"Come on, you lazy bum. Time to wake up." Jason called, throwing a pillow in Theo's direction. "Just because you got here at dawn doesn't mean you have the right to wake up after noon."

The pillow fell right on the boy's head.

"Jason…" Theo stammered.

"Hi?"

A pillow was thrown back at him.

"Breathe, study a little. Time keeps passing, and you keep wasting it, annoying me."

"Here you go with your existential crises… Man, I don't think I've ever seen anyone as crazy as you" Jason said, throwing a suitcase on Theo's lap. "Professor Beatrice scheduled our practical class for today."

"I miss my day off…"

"You've only been here a week, man. And you spent your day off fighting other knights and helping villagers."

"It was better than your day."

"Yes, of course. Now get ready quickly."

"Hell," Theo grumbled, rubbing his eyes and gathering the courage to stand up.

☽✪☾

Some teenagers began to gather in a gym. The place was divided into several sections "gym, fighting area, running track, among others "where the students of the Wispells Academy practiced several activities at the same time. Theo and Jason walked between the spaces, watching the other agents training."

"Where do we have to go again?" asked Theo.

"To the assignment wing. Looks like we'll be getting our class cards today."

"Finally."

They stopped in front of a giant door, which was already open. Several students gathered in front of a stage set up. The two looked for a bench to sit and wait for Beatrice.

While Jason socialized with most of the students, Theo stood in a reserved position, leaning back in a corner. He mentally counted the seconds as memories came flooding back to him. His leg shook with anxiety and his breathing became more intense.

A hand landed on his shoulder. Theo looked to the side and found someone familiar: a woman with curly light brown hair, pink eyes, and wearing a white tunic covered by another blue tunic.

"Is everything okay?" asked Beatrice.

"Yes."

"Did you sleep well?"

"No." he replied, looking away.

"Do I have to call your attention again? Well, pay attention today."

Beatrice walked towards the stage. As she walked up, Jason shamelessly sucked her off. He followed every movement of the new teacher's "monumental body." Theo punched him in the face.

"What was that for?" Jason complained.

"Respect." He retorted with disdain.

Jason ran his hand over where Theo punched him and asked:

"Why are you two so close? It's like she's your mother."

Theo settled back on the bench and sighed.

"She was my teacher from kindergarten to elementary school. I used to have problems with insomnia and dyslexia, so I attracted a lot of attention."

"Did you used to have dyslexia?" Jason joked.

"Idiot."

Beatrice clapped her hands to get the students' attention.

"Can everyone hear me clearly?" he asked, his voice floating through the students' ears like a breeze enveloping their bodies.

"Sound and wind attribute?" Jason asked.

"Yes."

Since Jason didn't have much knowledge about elemental attributes, he often turned to Theo for clarification. Beatrice used her sound attribute to amplify her voice, and then her wind attribute to make it echo throughout the room, ensuring that her voice reached every student.

"To all the newcomers who have been accepted into Wispells Academy and become agents of the Order of Vagus, we know how eager you are to find out your occupations and ranks. That is why Headmistress Wispells and I have scheduled your assignment for today. So, please look at the floor in front of the benches you are sitting on. You will see ribbons with specific colors. Please pick up the ribbon with the corresponding color and wait until your color is called."

Theo looked down at the floor and found a green ribbon. Jason had an orange ribbon, which meant they would be in different rooms. A feeling of apprehension settled in their stomachs.

"I don't know why, but I'm nervous…" Jason grumbled.

"Those with the green ribbon, head east," Beatrice announced.

Theo said goodbye to Jason and headed to the east wing, where only two other people were waiting. A girl with short black hair was accompanied by a boy with black hair, but with a single light blue streak. The three exchanged glances for a moment. Then Theo looked away, opening the iron door next to them.

On the other side was a scientist wearing a white lab coat, her hands in her pockets and looking anxious.

"Hi, I'm Ster. I'm in charge of assigning you three. Who wants to go first?"

"Me." Theo raised his hand before the other two could react.

"Great. What's your name?"

"Theo Augustus De Lawrence."

"Okay. Sit down and place your hands on this crystal."

Ster pretended not to care about Theo's surname, and above all tried to maintain professionalism. On the continent they live on, just having a surname already carries weight. But the name'Augustus' carries the weight of the imperial family.

Theo obeyed, while Ster looked through some papers.

"Theo Augustus of Lawrence." She paused, taking in a deep breath. "A's in physics every year, first in chemistry at Nethuns State. Same with history and geography. Do you like science?"

"Yes. I love your laws and theories."

"Then why didn't you become an agent of Fulmenbour? Or Myrddin?"

"Vagus is more exciting."

"I see… Well, press the crystal."

Theo applied gentle pressure to the crystal, which glowed brightly. The colors varied between blue, lilac, purple, red, yellow, orange and green.

"Act as if you were transferring energy to him."

"Okay."

A small colorless aura began to radiate from Theo's hands. The crystal's color began to solidify into green, but continued to alternate between a neutral green and a white color. A small mist like burst of energy spread throughout the room.

Ster was momentarily taken aback, watching Theo closely to ensure his safety. When she realized he was okay, she made some notes on a document and handed it to Theo.

"Take this to your instructor."

☽✪☾

"I'm grade one, class eight!" Jason showed off to the others, showing a card in his hand.

"What is your energy type?" One of the students asked.

"Mana."

"Cool, mine is ki." 

A red-haired girl hit her head hard on a wooden table in disappointment.

"Chloe? What happened?" Jason asked.

"I'm stuck in chakra cycles. I'll end up just being an alchemist. Theo will make fun of me…"

"Why would I do that?" Theo questioned, approaching an outdoor table.

"Because you always said I would end up an alchemist."

"And that's what happened. Don't be sad, alchemists have an important role in society."

"The fight between cousins is about to begin…" Jason whispered to other students.

"Give me this." Chloe took the card from Theo's right hand. She began to read the information. "Grade two, we already know that. Energy: Ether?" Her voice became thin as she pronounced the last word. "Special class… Damn, privileged."

"So we're not in the same class?" Jason grumbled.

"No. But we are not obliged to remain limited to our class sectors, so we will still meet a lot."

"Take it." Chloe tossed the card back to Theo. "At least Agnes is there. That's a plus."

"Special Class Mentor: Paul Llamarada and Amiah Neidr…" Theo read from the card. The second name was familiar. "Ether Energy… This is going to be a headache."