House of Amarin

It took a few days for every student to settle in and get accustomed to their new lives. Lia didn't modify the structure of the classes from her time at the Academy, keeping it exactly the same. The only changes were two things. She split the students into multiple groups, placing them under different teachers, like Dayen, and her second change was that every Friday was hers.

She gathered all the students, led them to the primary training ground, and taught them in a way that they could not forget even if they wanted to. The students were all seated inside, or in this case, 'outside' the Ream, within the simulations of the Cosmos and its primal energies. While Lia spoke about how it worked, behaved, and contained all eight simultaneously, she also demonstrated it by manipulating their surroundings. Even if it was nothing but a convincing simulation, the effects of it were profound on their young minds.

"How's teaching?" Lucian asked, looking at her collapsing into her chair back in her office.

"Hard! I need to focus and avoid starting to ramble and confuse them! It is more complicated than I thought, but... I will get the hang of it!"

"I listened in... you did good." He chuckled, stepping behind her and starting to massage her shoulders, which she welcomed with a satisfied moan.

"Mhm... don't stop..."

"The Golden Claw stand bamboozled, huh?"

"Ahahaha... yep! They are! I don't think they ever thought about Arcus leaving a piece of his soul behind and learning their secrets! When he taught me... his knowledge wasn't restricted! We were inside their home, so... he had the reign to speak freely! And as he taught me, not those bastards... bwahaha! My lips are free to speak about their knowledge!"

"I wonder if they would be surprised to learn about it..."

"I bet. And I am sure they already know it."

"Spies?" He asked, his hands stopping for a moment before resuming massaging Lia, "So they did come... Did you know which students?"

"I don't know for sure. I just felt some presence mixed into the youngsters who were very, very familiar with how it felt to be in their Sub-Realm. So, my guess is that we do have some spies within. The teachers are clean; I made sure of that! What we need to keep an eye on are the students. You will have to help me in that, mister head of the Wing of Metal!"

"Of course, Headmaster~!"

"How is it? Being a teacher instead of the Headmaster?"

"Better. Less responsibility and less paperwork!"

"Ugh... forget that I asked..."

"I warned you!" Lucian laughed, knocking lightly on the top of her head, "This position is not as easy as just sitting up here, sipping tea, and letting your minions do their jobs!"

"It will be one day! I just... need to get it moving! You will see, you Smug Fox!"

....
...A bit earlier...
........

In the dormitories, most of the students were talking excitedly about their new life and even forgot to worry about the constantly dark sky and the changing world. It was all about the opportunity they received and the possibility of becoming someone who could combine the elements. A feat that for 4,000 years was nothing but a legend and the supposed privilege of the Amarins.

"What do you think, Cael?" A 14-year-old boy asked, looking down from the top of their bunkbed, watching his new friend below him.

"Ah, sorry? I was... spacing out." Cael answered as his brown eyes lit up, light returning as he had previously done nothing but stare blankly at the bedframe above him. They just returned from the 'first test,' being accepted into the Institute.

"Heh, too surprised? Well... I think it's exciting, no?" Another boy chimed in as there were four of them in the room, all around the same age and all of them being newbies, beginner mages at the 1st or 2nd Tier.

Except for Cael... but nobody knew that. Behind the young exterior of a boy, an ancient soul, one that was more than 4,000 years old, was trying to deal with the shock it received. He was one of the Golden Claw spies who successfully infiltrated the Academy... but there was a reason for it: He was crippled.

"I will go, take a walk... my head feels like it will explode!" Cael shrugged with a smile, making the others laugh as he walked out of the room and started strolling aimlessly, watching the buildings and the thousands of busy people. He couldn't help but feel troubled while doing so.

He still remembered the days when he became an Elder, just because all his peers died and spots had to be filled. He felt lucky... especially when he was selected to be part of the group that entered into what they called 'controlled reincarnation.' But they had yet to perform it before, so it was not without risks, and many of them never returned to this day. It was a technique their spies had stolen from the Soulbound Sect, developed from their method of soul cultivation... and it depended on the individual. There was nobody who could help them succeed.

"Haaahh..." Cael couldn't help but sigh again, stopping when arriving at the park in the middle of the Academy, looking at the Headmaster's tower.

He was someone who could get into the Institute because he was weak. Something had gone wrong in his reincarnation, no doubt because of his own weakness. When he was born, his memories of his past life only returned by the time he was six. Even then, they were fragmented, and it took him multiple years to recall everything. Now, being 14 years old, even with his ancient knowledge and experience, he barely stepped into the 2nd Tier. His body was simply struggling to keep up with his knowledge and, many times, refusing to act according to his memories.

It was a chore and a slug to meditate and improve... yet back home, his parents were proud of him and did everything to make sure they could pay for his tuition. Right at this moment, whenever he thought about his parents, he couldn't help but smile.

"Ugh..." Holding his head, which began to hurt, feeling a sharp pain inside his skull, he stumbled to the nearest bench, sat down, and rubbed his temples, grimacing. "Damn..."

It was precisely why he called himself a cripple. No matter what he tried, his body and mind refused to forgo his current life and return to who he was before, causing him to experience constantly returning headaches. One of the biggest hurdles was his previous name... he had forgotten it and felt it was unnatural when his peers called him by it. He was only feeling like he was himself when he was Cael.

This mental mismatch further reinforced his slow advancement, especially when the 'Call' went out, informing him of his new mission. For a brief moment, he could feel all the returned members of the Golden Claw Sect, and many of them brimmed with power as if they had never entered reincarnation. He didn't know if they slowly built themselves up or not, but he was worse than when he became an elder.

"Stupid... Head..." He moaned, hitting himself, trying to alleviate the searing headache when he heard some panicked whispers.

"You overdid it, Melody!"

"No, I didn't! I didn't even use it! I was just watching because he feels funny!"

"Liar! You told us you are bored and want to prank them! I don't want to be expelled by the Big Boss! Don't be naughty again!"

"I am not naughty! Are you trying to blame me?! Are you aiming for my position!?"

"No! But his head hurts!"

"I wasn't doing it!"

By the time Cael got up and walked closer to the nearby bushes, he was surprised to see two faeries wrestling on the ground, tearing up each other's shabby clothes as they were hitting, kicking, and clawing at the other.

"What...?" He asked, honestly surprised, and it was enough to jolt the two back to their senses. With a loud yelp, they turned invisible, hurrying past him... but one was nasty enough to kick his feet out and make him fall into the bushes. "..."

It didn't particularly hurt, but now he was stumped. Faeries? He hadn't seen them for a long time, but they were never this wild. They were... different. He couldn't help lying there, looking up at the trees and the violet sky. Everything was... different. Was it supposed to be like this? Was this not their fault in the first place? He no longer felt like this was a world for them. He felt alien until he let all of his memories sink below the surface, forgetting them for a little and returning to how he felt at ease, being Cael.

...
....
......

"This... I can't believe it..." Cael whispered, coming out from their first lesson with their Headmaster, Lia Amarin. Her knowledge evoked old memories from when he was recruited into the Golden Claw.

"Me neither!" A classmate of his answered, "I can't wait to try and combine Fire and Water and see what will happen!"

"Yeah, sure!" Another laughed, nudging his comrade, "They say it is up there in difficulty with combining Darkness and Light! Even the Headmaster said that some combinations are harder than others! You? Doing what she could? No chance! If you manage it before the eight years are over, I will call you Daddy!"

This was welcomed with a group of laughter; the only one who didn't laugh was Cael. He was still shocked as the knowledge was not verbatim their own teachings... No. It was changed. Improved... and it made more sense. He recognized some parts that Lia Amarin retold in the exact words he remembered... but that was because those were laws. The laws of the Realm. There was no way of changing them! But the rest? They were... new.

"Lia Amarin..." He whispered, and one of his roommates elbowed him hard.

"They say she is still single! What? Are you smitten by her beauty?"

"Forget it, boys!" A girl chimed in with a loud harrumph, looking at them with a scornful gaze, "The rumors say she has a partner already!"

"Who?" Everyone asked at the same time, now more curious about the rumors of Lia than the prior lesson.

"The previous Headmaster!" She answered whisperingly, but a different girl immediately refuted her.

"I heard it is the head of the Berisons!"

While the group began gossiping amongst each other, Cael silently slipped away, deciding to go for another walk, trying to organize his thoughts. He couldn't help but be amazed. When he was attending the Claw's lessons, they were always brief and without much place to ask questions... There were no examples, just hard facts, and everyone was left to their own devices. He expected the public lessons to be the same, but no, this... this was different. He still remembered that in the Golden Claw, if you had questions, you could only ask them if you were lucky and talented enough to get a master. With the Institute's bracelet on his hand, he couldn't help but stare at it... What should he report back to the Sect? He had no idea, only a tiny, pricking sensation growing within his skull, giving rise to another headache.

...
....
......

"I didn't do anything!" Melody pleaded, eyes swelling, filled with, probably, fake tears.

"Slow down, girl!" Lia laughed as the little faery burst into her office, pleading for mercy from the get-go.

"Oh..." She stopped in place, her tears evaporating at once. "Then why did you call me Bosses of Bosses?"

"Stop flattering me!" She chuckled, waving her hand and signaling for Melody to sit down.

"Yummy!" After hearing she wasn't called to be scolded, she was already in a great mood, grabbing a few chocolate bars off her table and stuffing them in her mouth.

"Those were mine... ahhh... never mind..." Lia murmured, walking to the other end of her table and leaning against it. "Liliett told me of what happened with a student-"

"I don't know!" She answered with a mouth full of chocolate, playing dumb, but after watching Lia raise an eyebrow, she slowed down, grumbling something unintelligible, cursing the other Faery.

"I believe you when you say you didn't do anything."

"You are the best of the best! A... A... A Bestboss!"

"As I said, stop flattering; you are not good at it! I called you here because I want you to start following the kid. I want daily reports!"

"Can I prank him?"

"Occasionally. But not every day! Got it?"

"Every second day?"

"Once a week!" Lia quickly added, finding it best to lay down the rules with this troublemaker of a faery.

"Got it! Will do Bossilicious!"

"What is that?"

"I don't know!" She laughed, already disappearing, excited that he had permission to be a bit naughty and could go and play without getting into trouble.

"I am already monitoring him... isn't that enough?" Hajna asked as she appeared, closing the door behind Melody.

"It is. But Melody is becoming restless... I need to find them some work, or they will start causing trouble left and right! Haahh..." She moaned, feeling tired, turning around and looking out of her windows. "I do have a feeling he is a spy... but I watched him listening to my lesson, and he was honestly paying attention. I... I don't know anymore."

"The Claws managed to infiltrate all the ancient sects, so don't be too hard on yourself. Even we failed to find all their operatives..."

"I have a different plan. I am not going to weed them out."

"Oh? Then?" Hajna asked, watching Lia's back with surprise.

"I will convert them... And in the end, they will work for me..."