Chapter 2: Education (Part 2)

Once they had changed, they headed out to the Physical Education area.

Their teacher was waiting for them there.

He wasn't very tall and had a somewhat stocky build, although his arms were quite muscular. He wore a red cap and had an expression that made it clear he had no intention of letting anyone take the class lightly.

His name was Telan Baum.

He had been working at the school since their second year and already knew the students quite well.

“Good afternoon, students. First, we're going to stretch and warm up. Once we complete the routine, we'll begin our practices. Understood?”

“YES, SIR!!!”

The class began.

First, they stretched their arms, legs, and backs to prepare their bodies. Then they did squats, push-ups, sit-ups, jump rope, and finally ran several laps around the track.

Some students finished exhausted.

Others barely seemed to have started.

Jaxon finished the routine breathing normally, while Nair checked to make sure no one had been left behind.

“Everyone's accounted for,” Nair said.

Jaxon looked at him.

“Are you counting the teachers too?”

“Don't joke around and get inside.”

After finishing the outdoor exercises, everyone returned to the gym.

The place was divided into two areas.

One section had a wooden floor and enough space to practice basketball, dodgeball, and other sports.

The other was completely different.

The floor and walls were reinforced with metal. It was obvious at a glance that this area had seen plenty of use: there were dents, scratches, and even a few small holes.

The students headed toward that section.

Telan stood in front of them.

“All right, students. As you already know, today we're going to have practice fights.”

Some of the students immediately became excited.

“We'll activate this Practice Crucible. The fights will last a maximum of two minutes and will end if someone surrenders, is knocked unconscious, or if I intervene.”

Telan raised one finger.

“And if I see any of you getting carried away and hurting your partner too much, I'll end the fight as well. Is that clear?”

“YES, SIR!!!”

For the students, practice fights were an important part of their training.

It wasn't simply about fighting for fun.

The goal was for students to learn how to use their abilities, control their powers, and gain experience so they could defend themselves in case of an emergency.

This type of practice was permitted from sixth grade through the third year of high school, but there was one important condition: a DEUCALION agent or an indirect agent always had to be present to supervise the fight and stop it if the situation got out of control.

In schools, authorized teachers could act as the responsible supervisors and referees of the Crucibles.

Crucibles were specially designed areas where Psyons could fight under controlled conditions.

There were different types.

Practice Crucibles were primarily used in schools. Their purpose was to help students improve their ability control and learn how to fight safely. In these cases, a teacher or another authorized academic authority had to act as the referee.

There were also Public Crucibles.

These were available to Psyons fifteen years old and older who wanted to practice, train, or even settle their differences through a supervised fight.

They could also simply be used to watch fights and learn about different abilities.

Unlike school Crucibles, Public Crucibles had to be supervised by direct DEUCALION agents.

Finally, there were Professional Crucibles.

These were used in official competitions where participants could demonstrate their abilities and face other Psyons.

There were different categories, ranging from youth leagues for participants between fifteen and eighteen years old, to advanced leagues for those over eighteen.

And above all of them stood the Atlas Tournament, a worldwide competition where the best participants could demonstrate their abilities in front of spectators from across the planet.

The Atlas Tournament was reserved for participants over eighteen and featured both individual and team competitions.

But all of that was far removed from the students of Class 3-B.

For now, the only thing they cared about was finding out who would be the first to enter the Crucible.

Telan clasped his hands together.

“All right. We can start with volunteers, or I can choose someone at random. How do you want to begin?”

The students began looking at one another.

No one seemed willing to go first.

Jaxon sighed.

He didn't want to wait too long.

He raised his hand.

“I'll go first. Is that okay?”

Everyone turned to look at him in surprise.

Everyone except his friends... and the teacher.

Telan smiled slightly.

“All right. You'll be first. Who else wants to go? Or should I choose someone at random?”

The students looked at one another again.

It seemed as though one of Jaxon's friends was about to raise their hand.

Then another student stepped forward.

“I'll go.”

It was Alan.

Jaxon immediately recognized him.

The two of them had already had several practice fights in the past.

Up to that point, they had fought five times: Jaxon had won three, Alan had won one, and their last fight had ended in a draw.

There was no rivalry between them.

In fact, they got along quite well.

It was simply that whenever they had the opportunity to fight each other, neither of them ever passed it up.

Telan pointed toward the Crucible.

“Jaxon and Alan. Inside.”

Both of them walked toward the combat area.

Telan pressed a button on one of the controls, and immediately, a force field rose around the Crucible, separating the students from the fighting area.

Inside the Crucible, a compartment opened in one of the walls.

Inside were various training and protective equipment.

Jaxon and Alan took a pair of training gloves and headguards.

After putting them on, they walked to opposite sides of the area.

Both prepared themselves.

The rest of the class watched from the other side of the force field.

The first fight of the year was about to begin.

They stood about ten steps apart.

Jaxon raised his fists in front of his face and slightly moved his left foot forward. His weight was distributed between both legs, ready to move in any direction.

Alan adopted a simpler stance, with his fists close to his face.

The teacher watched them.

“Jaxon, Type A, Regeneration. Alan, Type B, Air Fists.”

Both fixed their eyes on their opponent.

“Ready?”

“READY!” they answered at the same time.

“BEGIN!”

Both launched themselves forward.

Neither waited.

Jaxon knew that Alan could launch his air strikes from his fists. The projectile was approximately the size of his fist and traveled in a straight line, so the most important thing was not to remain standing directly in front of it.

Alan raised his right arm as he advanced.

Jaxon waited until the last possible moment.

When Alan launched the strike, Jaxon quickly stepped backward, barely moving his torso out of its path.

The air strike passed directly in front of his face.

“Now!”

Jaxon immediately moved back in.

He took a long step forward and slightly rotated his shoulder as he extended his right arm.

THUMP!

His right cross slammed into Alan's ribs.

The punch landed directly beneath his arm.

Alan lost his breath, and his body folded to one side.

Jaxon didn't waste the opportunity.

With his left hand, he grabbed the upper part of Alan's shirt near the collar while moving forward with his body.

Instead of trying to hit him again, he used the grip to control Alan's balance.

Jaxon stepped his leg around the outside of Alan's and swept his support leg while pulling his upper body.

The movement combined the strike with a Sanda takedown.

Alan completely lost his balance.

“What...?!”

Jaxon rotated his hips and finished the pull.

Alan fell onto his back.

Jaxon immediately dropped down beside him, placing one knee on the floor and keeping his body leaned over Alan to control his position.

He didn't try to hit him.

He simply maintained control over his torso and shoulder.

“Do you surrender?”

Alan gritted his teeth.

Then Jaxon noticed something.

Alan's fist was too close.

“Huh?”

Alan's arm tensed.

Jaxon tried to move away, but it was already too late.

BOOM!

The air strike burst directly from Alan's fist and hit Jaxon at close range.

“UGH!”

The impact sent him backward, forcing him to release Alan.

Jaxon was dazed.

Alan quickly got back to his feet.

“Now it's my turn!”

Jaxon had barely regained his balance when Alan stepped in and kicked him in the side.

THUD!

Jaxon staggered back several steps.

Alan used the opening to drive his body into him, forcing him even farther away.

Jaxon raised his arms, but he was still somewhat dazed.

Alan extended his fist.

BOOM!

Another air strike shot forward.

Jaxon twisted his torso to the side.

The projectile barely missed him.

Alan immediately launched another.

This time, toward his right shoulder.

Jaxon raised his arm and turned his body, allowing the strike to pass beside him.

He took a deep breath.

Once.

Twice.

His vision came back into focus.

“Come on...”

Jaxon returned to his stance.

He wasn't simply trying to react anymore.

Now he was watching.

Alan launched another air strike.

Jaxon took a small step to the side.

Then another.

Then another.

Every time Alan fired, Jaxon used small boxing movements: lateral steps, short retreats, and subtle movements of his waist.

He wasn't running.

He was looking for the right moment to move in.

Alan began to get frustrated.

“Stand still!”

He launched another strike.

Jaxon leaned his torso to the side.

The projectile passed in front of his face.

Another.

Jaxon stepped backward.

Another.

Jaxon moved laterally again.

Little by little, he began closing the distance.

Until he finally found the range he was looking for.

Alan raised his fist again.

But Jaxon was already inside his range.

Jaxon stepped forward with his right foot and placed his leg behind Alan's left foot, trapping it and blocking his movement.

Alan tried to move his leg.

He couldn't.

“What...?”

He had lost his balance for an instant.

That was enough.

Jaxon rotated his hips and launched a high kick with his right leg.

THWACK!

Alan's headguard absorbed much of the impact, but the strike made him spin and stagger.

Jaxon didn't try to follow up with another strike.

Instead, he pivoted on his supporting leg and launched a spinning back kick.

BOOM!

His heel slammed into Alan's chest and sent him several meters backward.

Jaxon immediately recovered his stance.

Distance.

That was what he wanted.

Alan took a deep breath as he recovered.

Jaxon kept his eyes on his shoulders and hands.

“Come on, Alan...”

Alan raised his fists.

Jaxon prepared to dodge.

Alan's shoulder moved.

Jaxon began to shift.

But the strike never came.

“What?”

Alan had made the motion of a hook with his left hand.

Jaxon realized it too late.

BOOM!

The air strike shot from Alan's fist and traveled directly forward.

It struck Jaxon squarely in the stomach.

“GHH!”

Jaxon's body folded slightly.

Alan was already moving in.

This time, he wasn't going to give Jaxon time to recover.

He threw a right hook toward his face.

Jaxon raised his guard.

But then he saw something.

Alan's other fist was also ready.

“No...”

BOOM!

The air strike came out at the same time as the hook.

Alan's fist struck Jaxon's headguard and, an instant later, the impact of the air hit him from the front and continued pushing him backward.

Jaxon was sent flying.

He hit the ground.

For several seconds, he didn't move.

Alan lowered his fists.

He was breathing heavily.

“That should be enough. Or do you want to continue?”

Jaxon was still staring at the ceiling.

He felt a sharp pain in his face.

He ran his tongue over his teeth.

One of them had shifted.

“Ow...”

He remembered training with his master.

He had taken much harder hits.

Jaxon placed one hand on the floor and began to get up.

He took a deep breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

He ran his tongue over his teeth and adjusted the one that had shifted.

He knew his body would begin regenerating it.

He raised his guard again.

Alan looked at him in surprise.

“You still want to continue?”

Jaxon wiped the small amount of blood that had reached his lip with his thumb.

“Let's finish this properly.”

Alan smiled.

“You asked for it.”

Alan began launching a series of air strikes.

BOOM!

Jaxon took the first one to the shoulder.

He stepped back half a step.

Another strike.

BOOM!

This time, it hit him in the side.

Jaxon gritted his teeth.

Another.

BOOM!

The impact slammed into his protective gear.

But Jaxon kept moving forward.

He wasn't ignoring the strikes.

He had simply realized that if he kept retreating, Alan would continue controlling the distance.

So he decided to move in.

Alan began backing away.

“Don't come any closer!”

He launched another strike.

Jaxon raised his arm and partially protected his torso while continuing forward.

Another.

Jaxon turned his shoulder.

Another.

Jaxon leaned his torso and let the strike pass beside him.

Alan tried to retreat again.

But Jaxon was already on top of him.

Alan extended his arms, trying to grab him.

Jaxon moved first.

He entered from Alan's left side and slightly rotated his hips.

His left fist drove into the area just beneath the ribs.

THUD!

The liver shot made Alan immediately double over.

“Ghh...!”

Jaxon didn't give him time to recover.

He rotated his shoulder and threw a right hook at the headguard.

THACK!

Alan's head snapped to the side, and his legs began to wobble.

Jaxon saw that he was losing his balance.

He didn't try to finish him with another strike.

He changed strategies.

He stepped to the side and placed his left foot behind Alan's right foot.

At the same time, he grabbed his shoulder.

He pulled him forward while blocking his leg.

Alan's body completely lost its balance.

“Wait...!”

Jaxon rotated his hips and completed the takedown.

Alan fell onto his back.

This time, Jaxon followed him down and controlled the upper part of his body to prevent his head from hitting the floor directly.

Alan lay motionless.

The teacher immediately raised one hand.

“Enough!”

All the students fell silent for a second.

The teacher looked at Alan and then at Jaxon.

“Winner...”

He paused.

“Jaxon.”

Jaxon's classmates began clapping and cheering.

Jaxon released the breath he had been holding.

He left the combat area and sat down on one of the benches.

Now that the adrenaline was beginning to fade, he started feeling every hit.

His ribs, chin, and side were aching.

He had several bruises and was almost certain that he had injured one of his ribs.

But he knew his body.

He knew that, sooner or later, he would begin to recover.

For now, he just needed to rest.

A medical team was already on standby in case anyone fainted or was seriously injured, so they took Alan to the infirmary to have him checked.

Meanwhile, the teacher was entering the results into a tablet.

Jaxon — first victory of the school year.

Total sparring matches: 251

121 victories

70 draws

60 defeats

These records were always kept until the students graduated and were then registered with DEUCALION as a reference for their abilities and combat experience.

There was also another record for fights held in Public Crucibles, which was kept separately.

Telan looked up from his tablet.

“All right. Who's next?”

One might have expected the others to immediately rush into combat, but after watching the fight, they weren't so sure anymore.

“Okay, then. We'll choose at random.”

Five more fights took place, with Milo being the fourth participant. He surrendered rather quickly.

“All right. Do we keep going, or does anyone want to volunteer?”

“I want to go, Coach.”

It was Jena.

“Okay. Anyone else?”

“If you don't mind, I will.”

It was Nair.

Everyone was astonished.

Not because it was a boy against a girl, but because it was Nair versus Jena.

Even though they were friends, whenever they had the opportunity, they always ended up fighting each other. For them, it was almost a way of settling things between themselves.

Both entered the Crucible and took their positions opposite each other.

The force field activated around the arena.

Telan: “Nair, Type X, Kinetic Absorption. Jena, Types C and B, Stone Fists and Wallmaker.”

A compartment opened at one end of the Crucible.

The two approached and took only the headguards.

“Ready?”

Nair and Jena: “YES!”

“BEGIN!”

Jena clenched her fists.

Without anyone noticing, the skin on her hands began to harden until it became as tough as stone.

She adopted a karate stance, keeping her body slightly turned to the side and her hands raised in front of her face.

Nair, on the other hand, lowered his center of gravity slightly and kept his hands close to his face. His stance was more relaxed, but his feet were ready to move in and out of range quickly.

Jena was the first to advance.

As she entered striking distance, she rotated her hips and launched a left roundhouse kick toward his head.

Nair raised both forearms.

THUMP!

The kick slammed into his guard and forced him to move one foot backward.

But Jena didn't pull her leg back to create distance.

She took advantage of the moment while Nair was still adjusting his stance and moved in with a combination of straight punches.

PAM! PAM!

A punch to the chest.

Another.

And a third that landed squarely.

Jena's punches were heavier than they looked because of her Stone Fists.

Nair staggered backward several steps.

“Not bad...”

Jena barely had time to smile.

Nair changed his stance.

Then he shot toward her.

Jena raised her arms, expecting another punch, but Nair closed the distance much faster than she expected and threw a straight punch directly into the center of her chest, using the force he had accumulated from the previous impacts.

BOOM!

Jena felt as if she had been hit in the chest with a hammer.

Her feet left the ground.

Her body was sent flying approximately one meter before she hit the floor.

“Jena!” someone shouted from the stands.

Nair took a deep breath.

Kinetic Absorption didn't eliminate damage or pain. He still felt every impact he received. The difference was that his body could absorb part of the energy from those impacts and store it.

And now he had released it.

Jena coughed and placed one hand on the floor.

Her chest hurt.

But she got back up.

“That really hurt...”

Nair raised his fists.

“You can surrender.”

Jena smiled.

“Not a chance.”

She moved toward him again.

This time, Nair took the initiative.

He threw a straight jab toward her face.

Jena moved her head to the side.

The punch grazed her cheek.

Nair threw a cross.

Jena moved away again and used the motion to her advantage.

She lowered her center of gravity and slipped underneath Nair's arm.

Instead of continuing to exchange punches, she completely changed the range.

Wrestling.

Jena trapped one of Nair's arms and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Nair tried to widen his stance to stay upright, but Jena used his own strength against him.

She rotated her hips and pulled his arm while driving forward with her shoulder.

THUD!

Nair fell onto his back.

Jena didn't waste any time.

She mounted him and began throwing short punches toward his face.

PAM! PAM! PAM!

Nair raised his forearms to cover himself, but Jena kept the pressure on.

One punch slipped through his guard and connected with his cheek.

Another grazed his eyebrow.

Nair was getting trapped.

But then he remembered all the impacts he had taken.

He extended one hand.

He placed it directly against Jena's abdomen.

“Now it's my turn.”

BOOM!

He suddenly released part of the stored energy.

The force of the impact lifted Jena off him and sent her flying.

She rolled across the floor.

Nair quickly got back up and began moving toward her.

Jena, still in pain, saw him coming.

“Don't even think about it...”

She placed one hand on the floor.

CRACK!

A metal structure emerged in front of her.

A wall.

Wallmaker.

Nair stopped.

“Seriously?”

Jena leaned her back against the other side of the wall while catching her breath.

“I need... five seconds.”

“I'm not giving you five seconds.”

Nair moved around the wall.

Jena heard his footsteps and came out from the other side.

The two found themselves face-to-face.

Nair reached toward her.

Jena did the same.

Both ended up locked in a clinch, each trying to control the other's arms and position.

They pushed against each other.

Neither gave way.

Nair tried to position his head dominantly to control Jena's balance.

She lowered her center of gravity and searched for a better position to take him down.

For several seconds, neither could gain the upper hand.

Nair smiled.

“I just want you to know that I admire and respect you.”

Jena looked directly at him.

“Is that a compliment?”

“Yes. But I'd rather you surrender before you hurt yourself any more.”

Jena let out a small laugh.

“Thanks for the compliment... but I'm not handing you the victory just because of a few pretty words.”

Nair smiled.

“That's what I expected.”

Jena gritted her teeth.

Then she used all the strength she had left.

She spun around while maintaining control of Nair's body.

One turn.

Another.

Nair momentarily lost his balance.

“What...?!”

Jena took advantage of the opening.

She threw him.

BOOOOM!

Nair was sent flying and slammed into the metal wall Jena had created.

The impact made the entire structure vibrate.

The two were separated.

Jena was breathing heavily.

So was Nair.

They stared at each other from opposite ends of the Crucible.

For several seconds, neither said a word.

Then they both smiled.

They weren't satisfied.

They wanted to continue.

They approached each other.

This time, there were no complicated techniques.

Only fists.

Nair threw a jab.

Jena deflected it with her forearm.

Nair answered with a cross.

Jena leaned her body and let it pass beside her head.

PAM!

Jena landed a straight punch to his chest.

Nair staggered backward.

Jena followed with another.

PAM!

This time, the punch reached his face.

Nair immediately answered.

JAB! CROSS! HOOK!

Jena blocked the first two, but the third partially connected with her cheek.

Nair didn't stop.

He moved even closer and began combining short strikes with elbows and knees, taking advantage of the close range.

Jena retreated while blocking as much as she could.

But every movement was becoming more difficult.

Jena's face was beginning to swell despite the protection of her headguard.

Nair hadn't escaped unscathed either. Several marks and bruises were appearing across his body.

His ability had considerably reduced the damage, but it couldn't eliminate it completely.

Both were breathing heavily.

Even so, neither wanted to surrender.

Jena spat on the floor.

Nair did the same.

They looked at each other.

Both clenched their fists.

They stepped forward.

Jena threw her punch.

Nair did the same.

BOOM!

But their fists never touched.

Both felt as if they had struck an invisible wall.

“What...?”

Before they could react...

BAAAM!

An extremely powerful flat force came crashing down from above.

Both of them were slammed into the floor at the same time.

Silence.

Jena lay face down.

Nair landed on his back.

Neither got up again.

The instructor sighed.

“Their fight was interesting...”

He looked at the two unconscious students.

“But their time is up, and I'm not dealing with two idiots who don't know when to stop. Got it?”

The force had come from the teacher's ability.

Telan was a Type A Psyon with the ability Transparent Wall.

He could create invisible walls out of thin air, either vertically or horizontally.

He could use them for defense, offense, or even as stairs.

If he created small walls, he could make up to twenty.

If they were medium-sized, he could create ten.

But if he made them large, he could only create five.

The medical team took Jena and Nair to the infirmary to treat them.

The only students who applauded were Jaxon, Milo, Geron, and Yun.

With this fight, both Nair and Jena now had 251 fights.

Nair's record was:

120 victories
81 draws
50 defeats

Jena's record was:

115 victories
76 draws
60 defeats

They had also faced each other 50 times.

Nair had won 25 of those fights, while Jena had won 20.

With this match, they had accumulated 5 draws against each other.

Jena and Nair were taken to the infirmary to receive treatment.

Only two more fights were held.

The first was Yun's, and she won.

The final fight was Geron's, which ended in a draw.

Since the class had 18 Psyons and 12 normal humans, but one student was absent, Telan decided that only eight fights would take place.

The remaining students were sent to play softball.

Once training was over, the teacher gathered everyone together to give them a few instructions.

“All right, guys. These training sessions are meant to prepare you for any emergency situations you may face in the future, but you must not abuse your abilities. Understood?”

“YES!!!”

“As you know, the school will notify the agency and your parents and send them the results and reports from your fights so that everyone stays informed and there are no problems with the institution or your families. With that said, go take a shower and get changed so you can head home.”

Everyone went to shower and wash off the sweat from training.

When Jaxon finished getting ready, it was 3:20 p.m., and he was free to go home.

Some students stayed behind to participate in extracurricular activities or attend clubs.

Before leaving, Jaxon headed to the infirmary to check on Alan, Jena, and Nair, who had been the only students sent there.

When he opened the door, he saw that only Jena and Nair were there.

Both were eating fruit: Jena had a banana, while Nair had a pear.

They had several scrapes and bruises covered with bandages.

“How are you feeling?”

“I've had better days,” they both answered.

Jena and Nair looked each other in the eyes and said at the same time:

“You owe me a soda.”

Neither of them wanted to give in, so Jaxon intervened.

“Calm down. You two went way overboard with that fight. Just give each other some time out, okay?”

The two calmed down and began laughing.

“To be honest, that was quite an experience for the first day of the school year,” Nair said.

“Same here,” Jena replied.

“This is just one step toward being able to live the lives we want,” Jaxon said.

“What about the others?” Nair asked.

“Yun went home because she doesn't want to miss lunch. Geron is staying for his reading club; he says they're analyzing mystery books today. Milo is staying for a while to water his garden, so whoever leaves last should go check on him. Otherwise, he'll lose track of time.”

“Got it. I'll make sure he leaves on time.”

“Thanks. I have to go pick up my little sister, okay?”

“Say hi to little Ariad for me.”

“Sure.”

“Now that you mention it, isn't her checkup in two months?”

“Yeah, of course...” Jaxon replied, sounding a little nervous. “Well, I'll leave you two to it. Don't take too long or your parents will get mad. Hahaha.”

Jaxon took off at full speed to leave the school.

Once outside, he headed toward a house with a sign that read SuperKinder, the kindergarten where Ariad had been enrolled.

He approached and knocked on the door.

After a few seconds, a woman who appeared to be in her thirties opened it.

“Hello, good afternoon. How can I help you?”

“Good afternoon. I'm Jaxon Armant, and I'm here to pick up my sister, Ariad Armant.”

“Of course. Could you show me some identification?”

“Sure.”

Jaxon reached into his pocket, pulled out his school ID, and handed it to the woman in charge.

She examined it carefully.

“All right. Everything is in order. My name is Lora, and I'm one of the people in charge here. I'll go get your sister now.”

“I'll wait here.”

Jaxon waited for about three minutes until he finally saw Ariad appear at the door.

“Brother!”

“Little sis!”

The two hugged affectionately.

“How did she behave?” Jaxon asked.

“Very well. She's a very intelligent and well-behaved girl,” Lora replied.

“That's good. I'll give her some flan when we get home.”

Ariad became incredibly happy and struck a pose as if she had conquered the world.

Jaxon looked at her, laughed a little, and patted her head.

“All right, let's go.”

“Yaaay!”

Jaxon took Ariad by the hand, and the two began walking along the sidewalk.

As they walked, Ariad held tightly onto her brother's arm so she wouldn't let go and moved a little closer to him.

“I want a strawberry one, please.”

“What?”

At that moment, as they turned a corner, someone pushing a popsicle cart appeared.

The man approached them and asked if they wanted one.

Jaxon ordered a lemon popsicle for himself and a strawberry one for his sister.

As he handed Ariad her popsicle, Jaxon looked at her in confusion.

“How did you know?”

“I just know.”

Jaxon sighed.

Just like that morning, Ariad had predicted something that hadn't happened yet.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to believe that it was simply a coincidence.

Clairvoyance.

It was a possibility Jaxon didn't want to ignore.

He remembered that in Neo Terra, there were two categories of abilities that could completely change a person's life: the Black List and the White List.

The Black List consisted of abilities considered dangerous or highly regulated.

Some could directly affect other people, such as blood manipulation, mind control, or energy draining.

Others could cause large-scale damage, such as radiation, decay, matter manipulation, or even control over the laws of physics.

There were also even stranger abilities, such as necromancy, the fusion of beings or objects, ability theft, or time manipulation.

Users of these types of powers could lose many of the possibilities of living a normal life.

Depending on the ability and its level of danger, they could be monitored, regulated, or even become targets of different organizations.

But the White List was different.

It didn't mean that these were good powers.

They were extremely rare or useful abilities that could attract the attention of governments, hospitals, companies, and organizations.

Healing, regeneration, enhancement, cloning, mineral control, weather manipulation, light and darkness control, teleportation, animal or plant control, shapeshifting, age modification, assessment, and technopathy were some examples.

And among all of them, there was one that particularly concerned Jaxon.

Clairvoyance.

An ability capable of perceiving events that had not yet happened through dreams, premonitions, or sudden visions.

Jaxon knew that if Ariad's examination confirmed that she possessed clairvoyance, she would be on the radar not only of DEUCALION, but also of different organizations, groups, and schools.

A clairvoyant, regardless of their classification, was always considered rare and important.

If her ability were Type C, B, or A, she would probably be monitored for a while and could eventually live a relatively peaceful life.

She might even receive opportunities similar to a scholarship to study at certain schools or access certain jobs.

But if she were Type X or Y...

Jaxon stopped smiling.

In that case, things would be different.

Ariad could become a target.

Her life might no longer be stable, and she would have to live under much greater surveillance.

That was why Jaxon was uneasy.

As Nair had mentioned, Ariad's examination would be in two months, one or two days after her birthday.

Jaxon and his parents already knew what could happen, and they had agreed that, regardless of the result, they would protect Ariad.

But until then, they would continue doing what they had always done.

Educating her.

Taking care of her.

And loving her with all the love they had.

Jaxon looked at his sister and smiled.

“I love you, little sis.”

“I love you too, big bro.”

Jaxon patted her head again as they continued eating their popsicles.

For a moment, Jaxon looked at Ariad differently.

Not as a possible clairvoyant.

Not as a girl who might possess a rare ability.

Simply as his little sister.

“Do you see anything interesting?”

Ariad shook her head.

“No. Someone.”

Jaxon tried to look in the direction she was watching, but there were several people walking down the street, and he couldn't identify who she meant.

For a moment, he considered asking her.

However, he decided not to make too much of it.

They would find out later if that person really was important.

Jaxon took Ariad's hand again, and the two continued walking home.

End of Chapter.