The Elders, Slayers, and Twin Demons were bickering atop the platform.
Meanwhile, Mark and Zach reminisced about everything they'd seen and heard from the Elders and others.
"Brother, do you think we'll have our own Slayer to carry around like the Twin Demons?" Zach asked excitedly.
"Unknown, but I hope so," Mark replied, jotting down all the questions he could think of on multiple sheets of paper.
He organised the questions into categories: those relating to the current topic and those about earlier issues he hadn't yet had a chance to ask. He also recalled how the orientation had started, with the beings—now called the Nursery Elders—introducing themselves through show-and-tell, demonstrations, and lectures.
"I really hope everything is as the Elders described. It sounds like the life we've always dreamed of!" Zach continued enthusiastically, slurping a VitaDrink labelled 'Chocolate Milkshake' through its straw.
"I really hope so too," Mark sighed, sipping a VitaDrink labelled 'Chocolate Milk Tea with Salted Caramel Pearls.'
"At least we got to try things we've never tasted before! I loved the VitaCube with Garlic and Honey Roasted Chicken and the Chocolate Milkshake VitaDrink!" Zach chatted happily, reminiscing about the flavours they'd experienced during their brief stay.
"Oh? I thought your favourite would be the Cheeseburger VitaCube, but instead you chose the last flavour you tried." Mark teased, feeling far more relaxed than when they arrived.
"Brother, don't tease me. You went straight for the Condensed Milk Chocolate Truffle VitaCube!" Zach retorted with a snort.
Fortunately, the servant—who could clearly hear and understand them—lacked emotions or independent thought; otherwise, its face might have twitched at the ramblings coming from inside their light pillar.
"At least we can be grateful for being confined together, well-fed, and given a seat. Something like this would never have happened on our home world, so I consider this a good beginning," Zach continued thoughtfully.
Mark nodded. "Back on our home world, we'd have been beaten, forced to stand as long as they wished, and starved unless we earned food. No one talked about Healing or being cured, nor would they have bothered explaining anything."
Zach added, "Based on the Vita packaging colour, we belong to the Infernal Clan."
"According to the Slayers and Twin Demons, there should be ten Twin Demons in the light pillars," Mark mused. "But I counted eleven, one of which contains twin girls. So we're likely to become Infernal Twin Demons. I'm not sure who the other two Slayers are, though. Maybe I should ask for confirmation, just in case."
Zach nodded, and Mark quickly jotted the question down on the sheet for the current session.
"Brother, how do you think we'll be registered, and how does the health assessment work?" Zach asked, knowing Mark was the smarter of the two and might have a guess based on what they'd observed.
"I don't have enough information to guess yet," Mark replied, shaking his head.
"Have you noticed that, even after eating and drinking our fill, we haven't needed the bathroom?" Zach pointed out.
Mark nodded and indicated that he already had that question written for this session.
Noticing that his sheet was full, Mark handed it to the servant for processing and took a fresh page from the stack to continue jotting their questions.
Turning to Zach, he asked if there were questions they hadn't covered yet.
Zach nodded. "Do they tolerate female-to-female relationships, or are those taboo?"
Mark wrote this down on the sheet reserved for previous session questions, then signalled for Zach to continue.
"Will the inscription of information by Tian Dao hurt? Does eating ToxiCubes for the first time cause stomachaches? Do Unawakened Twins have separate bedrooms, or do they sleep together? Do we have to go to a lecture hall or class for lessons, or do teachers move around, and we approach them for one-on-one sessions? Is there extracurricular Knowledge we can learn if we're interested? How do teachers help us master the inscribed Knowledge?" Zach listed several questions, and Mark diligently wrote them down.
Zach slurped his VitaDrink until it was empty and sighed, savouring the flavour. Mark finished jotting down the last questions, put down his pen, and finished his own bottle of VitaDrink.
"Do you think we'll ever see anyone from our home world?" Mark asked.
"I don't think so. The kids who cast us out aren't Awakened, according to the Elders. And I doubt the Clans want adult rulebreakers here, either," Zach replied, tilting his head.
"Yeah," Mark agreed.
"Hey, Mark, do you think any people from the Clans ever broke rules and had to face a trial?" Zach wondered after a few minutes of quiet.
"I don't know, but I already included that on the sheet I handed to the servant," Mark replied, gesturing toward the servant.
The bickering on the platform ended, and the Elders turned to the Children.
"Apologies for that, Children. Tensions sometimes run high over trivial matters," Celestial Elder Soleil said, glancing at his floating screen.
"Hm, we've received more questions during our discussion. They've already been filtered and sorted!"
The Elders quickly reviewed the submitted questions and allocated them among themselves.
"We'll address these after the show-and-tell for the Infernal Twin Demon," announced Mortal Elder Kyle.
Celestial Elder Soleil gestured toward the Infernal Twin Demon, who rose and removed his cloak.
"Now then, as you can see, the Infernal Twin Demon looks much more aggressive than his counterparts. His horns are larger and sharper, with barbs along their length, and his fire orbs are bigger. Like all Infernals, his eyes have vertical, slit pupils and metallic silver irises that cover the entire eyeball. He has the largest skeletal frame and musculature of all Twin Demons. Otherwise, there are no significant differences from the other Twin Demons."
Now, for his Basic Battle Form: his horns enlarge and grow more jagged, the barbs more pronounced. He gains dragon-like scales as armour, giving him the highest defence among all Classes and Clans. He becomes more muscular, his wings grow in size, and his tail lengthens and thickens, ending in a spiked, mace-like structure. His feet, like the Infernal Slayer's, have three toes facing forward and two backwards, now with talons measuring ten inches.
For his Ultimate Form: muscles, horns, tail, and wings all increase again. The horns become even more jagged, and the barbs fuse into a mesh-like shield. His talons grow to fifteen inches."
Celestial Elder Soleil gestured for the Demon to return to his regular form and sit down.
A new round of questions was quickly sorted. The Twin Demon addressed them: "Yes, Twin Demons do enjoy carrying our Mate—either in our arms or between our horns. Yes, we like feeding our Mates while holding them; this way, we can ensure that they eat and drink enough. They tend to forget when multitasking. When our wings are not in use, we hook them to our shoulders with the talons at their joints—unless they can be safely retracted. The Nutri range is fully absorbed, so there's no waste to be excreted. Consuming toxins just makes us feel healthier, as long as we don't overdo it.
Infernal eyes are different both in appearance and function. We see the full spectrum, making it hard for anything to hide from us; how well and how far we see depends on our cultivation level and Stats. All Slayers and Twin Demons can read energy signatures in enough detail to usually be able to identify Clan and Class—though with some Classes it's tricky, and that's where experience matters. Older Class members are best at spotting subtle differences.
If the Nursery Elders permit, we could try identifying everyone's Clan and Class. The Elders can verify if we were right." The Infernal Twin Demon looked to the Elders for approval on this last point.
The Elders conferred, nodding to the Slayers and Twin Demons.
"If the Slayers and Twin Demons agree, it could be a fun activity for the Children. Perhaps the Mortals can start by walking among you and pointing out the Mortals and their Classes, then the Immortals, Celestials, and finally the Infernals," said Immortal Elder Lucius.
The Slayers and Twin Demons conferred briefly and nodded their agreement.
While the Elders, Twin Demons, and Slayers conversed, Mark handed all their question sheets to the servant.
Zach bounced in his seat with anticipation, while Mark felt a mix of excitement and apprehension about discovering their Clan and Class.
The Mortal Slayer shrank to twenty inches and was picked up by his Mate, who cradled him. Together, they approached each pillar of light, stopping to note the Clan and Class of their occupants. They pointed out two pillars displaying Twins as Twin Demons. This continued with each pillar until they had pointed all Mortals out and returned to the platform, the Slayer still in his Mate's arms.
Next, the Immortals repeated the cycle, pausing at the pillar with the twin girls, declaring both girls Immortal Slayers. After their circuit, they also identified two pillars with Twin Demons.
The Celestials followed, identifying four pillars with Twin Demons. Finally, the Infernals completed the process, pausing at Mark and Zach's pillar and another, announcing them as Infernal Twin Demons—the last two remaining Twin Demon pairs among the pillars.
After each group finished, the Elders recorded their findings and then sorted the newly received questions. When they confirmed there were no outstanding questions for the Slayers and Twin Demons, they thanked them, and the groups left the Hall.
As the Elders sorted through questions and the servants cleared away the chairs, tables, and serving ware, Mark and Zach celebrated their Clan and Class news.
Zach was particularly exuberant, bouncing with joy, while Mark grinned broadly.
"We're going to look that cool, and we'll have our own Slayer to carry around, feed and pet!" Zach squealed.
Mark nodded, grinning from ear to ear.
They turned back to the Elders on the platform, ready to continue orientation.
"Now then, Children, I expect you're all excited to find out your Clan and Class. We'll do our best to finish orientation quickly so you can head to the Med Bay for registration and Healing."
Let's continue with your questions.
"Question: Does it hurt to have Tian Dao inscribe Knowledge onto your Sea of Consciousness? No, it doesn't hurt. You may feel like your brain is a bit bloated if you were awake during the process, but this passes quickly."
"Question: Are NutriCubes the only food we'll be eating? No. Nutri products are just supplements to be eaten alongside your regular meals, as a dessert, or as snacks. This ensures proper nutrition without constantly having to eat."
"Question: What do Mammys look like? Mammys resemble our servants but look female, with colouring matching your Clancolour, and their eyes reflecting your accessory colour with no visible iris. Their attire consists of tunics and leggings for ease of movement, and each sports a unique hairstyle."
"Question: Are all foods and medicines rated by potency? Yes. All food and medicines are universally rated by potency, allowing you to determine their strength by their letter designation."
"Question: How does the registration and Healing process go? Registration begins after crystal implantation. At this stage, you can keep your name or let Tian Dao assign a new one. Once registered, Healers have access to your Stats and info, including name and gender."
"First, you'll meet the Infernal Healers, who will remove all negative energy from your body, mind, emotions, and spirit caused by long-term starvation and abuse. This is essential, so other Healers can accurately assess what you need. When that is complete, the other Healers will evaluate your health and proceed in order of need."
"Once Healed, you'll be placed in a Med Tank with a liquid conditioning potion, where you'll soak until the next morning. Then, you'll meet your Mammy and move to your assigned dormitory, where conditioning continues with special meals, Vita snacks and drinks. In some cases, the nightly soak in the Med Tanks might have to continue in your dorm, but that's for the Healers to decide," Celestial Elder Soleil told the Children.