Polydeuces

Castor wakes up. It’s still the middle of the night, the gentle moonlight coming in through the small gap between the curtains. He sits up and looks around the dorm room. He looks right at the other bed on the other side of the window. He smiles as he looks at the other boy’s still back.

“Poly, you’re awake, aren’t you?” The other boy sits up. He looks just the same as Castor, the same fine features and the same curly blue hair.

“So I am.”

“I’ve been avoiding it, but we really should talk about it, shouldn’t we.”

“I suppose so. What’s wrong with your teacher?”

“Who knows.”

“Obviously. It’s only been a day. But I had to try way too hard not to burst out laughing watching him goad Mr. Assero on.”

“Well, I’m sure you enjoyed it, but I’m not too fond of him getting us in some fight.”

“I have a fantastic plan for that, actually.”

“Because your strategic mind has led us so well in the past.”

“Well, I figured that my wise brother would put a stop to me if it were foolish.”

“If only you would listen to reason.”

“Come now!”

“I swear, you’re a bigger handful than Callidus.”

“Callidus is the other genius, isn’t he? The one who won’t stop picking fights. The one of the… the Mercurius family?”

“That’s right. And I swear, all you geniuses are the same. Wholly incapable of listening to anyone else.”

“I wonder if all geniuses are really like that. I’ve never talked to him, but it seems we might get along swimmingly.”

“Either a reign of terror or a bloodbath, I’d say.”

“Well, I’m sure you could put a stop to us.”

“So? What scheme have you come up with this time?”

“We’ll switch places for the fight.”

“What?”

“Who could tell us apart?”

“No, I mean, why would we even do that?”

“Mr. Assero irritates me, so I’d like to knock him down a peg or two. And that’s where the switching comes into play. Though I’d love to see the look on your face when the two geniuses clash, I would instead fight on behalf of your class, and then you all would win. And of course, then nobody would look down on you again.” Castor can’t look at the smile on his brother’s face.

“Don’t be a fool, Poly. Even if it worked, what would it matter? If I want people to acknowledge me, then I need to do it myself.”

“I suppose so. And I suppose that I would much rather they see my wise brother as the kind person he is than as another copy of me.”

“I’m not as kind as you seem to think, Poly.”

“Yet you always go along with me.”

“And I’m very happy that I won’t have to go along with that plan of yours.”

“Tell me, Castor, do you like that teacher of yours?”

“Which one?”

“The strange one, obviously. And there are two?”

“The girl next him.”

“Ah, you’re right. She wasn’t in a uniform either.”

“But he really is strange. He never even introduced himself. And he seems like another genius.”

“So he’s strong? I suppose he must be to stay completely calm with somebody so much bigger trying to fight him.”

“He’s scarily strong. He broke my barrier like it was nothing.”

“Why was your teacher using spells on you?”

“Ah, no, he hit it with his cane.” Poly laughs happily.

“Is that something that can happen?! Are you sure he’s really a person?! Maybe he’s some kind of puppet for somebody else?!” Castor can’t help but laugh himself.

“Well, he can’t be! He used a spell properly! But he really was just way too strong!” Castor stops laughing, and looks out towards the window, the night sky behind it. “Well, we should go to sleep.”

“Oh, but my plans are the stupid ones. Good night, Castor.”

“Good night, Poly.”

The next morning, Libarius is walking through the halls, his cane tapping against the floor. He scans the people passing by as he walks. Finally, he spots Castor. Libarius grabs him by the collar as he passes by, dragging him away. Castor resists.

“Hey, sir, where are you taking me?! Let go of me!”

“It’s time for research.”

Libarius drags Castor outside. He plants his cane firmly against the ground and looks at Castor expectantly.

“Put up your barrier.”

“What?”

“Put it up, it’s time for training.”

“No, I’m not Castor.”

“Quoth the Grand Sage: ‘Where would I stand were I known by any other name, who would gather when I called—yet when I raise my hood and mask my face am I anything less than the Grand Sage?’ Put up your barrier.”

“No, I’m not Castor. I’m Polydeuces. I can’t use barriers at all.” Libarius stares at him as he processes the news.

“I see. How fascinating. So you have the opposite ailment as him? He can only cast barriers while you can cast everything else?”

“He can heal too.”

“So he held out on me. How irritating. I didn’t need to waste my efforts breaking his barrier at all. Well, I suppose that’s not truly the case. There’d have been no value in relieving the pain in my leg.” Libarius circles around Polydeuces, over and over again, looking him up and down.

“What are you doing?”

“Didn’t I tell you? It’s research. This is truly fascinating. Neither you nor Castor seem to have any abnormalities, yet you simply cannot cast certain magics. It’s a case I’ve never encountered in the literature.”

“Isn’t that just normal?”

“Not at all. A lack of aptitude surely isn’t the case here. If you could cast a barrier, I’m sure you would have by now.”

“Can I go to my class?”

“Why would you? Our encounter will be far more fruitful.”

“So this is just always how you are? Were you even trying to frustrate Mr. Assero?”

“Who?”

“The teacher you started a fight with.”

“Ah, the weakling. If he’s your teacher then it’s all the more reason to stay here. You’ve long eclipsed him in strength, what could there be for you to learn? Ah, it truly is displeasing to remember. To think that such an utterly intellectually bereft man shares this space with Mr. Tetricum. That he looks down on magic yet we must breathe the same air.” Polydeuces starts wanting to get away from Libarius.

“Well, if you think about it, we’re all breathing the same air all over the world.”

“Ah, then we’re of the same mind. Indeed, he ought to stop breathing.” Polydeuces decides that he must have misheard.

“What? Are you saying he should die? Because of something like that?” Polydeuces grows angry as he says it and grabs Libarius’ jacket. “Is that what you think of human life?! ‘All weaklings should die,’ is that what you think?! Is that… Is that what you think of Castor!? Huh!? Is that it!?” Libarius is unfazed. He tilts his head in confusion.

“Why would I have meant that? Have you grown so arrogant you see nothing beyond your own fingertips? My, all geniuses are fools such as this, far too arrogant. Castor possesses a wealth of talent no less than yours. And he does not look down upon magic, nor does he look away from it. He faces magic with sincerity, and so we are but two people along the same path. Why would it matter if he were a middling fool, barely scraping at the true depths of magic? And beyond that, where did you get such a violent idea in your head? If that weakling were to stop breathing, would he not simply be forced to return to the magic he has so long neglected? Would it not return him to the proper path?” Polydeuces lets go of Libarius, completely defeated, completely exasperated.

“Absolutely absurd. You really are strange. And, if I’m quite honest, you’re the most arrogant one of us all.”

“But all I say is truth?” Gracia arrives on the scene.

“Ah, Libarius! So this really was where you were! Come to class!” She tugs on his sleeve to pull him along.

“I wanted to begin training Castor.”

“That’s not Castor! Stop roaming the halls to spirit our students away!”

“I see. You’re right. I ought to have gotten Castor and studied them together.”

“Don’t do that either. You’re not planning to run tests on our students, right?”

“No, not particularly. I can’t cast spells after all.”

“You shouldn’t do it even if you could cast spells!”

Polydeuces smiles and stifles a laugh as he watches the two of them walk off, starting to understand this man before him, and the teachers of his brother.