The past few days... strangely enough, everything had been normal.
No magical explosions in the school hallways, no clan squabbles, not even the sound of Myra's screams that usually greeted the morning with her drama.
But for Liyn, something felt different.
I don't know since when, her eyes always searched for one figure every time she stepped into the classroom.
Leith.
That name. That face. That gaze.
It was as if her brain was automatically set - every new room she entered, the first thing she looked for was that man.
In fact, they had only spoken twice.
Twice. But the effect was like a spell that never faded.
"Liyn, are you listening?"
Myra tapped the table with a look of amusement.
Liyn snapped out of her reverie, again caught glancing towards the entrance of the main hall.
The place where Leith usually appeared. The place where all eyes silently waited.
And that day... the rumors came true.
Leith Orien, the mysterious new teacher, was officially teaching Syntara-the most prestigious subject in this school. But it wasn't that that caused a stir.
The subject was exclusively for class A.
From grades 1 to 10, only the top-ranked students could participate.
Students from classes B and C began to protest quietly.
Not because the system was unfair, but because of the harsh reality: the teacher they coveted only taught one class.
Until the bell rang again, Myra and Liyn immediately rushed back to class. Inside, the students' voices were already boisterous-it was Syntara's subject day. This subject, which is only taught twice a week, has always been a scourge for most students. The reasons were obvious: it was difficult to understand, the theory was complicated, and the practice... well, not everyone could control it.
But everything changed since Leith became their teacher.
As soon as the sound of leather shoes entered the room, ...a young man with wavy black hair and a gaze that seemed to freeze the air appeared. The class immediately turned into silence. It was as if all sound disappeared in one breath.
"Good morning everyone," greeted Leith in his distinctive flat voice, accompanied by his usual cold gaze.
"Morning, Mr. Leith," said all the students in unison.
"Since our introduction yesterday was too short and was immediately replaced by another subject, how about now you introduce yourselves first. Since I am also your homeroom teacher."
The students looked at each other. Some of the girls began to tidy up their uniforms and style their hair, pretending not to care but secretly wanting to look the most presentable in front of their one teacher.
Introductions started from the front row, near the wall.
"Introducing, I'm Viola Hesra-"
But before Viola could continue her sentence, Leith cut in calmly.
"Okay, next. I only need to know your names and faces."
Viola sat back down with a puzzled expression, a little disappointed that the introduction was not so long.
The introductions went quickly, one after another. Until it was Liyn's turn.
"Introducing... my name is Yurelin Yurei, usually called Liyn. Hello..." she said quietly before hurriedly sitting back down.
Her hands trembled slightly. Her heart was beating faster than usual. She couldn't even look at Leith anymore. For some reason, the nervousness just came out of nowhere.
A few minutes later, the introduction session was over.
"Okay, I've memorized everything," Leith said. "By the way, who are the class president and secretary here?"
Several students turned to each other.
"Please come forward and hold this attendance sheet. Every week you will come to my office to report the progress of the class," he continued as he handed over an attendance book.
Nicola Storm and Viola Hesra came forward. They had a brief chat with Leith before returning to their seats.
Liyn took a deep breath, trying to calm her heartbeat that was still not normal. She looked down, staring at her fingers that were still trembling slightly-she realized her thumbnail was almost torn off from being bitten so much since earlier-and hoped no one would notice. Especially... her.
"Why am I tense anyway..." he muttered softly, then let out a long breath.
Beside him, Myra glanced over with an annoying smile.
"Look at that, his face is red," she whispered quickly.
Liyn turned her head slowly and gave a small glare. "Sssst! Shut up!"
"Ehehe... I saw you trembling, you know," Myra still whispered, triumphantly.
Fortunately, the classroom was lively again. Leith was now standing in front of the blackboard, crossing out some important points about this semester's syllabus. His voice sounded flat, but clear-the type of teacher who was serious, but made people curious.
Not just because his face was... well, too perfect for a teacher. But also because of the mysterious aura that was never really explained.
"Okay, I've written a syllabus of the material I'll be teaching this semester," Leith said in a calm tone. "Before we begin, I would like to review the Veyra level tests of all the students in this class."
Beberapa siswa langsung saling berbisik, terdengar gumaman kecil di sana-sini.
"Karena pada dasarnya, level dasar Veyra akan bertambah seiring bertambahnya umur," lanjut Leith, masih menulis tanpa menoleh. "Setiap murid akan bergiliran masuk ke ruang pemeriksaan sesuai urutan absen. Ketua kelas, tolong dipandu."
Kelas langsung hening. Tidak ada yang berani menjawab.
"Ada yang keberatan?" tanya Leith, sambil meletakkan spidolnya dan menatap lurus ke arah murid-muridnya. "Oh ya, di sini saya ingin semuanya jujur tentang level Veyra masing-masing. Karena saya dengar... ada kasus seorang siswi menyembunyikan level Veyra-nya."
Liyn spontan meneguk ludahnya.
Kata-kata itu... entah kenapa terasa menggema dalam pikirannya.
Seolah ditujukan langsung padanya. Padahal dia yakin, Leith bahkan tak menatap ke arahnya saat mengucapkannya.
Apa dia sudah diberi tahu oleh guru lain? gumamnya dalam hati.
"Gila… dia kayak nyindir seseorang," bisik Myra pelan.
Liyn tidak menjawab. Ia hanya mengangguk kecil, matanya menatap kosong ke depan—masih tenggelam dalam pikirannya sendiri.
"Emang dulu kamu level berapa?" tanya Myra, kali ini dengan nada sedikit serius.
"Level 7... aku baru saja dicek," jawab Liyn pelan.
"Eh, pretty high too. No wonder you went straight to class A," Myra was a little surprised, then added, "If our level is already 5 and above, the school will regularly check to see who is improving and who is stuck. There has to be an improvement from the last one, even if it's still a basic level. During the first check, what level was your Veyra?"
Liyn thought for a moment before answering. "Hmm... I don't know. At first I thought I didn't have Veyra, so I didn't take the check. You see, my mom has a Veyra base level below 3."
"I see... that's why you originally entered Science school, huh?"
In the middle of their conversation, someone's voice interrupted the conversation.
"Yurelin Yurei, can you come with me? You're the first one to take the check," Leith said in a flat tone, her gaze directed at Liyn.
Liyn's body instantly trembled. Her heart beat faster and faster. She was silent for a few seconds before answering nervously.
"I... yes."
With hesitant steps, Liyn stood up and began walking toward Leith. The moment they faced each other, she immediately looked down - not daring to look her teacher in the eye, let alone up close.
Leith then stepped out of the classroom, followed by Liyn who was still trying to control her nervousness.