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[IronyOwl]

Going for broke as far as exoticness is concerned, Murble opts to sit at Table 3.

"Greetings! Murble Moobroot. And you all are?"

Table 3, say hello.

[HighEndNoob]

Demivh raised his hand to make a pass at the answer.

"Hmm, I'm guessing either the townsfolk decided to throw an endless amount of magical parties that drove them into bankruptcy, or more likely mages ended up destroying the town one way or another.

[WunderKatze]

Raioyris folds his arms, it seems this fire class is not going to be very useful."Tell me, could this be made to hold a fire spell?" Raioyris says abruptly to the teacher with a disgruntled expression, he displays the tree particle he collected from before.

[_DivideByZero_]

Update 13

Dan is one of the people whose mouth doesn't open in suprise. The invisible hands trick doesn't elict any reaction from him.

For the cannibalism accusation he does react, even if it's not directed to him. Not to defend the greenskin, no. Little strife here and there keeps boredom away. "I take you haven't heard the tale?"

"A tale? Why would I immerse myself in children's literature?" he chorts.

Nabul sits down on a wooden stool made from natural wood that didn't seem to be there anymore, and begins stroking the cat on his lap.

Going for broke as far as exoticness is concerned, Murble opts to sit at Table 3.

"Greetings! Murble Moobroot. And you all are?"

Table 3, say hello.

You get a closer look at the broad-shouldered figure, and see under the hood... a pair of mandibles? You notice that the sleeves of the cloak are also closed. The figure keeps quiet, although the others greet you in response. The short girl leaps up onto the desk and reaches for your hand: "Honoka Asimathin!"
The armored figure raises a gauntlet. "I am Mirroken," says a hollow voice from within.
The young man, hesitant to extend his hand, merely smiles. "Aquarius, of Altarium. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

The professor begins.
"Life is the inner fire that runs inside all plants and animals. It distinguishes living matter from ordinary matter, and some say it is the gift of the gods; others still say that the gods came down to destroy the world, and yet they saw life and all the wonders of nature, and so decided to spare the world from the coming wrath."

She then goes on to describe the Kahigan: how every human soul is able to project a 'shadow' of sorts into this world (Ka-higan means 'shadow' [of the] 'soul'), how the modern alphabet was developed based on the shapes of those shadows observed by sages of the past, and what the concept of human restoration has to do with anything.

"All lifeforms have what you could call genetics, that is, the definition of what it is to be that kind of lifeform. These definitions manifest as a substance similar to the Kahigan, but tucked away deep inside the soul. The most general form of restoration is thus: returning a body that has been fractured and pulled away from this ideal blueprint to its rightful form."

Christine stands and bows

You pay your respects, but murmurs begin to spread amongst the crowd. You get the impression of concern. Most are asking why the Princess would wear a garment so clearly magical in nature?
The princess speaks: "I have received permission from my father," she begins, as the air grows silent, "To learn the mystic arts myself. I hope I will be well-received amongst the ranks of commoners, as I am in doing so forfeiting my right to inherit the throne."

You hear the student to your right, a middle-aged woman wearing a sleeveless variant of the default uniform, exclaiming by whisper to her neighbor: that many other nations will see her as a witch in the royal family, and that it will hurt trade relations.

"This education shall be conducted in secret," adds the princess. "And if it is discovered by the general populace that a Princess of Folstag is studying the magical arts, it shall be known that this class is responsible and guilty of treason."

Demivh raised his hand to make a pass at the answer.

"Hmm, I'm guessing either the townsfolk decided to throw an endless amount of magical parties that drove them into bankruptcy, or more likely mages ended up destroying the town one way or another.

"I applaud your sheer imagination, but please, magicians are never strapped for cash. It is quite a profitable career choice.
But indeed, the true downfall of Carazhan does fall under purview of the latter."
"Sorry for interrupting," interrupts the student. "But are you implying the expulsion of my mother is justified?"
"Perhaps it was."
"She did nothing wrong!"
"It would be considered an injustice to allow one privileged member of society to wield such power while denying it to the masses."
"Do you think no noble should take up arms and defend his holdings? That no guard should stand for his king?"
"Arms are purchaseable, and any trustworthy man can become a guard. Why do you believe Folstag is divided into separate wards for commonfolk and for magicians?"
"T-that's completely--"

"Enough!" shouts a blue-haired noblewoman. "You raise your voice at a superior?"
"Let him."
The woman seems flabbergasted. "What?"
"Such is the spirit of discourse. Do not think I exist only to correct. You are all students because you have the potential to think for yourselves, whatever the power balance. I brought up this example because many esteemed voices raise the same point as this man: If the nobility and rulership of a state are born to power, is that not also an injustice? Why do nations take such strict stances against magicianship while the nobility gets a free pass?

What say others?" he asks, turning to address the whole class.
 

Ash:Fire, Time or Fire, Shadow.
Bone:Life, Time
Tar:Life, Earth, Time
Steam:Fire, Water

You are asked to perform the experiments yourselves, so you take a flask for yourself and begin mixing. The Fire sample itself is a little crystal in a sealed plastic tube. When removed from the tube it bursts into flame, so you use the tongs to set it inside the flask, where it eventually snuffs itself out and fades.

Next, you remove the Time sample. It looks like a fine white sand that you scoop with a special tool. It doesn't seem all that dangerous, but a warning attached to the sand vial says DO NOT TOUCH OR INHALE.
Popping the flask open, you notice the fire burning again. You then pour the sand in through the top, plug the hole, and observe what happens: the crystal sizzles and superheats the sand to a dazzingly bright glow. Eventually, it simmers down into a more controlled reaction that glows as a mote of solid white. You notice the radius of the samples has shrunk dramatically.

[AoshimaMichio]

"Ah, you are one of those people. Never mind then."

Back to the lesson. I want to learn.

[_DivideByZero_]

"Ah, you are one of those people. Never mind then."

Back to the lesson. I want to learn.

Nabul offers you a seat, a second chair which you'd swear wasn't there the last time you looked.

"You know, cats were around for many years. But they do not survive in the wild, not so far as my kin have seen. They only appear where humans live. Why is that?"

[HighEndNoob]

"Nobles are kept in check by the people they rule over. A duke can only go so far against the well-being of his people before they oust his family from rule."

"A magician, on the other hand, is only limited by their own self control. If one gets too ambitious, the only thing that can stop him is either a horrible mistake on his part or another sufficiently-powerful mage or mages."

"Is that not, after all, why nations regulate magic? It is perhaps the biggest threat to their rule possible. The biggest fear they can have is to rely on a mage to protect them from other mages."

[_DivideByZero_]

"Nobles are kept in check by the people they rule over. A duke can only go so far against the well-being of his people before they oust his family from rule."

"A magician, on the other hand, is only limited by their own self control. If one gets too ambitious, the only thing that can stop him is either a horrible mistake on his part or another sufficiently-powerful mage or mages."

"Is that not, after all, why nations regulate magic? It is perhaps the biggest threat to their rule possible. The biggest fear they can have is to rely on a mage to protect them from other mages."

"Indeed! This man observes, and rightly so, that the nations have their own interests in mind."

"And I contend,"
A long-haired man, with a wide-brimmed hat that extends far beyond his shoulders, stands up from his seat.
"That such a fear is unfounded. Sure, rogue magicians may pose a threat, but for every magician who seeks chaos and disorder, there are more than a few who see the benefits of civilized society. In the marketplace of power, those who band together in the common interest will come to terms with each other and avoid abuses."
"Or collude to concentrate power in their own hands,", the noblewoman remarks.
"Do you take me for a fool? Of course I considered that. The fact remains, that the chance of a magician going rogue is identical, if not far less, than the tendency of politicians to endear corruption and injustice."

[IronyOwl]

Murble raises a hand.

"If the genetics are located inside the soul, does that mean every living thing has one, and by extension a shadow to use magic with?"

[_DivideByZero_]

Murble raises a hand.

"If the genetics are located inside the soul, does that mean every living thing has one, and by extension a shadow to use magic with?"

"...that's somewhat up for debate. While it's clear that all kinds of people have a shadow, most plants' souls do not extend beyond the plant soul. In fact, the only way to use those kinds of plants for magical purposes is to grind them into a powder, and perhaps dissolve that powder into a solution.

It's actually a matter of debate as to whether all life can be made to have shadows. There is no consensus, only a lack of persons willing to investigate the possibility."

[TheBiggerFish]

Well that wasn't it.  Set it aside, try Fire/Shadow instead.  If that doesn't work try adding Life.

[AoshimaMichio]

"Because they have it easier with humans. Lazy fluffy bastards."

[IronyOwl]

Murble thought she might know somebody interested in investigating the possibility, but that was a different class.

Continue listening to lecture.

[_DivideByZero_]

Well that wasn't it.  Set it aside, try Fire/Shadow instead.  If that doesn't work try adding Life.

You find the shadow sample. It's like a piece of cloth, except somewhat ethereal, and your tongs go through it more often than not. You eventually manage to hold on to the sample of shadow using a piece of cloth between both heads of the tongs, and mix it in with another fire sample after emptying the flask into a large waste flask.

Speaking of which, the waste flask has been rapidly piling up with failed experiments by the other students. They sort of merge together into some brown-colored ooze at the bottom of the flask.

Fire + Shadow congeals into a metallic sphere, almost perfectly round. It seems un-intuitive why that is and you try to think it out, but the professor comes up to to you and tells you to dump it. Immediately.

Fire + Life starts to extend ethereal tendrils up toward the window... but those tendrils eventually burn out and turn to thin, delicate strings of ash.

"Because they have it easier with humans. Lazy fluffy bastards."

"I can't disagree. But do you wonder, why not any in the wild? In places with no humans? How they know?"

Murble thought she might know somebody interested in investigating the possibility, but that was a different class.

Continue listening to lecture.

The professor starts describing the human Kahigan. She tells of the Go, which is able to exert forces, and is used for a lot of practical applications. She then tells of the Sha, able to conduct the energy of the soul directly into pure forms. In most humans, this manifests as flame, but the professor takes out from her desk a pair of antennae, split at a 30° angle and pointed upright.

"Who here is familiar with the workings of Lightning?"

[IronyOwl]

"Oh! Oh! It likes metal and follows the shortest path to the ground. This means, for example, that it is possible to hold onto a metal pole stuck into the ground without being struck, whereas a rod held aloft will channel the lightning through the rod, then through you."

Murble's homeland did not have a lot of advantages, but being wet and insistently scholastic did have a few perks.