The classroom was too bright for Lauren. Even with sunglasses on, he sat in the back, hugging Ash'vour, which he hid in his backpack.
Everyone whispered,"Look, there he is...""He looks like a vampire...""He must be the weird type, doesn't talk, always covered up."
That was when the teacher entered.
A tall man with spiky gray hair and a white lab coat. His gaze was serious, but it carried a vibrant energy.
"Good morning, students. I am Professor Zarkos. Today, before we begin, I have something important to say. We have new classmates who will be joining the class. I want everyone to receive them with respect and dignity."
He gestured for them to come to the front.
First came a thin boy with dark skin and messy hair, using a white cane.
"This is Janio. He lost his sight in an accident, but he is one of the most intelligent young people who have passed through here."
Right after, a boy with a wide smile and red hair tied in a ponytail came to the front in his wheelchair at high speed.
"This is Felix. Despite the wheelchair, he has an ability that surpasses most of the school's runners. Be nice to him."
Felix raised his hand and made a peace sign.
"Hey, class! If you want a selfie, just ask!"
The class laughed. Lauren also gave a shy little smile.
Beatrice, sitting two chairs ahead, looked back and whispered to Lauren,"Look, Mino, the wheelchair user is more popular than you're going to let him be?"
Lauren blushed a little and hid his face behind his hood.
"Tsk... so cute, looks like a little girl," one of the students grumbled, offending him.
Zarkos slammed his hand on the table.
"Hey, no stupid comments. Everyone here is different, including you who think you're 'normal'."
The room fell silent.
"Today's lesson will be about controlling your energy. I want each of you to come forward and say, if you can, what your ability is."
Lauren trembled because he couldn't speak.
The first student came forward and showed a small burst of wind, the next an ability to manipulate paper, others just timidly said their names and powers.
Until it was Lauren Valenheart's turn.
He slowly stood up. Everyone watched him. He was wearing his black cloak and sunglasses.
"That's the boy who doesn't talk," someone whispered.
Lauren approached the center of the room with his teddy bear Ash'vour in his arms, remained silent for a moment, and then carefully placed the bear on the floor.
He took a deep breath, his eyes shining, and a slight emotion arose.
Then, for an instant, absolute silence filled the room.
The clock froze.A mosquito in the air remained motionless.Everything stopped.
Ten seconds later, everything returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
The class was in shock.
The teacher wrote something in his notebook.
"Ability: temporal freeze. Interesting. Very interesting."
Lauren returned to his seat.
Beatrice watched him intently, fiddling with the ends of her hair.
"Next, Photoriam Felix."
"Get ready, everyone!" he said excitedly.
He pressed a button on the chair, and a yellow energy began to emerge around the wheels. In a second, he disappeared from in front of the class. Everyone looked around, confused, until he appeared at the back of the room with a piece of chalk in his hand and wrote on the wall: Hi.
Laughter.
"And that's without even getting up, huh?" He winked."Ah, and this beauty here," he pointed to the camera around his neck. "It can remove objects and people from photos."
"Impressive..." murmured the teacher.
"Now it's Janio Tosuke's turn."
He walked slowly with his cane. The class fell silent.
"I'm blind. My ability is night vision, but it's useless now. I'm trying to hear the world instead."
He raised his hand, and the sound of the wind coming through the window concentrated in the palm of his hand, vibrating as if it were living energy.
"I can feel sound and channel it."
The teacher made a more serious note this time.
"Channelized auditory energy... rare, very rare."
Beatrice came next. She raised a vanity case with several bottles.
"I chose the scent of cherry today!"
She spun the bottle in the air, and a sweet scent filled the room. A translucent scythe formed in the air, made of pure pink energy with details that resembled petals.
"And yes, it's just a demonstration. Don't worry, I won't decapitate anyone."
Everyone laughed nervously. Lauren watched, enchanted.
Then it was Kaiya Haru's turn.
"FINALLY! PREPARE FOR THE PERFORMANCE!!"
She leaped forward with all four arms. She put some music on her phone and started dancing energetically, using all four arms to create energy trails in the form of bright webs that clung to the walls and ceiling.
"My power is energy webs! I use them to dance, fight, and... scare others!"
"Very expressive," the teacher said, scratching his head.
The teacher concluded,"Very good. This class is going to be quite chaotic, but full of potential. Tomorrow, we'll start the duels to test how you fare in a fight."
Class adjourned.
After class, Lauren walked to the schoolyard. He sat on a stone bench, lowering his head. He felt embarrassed because everyone seemed to stare at him because of his cape and sunglasses.
But at that moment, that wasn't his biggest problem.