“What in the fuck are you doing?! Why is Phavian always in these situations on a campus you are supposed to be protecting?!”
Being a mother many times over, she was not a stranger to children lashing out at authority figures when things went wrong, even if it was their own fault. In some ways she had asked herself the same question, many times if she were being honest, but she did not like the manner in which it was posed to her at this time.
“If I were you, I would mind your tongue child. There is no doubt you are powerful, but you are still centuries from being able to speak to me in such a manner. Also, in your weakened state, you do not even have the power to challenge me if you wanted to. I shall forgive the lapse of judgement at this time, but insolent children, no matter how powerful, still must be punished. You would do well to remember that.”
Tears flowing down his face, he could feel nothing but shame for the way he had spoken to Ixnes, especially given all she had done for him. “I’m sorry, I…”
“I know child. There seems to be more trying times in your life than happy ones. Being as intelligent as you are, you cannot help but have noticed the trend.”
Dropping his head, the tears growing in intensity, he can only utter one word, “Me.”
“That is correct. Though I hate to pierce you with more bad news in such a time, this boy had never even once been through the type of harrowing, life altering events he has gone through in less than a year, before becoming involved with you. If you continue along this path, his fragility may be too much for what you place on him.”
“I told him that! I told him I feared for his safety! But…”
“Yet you chose to keep him close anyhow.”
“Yes, but…”
“But what child? All I am hearing from you is this word, ‘but’. But you thought he was strong enough to take care of himself? But you thought you had rid the world of the things that are attracted to you bent on destruction? But you thought you deserved to be happy? All of these things may well be true, though understanding there are no guarantees in life however is much more important to remember.”
“What do you want me to say?! I’ll leave him alone so he can be safe? Even before we were together he was a target! What guarantee do I have he will be safe because I keep my distance? You just said there are no guarantees in life. There is one I know of at least. If I push him away, I will break his heart.”
“Is it his heart, or your heart you are concerned with child?”
Clenching his jaw tight, afraid of his answer, he finally responds, “Can it not be both?”
“You are young yet child. You have an extremely long life ahead of you. There will come a point in time where you will realize just taking someone else’s desires or wellbeing into consideration does not automatically absolve you of responsibility or guilt.”
“That is a cruel lesson to learn. Everyone seems to think I had something to do with this. Why?”
“Though there were only a few people in the area thankfully, they all say you were accompanied by two women, and then Phavian attacked you, causing you to retaliate. Though Hobb sees much, he does not see everything. That particular area of campus was not around any stationary cameras, and the drones were not in the area either. I thought it absurd myself, but then I saw the picture of the scene where it took place.”
“What do you mean?”
Standing up, crossing the space to him, she displays a number of images on her Vizer. Though the overall area was small, there was no denying the pure destruction that occurred in the crater burned completely black in the middle of the verdant campus. Though such scenes of destruction were not enough to make him squeamish, the thought of Phavian being in the center of such was almost too much for him to bear.
“As you can see, this damage is consistent with something only you would be capable of creating, especially given how contained it is. Once again, let me reiterate I do not feel you were the one who did this, but the fact still remains, someone else out there is capable of such feats.”
“I have to find out who did this. I need to go immediately and-”
“Kill them? Cause just as much wanton destruction? No child. We have no real leads and the investigation has already turned up inconclusive. Much has happened while you were taking a nap. I have already gotten teams to get that area fixed back up. The last thing I need is students being fearful for their safety.”
“Well I will stay here with Phavian and oversee his recovery.”
“I also cannot allow that. I already am going to have my hands full explaining how he was all but dead and now he is on his way to a full recovery. It would be best if you did not add to this. I have something different I need you to take care of, it is of the utmost importance. This is a mission unlike any other because I am the client and it is quite personal, not only to me but to you.”
“Are you serious?! Phavian is lying here dying and you want to send me on a mission?!”
“Was dying. You have done quite well handling that portion. I may not be even close to your level, but even I can feel the momentous change in the boy’s condition. I daresay he will fully recover, and you have more than gotten him to a place the staff can now quite adequately address.”
“But-”
Scoffing and waving her hand dismissively whilst walking back to her seat, “There you are again with that word. If this keeps up, I am going to ban you from using it. If you would listen, you might find what I have to say quite interesting.”
“I’m assuming like the other missions I don’t have a choice in the matter?”
“No, you do not. Particularly in this case, though once you hear it, I think you would not want to decline it.”
“Nothing you can say will make me want to be anywhere else other than here by Phavian’s side.”
Giving him one of her all-knowing smirks, “I need you to travel to France to recover a child.”
“You are sending me on babysitting duty rather than letting me be here with Phavian?!”
“Sitting here with the boy is babysitting, what you must do will be much more taxing. This is no ordinary child. It appears she is a young girl who has awakened as a Demolitionist.”
Upon hearing those words, painful memories came flooding back to Anaar. Though he had his mother, it still did not change how scared and alone he was. All his life he had a host of abilities that were present, but simple enough to contain. When he manifested as a Demolitionist, his entire world changed. He remembered having no one who could really understand what he was going through, nor explain how he could prevent himself from being a ticking time bomb. He was all alone and forced to figure things out. He knew all too well how this young girl must be feeling.
“Because she is so young, she has no idea what she is doing, and there are even doubts she is the one who is responsible. I have it on good intelligence she is indeed the cause however, and she cannot be left alone.”
“Why would you say left alone? What about her pare-” Just then a realization hit him.
“I see you understand already. She unknowingly killed her parents and is now an orphan. This child is definitely all alone with no one to help her.”
“What about relatives, or the French social system?”
“Her relatives are terrified of her, and the French social system though amazing, is ill equipped to handle such a child.”
“What exactly are you implying? Are you trying to have me kidnap her and bring her to the US? That is going to start a war when France finds out we are stealing their children, not only that, but ones who could potentially be used for their own aims as this world slides further into conflict with one another.”
“Well, I have good news regarding that. It seems I am not the only one who has gotten wind of this incident, despite my deep ties into France. There will be all manner of other people seeking to take the child for their own purposes.”
“How is that good news?!”
“Let us not be coy child, a
s much as you wish to nurture the boy, I can feel the seething rage rolling off you. This will be quite dangerous.”
“You are basically telling me to go wild so I can make myself feel better.”
“I’m simply giving you opportunities to disperse some of that pent-up energy. How you go about it is your own choice. I understand you want to stay by Phavian’s side, but given the circumstances, distance, not proximity is the best you can do for him right now.”
“I still think this is all ridiculous. You are sending me to France, a country where I do not speak the language, to kidnap a child. What am I supposed to do if she does not want to come with me? Am I supposed to knock her out and just abscond with her?! She is a child! A scared one who is no doubt being told any number of atrocities about things she likely does not understand.”
“This is precisely why you are the best person to reach out to the girl. No one can relate to her like you can. Children can pick up on those sorts of things.”
“That still does not address the fact I don’t speak French!”
“Now child, you know only America sees fit to force people into only one language. It is very probable the girl knows English as well, and if not, she will probably know German! See, this was made for you.”
“I still don’t like the idea of taking this girl from her home.”
“Child, she no longer has a home. That is what makes it so sad. Connect with her and save her from a life pain.”
“What will I do with her once I have her? If I even get her.”
“Simply contact James to bring you back.”
“You must be joking. Won’t there be issues with us harboring a French citizen against their will, probably causing a ruckus in the process?”
“I’m sure you will do just marvelously.” Sending a message on her Vizer, in a few beats, a wormhole appears and James steps from it.
“Hello Anaar. I am sorry to hear about Phavian. Here are the items you will need. An untraceable credit card with no limit. Fake documents so you can get lodgings and other things in the city, I have also uploaded a full dossier of everything we know about the girl and her situation. Anything else you need do not hesitate to ask, I am happy to be of assistance.”
“Wow, other missions didn’t come with all these perks. I wish Phavian could come with me.”
“This is no time to be thinking about a French getaway with your beau, you have work to do. I trust you will not let me down.”
“Wait, I’m leaving now?!”
“Of course child! There is no time to lose! There is also the fact you will need to recover your strength.”
Walking over to the bed grumbling to himself, he kisses Phavian on the forehead for a long moment, and moves toward the now open wormhole to his impromptu mission he was being forced on. Before he leaves, he turns back, looking Ixnes intently in the eyes.
“Take care of him. I don’t know what would happen if I lost him.”
“You have my word.”
Stepping into the swirling portal, he disappears, it closing behind him. James gives a bow to Ixnes and takes his leave as well through another portal. Left alone with Phavian, Ixnes sighs as she looks over what she has been tasked with. After a few moments, she looks at the door then yells loudly to it.
“There is no need for you to stand out there as if you do not exist. Come see the boy for yourself.”
The door opens and Master Shin enters, a look of worry evident upon his face.
“How is he Ixnes?”
“Just delightful. You should be wondering about the other one.”
“The one you just sent away? I have my own reservations about your plan and what you hope to accomplish.”
“Xiaowei I do not think you understand. This boy should have been dead hours ago. The power Anaar wields is only growing, and that is disregarding he was already terrifying.”
“What do you mean?”
“He used active and regenerative healing concurrently on the boy, something that should not be possible as the two processes interfere with one another, and all but erased the mortal injuries he had.”
“I presumed his offensive abilities were his crowning achievement.”
“They very well may be, but the things he can do outside of them are very close behind if they are not identical.”
“Do you find this to be a problem?”
“Not at all, however it concerns me how he will come to bear a life with so much power.”
“He has told you I can sense potential no doubt?”
“Yes, what of it.”
“You only fear what you can see, I must fear what I cannot.”
“What do you mean?”
“If the person with the greatest potential I have come across represents a country, he at my best estimate represents a galaxy.”
Her eyes going wide, “Is it really that stark of a difference?!”
“Absolutely. It may have something to do with his seemingly infinite lifespan, but there is none that comes even close to the depth of potential he bears.”
“I feared as much, but it is all the more concerning when verified.”
“For now, I believe it is best we do all we can to guide him along his path as he will only have one opportunity at being a child and building his core beliefs and foundation.”
Nodding in agreement, the two most powerful people on campus sit in a silent vigil over the comatose Phavian as they wonder about this extraordinary child they have been put in charge of.
2
Being the self-proclaimed smartest person in his class had already found Peter not making as many friends as he would have hoped. Regrettably, it had always been his way to push his intelligence onto others as a way to make up for his size. He had always been an intelligent boy, but once he manifested, it opened up an entirely new world of possibilities.
He unfortunately had already gotten his rude awakening that he was not the smartest person in the school. He had begun to believe Anaar purposely brought him to Dr. Darst in order to exhibit such. Anaar did not seem to be one prone to malicious maneuvers, but he did have a way about him that allowed him to hide his intentions behind a screen of sweetness. Remembering the conversation which led him to the class he was now sitting in, Peter wondered if Anaar had something far more insidious in mind when suggesting it.
“Have you made any friends yet?”
“Why, do you think I am incapable of making friends?!”
“Wow, I wonder if this was how people felt when talking to me when I first arrived.”
“Whatever could you mean?”
“Immediately defensive, closed off, antagonistic for no apparent reason…”
“I am none of those things! I simply do not like you implying I would not be capable of making friends of my own.”
“If you are supposed to be so smart, where does that implication come from? You have been on campus barely three days, which are all pretty packed with activities. With the size of the campus, all the new experiences, and the different environment, it would not be unusual for you to not have time to go lobbying for companionship.”
Looking down embarrassed, “Oh, I thought you were implying people would not want to be friends with me.”
“Why? Because you can be stuffy and self-conscious? Plenty of people have at least one of those traits, you would not be the first.”
“I beg your pardon!”
“The truth hurts. So do you plan on haranguing me, or are you going to answer my question?”
“Yes I have made friends!”
“That is good. It may not seem like much, but if I were you, I would make sure to take a few classes with them, at least in your first trimester. That will help you grow closer and make it easier to spend time together.”
“Why… That is actually a good idea. Is that what you did?”
“It is, but it was not my idea. My best friend Maggie is the one who set it all up. She along with her boyfriend Dan and I had almost all our classes
together the first trimester. Because of such, they are the closest people to me in my class, along with our friend Stefani.”
“Where did the Stefani girl come from if not part of your group?”
“We both had unique mentor situations and met like that. We then ended up in the same combat class which made for us becoming closer. I think you should take that class by the way.”
“Is it good?”
“One of the professors is a grouch, and the other is surely one step from an insane asylum, but they are good people, and excellent at what they do.”
“Why would you suggest I take a combat class?”
“Well, it counts toward your martial arts training. For you, I can’t help but think the Headmistress will have something up her sleeve which will prevent you from testing out of them, so it is better you have fun with it.”
“What exactly does this class entail?”
“Well, as its name implies, Principles of Combat takes a broad look at different realms of combat readiness, tactics, and theory. I am in the third level right now. I am sure you probably heard, but technically I am a Freshman too.”
“Yes, it has been all the buzz around campus. Even though for the sake of simplicity you are called the Sophomore class now, you still have not completed your first year.”
“That’s right. No one was expecting you guys. It is strange how they managed to keep something like that from us up until the very last minute. Maybe it was because we were too busy with our own lives, but it completely flew by us.”
“Since you are taking the combat course to fulfill your martial arts credit, does that mean you have not settled on what you would like to take up?”
“Oh no, I take that class for fun, and because it is kind of our tradition at this point. It goes all the way through the second-year curriculum, so we decided to see it through. I have a martial arts master. I study three weapons, though only two count, and I also study two different forms of ancient Chinese hand to hand arts.”
Apotheosis (Song of Sophangence Book 3) Page 2