Chapter 23: The Awakening I

**This Chapter is dedicated to my first Golen Ticket given by MoreUmlaut. Thanks a lot for your support **

"Bringg!! Briinngg!!!"

The sound of the morning bell echoed throughout the halls of the dorms, getting louder with each second. It didn't take long for the children to wake up and get into their jogging kits. After all, they knew the punishment for sleeping in and no one so far wanted to be the scapegoat.

Jordan got up from his bed a lot more tired than usual. He could barely sleep at night. His thoughts kept going back to his conversation with the scientist. They talked at length and a lot of things Nick said seemed to be making Jordan doubt his conviction to become a Mage by completing the Haber process.

"Are you all right, Jordan?" Richter asked, placing his hand on Jordan's shoulder. He was sitting beside Jordan on his bed.

"I'm fine. Just sleepy, that's all," Jordan faked a smile and continued tying the ropes on his snicker.

"Same here. I know it's been 3 days since we arrived here but I don't think I'm ever going to get used to our early morning routine?" Richter said, lowering his voice so the other kids in the room didn't hear him.

"What part?" Rodrigo asked with a chuckle. "The endless jogging or the muscle-swelling drills that follow?"

Everyone laughed.

"Come on guys, we have 5 minutes to get to the field. Hurry up and get dressed," Ralph warned, standing by the door. Among the 5, he was the only one ready to go.

"Relax Ralph, not everyone wakes up 10 minutes before the rising bell," Jordan replied and the other kids laughed again.

"It's Saturday so maybe after training we'll get some free time to leave the academy and check out the arcade," Blake smiled, eyes glued to his gameboy.

It didn't take long for them to finish dressing and get to the field. The field was so large it could accommodate the 1200+ Privates measuring. After a brief headcount was done, the kids were divided into their respective instructors who co-ordinated the morning routine.

The entire academy was as big as a city and was designed to manage a population of 5000 people. There was enough space for a few 1200+ kids to run around. Jordan's faction of 27 Privates was designated to have their morning routine in a forest not too far from the Academy.

"I've been meaning to ask, Jordan," Richter said in between pants. "Where were you yesterday after History? You didn't show up for Mana Control and no one saw you at dinner. Are you sure everything is alright?"

"I can't tell you." Jordan stopped jogging to take a rest. They had been jogging for almost 30 minutes now and Jordan was too weak to continue. Any more and his lungs would probably explode. "I understand your concern as a friend, but just mind your business."

"Fine then." Richter's narrowed his brows then continued his jog.

Fifteen minutes later, the kids were allowed to rest and cool off. Jordan looked at his watch, it was 5:50 AM. He still had an hour of Military Drills and exercises before he could return to his room.

Because he was unconscious at the med bay for the past two mornings, this was his first actual morning routine. As much as Jordan didn't enjoy the rigors of it, he knew it would pay off in the long run.

The instructor in charge of his fraction was a young man in his early thirties. He had short blond hair and the body of a soldier. He supervised the group of kids with an iron fist.

"Pair yourselves in two's. We're going to continue the nice exercise we started yesterday. The rules are the same," the instructor said with his arms crossed above his chest.

He scanned the Privates with his eyes and counted 27. He raised a brow figuring someone had joined his faction in his ignorance.

"You there." He pointed at Jordan. "Come forward. You'll be training with me from now on,"

A loud gasp was heard from the crowd of teenagers. Jordan oblivious of what was going on walked towards the instructor. He could tell from the reaction of the other kids that training with the instructor wasn't a good thing.

In a few minutes, the Privates formed a circle and the first duo stood in the middle. The two boys took a solid stance and fisted their hands in front of them.

"Hand-to-hand combat training," Jordan whispered to himself. He turned and looked up at his 6-foot-tall partner and swallowed hard. "I am so dead."

Jordan pinched the guy beside him, earning his attention.

"Ouch! What gives dude?"

"What's his name?" he asked, referring to the instructor with his head.

"Instructor Alaric. Leave me alone, would ya?"

The boy went to a different spot and Jordan put his focus back on the duo fighting in front of him.

"Nice going Klive. To defend yourself, you need to be agile and quick to react," Alaric commented, nodding his head in pride of Klive who had won against his opponent. "Next!"

The next duo was a white-haired girl that had Jordan crossing his arms and the dude from History class he was curious to know. Although, Jordan couldn't help but notice that Aurora was putting on light-blue gloves.

"Begin!"

Aurora was the first to attack with a forward punch to the guy's chest, but he quickly dodged it and with a movement that seemed almost instinctive, swept Aurora from the ground with a single kick.

"Again!" Alaric called out.

Aurora stared daggers at her opponent, rage evident in her cold eyes. She took her stance and waited for his attack. She wanted to knock him down so badly for humiliating her. Just as he was about to punch her, she intuitively closed her eyes and crossed her hands to form an X.

"Woah!" The crowd voiced out in awe.

Aurora opened her eyes to see that she had created a thick defensive wall of ice between her and her opponent. His right fist was stuck in the ice. What no one expected was for the guy to send a flaming left fist to the ice and shatter it to pieces. Just as his fist was about to land on Aurora's face, a hand caught it in mid-air.

"That's enough, Diego!" Alaric warned, holding the flaming left hand of Aurora's opponent. "Take a deep breath in and calm your nerves."

Diego did as he was told and in a few seconds, the flame surrounding his hand diminished to nothing.

"Are you alright, Aurora?" Alaric turned with a concerned look on his face. He didn't want to think of what would've happened to Aurora if he hadn't stopped Diego in time.

"I-I'm fine," she stuttered, her voice soaked with fear.

"Good. It's best you two step down for the next duo," Alaric said, heaving a sigh of relief.

Jordan kept his eyes on the guy who he now knew to be Diego. Seeing as Aurora was the daughter of a war General, it's not surprising that she knew how to fight so well. But compared to her, Diego was on another level. He didn't act like he was training, more like he knew exactly what he was doing.

Not to mention the fact that he was now the second person Jordan knew had awakened a Magic Affinity. Weren't they all supposed to be Muggles? What was even more interesting was Alaric pretending like nothing had happened.

While the next duo fought, Alaric stepped out of the circle to make a call. Jordan had his eyes on him to see what he was up to.

The instant Alaric dropped the phone in his pocket, two portals opened behind him. A pair of men Jordan recognized from the lab walked out of the Portals alongside a group of guards.

The kids stopped the hand combats and turned to the portal. They were all visibly confused.

"Now what?" Alaric asked Nick, his eyes on the teenagers in front of him.

"They sleep."

Nick's brown eyes glowed a pinkish hue. The instant he saw Jordan, he snapped his fingers and all the other kids around him dropped unconscious to the ground.

"Time to separate the sheep from the goats," Alaric smirked.