The girl took one of the few open seats at a long dining table on the left side of the packed, lively mess hall, while Sturm stood just behind her, taking in the scene around them. He scanned the area, taking note of the various other candidates'' appearances. Naturally, Sturm's peers were exceptionals. He thought that their physical attributes might give some clues as to their unique abilities.

“No kidding... It really is you!” exclaimed the short, spectacled boy sitting across from Sturm's arrogant acquaintance as he peered up from behind a tome, "It's so crazy to think I will be attending the academy alongside Arthur Sturm and Magnolia von Wald!"

Von Wald? Sturm thought to himself as he took his seat next to the girl.

“S-Sturm?” the girl stuttered, taken back.

The two immediately turned to face each other, their mutual disbelief apparent. Magnolia's eyes slowly and methodically looked Sturm up and down as she shifted anxiously in her seat.

The von Wald family was well-known and respected in Europe's high society circles. They were a lineage of Swabian nobles hailing from Stuttgart as early as the twelfth century. The family’s women were characterized by pale blonde, almost white hair, and fair, porcelain skin. It was said that not one of them in over eight hundred years had shown the slightest physical imperfection. This almost supernatural beauty captivated the lords and royals of bygone ages, allowing the family to amass power and riches as consorts to the influential. Based on the tales, Magnolia’s platinum blonde hair and pale skin were a certain match.

"How could that be? You look nothing like your father. Everyone knows The Hurricane is a titan, and you're no such thing. You’re a diminutive gnome trying to mimic him by wearing the same kind of-”

Magnolia’s eyes widened, enlightened by a sudden realization.

“Same kind of hat…” she said in a hushed, defeated tone, “That’s your dad’s hat, isn’t it…?”

With a hint of offense, he answered, "That's right".

“Wait, so you two didn’t even know?” the red-haired boy with the glasses chuckled, setting his book flat on the table.

Sturm shook his head.

“Well, can you blame me? Does he look like The Hurricane to you?” Magnolia pouted, resting her cheek on her hand.

“Sure!” the boy spoke aloud with a grand smile, “They have the same eyes!”

“What do you mean?” Magnolia inquired in a disbelieving tone.

She then placed her hand on Sturm’s shoulder and turned him around to face her. Leaning in, Magnolia scrutinized his every optical detail.

She murmured without breaking her dissecting gaze, “Well now, I suppose I see what you’re talking about. It’s that violent, electric blue that just emanates untamed power, doesn’t it?”

“Um… w-well, I don’t know if I’d say it that way.” the boy stuttered awkwardly, adjusting his glasses.

Unceremoniously breaking eye contact with Magnolia, Sturm turned his attention to the boy across from them.

“How did you know who we were, anyway?” Sturm asked.

Proudly, the boy explained his power, “Well, you see… I have the unique ability to see through objects.”

“Objects? As in anything you want? A dormitory wall, perhaps?” Magnolia piped in, an accusatory flash in her green eyes.

“N-no way!” the boy shouted defensively, waving his hands in front of his face, “I can only see through thin objects… A few millimeters, really…”

“A few millimeters…” Sturm repeated softly, thinking aloud, “Such as the folders stacked on the commandant’s desk?”

“Wow, first try!” the boy exclaimed with a wide grin, “You're good, Sturm. I figured I’d get a leg up on the competition with my special talent. Even if I don’t ever have to use that information against anyone, it’s always good to know what everyone around you is capable of, right?”

“I suppose that’s fair,” Sturm replied with a slight tilt of his head.

“Is that so, friend?” Magnolia asked with a devious smirk, “How about you share some of that information? We’re the most promising candidates here, after all. Giving us an extra competitive edge might be in the best interest of everyone.”

The boy muttered under his breath, “W-well I don't know about that…”

Magnolia scoffed and tapped her fingers on the tabletop. "A moment ago you seemed star-struck, now you don't even want to assist the local prodigies in claiming their well-deserved glory?"

Celebrities? Sturm thought to himself. Only a few moments ago, Magnolia had treated him as if he were an unwashed street urchin daring to occupy the same space as a princess. Now she spoke as if they were equals. Feeling a tug at his wrist, Sturm looked down to realize she was grasping his right cuff. He pulled his arm back toward himself, releasing his sleeve from Magnolia’s grip, and placed his hand on the table. Still, she remained focused on the new target of her ire and didn't spare Sturm even a glance.

Though he found Magnolia's brand of inquiry obnoxious, Sturm couldn't deny that he was also curious about his fellow candidates' particular talents.

Trying his own luck, Sturm leaned in across the table. “So, that’s a pretty interesting ability. What’s your name, anyway?”

“Dominic,” the boy answered with a nervous smile, eyes darting between Sturm and the pouting Magnolia, "Pleased to meet you."

“Nice to meet you too, Dominic,” Sturm replied as he reached across the table to shake his hand.

“Out of curiosity…” Sturm continued, “Did any of the abilities you saw in those files stand out as particularly interesting? Anything that caught your eye?”

“Oh, definitely!” Dominic laughed, “I just don’t want to accidentally give away any secrets about guys who might end up on my team... It's nothing against you two, really!"

Magnolia rolled her eyes and began to protest, "We are all ultimately on the same side, last time I checked. You don't gain anything by holding out on us."

Sturm crossed his arms and shook his head in response to her insistence.

"No, he's partially right," Sturm conceded, "We're all going to be fighting for the same side, that's true. But we'll be tested against each other just as often as we're tested against the enemy. Adapting to new, unknown powers is an important skill for an Iron Knight to master."

Magnolia's light, almost glowing skin made the bright red flush of her cheeks all the more obvious as she beamed at him, embarrassed that she'd overlooked such an obvious caveat.

Quietly, she replied, "Wow, look who got serious all of the sudden..."

Dominic nodded in agreement. "That's right," he added, "Besides, we shouldn't get into the habit of divulging our friends' combat abilities so haphazardly. There are people out there who want to hurt us. If the bad guys know how we fight, they're already halfway to defeating us. You should be careful, especially right now."

"Nonsense," Magnolia interrupted suddenly, "No one goes around attacking known exceptionals, let alone knight candidates. What are you talking about?"

Immediately, Dominic's face seemed to shift pallid. "Well, you know, the enemy..."

Magnolia raised an accusatory eyebrow as she pressed on. "Oh, come now. We aren't at war and even if we were, you wouldn't be so cryptic about it."

For once, Magnolia was right. Something didn't add up and Dominic's washed-out complexion wasn't doing much to hide his nerve. Sturm was certain that his fellow candidate was hiding something.

"That was an odd way of wording things, Dominic. Do you know something that we don't?" Sturm inquired politely, but firmly.

A single bead a sweat ran from Dominic's brow down the length of his nose. He sighed aloud and removed his glasses, placing them atop the open book in front of him.

He leaned forward as far as he could and motioned for them to do the same before beginning to whisper. "Okay, listen... I'll tell you but this stays between us, alright?"

Sturm and Magnolia glanced at each other curiously before returning an affirming nod.