56 Final Evaluation
Everyone was in an auditorium style classroom, waiting for Maria. They were all instructed to go there first thing in the morning, because Maria has something important to announce.
The classroom was filled with conversations, when the door opened and Maria entered the room followed by Isabelle, Alex, Pearl, Minjae and Miayaka. Everyone took their seats including Minjae and Miayaka, as the classroom quieted down.
"Good morning everyone!" Maria greeted, "I asked everyone to be assembled here this morning because I have a very important announcement to make"
The anticipation in the room grew like crazy as everyone waited for the announcement. Everyone already had some ideas on what the announcement is going to be. Some think that it was going to be related to the evaluation that they had yesterday, which really wasn't far off of an idea. But they were not expecting what Maria told them next, especially the ones from Crystal Mist.
"I would like to introduce the people who are going to help you grow as Gifteds: Isabelle, Alex and Pearl!"
"Say what?" Fleur blurted out, in shock
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The Night Before
"Wait! Let me get this straight, you…... want us to teach?" Isabelle asked, confirming if the crazy, out of this world thing that Maria said was real or if they just misheard it.
After having dinner the night before, Maria called Isabelle, Alex and Pearl again to talk to them. And that's how they ended with three stupefied teenagers, with their jaws left hanging.
"Of course" Maria answered in confirmation.
"Are you sure you're not mixing it up and should be talking with Dr. Ahn and Miayaka-san? We understand if it's just an aging thing" Pearl asked, which Isabelle and Alex nodded to the idea. Maria had already lived a long life. She might be a Gifted, but she's already considered as "Elderly" in the Gifted world and "Ancient" in the normal world.
"No, I did not 'Mix it up'' Maria confirmed, who looked completely calm, without a trace of being offended.
"This is a joke, right? Because if it is, I'm not getting the punch line." Alex said, still not able to take what Maria said seriously.
"No, it is not a joke." Maria said, patiently
She knew that what she was requesting to Isabelle, Alex and Pearl are a lot, but she chose them for a reason.
As if reality has finally sunk in, Isabelle frown.
"Why us? I mean do we even qualify? It's like telling a fish to fly, which by the way is impossible!"
"What she said!" Alex and Pearl said in agreement, also wanting to know the logic behind Maria's decision.
"I thought that I have already made it clear that you three are more than qualified, did I not?" Maria said, folding her hands on top of her mahogany desk.
"Yes! The evaluations is one thing, but… teaching? It's completely different!" Isabelle said, emphasizing on "Different"
"I don't see much of a difference" Maria said, which made Isabelle, Alex and Pearl internally scream and pull their hairs out.
"Are they even going to listen to us, if they knew that we don't even have Gifts?" Pearl asked skeptically
"I believe that they will. At least the ones who will stay, will" Maria said
"What do you mean?" Isabelle asked in confusion.
"There is a special tradition in this Guild that not everyone who wishes to enter will stay. If you want to stay in this Guild, you will have to show your determination to stay even if you are met with the unknown" Maria said "Listen very well, I have seen what you three are capable off and I'm confident enough in putting my trust in your hands. I truly believe that you three can teach these Gifteds. Nothing is really impossible in this world; the existence of Gifteds proves that. So telling a fish to fly might not be entirely impossible."
"You really want us to do it, huh?" Isabelle said, looking like she was about to give in
"Yes" Maria said confidently.
"Can you give us a moment?" Isabelle asked, lifting a finger.
"Take as long as you want" Maria said
"Thanks" Isabelle said before huddling with Alex and Pearl.
After a moment, just like what Isabelle said, she turned around and let out a deep breath
"Okay, We're in" Isabelle said, finally giving in
"Excellent" Maria said as a smile lit in her face
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It was no question that she along with the others from Crystal Mist were shocked at the announcement but after the initial shock, they all started clapping and cheering for their friends. They knew that even though they don't have Gifts, the three of them could still do a great job at teaching them, especially after witnessing Caleb's new move, that was taught by Isabelle; June and the rest actually got excited.
Some of the Gifteds clapped, but one Gifted in particular slammed his hands on the desk in front of him, making everybody turn to him in unison.
"I'm sorry, but I came here to learn specifically from you Lady Maria, no not some nobodies" The Gifted said, clearly not happy with the arrangement. "I haven't even seen what Gifts these people have and you expect me to learn form them. I do apologize if I don't find your joke funny Lady Maria, becasue it is completely bull*beep*"
"Hey!" Caleb shouted at the Gifted. He got irritated the moment the Gifted opened his mouth, and since Isabelle was involved, he was not going to back down. "What's your problem a-"
"Caleb!" Isabelle said, making Caleb turn to her "It's okay" She said with a smile.
Seeing Isabelle's smile, made Caleb calm down, even if it's just a little, but he was still iching to punch the jerk's face.
Turning to the Gifted, Isabelle spoke without fear "The three of us actually don't have Gifts. We are just..... normal people"
The room erupted in an uproar. Most of the new recruits outright expressed their dissatisfaction and begged Maria to reconsider her decision.
"Lady Maria with all due respect but I refuse to be taught by mere 'Noralms'. What qualifies them to teach us, when they themselves don't have Gifts, like us! We are above creatures like them!" The Gifted said in protest, which the other recruits shouted in agreement.
"AW HELL TO THE NAW!" Fleur roared as she shot out of her sit. She was so furious at the Gifteds who were degrading her friends, and was going to teach them all a lesson herself. Thankfully Jordan and June pulled her down, which was a little challenging than what Jordan thought.
The uproar in the room only got louder and louder, as the the new recruits protest; not afraid to express their displeasure and disapproval.
Maria finally had enough of the complaints and said with a loud commanding voice "Quiet!" and the room immediately fell quite.
"My decision is final and irrevocable, if you are dissatisfied with the arrangement, then you are free to leave my Guild!" Maria said with a hard voice.
The new recruits were shocked that Maria was favoring the Noralms over her own kind.
"You know what, I'll gladly leave this *Beep* of a place!" The very Gifted that stated his dissatisfaction from the very beginning, spat with vile. "I'm pretty sure Master Egor will gladly take me in! My Grandfather will hear about this and you mother*beepers* will regret this!" The Gifted cursed unafraid.
The Gifted marched to the door and pushed the doors with so much force that the doors literally flew open, breaking them.
"Does anyone else wish to leave?" Maria asked
A large amount of the new recruits stood and rushed out of the door as well, as they bluntly let out curses flow from their mouths.
After the horde of Gifteds left, Maria turned to the rest of the Gifteds and asked one last time "Does anyone else still wish to leave?" but no one left.
Aside from the original members of the Guild and the ones from Crystal Mist; the ones who transferred from Master Egor's Guild also stayed and only a handful of new recruits stayed, including: Pan, Shawi, Kai, Charlotte, Bobby, Clara, Jewel and Apollo.
"Those guys are crazy, choosing to go to Master Egor's Guild rather staying. What they're doing is suicide!" Ji Soo said in disbelief.
"I agree with the badly dressed Korean guy! I mean who does he think he is, acting all high and mighty!" Fleur said, still seething
"Am I badly dressed?" Ji Soo asked, turning to his friends, looking confused and slightly offended
"Not at all" His friends reassured him.
"That guy is actually the grandson of General Yakov" Cameron explained
"General who?!" Fleur was still not very informed about the things in the Castle, so she was down right confused as who the Generals were.
But before Cameron could explain further, Fleur spoke again.
"You know what? Never mind. I don't care whose grandson he is, because the next time I see him, I'll give him a lesson he'll never forget!" balling her and into a tight fist, showing that she was really serious.
"Count me in" Caleb said agreement.
"That's enough of that" Maria said, which Fleur had no choice but to listen.
The room was silent for a few moment before Maria finally spoke.
"Congratulations! You all passed the final evaluation" Maria announced with a big smile.
"Wait, that was a test?" Minerva asked in disbelief. She was in complete shock, just as everyone else was.
"Yes" Maria nodded "It was to test a certain area in each and everyone of you, and the result was quite frankly what I expected it to turn out"
"So does that mean that what you said earlier was not true?" Nadet asked
"No, your teachers will still be these three" Maria said "As matter of fact, they will not only teach you new recruits, but I myself along with Minjae, Miayaka, and Cameron will be taught by them as well"
Everyone was stunned by what Maria had just said. It was one thing for normal people to teach the new Gifted recruits, but Maria is a Gifted that has lived for so long already and is being looked up too by a lot of Gifteds. Being willing to be taught as well, was a big shock for everyone. Not to mention Minjae and Miayaka who are also considered as already powerful and complete veterans as Gifteds.
"Lady Maria, you are willing to be taught by 'Noralms'?" Minerva asked in disbelief, she was actually more shocked that anyone else, because she was used to the teachings of her father; that submitting yourself to someone makes you weak.
"Yes" Maria answered straightforwardly
"Why? I don't understand" Minerva asked, not grasping what Maria is trying to say.
"Learning is limitless. Believe it or not, I myself am still learning everyday. While I was out on my mission, I never stop from learning. I found a great teacher who taught me a lot of things that I still didn't know. Only a fool would say that they already learned enough." Maria in explanation. "Humility is the key to growing and if you are willing to be taught then you will continue to grow, whether the one teaching you is a Gifted or a non-Gifted. I have seen what these three are capable off, and I have full confidence that they will be able to help you all grow, not just as Gifteds but as people as well."
Maria still didn't understand what Maria was trying to say fully, but she understood enough, that she stood up and bowed her head in humility.
"Lady Maria, please forgive me for my ignorance!" Minerva apologized. Chen, Shiro, Nadet and Ji Soo also stood and bowed their heads "Please forgive us for our ignorance.
"I too, had my doubts with the three 'Noralms' if they really do have the ability to teach us, but if you, Lady Maria, have full trust in them, for you to be personaly taught by them, then I too will trust in your decision" Minerva said, humbly
Maria nodded at Minerva, acknowledging her attitude and spoke as she turned her eyes on everyone.
"Remember this, 'Being superior to your former self, that is true nobility'"
"Yes, Milady!" The four transferees responded, to which the rest followed.
"Now, that we have made that clear, are there any questions?" Maria asked
On the very back row someone raised their hand.
"Yes Bobby, what is your question?" Maria asked
"Ummmm… Yeah, so I was just wondering why aren't those guys included in the evaluations yesterday" Bobby asked, bobbing his head to the direction of June and the rest from Crystal Mist "I mean if I remembered clearly, this was the first time in a long time that the Guild had any recruits. And on top of that even Shawi and Pan didn't do the evaluation yesterday, when they were just the same as us, who recently joined"
"Regarding that concern, I was just about to get to that" Maria said "Now, everybody listen well. This young Gifteds have already passed the first evaluation on special circumstances. And if you are all wondering what I'm talking about, please focus your attentions on the board."
Then the room went dark and the glass board lit up. A video started playing, that looked like it was taken by a surveillance camera.
The video was playing a clip of June and the rest from Crystal Mist, when the battle at the school happened.
Watching the video sent a huge wave of flashbacks to June and the rest from Crystal Mist, and it wasn't a pleasant one. It brought back memories that they rather forget, especially for Isabelle, whose expression turned pained as soon as the video started.
The video showed everything from how June and the rest fought, from how Cameron helped when June, Andrew and Caleb needed it the most. The video even showed Alex and Pearl, along with Arisa, taking down Shadows fearlessly. When the video ended, another Video played and it was from the night Harper was attacked in Hollywood. The video focused on Charlie who came running out of the studio and was attacked by Leo. It showed how Charlie unconsciously defended himself from Leo. After that video, another video started playing and this time it was the Battle that happened at the Arena. It was the battle that mostly everybody remembered because it was that battle that inspired them to Join Lady Maria's Guild.
The next video that played was at the condominium building where Isabelle was living, when Caleb went to get her. The video started from the Shadows suddenly started getting slashed on by one. The way on how the clip was cut short, was to prevent Teddy from remembering the bad memories on how his parents died. Still Teddy hid his eyes behind Caleb's shoulder, while his arms were wrapped tightly on Caleb's arm as his body trembles. Caleb patted Teddy's head lightly, while saying soothing words to comfort him. The video continued with Caleb releasing the massive energy that he stored, wiping out the Shadows in the hall of the building.
Another video played and this time it was the most recent event, when the Shadow raven attacked. It was shown how June and Jordan fought the raven fearlessly. Suddenly the video changed to a different camera, showing Pan hiding behind the doors of the dorm house. Then suddenly she ran out and pulled something out of Dora that looked like a bike? The bike suddenly lifted off of the ground as Pan's feet furiously pedals it.
"I swear that looks just like a scene from E.T." Jordan said in astonishment.
It was funny seeing a bike fly but it actually happened. Pan passed the Raven who was flying up and when she was above the raven, she pulled out a huge looking backpack and buckled it on to herself. After checking if everything was secure, she pulled out what looks like a bazooka, from Dora. She then aimed the bazooka at the Raven's back then fired. After firing she immediately jumped off of the bike, then pulled a string from her bag, deploying a huge pink parachute.
After the video finished, the glass board went dark and the lights in the room turned on. Everyone was silent, after watching the videos that brought back pretty painful memories.
"Hopefully, that answers all of your questions" Maria said, directed at new recruits and the transferees.
Minerva felt somewhat ashamed after watching the videos. She was born at the Castle and being told that she was one of the strongest, suddenly felt like a joke. She never even had a encounter with a Shadow or a rogue Gifted, much more a Chaos and survived. But these Gifteds, just suddenly appears and just shows her how spoiled the Gifteds in Castle really were.
Also it answered everyone's question on how the back garden got trashed.
"I know that it wasn't easy for you young ones to be reminded of those painful memories, but I hope you understand why I had to show it" Maria said, apologizing sincerely to the ones from Crystal Mist.
"Why did you show it?" June asked, because he just had to know if there was a good reason for him and his friends to go through the painful experience that they just had, especially Teddy who was still young and still had the memory of his parent's death fresh in him innocent mind.
"It serves as a reminder that the world outside of this bubble is dangerous and that eventually that danger will find its way here and pop the perfect world that Gifteds from the Castle has created. It serves as a reminder that even the old Castle fell from the hands of the Shadows, Chaos and even our own kind. It serves as a reminder for us to stay strong and be always on our guard, because we will never know when we will have to fight" Maria said, hoping that all the new recruits and the transferees sees it as a wake up call.
June just nodded in understanding, as the atmosphere in the room felt suddenly heavy. He understood that it was for the greater good, but it doesn't mean that it hurt less to be reminded of the painful memories that happened.
"With that in mind, now I will let Isabelle, Alex and Pearl take it from here" Maria said, then walked down the podium and took a sit beside Minjae.
"Whew… that was really dark" Isabelle said, trying to lighten the mood but it was obvious that her attempt wasn't effective, because she, herself was affected by it just as much as her friends were.
Isabelle cleared her throat and pushed herself to stand in front of everyone with confident a smile.
"Hi everyone, as you all already know, my name is Isabelle and these two are my very trusted right and left hands: Alex and Pearl" Isabelle said in introduction "Maria has given us full authority on how to do things, so we'll be explaining it to you all in a moment but first we will be giving you guys your MGCs"
"Our what?" Jordan asked in confusion as he lifts the glass card that Alex and Pearl were distributing.
"It's short for Multipurpose Glass Card" Pearl said before moving on.
Once everybody received their MGCs, Isabelle lifted her own.
"This cards were actually the Castle's own technology, but we found a way of upgrading them and adding some new features to it"
Everyone tapped on their MGC activating them.
"Whoa! This is like a smartphone, but more futuristic" Andrew said as he explores the quirks of the device.
"Yup!" Pearl said, nodding in agreement.
"So now, if everyone could please tap on the schedule stated in your MGCs" Isabelle instructed everyone.
"Wow! This looks exactly like a high school sched form" June said as a hint of smile on his face
"Exactly!" Isabelle said, with a huge grin on her face.
"Ugh! Why is school following me all the way here?" Jordan whined
"Highschool….. It's been a while since I've heard that word" Minjae said with a sense of nostalgia and excitement.
"The MGCs will alert you of your next class, so guys will never be late" Alex said
"Great, now I have a phone who will keep nagging me to go to class" Jorand slumped back on his sit.
"C'mon, it'll be great. Just like at home" June said, obviously getting excited, since it's school they were talking about.
"I forgot how you love school so much" Andrew told his brother, who couldn't help but be affected by his brother's excitement, but mostly he was really happy to see his brother smiling again, and get excited for something that he really loves.
"June might be the only person I know who loves school so much" Jordan said, giving June an odd look.
"Oh and by the way; Maria, Dr. Ahn and Miayaka-san will have different schedules that the rest of you guys, you know because they're special" Alex informed everyone.
"Wait, why are some of the days blank?" Nadet asked
"That's because they're weekends" Pearl answered like it was the most obvious thing to say.
"Sooooo?" Nadet asked, still not getting it
"Weekends are equals to rest days" Alex clarified
"Rest days?" Nadet said, like it's some kind of foreign language
"Yes, that's mean you're free to do whatever you want on those day. Don't you guys ever have rest days here?" Isabelle asked
"At our previous Guild, we were never allowed to have any rest at all" Chen said, "So hearing that we can rest and do whatever we want on those days are a little surreal for us. We never had the luxury of having those kinds of days"
Isabelle really felt sorry for Minerva, Chen, Shiro, Nadet and Ji Soo. She was already informed that they experience a lot of unthinkable things from their old Guild, but still hearing it from them still sent a sting in her heart.
"Well, now you all have the luxury of having one. Especially because the body, mind and soul needs rest. You can never over work your body, because if you do, one day it will just give in on you out of nowhere when you needed it the most" Isabelle said
"Is it because of that or is it because you guys have deadlines to meet?" Fleur asked with a knowing smirk.
"Thaaaaaaaaat too….. but mostly because your you needs to rest and let your bodies rejuvenate" Isabelle said, while Alex and Pearl just shook their heads with smiles on their faces.
The others form Crystal Mist who knows Isabelle, Alex and Pearl immediately got what they were talking about, making them snicker at Isabelle who's trying to justify the need to rest when they really needed those days for submitting their magazine deadlines. On the other hand the ones from the castle just had the biggest question marks on their faces, trying to figure out what was funny.
Isabelle then explained the rest of the features of the MGC and how all the apps works.
"Okay, are there any questions?" Isabelle asked after her explanation
When no one raised any questions, Isabelle said "Great, if there aren't any questions for now. Then you are all dismissed. You can check your next class on your MGC, and please don't be late. Until then you are all free to go."
And just like on Que, a school bell rang, startling most of the new Gifteds and the transferees.
Jordan on the other hand covered both his ears with both hands and kept saying "Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop!"
June and the rest from Crystal Mist just laughed as they started heading out of the classroom.
