Trent gathered all ten of us together.

The dorm had been locked down and sealed so that we could have this discussion with as much privacy as possible.

“Some of you already know what I’m about to tell you, but a lot of you don’t.” He looked over at where Ren and Oz were sitting together. Ether was sitting next to me and almost across from them in the circle. Rix was on my left, much to the disappointment of Gesai, who was standing next to Trent. Fray was to Ether’s right and Ren’s left, while after Rix it went Aelin, then Justia.

“What I’m about to tell you will potentially mark you for life.” He looked at Gesai, then Oz, then Ren, and finally Fray. “It’s a big secret to keep, but we believe that we can trust you.”

He let the suspense build. "Atlas is special in many ways. First, his class is not Caster, but Hero. He has a seal on his chest that will mask his true class and stats to anyone who is Tier Five or lower.” He waited to let that sink in.

Gesai’s eyes were wide as she realized just how close to the truth she had been. She looked at me and smiled. I smiled back at her.

Oz raised her hand. “What’s the big deal about the Hero class?”

“The big deal is that the Hero class is specifically tuned to kill demons…” Rix waited for a moment. "And Gods.”

I swallowed and tried not to take it as a threat. I knew she was on my side, but it felt strange realizing that she was one of the biggest things that could kill me. In fact, something that was made specifically to kill me was training beside me. If Rix ever did decide to take me out, I had no doubt, I wouldn’t stand a chance against her.

“So he gets rid of the bad apples.” Oz shrugged, “Why is that a problem?”

“If you’re a bad apple, would you want to break the knife while it’s small and brittle, or once it gets sharp and hardened?” I let the analogy sink in. "Basically, they know they’re going to get deposed if they let me level, so they’ll try to kill me while I’m in the lower Tiers before I can become a threat to them.

“Oh.” Oz looked at me with pity I think was the emotion. It may have been sadness though, I couldn’t tell.

“There are two more big things to discuss. First is that we’re going to tell everyone that he is my secret lovechild. This will stop any rumors wondering why he can do any of the amazing things he’ll do.”

Aelin raised her eyebrow and leaned forward to look at me. "There was some truth to that huh?”

“Trent has sort of adopted me." I looked around. "So it’s not really a lie, we’re just fudging the biological aspect.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Do you have any secret love children?” Aelin looked at Trent.

The old man chuckled. "Not that I know of.”

He pointed at Rix. "There is also an issue with Rix. We know that during times of stress, you can awaken familial abilities which can change your class.”

Everyone looked at Rix

She didn’t answer any of the questions that got rapid fired at her.

“She is also a Hero.” Trent sighed. "So she has to have a mark now to cover that.”

“Wait!” Aelin stood up. "Does this mean that we’re all eventually going to get the Hero class?”

“I don’t know.” Trent took a deep breath. "I’ve only seen a Hero once and that was at their public execution almost a hundred years ago.” He looked around the room. "I’m asking for you to help cover for them. And I would really like it if you enter into a contract to keep you from revealing this information accidentally.”

Gesai stepped forward and put her hand out. "I’ll do it”

I put my hand out. "I’ll do it again.” There was something else that needed to be kept a secret, and I wasn’t immune to interrogation.

That prompted Rix, Ether, Justia, and Aelin to put their hands out too. Oz was next, followed by Ren. Fray was the only one who hadn’t put out her hand. And everyone was watching her.

“Will it hurt?” Fray looked around the room.

“Not as much as the first one we did.” I mumbled under my breath.

“What about the rest of our team?” Oz looked around. "There’s only me and Ren right now.”

“What about Jord?” Ren offered.

“Jord will be coming here, but not on this team.” Trent looked at Gesai. "He experienced mana overload from channeling so many high level crystals for summoning. He’ll need to detox, but since this was his first time, he should be good in about a month. I believe Miss Reder will be taking him on her secondary team.”

“There are more secondary teams?” Aelin exclaimed.

“We’re expanding all the teams to have secondary teams.” The old man turned back to us. "As for the rest of the Green team, I’ve already received requests from Nobles from the neighboring cities that this Cathedral supports. While I’m hesitant to add more Nobility to our team, I believe that not doing so right now will be seen as a huge favoritism towards Harror.”

Three of us were from Zeb and now there would be four from Harror. That meant almost three quarters of our new team would be from just two cities.

“Gesai and I will work out which of the cities we won’t be including and once we do, we’ll head to each one to sift through the candidates. And the rest of you will work on your dungeon clears. I’m told the other teams here are already on the third floor.”

“They’re already level three?” I didn’t think we’d been gone that long. But I was level three, so I guessed it was possible.

“No, they’re progressing up floors for better experience.” Trent yawned. "But it’s been a long day, and I’m sure all of you could use the rest.”

The older Caster began weaving the sealing spell in between us. It only took a moment to take hold, then the light was gone.

“Now get some sleep.” Trent touched Gesai’s shoulder and the two of them walked out of the room.

We moved the chairs back to our desks and went to our beds. Ether climbed in next to me and I realized just how much I’d missed having her sleeping with her head on my chest. I closed my eyes. Everything was going to be alright.