The next morning, Theo did not hesitate. Upon waking up, he searched for his class mentor, Paul Llamarada, given that the other mentor, Amiah, was unavailable that day. Paul's teaching tower was located to the north, within the Wispells academic complex.
A circular structure, supported by Greco-Roman pillars that rose along the walls until forming a dome at the top. The main classroom followed the dome shape, featuring several interior elevations and the teacher's platform.
As soon as he entered the classroom, Theo found four students and Professor Paul already present.
Paul Llamarada, with his blond hair parted in the middle, dark brown eyes hidden behind round prescription glasses, pale skin, and a nose with a slight deformity on the left side, lit a cigarette upon noticing Theo's arrival and sat down in his chair.
Theo could not help but think, 'Great, a smoker...' as he watched Paul light the cigarette.
The boy looked around the room more carefully, where the students sat far apart from one another. Except for the two girls. Theo could not help but notice: the boy and the girl from yesterday, who had been with him during the assignment, were in his class.
"Very well!" Paul announced in a firm voice. "Those of you who are sleeping, wake up. And those who are still drowsy, become alert. To begin, I want you to forget those mediocre, content-starved books; they will be useless here. I am here to teach you to become people of honor, conduct, and above all, strength. I will not overload you with a million topics and expect you to know everything and then some."
Paul turned toward the blackboard and wrote "Ειδικός". After finishing, he threw the chalk back onto its holder and, with a watchful gaze, searched for someone in the room to start a conversation with.
"Hey, you, blondie!" Paul called to Theo. "Do you know why you're in the special class?"
"No." He answered genuinely.
Paul exhaled cigarette smoke and extinguished it in an ashtray.
"Each of you has a condition, whether physical or mental. Like blondie here, Theo. We identified in you a rare mental condition called 'genium,' which allows you to learn and understand everything on first contact. As for the boy with the light-blue streak over there, Ivan, he has a physical condition that makes him resistant to low and high temperatures, in addition to not feeling thirst due to heat."
Ivan grumbled:
"We get it already, you're a fan and have biographies of all of us."
"Good thing you've noticed. It'll save time so I won't have to summarize your lives. Now, all five of you come here and try to attack me."
"What? No!" protested a girl in the corner of the room. "We don't..."
She appeared to be the most fragile among all the students.
Her voice became lower and lower as she noticed the other three boys rising from their chairs and approaching Paul.
"There's no point." The black-haired girl retorted, getting up from her chair.
"I said all of you," Paul reinforced, looking at the two girls.
They walked up to the teacher on the classroom platform. The five formed something akin to a pentagram, surrounding Paul and trying to leave him with no escape route.
"Theo of Lawrence, wind attribute. Antony Windsor, metal attribute. Ivan, ice attribute. Rebecca Lans, barriers. And finally, Aryna Sabbac, water attribute. You know what each other can do, so begin."
Paul pointed to each student as he dictated their names.
Antony had brown hair with a slight reddish tint, perhaps due to the room's lighting. The boy's face was somewhat broad, but his body was something beyond athletic; his muscles were perfectly defined. It made Ivan and Theo feel weak, since their physiques were nothing so exaggerated.
Rebecca, like Aryna, was short compared to the boys. She also kept herself constantly hunched over and hidden behind her long, straight dark-brown hair. Her brown eyes were withdrawn and trembling.
Without wasting much time, they began Paul's little test.
Antony advanced, forging a sharp steel sword and launching it toward Paul. The blade cut through the air, passing close to the teacher, who dodged with ease. The sword nearly struck Rebecca's face, but an invisible barrier, skillfully created by her, blocked the blow.
In a swift and almost coordinated movement, Aryna leapt behind Rebecca, imitating a firing gesture with her fingers. A water projectile was launched, striking the cigarette between Paul's lips directly.
"Cheeky..."
Paul turned toward the girl, but Antony prevented him.
Using brass knuckles, Antony attempted another attack, but Paul dodged agilely, causing the other boy to hit the floor and crack the wooden surface. The mentor then brought his hands together, performing synchronized gestures, and pressed them downward.
Instantly, the three students were slammed against the floor by dense vapor.
"You're all too hasty," Paul commented, lighting another cigarette. "There's a lot to learn."
Ivan began creating hailstones in the air, concentrating them in the palm of his hand. Just as he was about to launch his attack, the hailstones were repelled by a sudden gust of wind. One of the small ice pellets grazed Paul's lips.
Ivan froze in place, worried about the possible damage he had caused the mentor. Meanwhile, Paul noticed Ivan's surprise, and both searched for the last member of the room: Theo.
Theo, who had been standing beside Ivan only seconds ago, had vanished from sight. A gentle breeze touched the back of Paul's neck, causing him to turn around quickly. At that moment, Theo emerged from Paul's shadow, holding the steel blade Antony had created.
It looked as though he was about to strike his mentor, but instead, he redirected the blade downward and used his own body as leverage.
Theo planted his left leg into Paul's trapezius muscle and, bracing his right leg against the floor, pressed his heel against the mentor's neck, forcing him off balance. Paul weakened his legs, allowing Theo to bring him down, but grabbed the apprentice's leg in the process.
Both fell to the ground, with Theo wrapping his arms around Paul's neck while they struggled to break free. While Paul was occupied with Theo, Ivan launched a blast of ice that froze Paul's left arm. With only one arm free, the mentor managed to free himself from Theo and pin him to the floor with his legs.
Exhaling deeply, Paul transformed the air leaving his lungs into fire, melting the ice that trapped his arm.
Now with his hand free, he extended it toward Ivan and fired a weak blast of flame, throwing the boy against the wall.
"I understand now," Paul commented, panting and sweating.
The mentor released Theo and stood up.
"You," he said, extending a hand to Theo and pulling him sharply to his feet. "You think too much during a fight. You invent too many unnecessary movements when you could simply finish your opponent."
Theo complained of shoulder pain without saying a word.
"You two depend too much on each other. You attack without thinking." He looked at Antony and then at Ivan. "And you, you're slow. Blondie practically had to sacrifice himself just so you could attack. Starting today, you're going to get to know each other, because you'll be a squad in the future. Therefore, act like one."
Theo extended a hand to help Ivan up.
"You used wind to propel my spell?" Ivan asked, accepting Theo's help.
"Yes, and afterward I used one of my specializations, a spell that allows me to camouflage myself in the air before attacking."
"A good casting speed. Are you a caster or..."
"I was trained as a hybrid."
"I see..."
"Great, the two of you are already talking," Paul said, walking toward them. "Now head to the infirmary. You're dismissed until tomorrow."
"Wait, that's it? We came here to learn, so you beat us up and then leave?" Aryna protested.
"Yes, that's it," he retorted while opening the classroom door. "I'm here to teach you how to be a squad and Vagus agents. I can't teach anything if you don't understand what you're doing wrong. Now, to the infirmary," he reinforced, emphasizing the order.
Paul left the room, and Antony and Rebecca walked over to the other two, while Aryna still gathered the courage to get up from the floor.
"Man, your casting is on another level!" Antony commented.
"And yours is incredibly sharp. The steel sword you created was durable, strong, and very light. That's why it was somewhat difficult to handle, but I believe you're already accustomed to it."
"Thanks, man. Do any of you know where the infirmary is?"
The three shook their heads in denial.
"I do," Aryna replied from the back of the room. "Follow me."
☽✪☾
All of Wispells' teachers gathered around a rectangular wooden table. Paul carefully rubbed a finger against his lips while looking at the student roster.
"What happened to your lips?" Beatrice could not hold back.
"Special class."
"They did that?" Director Wispells asked, her tone filled with curiosity.
"They? No. It was blondie. He didn't even think before trying to attack to kill. I'm lucky to be stronger than him and able to dodge."
A man with long black hair, red eyes, and serpent-like pupils observed attentively from the corner as Paul spoke.
"You're a slacker, Amiah," Paul said, noticing Amiah was watching. "Why didn't you show up? We could have had a more productive day."
"If you need me to teach, you're failing as a teacher. The Lawrence brat did that? Is he worth the grade he's at?"
"No. All of them should remain Grade One. Blondie only remains Grade Two because of a recommendation from the imperial family and because he appears to have more experience."
"Well," said another teacher, "ever since he arrived at the academy, he's been friendly challenging agents. It doesn't surprise me that he knows how to fight."
"And he's also a lieutenant's son. Ethan certainly taught him how to fight, just like Edward," said Amiah.
"I wanted to bring Edward Lawrence to our academy, but the Lotus Order got him first..." the director complained.
"Do I have permission to take them anywhere, right?" Amiah asked.
"Yes. As long as you sign the liability form."
"Alright."
"What are you going to do?" Paul asked.
"Raise them to at least Grade Three within five months. The interscholastic tournament is coming, and we can't present special-class students as weak. We're going to push their abilities to the limit."
"You're going to do that by taking them to the Forest of Nymphs?"
"Yes. Where are they now?"
"In the infirmary. I already dismissed them for today."
"Then leave it for tomorrow." Amiah looked at Paul and his bruised lip, unable to suppress a laugh before continuing. "Go take care of that injury."