Once they snapped back into a proper formation, Austin, having finished his little test, stepped back. Abraham stood up and walked over to the nine newly accepted Special Unit soldiers.
"Alright, since you've all shown us your abilities, I'm going to divide you into teams. First, Norman, Cynthia, Hazel, Karim, and Ivan, you're Team 10," Abraham announced.
"Yes, Sir," Norman the metal manipulator, Cynthia the ice shield, Hazel the rubber-woman, Karim the ridiculously fast healer, and Ivan who moved like lightning, saluted Abraham. They then stood tall again.
Abraham looked at Gizelle, then at Marco, Lana, and Kiara, and finally turned to Austin.
"They're one man short. Can you call in one person from the general class who hasn't been assigned a team yet?" Abraham asked.
"Yes, Sir," Austin replied crisply.
Austin immediately left the room. Abraham asked Gizelle to shift and join Marco, Lana, and Kiara. A moment later, Austin returned alongside a youth wearing a uniform and a hoodie whose hood obscured his face. The young man kept both hands buried in his hoodie pockets and his head down, refusing to show his face.
Suddenly, "Slepp," Austin yanked the hood back. "Hey!" the youth protested. Gizelle, Marco, Lana, and Kiara were instantly shocked. The young man was incredibly handsome with long black hair, but what shocked them was his long, elf-like ears and his green eyes.
"Huh… an elf?" Grey and Gizelle thought together in their head.
"This is Seong Ho. He's been here for six months and still hasn't gotten a team. He's seventeen years old. He will now join Team 11, your team," Abraham stated.
"Yes, Sir," Gizelle, Marco, Lana, and Kiara replied in unison.
Without saying a word, Seong Ho lined up next to Marco. Abraham then gave a short, welcoming speech—one that, predictably, made Gizelle extremely drowsy—but she glanced to her left because she felt a sharp stare on her. It was Seong Ho, handsome but sullen, glaring at them with an incredibly sharp, angry look.
"Huh… why is he looking at us like that, Gizelle?" Grey asked in her head.
"How should I know," Gizelle replied in her head.
"Did you kill one of his relatives? His parents? His little brother?" Grey asked.
"Grrr… shut up, don't just accuse me! I've only killed you all this time, and two creatures in this world, I'm not a serial killer," Gizelle snapped back, furious.
"Okay, okay… I know… but why is he looking at us like that? Does he know us?" Grey asked.
"Beats me. Just let him look. If he causes trouble, we'll take care of it," Gizelle replied.
"Don't just go around 'taking care' of people," Grey countered.
"I'm still mad at you, by the way. Why did you stop me? We were right and we passed anyway. You're pathetic… you were amazing in the six previous lives… except the first one," Gizelle griped.
"Yes, but remember we have a goal. We have to get to the front lines, get strong, and live peacefully. Do you understand? If you mess up here, our plan fails. I was just protecting that," Grey stressed.
"Hmm… you're right, Big Brother. Fine, I was wrong to let my emotions get the better of me. I'm sorry," Gizelle conceded.
"Huh… it's not like you to apologize, you freaked me out," Grey replied.
"Didn't you say you wanted to fix our relationship? What gives?" Gizelle countered.
"Oh, right… well, I forgive you," Grey replied.
Finally, Abraham's speech ended. Abraham, along with Russel, Miyuki, and the two colonels (who were high-ranking Special Unit officers), exited the room to a salute from the ten lined-up trainees and Austin. Once they were gone, Austin immediately turned to face them.
"Now, let's head to your new classroom. Follow me, soldiers," Austin instructed.
"Yes, Sir," everyone replied.
They exited through the same door as Abraham and the others. Gizelle deliberately walked at the very back, but suddenly, "Tap," someone grabbed her shoulder from behind. Gizelle turned to see Seong Ho holding her shoulder and openly scrutinizing her. Gizelle immediately shrugged his hand off and stepped away.
"What do you want?" Gizelle snapped.
"You… you have both dark and light magic, don't you?" Seong Ho asked.
"Hah," Gizelle and Grey replied in their head.
"You are two people, aren't you? I can feel two souls inside your body," Seong Ho added.
Gizelle stopped dead. "Shhh," "Brak!" She spun around, grabbed Seong Ho's hoodie, and slammed his body against the wall. Everyone immediately turned to look behind them.
"Keep this secret, or you die," Gizelle and Grey whispered together, their voice terrifying.
"O-okay, I'm sorry… please let go," Seong Ho stammered.
"Hey, what's going on back there?" Austin yelled, walking toward them.
Gizelle let go of Seong Ho's hoodie and turned to face Austin with a smile. Austin watched as Seong Ho adjusted his hoodie.
"Just getting acquainted, Sir," Gizelle said, smiling.
"Is that true, Seong Ho?" Austin asked.
"Y-yes, Sir," Seong Ho replied weakly.
Austin stared at Gizelle and Seong Ho for a moment, then turned and told everyone to turn around and keep walking. Gizelle quickly eyed Seong Ho next to her.
"You can use magic?" Gizelle asked sharply.
"Yes, my power is all-elemental magic, including holy and darkness… that's why I can sense the energy in your body," Seong Ho replied.
"Hmm… alright. If you know, please don't speak about this to anyone. Our only goal in this world is to live a quiet and peaceful life, just the two of us," Gizelle said.
"So you're from another world?" Seong Ho asked.
"You could say that," Gizelle replied.
"Okay. We're teammates. My mouth will stay shut and guard your secret. I already suspected there was another dimension besides our Earth," Seong Ho countered.
"If only you knew… we actually know of a peaceful Earth, full of movies, games, manga, and anime… plus smartphones and social media," Gizelle and Grey thought to themselves.
After walking down a long corridor, they arrived at their classroom in the left wing of the academy. "Sreeeeg," Austin walked in, leaving the ten trainees waiting outside the door.
"Finally, we're here," Marco muttered.
"Yep. Now we start. I'm excited to be on your team," Lana said.
"Me too, I'm glad," Gizelle added.
The three then glanced over to see the five members of Team 10 chatting amongst themselves and looked the other way to see Seong Ho and Kiara engrossed in their own conversation.
"You can summon mystical animals? Wow," Seong Ho was saying.
"Yeah, your ears are funny but adorable… can I touch them?" Kiara asked.
"D-don't," Seong Ho replied, clutching his own ears.
"Well, look at you guys, busy already," Marco chuckled.
"Uh… no, I was just really interested in seeing Seong Ho's ears," Kiara said shyly.
"Sreeeg," the door opened. Austin called Team 10 to enter first. After they said their goodbyes to Gizelle and the others, Team 10 went inside. The door closed again, leaving Team 11 outside. Marco, Lana, Kiara, Seong Ho, and Gizelle were busy again, but inside her head,
"Big Brother, I'm getting nervous," Gizelle said in her head.
"Just relax," Grey replied inside her head.
"Uuuh… I regret coming out at a time like this," Gizelle complained.
"Your fault. Just bear with it for a little longer," Grey said.
A moment later, "Sreeeg," the door opened. Austin told them to enter. They walked in and lined up across the front of the classroom, except for Seong Ho, who immediately headed back to his seat. Gizelle and Grey could see the faces of their approximately thirty classmates (excluding Team 10 and Seong Ho). Those faces looked at them with arrogance, disdain, and cynicism, as if Gizelle, Marco, Lana, and Kiara, and the newly arrived Team 10, were beneath them.