CHAPTER 15: CHAPTER 15:PLEASE STOP

About five minutes later, Mr. Gareth strode back into the hall, moving so quickly that Aiden’s eyebrows shot up.

What are you, the Flash? he thought to himself.

Mr. Gareth didn’t notice the silent jab. He marched straight to Mr. Bertain, a thick, leather-bound book tucked under his arm. "Is this the one?" he asked.

Mr. Bertain’s eyes lit up in recognition, and he nodded. "That’s it." He took the book, flipped it open with a practiced hand, and turned to the exact page he had mentioned earlier.

Miss Flecine and Mr. Gareth leaned in over his shoulder. The three of them began reading intently, murmuring every so often.

Aiden remained standing awkwardly near the shattered testing globe, watching them in silence. From the back of the hall, he could still feel dozens of eyes on him. The whispers hadn’t stopped, but by now, he had decided to ignore them. Whatever decision those three came to would decide his future here—so he simply waited.

When the instructors finally finished reading, all three looked up at him at the exact same time... and smiled.

Aiden instinctively took a step back. There was something unnerving about the identical, almost too-wide grins they were giving him.

Miss Flecine was the first to speak. "He should belong to my witch race, you know."

Mr. Gareth and Mr. Bertain immediately turned to glare at her.

"And why exactly do you think that?" Mr. Bertain asked sharply.

Miss Flecine straightened. "As the record clearly shows, in the past, the witch bloodline came out on top. I believe the same will happen this time."

"Impossible," Mr. Bertain scoffed. "That case was two centuries ago, and you know it. That girl focused all her training on her witch heritage, which is why the other two bloodlines disappeared. But this boy? He’s lived his entire life believing he’s human. That means the three bloodlines in him have an equal chance. If we’re talking about the best fit, I’d say he should train with the Faes. Just look at him—he already looks like one of us." He gestured toward Aiden as if presenting evidence in court.

Mr. Gareth rolled his eyes. "You can’t decide his race based on looks alone. Are you trying to say there’s no one beautiful in my clan?"

Mr. Bertain smirked. "Alright then, name just one person in your clan who’s as striking as this boy, and I’ll stop arguing. I’ll even agree to let him go with you."

"Ryker," Mr. Gareth said without hesitation. "He could match this boy in appearance and not lose."

Mr. Bertain turned to Aiden, as if the boy needed rescuing. "Hear that? He’s already saying you’d lose to Ryker. Don’t follow him—he’s clearly underestimating you."

Mr. Gareth’s expression darkened. "When did I say I hated his looks? Don’t twist my words. I only said we have someone who can stand toe-to-toe with him, and that someone is Ryker."

Mr. Bertain waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, please. Ryker is handsome, sure, but this boy is beautiful and alluring. They’re not even in the same category—how could you compare them?"

Aiden stared between them in disbelief. How had the conversation about his training turned into an argument about his looks? And since when did appearances have "categories"? That was a new one.

Miss Flecine was also losing patience. Watching the two of them bicker in front of all these students over something as ridiculous as beauty was testing her limits. When she noticed that both men looked ready to start an entirely new round of debate, she stepped between them.

"Enough," she said firmly. "Do you two think you’re five years old?"

Mr. Gareth immediately pointed at Mr. Bertain. "He started it. You can’t just blame me."

"I was blaming both of you," Miss Flecine shot back, narrowing her eyes. "And are you sure your hearing’s fine? Because honestly, it might be time to get it checked."

Mr. Gareth huffed but didn’t deny it. "Anyway, I’m not giving up. This boy is staying with my clan."

"In your dreams," Mr. Bertain replied smoothly. He turned to Aiden. "You’ll be training with my people instead, won’t you?"

Aiden blinked, caught off guard. His instinct told him that no matter what he answered, at least one of them—and maybe even Miss Flecine—would be offended. So, he chose the safest option: he said nothing.

Miss Flecine’s eyes suddenly brightened. "I think I know how to settle this."

Both men turned to her with suspicion. "You do?" they said in unison.

She nodded. "What if he trained with all three races? That way, each bloodline inside him would have a fair chance. If one eventually wins out, the losing races will have no grounds to complain—even if it’s my witch tribe."

There was a pause. Then, slowly, both men’s eyes began to light up at the idea.

Mr. Bertain’s face suddenly lit up with excitement as he turned to Miss Flecine.

"Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right," he said, sounding as though he’d just discovered gold. "We can do that! He can train with all three races. Why didn’t I think of that?"

Aiden immediately tried to cut in. "Please, wait—"

But it was as if the three teachers had gone deaf. They kept chatting among themselves, not sparing him a glance.

Mr. Gareth chimed in with just as much enthusiasm. "The suggestion is brilliant. Honestly, I don’t know why it didn’t cross my mind earlier. Miss Flecine, you’re truly wise. Should we start drafting his timetable together?"

"Please, wait, just listen to me first," Aiden tried again, his voice a little more urgent this time.

Still, they paid him no attention. Miss Flecine even joined in, nodding along with the other two. "Yes, the three of us can work on his timetable collectively and make it as effective as possible. That way, he won’t have to miss any important classes. It’s fine to skip the less important ones, but the key is ensuring that the important classes for each race don’t clash. This way, he won’t miss out on anything."

That was the last straw. Aiden’s patience snapped. He drew in a breath and shouted as loudly as his lungs would allow. "Please stop!"

The teachers froze mid-discussion, startled by his outburst. A wave of murmurs swept through the hall, and Aiden caught bits and pieces of what the students were saying. One voice in particular, coming from the back, rang out louder than the rest.

"Is he crazy? How can he yell at the teachers?"

Aiden hadn’t meant to raise his voice like that, but they weren’t listening.

Miss Flecine finally turned to him with a cool, questioning look. "Is something the matter that you feel the need to interrupt our important discussion?"

He quickly lowered his tone, not wanting to come off as outright disrespectful. "Ma’am, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but since you’re talking about me, I think you should hear me out first."

She arched a brow. "And what is so important that you had to stop us?"

Aiden took a breath, arranging his face into the most pitiful expression he could manage. He glanced from one teacher to the other, hoping at least one of them would see reason. "Please... don’t make me train with all three clans. You need to consider my mental well-being, too. Won’t I be worn out if I have to run from one race to another? Training with even one race is already a full-time job for someone like me—someone who didn’t even know the supernatural world existed until recently.

"All the other students already have some knowledge. They’ve practiced at home, maybe even for years. I haven’t done any of that. I’m like a blank book. If I have to train with three different races all at once, I’ll end up overloading myself. Won’t my brain just... burst from taking in too much at once?"

For a moment, Aiden thought he was getting through. Miss Flecine nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. Relief began to wash over him. Maybe, just maybe, they would understand.

But then she spoke. "I understand where you’re coming from, but our decision isn’t going to change. You will train with all three races."

Aiden stared at her in disbelief, almost glaring. Had she just thrown everything he’d said straight out the window?

Seeing the disapproval in his eyes, Miss Flecine went on. "Yes, it will be hard, like you said. But your circumstances make it necessary. The only solution is for you to train with all three races. Besides, you’re a student—this is the age when you should be working hard. Mr. Gareth, Mr. Bertain, what do you think?"

Mr. Bertain was quick to respond. "Yes, yes, boy, you should listen to Miss Flecine. It won’t be easy, but I believe you can do it. Don’t worry—we’ll set your timetable to suit what you can handle. We won’t make you too busy, I promise."

Aiden almost laughed—bitterly. How could Mr. Bertain claim to know what he could handle? He was the one living in his own body, telling them his limits, and they were brushing it aside like it didn’t matter.

Mr. Gareth added his voice. "Yes, you need to listen to us. We want what’s best for you. Every powerful person you’ll ever meet got to their position by working harder than everyone else. If you want to be powerful, you need to have that mentality. Once you do, you’ll realise you can overcome anything."

Aiden nearly lost it again. When had he ever said he wanted to be powerful? He’d come to this school to pursue Ryker, not to become some overachieving supernatural warrior. But it was clear that the teachers had already made up their minds.

No matter what he said now, they wouldn’t listen.

So, he shut his mouth, swallowed his frustration, and grudgingly accepted his fate.