From that point on, Ethan continued paying attention to the class as normal. Since he hadn't received his textbooks yet, he limited himself to absorbing and mentalizing every piece of information Professor Lucy shared; later in the afternoon, he would find a way to get his hands on the necessary materials.
The teaching structure at the Salvatore School had its peculiarities. The werewolf class lasted two hours, focusing mainly on anger management, human psychology, and how not to expose themselves to the mortal world. After all, for them, the learning was quite practical and centered on behavioral control. The magic class, on the other hand, demanded three long hours daily; witches needed far more practical and theoretical time to understand channeling, elements, ancient languages, and the precise execution of incantations.
Since the werewolf class ended earlier, Ethan took advantage of the free time to head over to the east wing of the manor to locate the witches' coven classroom, intending to sit in on the remaining hour of the session to get a feel for how things worked around there.
Knock, knock.
As he opened the decorated wooden door, the hum of chatter inside the room died down instantly.
The teacher in charge was Ms. Emilia, a woman of elegant posture, a welcoming gaze, and an extremely calm presence that seemed to radiate peace just by speaking.
"Hello... You must be Ethan," Ms. Emilia said with a gentle smile, pausing her explanation on the chalkboard. "Caroline let me know you'd be coming. Please, come in. Everyone, this is Ethan, our new student."
Ethan took a few steps inside, immediately feeling the heavy weight of dozens of eyes locked onto him.
To no one's surprise, Penelope Park's gossip had already swept through the entire coven long before the bell rang. The witches in the room already knew everything: that the newcomer was a werewolf, that he claimed he could use magic, and, of course, that he was ridiculously good-looking. Having a guy in that class was rare enough on its own, but a wolf who could cast spells? He became an instant attraction.
Whispers and muffled giggles spread through the rows. A few female students discreetly fixed their hair while observing him with open curiosity.
"Introduce yourself to the class, dear," Ms. Emilia encouraged gently.
Ethan scratched the back of his neck, giving the room an awkward smile.
"Yeah... Hey, everyone. I'm Ethan. As most of you have probably heard through the grapevine, I'm new to all of this. I just hope I don't accidentally blow anything up during class."
A few students laughed, which helped break the ice a bit.
It was right at that moment that Lizzie Saltzman and her sister, Josie, stepped up from the front row.
"Welcome to the best wing of the school, Ethan!" Lizzie blurted out with a radiant smile, impeccable posture, and all her dramatic, extroverted energy. "I'm Lizzie. And don't worry—having someone around here who actually dresses well is a very welcome change. If you ever need style tips or real magic advice, just talk to me!"
"Lizzie, stop... You're embarrassing the guy," Josie whispered in a much sweeter, timid, and introverted tone. She gave Ethan a small, warm smile, nervously twirling the ends of her hair, clearly flustered by her sister. "Sorry about her... I'm Josie. If you need any help with the textbooks or the subjects, you can count on me."
"Thanks, girls," Ethan said, smiling at the stark contrast between the twins' personalities. "Good to know I won't be completely lost around here."
In the corner of the room, Penelope watched the whole scene with a smirk, throwing Ethan a subtle wink.
However, as Ethan looked past the twins and scanned the rest of the room, he felt something completely different from everything else in that space.
"You can take a seat in the back, Ethan, next to Hope," Ms. Emilia indicated, pointing directly to the only open desk left in the room.
Ethan walked down the aisle under the curious gazes of the other students, but as he neared the back, his attention shifted entirely to the girl with reddish-brown hair sitting by the window. He avoided looking at her directly while pulling out his chair and settling in, but he couldn't help a sudden chill running down his spine. For some completely irrational reason, he felt tense sitting next to her.
So her name is Hope... Ethan thought, adjusting himself in his seat without making a sound.
Hope, for her part, remained completely silent. Yet, behind that cold and distant facade, her mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Shock and confusion raced through her thoughts.
How is this possible? she wondered, straightening her posture as her analytical blue eyes locked onto Ethan's profile from the corner of her vision. A werewolf who can use magic? Is he... like me? But I'm the only Tribrid... Nature isn't supposed to allow another like this.
Overwhelmed by this internal storm, Hope cast another dense, intense glare in his direction, trying to figure out who or what he really was. Feeling the weight of her focused attention, Ethan finally turned his head to the side. Their eyes met for a brief second. Without uttering a single word, he simply offered her a polite nod and turned his focus back to the chalkboard.
Hope blinked, slightly taken aback by his simple reaction, but the certainty in her chest only grew stronger: she needed to know absolutely everything about this new guy.
For the rest of the hour, as Ms. Emilia demonstrated illumination spells and elemental control, the air in the room felt electrified—charged as much by the magic of the candles as by the silent mystery connecting the last two desks.
Some time passed after classes ended. Around 2:30 in the afternoon, after eating lunch and organizing his textbooks—which he didn't even need to buy, as Caroline had helped him get his study materials once again—we see Ethan outside the main manor of the school.
Settled under the shade of a lush tree on the lawn, leaning his back against the trunk with his legs stretched out, he was taking advantage of that quiet moment to process everything he had heard and experienced during the first half of his day.
Alright then... he thought, staring at the dry leaves on the ground and running through what he had learned in class. Basically, to trigger the werewolf curse, you have to take a human life, by whatever means necessary. And word is that anyone who goes through it doesn't find it pleasant at all. Nobody likes the process of turning into a wolf...
Ethan let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head with a grimace of disappointment.
And, to my utter disappointment, the wolves here aren't giant, monstrous beasts like in the movies. They're basically big dogs, ranging anywhere between 5'7" and 6'2" depending on how tall the person is.
That revelation about their ordinary canine form had crushed a bit of the expectations he held about his wolf side. But deep down, that was the least of his worries. The real issue was magic...
"The main thing I'm still confused about is the magic..." Ethan muttered to himself, watching the tree branches sway gently in the afternoon breeze. "I only caught the very end of the class after the wolves, but still..."
Magic needs a conduit... he reflected out loud, recalling Ms. Emilia's words. They use natural energy or their own vital force to channel spells. But what about me? If my wolf side actually gets triggered in the future... Will the curse block the flow of my magic, or will the two end up fusing together?
He looked down at his own hands, feeling the dormant spark racing through his veins.
According to the theory behind everything I learned today, I simply shouldn't exist.
Ethan took a deep breath, focusing his mind.
"Alright then... Let's give this a shot. Phasmatos Levitas."
He repeated the incantation a few times, adjusting his pitch and intent, until, to his satisfaction, the dry leaf right in front of him floated gently a few inches above the grass.
"It's not as hard as I thought..." he murmured with a faint smirk. "The magic was always inside me; the problem was just that I never knew the chants."
Excited by his fast progress, he extended his hand once more to test something stronger:
"Phasmatos Incendia!"
The response was immediate—a bit too immediate. A bright flame sparked out of thin air and consumed the leaf in the blink of an eye, quickly spreading to a small pile of dry leaves nearby.
"Ah, crap!" Ethan gasped, his eyes widening. "Crap, crap, crap!"
He scrambled to his feet instantly, stomping out the small flare before the smoke could draw anyone's attention from the main house.
Out of breath, he looked down at the soles of his shoes and then back at his hands, a wide, satisfied grin spreading across his face.
"Heh...until the magic is actually really cool."
."