Lorian frowned, shifting in his seat. “But if lying breaks trust, wouldn’t that make it more dangerous?”
Jarvins’s grin turned wicked, eyes glittering with amusement. “Precisely why your lies must never be discovered, Mr. Stonepaw. Deception is a blade. Handle it carelessly, and it’ll cut you.”
Dimitri leaned slightly toward me, his voice low but intentionally audible. “You’d know about careless, wouldn’t you?”
I turned sharply, meeting his mocking gaze with narrowed eyes. “Excuse me?”
He shrugged nonchalantly, lips curling into a smug smirk. “Just curious how long you’ll last before your recklessness gets someone killed. I remember how impulsive you were in that simulation.”
My teeth clenched, a slow, dangerous smile forming in response. “You’ll be the first to know, Dimitri, because it’ll likely be you.”
“Oh, good.” Jarvins interrupted, scribbling furiously on his tablet, delighted. “Rivalries are always entertaining. Keep it going, just don’t let it cloud your judgment.”
“As if it would,” Dimitri scoffed.
“You’re not even worth being called a rival,” I cooed to him.
Jarvins turned serious once more, continuing to outline the course clearly. “This foundational course will immerse you in thesubtlearts essential to any agent trained in influence, misdirection, and persuasion. You’ll manipulate social dynamics, fabricate identities, and extract critical intelligence. You are expected to do all this without raising suspicion or breaking cover.”
He paced again, sharply emphasizing key points. “Psychological profiling, aura control, emotional projection—these are the skills that make a good agentexceptional. Learn to lie believably. Craft identities so convincing they could withstand scrutiny from the Supernatural Council itself. At least, that’s the goal. Master techniques to evade truth spells and empathic detection. Once you learn enough from this class, you should be able to infiltrate moderate-security environments seamlessly.”
Assignments flashed briefly on the screen behind him, each clearly written out.
“Persona portfolios. You must craft believable identities that survive rigorous interrogation. Influence simulations. Charm and manipulate your target without arousing suspicion. Surveillance role plays, a personal favorite of mine. You will infiltrate environments undetected, extracting intel quietly and efficiently.” He stopped pacing, pinning us with his piercing gaze. “The final mission will immerse you in a high-stakesdiplomatic gala. Any slip-up could cost you everything, and it will be fun. Questions?”
No one raised their hand or spoke.
Jarvins nodded approvingly. “Good. Then let’s begin.”
He launched into the rest of the lecture with efficiency, pacing as he spoke. He covered the art of influence and how even the slightest flicker of eye contact or a pause in speech could shift power in a conversation. He broke down body language and what we needed to look for. We analyzed emotional projection and even discussed how to manipulate a room with just our presence.
My tablet’s pen flew across the screen as I made notes to the slideshow he’d sent us all.
Dimitri challenged nearly every theory with counterpoints. Jarvins didn’t shut him down; he encouraged the debate. I happily gave my input, but Dimitri and I rarely saw eye-to-eye.
The room sparked with tension but also with interest.
By the time the clock neared dismissal, I had already started crafting the first persona I’d wear for the assignment he mentioned briefly at the start.
Jarvins snapped his fingers, a faint shimmer pulsing across the trap runes on the floor. “Class dismissed. Go hydrate before your next class. You’ll need to.” He waved a hand as he turned his back, already pulling out his tablet again. “And remember, every word you say from now on? I’m listening. Especially when you think I’m not.”
As we left that class and headed toward the next, Slater immediately sidled up next to me, his red eyes sparkling with excitement. “I love that class.”
“It was rather informative,” Dimitri muttered, already heading for the door.
I grinned, my thoughts spinning with all the ways I could weaponize charm before week five. I had to get top marks before Dimitri, after all.
“You know,” Slater began, leaning close, voice dropping dramatically, “if being smart was a crime, you’d have a life sentence.”
I snorted, shaking my head as we walked. “You never run out of pick-up lines, do you?”
“Not when I’m inspired by your beauty.” He winked, and suddenly his chaos manifestation curled out from behind him. The black-scaled snake shimmered with chaos power, wound gently around Slater’s arm.
He lifted his head to peer curiously at me.
“Hi, Snakey,” I murmured, leaning closer as his little tongue flicked out. “Aren’t you handsome?” I leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on Snakey’s head.
Slater turned scarlet, stammering. “Aw, venom baby. Did you?—”
