The next day, Jonah and Vanessa were summoned to a different part of the Academy - one that felt more like a military base than a school. They stood in a huge hangar, the air had a sharp, metallic smell. A sleek, black transport sat in the middle of the room. Its engines were quiet but hummed with hidden power.

Seraph was waiting for them, dressed not in her instructor's uniform but in black combat gear. She looked sharper, deadlier.

"Welcome to the 'Anomalous Species Task Force,'" she said, her voice missing its usual sarcasm. "ASTF for short. I'm the commanding officer."

Three other figures stood near the transport. One looked curious. Another, doubtful. The third, totally disbelieving.

"Now let's get straight to business. Time for introductions," Seraph announced, gesturing to the oldest of the three. He was thin and tough, with a face that showed his hard life and eyes that had seen too much. His gear was practical, not shiny or new like Academy students.

"This is Jax," Seraph said. "He's our Hunter. If a creature leaves a track, or even just breathes, he can find it and tell you everything about it."

Jax grunted, his sharp eyes flicking over Jonah and Vanessa. "I track beasts, Sergeant. Real ones. Not… lab coat magic. He stared at Jonah, clearly not believing him. "Things made in a lab don't follow nature's rules. That makes them hard to track."

Jonah met his eyes without flinching. This man wasn't arrogant like Draven; He didn't trust easily, and it was because of all he'd been through.

Seraph moved to the second figure, a young woman. She was calm and quiet, with sharp, watchful eyes. She carried a heavy medic's pack and wore no visible weapons. She simply nodded a greeting.

"Benita. She's our Combat Medic," Seraph explained. "Her class is one of the purest healing specializations there is. She can re-attach a limb in the middle of a heated fight and neutralize toxins that would kill a normal person in seconds."

Benita was quiet. So different from Jax's gruffness. She watched the introductions with an unsettling stillness, her expression giving nothing away.

Finally, Seraph gestured to the third member. He was a mountain of a man, armored head to toe. He held a giant shield with the Aegis sign. His stance was perfectly straight, like a veteran soldier's.

"And this is Titus," Seraph said. "He's a shield-bearing Warrior from Aegis, assigned as our liaison. His job is to be an unbreakable wall and to make sure the military and the student groups play nice."

Titus gave a stiff, formal nod. "Lord Thanos sends his regards," he said, his voice deep and serious. He looked directly at Jonah, his eyes sharp and cautious. "Aegis is committed to national security. I am here to ensure this unit's success."

Jonah understood the unspoken message. Titus wasn't here just to help; he was here to observe, to report back to Thanos on the Academy's new 'asset.'

With the introductions over, a tense silence fell over the group. The new members were all staring at Jonah. He was the reason this team existed, the strange, unproven element at the center of the mission.

Jax was the first to break the silence, his gruff voice cutting through the tension. He pointed a thumb at Jonah. "So let me get this straight, Sergeant. The plan is to rely on the kid and his… unnatural pets?"

"My Progeny are not pets," Jonah said, his voice quiet but firm.

"Whatever they are," Jax shot back, unimpressed. "I've spent thirty years hunting things with tooth and claw. I know how they think, how they move. What you make doesn't have a place in the natural order. It's unpredictable. Dangerous."

Titus didn't challenge Jonah directly, but his agreement was clear. "My duty is to defend this team. To do that, I must understand the capabilities and limitations of all our assets. Your file doesn't say much, Jonah."

The air grew tense. Vanessa took a half step forward, ready to launch into a technical explanation of Beast Weaving, but Jonah gave a slight shake of his head. He knew he had to handle this himself. This was his new team. His new reality.

Seraph stepped forward, her authority silencing any further debate before it could begin.

"Listen up," she commanded, her voice sharp as a blade. "This isn't a democracy. It's a task force, and I am in command. Your feelings are irrelevant. The mission is all that matters."

She turned her gaze on Jax and Titus. "You think Jonah's power is unnatural? Good. We're hunting unnatural creatures. You fight fire with fire. His Progeny are our primary weapon for scouting and specialized combat because they, like our enemy, don't follow the standard rules."

She then looked at Jonah, her expression hard. "Your official role is 'Threat Analysis and Asset Deployment.' You will acquire intel, you will identify weaknesses, and you will deploy your assets to exploit them. You are our key to understanding and defeating this threat. Do not make me regret this decision."

The whole group was tense. She looked at them all. Jax clearly didn't agree. Still, he said nothing. Titus gave a stiff nod of acknowledgement. Benita just watched, her expression unchanging.

They were a collection of specialists, not a team. A tough hunter who trusted nature, a quiet healer who trusted her magic, a calm warrior who trusted his training, and a boy who could create life from scratch.

This was set up for either disaster or a huge triumph.

"The transport is ready," Seraph announced, breaking the silence. "We are heading to the Grey Fells, to the outpost that was attacked. Get your gear. We move out in one hour."

She turned to walk toward the transport's ramp, then paused and looked back at them.

"And try to get along," she added, her voice laced with that familiar, dangerous level of sarcasm. "It would make things considerably less annoying for me."