**"The Academy…"**
Kalm whispered to himself in astonishment.
He was still processing the information in his head.
Because of his difficult circumstances and severe financial situation, he'd never attended school before.
His mother had taught him a few basic things and read him some stories, but a complete, formal education? He had no idea what that looked like. The thought had never even crossed his mind.
Don watched him in calm silence, then explained with a gentle smile,
"Don't confuse it with an ordinary school, Kalm. The Academy is for Awakened children. It's more like a military complex—where teenagers are taught everything they need to know about their aspects, their powers, and… other things as well."
Don paused midway through his explanation, slid a hand into his pocket, and pulled out a sleek, black high-tech device.
He took a moment to scroll through it, reading something intently.
A few seconds later, the device emitted a female voice—sharp and irritated.
**"Commander Don, could you stop slacking off and get moving? We've received a new assignment. I'll be waiting at the HQ gate in five minutes."**
Don sighed, typed something back, and returned the device to his pocket.
"Man… I can't even have a simple conversation with someone from my own district anymore. The interruptions never end these days..."
Kalm watched as Don grumbled to himself for a good ten seconds before the man finally stood up, hands in his pockets, and lazily made his way to the door.
Don glanced over his shoulder.
**"You heard her, my friend. Get dressed. I'll take you to the Academy myself—and fill you in along the way."**
With those words, Don stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Kalm raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
*"Was he really slacking off…? In that state? Wait, no—Commander… That man's a commander?"*
Kalm pondered this as he removed his tattered clothes.
The moment he took off his shirt, his frail body was exposed. There were no muscles—just bones, sharpened by hardship. A long scar stretched from his chest down to his waist.
It was a clean wound—something only a knife or a sharp sword could have inflicted.
Kalm gave it no more thought. That scar was nothing but a memory—one he wished to forget.
With a calm smile, he put on the beautiful gray jacket Don had given him.
It fit perfectly—long, comfortable sleeves, paired with matching pants that were loose and easy to move in.
He looked… decent. Stylish, even. The only thing that ruined the clean, neat look was his messy black hair.
He raised a hand and ran his fingers through it.
**"I really need a haircut soon..."**
Without wasting time, Kalm carefully folded his old clothes and placed them neatly on the table.
They were no longer usable, but he'd been raised by his mother to value cleanliness and order.
He took a few quick steps toward the door and opened it.
The creaking of the metal echoed as the door swung wide.
Don was already standing in the corridor, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a small piece of paper.
His expression was focused, serious. His eyes didn't move—as if he'd switched from rest mode to mission mode in an instant.
After ten seconds of silent standing, he caught sight of Kalm from the corner of his eye, quickly folded the paper, and tucked it into his jacket.
He stepped forward with a grin, as if nothing had happened.
**"You really do look good, my friend Kalm. Let's go."**
Kalm smiled, and the two began walking.
As they passed the offices and several police officers, Kalm noticed something strange.
Some of them looked afraid of Don—no, not just afraid. Terrified.
As if they weren't in the presence of an Awakened man… but something that should be kept far away.
One tried to hide behind a mountain of paperwork. Another pretended to focus intently on his screen.
A few even left the room altogether, their faces tight with fear.
*"Is he really that scary...?"*
Kalm wondered as Don opened the door leading outside.
A gust of cold wind struck his body, carrying with it the familiar scent of the outskirts.
He breathed in deeply and stepped outside—only to find a beautiful black car parked at the entrance… with a young woman leaning against it.
She had long, elegant black hair dancing in the wind around her figure.
Her skin was ivory pale, and her eyes—brilliant, ruby-red—shone like gems.
Her form-fitting black uniform hugged her curves, enhancing a beauty that could only be called… bewitching.
She had the physique of a trained athlete—lean, strong, and balanced. A generous figure beneath the suit.
Her breasts are large and eye-catching under her beautiful government uniform.
*"Pure thoughts, Kalm. Pure thoughts. You don't want to die young…"*
He gave her a polite smile and bowed respectfully.
The insignia on her shoulder bore **three stars**—this woman was Awakened too.
Don opened his arms wide as if welcoming a warm embrace.
**"Clara, my dear subordinate! I've missed you dearly."**
At the sound of his cheerful voice, Clara's face twisted into a mild frown.
She raised an accusatory finger at him.
**"'Dear subordinate,' Dear subordinate، huh? Commander, you damn idiot—I covered for you for three whole days!"**
She sighed and took a short breath.
**"You'll pay me back later. We've got another case, and we need to move now."**
Don lowered his arms, his expression shifting to something more serious.
Even in his weary state, he carried himself with a quiet calm. And Clara… she wasn't that different.
The fatigue and sleeplessness were written all over her face. Even her uniform was slightly wrinkled.
**"Alright,"** he said. **"But first, we're dropping off the newly Awakened Kalm at the Academy. After that, we'll begin our assignment."**
Clara gave Kalm a brief, assessing look. Her crimson eyes locked on him for a moment, then she exhaled softly and ran her fingers through her dark hair.
**"You don't look anything like my idiot commander, even though you're from the same district,"** she said, then smiled faintly.
**"In any case, I'm glad you passed the test, kid. Please… take care of yourself."*
Kalm smiled at her.
"Thank you, Lady Clara. I will, for sure…"
She nodded with a smile and gestured toward the car.
Don blinked twice.
"Wait, wait, wait—you're not driving. I am."
Clara looked at him with annoyance.
"What do you mean? Isn't it your fault we crashed into the gate three days ago? The marks are still clear on my body and on the gate…"
Don frowned and raised his hands defensively.
"Oh, stop it—that was your fault. And aren't you the reason our salaries were cut this month? Because you destroyed an entire house with that cloud flying over our car? The cloud you said had a better chest than yours? Jealous of a cloud…"
Clara scowled and clicked her teeth sharply.
"No, that was your fault—you used your power on me. And aren't you also the reason the General punished me? Because you sent some harassers after me and told them I'm a whore—that I sleep with anyone for money, or without it just for fun…"
Don smiled happily, replaying the scene in his mind.
"Oh, I pity those poor guys. But that was because you told the General I was roaming the Red Street looking for pleasure. I got punished for five whole weeks because of you…"
Clara raised a finger at him, her eyes burning.
"He punished me for two months—I was so miserable I even felt sorry for myself. Do you remember how miserable I was back then? Even my boyfriend got worried about me—do you remember?"
At that moment, Kalm took a step back, his mind failing to process what was happening.
The friendly Awakened Don and the graceful, beautiful Clara… both of them were crazy.
No, maybe even more than that.
It seemed they were used to playing ridiculous pranks on each other—some even dangerous.
Kalm covered his eyes and sighed.
Are they really the ones protecting the city?
Are the people's safety truly in the hands of these two lunatics?
Looking at them closely, they needed a strong psychiatrist to examine them… and at least a seventh-rank military ward to calm their madness.
Kalm closed his eyes and thought of a way to reach his destination alive.
The last thing he wanted was to die caught in the middle of a fight between two maniacs.
He cleared his throat, coughed audibly, and spoke in a neutral tone.
"Commander Don, Lady Clara, what do you think about flipping a coin? The winner drives, and the loser sits quietly in the back…"
Both stared at him, their eyes burning with rivalry.
Then they stopped arguing.
Clara shook her head.
"No silly tricks. Flip the coin."
Don put his hand in his black jacket pocket and pulled out a golden coin.
One side had the face of a man set against a sky-like background.
The other side showed a crescent moon surrounded by a beautiful starry dust.
Don placed the coin on his finger and said,
"I'm the King, and you're the Crescent…"
Clara nodded shortly.
Don tossed the coin into the air, flicked it with a high-pitched snap of his fingers.
It spun upward, twirling rapidly.
As it lost momentum, it began to fall toward the ground.
After several rotations, the coin landed with a clear sound—resting on the King side against the sky.
Don grinned triumphantly and held up the coin with a smug smile.
"You still need centuries to beat the great Don…"
Clara clicked her teeth and handed him the key, then climbed into the back seat with a scowl.
Within moments, the three of them were inside the car, and Don started driving down the road.