Chapter 3: Three Minutes
Only at this moment did Thirteen realize how large the Eastern Wing of the mansion was. He and Nine had at first walked at a leisurely pace down the hallway, passing by a few other rooms and their occupants on the way. But come the two minute mark, Thirteen & Nine both became uncertain whether they'd find an end to the hallway in time.
By two and half minutes, the two were running down the halls, passing the few children that hadn't caught on yet.
Finally, the two of them saw the hallways end, and just before it, Nicholas stood in the same white tunic with a straight back and right hand by his mouth.
*Fffwwiiiiiiiiiii*
A sharp whistling sound spread throughout the halls as Nicholas looked to Thirteen and Nine.
"That's three minutes. Next time jog from the start and you wouldn't be so out of breath."
Thirteen couldn't believe his ears, he was barely a few meters from Nicholas. Shouldn't this be close enough? But the man's eyes hid no mirth as he signaled for them to enter the hall to their left.
Upon entering, the two boys were greeted by the sight of a dozen or so pairs of eyes, all staring at them. Thirteen couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed in front of them all but he soon found Four and Ten, the taller 7 year old boy, and the 5 year old girl from earlier, both of which signaled he and Nine to sit with them.
The hall was very large, Thirteen himself had never been in such a large room before. A few pillars were placed purposely within the room, and at the southern side was a stage raised only a meter or so above the ground.
As Thirteen let his eyes and thoughts wander –as was becoming a problem for him– Nine whacked him on the side with a hard cushion he held in his left hand.
"From over there"
Nine gestured to the back wall where a great deal of identical cushions were stacked. It seemed that everyone in the hall sat on one.
"Thanks. Any idea what we're doing here?"
Thirteen asked Four & Ten after thanking his roommate.
"None" replied Ten.
"They're probably going to teach a class or something. The orphanage i came from would always make us gather and sit for classes"
Thirteen was a bit worried when Four started mentioning his past home, but no one seemed to notice.
"Oh I suppose mine did too" He replied as he realized Headmistress Helga did something similar. The scale was just too different that he didn't realize the similarities. He also never had a cushion to sit on, let alone a proper floor.
Throughout the next minute the rest of the children made their way into the hall, each looking worried or embarrassed about missing the deadline. Seeing this, Thirteen no longer felt so bad.
Finally after everyone had entered, Nicholas stepped into the hall, closing the doors behind him.
Stepping onto the stage, the Head Instructor began his announcement.
"This room is one of two lecture halls in the estate. Get used to it, as you will all be gathered here quite often in these next few years. In this hall we will deliver most announcements and teach the fundamental knowledge of cultivation. Don't worry if you don't know that word, you will learn to love or hate it within the next year. Today I will summarize the most basic views on cultivation and expound on the reasons we have taken all of you in.
First. Raise your hand if you know what a Meta, or Metahuman is."
At this, roughly one third of the hall, about 15 children raised their hands.
Thirteen, was not among them, neither was Ten, the girl next to him.
To his surprise though, both the older boy, Four, and his roommate Nine had raised their hands, the former of which gave an ugly unpracticed wink at the two of them, almost causing them to laugh.
"Good" Nicholas continued.
"Then for the rest of you, I will explain this only once, so pay attention.
In all things there exists a type of Natural Qi. It is in the air you breathe, the earth on which you walk, and even within the foods you eat and the water you drink. It is invisible, like the air, but without form.
I don't expect any of you to understand this yet, simply remember it.
Qi comes in many forms and exists within infinite transformations.
But for reasons you will learn in your future, the world is currently flushed with a very special kind of qi, known as Flux. Flux is a force of change and transformation. It is what now populates our common forests with magical creatures and precious treasures. It is also what alters newborn humans into a meta.
Metas each excel in one form or another, whether they be incredibly strong, agile, or intelligent. Whether they are capable of regenerating a lost limb or projecting fire from their hands, they each have uniquely powerful attributes and affinities.
I am a Meta. As are you all.
In your stay here you will be taught general and classical studies, you will be trained to cultivate, to fight, and to serve. As you grow, your powers will grow with you. Without proper guidance you may just cripple yourselves trying to use them, so we will teach and you will listen, we will guide and you will follow."
The introduction to the lecture was long but for once, Thirteen never let his thoughts wander. He was captivated by what Head Instructor Nicholas had to say. He was a meta? But what was he super good at? Thirteen thought back to his days in the orphanage, chasing his friends with a stick or being chased by them. 'I was never any better than the other boys though?'
The lecture continued from there, as Nicholas explained a bit more about Metas, as well as his expectations for the group of children. It seemed that in return for the instructors guidance, the children were required to be of service to the crown throughout their lives. Thirteen didn't really know what this meant, but it certainly sounded amazing. To work for the king? THE King?!
He could hardly wait!
Thirteen caught a few more key pieces of information throughout the lecture. According to the Head Instructor, it was possible and even probable that the children would develop a variety of 'Attributes' such as meta strength, reactions, agility, etc. This would happen throughout their aging process.
Metas with at least five physical attributes were called "Knights", while Metas with at least three mental attributes were called "Scholars". Both were highly respected and guaranteed a position in the king's elite forces.
Supposedly, Nicholas expected at least some among them to undergo something called ascension at their coming of age, becoming something better, but he refused to give more details on that for now. Thirteen believed he was teasing them to make them work hard, like Helga used to... and was upset to admit that it worked wonders.
After what felt like a forever that passed in a blink, the lecture had come to an end. Nicholas told them all to stand and follow him to the dining hall, much to the glee of the children.
Only now did Thirteen remember he was seated in that weird posture. The Head Instructor had demanded it of them during the lecture.
'I think the Head Instructor called it.. the lotus.. position?'
Uncrossing his legs, Thirteen notes that they felt numb and a bit uncomfortable from sitting for so long, but that it wasn't as bad as he originally thought.
Standing with what he guessed were his friends now, Thirteen looked to his roommate Nine.
"You already knew about Metas? And you too Four! Why didn't you tell me?"
"Yeah!" Ten echoed his thoughts.
"I assumed you already knew, it's why we're here after all" Four replied first, scratching the back of his head.
Nine soon followed "To be honest i'm surprised so many people didn't know."
Before Thirteen could respond, Ten, the shortest of them shouted eagerly "So? So? What can you do? Are you knights?"
Thirteen's roommate Nine could only smile wryly in response, feeling a bit embarrassed and down "No, I, I'm good at thinking… or something. Like, thinking about how something will play out… or so." Nine's voice grew quieter as he spoke, seeing the disappointed expressions of his new friends, he quickly spoke up again, louder this time "But your the same anyway! Right Thirteen?"
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
"I mean, I don't think so? Right?" Thirteen responded, unsure.
"What? But you're always in thought, like you're contemplating something…"
"Ah…" Suddenly struck with the realization that his spacing out was so noticeable, Thirteen was now the embarrassed one "A-Ah! Yeah! That's probably it, I'm probably a thought meta!"
And so he lied.
*cough* "well, according to the guy who brought me here, I'm a strength meta." Four said proudly, much to the exclamation of his friends.
Thirteen could almost see Four's nose growing longer as it pointed to the sky, he chuckled at the thought, but it made sense.
'Fours body is bigger and stockier than others, so maybe it's to be expected that he has a strength attribute?'
And so, the group made their way to the dining hall, along with the 43 other students under the lead of Nicholas.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone