Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

Adrian reached into his satchel and pulled out a small whistle and a handful of treats. "First, let's see if you respond to basic commands with some positive reinforcement."

He blew the whistle softly and held up a treat. The Flare Cubs perked up at the sound and cautiously approached him, sniffing the air.

"Good, come on," he encouraged, offering the treat to the closest Flare Cub. It gingerly took the treat from his hand, its tail flame flickering excitedly. The other Flare Cubs soon followed suit.

"Alright, now let's see how well you can control your flames," Adrian said, pointing to a row of targets set up at the far end of the enclosure. "Flare Cubs, focus your flames on the targets."

The Flare Cubs, sensing his intent, began to breathe small jets of fire toward the targets. Their aim was a bit erratic, but they were clearly trying.

"Great job! Keep practicing," he praised them, moving on to the Aqua Sprites.

For the Aqua Sprites, he set up a series of hoops for them to swim through. "Aqua Sprites, let's work on your agility and control."

The Aqua Sprites darted through the hoops, leaving shimmering trails of water behind them. They were surprisingly graceful, and Adrian found himself captivated by their movements.

He was really enjoying the process. After all, he only watched from the side when others did these kinds of things with their pets in the course.

"And next are you guys..." As he moved to the Terra Pups, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Turning around, he saw two young figures entering the room. They appeared to be around 13 or 14 years old. The girl had bunny ears peeking out from her short, light brown hair, while the boy had fox ears nestled in his messy red hair.

"Hey there!" the girl called out cheerfully, her ears twitching with excitement. "You must be the student Aunty Jenny mentioned. I'm Mia, and this is my brother, Finn. We're here to help with the training."

"Nice to meet you, Mia and Finn," Adrian replied, offering a friendly smile. "I'm Adrian, and this is Noxy." He gestured to his little companion perched on his shoulder.

"Wow, Noxy is adorable!" Mia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"So, you were the ones Miss Jenny mentioned then?"

"Yes, we are," Mia replied. "Come, let's start already, I can't wait."

Finn nodded in agreement, his fox ears flicking in anticipation. "Yeah, we've been looking forward to this. What do you need us to do?"

"Hmm..." Adrian gestured towards the Terra Pups. "I'm about to start working with these little guys. I heard they were still learning the basics, but they already can do well. So we'll need to be patient and guide them through their training."

"Got it," Finn said, stepping forward. "What kind of training are we doing with them?"

Adrian explained the task to the two.

"Sounds fun!" Mia said, clapping her hands. "Let's get started."

Adrian divided the tasks among the three of them. He showed Mia and Finn how to encourage the Terra Pups to channel their energy into forming small mounds of earth. The Terra Pups were eager to please, their little tails wagging as they followed the commands.

"Good job, Terra Pups!" Mia praised, her bunny ears twitching with excitement as one of the pups successfully formed a small earth.

Finn nodded, his fox ears perked up in concentration. "They're doing great. Just need a bit more practice."

"Haha, you two must be really interested in magical beasts." Adrian chuckled seeing their enthusiasm. Well, he couldn't blame them since he was not that different.

"Of course," Mia said with a grin, her bunny ears twitching in delight. "We've always loved magical beasts. We even wanted to buy one or two for ourselves, but our parents said we could only do it if we entered the academy."

Finn nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they said we need to show we're responsible enough first."

Adrian chuckled. "Well, if you train hard and awaken a good Ability and Affinity, you'll have your own magical beasts in no time."

The two siblings nodded eagerly. "We're definitely going to work hard," Finn said, his fox ears flicking with determination.

"How were the exams for you, Brother Adrian?" Mia asked curiously.

Adrian shrugged, keeping a low profile. "They were difficult, but I was lucky. Managed to get through."

Mia's eyes sparkled with excitement. "You know, there's another student who's been working here for about two months now. They're super popular and really strong."

Adrian raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? Who is it?"

Mia and Finn exchanged mischievous glances, their excitement palpable. "We'll introduce you to them at lunch," Mia said, a teasing smile on her face.

Adrian chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, you two. Let's focus on the work for now."

He had an idea who the student might be but didn't want to let the kids down.

They spent the next hour working with the Terra Pups, guiding them through various exercises to enhance their control over earth manipulation. The pups were quick learners, responding well to the positive reinforcement and patient guidance from Adrian, Mia, and Finn.

After a while, Adrian decided it was time to move on to the Zephyr Kittens. "Alright, Terra Pups, take a break," he said, giving the little earth creatures some time to rest.

"Next up, the Zephyr Kittens," Adrian announced, looking at the sleek, cat-like creatures with white, feathery fur and wings. "Let's work on their agility and control."

Mia and Finn watched in awe as Adrian set up an obstacle course for the Zephyr Kittens, using various perches and hoops for them to navigate through.

"Zephyr Kittens, let's see how well you can maneuver through these obstacles," Adrian said, encouraging the kittens to start their training.

The Zephyr Kittens flitted about, their movements graceful and swift. They navigated through the course with ease, darting from perch to perch and leaping through the hoops with incredible speed.

"Wow, they're amazing!" Finn exclaimed, his fox ears twitching in excitement.

"They sure are," Adrian agreed, feeling a sense of pride in the young beasts' progress.

As they continued their training, the sound of a bell rang out, signaling lunchtime. Adrian looked at Mia and Finn, who were grinning mischievously.

"Lunchtime," Mia said, her bunny ears perking up. "Let's go meet that popular student we mentioned earlier."

Adrian nodded, his curiosity piqued. "Alright, lead the way."

The three of them made their way to the dining area, where the sanctuary staff and volunteers gathered for meals. As they approached, Adrian noticed a small crowd gathered around a table, laughing and chatting animatedly.

"There they are," Mia said, pointing towards the center of the crowd.

Adrian's eyes 'widened' in surprise as he recognized the figure sitting at the table, a familiar face from the academy. "I-Is that student Irithel, the new famous rising Beast Tamer?"

"Hehe, you guessed it right," Mia said, her bunny ears twitching with excitement. "She's been amazing with the magical beasts here. Everyone loves her. Come on, let me introduce you to sister Irithel, she is a beauty, you know."

"Alright, but don't hurry ok." Adrian nodded while inwardly smiling. Haha, it was really good to play with kids. 'But then again, nobody has recognized me. Is it because I'm an extra?'

'Urgh... Whatever. I don't care anyway.'

'This even works in my favor in its own way. The less I am known the better for me to do my things.'