Then, just as suddenly, she straightened, a smirk creeping onto her lips.
"Alright, back to business!" she announced, clapping her hands together. "We've covered the history. Now, let's talk about the present—powers, espers, and what makes you all special."
The students leaned in, their attention hooked. Even Troy, who had spent most of the lesson casually lounging, found himself paying full attention.
"Natural-born espers have some fundamental abilities," Irina began. "Telekinesis, force field creation—these are the basics. Any fledgling esper learns these first. But as they grow, their abilities start to take shape. No two espers are exactly alike. Personality, emotions, even past experiences—all of these influence the way an esper's power manifests."
Her gaze shifted toward the director, Noel Thirst, who had been standing silently by her side.
"Now, the Director here will showcase one of these shapes."
Noel's brows lifted slightly. He almost mouthed the words, I wasn't informed of this.
Irina smirked and nudged him, subtly pointing at the clock on the wall as if to remind him they were on schedule. Noel exhaled through his nose, his shoulders sinking slightly in resignation.
With a sigh, he reached into his coat and pulled out a familiar object—a hilt.
Troy immediately recognized it. The same weapon Noel had shown last time, an empty hilt with no blade. But this time, something was different.
A crackle filled the air.
Bright blue sparks danced across the hilt, flickering and snapping like tiny bolts of lightning. Slowly, the energy stretched outward, shaping itself into something more.
An electric katana.
The energy solidified, crackling with violent intensity. It hummed with power, a blade of pure electricity buzzing as if eager to be unleashed. The glow reflected in Noel's cold blue eyes, his expression remaining composed as he held the weapon with practiced ease.
Troy's jaw nearly dropped.
"That's so damn cool!"
The weapon wasn't just for show. The energy coursing through it looked dangerous, alive, as though a single misstep would cause it to lash out with lethal force.
"The Director here is an electrokinetic," Irina explained, motioning for Noel to dispel the weapon. With a flick of his wrist, the electricity dispersed, vanishing back into nothingness. He sheathed the hilt inside his coat as if it had never existed.
"The same way there are electrokinetics, there are three more elemental esper types," Irina continued, counting on her fingers. "Pyrokinesis, geokinesis, and vector shaping—a highly advanced form of telekinesis, used by Lux to float. These represent some of the more refined abilities espers can develop."
Troy leaned back, processing everything. Different branches of power, huh? He looked at Noel with newfound respect. The ability to turn electricity into a sword… that was next-level.
"But," Irina said, drawing attention back to her, "potency, range, and refinement of powers all depend on the individual. And there is one more factor that separates the strongest natural-born espers from the rest…"
She turned toward a student sitting among them.
"Celia, dear, would you come up here?"
Celia, a young girl with blonde hair, sighed as she stood up. Her amber eyes flicked toward Irina before she gave a small nod.
"This is Celia. She is a pyrokinetic," Irina introduced, gesturing for her to demonstrate.
Celia extended her hand, and in an instant, a small flame flickered to life in her palm. It was blue, almost gentle in its wavering glow.
"She's still in training," Irina explained. "Without any mental commands, her flame remains small. But watch closely."
Celia looked a little embarrassed at the small size of the flame, but before she could react, Troy—ever the menace—began mimicking a cheerleader, pretending to chant and wave invisible pom-poms.Celia shot him a glare.
"Alright, dear," Irina said, ignoring the antics. "Use it."
Celia rolled her eyes, reaching into the side bag strapped to her waist. She pulled out something small—a mint candy.
Troy raised a brow. Candy?
As soon as she popped it into her mouth, the change was immediate.
The tiny blue flame erupted.
A massive burst of fire surged from her palm, growing in an instant to the size of two human heads. The blue flames roared, their heat palpable even from a distance. The sheer intensity of it forced a few students to lean back, eyes wide. The flames twisted and danced with life, as though fueled by something far more than just Celia's control.
Troy blinked. What the hell just happened?
Irina smiled knowingly.
"And this, my dear students, is both the greatest strength and the greatest weakness of natural-born espers."
She paced in front of them, hands clasped behind her back.
"Esper abilities start manifesting from an early age. And at that age, our brains are immature. The things we like, the things we fear, the objects we find comfort in—all of these can unconsciously influence the way our powers develop."
She gestured to Celia.
"Celia here loved candy as a child. And that love formed into something deeper—a mental pact. The moment she tastes sugar, her abilities skyrocket in intensity."
Troy's eyes widened. That's a thing?
"Our likes and dislikes may change as we grow older, but the mental pact remains the same," Irina continued. "For many natural-born espers, their greatest strengths are linked to these childhood imprints. However, this can also be a limitation. If a mental pact requires a trigger—like sugar, in Celia's case—then an esper may struggle to reach full power without it."
Celia extinguished her flames, taking a deep breath as she folded her arms.
Troy grinned at her. "So basically, you're a sugar-powered flamethrower?"
Celia shot him a withering glare. "Shut up, Troy."
Irina chuckled before turning serious.
"Understanding your own mental pacts and how your powers shape is crucial. Some espers are lucky—developing abilities without restrictions. Others must work around their imprints, finding ways to either break through their mental barriers or turn them into advantages."
Her sunglasses glinted under the classroom lights.
"And that, my dears, is what separates weak espers from the truly unstoppable ones."
The room was silent for a moment as the weight of her words settled over them.
Troy, however, was still staring at Celia, his lips twitching.
"So… do you carry a candy stash everywhere, or…?"
Celia groaned.
"But this is where you come in."
Madam Irina turned, pointing directly at the four new students—Troy, Lux, Celia, and the silent, brooding Alexis.
"Unlike natural-born espers, your limits are unknown," she said, her voice taking on a serious edge. "Your abilities didn't manifest as children, meaning you never formed a mental pact at an impressionable age. Your minds are mature, your experiences broader. And theoretically—" she smirked, "—this means you can bypass the limitations that natural-born espers struggle with."
Troy blinked, straightening up a little.
Irina gestured toward Celia. "Take her, for example. Her flames are undeniably powerful, but they rely on a childhood imprint—sugar. Without it, her firepower is average at best."
Celia crossed her arms, looking away with a slight pout.
"But you four? You don't have that handicap. Instead of being bound by a mental pact, you can form one—consciously, deliberately. And because your minds are fully developed, your pact can be much stronger, allowing your abilities to reach greater potency and firepower than most natural-born espers could ever hope for."
The room went quiet for a moment as the weight of her words sank in.
Troy rubbed his chin. "So… let me get this straight," he said. "We can basically choose our power boosts?"
"Exactly," Irina confirmed. "With enough training and mental reinforcement, you can imprint anything into your psyche as a power enhancer. It could be an action, an object, a phrase—whatever works for you."
Troy's mind raced. If this was true, then he wasn't just limited to inheriting power. He could shape it, enhance it, maybe even go beyond what normal espers were capable of.
Lux, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, her voice calm but intrigued. "Has anyone done this before?"
Irina nodded. "A few. Some of the strongest recorded espers in history were late bloomers . although fundamentally an artificially made esper and a natural born late blooming esper maybe different, Sergei Volkov, for example,was the most famous latebloomer"
The moment she said his name, the air seemed to shift.
"He created his own mental pact," she continued. "Pain. Every time he felt pain, his power grew stronger. He trained his mind to associate agony with amplification, and by the time he reached the battlefield, he was practically unstoppable. "But—" Irina's smirk faded, her expression turning serious. "—there's more to Sergei Volkov's pact than what history books say. Most people only know the surface of it—how he grew stronger through pain. But the truth is, no one really knows how far his pact extended… or what it turned him into."
A heavy silence followed.
Troy frowned. "What do you mean?"
Irina simply chuckled. "That's something you'll have to find out on your own."
Troy felt a chill run down his spine. No wonder he was so terrifying.
Irina's lips curled into a devilish grin. "So, dear students, the real question is… what will you choose?"
Irina leaned back slightly, her sharp gaze scanning the four newcomers.
"Now, I should make one thing clear," she said, her voice taking on a weighty tone. "Late-bloomers—espers who awaken their powers later in life—are extremely rare. Less than one in a thousand espers fall into this category. Most people either develop their abilities in childhood or never awaken them at all."
Troy, Lux, Celia, and Alexis exchanged glances.
"The reason?" Irina continued. "Instinct. Natural-born espers grow alongside their abilities, learning to use them as naturally as breathing. Late bloomers, on the other hand, awaken their powers when their minds are already set—which is why most of them struggle to control their abilities at first
Thats why i am Linking late bloomers to you as you share some similarities."
She folded her arms, smirking. "But that's also what makes you dangerous. Unlike natural espers, who are bound by their childhood influences, you have no pre-set limitations. You're unshaped. Untamed."
Troy couldn't help but grin. That did sound pretty badass.
She suddenly clapped her hands together, her earlier excitement returning in full force.
"Now then! Enough talk." Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Let's test what your specialization will be!"