The file was hefty, stuffed with reports detailing a curious mix of brilliance and chaos. Viktor’s amber eyes scanned the pages, which alternated between glowing academic achievements and an alarming number of disciplinary write-ups. There was an unauthorized experiment that nearly melted a centrifuge, a missing inventory report involving three beakers and a suspiciously similar glass sculpture found later, and, of course, the infamous glitter incident that rendered an entire classroom uninhabitable for a week.

“They’re brilliant,” Jayce said, his tone carrying the enthusiasm of someone who had already decided this was a great idea. “I met them at a university seminar—stumbled into one of their ‘unofficial’ experiments. They were trying to synthesize an alternative stabilizer for volatile compounds. It didn’t work exactly... but their method was inventive. They’ve got potential, Viktor, raw potential.”

“Potential,” Viktor echoed, his tone flat, “isn’t worth much without discipline. My lab is not a playground for reckless experimentation.”

Jayce crossed his arms, leaning against the desk. “I get it, but they’re not just reckless. They’re driven. They’ve been working without guidance, figuring things out on their own. Imagine what they could do with the right mentors—and the resources to do it safely.”

Viktor hesitated, his skepticism warring with curiosity. The idea of mentoring someone with such a volatile history wasn’t appealing, but Jayce’s argument had merit. Talent, after all, didn’t always come neatly packaged.

He sighed, closing the file with a decisive snap. “Fine,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “But if they disrupt my work, they’re gone. Understood?”

Jayce’s grin was instant and far too pleased. “Understood.”

When the knock came at the door later that day, Viktor glanced at Jayce before answering. Whoever stood on the other side had the potential to either enrich the lab’s work or plunge it into chaos. Either way, Viktor braced himself.