Chapter 12: The Call 1

And her methods were working. The students of Bloom Academy for the Young and Gifted were able to not just make full use of but also hone their talents and pursue their interests. The Academy granted each student an opportunity to do so with their extensive resources. This became more and more apparent as the years went by.

The Academy began offering a wide range of elective courses for the students. This not only benefited the students but also the city. For example, they hired retired soldiers to teach an elective course in martial arts. Needless to say, all students in Fenrir's Fangs were overjoyed. The Academy did something similar for each club.

For the Enchanted Owl Society and the Draconis Guild, they started a series of different courses taught by Spirit Guides, each focusing on a specific topic like a particular breed or type. The courses on Mechanical Beasts opened the door to a whole new world for the tech-savvy kids. For the Phoenix Dreamweavers, they provided multiple opportunities to learn under reputed masters in their fields, such as musicians, artists, and dancers.

One would think that a schedule like this would be stressful for the kids, but it was the exact opposite. It allowed them to vent the immense amount of energy that kids their age have. Over time, the Academy permanently changed the curriculum. Now, most of the courses were electives, and very few remained mandatory.

Right now, Lucas was on his way to attend one such class. On the way, he met Derek and Vivienne, the Vice President of the Enchanted Owl Society.

He gave Derek a bro hug and asked, "How was practice?"

Derek sighed and said, "Well, it could have been better. This will be a tough match. Aurora's team is no joke. Those guys have some serious skills."

Lucas said, "If they didn't, they wouldn't be on her team. After all, Aurora is gunning for the President's position."

Derek said, "She is."

He hesitated for a moment and then added, "That is why I need to ask for a favor."

Before Lucas could reply, Vivienne bonked Derek's head with her fist.

Derek held his head and said, "What gives, Vivi?"

Vivienne replied, "Don't you dare ask Lucas to play for you guys. He is the President of the Enchanted Owl Society as well as the Student Council President. He cannot participate in your club's internal matches. It wouldn't be fair."

Derek replied, "It wouldn't be the first time. He has participated in every club's internal competitions except for the Phoenix Dreamweavers."

Lucas interjected, "Nope, I did that modeling thing with Steven because Genie asked us to. She even promised to design an outfit for both of us since she won."

Derek and Vivienne gave him a death stare at the same time, and Lucas put his hands up, saying, "I get it. I'll shut up now."

Derek said, "As I was saying, Lucas already has his fingers in the pies that are the clubs. So, it won't be unfair. Besides, Mr. Imsotalented has almost finished all of the shelves in the library. We both know that as soon as he's done with that, he will actively start participating in the other clubs' internal competitions."

Lucas said, "Hey! I wouldn't do that."

They both once again gave him the death stare.

Vivienne said, "I don't care. He is the President of the Enchanted—"

Lucas interrupted her and said, "Actually, that's about to change soon. I won't be participating in the coming election. So…"

Vivienne asked, "What! Why?"

Lucas replied, "I don't have a choice. What can I say, all of the clubs want me too much, and the Society can't keep on hoarding me."

Vivienne wanted to say something, but Lucas once again interrupted her by saying, "Vivi, I don't have a choice. Dean's orders. I'll give you all the details later on, but right now we need to get to class or we will be late. And I'm not about to get my first penalty over something as minor as this. Let's go."

It was a good thing that they stopped the conversation there because the trio entered the classroom just in time. The teacher, a woman with a scholarly aura, stared at them but didn't say anything in the end. She first took attendance and then began the class with an introduction.

She said, "My name is Mina Bloodthorne and I am a Low Grade Golden Spirit Guide."

The class gasped. Although they had been attending classes taught by Spirit Guides for some time now, most of them were Bronze Spirit Guides. There were some Silver Spirit Guides, but this was the first time they were seeing a Golden Spirit Guide.

She continued, "The name of this course is The Call. Now, some of you may already be familiar with the term, but I'll still explain it. The Call refers to how Innate Talents influence people before they awaken. A majority of you have celebrated your tenth birthdays. I bet that you have started feeling some weird changes. Some of you might have started experiencing those changes after your ninth birthdays, which intensified exponentially after your tenth birthdays. Am I right?"

The students nodded. Seeing them agreeing, Mina also nodded.

She said, "Let me tell you, what you are feeling is completely normal. Even if these new feelings feel very weird, they are not. It's something that every Beast Tamer goes through after their tenth birthday. And it's different for everybody because every Innate Talent is unique. For example, even if two people awaken the same talents, there will be very minute differences. They may not realize it then, but as they grow stronger, the differences will become much more apparent."

Mina noticed that quite a few children had relieved expressions. She muttered, "Poor kids, they must have felt scared by the changes."

She continued, "As you all know, all humans awaken a Grimoire and at least one Innate Talent when they turn twelve. And before you ask, yes, humans can awaken multiple Innate Talents along with Grimoire Talents. It is rare to awaken more than one Innate Talent, but it happens. Anyways, these Innate Talents don't just magically appear when you turn twelve…"