It was the last day of the year. The sun was almost at its zenith, shining through the nearby trees. That however was a rare sight to Edric, a man who had just been released from prison. Edric was a slim black-haired man in his thirties. He was standing at its entrance marveled at his surroundings watching the casual car passing by through the road in front of him. Steps could be heard from behind him which stopped just a few inches from Edric. A voice followed:

* Until we meet again. And we will meet again, mark my words!

Edric didn’t answer nor moved to meet the source of the voice because he knew it belonged to one of the guards that escorted him to the outside world. A few seconds later, Edric started walking through the sidewalk very slowly with both hands in his pockets as if enjoying every single step he took as a free man. He then raised his right arm and waved without looking back to the guard that was still watching Edric go away.

After almost half an hour of walking, Edric finally reached his apartment in the center of the city. It was small but it had everything that Edric could possibly need. As he entered, he noticed how everything was still exactly the same as he left it those many years ago. Edric then sat on his sofa in the living room with his arms wide open while looking at the ceiling. “I’ve missed this!”, he thought to himself. Right after, Edric was startled by a noise coming from his bedroom which made him jump from the sofa.

* Who’s there? – Edric nervously asked.

No answer as he proceeded slowly to the bedroom. Upon reaching it, Edric hastily opened his bedroom door and entered. An unknown man with a scar in his left eye wearing a black suit and gloves could be seen sitting on his bed looking towards him.

* Finally! You sure took your sweet time! – the man said slightly annoyed.

* Who the hell are you and what are you doing here!? – Edric raised his voice.

The man didn’t answer and instead stood up and walked towards Edric. He had a letter in one of his hands which he handed to Edric.

* This here is the official invitation to the PTA, short for Paragon Training Academy. Anyway, it’s not like you need one as you are obliged to enter. – the man alleged.

* Are you talking about the contract? But so soon? – Edric questioned.

* Yes, of course. Your sentence was shortened in half for the sole purpose of you joining our academy. – the man stated.

* So I’ve heard. But what are you doing here? Couldn’t you just send me the letter and be on your way? – Edric inquired.

The man started pulling up his sleeves while he continued:

* Well, that is because we need to leave right now, it’s a long journey. So if you’ll excuse me…

As he was finishing his sentence, the man punched Edric so fast and meticulously that Edric had no time to either defend or dodge and got instantly knocked out.

A few hours later, Edric woke up on the floor of an unknown room all by himself as far as he could tell.

Edric slowly began to stand up and started to look around. The room was completely empty and had four windows and a door that Edric immediately went for but only to realize that it was locked. He then checked the windows to at least figure out his location, but to no avail. He was on the third floor of a building so jumping out was not an option.

From one side of the windows, nothing but a forest could be seen. There was no such forest near the city where he lives, so Edric assumed he was too far away from where he came from. On the other side, a huge courtyard could be seen and even some people walking at their own paces. Edric decided to ask for help seeing as he was locked in that room.

* Hey! Over here! Help! Anyone! – he shouted.

            Edric tried to get anyone’s attention but nobody even looked in his direction. Maybe they didn’t hear him or just ignored him. Suddenly, a woman phased through one of the walls as if it was made of water.

* Shut your mouth, boy! – she ordered.

Edric was caught by surprise and backed away from her by instinct almost falling to the ground.

* You’re a… Paragon too? – Edric asked.

* Everyone’s here a Paragon, boy! Our objective here is to research and help us control the powers you’ve… we’ve acquired. – she answered.

Now that the initial fright had passed, Edric noticed the woman who was standing before him. She had long blue hair that was undulating in the air as if not affected by gravity. Probability related to her power, he thought.

* So… why am I locked in here? I assume I’m at the PTA. – Edric inquired.

* Yes, we’re at the PTA. As for why you were locked, that is neither my concern nor my doing. You should be at the Orientation Program at this precise moment so my dear superiors made me look for you as if I didn’t have anything better to do. – she angrily answered – So begone, boy! The Orientation Program is at the end of the courtyard, the door closest to its right.

* What about the door…? – Edric nervously asked while pointing at the closed door.

She stared at him for a few seconds as if murdering him with her eyes and headed hastily to the door. Upon its arrival, the woman kicked the door as if it was nothing breaking its lock and screamed:

* JUST… GO!

Edric didn’t dare to answer and just rushed to the door and through the stairs that led to the ground floor and into the courtyard.

After going through the said courtyard, Edric reached the door that the woman had mentioned before. He slowly opened it and entered a very large enclosed space, similar to a sports facility. There was a large group of people near the center so Edric decided to go in their direction.

* Is this where the Orientation Program is? – Edric asked.

A bulky man with a tattoo in his right arm headed confidently in his direction.

* Well, well, well! Our newest celebrity! Late as if he’s more important than the rest of us. – the man mockingly said.

* Celebrity? You’re surely mistaking me for someone else. Regardless, save your teases for someone who cares, you didn’t answer my question. – Edric replied as he also approached the man.

Some laughs could be heard in the background. This pissed off the man even further.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

* You motherf… - the man clenched his fists and pulled his arm backwards as if he was ready to punch Edric.

* Enough, Vinny! – a voice was heard coming from the entrance of the facility.

Everyone looked in the voice’s direction. It came from the woman with blue hair that Edric had met before. Vinny, the bulky man, immediately stopped and backed away from Edric without saying a single word.

* Already making friends, are we boy? – the woman asked Edric mockingly as she approached the group.

Edric winked at her and smiled.

* Anyway, is everyone here then? Great, let’s proceed. – she continued.

* I’m Aria, your official, and direct superior. Any order, regardless of its difficulty, will be neither questioned nor discussed and it will be completed without fail and before the estimated time of its completion. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in heavy penalties that will make you regret ever setting foot in this academy.

Nobody dared to comment as Aria emanated an intimidating aura that gave shivers to everyone in that group. She kept talking for a while about the regulations of the academy and even gave them a tour around almost the entire premises. From the cantina to the gym where people could train their bodies. There were also areas for training specific kinds of Paragon’s powers. Their last stop was the dormitories.

* And finally, we’ve reached the dormitories where you will be staying for the rest of your stay here. Your roommates will be decided by your superiors and, again, it will NOT be questioned by the likes of you. – Aria continued – You’ll now have an hour of free time before going to your first training session in the main courtyard with another mentor. Now begone!

Edric had no idea where to go or what to do, but before he even decided, a man with both red hair and eyes approached him. He had a scar around the entirety of his neck as if his head was detached from his body at some point. Edric didn’t see that man in the Orientation Program so he assumed he was not one of the new guys like him.

* A pleasure to meet your acquaintance. – the man greeted as he slightly bowed.

* – he bowed back – I’m Edric.

* I know. I’m Jaren. – he replied.

* How do y…? Also back there, that guy, Vinny I think, claimed I was some sort of celebrity? – Edric curiously inquired.

* Hahah! You really are clueless, aren’t you? – Jaren laughed – Gossip here moves fast, you know. And a guy that comes from prison is not a common thing over here. Even less if he didn’t finish his full sentence. So now you tell me. Everyone knows why you went to jail, but why did you leave early though? What’s so special about you, uh?

* I… I don’t know… I had a sentence of 18 years but I signed a contract that would let me leave after the first 9 years if I joined the PRCA and, to be honest, it was an easy choice for me. – Edric answered.

* Fair enough. I’m sure you’re still keeping secrets but it’s okay, we’ve just met after all. – Jaren said.

Edric did not answer anything back.

* Anyway, I’ve been here for three years now, so if you need anything, just hit me up. My dorm number is 312. Beware of my roommate though. He is a bit… different. – Jaren waved goodbye as he was leaving.

Edric just walked through the premises until it was time for the training session and then headed to the courtyard.

When he arrived, there was no one in the courtyard but him. Edric was already starting to believe he had mistaken the courtyard as there were many of them but he then noticed someone coming in the distance. It was the same man in a suit that had knocked Edric out at his own house after delivering the invitation to the academy.

* That eager to start your training, uh? – the man said with a smile on his face.

* YOU! – Edric shouted clearly angered.

* Yes! I love the hate in your eyes! That’s it, that’s what I want! – he answered still maintain his mocking smile.

Meanwhile, some people were slowly entering the courtyard in small groups, which Edric recognized the majority from the Orientation. The man in a suit simply ignored Edric and turned to the newly formed group in front of him.

* Welcome, my friends, to your first training session! I am Eezo, your mentor. I’m specialized in mental Paragon powers. But today, you’ll be performing a diagnostic test to check the current level of your abilities. – he said.

Edric was relieved that Eezo announced who he was before he had done something that he would’ve regretted. It was not because he was afraid of his new mentor but because he didn’t want to get expelled and return to prison.

* I’ve noticed a lot of new faces with us today. Some very eager… - Eezo looked in Edric’s direction – But also some “veterans” who love my classes so much that they make sure they attend them every year. – the mentor now looked at a group of three people that were standing a bit further away from the main group.

Some laughs were heard in the background.

* This is a prestigious academy where only the best can even think of attending! – Eezo continued – So I only care about the best results, weaklings will be leaving faster than they can say “I’ve entered”. These “veterans” we have with us today are only here because they excel in other areas, even though if it was up to me, they would get kicked out either way.

Surprisingly, this time nobody replied or laughed at that, everyone just kept quiet as if getting mocked was a common thing. And maybe it was, Edric thought.

* Only the best, with one exception, of course. We have a criminal amidst us. Please, come introduce yourself to your new friends. – Eezo signaled Edric to come closer.

Edric approached his mentor nervously and turned around to face the group.

* I’m… Edric. A pleasure to meet you all.

* Is it now? We shall see! I want everyone to gather in groups of three. Does anyone want to join up with our star Edric? – Eezo asked with his almost permanent grin.

Nobody answered and just kept separating themselves into the requested groups of three.

* A pleasure, indeed. – Eezo winked at Edric.

After a few minutes, every group was formed while Edric just stayed next to Eezo.

* You and… you! Leave that group and come join your new best friend Edric. – Eezo pointed at both a woman and a man seemingly at random.

* But… - the woman replied.

Eezo instantly stopped smiling for the first time since Edric met him and just stared at her. She said no other word and kept walking towards him, followed by the other group member. Both were wearing casual clothes. The man had bright blue eyes that almost looked like they were shining and the girl had long gray hair with no particular feature that stood out, apart from the fact she didn’t look friendly.

* Introduce yourselves to each other, if you would be so kind. – the mentor ordered.

* I’m Edric. – he greeted the woman while bringing his arm forward.

Eezo got really close to Edric’s ear back again with his usual smile.

* Not a pleasure to meet her then? Ahahah! – Eezo whispered.

* Yeah, sure. – the woman answered Edric with no enthusiasm and ignored his greeting – I’m Nia.

* And I’m Mitt. – the man grabbed Edric’s hand and shook his hand in Nia’s place – I got you!

* Lovely! Now back to your places, it’s time to explain your first tasks! – Eezo raised his voice.

Everyone retreated to their original position and paid attention.