The measuring device had displayed an error. The officials stated that this had previously only happened with Hermaios, and that they had defined his grading manually, without the system. Sol and Luna exchanged a look. Han was watching them discreetly. They knew something that no one else did. He decided not to take his eyes off them; there was no telling what might come of this.
The class, having finished their tasks, went to the dining hall. Since the day they first met, the bonds between them had developed significantly. While they were eating, Hercules came over to them.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you," he said, taking a seat at the table.
"I heard Magni was severely injured. How is he?"
Han replied, "He's going to live. We were going to ask Ms. Selkis about his condition after dinner. Would you like to join us? It would be good for Magni, too."
"Suits me. You've been on your first missions—how did they go?"
Sol said, "My team and I went to persuade the Centaurs. Not much happened. It was decided they would stay in that region until a suitable place is found for them. The real events happened with Magni's team."
Heracles turned to Han. "What happened there?"
Han answered, "Chimeras."
"Wait a minute, were there multiple Chimeras in the city!?"
"To be precise, twelve."
"What! That many shouldn't have been in the city. What is the Mythological Regional Security doing?"
Urania cut in, "What's that?"
"The Mythological Regional Security is an organization that prevents creatures and other entities from entering human living spaces. Most consist of normal humans, but about five Cosmyth users assist them as well."
Han continued, "Four of the twelve were cubs; we left them for last. I killed two, while Neptune and Aurora killed three. During this, we heard a massive noise. The large door, the only entrance to the side where Magni was, collapsed. He was left alone inside with two normal Chimeras and one Alpha."
"Magni fought an Alpha? And survived. His endurance must be incredible."
"We'll hear what happened inside from Magni himself, but when we reached him..."
Neptune added, "He was acting purely on reflex. He had completely lost consciousness. He was hunched over the Alpha's dead body, still punching it. The creature's head was pu—"
Aurora raised her hand, signaling Neptune to stop. Her stomach couldn't take it. "Can we not talk about this until after we eat?"
Han said, "Alright then, let's go see Magni."
Everyone at the table went to the infirmary. Selkis told them she couldn't let them all in at once. "There are too many of you. Besides, the boy is still exhausted. He needs rest." Despite their persistence, Selkis ultimately decided not to let anyone in. "If you want it that much, come back tomorrow. I'll be staying here with him as well."
As this was happening, Magni, lying on the stretcher behind Selkis, stood up by gripping the IV stand. He looked utterly drained. His complexion was pale, his eyes bloodshot, and he was panting. He placed his hand on the doorframe and looked at them, catching his breath. "Did you all come to see me?" he asked. Selkis angrily told him to go lie down. Magni countered, "Let them all in. A little chat won't kill anyone," and then he coughed. He covered his mouth with his hand; when he pulled it away, he saw his palm filled with blood. He washed his hands and lay back down on the stretcher as everyone gathered around him.
Selkis said, "You have fifteen minutes. Then all of you are out!" Her gaze was enough to intimidate everyone, including Heracles. Once they were alone, Magni explained what happened.
"The last thing I remember is the sound of my bone shattering. Then I opened my eyes here. I don't know what happened in between."
Heracles asked, "Did you say the Alpha Chimera spoke?"
"Yes. It wasn't repeating what I said like a parrot. It had a mind of its own. It even looked down on me and told me I would lose."
"But that's impossible; Chimeras don't have the capacity for speech. Could the venom have confused your mind?"
"Maybe. I don't know; my mind is still foggy."
"You need to speak to Aidoneus about this. He must report it to the school and the state. This is the first time I've heard of such a thing."
"I thought it was normal because it was an Alpha."
Selkis intervened, "You can discuss these matters after you've rested. Your time is up—everyone out, let's go."
Magni said, "Hey! Before you go... Is there any chance you could send me or tell me the classifications?"
Urania said, "I'll send them to you. Just focus on resting, Magni," in a sweet, motivating tone.
"I'll do that, Urania..." Magni replied, and then Selkis closed the infirmary door.
She told him to sleep, that she had informed his family and they would be there in a few hours. The moment Magni put his head on the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep. He was truly exhausted. In his dream, he saw his homeland. He was watching the sea, leaning against a rock above those magnificently beautiful fjords. A woman he didn't recognize came and sat beside him. With her golden-blonde hair and emerald-green eyes, she looked enchanting. Magni turned his head toward her. "Who are you?". There was no answer from the woman. She just watched the sea. They didn't say a single word. It felt as if centuries had passed by the time he woke up. Upon waking, his mother hugged her son in a panic, while Thrud held his hand.
Demeter said, "Magni! I would have come the moment I heard, but I couldn't get leave from work. I'm sorry. How are you, are you feeling better?"
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll be better in a few days. I'll be fine."
"How can I not worry? They told me you came back from the dead and your condition was critical."
"I'm better now. I'll heal with time. You two should go."
"No, I'm staying here. I don't want to leave you alone."
"Then I want to talk to you about something, Mom."
"Of course, tell me, my son."
"What... am I?"
Demeter froze at this question. She bowed her head and remained silent.
Thrud asked, "What do you mean, Magni?"
"My father entered my dream again. But this time, it was really him."
Demeter asked, "What do you mean 'really'? Hadn't you spoken with him before?"
"I thought so, too. Turns out, that was just a dream."
"How did you know it was your father, then?"
"The place where I spoke with him... Valhalla, the hall of warriors. Perhaps I spoke with him because I came so close to death. He told me things about you, myself, and our family that I didn't know. Things you didn't tell me."
Demeter looked deep into Magni's eyes. "Magni, what did your father tell you?"
Magni scanned his surroundings. Selkis must have been outside. He wanted to be sure they were alone, because he had never heard of a Cosmyth user as powerful as his father. He couldn't guess what the consequences would be of telling these things out in the open.
"He said you were a very good keeper of secrets, that he told you things to tell me when the time comes, and that you would give me a letter when I turn 18. And that you are a very good healer."
"You really have spoken with your father."
"Also, he told me that I am a Half-Breed. What race is there that can live for more than 100 years and wouldn't be reflected in my appearance? If I were a giant, I'd know, but you aren't a giant. Or if I were a fairy, I'd have an affinity for magic. Mom, tell me the truth. What exactly am I?"
"I'm sorry, Magni. But I cannot tell you until you turn 18."
"What! Why!?"
"I swore on my life. Everything you need to know is in that letter. Don't bother looking for it; you won't find it. I'm protecting it with magic."
Thrud asked, "Mom? You can use magic?"
"A little. Mostly healing spells. But my magic power is very low, so it's short-lived and leaves me very tired."
Magni asked, "My father mentioned that I have another power besides lightning. What is my other power?"
"I don't know."
"Mom, are you lying to me again?"
"No, I swear! Your father didn't tell me everything."
"Alright, thanks. And Mom, please don't lie to me anymore. I can handle the truth."
"I can't promise that. Because I'm under oath, there are subjects I'm forced to lie about. You rest, Magni; we're going home. I have things I need to think about."
"Alright, Mom. Be careful."
As his family left the room, Magni examined the Classification list Urania had sent to his phone. Below the list, Urania had written, "Keep doing your best, captain," followed by a smiley face emoji. This small message filled Magni's soul with excitement. In the classification, he was at the top of his class and shared 5th place in the general rankings with Gilgamesh. He was very happy about this. It meant he had a chance to catch up to Heracles. Even though Heracles was in 1st place, Magni was eager to fight him. Their fight would likely take place after the new year—meaning they could fight in 1-2 months at the earliest. The young man had already begun dreaming of the battle.