A tall, pale dark dark-haired boy with chilling dark eyes quietly stepped through the door. His dark eyes slowly surveyed the room.
"Look, the monster has arrived," a kid whispered.
It was lunchtime, and the recruits were in the cafeteria.
The mouth-watering aromas of barbecued beef and fried chicken slowly wafted through the air.
The noisy chattering momentarily quietened down as the kids momentarily turned to stare at the newcomer.
Warren Frost slowly made his way to a secluded table and sat down.
" It must suck you know, to be alone in this place," Edmund said, vigorously tearing through a piece of fried chicken.
" Don’t you have any table manners?" Samantha snapped.
Edmund scoffed and then flashed her a wide grin.
"Please, there’s no better way to eat honey-dipped chicken. No forks, no knives, just you and the chicken."
Edmund popped another chicken wing into his mouth, chewing it audibly.
His eyes sparkled as he savoured the sweetness of the honey and the gentle heat of the chilli and ginger. He dramatically slumped in his chair with a contented sigh.
" This is just the best!"
Emily coolly regarded him.
" You know you’re a totally different person when you’re not fighting and beating people senseless."
Edmund rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"I just did what I had to do. That’s all there is to it."
Emily subtly looked around the cafeteria.
Amanda Gardner was similarly seated alone at a table. She had been noticeably quieter as well after her altercation with Anthony Grant.
The lunch break swiftly came to an end, and the recruits filed into the gymnasium for a physical training session.
Darius Sunder was their instructor for the day.
Emily curiously regarded the muscular man as he entered the gymnasium. They’d come to know his lack of tolerance for tardiness.
Emily now knew Darius had a unique ability to stop time. A chronokinetic.
She’d seen it happen during Warren’s fight with Cassius; it had happened in the blink of an eye, one moment the long jagged icicle Warren was holding was shooting towards Drake’s vulnerable torso, and in the next moment, everybody was frozen. Emily couldn’t move a muscle.
Her eyes could barely move. Her body remained frozen in place, refusing to follow her instructions; it was as though it had a mind of its own.
That’s when she had seen him.
Out of the corner of her eye, he calmly strode towards the stage, his cold blue eyes eerily aglow. He had moved through he sea of bodies like a phantom without brushing any of the recruits in his way.
She’d even heard him quietly mutter, "What a mess."
What he did in the next moment is what truly astounded her.
Darius had firmly gripped the icicle that Warren was shoving into Cassius’ chest. His muscular arm had tightly wrapped around Cassius’s torso.
In the split second that followed, the icicle broke in Darius’s iron grip. His hand flashed forward, disrupting Warren’s momentum. He sidestepped, pulling Cassius out of harm’s way and moving out of the path of Norvax’s speeding form.
Shocked gasps erupted around the auditorium as Darius seemingly appeared on the stage in the perception of the other recruits. Warren flew back, and Norvax skidded to a stop, leaving deep grooves in the concrete stage. Cassius gasped in surprise, staring in shock at the slight wound on his chest.
"This match is over."
Emily scanned the gymnasium, slowly observing the rest of the kids.
"None of them probably realizes what they saw with their own eyes."
Her eyes briefly flickered to Warren.
"Warren, maybe, and Edmund, but the rest are completely oblivious."
Darius stood at the front of the class.
"Today we’ll be working in pairs. The reason you’ll be working in pairs is to develop a sense of teamwork.
Praesagius operatives need to always watch out for each other. Things can get incredibly tough when we’re out on missions."
His eyes swept across the room, piercing each of them with an icy stare.
"How well you do here contributes in a small way to how well you’ll do on missions, but no matter how small that extra effort to become adept at your ability may be, it can go a long way in saving your life at an unexpected moment, so keep that in mind."
Everyone slowly paired up; Samantha paired with Emily, leaving Edmund to look for a partner.
All the other kids were paired up except for Amanda. Even Warren had paired up with a skinny, mousy-haired kid.
Edmund inwardly groaned.
"Of all the unlucky... in the world, why do I have to be the one who pairs up with her?"
Edmund slowly approached her. He froze when his eyes met her icy glare.
" What?" She snarled.
" Do you think maybe we could air up?" He said with a nervous smile.
Darius’s authoritative voice reverberated through the hall.
The exercises began, and they slowly stretched following Darius’ instructions. They quickly started trying different exercises, doing increased repetitions, and the motions quickly became more difficult and strenuous, requiring ample flexibility and stamina.
"I don’t think I can go on for much longer," Samantha said. Her face was flushed, and she was audibly gasping for breath.
" Can’t take a little exercise," Edmund gleefully whispered.
His shirt was already damp with sweat, but he showed almost no sign of outward sign of tiring. Amanda also seemed relaxed but irritated.
" Monsters, both of them."
A tall white white-haired man with shoulder-length hair entered the room. He was clad in a dark, long coat. The jagged scar on his face added to his roguish charm, giving him a regal appearance.
Praesagius’ golden insignia adorned his left breast pocket. He silently moved through the gymnasium like a ghost, observing the kids.
His amber eyes swept over the recruits, as though searching for something. Darius rapped his chest with a gloved fist.
" Commander Gregory, I didn’t expect to see you here, sir."
Gregory flashed him a smile.
" At ease, Vice Commander."
A ripple of hushed whispers spread through the room.
" Five crosses, could that be a commander?"
"White hair and icy amber eyes, you think that’s him, the famed Darkblade ?"
"Recruits, attention!" Darius’ voice boomed.
" This is Commander Gregory Whizen, one of the fourteen Praesagius Division Commanders."
Gregory smiled warmly at the recruits.
"At ease, all of you. I’ve an important message I will be sharing with you all."
"Starting today, you’ll all be working directly under me. You’ll be shifted to an academy where you’ll continue your training to formally become Praesagius operatives."
He paused to let his words sink in.
A few murmurings rose in the room.
He clapped his hands.
"A few of you may not know this, but there is another faction that is like Praesagius but is fundamentally different. They’re known as the Brotherhood of Shadows. We will be working alongside them."
More murmurs spread throughout the room.
One kid raised a hand into the air.
" Sir, so this other faction, are they talented like us?"
Gregory smiled dangerously.
" No, they’re assassins." Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel✶fire.net