A/N: This chapter starts to get into how Beasts work in this world:3
The auditorium was alight with the chatter of about 200 plus freshman students. The blue team was situated in the second row, close to the isle.
"Man, I don't feel like taking this class." Hannah says with a slight groan.
Barbara nods in agreement. "I already understand how magic works for humans. Nor do I actually need to learn how magic functions for Beasts. No offense Diana."
"None taken. Though I must admit that I am actually particularly interested in this course. I, too, understand how magic functions for Beasts and Humans alike, but I believe they will go into greater detail about the inner workings of my kind. You may not know, but the required course Beasts took freshman year of high school wasn't very, let's say, thorough. And of course, they didn't even discuss magic." Diana explains.
"Oh yeah, I understand you." Barbara states.
Hannah hums in thought, "Aren't they also going to get into how Tamers work also? I'd actually be interested in that."
Diana puts her hand to her chin, "I believe so. I am also interested in understanding how that process works. Though the chance for any Beast to have a Tamer is astronomically low."
"Like one out of a million yeah?"
Diana nods. Hannah and Barbara decide to shift the conversation to some of their other classes.
Diana, while following along with the conversation, feels it again. That slight pressure. There it is again. What in the world could this be? Diana closes her eyes and concentrates on the feeling. This pressure. It feels like...it feels like my Beast is...calling out? Trying to reach out to something? But wha-
"Alright class settle down! My name is Professor Hearth, and this is Beasts and Human Magic Education"
Diana's concentration breaks at the sound of the Professor's command and introduction. Diana shakes her head slightly and tries to ignore the pressure and focus on the lesson ahead. The professor proceeds to talk about the syllabus, the history of magic, and basic information about Beasts.
"Now that we have basic information out of the way, let's get into a few visual examples of how magic works for Humans and Beasts." Professor Hearth points to an odd device. It seemed to contain a place where one could set their hand. And then that part connects to some sort of meter.
"This here is a simple magic gauge. The selected person sets their hand here." Hearth points to the hand shaped enclave. "And then starts flaring their magic. I will demonstrate first"
Professor Hearth reaches to press something on the back of the machine. The machine whirls to life. She then places her hand on the machine, and then faces the class. The second her hand hit the machine, the gauge fills to about the 1/3 mark with a greenish type of color.
"As you see here, this gauge represents how much magic I'm giving out. The color also represents your particular magic signature. Everyone's will be different, though some will vary by an extremely slight amount. Now this gauge is currently showing how much magic potential I'm giving out idly. Most of your human professors will show about this range at idle. Now if I start flaring my magic" the gauge starts to fill to the halfway point, "the gauge will respond." The gauge now hits the 3/4 mark.
The students can feel a breeze flow through the room, a magic signature pulsing in the air. The professor's eyes seemed to glow ever so slightly.
"This is me flaring my magic to the max. Again, most of your human professors will hit about this range. Though certain people like our Headmistress, for example, will be able to fully fill the gauge, maybe even break it."
The room breaks out into a quiet murmur of awe.
"Now since you all are freshman students and probably haven't had too much training in strengthening your magic, I estimate most of you will get about halfway to the 1/3 mark at full flare. If you're human. Beasts on the other hand process magic differently. I estimate at full flare, Beasts shall be able to hit the 1/3 mark. Our 4th year Human and Beast students, on the other hand, can hit a tick under the halfway mark and a few ticks above the halfway mark respectively. Now let's get a few human volunteers."
Diana looked back down at her notes while the professor chose random students to try the magic gauge. She hears Hannah let out a small, impressed whistle, "Yeah okay, this is actually pretty neat."
Diana and Barbara both nod their agreement. "Indeed, I've never seen a machine like this in action." Diana says.
"Yeah, me neither."
Diana opens her mouth to comment on the gauge portion of the machine when the professor calls the class back to attention.
"Okay now these human students will all use the gauge. You should be able to see the average gauge length they will achieve."
Each student one by one placed their hand on the machine and presented their idle magic gauge and their max flare magic gauge. Each one ranged about how Professor Hearth called it. Only a small amount of magic showed for idle and each of the students got about halfway to 1/3 point for full flare.
"Thank you students. You may be seated. Now, I will explain in basic detail about how magic works in Beasts. May I get a Beast volunteer?" Professor Hearth points to a random student, "Okay how about you, Chloè Chéreau."
A blonde student walks up to the front.
"Now Chloè, place your hand on the gauge." Chloè does and her idle magic gauge, a light orange color, shows at a slight amount. Similar to other the human students. "Now this may seem just like the other human students, but she hasn't tapped into her Beast yet. Please do so now, but make sure not to flare any magic."
Chloè closes her eyes and when she opens them her pupils have turned into animalistic slits. You can see her nails become sharpened points. But the interesting thing is the change in the gauge. The amount of magic shown in the gauge didn't rise at all but instead split into different parts.
On the left side, the light orange color, and on the right side, a dark green color. The dark green portion of the magic seemed to shimmer in a way that was completely different than its orange counterpart.
"Alright perfect. As one can guess, the dark green portion of her magic is her Beast's energy. A completely separate entity than her normal magic. To note, as her Beast's overall energy level rises, so will her normal magic potential. We'll get into Beasts' magic limits in the next class and maybe touch on the role of Tamers. But for now, what makes the magic potential of Beasts stronger than those of humans, is the melding of their magic potentials. Chloè if you concentrate you should feel the two magic potentials inside you. I want you to slowly push your Beast energy into your normal magic. Meld it to the point they are one. Make sure not to flare your Beast's energy at all."
Chloè closes her eyes once more, visibly concentrating. Slowly one could see the dark green magic start to flow into the light orange, raising the gauge about halfway to 1/3 point, and turning into a rough brownish color. The magic shimmered and seemed to almost bubble.
"Very good. This is about the average idle position for any freshman Beast. Now go ahead and flare your magic."
Chloè does so and the gauge rises to a tick above 1/3.
"Impressive. A tap higher than most Beasts at this stage. Thank you for your help. You many calm your Beast and return to your seat"
Chloè gives the professor a nod, the audience a confident smirk and walked off the stage. Diana notices Chloè start to blatantly stare at her as she returned to her seat, her smirk widening turning into more of a challenging look.
"Uh Diana is she looking at you like that?" Hannah asks quietly, confused at the look on Chloè's face.
Diana feels a growl wanting to rumble in her chest, her Beast not liking Chloè's look in the slightest. "It seems so. I don't believe I know her. Perhaps she's heard of me?"
Diana's teammates give her dual shrugs. "That makes sense I suppose. You do have a reputation" Hannah states, keeping her voice low.
Diana forcefully breaks eye contact with Chloè and groans slightly. "Unfortunately." Diana says quietly.
"Now class, let's get two more Beast volunteers for comparison and then finish up the last topic for today. Let's see...how about you, Diana Cavendish."
Damn.
Diana lets out another extremely quiet groan and starts to stand.
"Don't want to do it?" Barbara mutters out the corner of her mouth.
"Not in the slightest." Diana mutters back and proceeds to head to the front.
"Alright Diana go ahead and press your hand to the machine. Don't flare your magic."
Diana does as she's told and places her hand where it's supposed to go, keeping completely calm. Diana, not looking at the gauge but at the audience, hears the crowd start to murmur. Diana gulps slightly and glances at the gauge, her magic a sky-blue color, marked at about halfway to 1/3. Diana inwardly sighs, this wouldn't help her reputation in the slightest.
"O-okay now just as Chloè did, awaken your Beast"
Diana closes her eyes and feels her Beast come out. She opens her eyes and glances around the crowd with sharpened vision.
*thump thump*
Diana immediately feels that strange pressure once more, but this time stronger than before, her heart starts to thump harder and faster.
No! Not now, not now. Stay calm.
Diana glances at the gauge again and notices her Beast's energy is a deep red color, shimmering almost dangerously.
Calm calm calm.
Diana knows without a doubt now that this pressure is in fact her Beast, reacting to something in this room. Calling out to something in this room.
"Alright good, now slowly meld your energies. Keep your Beast calm and don't flare." Diana nods and takes a deep breath, unbeknownst to her someone was staring at her hard, seemingly extremely invested in the happenings in the front of the room.
Akko leans forward in her seat staring at this student's Beast side, her heart thumping faster and faster. She's never seen this person, Diana, before. Akko briefly thinks back to what the chick she just met, Amanda, said about the girl.
Akko was eagerly watching the professor and students do demonstrations, "Geez this is so much more interesting than magic history."
Lotte nodded, "I have to agree, our Professor was explaining all the basic things that most witches already knew about."
"Ah. Can't say I knew much about what she was saying, but the Humans and that one Beast demonstration was super cool. I wond-" Akko cuts off her statement as a new person steps to the front. She was...beautiful. Akko's mouth falls open slightly. Her eyes start to widen as the pressure she felt in the cafeteria starts pounding again. This time, the pressure gets even stronger as she stares at this girl.
"Who...is that?"
Lotte and Sucy both look at her with slightly incredulous looks. Lotte opens her mouth to answer, when they hear a voice from behind them.
"Oi you seriously don't know who that is? Do ya live under a rock?"
Akko struggled to take her eyes off the mystery person to look at the one who just talked. "Is she super popular or something? And who are you?"
"Name's Amanda O'Neil and these two are my teammates." She points to the two girls sitting on either side of her, "And that's Diana Cavendish down there. Next head of the House of Cavendish. And in my opinion, a royal bitch. I swear all she really does is frown and get on to people about following the rules."
"Sounds like you've personally dealt with her getting on to you. Seems like you might be biased." Sucy says, snickering. The short girl sitting on Amanda's right smirks and her shoulders start shaking slightly, like she's laughing. Amanda rolls her eyes at Sucy and her teammate and opens her mouth to speak when the professor calls out, "Alright Diana go ahead and press your hand to the machine. Don't flare your magic."
Akko immediately turns back to Diana, her heart starting to pick back up, the pressure starting to build. When Diana let her Beast out, Akko almost jumped up out of her seat.
I've seen people let out their Beasts before, but this...
Akko stares hard at Diana. It feels like her entire being was calling out to her Beast, wanting to see more.
Diana took a deep breath and slowly started to meld her energies together. The audience watches as the gauge turns to a deep purple color and rises to about a few ticks above 1/3. Diana can hear the crowd starting to murmur again but all she could do was concentrate on the pressure she was feeling. Trying intently to keep her Beast calm.
Diana starts to scan the crowd, What or who is causing this? As Diana looks around the audience, she hears the professor.
"Wow very good Diana, okay now go ahead and flare"
Diana takes another breath and starts to flare her magic, taking great care not to lose control when she sees her. Red eyes staring into what seemed to be her very soul.
Her Beast howls.
The magical energy in the air starts to get stronger and the wind moving throughout the room gets crazier. Diana can't rip her eyes away from this stranger's.
Back in the crowd Akko jumps in her seat. Diana was looking right at her. Akko could feel her entire being trying to desperately reach out to her.
I want to see more. Let your Beast run wild.
Akko doesn't know where her thoughts are even coming from or why she wants this, but she does. The millisecond after she has the thought, she feels the energy in the room get stronger.
Yes yes yes let it out! I've got you. Akko starts to smile wider and wider.
Diana keeps looking at the stranger, She wants me to let go, I need to let my Beast go. She's got me.
The gauge gets higher and higher. The crowd starts shifting in their seats. The Beasts of the room start leaning back, their Beasts starting to feel slightly cowed. The purple energy in the gauge was a few ticks above 1/2 now.
Akko now grips the sides of the seat in front of her, every inch of her trying to not run down there, to her. Her heart was running a mile a minute.
Diana, down in the front, was feeling that exact same way.
The two stare at each other as Diana loses more and more control over her Beast.
You can let go, I got you.
The gauge is a few ticks below 3/4 now. The energy gets wilder,
I can let go she's got me.
And wilder,
Let go!
And wilder, till
You can let your Beast go wild, I'll tame yo-
I can let my Beast go wild, she'll tame m-
Wait, what?
Diana and Akko blink roughly and snap their heads away from each other. Diana takes her hand off the machine, eyes closed, trying to calm her Beast. Her entire body was trembling slightly with energy. She hopes the crowd doesn't notice.
Professor Hearth clears her throat, eyes wide in astonishment, "Ah, fan-fantstic job Diana. That was extremely impressive. You may calm your Beast and return to your seat."
Diana gives a jerky nod and starts walking back to her seat, ignoring all the awed and nervous stares she was getting, and the death stare she was semi positive was coming from Chloè's direction. Her eyes stay firmly glued to the floor.
Akko keeps her eyes on the ceiling, not ready to risk whatever that was happening again. As Diana slid back into her seat, both girls wonder the same thing.
What the fuck was that?