The Alphabet Superset: Week 1: All Myths are True Trope

 

Reference Link: https://playgroundai.com/search?q=Artwork+by+high+fantasy+artworks

    Mr. Micheals had three spells he regularly started off a semester with. They were not particularly unique spells, but they had proven the most effective in getting his students to pay attention to him and stay focused.

    As he entered his classroom, he snapped his fingers, and all the noise vanished into thin air. Any student who didn't notice he had walked in was now aware of his presence if only to see the source of the spell.

    "If you could all take your seats, the class will begin momentarily." He quickly lifted the spell, his point made. Mr. Micheals was not one to force his students into submission, but he found that giving a docile example of what he could do was usually enough to show his rowdier students that he wasn't a pushover. It was usually a meaningless endeavor, as most students tended to listen to him. This time was no different as the few students who had been standing to talk to friends made their way to their seats, hurriedly ending whatever conversations they were having.

    "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Mr. Micheals and I will be your World History I teacher this semester. I look forward to a wonderful term with you all and hopefully, I will see you again in World History 2. Now, let's go through the attendance real quick just so I can get an idea of who you are. As I call out your names, you can either raise your hand or say here so I know who you are."

    In most schools, the syllabus would simply read off the names of the students. But here, the roster also told him who was what. It was a policy implemented a couple of years ago in an effort to let teachers know about human-divergent students in their class who may need special accommodations. It was a helpful effort, though many divergents preferred to avoid public schools. 

    Take his current class for example. Out of twenty-five students, only two were divergents, Jeremiah, who was a vampire, and Lucas, who was a werewolf. Mr. Micheals wasn't surprised to see that the two sat in the back next to each other, trying to distance themselves from the others. "Night creatures," as popular media called them, tended to form exclusive cliques to protect themselves.

    One other thing stood out to Mr. Micheals as he took attendance. One of his students was absent at the moment. This didn't bother him too much. After all, it was the first day of classes. Students got lost, ran late, or would get called elsewhere for a variety of reasons. Being late or absent was a pretty normal occurrence during the first class.

    "Alright, with that stuff out of the way, let's move on. On each of your desks is a handout. These are the class syllabus and they cover everything relevant to my class for the upcoming year. You may want to keep these someplace handy so that you can reference them later. This is a lot of information and I don't expect you to memorize it."

    Mr. Micheals could already tell he was losing some of his students. In the back, one girl was already staring out the window. A boy in the middle was doodling on the white spaces of the paper, his head resting on one hand while he worked. At least two or three others had either glazed-over eyes or were not even looking at him. Mr. Micheals knew world history was not the most exciting class in school, but he had found that the right stimulus would help out.

    "I know that sitting here and listening to me lecture is probably not the most exciting thing in the world, especially since I am only one of eight teachers you probably have today. So let's spice this up a bit."

    He waves his hand and the whole classroom seems to vanish into thin air. Several of the students jump in surprise as the room is replaced with a green meadow and blue sky, the sun above. Jeremiah seems about to have a panic attack before Lucas whispers something to him, gesturing to his exposed hand.

    "Everyone calm down, this is only an illusion. I would not expose any of you to harm so recklessly, even in a school as unique as ours. Now, I am not going to bother reading everything in the syllabus. verbatim. A lot of it is the same stuff I am sure you have heard or will hear in other classes. Don't be late, don't turn stuff in late, study for exams, the usual. So let's cover the only part unique to my class, the subject matter. You should all have been emailed a link to the textbook. Each week will cover a different chapter."

    "Week 1 will cover The Age of the Gods, the time period before recorded history when the Empowered ruled over their fellow man." The illusion shifted to show Zeus sitting on a throne in a temple, with a group of worshipers bowed at his feet. The whole class focused on the illusion at this point, their faces a mix of awe, curiosity, and a range of other emotions. Only Mr. Micheals looked away. He always loved this part of his job. Watching his students react to his illusions was always a fun experience.

    But he had another reason for looking away. In the back of the class, the door to his classroom opened quietly. Every year, there was at least one student who tried to sneak into his class. Every year, they would try a different spell to mask their presence. This was where the third spell came into play. He watched the door begin to close as quietly as it had been opened. He subtly made a motion with his hand and watched a student appear out of thin air. Bryan, the absent student, looked shocked before looking down in regret. Mr. Micheal didn't say a word but gestured his head toward a vacant seat. He had no reason to make a scene on the first day of school after all. Bryan quickly moved to an empty desk.

    "Week 2 will cover Empires of the Clerics, early recorded history when clerics began representing the Empowered." The image zoomed out to show the European continent, with a red marking out the territory of the Roman Empire. Markus, the boy who had been drawing earlier, perked his head up at the mention of this. He reached for something around his neck for a second, as if on impulse, before dropping his hand back down.

    "Week 3 will cover The Empowered Purges when Christianity rose to prominence in Europe." The illusion zoomed back in to show an angry mob surrounding the temple from earlier as fires erupted from within. Here a couple of students began paying more attention. Markus seemed to get a sad look on his face before looking away. A couple of students in the front, both wearing silver necklaces with crosses on them, seemed to exchange looks. Mr. Micheals couldn't tell if the looks were ones of disbelief or surprise.

    "Week 4 is about the European Druidic Conflicts. This is the time period when the Mediterranean cultures of southern Europe clashed with the northern ones." The illusion changed to show a small band of Roman Legionnaires facing off against a woman surrounded by wolves. The woman transforms into a bear as the two groups charge each other. Mr. Micheals notices two girls begin excitedly whispering to each other, one a red-head with a flower in her hair and the other a girl with black hair and brown skin.

    "Week 5 addresses the Paladin Wars. This time period covers the clashes of the Abrahamic faiths during the Crusades." The illusion shows the city of Jerusalem with columns of smoke rising from it as Muslim and Christian Paladins fight in the street." One of the boys with the silver necklaces seems to want to say something but is silently hushed by his friend. Mr. Micheals can tell that that lesson is going to be a risky one.

    "Week 6 will move away from European history to Asia to discuss The Ways of the Asiatic Monks. This lesson will give us a look into the many different kinds of monk orders that arose across the East." A hand rises into the air from the back of the class. A boy in a t-shirt with a character from an anime series.

    "Yes?"

    "How come in six weeks we only get one lesson dedicated to Asian culture?"

    "An interesting question, albeit a little misinformed. While the chapters are titled after events in Europe, we will not only be discussing European events in those chapters. It is simply the naming convention used by the author since the book was written by an American for other Americans. Since European culture has had a bigger influence on the United States than Asian culture, the author believed using that reference point would be more helpful. Beyond that, this specific chapter is solely dedicated to monk orders from that region because the author thought it was only fair given how much time the other chapters spend on European religious groups in general. Finally, I believe the author simply knew more about certain cultures than the others. Does that answer your question?" 

    "Yes, sir." The boy seems to have had his curiosity sated, though he also seems disappointed by the answer. Mr. Micheals can't say he is too surprised. Since anime began to get more of a following in the U.S., he has received this question more and more. He wished he could get more information on these cultures, but as a teacher, he is limited by those above him and his budget.

    "Okay, before we move on, let me tell you guys that questions are absolutely welcome here. I probably should've led with that earlier. Sorry about that. Now does anyone else have any questions?" The room remains still and quiet. Mr. Micheals waits for a second before moving on.

    "Alright then. In Week 7, we will be discussing the Night Wars. This will cover the time period when the Christian Paladins began a series of conflicts against a variety of magical creatures, races, and users." The illusion now shows a dark forest where a group of Paladins in glowing armor face off against a wizard surrounded by skeletons. Mr. Micheals looks at one of the students. The boy isn't doing anything remarkable, but Mr. Micheals can see the ring on his finger. A simple ring with a flattened circle in it with a skull imprinted in the middle of it. Mr. Micheals knows that a necromancer isn't necessarily evil, but many of the students and some of the staff find them unnerving and are quick to jump to conclusions.

    "Week 8 is the last week of lessons before the end of term and the Christmas holidays. We will cover the Colonizing of the Americas when European nations first found the New World." The illusion shows a ship traveling the seas, approaching the forested shores of North America. He looks toward the girls from earlier. The redhead, Maeve, looks to her friend, Aiyana, and they exchange glances.

    Mr. Micheals snaps his fingers again. The illusion fades as he heads behind his desk. There is an energetic shift in the air. The students can tell the class is almost over and they begin to get ready to leave as quietly as they can, hoping Mr. Micheals won't notice. He obviously does, but doesn't acknowledge it. "Week 9 is the final exam for this semester. It's not too complicated and I will be providing a study guide. I am not telling you that the two are almost exactly the same, but those who do the study guide should find the final pretty easy."

    The bell rings as Mr. Micheal speaks. Now all pretense is gone as students rise and start talking to each other again. Some of the students, like Markus, are quick to head out of the classroom for their next class while others, like Maeve and Aiyana, are content to take their time and chat. Bryan makes his way to the front of the class, rubbing the back of his head.

    "Thanks for not calling me out." He says quietly, trying not to be overheard by the rest of the class.

    "It's no problem, Mr. Bryan, but in the future, I would prefer you not use magic to try and hide yourself when you show up late. None of the teachers here are gonna fall for that and some of us find it a little insulting when you try. Myers High School is a school of magic after all." Mr. Micheals says with a teasing grin.

    "Sorry about that," Bryan says sheepishly

    "Don't worry. It's the first day of school and everything is hectic. Now hurry up and get to your next class before the bell rings. Wouldn't want to risk your next teacher being worse than me, would you?"

    Bryan smiles at that before leaving the room with a wave. Mr. Micheal smiled and shook his head, looking at his planner to see what his next class was.