CHAPTER 29: THE SEED OF FAITH

[In Class— The Angel’s Wing]

"Alright, everyone, settle down."

Mr. Waltz’s firm voice cut through the chatter like a whip of calm authority. The class obeyed instantly, chairs began to scrap the floor as the students turned their attention toward him. The atmosphere was still heavy from the morning’s assembly— Camila’s speech about the Garden of Galveston had left more questions than answers.

Valkyrie sat toward the middle, her hands clasped on her desk, her thoughts were still replaying fragments of the announcement. A place where the ancient ones trained... where power was born and lost. It sounded both incredible and terrifying all at the same time.

Mr. Waltz adjusted his cuffs, surveying the students. "I know what you’re all thinking," he said, pacing slowly in front of the board. "Galveston. Hahaha, it’s sweetness. Rumors. All of it. But before you get ahead of yourselves, you need to understand something. The Garden doesn’t make heroes. It exposes them."

No one spoke. The silence was attentive.

"Which is why," he continued, "today we return to something simple. Creation."

Lily raised her hand hesitantly. "Sir, isn’t creation a higher-tier discipline? I mean... most of us can barely stabilize energy beyond form control."

Mr. Waltz smiled faintly. "That’s why we start small." He reached for a piece of chalk, sketching a clean spiral on the blackboard. The lines glowed faintly with his touch. "Everything— life, death, rebirth— follows a pattern. The root, the rise, the return."

Soda leaned sideways, whispering to Valkyrie, "Val. Are you okay?, you look troubled."

"Am fine Soda, I think am just hungry" Valkyrie replied with a chuckle

"Hungry?... Girl me too. Mr waltz need’s to hang it up, it looks like he is the mood today"

Val fought a small grin. "Not too much on Mr Waltz, Soda" Valkyrie finally said with a genuine laugh, then continued. "...But wait... you’re right though... the philosophical kind."

"YES. Exactly," Soda whispered. "You could tell by the hand gestures."

Jaz snorted, trying to cover her laugh with a cough, but Mr. Waltz’s gaze flicked toward her like a silent warning.

"Miss Tross," he said mildly, "since you find me amusing, perhaps you can explain what happens when one tampers with the spiral of life without discipline."

Jaz straightened instantly. "Um... reality bends?"

"Reality fractures," Mr. Waltz corrected, but his tone was soft. "Remember, power without understanding doesn’t just destroy others. It consumes you."

The class fell quiet again. Expect for Soda and Valkyrie who laughed at jasmine together for taking the fall.

Mr Waltz turned toward the window, where the sunlight slanted across the training courtyard. "We’re going outside," he announced. "Bring your focus bands and stay close. Lily, you’ll demonstrate."

Lily’s eyes widened. "Wait— me? But..."

"No hesitation," Mr. Waltz said, already heading for the door.

The class followed him into the courtyard, where faint magic still shimmered in the air from earlier sessions. Valkyrie, Soda, Jasmine, and Rain clustered near the center, watching as Mr. Waltz traced a glowing rune circle into the soil with his boot.

"Now," he said, "who remembers the essence of creation magic?"

Tekna raised her hand. "It’s not about commanding— it’s about connection. You link your energy with nature’s pulse and allow it to take form."

"Correct," Mr. Waltz said, nodding. "The mistake most young casters make is trying to force life. You can’t force what’s already living. You guide it."

He gestured for Lily to step forward. "Now, Miss Wren. Show us what you’ve learned."

Lily knelt beside the circle after few seconds, placing her palms on the soil. The class watched in total silence. Her expression was one of fierce concentration— her brows drawn, lips pressed tightly against each other. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, faint ripples began to shimmer beneath her hands.

A thin tendril broke through the dirt. Then another.

The glow strengthened, turning gold, then green, spreading outward like veins of light. Slowly, a sapling began to form— a delicate trunk twisting toward the sky.

Soda gasped. "She’s actually doing it."

Mr. Waltz’s voice was steady. "Don’t lose focus, Miss Wren. Creation listens to emotion. Keep your intent pure."

Lily drew a deep breath, her fingers trembling slightly as the small tree took shape. Its leaves unfurled like soft wings, shimmering with faint life energy.

And then— it was there. A young, living tree stood in the center of the courtyard, green and bright and impossibly alive. It looked so beautiful.

A wave of awe spread through the class. Soda clapped first. "You did it, Lily!"

Rain grinned. "That’s insane girl! I didn’t know you could do all that"

Mr. Waltz crouched beside the new tree, brushing his hand gently against its bark. "Well done," he said, his voice was quiet but proud like a proud father. "You didn’t dominate it. You harmonized. That’s the mark of real strength."

Lily’s eyes shone. "Thank you, sir."

He straightened and faced the class again. "Let this be a reminder— control without understanding is chaos. Understanding without compassion is emptiness. You need both."

He paused, then added with a hint of a smirk, "And if any of you accidentally set the courtyard on fire trying to copy her, I’ll personally make you regrow the grass by hand."

The class laughed, with tension melting slowly. Even Valkyrie smiled, though her thoughts were miles away— back to that night, to the demon’s voice screaming her name. The words still clung to her like shadows.

When the laughter faded, Mr. Waltz’s tone shifted again, deeper now, commanding attention. "Before you go," he said, reaching into his coat, "I have an announcement."

He unfolded a long parchment. "By order of Principal Camila and the Council, these students have been selected for the Galveston expedition."

The courtyard went silent.

He began reading the names.

"Valkyrie Saltsman."

Val felt her pulse quicken.

"Soda Rae.

Jazmine Tross.

Rain Havel.

Tekna Lore.

Lily Wren.

May Kiro.

Suki Tan."

The group exchanged looks of disbelief.

Mr. Waltz continued. "And from the Lower batch division— Kenzo Valen, Alric Grey, Nyra Vel, Solen Drae, Daric Tove, and Haze Ryn."

Even the wind seemed to pause.

"The rest," he said, "will remain here under observation until the next trial."

Solen sitting at the back, folded her arms with a sharp exhale. "Figures. Demon Slayers always get priority."

"Maybe because they actually fight demons," May muttered.

"Enough," Mr. Waltz said sharply. The murmurs died. "Envy weakens discipline. If you weren’t chosen, improve. If you were, prepare."

He rolled the parchment back up, his expression became unreadable. "You’ve been chosen not for your power, but for your potential. Galveston will strip you of everything you think you know and rebuild you. Some of you will come back stronger. Others..." He let the silence finish his sentence.

Valkyrie felt a chill crawl up her spine.

Mr. Waltz looked toward the horizon, where the faint shimmer of the academy’s barrier reflected the afternoon light. "SOON," he said quietly, "you begin a journey that will decide more than your future. It may decide the world’s."

He turned back to the students. "Class dismissed."

The group began dispersing slowly, the sound of their voices mixing with the rustle of the tree Lily had created. Valkyrie lingered.

"Mr. Waltz," she said softly.

He looked at her. "Yes?"

"Do you think... Galveston can really prepare us for what’s coming?"

He studied her face for a long moment before replying. "Preparation isn’t about knowing what’s ahead, Miss Saltsman. It’s about becoming someone who can face it."

She nodded slowly, unsure whether that comforted her or scared her more.

As she stood on spot with Soda and her friends, her gaze drifted toward the new tree. Its leaves shimmered faintly in the sun, but deep beneath its roots, she could almost feel the same pulse she’d felt that night by the pool— a vibration that whispered unto her.

Lily was still staring at the young tree when a group of students rushed toward her, their faces lit with awe and curiosity. The leaves shimmered faintly under the sunlight, the roots humming softly as if the soil itself approved.

"Lily!" one of the students called, with her wings fluttering with excitement. "How did you do that? That was pure creation energy!"

Another leaned closer, with his eyes wide. "I tried to make a flower last week— it exploded in my face. You made a tree!"

Lily laughed shyly, brushing soil from her palms. "I... don’t really know. Mr. Waltz said to connect, not command. I just— felt the ground breathe with me."

The angels exchanged glances, intrigued. A tall girl with silver-blue feathers stepped forward. "That’s advanced resonance. My mother said only the Garden priests could do that level of sync."

Lily’s cheeks turned pink. "I’m not sure I could even repeat it."

"You will," Soda said from behind her, smiling. "You’ve got the gift. That tree proves it."

The small crowd nodded in agreement, with admiration in their eyes. A few of them reached out to touch the glowing bark, whispering small echoes of wonders and thought. The air shimmered faintly around them, as if the tree responded to their reverence.

Mr. Waltz stood at a distance, watching quietly. There was pride in his eyes— but also something thoughtful, almost wary.

Lily finally stepped back, her breath was slow, her heart still racing. Around her, the others kept marveling, asking questions, scribbling quick notes, already dreaming of what they might create someday.

Above them, the leaves rustled softly, casting shifting patterns of light over their faces. And as the excitement mellowed into quiet admiration, Lily and her friends began to match to the cafeteria to grab lunch.