The dormitory halls of Meta Human Academy reeked of privilege and old money. Marble floors stretched endlessly, lined with portraits of famous graduates who'd gone on to rule corporations, lead armies, or marry into royalty. Crystal chandeliers cast warm light that somehow felt cold.
I dragged my single duffel bag behind me, the wheels squeaking against polished stone. Other students moved past me like I was invisible, their designer luggage floating behind them on anti-gravity platforms or carried by hired servants.
"Room 247," I muttered, checking the paper slip again. Bottom floor, naturally. As far from the penthouse suites as possible.
The noble kids got the top floors with panoramic views of the academy grounds. I got the basement level that smelled like mold and disappointment.
My roommate was already there when I pushed open the door. A thin boy with nervous eyes and clothes almost as cheap as mine. He looked up from unpacking and gave me a weak smile.
"You must be Aiden Cross," he said. "I'm Jamie Chen. Guess we're the charity cases."
The room was small and plain. Two beds, two desks, one tiny window that looked out at a brick wall. Nothing like the luxury suites I'd glimpsed on the way down.
"What's your talent?" I asked, dropping my bag on the empty bed.
"Plant Growth, C-rank." Jamie's voice was barely above a whisper. "Yours is... Hypnosis, right? The whole academy's talking about it."
Of course they were. The slum rat with the joke talent. I could already imagine the stories spreading through the dormitories.
"Yeah," I said. "Lucky me."
Jamie tried to make conversation while we unpacked, but I wasn't really listening. My mind kept drifting back to that moment in the Awakening Hall. The way the crystal had pulsed, the energy that had flowed through me. It hadn't felt like a joke.
That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling while Jamie snored softly. The academy was quieter after lights-out, but never truly silent. Footsteps echoed in the halls, doors opened and closed, voices carried through thin walls.
I thought about my mother, probably working her third shift at the factory right now. About the cramped apartment we'd shared, with its leaking pipes and broken heater. About all the times I'd promised her things would get better once I awakened my talent.
Some promise that turned out to be.
The next morning brought our first classes. Basic Combat Theory, Talent Application, Hero Ethics. I sat in the back of every classroom, ignored by teachers and students alike. The material was simple enough, but the constant whispers and snickers made it hard to concentrate.
"Is that the hypnosis kid?"
"Heard he's from the slums."
"Why did they even let him in?"
During lunch, I found an empty table in the corner of the massive dining hall. The food was better than anything I'd eaten in my life, but it tasted like ash in my mouth. Around me, noble kids laughed and planned weekend parties at their family estates.
Marcus Aldrich held court at the center table, surrounded by admirers. His Divine Lightning had already impressed three different instructors this morning. Lady Catherine sat with the other high-ranking girls, their talents on full display. One had summoned a small flame that danced between her fingers. Another had created a barrier of pure energy around her plate.
Show-offs. All of them.
"Mind if I sit?"
I looked up to find a girl standing by my table. She was pretty in a girl-next-door way, with brown hair and kind eyes. Her uniform marked her as a student, but I didn't recognize her from any of my classes.
"Sure," I said, surprised anyone was talking to me.
She sat down across from me with her lunch tray. "I'm Sarah Mills. B-rank Healing talent. You're Aiden Cross, right?"
"That's me. The hypnosis kid."
Sarah smiled. "I think it sounds interesting. Most people can only affect the physical world. You can affect minds. That's pretty unique."
I stared at her, waiting for the punchline. When none came, I realized she was actually serious.
"You really think so?"
"Definitely. I bet there's more to it than people realize."
For the first time since the ceremony, someone was treating my talent like it might actually matter. Sarah and I talked through the rest of lunch, and I found myself relaxing for the first time in days.
"Want to study together tonight?" she asked as we gathered our trays. "I could use help with combat theory."
"Sure," I said. "Library at seven?"
That afternoon, I had Individual Talent Assessment with Instructor Voss. He was a grizzled man with scars covering his arms and a permanent scowl. Former A-rank hero, specialized in earth manipulation.
"Cross," he barked as I entered the private training room. "Show me what you've got."
The room was empty except for some basic training equipment and a few practice dummies. I stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do.
"Well?" Voss crossed his arms. "Use your talent."
"On what?"
"Figure it out. That's part of the assessment."
I looked around the room again. The practice dummies were just straw and cloth. Hypnosis worked on minds, not objects.
"I need a person to practice on."
Voss snorted. "You think I'm going to let some untrained brat mess with my head? Use the dummies."
"But hypnosis doesn't work on—"
"Then your talent is useless. Assessment complete." He started toward the door.
"Wait!" Desperation crept into my voice. "Give me a chance. Just... let me try something."
Voss paused, hand on the doorknob. "One minute. Then you're out."
I closed my eyes and tried to remember the feeling from the crystal. That pulse of energy, the connection I'd felt. Maybe hypnosis wasn't just about controlling other people. Maybe it could affect me too.
I focused on my breathing, letting my mind go quiet. Then I whispered to myself, barely audible.
"I am faster than I was before."
The words felt strange on my tongue, like speaking in a language I barely knew. But something shifted inside me, a subtle change I couldn't quite define.
When I opened my eyes, Voss was checking his watch impatiently.
"Time's up, Cross. Unless you have something to show me?"
I looked at the practice dummy across the room. In normal circumstances, it would take me maybe three seconds to cross that distance. But if my self-hypnosis had worked...
I ran.
The world blurred around me. My feet barely seemed to touch the ground. I reached the dummy in what felt like half the time it should have taken, momentum carrying me past it into the padded wall.
I bounced off and landed hard on my back, gasping for air. But I was grinning.
Voss was staring at me with raised eyebrows. "What the hell was that?"
"Self-hypnosis," I panted, struggling to sit up. "I convinced myself I was faster, and my body believed it."
"Interesting." Voss walked over and helped me to my feet. "How much faster?"
"Not sure. Maybe fifty percent? It's hard to tell."
"And how long does it last?"
I considered the question. The effect was already fading, my body returning to its normal state. "A few minutes, I think."
Voss nodded slowly. "Run it again. This time, try convincing yourself you're stronger."
The second test went even better. With self-hypnosis active, I managed to punch a training dummy hard enough to knock it over. My normal strength wouldn't have budged it.
"Impressive," Voss admitted as he made notes on his tablet. "Your talent isn't what I expected. Most hypnosis users focus on controlling others. You've found a way to enhance yourself."
"Is that... good?"
"It's useful. With proper training, you might actually make something of yourself." He paused at the door. "Study session tomorrow, same time. Don't be late."
After he left, I stood alone in the training room, mind racing. If I could hypnotize myself to be faster and stronger, what other enhancements were possible? Better reflexes? Improved memory? Pain resistance?
For the first time since awakening my talent, I felt hope stirring in my chest.
That evening, I met Sarah at the library as promised. She'd claimed a corner table surrounded by textbooks on combat theory and hero tactics. When she saw me coming, she waved me over with a bright smile.
"How did your assessment go?" she asked as I sat down.
"Better than expected. Turns out hypnosis might not be completely useless after all."
I told her about the self-enhancement experiments, and her eyes lit up with genuine interest. She asked intelligent questions, helped me think through the implications. It felt good to talk to someone who didn't dismiss my talent as a joke.
We studied for two hours, but I found myself getting distracted. Sarah was prettier than I'd first noticed, and she had a way of leaning close when she was explaining something that made my heart race.
"You're not paying attention," she said, catching me staring.
"Sorry. Long day."
Sarah closed her textbook and looked at me seriously. "Can I ask you something? About your talent?"
"Sure."
"Could you... could you hypnotize me? Just as a demonstration? I'm curious how it works."
My mouth went dry. "I don't know if that's a good idea. I'm still learning to control it."
"I trust you," she said simply. "Besides, if it goes wrong, I can heal any mental damage, right?"
That wasn't how healing magic worked, but I didn't correct her. The truth was, I wanted to try. Not to hurt her, but to see if my talent could affect another person the way it affected me.
"Okay," I said. "But if I tell you to stop, you stop immediately. Deal?"
"Deal."
I took a deep breath and looked into Sarah's eyes. They were warm brown, flecked with gold in the library's soft lighting. I tried to remember the feeling from the training room, that sense of connection and control.
"Just relax," I said softly. "Listen to my voice and let your mind go quiet."
Sarah's breathing slowed, her posture becoming more relaxed. I could see the moment when my talent took hold, her pupils dilating slightly, her expression becoming peaceful and distant.
"Good," I whispered. "Now, when I count to three, you're going to feel completely refreshed. Like you've had the best night's sleep of your life. One... two... three."
Sarah blinked, then sat up straighter with a surprised look on her face.
"Wow," she breathed. "I feel amazing. How did you do that?"
"I'm not entirely sure," I admitted. "It just... worked."
We packed up our books and headed back to the dormitories together. At the entrance to the girls' wing, Sarah turned to face me.
"Thank you for tonight," she said. "For trusting me with your talent."
"Thank you for not thinking I'm a freak."
She stepped closer, close enough that I could smell her shampoo. "Aiden? I don't think your talent is useless at all. I think it might be the most powerful one in this whole academy."
Before I could respond, she leaned up and kissed me softly on the cheek. Then she was gone, disappearing through the door to the girls' dormitories.
I walked back to my room in a daze, touching the spot where her lips had been. Jamie was already asleep when I got there, so I changed clothes quietly and settled into bed.
But sleep didn't come easily. My mind kept racing, thinking about the day's discoveries. Self-hypnosis to enhance my physical abilities. The way Sarah's mind had responded to my suggestions. The possibilities seemed endless.
Maybe the nobles were wrong. Maybe hypnosis wasn't a joke talent after all.
Maybe it was something much more dangerous.
In the darkness of the dormitory, I smiled to myself. Let them laugh. Let them mock. While they were showing off with flashy displays of fire and lightning, I'd be learning to rewrite reality itself.
One mind at a time.