The moment the girls entered the classroom, an oppressive silence enveloped them. The air felt heavy, permeated with an unexplainable dread. 

Cleo’s ears twitched, her keen senses picking up on the tension as she padded behind Celeste, Lily, and Ophelia.

‘It's like we've walked into a graveyard,’ Cleo thought grimly, her gaze scanning the room where students quietly filtered to their desks.

Lily, seated near the middle of the room, was the first to visibly crack under the pressure. Her left leg bounces uncontrollably under her desk while her fingers drum against its surface in an erratic rhythm.

"Lily! Calm down!" Celeste hissed in a whisper, her irritation breaking through her usually calm demeanor. "It's not like he's going to bully you during class."

Lily sighed heavily, trying to stop her fidgeting. "I know," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "You don’t have to tell me I’m being ridiculous, but—"

The door creaked open, cutting her off mid-sentence.

Professor Thorne strode in, his expression unreadable, his gaze distant as though lost in thought. He made no acknowledgment of the students scrambling to sit upright and instead crossed the room to a tall window at the far side. 

With a swift motion, he unlatched the window and let in a smaller than average Northern Saw-whet Owl.

"Glad you could join us, Pip," Thorne said, his tone neutral but his posture relaxed. 

The owl alighted gracefully on his outstretched arm before settling on the edge of his desk, its amber eyes scanning the room like a watchful sentinel.

‘It’s like a sentry, just waiting to catch something amiss,’ Cleo thought, locking eyes with the owl.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice that resonated in her mind. ‘Exactly right, young pup. Keep your human in check, or I’ll have to inform my Master.’

Cleo’s head snapped to the left, where Celeste sat clenching and unclenching her hands nervously. ‘She wasn't like this before. History must not be a good subject for her, unlike Potion Making,’ Cleo thought.

She laid her head on Celeste’s leg, trying to soothe her. Celeste gave a faint smile and ran her fingers through Cleo’s fur, visibly relaxing.

Professor Thorne cleared his throat, silencing the quiet murmurs. With a flick of his wand, a large, intricate map materialized behind him, suspended midair.

"Let’s begin with a bit of geography for our first lesson," Thorne announced, his voice steady and commanding. 

He clasped his hands behind his back, letting his gaze lazily sweep across the room. "Who can tell me the names of these four nations?"

A blond girl with glasses hesitantly raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Shanna?"

"W-well, there’s the Umbrafell Empire, the… um… oh! The Atheron Principality, the Thalvaris Theocracy, and…" Shanna faltered, her voice trailing off.

Thorne sighed. "The Lupenyr Federation, Miss Shanna. Now, who can tell me the key differences between each of these nations?"

Silence. No hands rose this time as the students avoided Thorne’s piercing gaze. His eyes landed on Celeste.

"Miss Celeste," he called, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

Celeste jumped, her cheeks flushing. 

"Well, um… the Lupenyr Federation is home to beastmen of every type. The Thalvaris Theocracy practices holy magic, given to them by Thalvaris, the god of harvest. And the Umbrafell Empire… um…"

She paused, her voice faltering under the weight of the room’s scrutiny as she recalled the events of that morning concerning a certain man from the Umbrafell Empire. 

Cleo nudged her hand comfortingly, and Celeste absentmindedly stroked her head.

"Very good, Miss Rathmore. You may stop there," Thorne said, sparing her further discomfort.

He turned the class's attention back to the map, his expression darkening. 

"The Umbrafell Empire is ruled by Emperor Malachi Vanzar and harbors witches and wizards of the most devious nature. Long ago, their guardian deity, Obscyron, constructed a barrier to shield their dark deeds from outsiders. Can anyone tell me why?"

Ophelia’s hand shot up instantly.

"Yes, Miss Ophelia?"

"There’s a prophecy few know of outside of the Empire," Ophelia began, her voice steady. 

"When the Empire is filled to the brim with dark energy, Obscyron will be reborn into this world and deliver justice to all who would discriminate against his followers."

"Correct, Miss Steros," Thorne said with a nod. 

"Moving on, we have our very own Atheron Principality. The people there have a weak constitution when it comes to magic. Most just become ill to varying degrees, while a small percentage can even die from being exposed to the most basic of spells. Due to this, our Mage Tower was built far from their towns to prevent harm."

A boy in the back raised his hand lazily, his violet eyes glinting with mischief. His arms and a small portion of his face and neck were covered in black markings that looked similar to tattoos, except for the fact that they shimmered a golden white as they caught the sunlight streaming through the window to his right.

"Yes, Mr. Harlow?"

"Why does a group of people who can barely handle magic need magicians? And why don’t they just merge with the Thalvaris Theocracy? They worship the same god, right?" Harlow smirked, reclining in his seat.

For the first time, Thorne’s lips curved into a faint smile. 

"An excellent question, Mr. Harlow. While both do, in fact, worship Thalvaris, holy magic is still a form of magic. Merging would only exacerbate their plight. As for their need for magicians, that will have to be tomorrow’s lesson."

The bell rang, and the class erupted into motion as students hurried to leave.

"Miss Norwood," Thorne called as the girls passed his desk. "Don’t forget to turn in your essay tomorrow."

Lily groaned. "Yes, Professor Thorne…"

Once in the hall, she turned to the others. "I was hoping he was just joking about the essay, but that was too much to ask for, huh?"

"Don’t worry, we’ll help you," Ophelia said, nudging her gently.

"Yeah," Celeste added. "But Cleo and I need to focus on our communication, so don’t expect much help from me."

Lily’s lip quivered, and tears shimmered in her eyes. "I love you guys!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around them.

The trio laughed, their footsteps echoing through the hall as they headed to their next class. 

To be continued…