The next morning, Theo didn't hesitate. Upon waking, he sought out his class mentor, Paul Ilamarada, since 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 rise along the walls to form a dome at the top. The main room follows the dome shape, with some interior elevations and the teacher's stage.

As soon as he entered the classroom, Theo found four students and Professor Paul present.

Paul Ilamarada, with his blond hair parted in the middle, dark brown eyes hidden by round glasses, pale skin and a nose with a slight deformity on the left, lit a cigarette when he noticed Theo's arrival and sat down in his chair.

Theo couldn't help but think, "Great, a smoker…" as he watched Paul light up his cigarette.

The boy took a closer look around the room, where the students were sitting far apart from each other. Except for the two girls. Theo couldn't help but notice; the boy and girl from yesterday, who were with him on assignment, were in his class.

"Very well!" Paul announced in a firm voice. "Those who are sleeping, wake up. And you who are still drowsy, wake up. To begin with, I want you to forget about those mediocre and impoverished books; they will be of no use here. I am here to teach you to be people of honor, conduct, and, above all, strength. I will not burden you with a million topics and expect you to know everything and more."

Paul turned to the chalkboard and wrote "Ειδικός." When he was finished, he tossed the chalk back into the holder and, with a sharp look, looked for someone in the room to start a conversation with.

"Hey, you, blondie!" Paul called Theo. "Do you know why you're in the special class?"

"No." He answered genuinely.

Paul exhaled the smoke from his cigarette and stubbed it out in an ashtray.

"Each of you has a condition, whether physical or mental. Like the blond boy here, Theo. We identified in you a rare mental condition called "genius", which allows you to learn and understand everything on first contact. The boy with the light blue streak over there, Ivan, has a physical condition that makes him resistant to low and high temperatures, in addition to not feeling thirsty due to the heat."

Ivan grumbled:

"We get it, you're a fan, and you have a biography of us."

"I'm glad you've already realized. It will save time by not having 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.

His voice grew quieter as he noticed the other three boys getting up from their chairs and walking over to Paul.

"It's no use." The black-haired girl retorted, getting up from her chair.

"I said everyone" Paul reinforced, looking at the two of them.

They walked up to the teacher, on the stage in the classroom. The five of them formed a sort of pentagram, cornering Paul and trying to leave him with no way out.

"Theo De Lawrence, attribute of wind. Antony Windsor, attribute of metals. Ivan, attribute of ice. Rebecca Lans, barriers. And lastly, Aryna Sabbac, attribute of water. You know what you can do together, so let's get started."

Paul pointed to each student as he dictated their names.

Antony had brown hair, with a slight hint of red, perhaps due to the brightness of the place. The boy's face was a little wide, but his body was something beyond athletic; his muscles were perfectly defined. Which made Ivan and Theo feel weak, since their bodies are nothing so exaggerated.

Rebecca, like Aryna, was short compared to the boys. She was also always huddled and hidden behind her long, straight, dark brown hair. Her brown eyes were set back and trembling.

Without wasting much time, they started that little test of Paul.

Antony stepped forward, forging a sharp steel sword and throwing it towards Paul. The blade sliced through the air, passing close to the professor, who dodged it with ease. The sword almost hit Rebecca's face, but an invisible barrier, skillfully created by her, blocked the blow.

In a quick, almost planned movement, Aryna jumped behind Rebecca, mimicking a shooting gesture with her fingers. A water projectile was launched, hitting the cigarette right on Paul's lips.

"Bold…"

Paul turned against the girl, but Antony stopped him.

With a brass knuckle, Antony tried to attack again, but Paul dodged nimbly, causing the other to hit the ground and break the wooden floor. The mentor then joined his hands, making synchronized gestures, and pressed them down.

Instantly, the three students were thrown to the ground by a dense vapor.

"You're all in a rush," Paul commented, lighting another cigarette. "There's a lot to learn."

Ivan began to create hailstones in the air, concentrating them on 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 ice pebbles grazed Paul's lips.

Ivan froze, worried about the possible damage done to his mentor. Meanwhile, Paul noticed Ivan's surprise and both looked for the last member of the room: Theo.

Theo, who had been standing next to Ivan just a few seconds ago, disappeared from his field of vision. 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 that Antony had created.

It looked like he was about to attack his mentor, but he deflected the blade downwards and used his own body as leverage.

Theo dug his left leg into Paul's trapeze and, bracing himself with his right leg on the ground, pressed his heel against his mentor's neck, forcing him off balance. Paul weakened his legs, allowing Theo to throw him, but caught his apprentice's leg in the process.

Both fell to the ground, with Theo grabbing Paul's neck with his arms as they struggled to free themselves. While busy with Theo, Ivan launched an ice blast that froze Paul's left arm. With only one arm free, the mentor managed to break free of Theo and pin him to the ground with his legs.

Exhaling deeply, Paul turned the air leaving his lungs into fire, melting the ice that bound his arm.

With his hand now free, he reached out towards Ivan and fired a burst of weak fire, slamming the boy into the wall.

"I get it." Paul commented, panting and sweating.

The mentor released Theo and stood up.

"You," he said, reaching out to Theo and pulling him up abruptly, "think too much during the fight. You come up with too many unnecessary moves when you could just finish off your opponent."

Theo complained of a pain in his shoulder, without reciting a single word.

"You two depend too much on each other. You just attack without thinking." He looked at Antony and then at Ivan. "And you, you're slow. The blond had to practically sacrifice himself so that you could attack. From today on, you'll start to get to know each other, because you'll be a squad in the future. So act like it."

Theo reached out to help Ivan up.

"Did you use the wind to power my spell?" Ivan asked, accepting Theo's help.

"Yes, and then I used a specialization of mine, a spell that allows me to camouflage myself in the air to attack."

"A good spell casting rhythm. Are you a spell caster or…"

"I was trained as a hybrid."

"I understand…"

"Great, you two are already talking," Paul said, walking towards them. "Now go to the infirmary, you're free until tomorrow."

"Wait, is that all? We came here to learn, so you beat us up and then leave?" Aryna protested.

"Yes, that's all" he replied, opening the door to the room. "I'm here to teach you how to be a squad and agents of Vagus, I can't teach you anything if you don't understand what you're doing wrong. Now, to the infirmary," he reinforced with emphasis.

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 conjuration is on another level!" Antony commented."

"And yours is very sharp. The steel sword you created was tough, strong, and very light. That's why it was a little difficult to handle, but I think you've gotten used to it by now."

"Thanks, man. Do you know where the infirmary is?"

The three shook their heads in denial.

"I know." Aryna replied, coming from the back of the room. "Follow me."

☽✪☾

All the teachers at Wispells gather at a rectangular wooden table. Paul rubs his finger carefully across his lips as he looks at the list of students.

"What was that on your lips?" Beatrice couldn't contain herself.

"Class in the special class."

"They did that?" Principal Wispells asked, her tone curious.

"Them? No. It was the blond one. He didn't even think before attacking to kill. I'm lucky I'm stronger than him and can dodge."

A man with long black hair, red eyes and snake"like pupils, was watching closely what Paul was saying from the corner."

"You're a slacker, Amiah," Paul said, noticing Amiah watching. "Why didn't you show up? We could have had a more productive day."

"If you need me to teach you, you're failing as a teacher. Did the Lawrence brat do this? Is he worth the grade he's in?"

"No. They must all remain in grade one. The blond one only remains in grade two because he was recommended by the imperial family, and also because he appears to have more experience."

"Well" said another teacher. "Ever since he arrived at the academy, he's been friendly, challenging the agents. I'm not surprised he knows how to fight."

"And he's also the son of a lieutenant. Ethan definitely taught him how to fight, just like Edward" Amiah said.

"I wanted to bring Edward Lawrence to our academy, but the Lotus Order got him first…" complained the director Wispells.

"I'm allowed to take you anywhere, right?" Amiah asked.

"Yes. As long as you sign the liability form."

"Sure."

"What are you going to do? "Paul asked."

"Raise them to at least grade three in five months. Interschool will happen, we can't present special class students as weak. We will explore their capabilities to the maximum."

"Are you going to do this by taking them to the forest of nymphs?"

"Yes. Where are they now?"

"Infirmary. I've dismissed them for today."

"Then leave it for tomorrow. "Amiah looked at Paul and his purple lip, unable to contain his laughter he continued. "Go take care of that wound."