The class officially began when a formally dressed old man, wearing what appeared to be a modified monocle, entered the room with a thick book in hand.

  “Alright! Quiet down, everyone. The lecture is about to start, so get to your seats,” he announced, setting his book down on the center desk.

  Everyone began to settle down. I wanted to switch seats, considering that sitting with the two people beside me might not be the best option.

  But I guess I didn't really have a choice at the moment.

  “Settle down, settle down. Is everyone ready? Okay,” the professor said as he adjusted his monocle. “Today, we are continuing our discussion regarding mana.”

  Mana, huh. I assumed this was the first introduction to mana for the other students around me, considering it was forbidden for me to learn anything about magic back at the manor.

  “Since we talked about the origins of mana yesterday, today we will be talking about the visual spectrum of your magical energy.” The old teacher began to write the color spectrum on the board, starting from Red to Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and lastly, Violet.

  Huh. I quickly noticed the lack of indigo. In my old world, there were seven colors in the visible spectrum known as ROYGBIV. When combined, they produced white light, yet the teacher only listed six.

  This is... interesting.

  I leaned forward, suddenly much more invested in the topic.

  “Now, as you all know, mana is not visible to the naked eye, but it does emit light when concentrated. Think of it as a visible spectrum based on the frequency of vibration.”

  The teacher placed the chalk back on the desk and stood before the class.

  “Think of it like heat.”

  He raised his hand slowly before his palm erupted in a bright Red glow.

  “Low-frequency mana may appear Red or Orange. It is sluggish and heavy, often associated with direct impact forms of magic.”

  He gripped his own wrist, appearing to strain slightly as he forced the energy to change. A burst of color rippled through the air. The Red shifted to yellow, then snapped into green, before finally settling into a cold Blue.

  I noticed that as the frequency got higher, the sheer blinding brightness of the light seemed to dull, becoming more condensed.

  “Now you see, class? As you increase the intensity, the color shifts.”

  He extinguished the Blue aura from his palm and walked back to the chalkboard.

  “Next is Violet, the highest tier a person can achieve. It represents a chaotic and rapid vibration of mana particles. It is powerful, but extremely unstable.”

  He turned back to the crowd, his monocle glinting.

  “So... any questions?”

  This seemed like the perfect opportunity to ask about Indigo, the missing variable. But on second thought, that would only draw unwanted suspicion.

  Before I could decide whether to risk it, a hand shot up from the crowd.

  “Sir, if the mana color is based on strength, then why can some mages cast more powerful spells than those with a higher-tier color?” a curious boy asked.

  “That is an excellent question.”

  The teacher began to pace back and forth, his monocle catching the light.

  “Listen closely, class. Your color does not dictate your destiny. It merely defines your nature.”

  He turned to face us, his expression serious.

  “Think of mana like a weapon. A Blue mage might be holding a broadsword, while a Red mage holds a dagger. The broadsword is heavier and has more reach, yes. But if the person holding it is clumsy, they will still lose to a master with a dagger.”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  He tapped his temple.

  “Capacity is nothing without control. A Green or Blue mage has a larger fuel tank and access to complex formulas, but that does not guarantee victory. Proficiency, strategy, and potency... those are what decide the winner.”

  The class sat in stunned silence. The atmosphere had shifted entirely as everyone became fully immersed in the lecture. Taking advantage of the pause, another student raised her hand.

  “Sir, isn't our nature fixed?” she said, her brow furrowed. “But if that is true, how can some mages switch colors? You changed yours from Red to Blue earlier.”

  The professor pointed a finger at her, his eyes twinkling.

  “Now, that is another excellent question.”

  He turned back to the board and drew a horizontal line.

  “Think of your natural color as your baseline. If you are born as a Blue, that is your state of equilibrium. However...”

  He drew a sharp spike going upward.

  “Skilled mages can momentarily push past their limits. You can overcharge your frequency to hit a higher color, but the cost is severe. It will drain your mana reserves rapidly, risking exhaustion.”

  He then drew a line dipping below the baseline.

  “The reverse is also true. You can suppress your output. You can throttle a Blue aura down to a Red tone. We do this to conserve reserves, or because certain delicate spells actually require the sluggish, heavy nature of low-tier mana to function correctly.”

  Interesting.

  I suppose it makes sense that mages are able to control their mana color by shifting the frequency.

  It made me think back to the Rite. I remembered seeing a Violet aura surrounding me, right alongside that massive White Snake. Could the Snake have been a projection of my inner mana?

  It was hard to say. I was mostly remembering that moment from Viper's perspective.

  Right before the chaos started, the original Seraphina told Viper she was going to sleep. Coincidentally, that was exactly when the Snake showed up.

  Could that mean the White Snake is the magical manifestation of Seraphina herself? Or is it some higher being entirely?

  Does this relate to why I am in this world? Why do I possess the memories of both Viper and Seraphina?

  I paused, a sudden chill hitting me. Is Viper even real?

  I clenched my fist.

  No. Viper is real. The knowledge I have... the chemistry, the physics, the tactics... they are flawless. If I were just faking this persona, my experiments would have failed. My logic would have holes.

  Viper is real. Seraphina is real.

  But the Snake...

  My heart started to hammer against my chest. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead. The edges of my vision began to blur. The classroom felt like it was shrinking, the walls closing in on me.

  Then, a voice cut through the static.

  “Are you okay, Seraphina? You look... sick.”

  I blinked, turning to see Elara looking at me with concern.

  “Yeah, are you still shaken from the fight yesterday?” another voice asked from my right. It was Theo.

  “I'm fine.”

  I buried the lower half of my face in my hands, resting my forehead against my knuckles. I needed to block them out. I could feel Theo and Elara exchanging concerned glances, but I forced myself to look forward.

  I needed to focus on the lecture.

  “Okay, class. We will now begin the practical application.”

  The professor opened the drawer of the podium and retrieved an object. It was a clear, smooth sphere.

  “We are going to test your aptitude.”

  He placed the orb on the desk.

  “This is a standard-issue resonance crystal. The original core material was discovered back in 1399, when a shipment of raw unknown stones washed up in the West Pacific.”

  He tapped the glass lightly.

  “The supply was limited, but we discovered that even a microscopic fragment reacts to the presence of a mage. It siphons a negligible amount of mana from anyone that has it.”

  He scanned the room, his eyes gleaming.

  “Do not worry about exhaustion. The crystal does the heavy lifting, projecting your color without requiring a full cast. Now... who wants to go first?” The teacher smiled.

  The class exploded with noise. Every student was practically vibrating, desperate to be picked first. Meanwhile, I sat in stone-cold silence.

  My eyes locked onto the device. A mana reader.

  This is a problem.

  If it reveals my true nature, then having Violet mana is a death sentence. The school would report it as an anomaly. Violet is considered near impossible to achieve and coincidentally has the same color aura as the White Snake; a thirteen-year-old child possessing it would definitely raise alarms.

  I have only two options. I can either show my true mana color and pray for a miracle, or I need to find a way to break that orb before I touch it.