Chapter 4: "The Power Board"
> Location: Nexus Chamber, Kingtolio Academy – Morning
The Nexus Chamber hummed with layered energy. Walls of reinforced smart-glass towered around the high dome ceiling, with ten concentric rings slowly rotating above the center. These rings—each etched with a single word—represented the ten global classifications of powered combat and support: Control, Assassin, Precision, Scout, Elements, Psychic, Energy, Manipulation, Creation, and Support.
The first-years of Kingtolio Academy filled the hall in tight squads. Phoenix Squad stood among them, eyes drifting across the room with a mix of curiosity and quiet unease. They weren't used to structure. Not like this.
Instructor Appolon stepped into the center of the room. His long coat barely swayed, boots clicking with exactness as he turned to face the crowd.
"This is not a combat evaluation," he said. "This is the baseline for your future."
The rotating rings above slowed to a hover. Each stopped over its corresponding platform around the room.
"You will not use your powers today. You will listen."
With a gesture, the holo-board above him pulsed to life.
> WELCOME TO THE POWER BOARD – GLOBAL CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS
From each platform, an instructor stepped forward, representing one classification.
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Control – Instructor Elise Monroe "Control types dominate battlefield dynamics. You suppress threats, stabilize chaos, or lock down movement. Your power isn't brute force—it's consistency. Most Kingtolio security personnel are Control-class. You will be trained to maintain order under stress."
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Assassin – Instructor Frank Keller "You strike fast, hard, and unseen. We teach you infiltration, close-range takedowns, and stealth utility. You're not blunt weapons—you're surgical knives. Kingtolio's elite response teams often pull from this class."
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Precision – Instructor Isabella Venturi "Precision types hit specific targets with specific outcomes. Think snipers, specialists, trackers. Every motion must count. You will be taught accuracy, restraint, and problem-solving under pressure. Most elite bounty units originate here."
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Scout – Instructor Amara Theon "Speed. Navigation. Recon. Scout types don't just run fast—they learn terrain, gather intel, and survive ambush zones. If you can't think two steps ahead, you don't belong here."
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Elements – Instructor Dana Briggs "You command nature's building blocks—fire, water, stone, lightning, air. But command is earned. Not given. This class will train you to merge instinct with responsibility. We burn nothing we can't control."
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Psychic – Instructor Lin Avery "You are minds among minds. You bend perception, twist thought, foresee danger. You will study logic, ethics, and restraint. This class deals in risks most people can't see until it's too late."
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Energy – Instructor Yelena Vostrikov "You weaponize raw force—light, electricity, momentum, impact. This class teaches charge control, defensive layering, and ranged output. Power without balance is destruction."
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Manipulation – Instructor Leila Safar "Reality bends. You help it bend cleaner. Illusions, transfigurations, emotional shifts—this class trains control, deception, and multi-layer tactics. If you can lie better than the enemy, you win."
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Creation – Instructor Reggie Lowe "You make what others can't. Weapons, tools, minions, constructs. We train builders, blacksmiths, and summoners. You won't just fight—you'll create the means to win."
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Support – Instructor Belinda Knox "You keep people alive. Heal. Enhance. Redirect. Sometimes you're behind the scenes. Sometimes you're why the scene ends in victory. Your job is not glory—it's reliability."
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Appolon spoke again, voice cutting through the still air.
"You will cycle through these classes this semester. Eventually, you will specialize in two. You will train alongside students from all over the world, but here, rank is earned through squad achievement, not origin or bloodline. We don't care who your parents are. We care what you do in the field."
He paced slowly across the center.
"Kingtolio operates on a five-year system. Each year, the pressure rises. Failures are recycled. Progress is rewarded. Third-year students begin to serve as enforcers—Kingtolio's first line of law. Fifth-years... they graduate into the world's highest-stakes missions."
Silence fell again.
Then Appolon added, "You are here because someone thinks you're worth shaping. Don't prove them wrong."
The lights dimmed. The rings above flickered off. One by one, instructors stepped down from their platforms and exited.
The Nexus Chamber was silent for a moment longer. Then chatter exploded.
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> Location: First-Year Dining Hall – Midday
The dining hall had clearly never met a volume limit. Tables hovered. Food shimmered with questionably legal enhancements. And the first-years swarmed like they'd earned victory just by surviving a lecture.
"Did anyone else feel like the Manipulation instructor was smiling at their soul?" Crystal asked, teleporting with a full tray of food.
Martins leaned back and fake-fainted. "I still think Scout class is just Assassin's ADHD cousin."
Nicole sipped from her drink. "Elements class sounds like a science lab with a temper."
Jason raised a brow. "Support class is where the real heroes are. But sure—blow stuff up if that makes you feel useful."
Arc was playing a guessing game. "Monroe's ex-military. No way she's not a former control operative."
Joe replied calmly, "I liked her. She didn't blink. That means she trusted me."
Austin and his clone argued over dessert choices.
Candice's three clones voted each other out of line.
Chris transformed mid-bite, sniffed a suspicious hot dog, and un-transformed with a grunt.
Phoebe was using her power to impersonate random students behind their backs.
Jon's clone tried to sit on top of the real Jon. Failed.
And at the far end of the table, Jason poured tea from a sleek thermos, offered everyone a cup, and smiled.
"First class day down. No fatalities. That's a win."
"Yet," Nicole added.
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> Location: Unknown – Surveillance Room
In a quiet chamber lined with screens, footage flickered. Holograms replayed facial scans, posture analysis, voice tones. Instructor reports scrolled silently across the panels.
One screen paused on Mason. Another on Crystal. Jason. Nicole. Arc. Joe.
Mr. King sat alone, watching.
He folded his hands slowly.
"Promising," he murmured. "But still unpredictable."
He tapped a single key.
The next file loaded: Squad Performance Forecast: Deviation Probability – 17%. Recommendation: Observe. Manipulate. Delay revelation.
> End of Chapter 4