CHAPTER 69: SOUL BURN

Noah sat at his desk, idly tapping his quill against the edge of his notebook while the murmurs of conversation filled the classroom.

Students clustered in little groups, some whispering about the weekend, others already flipping through their Magical Theory textbooks as if that would make the lesson arrive faster.

Noah kept mostly to himself, his satchel by his side and his notes from the previous Magical Theory class neatly arranged in front of him.

The click of the door opening filled the air, and conversation died instantly as Professor Cecilia strode into the room.

She was as immaculate as ever, her dark hair tied into a ponytail, and her expression cool. Her heels clicked against the stone floor with the same authority she commanded in her voice.

"Settle down." She said, though there wasn’t much settling to be done. The students were already sitting stiff in their seats.

She placed her stack of books and notes on the lectern, letting the silence stretch just enough to demand full attention before she began.

"Today’s topic," she announced, her gaze sweeping over the room, "is Soul Burn."

The shift in the air was immediate. Noah didn’t miss the way several students straightened in their seats, quills poised. Others leaned forward as if afraid they’d miss a word.

Judging by their reactions, this was not a topic covered lightly. Noah’s grip on his quill tightened. If everyone else thought it was important, he’d make sure he got every word down.

Professor Cecilia began pacing slowly in front of the room, her voice cutting clear. "What is Soul Burn?"

"Soul Burn is a type of injury inflicted on a mage’s soul by the use of skills and spells. It is an inevitable part of your development, no matter your tier or talent."

She paused, scanning the room as if daring anyone to assume they were the exception.

"While your body recovers from exhaustion, your soul bears a separate burden. Damage that does not simply fade with a good night’s sleep. Left unchecked, Soul Burn will cripple you, or worse, halt your progression entirely."

Noah bent over his notebook, scratching the words down quickly.

She continued, "Some of you may have heard that nobles already have the rituals and resources needed to take their children directly to D-rank the moment they awaken, and may even do it immediately."

"This is true in part. They can awaken their children with rare beasts, powerful affinities, and expensive blessings. But even they are bound by the same limitation you all are."

She stopped pacing, resting one hand on the lectern. Her golden eyes were cold as steel.

"Soul Burn is the reason they cannot push their children any further without consequence."

"The more powerful the skill or spell you use, the heavier the strain on your soul. If that strain outpaces your ability to recover, it becomes a burn, scar tissue, if you will, on the very fabric of your being."

"And once enough burns accumulate, they act as chains, restricting your growth and making advancement nearly impossible until they are healed... if they can be healed at all."

The room was utterly silent now, every student listening in like people waiting for a drop of water in the middle of a desert.

"This," Professor Cecilia said firmly, "is why we measure advancement carefully. Why training regimens are strict. And why your early years will focus not on reckless spellcasting, but on pacing yourselves. The price for ignoring Soul Burn is far greater than the price of patience."

She tapped the chalk against the board once, letting the sound punctuate her next point.

"Most of you cannot feel your Soul Burn," she said, scanning the class with a steady gaze, "because your awakening itself created it."

"The damage is already there, hidden beneath the excitement of receiving your affinities and the initial rush of magic flowing through you. This first burn is... constant. It lingers from the moment your soul bonds with your beast until it fully heals."

She clasped her hands behind her back, pacing slowly again.

"And every time you use a skill or cast a spell, you are adding time to that recovery. You are not starting fresh each time. Rather, you are extending the duration your soul will need to repair itself."

"It is important to note that the more aggressively you push yourself now, the longer it will be before your soul burn fades entirely."

Noah’s mind went to the day before, to when he’d almost completely drained his magic capacity. Around him, a few students shifted in their seats, frowning.

Cecilia’s lips curved faintly, not in amusement, but in knowing.

"When your Soul Burn does heal," she continued, "you will know. Without doubt. It is... a refreshing feeling, a clarity in the mind and spirit that cannot be mistaken for anything else. It is as if the boulder you never realized you were carrying has been stripped away in an instant."

She turned and drew a chart on the board, a rough progression ladder.

"For first-year students, the burn from your awakening, combined with your normal skill and spell usage, generally heals in about three months. This is assuming you are not reckless. Overuse will, of course, push that number higher."

Her chalk moved down the list.

"Upon reaching FF-rank, the recovery time changes. The Soul Burn from that advancement typically heals in six to nine months, again, this depends heavily on how often you push yourselves. The more spells you hurl, the more you drain your mana dry, the more you are adding to that clock."

Noah kept his quill moving, committing every word to paper.

"Now," Cecilia said, setting down the chalk and facing them again, "understand this clearly. Each subsequent advancement takes longer to heal from. And the higher the rank of the ascension ritual, the longer that recovery will be."

"In many cases, we measure the burn from such rituals not in months, but in years. High-rank ascensions, especially those rushed with rare, volatile materials, can take more than a decade to fully heal."

Her gaze narrowed, driving the point home.

"This is where compatibility becomes crucial. The materials used in your ascension ritual must be in harmony with your body and soul."

"Poor compatibility means your soul suffers greater strain from the binding, and the burn takes longer, sometimes far longer, to recover. Unfortunately, greed, pride, or desperation often drive people to ignore this fact."

She paused, then added, "The other major factor is your activity after advancement. The frequency with which you use your skills and spells will directly affect your recovery."

"This is why soldiers, for instance, take much longer to climb the ranks. The intensity of the warfront forces them to fight daily, casting spells until they are drained dry. That constant abuse of their soul results in massive cases of burn."

The classroom was silent as she spoke the next words.

"Most soldiers stall at F-rank for years. Not because they lack the talent or the resources to ascend, but because their Soul Burn has not healed enough to allow it. The warfront bleeds more than the body, it bleeds the soul itself."

"And when the time comes, you all will be sent to the warfront, just like the current third year students. No matter what you do there, never forget to pace yourself."

She let the words hang in the air, her gaze sweeping the room once more before she turned to continue the lecture.