"Welcome back class," Thomas- though during class he was Mr. Haleford- greeted the class at eight am sharp. As he spoke, the idle chatter amongst the class gradually slowed to a stop. "I trust that everyone has finished reading the syllabus from yesterday? Are there any questions for me to address?"

The class murmured in agreement that they had no questions, though none of them actually read it. Except for Maria, of course, who had read it over three times to ensure she had no questions.

Thomas took to the center of the classroom: a large lecture hall, similar in style to a college's, surrounded by a small semicircle of raised seats. The classroom was nowhere near as large as a college room, however, and looked to be able to hold no more than fifteen students at a time. The students were all in the closest row of chairs; Maria sat at the center, with Emanuel and Isabella to her left and Ken and Dory to her right. Sylvester Malzone sat in one of the chairs near the back, doing something that seemed to be of great importance on a laptop.

"Excellent," Haleford continued. "Then without further ado, let us begin our first lesson in Haonus. You all come from many backgrounds, and possess varying levels of skill; to ensure no one is left behind, we will be starting from the absolute basics. If any of the material begins to sound familiar, you are welcome to 'tune out,' as you might say- it will be only your grade that suffers."

The man unfolded a pointer, and clicked a button on a handheld device in his other hand. The board behind him was illuminated by a presentation, and on the first slide was a picture of a cell. Dory was pleasantly surprised to see a hastily-added footnote on the bottom, which appeared to be in machine-translated Japanese, and covered information on the slide that was otherwise not present.

"Let us begin with the most fundamental aspect of Haonus: the haon. What is a haon? Haons are subatomic particles generated by our cells as a byproduct during cellular respiration. On their own, haons possess no innate properties, and due to their small size- roughly the size of an electron- will safely disseminate from the body over time, and in large volumes are stored in the haon bladder on the right of your stomach."

He clicked the button, and advanced to the next slide. This slide contained a complex anatomical diagram of a strange, spiraling organ, similar to a snail's shell but with far tighter coils, and complete with multiple additional diagrams of cross-sections. Of note were the two valves on opposite sides of this organ; one in the upper right, and one in the lower left.

"This is a morneum. Your doctors have likely already discussed your morneum and morneum health with you, but today we will be talking about the biology and applications of your morneum, rather than health. Your morneum is located in your upper-right chest cavity, opposite your heart. This valve-" he pointed to the upper right valve- "is your inferior morneum valve, and connects to the haon capillaries in your arm. This valve-" he pointed to the lower left valve- "is your superior morneum valve, and connects to the central haon capillary in your spine.

"The morneum is the source of all Haonus. It is the hub of all haon circulation. True to its position opposite the heart, one may view the morneum as the heart of Haonus. Through conscious effort, we as humans can pass haons through our haon capillaries. Once we pass haons through the morneum, its spiraling shape adds a rotational force to the haon particles, causing them to generate energy. By passing haons through the superior valve, and out the inferior valve, the counter-clockwise spiral generates Organion energy. This counter-clockwise spiral results in a decrease in entropy- essentially, Organion reinforces the concept of "order" in the natural world. Likewise, passing haons through the opposite pathway will cause a clockwise spiral, which generates an increase in entropy, effectively increasing the "chaos" of the natural world.

"The practice of manipulation of haons, Organion, and Chalion, is collectively referred to as Haonus."

Haleford paused, allowing his students to finish taking notes. Once their pens and pencils stopped moving, he began again: "A quick show of hands: who here can use Organion?"

Every student raised their hand.

"And who can use Chalion?"

Maria and Emanuel raised their hands. Emanuel waved his hand in a 'so-so' motion.

"As you can see, Chalion is much more difficult to manipulate than Organion. This is due to two major reasons: first, the nature of Chalion as a force that disrupts order and causes chaos can have adverse effects on the body. Secondly, the act of drawing haons from the arm and into the central haon capillary in the spine is far more complex, requiring much more precise manipulation of haons within the body." Haleford paused briefly. "Final question for you all: Who here plans on becoming a professional Slayer?"

Emanuel, Isabella, Maria and Ken all raised their hands. Haleford noticed Emanuel seemed apprehensive about raising his hand, but decided he wouldn't make a deal out of it.

"Then for all of you, this upcoming section will be even more important. The greatest asset to a Slayer, as well as the greatest determining factor of an individual's success as a Slayer, is the individual's Modus Haonus. I believe nowadays you know it as your 'Mod.'"

Haleford clicked another button, and on this next slide were numerous morneums. Upon close inspection, each one was subtly different from the other: some were wrinkled, others had a tighter spiral, and some had odd bends in their pathways.

"Like all things about a person, a morneum has differs among each individual. These differences affect the way haons spin in the morneum, potentially causing wildly different effects. In the past, these effects were much more simple; I have heard stories of ancient Slayers whose Organion would cool, and whose Chalion would warm. In the modern era, due to gradual evolution, the average Modus Haonus has become much more... exotic."

Haleford clicked the button, and on the next slide were three comical clip-art images: one of a bathtub, one of a teakettle, and one of a water-wheel.

"Despite all the aforementioned changes, every Modus Haonus can be categorized into one of three families: Bath, Kettle, and Wheel. These families have been identifiable since medieval times, hence their names referring to older inventions. As a matter of fact, only the Bath and Wheel families existed originally; the Kettle family was only officially recognized some three hundred years ago, and is believed to have originated due to the repeated marriage and offspring of Bath- and Wheel-family users with the opposite family.

"The Bath family is characterized by a requisite amount of Organion or Chalion to be 'poured' into the Modus, and only once this requisite amount is reached does the user's Modus take effect. Nearly all Modi that summon spirits belong to the Bath family.

"The Wheel family is characterized by a constant 'flow' of Organion or Chalion, with no requisite amount at all; essentially, the Modus is always affecting the user's haons. As long as Organion or Chalion continues to be inputted, the Modus' effects will continue to be outputted.

"Lastly, the Kettle family- true to its origin- is something akin to a middle ground between the other two families, hence why I have placed it between the two images. A Kettle-family Modus is characterized as requiring an amount of Organion or Chalion to be poured into it before the Modus can take effect, similarly to the Bath family, but this amount is not fixed, and can be adjusted based on the user's immediate needs. As a result, the user is given much more flexibility with how much Organion or Chalion they wish to exert at any given time.

"As an anecdote, I have heard that there are some rare instances of Kettle-family techniques that alter their properties based on how much Organion or Chalion fuels a given instance of use; do bear in mind that this is not a requirement of the Kettle family, but rather a quirk that emerges in some individuals. That will be on your first test."

Haleford once again paused as to allow his students to catch up. He smiled to himself, watching many of them circle or underline his last words.

"Now, let's pause our learning for a short while. We already introduced ourselves and learned about one another on Saturday, over dinner, and I believe I saw a series of messages referring to some ice cream? But now I believe we should learn about each other in the context of fellow Slayers-to-be, and learn each others' Modi.

"As I did before, I shall begin. My Modus' name is Chain Reaction, and it is a Wheel family Modus. While active, it causes everything I do to improve with successive iterations. 'Practice makes perfect' is the motto of this particular Modus, I would say. Of course, prolonged usage is rather draining on my haon reserves, and as such I prefer to instead utilize my Modus in short bursts of learning. Incidentally, we shall cover 'bursting' next week. Now then, I believe I shall have... Mister Fujita go next."

"Oh, shit," Ken seemed to snap back to reality. "Uh, what's up, I'm Ken, and my Mod's name is Isonade. It lets me summon a shark spirit, so I'm pretty sure it's a Bath...?"

"One would assume so," Thomas responded. "Are you able to adjust the parameters of your shark spirit, and alter the Organion cost of it?"

"...No?"

"Then it would be a Bath, correct."

"Sick. Uh, who's next?"

"That will be up to you, Mister Fujita."

"Hell yeah. You're next, Aho."

"You're so lame," Dory replied, embarrassed. "My Mod is sound manipulation. I can create and manipulate sound waves. I am aware of the irony. I am pretty sure it's a Kettle because I cannot call it a Bath or a Wheel."

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"Not entirely an incorrect observation," Haleford replied, "but not necessarily a correct one either. A Modus is often categorized into the Kettle family because it displays the properties of both Bath and Wheel, however there does exist a family that is not a family; an Other family. However, this users of this family make up less than 0.001 percent of the population, and as such are often omitted from this unit. That said, I do believe that, based on your description of your Modus, you would qualify as a Kettle user." Haleford paused, and recalled his student's disability. "Did you understand all of that?"

"Yes... and no," Dory replied, even more embarrassed. Ken leaned over and dis his best to summarize for her in Japanese.

"...While Ken takes the time to catch Dory up," Haleford chimed in, "why not continue in the direction we have been; Maria, would you like to go next?"

"Certainly. My Modus is Creation. It is-"

The room went silent. Haleford dropped his clicker, and did not have the energy to pick it up.

"It's WHAT?!" Isabella shouted, deafening Emanuel who sat between her and Maria.

"Creation. It is a Kettle-family Modus-"

"You are NOT just going to gloss over that," Ken said. "You're telling me that you can just make ANYTHING?"

"Well, not exactly. In order to create something, I must have knowledge of the object's chemical composition, as well as a general understanding of its physical construction. The created object is, naturally, made from haons, and as a result doesn't linger for long- usually no more than three hours."

"And you're telling me you can just do that... whenever???"

"More or less. The amount of haons needed can take a lot out of me, so I typically don't bother unless absolutely necessary."

"How does food work?" Emanuel asked.

"It basically doesn't. I can make food, sure, but it would dissolve into haons before any nutrients were absorbed. Not to mention anything digested would digest into haons, and nothing actually nourishing."

"Huh..." Emanuel thought to himself for a moment. "How does it work? Like, science-wise? Do you, like, make atoms?"

"My grandfather- he has the same Modus- explained that the spinning haons become some kind of 'quantum clouds...?' And that the quantum clouds effectively mimic electrons to the end of making an atom...? I'm not too sure about the details- he's a chemistry professor, a lot of what he knows does."

"A professor?" Isabella interrupted. "He's not a Slayer?"

"No, he didn't want to be. He was more interested in how his Modus could be used for nonviolent applications. He won a Nobel prize, actually."

"What the fuck..." Isabella replied, then turned Emanuel and Ken.

"Unfair..." the three said in unison.

"Quite so, if I may air my grievances as well," Haleford said as he picked up his clicker. "Such a Modus could find itself among Orion's Belt; it is a privilege to have chosen such an idyllic lifestyle. I respect the man."

"He's a lot like you, in a way," Maria said with a reminiscent smile. "Oh, but I digress. Creation is my Organion Modus, and-."

"That is alright, Maria. Such material will wait until the second year."

"Ah, I understand. In that case, Emanuel, it's your turn."

"Right..." Emanuel said, feeling outclassed by his classmates for a second time in three days. "My Mod is named Constellar Alignment. It's a Sealed Bath family, whatever that means."

"Ah, I see," Haleford confirmed. "Your Modus is one of the valued inherited Modi of the Orion Family- I believe they often refer to them as 'treasured arts.' As for your Modus's family... I had planned on saving this subject until later in the year, but I suppose I can explain now. In the modern era, as our understanding of Modi evolves, so to do our classifications of them; what was once a Bath family may now be reclassified... reclassified into one of many subfamilies.

"In reality, only a very small amount of Modi truly fall into their families; we now understand that the three families to consist of many subfamilies, with additional peculiarities that alter the function and activation of the core principals of a family. For example, Emanuel's Sealed Bath is a Bath family Modus. However, the subfamily of Sealed- which exists in all three families- indicates that the Modus is inaccessible under normal conditions, and that an additional set of requirements must be met in order for the Modus to properly activate. With these requirements unmet, the user is incapable of anything beyond basic haon reinforcement. Now, would you care to explain your Modus, so that we may be presented with an example?"

"Sure. Constellar Alignment lets me summon spirits, but only when I make a constellation out of Organion. The sucky part is that I have to be very precise with my constellations, down to the exact angles and lengths. The only upside is that the scale is not fixed, as long as it's consistent throughout the whole constellation. And the upside is that once I make a constellation, the spirits I get to summon are really, really damn strong. And they don't take a lot of haons to make. 'Course, that doesn't mean a lot when I can't make them to begin with."

"Hold on," Ken said, interrupting his transcription of Haleford's most recent lecture to his sister. "Couldn't you just, like, print out a paper with a constellation on it? And then just put Organion on the dots?"

"No, as much as I would love for it to be that easy. The way Organion works, for me at least, is that it envelops objects I stick it to. So I'd only be able to put Organion on the whole paper, and not each individual dot."

"Huh. Could you maybe put a bunch of pencils through the paper? And then put Organion on the pencils?"

"I..." Emanuel fell silent for a while. "Could I...?"

"It would appear," Haleford chuckled, "that the first person to assign you homework this semester was not me, but your friend Ken, Mister Martinez-Orion. You seem to have some independent study lined up for later tonight."

"I... do I? Why am I kinda excited about this?"

"I mean," Ken added, "if you can cheat out big spirits like that, that's a pretty big deal, right?"

"Hell yeah it is! I've been stuck using the easy ones, but now I might have a way to get out the real big hitters!"

"And that, dear students," Haleford clapped his hands, "is the exact reason you have all been invited to this school. For all your struggles, you have learned, and by virtue of your combined knowledge will you triumph over all obstacles! Excellent work, Ken and Emanuel. Now, I do believe we have one more introduction to make."

"Um... yeah, hi," Isabella waved meekly. "My Mod isn't all that. It's named Heartstrings, but my mom gave it that name. I'd rather call it something else, but I'm not good at naming things. It just makes lines on the ground, or in the air, and makes people follow them. It's kinda whatever. Oh, and it's a... Kettle? I dunno."

"Hmm..." Haleford thought to himself. "Is your number of these lines fixed? Or can you make a variable amount?"

"They're variable."

"Then I would believe that your Modus is a Kettle family. However, you- as Emanuel and Maria have hinted to prior- raise an important point. Your Modus, like many things about you, is inherited- at least, in part. Your morneum is a part of your body, and is constructed based upon your genealogy. Many of you have Modi inherited from members of your family- some of you, from your own immediate families, while others from distant relatives or ancestral lines.

"Such is the crux of the Orion Family's longstanding pedigree; rather than focus upon a notion of 'purity,' the Orions have long sought the most potent Modi and their most talented users, so that they may be added to the ranks of their family. Once a practice done to ensure the strength of a lineage in feudal times, the practice continues to this very day. Although many of the Orion Family's most valued Modi date back to its earliest generations, and are of great power of themselves, the family has not ceased in its search for the greatest Modi. On the topic, who here recalls all members of Orion's Belt?"

The classroom stared blankly.

"None of you? Truly?"

The classroom continued to stare blankly.

"Well, I believe education is in order. Orion's Belt are the three most powerful members of the Orion Family- a position that has existed since the earliest days of the family. The current three members are named Gabriel, Daniel, and of course Solomon Orion himself. Daniel's Modus has been kept hidden since his birth, but does anyone here- and I assume I know the answer- know the Modi of the other two members?"

Once again, the classroom stared blankly.

Haleford sighed. "Gabriel's Modus is gravity manipulation. It is a Kettle family modus that allows her to, understandably, manipulate the strength of the force of gravity. Solomon's Modus is named Aubade, and while its finer details are kept largely secret I have heard he possesses a power to manipulate the flow of time."

Ken raised his hand. "Is that going to be on the test," he asked in a half-joke.

"It would not have been, although I now fear it may need to be. To test a class on it would be akin to asking the details of a famous actor... but in this analogy, I am teaching an acting class, so perhaps it is not entirely inapt."

Ken winced, realizing he may have just given himself something else to study for.

Emanuel took a bite of his cafeteria gyro on the balcony of Mavella. It may come as a surprise that a school building has a balcony, but that would be because Mavella was not a school building- in truth, the school was a repurposed cathedral, the original headquarters of the Orion Family, decommissioned when they finished constructing their new cathedral. Seeing no reason to destroy such a historic building, the Orions had it, and the land surrounding it, repurposed into a large academic compound.

Emanuel took another bite. He couldn't tell if it was better or worse than his mom's cooking. She usually made food on the greasier side, and he wasn't used to this cleaner food they served in Roma. Even the pizza he had two days ago felt surprisingly healthy to eat. He was about to take another bite, but heard someone approaching him.

"Eating all by yourself, handsome?" Ken mocked playfully as he wound up to toss a can of soda.

"...What?" Emanuel said as he took a bite. The soda can sailed past him. The two leaned over the railing and watched it fall down. A couple passed by under the balcony, and leaned in to kiss. The can fell down and exploded next to them. One of the two girls screamed.

"...I didn't do that." Ken said.

"No, that was definitely you," Emanuel replied.

"No way! You didn't catch it, that's on you."

"My hands are full!" Emanuel laughed.

"Call it Slayer training. If you can catch a can, you can catch a claw."

The two laughed.

"I'm not paying you back for that soda by the way," Emanuel said as he caught his breath.

"I didn't expect you to."

The two paused awkwardly for a second, while Ken unpacked the spaghetti he'd gotten from the cafeteria. Emanuel continued to uncomfortably eat his gyro. Ken started eating in silence.

"Hey," Ken said suddenly to break the silence.

"What's up?" Emanuel asked, finishing his food.

"You ever thought about how Haonus is one letter off from Ho Anus?"

Emanuel sputtered the food in his mouth, and then laughed again. "No," he said after a while. "No, I can't say I have."

"I think about it. A lot."

"Yeah? You think about hoe anus al lot?"

"More than I probably should," Ken smirked at Emanuel. The two laughed.

"God damn man," Emanuel said as he laughed. "You're funny as fuck, man. I don't wanna be mean, but like... what's your deal?"

"What do you mean?" Ken asked with a mouthful of spaghetti.

"I mean," Emanuel's laughter slowed down to a stop. "You're just so... chill, like all the time. And you've defused every situation that's come up so far (my bad by the way). And I'm just like... how???"

"Yeah I'm a little uhhhhh... lobotomized," Ken laughed, pointing at his scars.

Emanuel laughed, and caught himself. "Shit, I shouldn't laugh, my bad."

"Nah don't worry about it, I'm not actually lobotomized... I think."

"How did... that happen, anyway."

"I got bit."

"Yeah, I mean like, what happened."

"A Feeder bit me."

"I mean... not to pry, but is there anything else to the story?"

"Nah, not really. I got in a fight, and a Feeder bit my head, then Isonade bit the Feeder. Food chain type beat."

"Food chain type beat."

The two laughed as Ken finished his spaghetti.

"I'll tell you about it one of these days," Ken said as he threw his wrappers away.

"Hm?"

"Why I'm so smooth and awesome and the best guy ever."

"Sure pal, whatever you say."

"Seriously, I'll tell you someday."

"What happened to the guy that was so ready to spill his family drama two days ago?"

"Well, that's because it's not that interesting of a story. But I gotta stay quirky and mysterious, y'know."

"Again: whatever you say."

The two laughed as they went to their next classes.