CHAPTER 40: [40] THE ICE QUEEN COMETH

The morning sun filtered through the tall windows of Class 1-D’s room, casting long rectangles of light across the polished floor. Xavier slouched in his seat next to Sayuri, one hand idly spinning a pen between his fingers.

Calypso sat two rows ahead, already deep in conversation with Margaret and Selena. She’d practically dragged Xavier out of bed at 6:30 AM, insisting they couldn’t be late again. Now here they were, fifteen minutes early, and Xavier was fighting to keep his eyes open.

"G-good morning, Xavier." Sayuri’s soft voice came from his right. "Did you finish the reading for today?"

Xavier turned to her, noting the dark circles under her eyes. "Morning. Yeah, I skimmed it. You look tired."

Sayuri ducked her head, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "I stayed up too late practicing my sketches. Professor Rousseau mentioned we’d be discussing gate topology today, so I wanted to make sure I could visualize different gate structures properly."

"You work too hard," Xavier said, leaning back in his chair. "It’s just the second day."

"GOOD MORNING, COMRADES!" Luka’s booming voice made both Xavier and Sayuri jump. The large Russian student slammed his hand down on Xavier’s shoulder with enough force to make the desk creak. "Is excellent day for learning, da?"

Xavier winced, rolling his shoulder. "Do you have to be so loud this early?"

"Early? Sun is high in sky! Day is half gone already!" Luka grinned. "In Russia, my father would have us training since dawn. Build character!"

"Your father sounds terrifying," Xavier muttered.

"He is! But in good way." Luka pulled out a protein bar from his pocket and unwrapped it. "You look tired, friend Xavier. Did not sleep well?"

Before Xavier could answer, Beppo appeared beside their desks.

"What’s up, squad?" Beppo asked, flashing a smile. "Ready for round two with the Ice Queen?"

"Don’t call her that," Xavier said, straightening in his seat. "She has a name."

"Professor Valdez, I know," Beppo said, holding up his hands defensively. "Just trying to lighten the mood. Everyone’s stressed after yesterday."

Luka nodded solemnly, taking a bite of his protein bar. "Is understandable. Professor was very angry. Never seen ice form so quickly!"

"It wasn’t even our fault," Xavier said. "Those Class 1-A assholes started it."

"Technically, it was all our faults," Alexander interjected from the row behind them. He adjusted his glasses. "We’re all responsible for maintaining proper decorum during class."

"Easy for you to say," Xavier countered. "You weren’t the one being talked down to by some trust fund brat."

From across the room, Ashley Martin spoke up. "You didn’t have to escalate it by calling Dimitri a dickhead, though." She sat perfectly poised at her desk, blonde hair falling in a smooth curtain over her shoulders. "That definitely made things worse."

Xavier turned to face her fully. "If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, I’m not gonna call it a fucking cow."

Several students snickered, but Ashley’s expression remained unimpressed. "Crude language aside, antagonizing the son of one of Phoenix Imperium’s major shareholders isn’t smart. Especially not on your first day."

"She has a point," Margaret added from beside Ashley. "Dimitri’s family basically owns half the city. His father could make things difficult for all of us."

Xavier shrugged, unconcerned. "Rich kids with daddy’s money don’t scare me."

"They should," Ashley said. "Not because they’re better, but because they have resources you don’t. Playing smart sometimes means knowing when to hold your tongue."

"I’ll pass," Xavier replied. "I’m not interested in kissing ass to get ahead."

"No one said anything about kissing ass," Ashley countered.

Luka clapped Xavier on the back again. "Is good to stand up for what is right! But also good to pick battles wisely. Russian proverb says: ’Wolf that howls at every shadow soon has no voice left for real danger.’"

"Is that really a Russian proverb?" Sayuri asked.

"Maybe yes, maybe no," Luka admitted with a grin. "But sounds good, da?"

The conversation halted as the classroom door swung open. Everyone tensed, expecting Professor Valdez, but instead, Naomi Phillips sauntered in.

"Morning, losers," she said, sliding into her seat. "Did I miss anything?"

"Just discussing yesterday’s disaster," Beppo informed her.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Boring. Ping me up when something interesting happens." She pulled out a compact mirror and began checking her makeup.

"Still no Kyrie," Alexander noted, checking his watch. "It’s nearly time to start."

"Maybe he’s dropping out," Ashley suggested. "He seemed pretty upset yesterday."

"Doubt it," Xavier said. "He strikes me as the type who’d rather die than admit defeat."

"Takes one to know one?" Calypso called from her seat.

Xavier narrowed his eyes at her but didn’t respond. The room fell into nervous silence as the clock ticked closer to 8:30. Everyone kept glancing at the door, expecting Professor Valdez to stride in at any moment, her cold demeanor freezing them all in place.

"Do you think she’ll make us do the practical today?" Sayuri asked quietly, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her notebook.

"Hope so," Xavier said. "Better than sitting through another lecture."

"What’s your ability called again, Xavier?" Beppo asked, leaning against a nearby desk. "Something about buffering?"

"Input Buffer," Xavier corrected. "It’s a meter-building system. I perform specific combat techniques to fill a gauge, then use that stored energy for enhanced attacks."

"Sounds complicated," Naomi commented without looking up from her mirror.

"It is," Xavier admitted. "I’m still figuring it out myself."

"You’ll get it," Sayuri said encouragingly. "Everyone’s still learning how their abilities work. That’s why we’re here."

"Some of us already know exactly how our abilities work," came a new voice from the doorway. Kyrie Walker stood there, his pink eyes scanning the room with disdain. "Some of us just need the paperwork to prove it."

He took his seat at the back of the room, propping his feet up on the desk.

"Cutting it close," Alexander observed, glancing at the clock. "Professor Valdez will be here any minute."

"So?" Kyrie challenged. "I’m here, ain’t I?"

The classroom door opened again, and this time, Professor Valdez entered. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees as she walked to her desk, her light blue hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore the same black blazer as yesterday, though today she’d paired it with a dark gray skirt instead of black.

"Good morning, Class 1-D," she said. "I see everyone decided to arrive on time today. Progress."

She set her materials on the desk and surveyed the room, her hazel eyes taking in each student.

"Before we begin, I want to address yesterday’s incident," Professor Valdez continued. "What happened was unacceptable, but not unexpected. The first week at Catalyst always reveals character—both strengths and weaknesses."

She paced slowly in front of the class. "Some of you showed restraint. Others showed poor judgment. A few demonstrated leadership potential. I was watching all of you, and I’ve made notes accordingly."

Xavier kept his expression neutral, though he wondered which category she’d placed him in. Probably "poor judgment" for calling Dimitri a dickhead, though he didn’t regret it.

"Today, we will proceed with the practical as originally planned," Professor Valdez announced. "However, there’s been a change. Instead of working with Class 1-A, you’ll be paired within your own class."

A collective sigh of relief went through the room.

"Don’t get comfortable," Professor Valdez warned. "This isn’t a reward. It’s a necessity. You need to learn to work together as a unit before you can effectively interact with other classes. Yesterday made that abundantly clear."

She moved to the whiteboard and began writing out a training schedule. "We’ll begin with doing an exercise in training hall B."

Xavier leaned forward slightly, his interest piqued. This sounded more useful than yesterday’s theoretical approach.

"One more thing," Professor Valdez said, turning back to face the class. "I’ve received special permission to take Class 1-D on a field trip at the end of the month."

Excited murmurs broke out among the students.

"It’s not a vacation," Professor Valdez clarified sharply, silencing the chatter. "We’ll be visiting a controlled gate environment. This will be your first exposure to actual gate conditions, though at a minimal risk level."

Xavier glanced at Calypso, who met his eyes with a subtle nod. This could be valuable experience for their ultimate goal of closing the Primordial Gates.

"Now," Professor Valdez said, "please gather your things and follow me to Training Hall B. It’s time to see what you’re actually capable of."