(Planet Hoam, Home of the Heretic Cult. 4/17/2241, 11 Years after the assault on Fortress Kupali]
Jason sighed, averting his gaze from the watchful eyes of the children. "We ended up completely losing the assault, and we ended up retreating at a certain point. Two of our Emperors stayed behind, using every skill in their arsenal to keep our ships safe while they retreated with tens of thousands of soldiers. Their sacrifice is still remembered by those who were there, even till this day."
His steps echoed softly in the classroom, his eyes wandering aimlessly as his mind replayed memories of the invasion. One of the students raised their hand, and Jason didn't need to look to feel it. "Yes?"
The student was a boy with puffy cheeks, his round onyx eyes directed straight into the back of Jason. "Who was your best friend?"
Jason took his last step, his eyes following the faint molecules of mana roaming in the air.
A smile subconsciously rose on his face, and he turned his head just enough to see the kid out of the corner of his eyes. "His name was Lorus, The Heretic's Fallen Star."
Exaggerated gasps sounded from nearly every student in the classroom, their eyes excitedly darting around their classmates. Adolescent brains had an odd way of registering excitement, to which Jason lightly giggled. "You were really friends with the only Paragon!" A boy yelled out, standing from his seat as the excitement jolted through his body with a newfound surplus of energy.
"I wasn't friends with a Paragon."
His words cut sharply through the air, each child pausing their ramblings.
"I was friends with Lorus Whitestar."
Jason's eyes finally met those of the children, his soft smile still apparent on his face, "You don't choose your friends for what they are, but who they are. You might not understand my words now, but once you grow up, you shall.
Anyway, I have rambled on for the last thirty minutes. Your next class starts in ten minutes. It will be a joint combat class today, with the students from Class C-2."
A silent wave of mumbles was exchanged between students, but Jason ignored it, sitting at the desk in the back as he calmly opened a window and lit up a cigarette. 'His nephew is in Class C-2, the traitor's son.' His eyes remained passive as the thoughts streamed like a river in his mind; a countless myriad of questions were conjuring in his head.
Jason didn't have hate towards the child. Something one's father did shouldn't reflect the person they are, but it happened nonetheless.
"I wonder if he's as strong as his uncle." He mindlessly whispered out loud, his lips barely parting.
[15 Minutes later, Elementary Training Ground)
A continuous flow of children entered the large arena that was built faultlessly in the middle of the entire area, enclosed by dozens of distinct buildings. Each building served one purpose: Educating the young.
Jason calmly stood atop an elevated stage with his hands clasped behind his back, silver eyes scanning over every presence in the Training Ground. His body language remained passive, yet internally, he was searching for one person.
Agnus Whitestar.
A silent anticipation boiled in his body. An awkward sense of excitement that burrowed in for too long was finally clawing out.
He has seen plenty of children coming from powerful families.
The Sykes, Cain's, Mercer's, Thorne's, Grimm's, and lastly the Redmonds.
Power blossomed from each child, a sign that made Jason assured that the future of the Heretic's were in safe hands. They haven't even entered the academy, yet, they were possibly stronger than your average foot-soldier.
Ena Sykes, a young child with fiery red hair, was by far the most impressive. Her aura was tame, yet the sheer potency of it was astounding; Within a decade's time, she would be the most powerful mana user in the whole Cult, if she was given the resources needed. 'A true savant.' He complimented her in his head, a faint smile appearing.
"Class C-2! Enter!" Jason was abruptly drawn out of his mind as the next batch of children entered, immediately catching his attention. Roughly 25 kids entered the training ground, and as soon as he saw a specific child, he knew it was the one he was looking for.
Bone-white hair paraded down his face until it reached his shoulders, emotionless onyx eyes that stared into the space in front of him.
His stature was tall yet narrow; no clear signs of muscle training were evident.
Yet, none of this mattered. Jason was taken aback as soon as his eyes met his. It was the gaze a child should never bear.
Jason looked into his eyes and saw nothing.
There was no adolescent look, no glee.
It was as if he were staring into the husk of a human.
No anger, despair, or sadness.
An endless abyss.
Agnus stared back.
He kept his gaze intertwined with Jason's for nearly a dozen seconds before sitting down, his gaze reverting to peering over his classmates.
Jason noticed something else, however, after their stare-off.
'He has... No mana aura? He's still an Aspirant?'
His eyebrow cocked up as the revelation caused his brain to stagger for a second. Being an Aspirant at his age was normal, yet, with the blood rushing through his veins, he should be at the Awakened stage normally.
Nearly 60% of the children present were still an Aspirant, while the other 40% were Awakened. The most elite teetered on the border of the intermediate stage, their progress to Ascending nearly halfway done.
This was only applicable to 7 students, however.
Before Jason could ponder more, the other professor spoke out.
"As you know, this is a Joint training session. You will train and spar with your schoolmates. The pairings will be random, then chosen by Substitute Jason and me. Any questions?" The children remained silent, and Professor Alex nodded in approval.
"Then we begin."
—
[45 Minutes Later]
Students heaved laborious breaths, sweat trickling down the sides of their faces as their swords cleaved through the air. Their forms became more polished with each swing, coupled with typical pointers from Jason, their styles were improving far faster than before. Jason was trained by Lorus himself, and as a result, his swordsmanship was rarely rivaled by any Heretic.
"Your center of gravity is too high. Lower it to your pelvic area." Jason sternly instructed, his eyes darting from student to student as they swung at mana-built dummies. His eyes naturally latched onto Agnus the most; the sensation dwelling in the depths of his consciousness never let him forget his presence.
Agnus swung his sword vertically, carving a near-perfect straight line down the center of the dummy. Jason observed in delight as his suspicions were confirmed, 'He definitely has the blood of a swordsman.'
Out of every child present, Jason couldn't help but admit Agnus had the best swing here, and a silent gust of approval washed over his heart. For the next 10 minutes, he strolled around while guiding the next generation of soldiers, steadily hardening their foundations.
Professor Alex trotted over to Jason, his satisfaction evident on his lips. "Thank you again, Commander Jason. They don't contract skilled warriors such as yourself to teach these kids at this age; it is a great boon for them to learn this at a young age."
Jason replied in kind, a smile forming on his face as he spoke, "They go to the academy in a year anyway, they would've been taught this stuff pretty soon. Although I do agree, the things you learn earliest stick around the most." His words were truthful, and Alex nodded in response. "I'm thinking of doing basic sparring sessions. Are you willing to help me with that?"
Jason was hesitant to agree, as he truthfully wasn't keen on doing more work, but a sudden thought slipped in from the back of his mind. 'I can watch how Agnus fights.' A rhythmic thumping resounded from his foot clacking against the ground, before he turned his head to speak, "Sure."
Alex let out an earnest smile and patted Jason's shoulder, "Thank you again, Jason. I'll get it set up right away." Jason nodded him off as he streaked forward, hollering for all of the kids to round up.
There were nearly 100 children present, so Jason and Alex agreed on running two matches at the same time.
The Emperor made sure to watch over the group with Agnus in it, as he personally planned to verse him against the Sykes child.
"First students, come on up!" Jason shouted out.
Two male students walked up onto the arena, their wooden swords hanging loosely on their hips.
"Draw your weapons."
Both boys withdrew their swords and assumed their stances.
The boy with murky green hair positioned his blade firmly in front of him, his back leg slightly bent.
The other boy with long black hair stood straight, his sword held slightly above his shoulder.
Jason peered at both of the boys before extending his arm forward in the middle of the arena, and a silence swelling with tension flooded the air.
"GO!" Jason swept his hand upward, and the fight commenced.