Of course, after Hayden left the group, Carl and the others couldn't help but feel impressed by the youngest Gray.
"Kid's got spirit," Carl said, his tone grudgingly respectful. "But he's going to need more than that to survive here."
Lila sighed. "Let's just hope he's as clever as he is brave. Otherwise, he's in for a rough time."
Then, Mellisa, the one who had been silent all this time in their group, spoke up.
"Still, I heard that their eldest brother graduated from Frosthelm Academy and he served as a powerful Aura Knight for three years. We can't underestimate the Gray Family either."
***
In the meantime, as Hayden explored the library, his Ocularis Lens guided him to a section on advanced Aura theory.
He found a dusty tome titled "The Principles of Aura Manipulation" and began to read it while his Lens started recording everything in it.
Of course, with his adult mind, he was able to absorb the information with ease.
The warnings about Graham were no longer in his mind as he refused to let such matter distract him. He had come to the academy to become stronger, and he wasn't about to let anyone—or anything—stand in his way.
***
The next morning, Hayden found himself standing outside a classroom filled with students much taller and older than him.
The door had a plaque that read: Advanced Mathematics – Year 5.
'Why would an aspiring knight need this? Is it for preparation in case we fail to awaken our aura and just to have a skill to work elsewhere?' Hayden was a bit too unsure but in any case, it might actually be important to awaken his Aura.
Anyway, Hayden took a deep breath as he adjusted the strap of his bag, and stepped inside.
The room fell silent as soon as he entered. It was a very expected reaction. He was still wearing his uniform with the emblem of a first grade after all.
A dozen pairs of eyes turned to stare at him… Needless to say, their expressions ranged from curiosity to outright disbelief.
The students, all around twelve years old, couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
"Is that a first-year? What's he doing here?"
"Did he get lost or something?"
"Maybe his older brother or sister is here?"
"That's true… But maybe… This kid will be teaching us today. Professor Arial might not be present today because of his cough."
"Wait, isn't that the kid everyone's talking about? The one who skipped grades?"
At these words, most of them finally realized that the rumors were actually true!
Hayden ignored the murmurs and made his way to an empty seat near the front. As he sat down, he noticed a few older students smirking, clearly amused by the sight of a seven-year-old in their class.
The professor, a tall man with a neatly trimmed beard, entered the room shortly after. He glanced at Hayden but didn't seem surprised.
"Good morning, class…" Professor Arial said. "Before we begin, I'd like to introduce a new student. This is Hayden Gray. He'll be joining us for Advanced Mathematics. I expect you all to treat him with respect."
The whispers grew louder, but the professor silenced them with a sharp look. "Enough. Let's begin today's lesson."
***
Months flew by as Hayden continued to excel in his three advanced classes: Advanced Mathematics, Advanced Reumish Language, and World History.
As for the normal class of his grade, he easily excelled in all of them as well.
His Ocularis Lens allowed him to absorb information at an astonishing rate, and by the end of three months, he had recorded every book in the library.
However, his physical development remained a work in progress.
Despite his unmatched knowledge, Hayden attended the Basic Swordsmanship Class diligently, knowing that mastering the fundamentals was crucial for his future.
Today was the day of the Basic Swordsmanship Class examination.
The students were required to demonstrate the twelve basic sword stances, which were the foundation of all combat techniques.
Hayden stood in line with his classmates. They all had their practice sword in hand, as the instructor called them forward one by one.
When it was Hayden's turn, he stepped into the center of the training yard and since everyone knew about his skills, he was certainly watched by everyone.
The instructor, Sir Roland, nodded for him to begin.
"Yes, Sir!"
Hayden took a deep breath and began moving through the stances.
According to their lectures, the twelve stances were the cornerstone of swordsmanship, designed to teach balance, control, and adaptability in combat.
Of course, they were also important in order to learn the Dawn Swordsmanshid since the stance had a specific purpose, whether for offense, defense, or transitioning between movements.
Hayden began with the most basic stance, the Ready Stance. He simply had to stand with his feet shoulder-width apart while his practice sword was held vertically in front of him. His posture was perfect.
After a few seconds, he shifted flawlessly into the next stance, the Guard Stance.
Hayden lowered his sword slightly, aiming it diagonally across his body. His knees were bent slightly, and his weight shifted to his feet as he readied himself to move in any direction. The stance was defensive, designed to block incoming strikes.
It was then followed by the Forward Stance, Side Stance, Overhead Stance, Low Guard Stance, Reverse Stance, Defensive Stance, and then, one of the most difficult stances, the Charging Stance.
In this ninth stance, everyone watched closely as many students failed at this part.
Soon, Hayden shifted his weight to his feet… Then, with a sudden burst of speed, Hayden stepped forward to charge at his invisible opponent. He then thrust his sword in a straight line while his back leg remained straight which provided him some stability. Also, his front knee was bent at a perfect 90-degree angle. This stance was used for quick, decisive thrusts similar to some fencing stances Hayden had seen in his past life.
Seeing how stable Hayden was, Sir Roland couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.
"This kid is really interesting…"