The next day, Alan and Williams rose before sunrise, ready to commence their practice. To their surprise and joy, all four of their roommates also joined them.
"Well, Al, Wil, I still have the same feeling," Dave said seriously, and the remaining three nodded in agreement. The two boys looked at each other, then smiled.
"Okay, then let's start," Alan said, leading everyone outside the dorm and to the training area this time. Since it was early in the morning, hardly anyone had arrived.
They formed a wide circle, and Williams began explaining, "Before starting any combat skills, you have to properly stretch your body. Without flexibility, you cannot execute many of the moves." Then he and Alan began stretching, instructing their roommates to follow suit.
Though it seemed simple, once they began stretching, their entire bodies protested. Many muscles and tendons, previously unnoticed, started to ache.
After 15 minutes of stretching, the four sat down sweating, their whole bodies aching. "It's so hard. How can you two still stand as if you had not done anything?" Ben asked.
Williams shrugged and said, "Practice. Do it daily, and you'll be surprised by the results in a couple of weeks."
They repeated the same set of stretches three times that day before the four boys were completely exhausted.
By that time, many students had arrived and commenced their practice. Observing these six stretching, several students shook their heads in disappointment, seemingly viewing it as a waste of time at the training ground. However, these boys paid no heed to others' opinions.
Having witnessed Alan and Williams' abilities firsthand, they were confident in their mentors' ability to help them become strong.
Returning to their dorms exhausted, they laid on their beds for a few minutes. Once ready, they proceeded to the dining area, filling their plates—Alan and Williams opting for double the quantity of others. The four boys now understood the reason behind the duo's hearty appetite and helped themselves to second servings.
After their meal, everyone attended their classes, except for Alan and Williams, who went to the headmaster's office.
"Ah, come in, lads," Stan smiled. "Alan, accompany Williams to the Arts section of the academy. I've already informed the masters there of your circumstances."
"Williams, attend all the classes there for the next month with Alan. Once you find any subject interesting, we'll include that in your curriculum along with Master Harry's training. He has something big planned for you two, but it won't commence until the start of the second year. Until then, organize the subjects you're interested in."
"After deciding on your chosen subjects, you may start attending advanced healing classes at the Healing section of the academy—after taking a test, of course."
"We have one of the biggest libraries here inside the academy. Many of the books are only accessible to the masters. I'll also start guiding your advanced learning from the next educational year. So, for the next six months, try to do whatever you want and learn whatever you can. I think Evelyn was right. There's no point in keeping you inside the academy for years and trying to teach you like others here," Stan explained.
You both can now train at a private hall inside the masters' training ground in the morning and in the evening before dinner time.
Before you take your leave, Master Harry had these exact words for you two: "Ask those wool heads to bring their determined roommates with them to train. If they can survive their training routine for the next six months, I will consider taking them in as well." The boys looked stunned for a moment and then grinned so wide that even Stan smiled to see their expressions. They bowed deeply to the headmaster, thanked him, and turned to leave.
"I won't inform the other four about Harry's words; it might put additional pressure on them," Stan said thoughtfully. Both of them nodded in agreement and left.