Noah looked up as the door swung open and Professor Bruno walked in.
The man was nothing like Geldrin.
Where the Stone-tier professor had been bitter and clipped, Bruno's energy filled the room like a spark waiting for kindling.
His sandy hair was wild, his robe slightly askew, and his eyes shone with the zeal of a man who lived for what he taught.
He clapped his hands once, the sound echoing loudly, and the wards around the room flickered in response.
"Thresholds!" He bellowed, grinning as if the word itself was a spell. "That's what today is about."
"Every spell has one. Every mage has one. And if you don't know yours, you'll burn yourself out, or worse, tear yourself to pieces."
The students straightened immediately. Noah leaned forward, quill ready.
Bruno strode up and down the aisle, his voice rising and falling like a showman's. "When you cast a spell, you are not just shaping mana into runes. You are making a bargain with your body, your control, and your reserves."
