Back to School

“How are you feeling, Haruki? The Echo Rite really told us the truth.”

He had completely forgotten about that until Kiera brought it up once more. Or maybe he just wanted to forget. Out of sight, out of mind. If he didn’t think about it, maybe it wouldn’t be real.

But what Oric showed him in Scripture. What a Prophet could do. And he possessed their abilities? Surely, that could not be true. The visions that were etched into those ancient pages, the miracles that shattered armies and split the sky.

There was no way.

“I… I’m not…” He rubbed his forehead, shaking his head slowly. “I just want to go home.”

Kiera blinked, taken aback by this weight in his voice.

“Haruki…”

“I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t… I don’t… know who you people are. I don’t want to be some kind of god. I just…” His voice cracked, and he buried his face in his hands. “I just want to go back to my apartment.”

Here, Kiera tilted her head, and she asked possibly the single most important question Haruki would hear. One he was perhaps hiding from. She asked:

“Do you really?”

Her words landed like a stone dropped into still water, rippling through him.

Haruki froze, fingers curling against his face. He didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Because deep down, he knew.

What was there really waiting for him back home? A flicker of the computer screen? The humming of a refrigerator he hadn’t bothered to stock? His parents were gone. He had no friends. No one who respected him. No one who loved him.

No one.

He searched for the words, but his chest kept on tightening.

“Is it wrong – if I say I don’t mind staying here?”

Kiera didn’t look away. She sat with a kind of stillness that made her seem older than she was. Her blue eyes now sparkled with a warming flame.

Before finally – she patted him on the back.

“Come on. The Deacons and Elders probably don’t even know how to get you back home yet. I have never heard of an alien getting transported here from another world. And I don’t think they have either. Let’s just… keep an eye out, see how it goes.”

Haruki leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. The silence between them was heavy, but not suffocating. For the first time, he let himself really feel it…

The strange, terrifying freedom of being untethered from his old life.

And in the end, he nodded his head.

“Knock, knock,” came a singsong voice, smooth as silk, prompting both Kiera and Haruki to jump to their feet.

Standing in the doorway was Deacon Loto, hands folded neatly behind his back, a gentle smile playing on his lips. He strode in with a confidence that made the quiet infirmary feel suddenly smaller.

“Listen, Haruki. I think I owe you an apoplogy.”

Haruki was instantly taken aback. But before he could process it, Loto continued:

“I treated you harshly after the Rite was finished. I was supposed to assist you, but I acted out of panic. And for that, I am sorry.”

“Oh… I suppose. Please, don’t worry about it, sir,” he said.

“I know you’re probably eager to hear news about the methods to return you home,” Loto stroked his chin, “but I do ask for you to be patient just a little longer. We have never seen anything like this case before in our lives. But the magicks of our Elders and Overseers go back ages. Your case is currently being processed, so we’ll find you a solution one way or another.”

A sudden feeling of relief washed over Haruki, one he couldn’t fully explain with words. But he knew exactly what it meant from his gut instinct alone. And looking back at Kiera, she nodded her head, letting him feel at ease in the middle of his calming tremble.

“You know,” Haruki turned back to Loto, now smiling in front of the Deacon, “I think I’ll be fine waiting.”

Loto looked shocked, but he nodded his head.

“Good. Then I suppose it’s time to bring up this other news.”

“Sir?”

“I’ve spoken with the Elders.” Loto clasped his hands in front of him. “The decision is unanimous. Both of you will be sent to Emerald Academy.”

The words seemed to linger in the air. From merely hearing of this place Haruki had no clue of. He tried shaking his head, to force out some words.

Before finally, the both of them blurted out at the same time:

“WHAT?”

Here, Kiera sat back down on her bed, still fatigued from the injuries of the battle, but now she was trembling from something else as well. Her head was spinning as she repeated:

“The Academy?”

“That is correct, my friends. Emerald Academy is the bastion for all Holy Hunters in the land. We will be here, honing your skills and begin your training, to prepare us all against the evils of this world.”

Haruki’s mouth stayed open, no sound came out. He looked between Loto and Kiera, brain scrambling to process what he’d just heard.

Emerald Academy. Like… school? An actual fantasy-world school?

He told himself that he shouldn’t really be surprised. Being here on Sunpeak, he should’ve known of the tropes. But for it to be real – he had no way to describe any of what he was feeling.

All reeling back into a single thought, screaming in his head:

I’M ABOUT TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL?

Meanwhile, Kiera was frozen, her expression unreadable. Then, as if remembering herself, she crossed her arms and leaned back against the bedpost.

“I… I see,” she said, forcing a calm tone.

“Indeed. All expenses will be covered,” Loto continued. “Tuition, lodging, equipment, the works. Consider it a royal sponsorship. A gift, if you will.”

Kiera’s breath halted suddenly. For the briefest second, her eyes widened, and Haruki caught a flicker of raw emotion – relief, disbelief, even joy. But it was gone as quickly as it came. She straightened her posture, trying to mask the storm brewing inside.

“That’s… generous,” she said carefully.

Haruki tilted his head, noticing how tightly she gripped her own arm. He remembered what she’d told him earlier. All that stuff about her family, the constant struggle, and how money was the only thing keeping her moving forward. Surely, the Academy was her dream, he realized. A dream she had buried under practicality.

Loto glanced at her knowingly.

“Kiera, my dear. You have a talent unlike many I have seen. Your ability to create constructs is powerful, but unrefined. With the right guidance – who knows how far you’ll be able to go? Don’t think of what you had to do in the past many years, and even now. You have practical needs, I know. But there will be more for you. So let it rest, just for today.”

“I… sir…” she stammered, before finally nodding hesitantly, letting in all that had been suggested here today.

“And as for you, Haruki of Earth,” Loto turned back to Haruki. “You possess abilities and powers that you cannot comprehend. A power – that we ourselves cannot comprehend. With time… you may grow to become the most powerful man on the planet.”

Haruki swallowed, his palms sweating. The word ‘power’ clung to him like a shadow. Here, Deacon Loto extended his hand.

“Come, let us be set apart.”