Professor Kroua's mouth fell slightly open in genuine awe. She reached out slowly to take it.
The moment her fingers touched the glove, a sharp crack of electricity shot through her hand. She was thrown backward violently. Before she could crash through the window, she quickly cast a spell, a powerful gust of wind erupted from behind her, slowing her flight and gently lowering her to the floor.
The students erupted into chaos.
"Did you see that?!"
"She got shocked!"
"What the hell kind of blessing does that?!"
"Is he cursed or something?!"
I quickly pulled my hand off the orb and stared at the floating black glove. It looked completely normal. Just an ordinary leather glove. Nothing special about it at all.
Professor Kroua stood up, brushing off her lab coat, and walked back toward me, still looking stunned.
"Goddess of Lust…" she muttered, staring at me with wide eyes. "She hasn't blessed anyone in years."
"What?" I muttered, confused.
"He is blessed by her?" one of the students whispered loudly.
Professor Kroua exhaled slowly, regaining her composure. "Goddess of Lust, Ambly, has blessed you. Congratulations."
"Ambly?" I repeated, the name hitting me like a punch to the gut.
What? Ambly? Kara's mother? The same woman who basically got me killed… or already did kill me? She was a goddess in this world? And I was somehow blessed by her? Oh, hell no. No, no, no. Fuck no. That was beyond messed up…
"I…"
"Take the glove," Professor Kroua said, gesturing toward it. "Every student receives their divine mark. You must wear it."
"Will it hurt me too?"
She shrugged. "Try it."
"Oh, boy…"
I gulped, heart hammering in my ears. The glove seemed to hum with a strange, low vibration, or maybe that was just my own pulse. I took a deep breath, reached out, and grabbed it.
Nothing happened. That strange noise I was hearing came to a stop, though.
Thank god.
"This is strange…" Professor Kroua muttered, still clearly in awe. "Go wait for me in my office. What was your name again?"
"A-Ace…"
"Go wait for me in my office, Ace," she said firmly. "I need to notify Mr. Marble about this…"
"I, uh… y-yeah. Sure, I'll… I'll do that."
Was I in trouble?
Hopefully not…
The students broke into frantic whispers..
"Goddess Ambly hadn't blessed someone in decades..."
"Is he really blessed by her?"
"The most powerful deity?"
I pulled the door open and stepped out of the testing room, the black glove dangling loosely from my fingers as I walked back toward Professor Kroua's office. I thought about slipping it on, but after seeing what it did to her... nah. I stuffed it into my back pocket instead.
Once inside her office, I rubbed my face with both hands and walked over to the nearest wall. I leaned my forehead against the cool stone and closed my eyes. Man, I was tired. This whole testing thing had drained me. So in this world, gods actually blessed people? And Ambly, Kara's mother, was one of them? That would make Kara a goddess' daughter...
And I had been involved with her?
Oh, fuck no. I knew this whole situation was too good to be true. Those unhinged bastards probably wanted to kill me for fun. Who knew what a goddess and her daughter were really thinking?
"Fuck… fuck, fuck, fuck. I wish I'd never met Kara."
I pushed myself off the wall and glanced around the room. My eyes landed on a thick book lying on Professor Kroua's desk. The title on the spine read simply: The War.
Curiosity won. I grabbed it, turned it toward me, and while standing, began flipping through the pages.
The book spoke of ancient conflicts between different races in this world. The first one mentioned was the A'eno, deep ashen-gray skinned people with sweeping horns, known for their strength and warrior culture. Then came the Drahmori, beings with bark-like skin, antlers, and vine patterns, deeply connected to nature and growth. There were also the elves, described in tense, hostile terms, and another race called the Velkari...
I didn't get far. The door suddenly opened. I quickly closed the book and placed it back exactly where I found it.
Professor Kroua stepped inside.
"Uh, sorry, Professor," I said quickly. "I was just bored and thought I'd read a little."
"It's fine, Ace. Sit, please."
I sat down in the chair across from her desk. She walked around and took her seat, adjusting her glasses as she looked at me.
"So," Professor Kroua began, linking her fingers together on the desk and leaning forward slightly. "Tell me about yourself, Ace. What was your surname again?"
"W-Walker."
"Tell me about yourself, Mr. Walker." Her tone was calm but firm, eyes steady behind her glasses.
"I… um… well, I came to the city not long ago," I replied, choosing my words carefully. "And I learned that attending an academy is the law. I didn't want to get in trouble for skipping it, especially since I don't even have a proper place to stay yet. So… yeah. That's why I'm here, ma'am."
She nodded slowly. "Where were you living before you came to Kinola?"
"A small village far from here," I lied. "It was tiny. Practically nothing."
"What was the name of it?"
"We really didn't have one, Professor Kroua. I wouldn't even call it a proper village. Just three or four houses at most."
"Mm." She tapped her fingers once. "Why did you come to the city, then?"
"To… find a better future for myself," I said, trying to sound sincere. "Kinola is the biggest city in the kingdom. It was always a dream of mine to come here."
"Your parents?"
"Died when I was little," I lied again. "Goblin attack."
"Orenthis bless their souls," she murmured respectfully, dipping her head for a brief moment.
"Thank you."
She studied me for a second longer. "Do you know the Nine Gods, Mr. Walker?"
"I… I don't," I admitted. "I barely know anything about magic, as well. Our village chief forbade us from casting any spells. Said it was too dangerous."
She paused, clearly processing that. For a split second her eyes sharpened, then she leaned back in her chair and gave a slow nod, more to herself than to me.
"Ambly, the Goddess of Lust," she continued, her voice carrying clear reverence, "has not blessed anyone in decades, Mr. Walker. And yet you walk into this academy knowing almost nothing about magic, and she chooses you."
"I… have no idea why, ma'am."
"That is… curious," she said softly. "Why would the Goddess of Lust do that now?"
"It's hard to say, ma'am."
Her gaze dropped to my hand. "Why didn't you wear your glove? I already told you the rules, didn't I?"
"I was just… kinda scared, sorry, ma'am."