Just as Aiden and Podbe were about to open the door, someone behind them spoke:
"I've also been assigned to stay with you guys," Riota said, accompanied by Akira and Diego, who carried their belongings with expressions that were both tired and curious.
When they opened the door, all three were startled. From the darkness of the room, a calm but unsettling voice echoed:
"Ah! It's you… What are you doing here?" the voice said, freezing everyone in fear.
Diego, visibly trembling, thought he had seen nightmares come to life among the shadows. However, when someone turned on the light, they discovered it was none other than Cain, sitting calmly on his bed while playing with threads of darkness that floated around him like invisible serpents.
"Hey! Don't do that. You almost gave Diego a heart attack!" Akira exclaimed, crossing his arms with a mix of frustration and relief. His tone was stern, but there was a hint of concern in his voice as he looked at Diego, who still seemed paralyzed with fear.
"Hello? Earth calling Diego?" Akira added, waving a hand in front of him as if trying to snap him out of a trance.
Diego was pale, his eyes still wide with fright. He tried to regain his composure, but in his nervousness, he accidentally released a small electric discharge that affected everyone in the room, including Cain.
"Ouch!" everyone shouted in unison, rubbing where the electricity had stung them.
"I think you shouldn't scare people like that," Riota commented, trying to sound firm, though he himself was somewhat frightened.
Cain sighed, raising his hands in surrender.
"Fine, fine. But that's how I entertain myself. After all, I'm a dark magic user. I'll tone it down for everyone's sake, I suppose…" he added with a sarcastic tone.
The room was spacious and functional, with an included bathroom, bunk beds separated by curtains, and a single bed tucked into one corner. Cain quickly claimed his space:
"I call that bed."
"Yeah, it's better if you stay over there," Riota murmured, glancing sideways at Diego. "Besides, Diego's scared of you."
"Scared? No way! It was just a little game," Diego replied with a nervous laugh, though his trembling voice betrayed him.
"Sure, of course…" Akira retorted sarcastically, shaking her head.
Finally, they decided who would take each bed: Akira slept above Aiden and Podbe, Riota took the side bunk on the lower level, and Diego ended up on the top bunk. Everyone went to sleep, exhausted after a day full of intense emotions.
Before turning off the light, Riota approached Aiden, who seemed thoughtful and somewhat sad.
"You know? I really miss Benjamin… I can't stop thinking about him," Riota confessed quietly.
Aiden looked at him with understanding and responded calmly:
"It's okay. You'll see, he'll get over it soon, and you'll see him again."
Meanwhile, Diego kept glancing nervously from his bed toward the corner where Cain was sitting, surrounded by small glowing eyes floating in the darkness of the night. Though he tried to stay calm, his uneven breathing revealed his discomfort.
The next morning, everyone got ready for their first class. Lidia and Rino handed out tablets with assigned schedules, and the students began heading to their respective classrooms. Naturally, Podbe had to stay in the dormitory since the classes were exclusively for academic subjects.
In the section assigned to Aiden, Gat, Max, Cain, Abel, and Akira were joined by other agents such as Claus, Markus, and Max, as well as some boys who had previously been controlled by the evil Zeus. Among them stood out Leonard and the twins, accompanied by Elena, whose presence always seemed to bring a sense of calm to the room.
The classroom was total chaos. Maria and Billy, who had already found their seats, called Aiden over to sit near them. Just as everyone began to settle in, someone knocked on the door. The commotion ceased immediately, and all eyes turned to see who was entering.
The door opened slowly, revealing a person slightly shorter than Aiden.
At that moment, someone entered the classroom. He was short, holding a staff in his hand, with wavy red hair falling over his forehead and fitted glasses accentuating his green eyes. There was something peculiar about his gaze, almost mechanical, as if there were a clock ticking inside them. His appearance made him look like a ten-year-old child, though he radiated a strange authority.
"What are you doing here? I thought they suspended or removed you after what you did," Gat said, clearly annoyed, crossing his arms as he eyed the newcomer.
The man adjusted his posture and calmly replied:
"Relax, no problem. They just let me teach." He smiled faintly before adding, "Besides, it's good that I'm in class; maybe you'll learn some manners and knowledge."
One of the students, trying to be the class clown, chimed in:
"You know this dwarf?"
The supposed "dwarf" frowned and firmly retorted:
"I'm not a dwarf, nor a child. I'm a renowned professor, sixty years old, and my name is Zath Clock, or Agent A-6."
The lanky-haired boy, still trying to be the center of attention, responded with a mocking grin:
"Well, to me, you look like a kid, like almost anyone here… though I think smaller than most."
Zath took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure.
"I'm not going to pay attention to you. Where's the real teacher? Stop making jokes," the boy responded, still defiant.
"So, you like being the class clown, huh? If you keep this up, I'll take you to the principal," Zath warned, locking eyes with him.
The boy was about to respond when Lidia entered the classroom. At the sight of her, everyone fell silent. She walked directly toward Zath and formally addressed him:
"Professor."
Her comment left the mocking boy speechless, and he quickly fell quiet, though he couldn't help but blush at Lidia's presence. He wasn't the only one affected; several students also seemed captivated by her. Lidia handed the student list to Zath and left without another word.
Zath quickly scanned the list and found the boy's name: Gil. Looking directly at him, he said:
"We'll see later what I'll do with you."
After that, Zath surveyed the room with his gaze, ensuring no one else dared interrupt. Without further ado, he began his lesson. The topic: History.
"How boring," Cain muttered, leaning toward his sister Abel. "Wake me up when class is over."
At the same time, in another part of the classroom, the twins approached Leonard, whispering:
"Didn't you tell him to leave? Hey, boss!"
Leonard, with an arrogant smile, responded:
"Well, if he didn't listen to the first warning, he'll pay the consequences."
He fixed his gaze on Aiden, who remained silent, deliberately ignoring the provocations.
In another classroom, Floud was seated next to Timmy, who seemed frustrated at being assigned to a class with younger students.
"But you're almost our age…" Floud said, trying to console him.
"Yeah, you're around our level, snot boy," Dante replied, nodding indifferently, though a slight mocking tone crept into his voice.
Despite his apparent disinterest, his eyes sparkled with amusement as he watched Timmy frown at the unflattering nickname. It was clear that Dante enjoyed getting under people's skin, even if he did it casually.
Timmy, visibly annoyed, protested in a tone wavering between indignation and frustration:
"I'm not a snot boy!"
Then, pointing outside while furrowing his brow even more, he added:
"And how is it that Akira is in an advanced class?!"
Lita, from the other side of the classroom, whispered sarcastically:
"It's because he's smarter than you."
"Who said that?" Timmy asked, quickly turning his head as he searched for the culprit.
Elsewhere, Riota was lost in thought, observing Abigail from afar. However, she seemed completely disinterested in him, keeping her attention focused elsewhere.
An uncomfortable silence filled the classroom when a beautiful woman entered with firm steps. Floud, recognizing her, tried to hide behind his backpack.
"Oh no! It's Azulema," he whispered, clearly nervous.
Timmy looked at him, confused.
"But… how do you know it's her? From what I know, she was already an old lady…"
The woman, overhearing the comment, fixed her icy gaze on Timmy.
"Who are you calling an old lady, young man?" she asked, her voice thundering through the room.
"No one!" Timmy quickly responded, trembling with fear and blushing with embarrassment.
Azulema smiled to herself, thinking, "How nice that I got assigned to all these kids. So many cheeks to pinch."
"Relax, boss," said Brea, who also looked much younger than expected. "Why don't we both go together? Too bad I didn't get assigned with my Marky, but I'll manage."
All eyes in the classroom were filled with terror at the presence of both women. It was clear that no one wanted to be the target of their "affection."
At that moment, someone burst into the classroom shouting and literally engulfed in flames. It was Ramona, who also looked extremely young, as if she were twenty years old.
"Ms. Ramona!" Lita exclaimed excitedly, rising from her seat. "She'll save us!"
Ramona crossed her arms and shot a stern look at Azulema and Brea.
"You pair of lunatic perverts, good thing I arrived on time, or you would've already started your nonsense. I think it's better if I take over this class. You two, go assist in the science area," she ordered, pointing toward the door.
Both women left grumbling, leaving the group of students visibly relieved.
Floud, still somewhat confused, murmured to himself:
"Does anyone know… why everyone looks younger?"
Dante, who was nearby, responded in a low voice:
"I don't know, but it seems like what happened with Gat."
The classes continued until it was time for the training sessions. Due to the restrictive device on his ankle, Aiden couldn't participate and could only watch from the stands.
Leonard, seizing the opportunity to show off, flaunted his abilities. With precise movements and complete mastery of his powers, he created dark circles that appeared and disappeared at will. Every time he performed a spectacular maneuver, he shot a mocking glance toward Aiden, as if rubbing his inability to use his own powers in his face.
The instructor in charge was Ray, who also looked incredibly young, as if he were barely in his twenties. From a nearby room, another young person observed attentively through a monitor.
"Mr. Ezekiel, how's everything going?" Ray asked through a communicator.
Ezekiel's calm voice responded:
"It seems like everything is going well. There are many potential candidates for insertion into missions. Continue with the training."
Among the students, Elena stood out for her grace and control while using her fire powers. Flames danced around her with almost hypnotic precision, leaving the others in awe. She seemed to have many admirers among those present, who applauded each of her movements.
Billy and Maria also gave their best effort, though they hadn't yet fully mastered their abilities. Billy could handle machines with remarkable ease, similar to the people on Adrian's team. However, there was one thing he didn't excel at: precise control over a specific metal. Interestingly, Akira and Becky shared this limitation. In fact, they were the only ones in their unit unable to perform such a feat, which set them apart from the rest of their peers.
At that moment, Benny tried to approach the room where Ezekiel was.
"Mr. Ezekiel, so you're here!" he said, stretching to reach him.
However, before he could advance further, Ray firmly blocked his path.
"This area is off-limits to students. You can't speak with him," Ray said, stopping Benny with a serious expression.
Benny stepped back, somewhat disappointed, but obeyed without protest.
"But why?" Benny insisted, frustrated. "I need to ask him something important. I want to know why he gave me the agent code I have if they say there's someone else with the same code."
Ray looked at him patiently, but his tone was firm:
"I don't know that, kid. You can ask him after class. But you need to schedule a formal meeting. You can't just barge in like that."
In parallel, Leonard listened intently to the twins, who were egging him on to further humiliate Aiden.
"Boss, aren't you going to teach that Aiden guy a lesson?" the twins asked with a mischievous smile. "It seems like he's pretending to be confident because he doesn't show his powers to others. Don't you think the videos we saw are lies? Or maybe… he's arrogant."
Leonard frowned thoughtfully.
"I don't think that's it," he finally responded. "It must be because of that thing we showed his friends. But it would be good to show it to everyone here, so they see he's powerless… and a despicable criminal," he added disdainfully, an arrogant smile forming on his face.
The twins exchanged knowing glances before asking:
"Do you want us to do the same thing we did the first time we met him?"
The idea quickly crossed Leonard's mind, but something within him sought something bigger, something that would leave Aiden completely humiliated in front of everyone. He needed a better plan, one that would ensure no one ever respected him again.
In a distant place, above the vast ocean, one of the silver-armored figures pointed to a flash on their holographic device.
"There it is again, the signal we're looking for," said the shorter one, adjusting their course as they continued flying over the dark waters.
The taller one nodded impatiently.
"We'd better hurry and get out of this planet full of apes. This place is too primitive for us."
Without another word, both accelerated their silent thrusters, disappearing into the clouds like shooting stars in the night sky.