Janus did not have fond memories of his former classmates. Being an outcast in the Vane family meant he lacked the luxuries other Sector 2 children enjoyed. While his siblings and peers gorged on mana-enriched meals to bolster their physical development, Janus ate common rations. The only thing his family provided was combat instructors. Because of his small frame, those lessons usually ended with him bruised and beaten.

  Gridus Timph was one peer who took a visceral pleasure in repeating those beatings. His family held less influence than the Vanes, and his parents had commanded him to be humble, but Gridus found it impossible to respect an inferior warrior. He seized every opportunity to humiliate Janus in the sparring ring. Standing at 1.90 meters with a frame of broad shoulders and bulging muscles, Gridus made their duels look comical. Janus was a mere child standing in the shadow of a monolith. With his heavy bones and golden hair, Gridus looked like a flawed attempt to recreate Rick’s perfection. He was a cruder, uglier version of the ideal.

  “By the Emperor,” Janus sighed as Gridus blocked his path to his new bed. “Do you ever grow up?”

  “I grew up just fine,” Gridus sneered, looking down. “I think you should grow up instead. Or do you prefer keeping your eyes at the level of my chest?”

  “I won’t waste my time talking to you,” Janus said, trying to move past. “I just arrived and I have classes to start. We do not need to interact. If you think you are superior, go be superior in silence, far away from my bed.”

  Gridus stepped into his way again. “No, that is where you are mistaken. These five-bed rooms are for tactical camaraderie. The academy’s idea is that by living together, we become a team. I don't want a weakling in my squad, it could spell my death and the death of my squadmates. I bet you only got promoted to Bronze because of your mother’s name and I won't accept you.”

  Two other roommates entered the room. Janus took some time, but he recognized one of them. Thimba was her name, and Janus watched as she silently entered and sat on the edge of her bunk. It looked like a stiff breeze would knock her over, her slim frame lost under a heavy tactical parka. Her droopy eyes were hidden behind long, snowy white bangs, a sight that still felt wrong to Janus.

  Back in school, she had been a girl of common brown hair and average grades, but the Codex had changed her more than most. Among humans, Aetheric Calcification

  It was hard to believe this was a Centurion. Janus wondered if she was already a C-Ranker. He had always liked her because she was a cute and nice person, though her shyness created a strange tension. The raw, intimidating power her new appearance represented made him hesitate to interact with her. She looked like a goddess of war trapped in the personality of a wallflower.

  Rin, by contrast, was a mountain of emerald-tinted stubbornness. His green hair was cut into a jagged buzz, and he moved with the heavy, practiced steps of someone who knew exactly how much damage he could take. He didn't have Thimba’s terrifying potential, but he had the look of a man who had seen too many funerals and not enough victories.

  “Gridus, stop your bullshit,” Rin said, tossing his gear onto a bunk. “We do not know if the kid is competent yet. Your memory of him is from before the Codex. People change too much. I bet he wouldn't guess that Thimba is actually the strongest among us now.”

  Lyza and Janus exchanged wide-eyed looks. “Really?” Lyza asked.

  “Yeah, it is whatever,” Thimba murmured, looking at the floor. “I don’t really like the attention, but I got some power.”

  “I will show you that I am more powerful now, too,” Janus said, his frustration finally boiling over. “Just you wait, Gridus.”

  “I want to see if you can even make me sweat,” Gridus challenged. “We will settle this in combat class.”

  “Deal,” Janus snapped. “I will make you regret those words.” Janus went to his bed already regretting his outburst. He didn’t need to prove anything to Gridus. Why was he so affected by him? Sighing, he tried ignoring his annoyance and focused on getting ready.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Gridus laughed, purely incredulous. Combat spars were held every other week, leaving Janus very little time to close a gap that had existed for years. Gridus sat on his bed and watched Janus. He noticed the kid was wearing a high-grade tactical suit that required Specialist clearance. For the first time, a flicker of doubt crossed the mind of Gridus. He decided he had better start training harder.

  The following days became a blur of intensive study as Janus attempted to reconcile his human education with the stolen memories of the Dwarves.

  In the Sigil Arts wing, Master Kaelen stood before a massive chalkboard covered in glowing geometric patterns. She focused on the theory of linguistics and power.

  “Sigils are Words of Power used to manipulate Mana. To cast a firebolt, for example, you need the Sigils for Fire, Bolt, and Throw. The problem is that the more Sigils you add, the more Mana you consume. Some people use Magic Instruments that contain a pre-seared Sigil to facilitate the conjuration.” Master Kaelen turned to Janus. “Do you have any Sigils in mind you would like to learn so we can sear them into this tablet?”

  Janus smiled and nodded. He had already decided what would synergize well with his powers.

  The environment changed entirely when he stepped into the Magitech Forge. This was not about the abstract language of magic, but the hard application of energy into matter. Master Harlen, a man with soot-stained goggles and a mechanical prosthetic hand, stared at the workbench of Janus in utter shock.

  “My God! You are the god of magitech! How the hell do you know so much?”

  “It is part of the reason I could not start here right away, Master Harlen. I cannot elaborate more.”

  “You do not need to elaborate. This hand laser emitter does not even look like human technology. Did you steal some of the ideas from the dwarves?”

  “Guilty as charged,” Janus said, waving his hands, and both of them laughed.

  Other students looked at him with envy, but it was not a battle they could win. Janus was already an aficionado of magitech before his memory theft. Now he had years of professional knowledge under his belt alongside two different technological approaches.

  “And can I use the magic forge as well?” Janus asked.

  “Of course. It is over there. As your level is much higher than your peers', I will assign more materials to you. Students usually need more time before being accepted to use the magic forge, but in your case, it would be a disservice. Can you stay after class so we can discuss some of what you have already brought?”

  “Of course, Master. It is always good to have a person with so much knowledge wanting to talk to me.”

  In the combat wing, the atmosphere was far less welcoming. Master Drax walked through the ranks of sweating students with a critical eye. He stopped in front of Janus.

  “You have been trained before, boy. I can see it. The movements are somewhat precise. But you are still one of the worst in the class. You will need to bust your ass if you want to be at least average. Are you sure you want to use the staff?” Janus only nodded. “Ok, so let me show you.”

  Gridus watched the critique from across the room with a grin. “I told you it would be a piece of cake for me, Rin. Look at his movements. Do you really think he can make me sweat?”

  Rin did not look so sure. “Just think, Gridus. He is a Specialist and he is terrible in physical combat. What remains? He must be a terrific mage. I heard that he knows so much magitech that Master Harlen wants him transferred to work solely in the forge. When we learn magitech, it is just to make a grenade or a knife. But this boy arrives, shows the Master something on his wrist, and the Master almost shits himself. The boy is dangerous, Gridus. He knows what to expect from you. You charge and punch. But you do not know what to expect from him.”

  Gridus grew angry. The dialogue had started so gleefully, but now he was being told he might lose to that little fungus. He would not have that. With renewed effort, Gridus focused even more on his training.

  Back at Fort Aegis, a decomposing cadaver floated alone near a table while many bolts, springs, and plates floated around it. The cadaver did not even use its hands. The pieces just flew into place and screwed themselves together. The terrible hearing of the corpse still managed to catch the sound of the door opening. By the rhythm of the steps, it was Dr. Simons.

  “Vane, stop your training for a minute. We received a weird gift from the dwarves and I really need your expertise here.”

  She pulled the sheet covering her delivery. They were two hybrids of Dwarves and Abominations.

  “There are more soldiers like this. Every dwarf killed recently started turning into this and attacked us. My question is, can you use these cadavers?”

  Janus was intrigued. He did not know people could Abominationize others. It was another thing for his list of questions to Bob. He landed the floating corpse and used his Unmana to fill the cores of the hybrids. The process was even faster now as the hybrid bodies were already adapted to this type of energy. One of the hybrids opened its eyes and sat up from the bed.

  “Look at this wound. It is closing already. This body is not dead anymore.”

  “Wow. Great news. What about the memories?” Dr. Simons asked anxiously.

  “None. The only memories it has are from after its first death,” Janus said, feeling relieved.

  “You seem happy about us losing our new intel network,” Dr. Simons chided.

  “We may have lost our intel, but we already have so much knowledge. I was reaching my limit anyway. I would not be able to keep using this power on more cadavers. But I am happy because these bodies regenerate. High Commander Marek wanted to know if I could control a large quantity, and I told him I could not. Well, now I possibly can.”

  The second hybrid sat up. Both hybrids and the decomposing cadaver looked at Dr. Simons and spoke in perfect unison.

  “Bring all the other hybrids and call High Commander Marek, please. I want to give him the good news myself,” Janus said, as both hybrids began to float.