The children woke up an hour later. It took them another half an hour to freshen up, change into their gym clothes, and gather on the grounds. Once they had all assembled, they were divided into groups of ten, each under the supervision of a teacher. They began with a warm-up and then did basic exercises like jumping jacks and skipping before being instructed to jog.
Soon, the children started to tire. When they were at their limits, the bell rang, and everyone stopped and sat on the ground. Lucas and one of his new classmates, Ben, were in the same group, so they started chatting.
Ben said, "Lucas, don't you think this is too much for kids our age?"
Lucas replied, "I'm tired but not that much."
Ben asked, "What are your parents' Innate Talents?"
Lucas said, "Mom and Grandma have the same Innate Talent, Coalescence."
Seeing Ben's curious expression, Lucas explained, "They can fuse with their beasts. Although I haven't witnessed it myself, I'm sure that Mom would look very cool after fusing with Rasst."
Ben rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He said, "So it's a physical Innate Talent. Then it makes sense that you're not that tired."
Lucas asked, "How so?"
Ben replied, "My dad works in a lab."
Lucas asked, "Your dad is a Spirit Guide?"
Ben said, "Yeah, he is a Low Grade Silver Spirit Guide. He told me that our Innate Talents are hereditary. There are exceptions, but most are. They affect us even before we awaken them. So, it makes sense that you have a stronger physique because both your mother and grandmother have the same physical talent. It's possible your family has been awakening this Innate Talent for multiple generations now. What about your father? What is his Innate Talent?"
Lucas said, "I don't know. I've never met him."
Ben said, "Oh, I'm sorry."
Lucas replied, "It's fine."
While they were talking, the teacher in charge of their group said, "Guys, listen to me. This is a Mortal Grade Veria Potion." She showed them a small vial with a translucent green liquid.
She continued, "Each and every one of you will receive a vial now. Drink it, and you won't feel as tired. Come on."
All the teachers were having similar conversations with their groups. Veria Potions were nutrient potions that ensured no student was overworking themselves. They allowed Bloom Academy to push its students to the limit without harming their foundation or affecting them negatively.
After the students had received and consumed their Veria Potions, they moved on to yoga to work on their flexibility. The reason they were given the Veria Potions before yoga was so their bodies could absorb the nutrients more efficiently. After the bell rang, contrary to the children's expectations, they were not dead tired.
Lucas met up with the kids he had made plans with, and they went to the library. Fortunately, there were directions and guides everywhere, so they didn't get lost. Otherwise, it would have been a nightmare.
When they entered the library, Lucas was hit by a wave of scents—old books and wood. There were no old books in the library, at least it didn't seem like there were, so he couldn't figure out how they had managed to imitate that smell perfectly.
They approached the librarian, a kind old man.
They greeted him together, "Good afternoon, Sir."
The old man smiled and replied, "Good afternoon, children. How can I help you?"
Lucas said, "Sir, we're looking for some books."
The old man said, "If you just want to read them here, you can do that right away. But if you want to borrow a book, you need a library card. It's 1BP per month. Do you want a library card?"
Lucas looked at his companions, and they all nodded.
He looked back at the old man and said, "Yes, we do."
The old man said, "Then please give me your ID cards for a moment."
The trio handed him their ID cards, which he inserted into a machine. There was a beep, and the librarian returned their ID cards to them.
He said, "You're all set now. 1BP will be deducted from your accounts every month automatically unless you cancel the payment. And now that you have library cards, you are eligible for the contest in the library."
One of Lucas's companions, Jace, asked, "What contest?"
Lucas's other companion, Annie, said, "This must be the surprise Teacher was talking about."
The trio looked curiously at the old man.
The old man stroked his beard and said, "You can see there are many shelves in this library, right?"
The trio nodded.
He continued, "Once you choose a book from a shelf, you have two weeks. Within those two weeks, you can take a test. The syllabus will include all the books on that shelf."
Jace looked fired up and asked, "If it's a contest…"
Lucas, just as excited, finished his sentence, "…there must be rewards."
The old man chuckled and said, "There are. For every test you take, you can receive up to two graces and a substantial amount of BP, depending on your score. As the difficulty rises, so will the rewards. The reward for getting full marks on the test of the shelf with the most difficult books is 100 graces."
The trio knew that graces were precious, but obtaining them by doing their favorite thing? Were they in heaven?
Seeing their excitement, the old man could practically hear their thoughts. He said, "Don't think the tests will be easy just because you're kids. There is a reason graces are included in the reward."
Lucas said, "That is even better."
Annie said, "I feel the same. It has been a long time since I had to study for a test."
Jace also said, "Me too."
The old man found the kids very adorable, looking all fired up like that.They reminded him of his own granddaughter's childhood. She was also just like them. Maybe it was because of his family's Innate Talent, she also never had to study for tests at her regular school.
He thought, 'I'll give her a call, see how she is doing.'