Typically, a classroom full of Initiates was quite a chaotic environment. Most children raised in the Sanctum were polite and well-mannered, yet even they couldn’t resist the temptation to show off their magical powers.

  Flashes of light painted the room in various colors as kids competed to create the most outrageous hue, while others tried to pierce through the flimsy shields that the best among them could conjure.

  Most teachers had to contend with this environment, cajoling, threatening, and bribing students to make them sit down and listen. Orion’s year had three assigned lecturers who were responsible for instilling as much discipline as possible into them before the Class Ceremony, hoping that the Moon-Mother would bless them with powerful classes.

  When Magistra Eire was able to schedule a lesson, the situation became more manageable. With her presence, the instructors only needed a single glance to quell even the most hyperactive student.

  Today, the classroom was as silent as the grave. Not a single Initiate dared to open their mouth, despite their main teacher not yet having arrived.

  Orion settled into his seat at the back of the class with Selene, sharing a silent greeting with Dorian and Luna. The sound of his chair scraping against the floor seemed to echo in the stillness, and he almost expected to be reprimanded for the disruption.

  Fortunately, Madame Julia and Sir Theron appeared more amused by the sudden seriousness than anything else. The two lecturers typically had to work hard to attain this level of attention, yet given the subject about to be discussed, they hardly needed to do anything at all.

  It took only a few minutes for Eire to sweep into the classroom, looking surprisingly windswept. “I apologize for my lateness, children. I was called to subdue a Yeti colony as its matriarch had begun coming out of hibernation too soon.”

  Orion didn’t even blink at the absurd claim. He had seen more than enough to know that such a task was likely of little note to someone like Eire.

  She may have been our “homeroom teacher” for the past three years, but she’s also the Magistra of the Transmutation Arts.

  A yeti matriarch could pose a significant threat, especially when hungry. In the bestiaries that Orion had been able to find, the ape-like monsters were described as low-tier two, with the rare potential to reach tier three if they were particularly old and cunning.

  Eire's mention of subduing the whole colony indicated that her power was solidly in the third and possibly into the fourth tier.

  But that wasn’t why she commanded such silence today, and she seemed to know it by the amused smile she shared with the lecturers. “I doubt you want to hear about that. No, today we are handling a very delicate matter. Something that is often left until the very last moment to avoid influencing young minds in the wrong direction.”

  Everyone seemed spellbound. The air was so still that the sound of a single pencil being knocked over would resemble a bomb going off.

  “I do not necessarily agree with that proposition, but I understand that the tradition has worked so far.” Eire continued, as if she hadn’t just declared the Sanctum’s practice wrong. Madame Julia twitched, clearly taken aback, but Sir Theron only nodded in silence.

  “The Lunar Sanctum has the highest conversion rate from tier zero class to tier one magical class in the entire Cyril Magocracy. This is public knowledge, and many factions have attempted to replicate our approach. Inevitably, they decide that keeping such a tight control on every single child from birth is simply too complicated an endeavor.”

  That didn’t shock Orion. His mother had already explained some of this, and he was surprised that the coven had managed to maintain their insane practice for so long.

  Some of it might have been due to its location; it was built on top of a mountain, after all. However, that didn’t explain everything. No, if he had to identify one particular factor for their successful isolation, it was the extreme focus on female authority.

  Most men would scoff at being unable to rise through the ranks; indeed, the rate of male students leaving the Sanctum after completing the lessons they were allowed to take was very high. Those who remained were extremely dedicated to its way of life and willing to endure many indignities. This, coupled with the witches recruiting the most promising girls with a magical class and granting them access to tailored instruction, solidified the status quo.

  Anyone willing to change things never made it to the top, either because they left or because they were too entrenched in the system.

  It helped that the Sanctum was known to produce some of the strongest witches in history and that it possessed both political power and ample wealth.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Overall, the requirements and limitations on personal liberty were significant, but the benefits were equally noteworthy, particularly for young women.

  “That doesn’t mean that our method is incorrect. Some people call it draconian isolation, but it works, and very well at that,” Eire continued. As always, the room seemed to answer her intentions as the ambient light dimmed, guiding everyone’s focus toward her.

  “But that is only the premise to explain why you have been kept from answers for so long. Now, some of you might ask, Why then am I telling you this? Why not go all the way and leave you in ignorance until the very last moment?” Some students appeared genuinely curious about the answer, while others simply waited for her to get to the meat of the issue.

  “Because, as of the day before yesterday, all of you are thirteen. And from now on, you might accidentally trigger your Class Ceremony without realizing it if you are left on your own. Thirteen is the threshold from which the gods will consider your experiences as adults rather than children. If you meditate deeply on the System in search of answers, you might be able to receive a class at this very moment.”

  The answer stunned Orion for a moment. He knew that thirteen was considered the age to receive a class, of course, but he hadn’t been able to find any real answers as to why. The few books he could access that discussed the issue merely mentioned the numerological significance or other such nonsense. To hear that it was an arbitrary cutoff from the System…

  I don’t know why I expected anything else.

  “Do not do this!” Eire rumbled, her voice rolling like thunder and eyeing a few who had closed their eyes. “Not only is now not the time for such a momentous undertaking, but you might regret doing it here for the rest of your lives.”

  Only after everyone had returned to giving her their full attention did she nod, pleased. “Good. There is a reason why Initiates are all brought together to gain their Class, despite us already having a pretty good idea of your aptitude.”

  The two lecturers nodded in agreement, and Orion felt the Magistra’s gaze upon him. He raised an eyebrow, and the woman smiled enigmatically.

  “Receiving a class is easy. All one needs is enough peace and quiet to connect with the System. Receiving a magical class is much more involved.” And with that, everyone was back on board. The threat of losing their magical abilities was more than enough to get even the rowdiest child to behave.

  “You have, of course, already started developing your magic. I have personally taught you spells and concepts and seen you put them to work. You have studied the theory of potions, astrology, alchemy, and a dozen more subjects. You are already prepared to receive a magical class, but there is one thing you lack. One thing that is solely responsible for the almost perfect conversion rate the Sanctum maintains.”

  By now, Orion was nearly on the edge of his seat, and he knew the others were no less interested. He briefly wondered why Eire was being so forthright about this alleged secret. Surely, if every batch of Initiates was taught this, the other factions would have discovered it, considering how many young men had been lost over the years.

  “That is to say, you lack a recommendation.”

  Eire’s words prompted surprise and not a little confusion. Orion blinked and tilted his head. An idea began to take shape, something that would finally explain one aspect of the first System message he’d ever received, which had remained a mystery until now.

  Something had interfered with his first contact. His previous life’s experiences had been set aside, but not as a matter of course. The System message had been clear that a “Higher Will” had been the cause.

  Orion had wondered what that might refer to, but he was now beginning to realize that it might have referred not to something, but to someone.

  “High Priestess Seraphina is the main reason behind the Sanctum’s success. Her connection with the Moon-Mother is so deep and powerful that it can shake the foundations of reality. While other factions must rely on chance and the occasional natural treasure to guide their Class Ceremonies, we just need her to succeed. Only those children who desperately do not want to receive a non-magical class will be excluded. Everyone else will stand before the most powerful witch in history and will receive her blessing once more.”

  Looking around at the stunned looks on everybody’s faces, Eire smiled, proud and surprisingly toothy. “That is the secret to the Sanctum’s success.”

  Orion dazedly wandered back to his lab.

  The lesson had continued for a while, as the Magistra had gone into more detail about how they should comport themselves before the High Priestess and what they should expect to happen, but it all passed him by in a blur.

  He would revisit his memories once he calmed down. Having such a high mental stat was good for that much, at the very least, but at the moment, Orion was still stuck on the “secret” Eire had revealed.

  Seraphina was the reason for the Sanctum’s nearly perfect magical class conversion rate. She was the one who had prevented his past life’s experiences from affecting his tier zero integration.

  She was apparently powerful enough to compel the System to grant everyone what they so desperately wanted.

  And the worst part was that it made sense. How else could every child born into the Sanctum receiving the Initiate class be explained? Surely someone should have had a different inclination. A different “fate.”

  He suddenly remembered the sensation of a warm hand touching his forehead before his integration, of something suffusing his entire body.

  He’d thought of it as just another healing spell. After all, his vision and hearing had been restored only moments before; why not expect another?

  But no, it fit all too well.

  And yet, something nagged at him. The way Eire had described the process suggested she hadn’t been completely honest.

  “She did not lie, but perhaps her words were misleading,” he muttered, opening the lab door and barely noticing the distortion field around it.

  “What were her exact words?” Biting his lips, Orion sifted through his memories.

  “Her connection with the Moon-Mother is so deep and powerful that it can shake the foundations of reality. While other factions must rely on chance and the occasional natural treasure to guide their Class Ceremonies, we just need her to succeed.”

  Yes, that was it. Eire had made it seem as though Seraphina was actively compelling the System to do something, and perhaps she even believed that.

  Though somewhat unorthodox in her methods, she remained a true believer. She prayed to the Moon and performed her rites. In a world where magic wouldn’t manifest without belief, it was easy to identify those who did not believe.

  “But how could the other factions interact with the System with natural treasures if it truly were a tool of the Moon Goddess?” He asked aloud, and that was enough to finally give him the answer he’d been seeking.

  Natural treasures he knew to be particularly powerful ingredients or parts of monsters. Things like the heart of a dragon or the ten-thousand-year ginseng. Items that could never be sold at auctions and whose discovery would shake entire factions. They could create incredibly powerful elixirs or allow people to cast spells far beyond what they should be capable of.

  And apparently, they could be used to guarantee magical classes.

  That meant one thing: Seraphina wasn’t accessing the System; she was gaming it.

  “Creating an environment similar enough to a natural treasure is still an incredible achievement. To do so for so many children, and without harming a single one… Yeah, she’s a monster, alright. But not a god.”

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