Powerful commoners were treated with respect and fear once they graduated from the Academy, however, whilst they remained in its walls, they were kept unknown. The Nobility simply existed in complete ignorance of the commoners until they graduated from the Early Stages, which lasted for the first 8 years of their schooling, at the age of 13, they would all enter the High Academy. There, they would all be taught just as they were before, but all students would have the freedom to roam beyond the walls of the Academy. The stakes were also raised, and there was a possibility of losing one's life in battle at this stage of their education. They tended to have a few mishaps every year, and at least one death per year.
Isla, Penny and Theo were still in the Early Stages, and thus, Augustus was the only Noble who spoke to them properly. They still played with everyone, thanks to Augustus, who seemed to command everyone around him. However, Isla had caught another Noble's eye, Princess Genevieve began talking to her more frequently since the pairing and tended to be weary of her.
The training of the pairs occurred in small groups, largely due to a lack of educators for individual trainers. The Royals were all in one group, Isla, Penny, Augustus and Theo were in one group, and all the groups were made based on power rather than age. While Isla's power was a few tiers higher than those around her, it was most even to her three friends. Miss Elia also was aware that Augustus was very friendly with these three commoners and knew he was safe to pair with them. She knew how dangerous it could become for children if high society caught a whiff of three commoner children being more powerful than most Nobles.
Their training began with strengthening the connection they held with their pair. Their teacher, Madam Tremaine, was a renowned scientist who had dedicated her life to studying the magic between a human and their pair. She was, of course, a magician, whose pair was a beautiful black hawk that transformed into a unicorn of darkness.
"Your connection with your pair is the most important thing in your life now, it will define how your power will grow and if you can control it. There are five aspects to this connection. Initially, it is the 'pair bond' that is created at the Fountain of Peace, however, this will be the most superficial of the first aspect. This aspect is resonance. Your resonance should, when deepened to its full length, be able to expand beyond galaxies and realms. You should be able to communicate regardless of where you are or your pair is." She explained. "To build this connection you have to basically become soulmates, and I mean that literally. You both must bare your souls, your memories, your wants, needs and hopes, every single thought you have ever had, good or bad, everything has to be united. There can be no walls, no secrets, no distrust. You must give yourself over to your pair and they must give themself to you."
She paused and stared at the four students in front of her. "Well, all of your pairs have experienced this bond at least once before in recorded history. However, no one but they know how deep it has gone, how powerful it was. I would love to know, of course, if any of you were open to sharing what your bonds were..." Curiosity gleamed in her eyes, hoping one would open up.
All of the creatures were in their full forms, which meant Alexander's dominant aura was completely unleashed. All the other creatures would take cues from him, only once he made a decision could they make one. Isla's deep blue eyes stared into Alexander's golden ones. She wanted to know about him. She felt his sigh rumble through the ground and he began to speak.
"There are indeed 5 aspects. I have only paired with one human, and our bond was completely open, even after he passed from the world. As you said, the bond goes beyond realms, which means it extends beyond death, however, a soul eventually is reborn." He turned to Isla, a silence weighing on them all. "Well, we're here to speak the truth, I cannot ever be paired with another soul. The same as the other pairs here, your souls are that of the best in the world. Only one was reborn into the same family because souls are not bound by blood. However, we have to rebuild the bonds we had, because souls change with every body they are in. But our bonds are already stronger than those around you."
Isla nodded, letting her brain soak what she had heard. Madam Tremaine noted everything she heard Alexander say, her eyes wide. This information was unknown to her, although this was not the first time a pre-existing pair had happened, they had never revealed known this about souls. "How interesting!" She squeaked, as they all turned to her. "Well, the other 4 aspects are: Compatability, Power Merge, Teleportative Connection and Comfort. They all sound similar but they serve completely different purposes. Compatability is how you use your powers and how your values align, it's more than sharing information, it's how you put everything into practice. I've seen pairs with strong bonds but no compatibility, which meant they could never work together. Power Merge will happen when you are ready, your powers and your pair's powers will come together in harmony and you will be able to become one creature. Once you are able to do this, you can both begin using each other's powers interchangeably. You will start being able to become one. Teloportative Connection is pretty much how much you want to be near each other and care for each other, if it is strong, you will be able to immediately appear next to the other when you want to be with them. You can immediately go to each other when called. Finally, Comfort. This one is dependent on respect, if you both respect each other wholeheartedly, and you respect every boundary and every aspect of the other being, you will reach Comfort. This will be the apex of your relationship and everything else will fall into place once you achieve this."
Theo raised his hand, wanting to ask a question. "Um, Madam Tremaine, what happens if you can't achieve any of these?" He asked.
"Well, you'll simply be unfulfilled. You will be half a person for the rest of your life, and to be honest, most magicians I know have not met all 5 aspects with their pairs. However, not achieving some of these aspects is fatal to both. If you are soulmates at first, but that disappears completely due to mistrust or lies, your human soul will begin to disappear, and that would mean, based on what I've learned today, your pair will never be able to find another pair again. If you fail at Power Merge, you both will die. However, the others just mean you will be uncomfortable and likely unhappy." Her response was dry but made every student feel some fear.
"Anyways, today will be focusing on the first aspect, your bond. While you can share all your secrets with words, you already have a bridge into each other's memories. Of course, it will a very long time to go through every single one, so let your brains reveal the ones that matter. Close your eyes and make sure your hands and some part of your human forehead is touching your pair. Now enter a meditative state with me, let yourself feel, close your eyes and feel the wind..." Her calm voice lulled them all, letting them concentrate.
The wind and air, the birds, everything seemed to be still as they entered their bond. They all seemed to hold their breaths, excited by what they might see.