Professor Harmon clasped his hands behind his back as he continued the lecture, his voice taking on a more serious tone.
"Now, as you've been informed during orientation, when you're teleported to the first realm for the first time, you'll likely appear somewhere random—but relatively close to what we call the 'core' of the world."
Arthur leaned forward slightly, his interest piqued. This was information he hadn't heard before.
"The core of a realm," Professor Harmon explained, "is essentially an artifact, object, or even landmass that acts as the anchor to the realm itself. Your primary mission upon arrival is to locate this core and physically touch it."
He walked slowly across the front of the classroom, making eye contact with various students.
"Once you've made contact with the core, you will have successfully created a tether between that realm and our home here on Earth. This tether will allow you to travel freely between Earth and that realm thereafter."
Luke scribbled notes furiously beside Arthur, his handwriting nearly illegible in his haste to capture every detail.
"We have human strongholds built around the cores of Realms Two and Three," Professor Harmon continued, "with plans for Realm Four in development. Your goal after being teleported to a realm is to reach these strongholds where you can safely reach the core."
The blue-haired boy—Aziel—nodded knowingly, as if this was all review for him. Of course it would be, Arthur thought. According to Luke,his dad is a pathfinder.
"After being sent to the second realm for the first time, you'll also develop powers unique to you," Professor Harmon said, a hint of wonder entering his otherwise stoic voice. "As for how you use these powers..." He smiled slightly. "Well, you'll know once you get them. It's an intuitive process."
He paused, scanning the room with his piercing gaze. "Any questions before I continue?"
A boy in the middle of the class thrust his hand into the air. He had curly red hair and freckles splashed across his face like constellations.
"Um, does Earth have a core like the rest of the realms?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly with nervousness.
Professor Harmon nodded. "If it does, it hasn't been found. Usually, you manually create a tether on Earth wherever you were before you left the realm. This is why the Academy has teleportation chambers—controlled environments for your returns."
The professor paused again. "Anything else?"
The classroom remained silent. Arthur had questions—dozens of them—but he preferred to observe for now, to learn the dynamics of the class before drawing attention to himself.
"Great, then I'll continue," Professor Harmon said, turning to activate the large screen behind him.
A diagram appeared, showing what looked like seven concentric circles, each labeled with a different term.
"In order to advance to the next realm," he explained, pointing to the diagram, "you need to fill your core by defeating monsters—either those coming through gates from the void or the corrupted creatures already inhabiting other realms."
Images flashed across the screen—grotesque creatures with too many limbs, distorted features, and an aura of wrongness that made Arthur's stomach turn.
"Once your core is filled," Professor Harmon continued, "You will feel it almost begging to let it transform and if you grant this request upon its transformation similar to when it was first formed, you will be forcefully sent to a random area in the next realm, again requiring you to find the core and establish a tether."
He clicked to the next slide, showing a hierarchical chart.
"The seven ranks you'll progress through as you fill your core have been categorized by human researchers. From lowest to highest: Chosen, Pathfinder, Realmbound, Realm Sage, Realm Walker, and finally, Realm Sovereign."
Aziel straightened in his seat, a look of ambition flashing across his face. Myah's eyes were wide with wonder, while Cara maintained her composed demeanor, though Arthur noticed her pen moving steadily across her notebook.
"Each time you rank up," Professor Harmon warned, "it becomes increasingly difficult to fill your core, forcing you to confront tougher monsters from higher-level gates or from deeper within the realms."
Professor Harmon clicked to another slide showing terrifying creatures organized into categories.
"The monsters and void creatures have also been classified by human researchers, from weakest to strongest: Tainted, Twisted, Abomination, Corrupted, Defiled, Realm Lord, and at the top, Dark Deity."
A chill ran down Arthur's spine as the images scrolled past. Some looked like animals warped beyond recognition, others seemed entirely alien.
"The strongest monster humanity has ever encountered was merely Corrupted," Professor Harmon said gravely. "Based on our discoveries and research, we believe each realm hosts progressively higher ranks. For example, Realm Two primarily contains Tainted and Twisted creatures. Realm Three holds anything from Tainted to numerous Abominations. Realm Four is said to be crawling with Corrupted entities."
He paused to let this sink in.
"This pattern leads us to believe that higher realms must contain even more powerful adversaries corresponding to each realm's level."
By the time Professor Harmon finished his explanation and answered a barrage of questions from eager students, the class period was nearly over. Arthur's hand cramped from taking so many notes, his mind swirling with information that once would have seemed like fantasy.
Just as Professor Harmon appeared ready to dismiss them, a hand rose from the front row. The classroom collectively held its breath as they realized who was asking a question.
It was Cara. She hadn't spoken a single word throughout the entire class, so everyone leaned forward, curious about what she might say.
"Yes, Cara?" Professor Harmon acknowledged.
She lowered her hand, her posture perfect as she spoke in a voice that somehow commanded attention despite its softness.
"Do we know why?"
The professor looked at her, confusion evident on his face. "Why what, exactly?"
Cara's expression remained composed, almost serene. "Why we were gifted these powers, while the other realms, to our knowledge, were not?"
The question hung in the air, profound in its simplicity. Arthur found himself holding his breath, waiting for the answer.
Professor Harmon sighed deeply, considering her question with the gravity it deserved. "We don't know with certainty," he admitted. "But what we do know is that without these powers, we would easily have ended up like the civilizations of the realms before us. So perhaps think of them as blessings from the gods."
Cara stared ahead, seemingly lost in deep thought for a moment before giving a small nod of acknowledgment.
Arthur's face contorted into a scowl in the back row. 'Blessings from the gods? he thought bitterly. Yeah, too righteous to come down here themselves but too noble to let us simply die. Some gods they are.'
As if punctuating his cynical thought, the bell rang, signaling the end of their first class. The students began gathering their materials, the room filling with the sounds of shuffling papers and zipping bags.
Arthur glanced at Cara as she gracefully rose from her seat, wondering what had prompted her question.
"Ready for combat training?" Luke asked, adjusting his glasses, breaking Arthur from his gaze.
Arthur nodded, his chest giving a painful throb as if to remind him of the power growing within—a power he hadn't asked for and wasn't sure he wanted.
"As ready as I'll ever be," he replied, echoing his words from earlier that morning, though this time with a heavier heart.