Probing Visions 1

Chapter 4 (Part 3)

     Jean's eyes sparkle with recognition. The question Professor Sauber has uttered, somewhat familiar and something he remembers, sparks memories and facts within the roof of his mind. Smiling from ear to ear, Jean's hand shoot up into the air, vying to answer the professor's question.

"Uhm..." Bertie's eyes sank to the ground, his body shaking with humiliation.

"How about the spell you should use to summon fire elements to stun an enemy?" Professor Sauber continued with her thought-provoking questions.

"Erm..." Bertie averted his gaze as he brushed his elbow.

Sensing Bertie's vulnerability, Professor Sauber pushed onward and ventured with her questions. "And what's that spell you should use to silence anything inside a room?" she inquired.

Bertie remained meek and silent.

     Though noticing Jean's hand darting into the sky, Professor Sauber ignores him for a second. With her eyes still locked on Bertie's vulnerable visage, she squints and leans forward. She then plants her fists on her waists and pulls back, standing upright.

"Yes, boy?" Professor Sauber glanced at Jean.

"The spell mages and wizards use as an alternative for healing potions is 'Meikathium Sanus,' while the spell you should typically use when summoning fire elements to stun opponents is 'Ignis,' Miss," Jean answered confidently.

Professor Sauber crossed her arms and raised a finger to her chin, admiration welling in her eyes. "And what's the spell for the third question?" she asked.

Jean's eyes lowered to the grass, pondering the question before answering. "...Tund Skathagium Silensee," Jean responded.

Curious, Professor Sauber asked, "What's your name, boy?"

"Jean Adrien Hidesine-Podeshire, Miss," he said, smiling.

"Oh, brothers, I see. Hm... I can certainly see the drastic difference between you two. Quite the opposite," Professor Sauber remarked as she turned around.

     Bertie lowered his head, a faint, subtle snicker passing through his lips as he glanced at Jean. With a playful nudge, Bertie grinned and giggled at his embarrassment. Focusing on the present, Bertie fixed his posture and levelled his head.

     Professor Sauber halted and turned to face her student. With a confident smile, she raised her head and pressed her palms against her hips. Stepping forward, Professor Sauber took a deep breath through her nose and prepared to address her students.

"So! To excite some of you for this class... how about we play a little game?" Professor Sauber teased, smirking slightly.

     Bertie and George's eyes widened as their interest deepened. With knowing smirks, they gently elbowed each other on the arm. With their excitement getting the better of them, they couldn't help but squirm around amidst the ocean of students.

"Can someone tell me how to summon a tiny lightning bolt... not deadly but just enough to stun your opponents in battle... using this wand?" Professor Sauber asked.

     With a quick yank, Professor Sauber snatched a long, dark wand with a pointy tip from her pocket and revealed it before the students. Long and gleaming, the wand shined under the sunlight, demanding attention from those who saw it. Seeing the instrument caused the students' eyes to widen and their jaws to fall to the ground, their backs hunching as their heads leaned forward to grab a better view of the wand.

"Does anyone know the spell?" Professor Sauber questioned, her eyes scanning from left to right.

George glanced at Jean with raised brows, nudging him by the elbow.

In response, Jean shrugged, shaking his head lightly, ultimately admitting his cluelessness to his brother. "Hm."

     As the students remained silent, their mouths tightly sealed, Professor Sauber closed her eyes and released a deep, heavy sigh of disappointment. With a swift flick of a wrist, the pointy tip of her long, dark wand spawned golden glitters. The sparkling particles glowed like the sun, slowly forming into a solid, thick book on her hand within seconds.

     Raising her brows, Professor Sauber began flipping the thick pages of the book. Though recently summoned, the scent of old paper wafted through the air and reached her nostrils, invoking a sense of comfort within her. Yet, there was no time to be comfortable, for she must lecture her students.

"Alright. Repeat after me, everyone," Professor Sauber instructed, raising her wand, its tip pointing towards the sky. "Lutderum Vi Fodrum!"

"Lutderum Vi Fodrum," the students chanted in unison.

     Glimmering with an ethereal glow, the pointy tip of the professor's dark, long wand begins to shimmer. Then, within a second, it sizzles and ejects a lightning bolt towards the sky. With a blaring roar, the lightning bolt shoots upward, blasting towards the atmosphere as it crashes.

"Woah..." Bertie and George gasped, their eyes wide as they stared at the sky.

Raising her wand, Professor Sauber asked, "Now, I need a volunteer. Who wants to try?"

     Sensing the rising tension between them, Bertie and George glance at each other. Then, with a burst of energy, they jump over one another and shoot their hands into the air. Competing against one another to be called first, Bertie and George begin pulling each other down as they step on their toes to be seen first by the professor.

"Me! Me! Me!"

"No! Pick me!"

     The other students, including Jean, Kevin, and Gabriel, remain quiet as they watch Bertie and George compete. They all cannot help but observe as Bertie and George's hands fly towards the sky. Furrowing their brows and widening their grins, Bertie and George bounce on the balls of their feet, hoping they get called.