Ascension Of The Failed Mage

As Ciara opened the door, she found quite a few students already in class.

They all looked at her while she entered the lecture hall. Their eyes were strange... different.

They felt somewhat similar to the kind they previously used to view her with, back when she was affiliated with Mia.

'What is going on?' The already frightened girl thought to herself.

However, a big difference compared to back then, was that her classmates trusted her at his point. Thus, they were able to approach her.

A girl came close Ciara as she looked around in confusion. She gave a slightly nervous and confused smile, speaking up to the object of everyone's attention.

"C-Ciara... there's this news going around... about you..." Lisa, one of the people who contested for Class Representative alongside her, managed to say.

The young girl had become one of Ciara's close classmates, yet even she had an uncomfortable gaze.

"Wha—? What's it about?!" Ciara asked, completely dazed.

"I-It's...." Lisa found her words drifting off.

Ciara knew Lisa could sometimes be inarticulate and shy, especially when she was nervous. This affected her election speech a great deal, but a lot of her classmates, Ciara included, found this to be very cute about her.

Ciara drew closer to her, touched her shoulders, and spoke.

"Lisa, calm down. Sit, and tell me what's wrong." Ciara managed to alleviate some of her tension, and they both sat down.

"So, tell me... What is this news about?"

"Well, It's about you... and Mia..." Lisa finally blurted out.

Ciara's body shook a bit, that name. She hadn't heard it in a while, and so it caught her off guard.

"W-what about us?" Shs asked.

"Well, people are saying you're a Tier 3 Mage, and you're the one who defeated Mia and caused her to be suspended," Lisa said in a rushed manner as she poured out the gist to her.

Ciara's eyes bulged open!

"No... No way!" Ciara thought to herself.

The look on Lisa's face told her that the girl was dead serious.

"Wait... w-what?"

Ciara found herself overwhelmed by multiple emotions. Not because the rumors weren't true... but precisely because they were.

No one knew Ciara was a Tier 3 Mage apart from Serah, Sam, and Mia—none of which ratted her out to the authorities after they were taken in.

Who could have leaked such information? Besides, the entire incident was to remain hidden and classified. Who would dare spread such rumors?

"C-Ciara?" Lisa muttered, nervous due to Ciara's silence.

"Lisa, how did you hear of this?" Ciara asked, a bit sternly.

"I overheard people from my dorm talking about it. On my way to school as well, and when I got here, some students were also talking about it... It's like the whole school knows about it, Ciara."

"O-oh... I see." Ciara was stuttering at this point, her face clouding over.

Being a Tier 3 Mage was a feat that Foundation Class students weren't supposed to achieve. After passing the Expert stage exam, a student went through Class Awakening and a condition for that was to have reached Tier 3.

In essence, only those who are moving to the Advanced Class could attain Tier 3. This made Ciara already eligible for the Advanced Class.

This would raise a lot of suspicion about Ciara, as it would be unnatural that a student would already be at such a level at such a young age.

Not only that, but she had spent only a month at the Institute.

Best case scenario, she would be forcefully promoted to the Advanced Class, and worst-case scenario, she would be taken into custody by the Institute, her Rare Bloodline would be exploited, and she would say goodbye to any semblance of a normal life she hoped for.

So far, no one had gotten access to her Status Information, but for her to undergo Class Awakening, her entire Status Information would be revealed.

This meant that it was inevitable that she would be exposed.

However, she thought she still had more time to prepare for when the time came, unlike the current moment that she had been caught entirely off guard.

'What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?' These thoughts kept appearing in her mind.

"Ciara... Is it true?" Lisa asked.

Ciara had been dreading this question... But it was only a matter of time.

Sooner or later, the information would be revealed to be true, so if she lied to Lisa now, it would not bode well in the long run. But if she told Lisa the truth, it would only add validity to the rumors.

She was was in a difficult situation.

Her thoughts were scrambled. Who? Just who could have done this?

Ciara looked up at Lisa and smiled softly.

"Thanks for telling me Lisa, but... I need some time to process this." Ciara strained a smile.

"O-of course Ciara," Lisa said in her usual shy manner and left Ciara alone.

Ciara's thoughts kept ringing loudly within her.

Both the best and worst-case scenarios were undesirable for her.

She loved her class, she loved the life she lived, she didn't want any of that to change. She felt that she would break down.

Ciara was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't know when the time for Homeroom sessions started.

When Richard Lawcroft entered the hall and urged everyone to listen up, Ciara suddenly snapped back into consciousness.

She raised her head, which had been buried under her arms on the desk, and saw Richard standing before the whole class.

She saw him smile, she saw his lips move, she saw his body gestures, but she heard nothing he said. Everything was a blur, especially the sound. She couldn't make out anything he said... until he said those words.

"...And lastly, I just received notice from the higher-ups. Mia's indefinite suspension ends today. So, starting tomorrow, you should all welcome her back as a student of this hall."

'What?!' Ciara's brain rang.

"Taking all I've said to notice, have a wonderful day students, and pay close attention to your lectures. That is all." Richard finally said, leaving the hall.

As he left, there were murmurings, mutterings, and pandemonium radiation the classroom.

Mia was returning?!