Once he deemed every student had bonded with their Pearl and adjusted to the power, Professor Elderwind called the students to the front of the room row by row to discuss the powers they had gotten and how their slotting of the Pearl went. Since Alex was sitting in the front row, he was called up first. With the fifth seat on their row empty, it was just Ghel, Hyntia, Rin, and Alex. Both Rin and Hyntia had talked to their Pearl apparently, though Rin's conversation had been rather short, with how disappointed she had been with her power.

  Ghel's slotting had been like Alex's in that he too had seen his power in a more analytical way. Though, from the way he described it, it didn't sound like he was seeing floating windows, but had read it off some kind of paper when he closed his eyes. Given that information, Alex simplified his own slotting to be more similar to Ghel's, afraid the way it was shown to him would reveal his Otherborn origin.

  All of them had to briefly describe their powers to Professor Elderwind as well. The older man meticulously took notes as they did, explaining that part of handing out the Pearls to the students was a categorization of the kinds of powers that those Pearls could give.

  Rin was the first to describe her power. It was a rather brief description, as the power wasn't too complicated. With her new power, she could see in the dark even better than she naturally could as a Kahrn, and with it barely costing any mana, there was no point in ever turning it off.

  Next was Hyntia. With her power, she could reproduce any sound she heard, including someone's voice. Something she only knew thanks to her extensive discussion with her Pearl, and something Professor Elderwind himself was surprised about. Replicating sound was considered a rare power, but most of them couldn't reproduce speech. For now, her power lasted only about thirty seconds, but according to her Pearl, that length would increase as her proficiency with the power grew.

  The third to describe his power was Alex. Professor Elderwind congratulated him on the power. Apparently, it was extremely rare, with him only knowing three other students who had gotten it. That, of course, earned a jealous look from Ghel. Which, when Hyntia saw, earned the young boy an elbow in his side.

  Last up was Ghel, the one Alex was most interested in hearing. From the other two he already knew somewhat what their powers had been, but he had no clue what Ghel's was. Like Alex, he had also gotten a Sight Pearl. He explained that his power allowed him to see structural weak points in objects. While not useful in combat at first glance, it still was an exceptional power, which Professor Elderwind confirmed. Getting praise from the professor seemed to ease some of the jealousy Ghel was sending toward Alex.

  "Overall, I would say this is an impressive set of powers you four have gotten," Professor Elderwind closed the report. "Even you, Miss Rin of the Riverpride. I understand you currently don't feel like it is, given your Kahrn heritage, but I have seen some students getting significantly worse powers with these Pearls. Now get back to your seats and entertain yourselves in relative silence while I speak with the rest of the students."

  Alex had planned to listen in while the professor talked with the rest of the students to get some idea of what powers the rest of the class had gotten, but Rin had other plans. As soon as they were seated, she started talking about the team she wanted to form again. Alex glanced towards the professor as soon as the black Kahrn opened her mouth, but it seemed he had deemed them quiet enough for now.

  "So? Are you guys in?" Rin asked, a large grin on her face. Alex still needed to get used to how visible a Kahrn's fangs were when they smiled. The first time Aro had smiled at him, he had seen it as a threat. By now, he knew that was just how they smiled.

  "In for what?" Ghel raised an eyebrow. Rin had asked both Hyntia and Ghel to join her team before they were called to the front of the class, whatever that meant. And that invitation was now extended to Ghel as well.

  "The team, of course. Like the old guy said, our row has gotten really lucky with our powers. We have to make use of that, right?"

  "What do you mean by team?" Alex was tired of not understanding why they would even need to form a team in the first place.

  "You know? For the upcoming test?" The black Kahrn said, expecting that to be enough. Alex shook his head, indicating he had no idea what she was talking about. "Really? Did you do no research at all before coming to the Emerald Claw?" Her gaze shifted to Hyntia and Ghel. "Please tell me you guys know what I'm talking about." Both of the other students nodded. "Thank the Dawn Prince," she exclaimed, leaning back in her chair.

  Seeing Alex was still just as confused, Hyntia took it upon herself to explain. "To move on to the next year of the Academy, a student needs to pass three of the four tests of that year. It's a pretty well-known fact that the first test is a team-based challenge. The specifics of the challenge are different every year, but it's always something that requires a team."

  "You up to speed now?" Rin asked, ready to get back to forming the team. Alex nodded in response. "Good, still can't believe you didn't know that. What backwater place did you come from, and how did you even get in without knowing?"

  "Hey, be nice," Hyntia admonished Rin.

  "It's alright. I kind of got in by accident, so I'm sure there are more things I don't know about yet," Alex said. If he was going to spend time with these people, it was best to be somewhat forthcoming about how much he knew. Set their expectations, and all. There's no way he would tell them about being an Otherborn yet, but revealing some stuff would be alright.

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  "By accident?" Rin practically leaned over Alex's desk. "You intrigue me more and more, Alex. Tell me, how does one get into one of the most prestigious adventuring academies by accident?" The glint in her eyes was like that of a predator looking at its next meal.

  Both Ghel and Hyntia were also looking at him with similar curiosity now. "Uhm... One of the board members kind of brought me in after he found me. I don't really have a memory of my life here before he found me."

  "You're sponsored by a board member? Oh, you are so on my team, whether you want to or not. Tell me, who is it? Wait, no memory, is it the Whisper Weaver?" Rin's excitement only grew at the reveal. Alex had expected them to be wary of him now; instead, it seemed to intrigue her only more.

  "The Whisper Weaver?" Alex asked, confused. It sounded like a superhero name, not like one of the board members.

  "Professor Tamsin Reel," Hyntia once again helped him out. "She used to go by The Whisper Weaver back in the board's adventuring days."

  Alex vehemently shook his head at the mention of Professor Reel's name. He didn't want to be associated with her by any means.

  "So not the Whisper Weaver? Then who was it?"

  "Uhm... Professor Rixtor found me."

  "The Black Fang!" Rin exclaimed before Alex could even say that it was Fillonia that took him under her wing.

  "Quiet!" Professor Elderwind loudly tapped the ground with his cane. That exclamation must have been a bit too loud.

  Rin apologized to the professor before turning back to Alex, her voice now softer. "You're sponsored by the Black Fang?"

  "Well, he brought me in, but it was Miss Fillibaxter who suggested I join the academy."

  "Fillonia Fillibaxter? The Verdant Bloom? You're in the good graces of not one, but two board members? Which means you're either incredibly lucky, which given the power you've got might be it, or you're important." The grin appeared on Rin's face again, only this time it looked more predatory than an actual smile.

  "I'm not important," Alex tried to deflect. He was. His Otherborn status made that so, but they didn't need to know that. At least, not yet. "I don't think so anyway. Like I said, no real memory from before he found me." That was a lie, but it was the best he could do without revealing he was an Otherborn.

  "So you could be important, you just don't know it. And let me tell you, that is something I want on my team." Rin walked over to stand in front of Hyntia's desk. That way their small group formed a little circle. "Let me make this simple. We've got someone that can record a place and later see it again," she waved her left hand towards Alex. "Someone who can mimic sound, including voices," this time nodding towards Hyntia. "And someone that can see weak points in objects," ending her gaze on Ghel. "That means we have everything we need to pass the first test easily."

  Ghel was about to open his mouth before Rin interrupted him.

  "Yes, yes, you're upset about the unfair advantage Alex and I got with our Silver Pearls, but that doesn't matter. We've got our powers now. What matters is how we use them." That's when it hit Alex. She had gotten a Silver Pearl as well, and still she got a crappy power. What had the other choice been that she still chose this one? Or was she hiding something?

  "Actually, that's not what I was about to say. I'm pretty happy with the power I got. What I was going to say is, why do we need you?" Ghel moved his glasses further up his nose as he looked the Kahrn straight in the eyes. Both Hyntia and Alex's eyes opened wide in shock at his sudden arrogance. Rin, however, just grinned.

  "Valid question, but let me tell you why you need me. I have been trained in combat by my family since I was six, and looking at the three of you, the same can't be said for you," Rin's gaze swept over all three of them. "So while my power might not be the best among our team, my fighting capabilities definitely will be. And if you join my team, I will be more than happy to train you guys."

  Ghel cast his eyes down to the ground. The arrogance he had shown only seconds ago, gone again.

  "That sounds reasonable, and I, for one, could definitely use it," Alex spoke up. He has started to like the idea of the four of them on a team. And if Rin was hiding what her true power was, he was going to find out why. "So, how big are these teams usually?"

  "Four," Ghel muttered, his eyes still on the ground, "usually."

  "Exactly. Four, which would make us the perfect team." Rin's eyes gleamed.

  Hyntia nodded. She apparently was on board as well. "Teams usually form near the end of the first two weeks. By then, most people have gotten a grasp of academy life, the classes, and their classmates, but there's no reason not to form one earlier."

  "The earlier the better, I would say," Rin stretched her body, revealing the lean physique that came of those years of training she had just been boasting about. "Otherwise, you'll have to form a team with what's left. And whoever is left... is usually left for a reason."

  "That's a bit unfair," Ghel bristled, and Alex realized that if it hadn't been for how close he was to Hyntia, Ghel would likely have been one of the ones left.

  "Not unfair, just practical. So, what do you say? Do we have a team?"

  Alex exhaled slowly. A team of four. It meant protection, but also more people he could put in danger with his Otherborn identity. He looked at Hyntia first, earnest, bright, good. She was someone he would more than gladly call a friend. Then he looked at Ghel, angry, bruised inside, but clever. He and Hyntia would be a package deal, but even if they weren't, there was something about the young boy that made Alex want to protect him. Lastly, he looked at Rin, predatory, confident, and annoyingly competent. Out of all three of them, she was the only one with combat experience, and she knew it. They needed her on the team.

  All in all, forming a team with them wasn't the worst outcome.

  "I'm in," Alex nodded.

  Hyntia's smile was immediate, "Me too!" Professor Elderwind glanced in her direction at her exclamation, but ignored it as he finished up with the last row of students.

  Ghel hesitated for half a heartbeat before looking at Hyntia and giving a stiff nod, "Fine."

  "Perfect," Rin grinned as the word rolled off her tongue like a cat's purr. "We're a team."

  "On one condition," Alex added.

  "Oh?" Rin tilted her head.

  "Don't talk about my connection with the board in public."

  All three other students nodded in understanding. All it would do would be painting a target on their backs. They already had the daughter of one of the Kahrn prides on their team. That was more than enough.

  "Understandable. Let's meet again at dinner. I want to discuss how I'll go about getting all three of you some combat training." Rin walked back to her desk.

  Professor Elderwind tapped his cane on the ground to get everyone's attention as the last row of students walked back to their desks. "Alright everyone, I've spoken to all of you, and you all have bonded with your Pearl in a satisfactory fashion. Some of you I'll see in other classes, others during the first test, but for now, class is dismissed."

  A cacophony of sounds filled the room as all the students got up from behind their desks and rushed out of the door. As Alex got up, he saw Professor Elderwind standing in front of his desk. His stomach dropped. Right, he had asked to stay behind after class.