"Allow me to introduce you to your classmates," Ms Minawa stated, gesturing to the class.

The morning light streamed through the high windows, casting elongated shadows across the polished floor and illuminating dust particles that drifted lazily in the still air. The space smelled like home, with no overpowering smell.

She pointed first to a mean-looking boy who stood with shoulders squared, his very posture perfect. 17 years old and due to graduate the following year, Year 5 Savior Student, Derro Daiquinn. His black textured hair, styled into a messy modern mullet, hovered just above his brow line. Shaved sides of his head revealed pale, jagged scars where hair refused to grow, telling silent stories of past conflicts. Fitted with oil-black eyes that had a quiet intensity, as though they could ignite at any moment.

On his left stood a striking girl with a peach complexion accentuated by heavy makeup that caught the light with subtle shimmer. Her bright green, bubble-like hair cascaded down to her ankles in an impossible gravity-defying arrangement, with long sideburns framing her face like stretched teardrops. A golden earring dangled from her left ear, catching and reflecting light in mesmerizing patterns. Her uniform had been subtly modified, the standard-issue fabric tailored to accentuate her silhouette. Every calculated shift of her posture emanated confidence and flair. This was Kalla, Year 2 Savior student.

To Derro's right was a light-skinned boy with free-form twist locs, dark blue hair faded to light blue tips that resembled the gradient of evening sky transforming into night. A silver earring clipped to his right ear, glinting as he moved, throwing tiny reflections across the nearby surfaces. His attention was fixated on Derro, eyes tracking every microexpression and gesture with analytical precision. His uniform hung perfectly on his frame, not a wrinkle or imperfection to be found. Xavier, a charming genius, and Year 3 Savior student.

Together, they formed a clear clique led by Derro, their bodies oriented toward one another in the unconsciously established social hierarchy.

Two others kept their distance, flying solo, the negative space between them and the group speaking volumes about established social dynamics.

A 16-year-old girl with a short wolf cut stood to the side, her brunette hair streaked with golden highlights that caught the light like threads of gold. Her streamlined eyeliner accentuated her piercing, wolf-like eyes, which scanned the room in quick, calculated movements. Each breath she took was measured, her stance balanced and ready, as though perpetually prepared to spring into action. Her focus was razor-sharp, radiating an almost predatory intensity that created an invisible perimeter around her that no one seemed eager to breach. Nera, a Year 4 Savior Student.

Finally, a laid-back boy was sitting cross-legged on the ground, puffing a blunt with languid indifference to the formal setting. Intricate shades of black spanned his waved hair, creating an optical illusion of depth against his scalp. Scarlet smoke as red as his eyes curled around him in elaborate tendrils as he exhaled, the scent both sweet and earthy lingered in the air. His uniform was deliberately disheveled, sleeves rolled unevenly. Kago, a Year 3 Savior Student, whose very presence seemed to slow the tempo of the air around him.

"Kago, stand up before I make you stand up," Nera threatened, her voice sharp enough to slice through the haze of crimson smoke that enveloped him. The tension between them vibrated in the air, a familiar discord that the others had learned to ignore.

Kago sighed, dragging out his response, each syllable weighted with exaggerated burden. "Fine." He rose to his feet reluctantly, the smoke trailing his movements like an obedient pet, clinging to the fabric of his clothes and dissipating in slow spirals.

With everyone now standing, Ms. Minawa nudged Jai forward with gentle pressure between his shoulder blades. The touch was light but authoritative, brooking no resistance. "Now that you know who they are, how about you introduce yourself, Jai?"

Jai stepped forward, the soles of his new shoes squeaking against the polished floor. He took a deep breath to ready himself, his chest expanding visibly beneath the crisp fabric of his untested uniform. The weight of five pairs of eyes pressed against him like a physical force. "Hello! My name is Jai! I'm a first-year Savior student here. It's a pleasure to meet you all!" His voice echoed, bouncing back at him with unexpected volume.

Derro rolled his eyes, the gesture theatrical and meant to be noticed by his followers. He stepped closer, his shadow falling over Jai as he towered over him. The air between them compressed with subtle menace. "Yeah, yeah, no need to yell," he said, sizing him up with a gaze that measured and dismissed at the same time. "Looks like we got a new 'Neo'. You're kinda boring looking. Hopefully, your ability makes up for it."

Derro eyeballs Ms. Minawa, tilting his head slightly in challenge. "Hey, teach. What kind of power does he got?" A hint of genuine curiosity penetrated his practiced indifference.

Jai blinked, caught off guard, the muscles in his face rearranging from enthusiasm to confusion. "Power?" The word felt foreign on his tongue, heavy with unknown implications.

"Hell yeah man," Derro said, a razor-thin smile splitting his face. "We all got one. That's why we're here." The statement carried the weight of exclusivity, of shared knowledge that Jai had yet to earn.

Ms. Minawa pulled out her tablet, the matte surface catching the light as she angled it away from curious eyes. The screen illuminated her face from below, casting sharp shadows that accentuated her features. It displayed the roster of enrolled students and their abilities, the information organized in neat columns. Browsing the list, her eyes slide down to the bottom, irises contracting slightly as she found what she sought.

Savior Student Roster:

Year 5 - Derro Daiquinn

Circuit Ability ~ Nonmetals

Year 4 - Nera:

 Circuit Ability ~ Water

Year 3 - Kago:

 Circuit Ability ~ Fungi

Year 2 - Xavier:

 Circuit Ability ~ Density

Year 2 - Kalla:

 Circuit Ability ~ Direction

Year 1 - Jai:

 Circuit Ability ~ Power

Ms. Minawa raised an eyebrow, "Interesting. Looks like we've got another force type." Her voice carried a note of professional assessment, neither impressed nor disappointed, merely cataloging information.

"No shot! What is it?" Derro asked eagerly, his carefully constructed nonchalance cracking to reveal genuine interest. The other students leaned forward imperceptibly, their collective attention focused like a magnifying glass.

"Power," Ms. Minawa snickered in irony.

Derro's irritated smirk returned as he looked at Jai, reassessing him with narrowed eyes. The air between them charged with a different quality now—potential rather than dismissal. "Is that right? Looks like you might actually have something to offer." He extended his hand, the calluses visible even from a distance. "You better be good for it."

Jai hesitated but shook his hand. The grip was firm to the point of discomfort, the hints of hostility clear in the pressure applied to specific pressure points. The contact lasted precisely two seconds longer than social convention dictated. "I'll do my best," Jai said, forcing a bright smile that didn't quite reach the tightness around his eyes.

Derro released his hand and returned to the group, wiping his palm subtly against his uniform as though removing something unpleasant. The other students followed suit, greeting Jai with polite handshakes and greetings.

"Alright then. Now that we're all introduced, let's start slow with a performance activity to warm up," Ms. Minawa announced, her voice cutting through the lingering social tension.

The students lined up five meters apart with, their movements displaying the muscle memory of routine, a sign of how often they had done this. Their bodies fell into position with the precision of chess pieces on a board. Jai watched alongside Ms. Minawa, trying to decode the unspoken protocols.

"You and I will work one-on-one. By the end, you'll have an idea of how to use your power," she said, her tone softening slightly as she addressed only him, creating a momentary bubble of mentor-student intimacy amid the clinical training environment.

"Sounds like a plan," Jai replied, straightening his posture unconsciously to mirror hers.

Ms. Minawa led Jai to the end of the line, next to Kalla. With a wave of her hand—fingers splayed in a precise configuration—she summoned practice dummies for each student. The air rippled visibly at her command, molecules rearranging themselves into solid form through mechanisms invisible but palpable. Jai studied the humanoid mannequin that materialized before him, noting its uncanny valley approximation of human form.

"Skin?" he asked, noticing the texture that resembled human epidermis, complete with pores and subtle imperfections. The surface yielded slightly to his tentative touch, mimicking the elasticity of living tissue.

Ms. Minawa nodded, a flash of approval crossing her features. "Quite observant, Jai. You're correct. These dummies are made from layers of my skin. As you improve, the number of layers increases, each harder than the last." Her explanation was matter-of-fact, devoid of the horror such a concept might evoke outside these walls.

"So that means... I only have one, soft layer?" Jai asked.

"Correct." The word was clipped, and efficient.

"How many does Derro have? Just out of curiosity." Jai's eyes drifted down the line to where Derro stood, body coiled with potential energy.

"Sixty," she replied, the single word heavy with implications of years of discipline and development.

Jai's pupils constricted in shock, the involuntary physiological response revealing his awe more honestly than any words could. His attention shifted to Derro preparing to attack.

Derro extended his arm towards the floor beneath him, hands spread wide, fingers tensed like the legs of a spider. Then he clenched his fist with deliberate slowness and lifted his hand in a fluid, controlled motion. In perfect synchronization, a tentacle of rock rose from the platform, the material reshaping itself according to his will. The stone moved with organic fluidity despite its mineral nature, defying conventional physics. With one swift, precise movement, he pierced his dummy clean through the head. The impact produced a sound halfway between a squelch and a crack, organic and inorganic colliding.

"That makes sixty-one," Ms. Minawa noted, making a small annotation on her tablet, the stylus moving with clinical precision.

"Woah," Jai whispered in awe, the syllable escaping his lips before he could contain it. The training hall suddenly felt colder, reality reshaping itself around the demonstration of power he had just witnessed.

Each student showcased their abilities in turn, the air in the training hall cycling through different states as powers manifested—becoming humid, then dry, dense then weightless. They all easily broke their dummies, each with distinctive techniques that reflected their personalities as much as their abilities. Jai gulped audibly, nerves setting in as his turn approached. A thin film of sweat formed along his hairline.

"Don't get shaken up," Ms. Minawa reassured him, her voice low enough that only he could hear. "It's your first day, and they're showing off. Focus on your task." The gentle pressure of her hand on his shoulder anchored him momentarily to the present.

"Right," Jai said, trying to steady himself, forcing his breathing to slow from the rapid, shallow pattern it had adopted.

Ms. Minawa checked her tablet, "Now then, looks like your limiter involves... spinning." She traced a small circular motion in the air with her index finger.

"Limiter? What's that?" Confusion creased Jai's brow, adding another layer to his already mounting uncertainty.

"To put it simply, the raw power of force-type Circuits is too much to handle, so limiters are placed to prevent self-injury during development. The limiter slowly becomes less restrictive over time as you become more accustomed. Yours works by increasing your power exponentially with each full-body rotation." Her explanation was patient but brisk, delivered with the efficiency of someone who had explained basic concepts many times before.

Jai adopted a smug expression, flexing his biceps humorously, the momentary bravado a transparent shield against his nervousness. "So I'm, like, super strong?"

"In theory, yes. But let's test it, shall we," Ms. Minawa chuckled, the sound dry and brief. "Start with ten spins. And remember, you'll have five seconds of stored power to strike the dummy. So move quickly." Her instructions were clear, each word precisely enunciated.

"Got it!" Jai spun ten times, each rotation building momentum, his vision blurring as he whirled. With each turn, an invisible energy gathered around him, creating a subtle distortion in the air like heat waves rising from hot pavement. The power built with each rotation, a pressure building against his skin from the inside out. Stopping on the tenth spin, he charged forward, fist cocked back, the stored energy streaming through his muscles like electrical current. The rest of the class watched intently in secret, their feigned disinterest betrayed by the focus in their eyes.

As Jai plants his foot for delivery, his balance faltered in the aftereffects of dizziness. His center of gravity shifted unexpectedly, and he slips, the training hall tilting in his spinning vision. Falling forward with momentum he couldn't control, his fist slammed into the ground instead, releasing a gust of wind that rippled outward in a visible wave, fluttering clothing and disturbing hair. He had missed the dummy entirely, the unleashed power finding an outlet in the platform beneath them.

"Shit! I slipped up!" Jai groaned, humiliation burning hot beneath his skin, coloring his cheeks and ears crimson. His knuckles throbbed dully where they had connected with the floor.

Ms. Minawa smiled patiently, her expression betraying nothing beyond professional assessment. "Not to worry! This platform has been reinforced, ten times stronger than the norm. Come on over and try again." Her tone was even, neither encouraging nor discouraging.

"Right!" Determination hardened his features, embarrassment transforming into resolve.

Determined, Jai returned to his spot, his eyes steeled with focus. The platform where his fist landed, the material—designed to withstand extraordinary forces—showed a fissure that spoke volumes about the power behind that accidental blow. Unbeknownst to Jai—a frightening power was waiting to be unleashed.