... I'd know."
Her smile was sharp and cold, the kind of smile that made students wonder if she'd once had a job as a mafia boss.
"And believe me," she added, voice dripping with sarcasm
"You don't want to know what happens to students who try to cheat in my class."
A tense silence fell over the room. The threat was clear, though unspoken.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she clapped her hands together, the sound echoing through the classroom.
"...Now, let's see who has manifestation affinities. Any volunteers?"
The students hesitated, as if volunteering would immediately be followed by a series of unfortunate events.
Sophia flashed a sweet smile.
"Elara Vaelith. You're up first."
Elara blinked, looking around in confusion.
"...I didn't even raise my hand."
'That's what you get Princess..'
Merlin struggled to hold back his laugh at this point, he was going to burst like a balloon. Watching others suffer was just the best after all.
Sophia's smile widened like a cat who had just cornered a mouse.
"I know."
Elara walked slowly to Sophia's side, her steps measured, the weight of her presence settling in the room. Sophia stepped back, giving her space.
'Let's see what you've got, Ice Princess.'
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Merlin thought as he watched the performance. It was almost like a TV show of some kind.
Elara's expression remained cool as she stretched her hand out. The earth beneath her feet rumbled slightly, and sharp, jagged spear-like shards of earth manifested in front of her, floating in perfect formation, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Sophia clapped, her eyes gleaming with approval. "Impressive."
With a wave of her hand, she sent Elara back to her place. The moment Elara turned, however, her usual composed face trembled slightly, her expression cracking like an unstable sculpture.
Merlin watched the entire display, eyes wide, intrigued as he struggled to hold his laughter back.
'Her face...pf..'
"Let's move on to someone else," Sophia said, her voice cutting through the air like a knife.
Her bown eyes scanned the class, eyes stopping on one particular student—a boy who stood out even among the others.
His black hair rippled in the air, the strands moving as if they were caught in a breeze—except there was no wind in the facility..
Merlin blinked in confusion, almost too stunned to believe it.
'What on earth...Why does the protagonist have to be such a weirdo..'
Then he saw it—Nathaniel's eyes were glowing, faintly, like two oceans.
Merlin's first instinct was to gag. He hated that look, that innocence, that confidence—it was weird to watch..
Sophia's eyes locked onto Nathan, her voice sharp. "You, there."
'Good luck,' Merlin silently mouthed to Nathan, unable to suppress a grin.
Nathan's gaze shifted toward Sophia, a smile tugging at his lips as he gave Merlin a small glance.
Sophia's voice held an edge of excitement as she pulled out a piece of parchment. "Nathaniel Varen, come here."
Nathan's lips curled into a small innocent smile as he slowly walked over to Sophia's side.
"Demonstrate, using your affinity!" she encouraged him with a smile.
Merlin could practically hear the unspoken go on, impress me, in Sophia's voice, but he knew that Nathan wasn't the type to disappoint.
'Yeah, demonstrate...'
Merlin thought, rubbing his forehead as he tried to hide his amusement. This was going to be good.
Nathan stood still for a moment, eyes darkening as he raised his hand. A faint pulse of energy rippled from his fingers. Slowly, the air around him grew heavier, darkened, until a swirling sphere of pure shadow began to form in his palm. The black orb pulsed ominously, as if it had a life of its own.
"Very good—"
Sophia's voice was cut off by a deafening explosion. The shadow sphere erupted, sending a wave of force through the room. Tables rattled, papers flew into the air, and the entire facility seemed to shake. The air crackled, and for a moment, the classroom was plunged into a disorienting chaos.
Sophia's eyes widened, her posture stiffening as she quickly raised a protective barrier around herself and the students. The explosion was contained, but only just.
The room fell into stunned silence.
Nathan stood, unfazed, his expression still as innocent as ever.
"Well," he said softly, "I guess I went a bit overboard."