The classroom for "Advanced Spiritual Theory" bizzed with chatter. Though technically just a boring name for a history class, everyone knew only students with unique abilities were placed here. A secret test at admission decided who made the list.
Shane, Mira, Reas, and the rest of the girls stepped inside, pausing when they saw the boys already seated.
Ten boys.
Each radiated an unexplainable aura. Some smirked, some glanced up lazily, and some… didn't even bother to look.
Except Rio.
He looked. And when his gaze met Shane's again, it was like the world dimmed around them. Just for a second.
"Why are we in the same class?" whispered Siro, sliding into her seat. "Did they group us based on abilities?"
"Or destinies," Aya muttered under her breath.
Shane wasn't listening. Her seat was next to Rio.
As she walked past, Haru the fox-boy leaned over with a playful smile. "Looks like our mystery girl finally joined the pack."
Reas shot him a glare. "We're not part of any pack."
"Oh?" said Kael, lazily twirling a pen between his fingers. "Your aura says otherwise."
"Can you not talk like a cult leader?" Mira snapped.
The teacher entered before things could spark further. An elegant woman named Professor Nayla, who had feathers woven into her dark braid and eyes that glowed faintly.
"Today," she began, "we will begin understanding the bond between spiritual presence and hidden form. Some of you may already feel... connected."
The class stilled.
Connected?
Shane suddenly felt heat prickle along her palm. She looked down—
A faint mark pulsed across the back of her hand.
A small symbol.
One she'd never seen before.
She glanced sideways — and froze.
Rio's hand glowed with the same symbol.
He had noticed.
Their eyes met.
Across the room, Haru stood up. "Professor," he said, voice unusually serious. "Something's happening. Their energies—"
Before he could finish, a sudden burst of wind exploded from Shane and Rio's side of the room, sending papers flying, desks shaking.
The class gasped.
Shane stood up, heart thudding. "I didn't mean to—!"
But Professor Nayla only smiled.
"It has begun," she whispered.
To be continued…