"I'm not going to survive," Josh declared as he dropped onto the first empty picnic table he could find. He splayed out on the top, doing his best not to knock over his tea or plate of food.

Mara placed her stuff down across from him. He could hear the eye roll in her voice when she spoke. "It has only been half a day."

He sat up and took an angry bite of carrot. "I don't see why I need these classes to be a Paladin. How are normal school subjects going to help me keep the world safe?"

After the tour and breakfast, he had been subjected to four plain school classes. Sure, Mara joined him—she claimed it was part of her tour guide duty—giving him a pleasant sight during lessons, but still, they were everyday stuff. The first person who figured out how to save the world with algebra would surely win a Nobel Prize.

"Being educated isn't a bad thing," Mara said. "You never know when you'll need to use basic knowledge. Your lessons tomorrow will be even more helpful."

Josh paused before his next bite. "Why?" he asked warily. "What are they?"

"Lessons on cultures and languages of the world."

She looked so genuine that Josh almost felt guilty as he groaned. "Those classes make more sense at least." But that would be so much mundane knowledge to pound into his head.

As if sensing his thoughts, Mara said, "If it makes you feel any better, the other two classes you have in the morning tomorrow are Paladin History and Dragon Handling, and I know you'll like your afternoon classes."

"Oh?" He perked up. "Does that include the afternoon classes today?" When she nodded, he asked, "What are they?"

The mischievous gleam returned to her eyes. "I like surprises, remember?"

Yes, she did, and at that moment, Josh was very aware of something he liked.

Are all human guys this weird?

Josh nearly choked on a bite of turkey sandwich. He coughed as he reached for his drink, hoping the incident excused his red face. Can you stop knowing my thoughts?

Bit hard when they're so loud. She can probably hear them. Kidding, I'm kidding! Boomer roared with laughter when Josh almost choked again. People can't hear others' thoughts, remember?

"Careful, Josh. Don't die on your first day."

His dad sat down beside him, an amused grin on his face. His mom wore a similar grin as she slid in beside Mara, Eli following behind her and slumping into his spot. His dad had been the one to speak.

"I think he's trying to get out of some classes," Mara said.

His dad chuckled. "Already trying to evade Ioana, huh? Can't say I blame you."

"Ioana? You mean Xander's wife?" Josh tilted his head questioningly at Mara. "She's one of my teachers?"

Instead of answering, she held a finger up to her lips. "He doesn't know anything about the afternoon classes."

"Who's teaching them?" his mom asked as she ran a hand through Eli's hair. "Ioana mentioned she taught one of them yesterday. I don't know the other two."

"Akachi and a guy who came after you two left named Hisato."

His mom mulled over the names for a moment. "Makes sense." She glanced down at Eli, then Josh. "Has she shown you the Sanctum yet?"

"Yeah." Josh beamed. "I got to meet my dragon."

"You should take Eli there when you're done with classes," his mom said, still playing with his brother's hair.

"Oh." Josh deflated. He had planned on going back, but he wanted to hang out with Boomer. It was supposed to be a chance to bond more with the one connected to his soul, not some babysitting trip.

It could be fun, Boomer said.

Yeah, sure. Although not convinced, he tried to wipe the dismay from his face. "Yeah, I'll take Eli there later."

Eli sat up straighter, a small spark in his eyes. "I'll get to meet a real dragon?"

"You'll get to meet the best real dragon," Josh corrected.

Eli smiled, and Boomer's pleasure radiated through the bond. Josh smothered a snicker with a napkin. He would be handling two children that night it seemed.

Would you rather I acted ancient and grumpy like Jodas?

Touche...

Lunch continued with Mara asking about their lives before, well, two days ago. When she showed interest in his parents' careers, his mom gave a few details on her nursing job, but she mostly let his dad regale them with his firefighter stories.

"So, for this story, I wasn't actually on duty."

Oh great. Josh buried his face in his hands. Out of all the stories he could choose, his dad chose this one. Not that he should be surprised. Josh was so tired of hearing it because his dad always chose this one.

Ignoring him, his dad went on. "It was the summer, so Josh was home, and he started yelling about smoke coming from the neighbor's house. Me and Joanna ran over there. Turns out the neighbor's house was on fire, but she was out in the front yard. Now, the woman was in absolute hysteria. Joanna tried to calm her down, but it wouldn't work. She kept pointing at the house and screaming. Eventually I realized she was yelling for Wilson. Somebody was in danger, so being the good firefighter I was, I darted into the house. It was ablaze, so I had to maneuver around walls of fire and burning debris, but I managed to find Wilson and get him out of there, safe and sound."

Josh's mom sighed. "I still say you shouldn't have done it."

Mara had been staring at his dad, wide eyed, but turned to gape at his mom. "Why wouldn't you want him to save Wilson?"

"Because my husband just so happened to forget to mention that Wilson is a cat," his mom deadpanned.

It was all Josh could do not to die of laughter when Mara's expression shifted from incredulity to confusion. "A cat?"

"Not just any cat! He was missing his back leg and blind in one eye," his dad defended.

His mom rolled her eyes. "A cat, Micah. You recklessly risked your life for a cat."

His dad whacked the table with one hand while using the other to point a meaingful finger. "A cat named after her late husband, you know. Did you really want me to let her lose her husband twice?"

Josh couldn't hold it back anymore. He burst out laughing. Eli joined him. Mara smiled just enough to show the beginning of a dimple, but her eyes still flickered between the family with uncertainty.

"Still as odd as ever, I see."

Josh jumped. He glanced over his shoulder to see Xander looming over him.

"I'm not sure odd is the right word," his mom mused, earning a mock glare from his dad. She took an innocent bite of celery.

"Perhaps you're right." Xander chuckled, then turned to Josh. "How has the first day been so far? Everything going well?"

"It's been good." He just wished classes weren't so boring, but he wasn't going to say that out loud to the Paladin leader. "Mara has been a great guide."

"I thought she would be." Xander smiled at her. "Once again, thank you for assisting Josh."

"It's been my pleasure," she said.

Aw, she likes being around you, Boomer said.

Josh began to clean up his lunch as an excuse to look away from Mara. Shut up.

Just saying what I know you'll think.

"Speaking of, we should probably get going," Mara said. "We need to walk to the other side of the castle for your afternoon classes."

His dad waved as they stood up. "Have fun. Don't make Ioana kill you."

Xander laughed. "Everything will be fine, Josh. Ioana is a great teacher."

Yes, because there would be no bias toward his wife. Josh just gave a quick thanks before following Mara to dispose of their plates and cups. As they headed for a branching hallway, he glanced back at the table. Xander had taken a seat and started conversing with his parents.

He did a quick scan of the courtyard. Mara had told him not everyone ate at the same time, but still, dozens of people milled around the field. They weren't all Paladins. He had classes with five others his age, none of which were soul-bound.

His eyes rested on his parents and Xander one last time before he had to turn around. He frowned. "How would my parents know Xander so well?"

Mara hesitated. When she answered, she didn't look at him. "By now I'm sure you've figured out they used to live up here."

Josh nodded. "My dad says they were just helpers up here, but..."

"But you don't believe him?" she finished.

Once more he saw his mom's desperate face, then the pain as she stared at the Sanctuary. "I don't."

"They were helpers here from what I've heard," she said after another small pause. "I think something bad happened to a friend of your mom's."

"Oh." He winced. Here he had been debating pushing his mom for details if nobody answered him. Would have been a great way to be a jerk. He opened his mouth to see if she knew more, but she spoke before he could

"So," Mara said, finally meeting his eyes. "You excited for the afternoon classes?"

He bit back the question and smiled at her. It could wait for later. "Sure, let's do this."

Fun Fact: The story told by Josh's father is actually based on a story of my dad running in to get an elderly lady who fought being rescued, but in her case it's because she had money inside.  So... My dad had to go get her money xD

So, that parent issue is all 100% totally solved! *dusts hands off each other* Now to never touch it again! And the world continues to unfold bit by bit, and yet there is still more to learn and more classes to have. Hope you guys are still enjoying all of the information and a little less overwhelmed than our boy is xD

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D It's in my bio if you'd like to join!