The Villain Professor's Second Chance

Elara, as usual, remained calm. Her pale face, still slightly flushed from the ordeal, betrayed nothing more than a cool indifference. She raised an eyebrow at Amberine's outburst and answered in her typical monotone. "This orb... it's interesting," Elara began, her voice steady. "But also terrifying.

It feels like it reaches deep into you. It touched something... almost personal. Like it challenged my control over my emotions. I wasn't expecting that."

Professor Astrid, who had been silently observing, scribbled notes quickly, her eyes lighting up at the revelation. "Very interesting indeed," she murmured, more to herself than anyone in particular.

Amberine, however, frowned and crossed her arms. "Huh? I don't really get it. I didn't sense anything like that. Sure, it got all hot and crazy, but... nothing deeper." Her confusion only fanned her temper, and Ifrit's warmth flared beneath her robe, feeding off her frustration.

Elara glanced at her, lips quirking into a faint smirk. "Perhaps you're just stupid," she said matter-of-factly.

"What?!" Amberine's face reddened with a combination of rage and embarrassment, the fire in her eyes igniting. "Are you looking for a fight, you ice-cold water witch?"

Elara met Amberine's glare with a calm, almost bored look. "No. Just stating the obvious."

Before the two could escalate any further, Professor Astrid stepped between them with a raised hand, her tone firm but amused. "Okay, okay, that's enough. No need to turn this into a brawl. Amberine, relax. Elara, stop provoking her." She turned to the last of the trio. "Now, Maris, it's your turn."

As Maris took a step forward, Elara spoke up again. "Professor, just for reference, would you write down that I sensed something deeper, and Amberine didn't?"

Astrid chuckled softly and nodded, her quill poised. "I'll make a note of it. As for Amberine's lack of sensitivity..." she paused dramatically before glancing at Amberine with a teasing glint in her eyes, "I suppose we can leave that part out."

Amberine's jaw dropped. "Huh?! That's unfair! Just because I didn't get all touchy-feely with the orb doesn't mean you can throw me under the bus!"

Astrid smiled lightly, scribbling away. "Noted, Amberine."

Maris, meanwhile, took a deep breath and centered herself in front of the orb. Her quiet determination stood in contrast to Amberine's fiery outburst and Elara's cold control. For Maris, hope wasn't a simple emotion—it was something fragile, something she had built carefully, piece by piece, after everything she had lost.

"Maris," Astrid said gently, "I want you to channel the emotion of hope. Your illusions already play with perception, with the potential of what could be. Hope is a natural fit for you."

Maris nodded, her voice soft but resolute. "Yes, professor."
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She closed her eyes and allowed herself to sink into memories that, though painful, gave her strength. She thought of her early years, when magic had first come to her like a gift. Her parents had been so proud, their eyes filled with warmth as they watched her conjure simple illusions.

Her school had been a place of wonder, where she was praised for her talent and teachers encouraged her to push her limits. She was recommended for Magic Tower University, and for a while, it felt like her life was unfolding perfectly.

But then, the darkness crept in.

As she reached deeper into her emotions, her hope was suddenly tinged with something else—loss. The orb flickered, its glow dimming as its surface began to blacken, casting eerie shadows around the room. Maris felt the shift, her memories taking a darker turn. She recalled the day her parents became victims of the Deadly Hollows, the criminal organization that had stolen everything from her.

The joy and hope that had once filled her home vanished overnight, leaving her cold and alone.

Her body tensed, and the blackness in the orb thickened.

The grief had swallowed her whole back then, erasing the bright future she had once imagined. She had been lost for so long, drowning in sorrow, unsure of how to keep going. Until he appeared. The memory of her savior came rushing back to her—Professor Draven. The first hand extended to her after her fall.

A small smile crept onto her lips, and the orb began to change. The blackness lightened into a murky grey, reflecting the cold, steely hope that had guided her since that day. It wasn't the warm, gentle hope that some might expect—it was a sharp, biting kind of hope. The kind that drove her toward vengeance.

Images began to swirl in her mind. Draven's cold, analytical gaze. His quiet but sharp words. He had trained her, shown her how to harness her emotions, to turn her pain into power. Under his guidance, she had crafted a plan—an elegant, ruthless plan—to dismantle the Deadly Hollows and avenge her parents.

The orb's color shifted again, now a striking mix of pink, white, and grey, reflecting the blend of emotions inside her.

Maris remembered every step of the journey—how Draven had orchestrated each move with precision, how he had given her the tools to deliver justice. With every memory, her smile grew, and the orb's light intensified. What started as cold, detached hope had transformed into something stronger, brighter, as if the orb itself was responding to her newfound confidence.

She could feel Draven's influence in every part of her success, from her academic prowess to her internship with the royal knight's magic division. He had been there, guiding her with the kind of cold perfection she admired and aspired to.

As Maris stood before the orb, memories of her time with Draven played out in her mind, each one clearer than the last. His face—so handsome, so cold, so perfect—lingered in her thoughts. The orb shimmered with a brilliance that reflected the profound hope she had now, hope that was not just for survival but for triumph.

Behind her, Amberine and Elara exchanged wary glances. The orb's shine had intensified, but so had Maris's expression. Her gentle smile had twisted into something more... unsettling. A soft laugh escaped her lips, as though she were reliving a private memory, and her hands twitched as if reaching for something just out of sight.

"Maris?" Amberine called softly, her brow furrowed.

Maris didn't respond. Her eyes remained fixed on the glowing orb, her expression distant, as if lost in a dream. The orb pulsed brighter, its colors shifting wildly between the calming pinks and greys and flashes of something darker. Amberine reached out and gently shook her shoulder. "Maris!"

Still no response. Instead, Maris's quiet laughter grew louder, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "Stop it, Professor," she murmured, her tone light, playful, and completely unlike her usual self. "At least... wait until I've graduated... hehehe..."

Elara took a step back, her cold exterior cracking ever so slightly as she exchanged a look with Amberine. "She's completely entranced..."

Amberine grimaced. "This is getting weird."

Finally, Professor Astrid stepped forward, her expression unreadable but clearly intrigued by the display. She waved her hand, and the orb dimmed instantly, its light fading back into a soft, neutral glow. Maris blinked rapidly, as if waking from a dream, her smile fading as she looked around the room in confusion.

"W-what happened?" she asked, her voice returning to its normal tone.

Amberine let out a relieved sigh. "You were acting... weird. Laughing and talking to yourself. It was creepy."

Maris frowned, clearly embarrassed, though she had no memory of what had just transpired. "I... I don't know what came over me."

Astrid observed quietly for a moment before giving a small, thoughtful smile. "It seems the orb can do more than amplify emotions—it can draw out... less expected reactions." She glanced at Maris, her tone half-amused, half-serious. "So, it appears the orb can also make one... a pervert."

Amberine burst out laughing, while Elara, ever the stoic, just shook her head. Maris turned bright red, her hands flying to her face in mortification.

"P-professor!" she stammered, mortified by the implications. But as Amberine's laughter filled the room, the tension finally broke, and Maris found herself chuckling along, even if her cheeks were still burning.

Astrid's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "That's enough for today. Thank you for the help, girls. I'm going to process the result of today's test for a while. I will be in contact,"