Chapter 62: Luka

Concentrating in class was proving to be rough. While I should have been focusing on the students' ability to perform a basic shield, my mind and eyes kept wandering to the back room, wondering what Katrina was doing and how she was getting on.

I chucked a ball of harmless sludge at Kayla, one of my remedial students who just barely made the cut-off for divine academy due to her divine blood being so washed out. I could tell when I through the sludge that Kayla's shield wasn't up to par, but I was surprised when it started absorbing the sludge and making it grow around her, wrapping her in a sticky mess.

I pursed my lips and tried not to let out a sigh. Kayla was already in her second year at DA. If she didn't learn how to make a proper shield this year, the school would kick her out, and she would lose what little bit of divine power she had. As I told Katrina earlier, I haven't had a student fail my course yet, and I'm not about to start.

"Kayla, I'll see you at 8 am sharp on Saturday morning for extra preparation for your midterm," I replied, not bothering to let her know what her grade would be if this were her midterm final. Kayla knew she'd failed; there's no point in me voicing her failure out loud.

"Yes, Professor Luka." She mumbled as she hurried back to her desk in the back corner of the classroom. Her sitting assignment would need to be changed for future classes. I only allowed my more advanced students to sit in the back, and Kayla did not fit that description.

"And Kayla."

"Yes, Professor?" She asked, her voice timid and a little squeaky.

"Next class, I'd like you to sit in the front next to Katrina."

There were a few chuckles from the back row, but with a glare from me, they ceased immediately; but I took note of the students who were laughing, and I already planned on how to teach them not to find humor in others' troubles.

"Yes, Professor." She groaned, sulking up the remaining steps.

"Aela," I called to the Demi goddess of the sky kingdom, "I'd like you to perform in front of the class now."

"Yes, professor." She purred, not worried in the slightest about failing this lesson.

Aela had been among the few students laughing at Kayla, and I was going to use her to demonstrate to the class why you should always think before acting.

"Cast your shield, Please," I replied, my facial expressions mimicking that of a bored professor who couldn't wait until class was over.

Aela cast her shield perfectly; a quick glance at it showed that there wasn't a weak spot in sight, and the shield would be hard to penetrate, but she'd forgotten one crucial step. She used her core magic, her divine gift provided by the sky kingdom, to create her shield. Core magic had weaknesses, and I just happened to know that Aela's core magic focused on wind. This time instead of sludge, I summoned a ball of fire and tossed it at Aela's shield. Her shield quickly disintegrated under the flames of my fire, and Aela only had a matter of seconds to react before the fire kissed her skin; she quickly through up a wall of water. While her water magic was weak, it was still effective enough to extinguish the flames.

"And that, dear students, is a reminder to manifest the correct shield; we aren't focusing on your core magic in this class. That's what your magical enhancement classes are for. In my class, you're studying and learning the different types of divine powers and how to hone the skills necessary to use all power sources. When I tell you to use a shield, I do not want you to use your core magic; I want you to focus on having a barrier made of nothing from an invisible force surrounding your bodies. Aela, if this were your mid-term, you would have failed; I expect to see you Saturday morning too."

"Yes, Professor." She grumbles, her face flushed bright red from embarrassment.

"And if anyone else feels the need to laugh at a classmate's performance, please make your way down to the front of the class so you can demonstrate your shielding abilities."

I look toward the group in the back, the students who think they're at the top of the world just because their parents are big shots, the group that Aela belongs to. No one utters a word. Their expressions were stoic as they stared down at me, waiting for further instruction.

I ran a few more students through their practice tests and was surprised by how much effort the first years had put into making their shields impenetrable. Their shields still sported some weak spots, where if an attack landed, their shield would burst apart, but if their attacker were at a distance, the shield would give them the necessary protection to keep them safe. I hope another war doesn't break out for my students and the world's safety.

The war against the titans lasted far too long and caused mass destruction throughout the earth kingdom. First, there was Pompeii, the mass destruction of an entire city caused by the Titan Prometheus and his fire affinity; the humans blamed it on Mount Vesuvius erupting, but our ancestors know better. All those lives were lost because of a civil dispute between Zeus, his brothers, and their father, Cronus.
The war raged on for years, and the city of Pompeii wasn't the only casualty covered up by natural disasters; while Cronus and his titans were responsible for many of the disasters, they weren't the only ones to blame. From the way our ancestors tell stories about the war, it is said that Poisideon caused the Haiphong Typhoon in 1881 and the Coringa Cyclone in 1839 when he battled against his uncle, Oceanus, before he finally defeated him in 1887 after causing the yellow river to flood, over two million innocent humans lost their lives that day, but Posideon celebrates it as a day of joy, it was the day the people of the future ocean kingdom were set free- their so-called Independence Day.

The war continued for almost a millennium, only stopping when Zeus finally defeated Cronus in 1896 during what the humans now call the Sanriku earthquake. It was an earthquake brought on by Ares that eventually turned into a tidal wave, sweeping Cronus into the ocean waters, where Zeus was able to electrocute him, the metals from the earth contaminating the seawater, making the perfect conduit for electrocution.

The thought of the heirs taking the throne from their fathers terrified me. With the divine powers spread between the heirs and the powers their fathers shared, it would mean the end of at least the earth kingdom, and more than likely the Sea, and the underworld kingdom as well. The Sky kingdom would be safe from destruction, thanks to it being the original entrance into Heaven; Jehovah made it impenetrable. Tartarus would also likely survive the mass destruction, having been a prison created by Lucifer, but still. I can't help but think of all the lives that will be lost if it comes down to it. If the council rules against Katrina...

Shit, Katrina. I'd left her in the training room to practice and became so distracted with my thoughts that I forgot to grab her.

"Bjorn." I bark to the student closest to the training room, "Please let Katrina know that I request her presence at the front of the class."

"Yes, Professor Luka," Bjorn replied, jumping up from his desk to follow my command.

My heart raced when Katrina walked out of the room, her breasts- had they always been that large-barely contained in her button-up shirt, and her long legs gliding down the center aisle. All the male student's heads, and even some female students, followed her as she walked toward my desk, lust radiating off of them like a cat in heat, proving that Katrina was the daughter of Lilith, charming and seducing everyone wherever she went. Before she even reached my desk, I could feel her power caressing me, her dark aura calling mine out to play. I quickly threw up my shield, a shield of purity that Simmins had taught me to cast when I was younger, blocking Katrina's powers from intertwining with mine. We didn't need the older students to see how strong our magical connection was, and I didn't need the power of death and destruction that lay dormant inside me to run rampant.

"Professor Luka," Katrina smiled at me, her voice a lovely melody caressing my ears.

"Katrina," I replied, keeping my tone professional, addressing her like I would any of my students. "I believe you've had adequate time to learn the basics of casting a shield. I'd like you to demonstrate in front of the class your capabilities. It is important that we learn the weaknesses and strengths of those surrounding us as a whole."

Katrina fiddles with her hands that are clasped in front of her. I can tell she's nervous, but I have complete faith that she will be able to control her divine powers enough to keep from harming her fellow students.

"Umm... I'm not sure, Professor. Divine powers terrify me, thinking I might harm yet another individual accidentally... I just, I can't do it." Katrina replies, gulping back tears, her face full of sorrow as she recalls her friends.

I want to take her in my arms and cradle her while telling her everything will be okay. I want to comfort her and ease her into using her gifts, but right now, I am her teacher, not her mate. I steel myself as I look down at her, my voice laced with authority as I tell her she doesn't have a choice in the matter.

As I watch her flinch from my tone, I soften my voice just a hair, "My students will never be put in harm's way. A protective barrier starts right before the first row of seats begins and covers the entirety of the room, leaving only this small platform surrounding my desk unprotected."

I watch as some of the fear leaves Katrina's face as she steps closer to my desk before throwing up a basic protective shield that will offer her no protection. Knowing that my abilities won't harm her, I send a black cloud of darkness her way; unlike the sludge I threw at Kayla, this magical will take on the form of trickery; it'll pretend that Katrina's shield is working before it wraps itself around the shield, squeezing it like a boa constrictor squeezes it's prey, popping the shield and attaching itself to her body, making it, so she's unable to move.