Awakening #2

Despite the sudden surge of attention, Arthur's mind was elsewhere. His attention was not on any physical or external object or even the person who threatened him, but on his own memories; particularly of those he wished to forget.

"...My heart..." 

"Why is it beating so fast?"

The mind may have buried or erased the disturbing memory, but the person within the reason, although in a different vessel, trembled in fear. An overpowering and lethal threatening enemy glared with murderous intent, making the unwanted emotions resurface.

"This feeling... I felt it on that day..."

"I was drunk... but my body-- no-- my soul remembers it clear as day."

"The same moment, without the inhibiting alcohol, replayed over and over in my sleep."

Unfond memories and flashes filled Arthur's mind. Many of which involved the days of his depression under his mother's care. Many sleepless nights, the results of which were caused by his fear--

"...regret... terror... and... and... what was that?... the last ones?..."

"Ah! Jealousy..."

"--The jealousy of not having a perfect end, one with a lover, or a family, or any significant mark on the physical world."

--The fear of being transported back to his original world, the fear of dying without fulfillment.

"That's right... I was jealous of the perfect ending, an ending I never had..."

"And the last one was Anger..."

"Anger and disappointment..."

Twenty years spent in an intangible world by neglecting his own, building himself virtually to avoid feeling empty in reality.

"I was disappointed in myself, to the point of anger. Blaming my murderer for my unsightly end, but realizing later that the true disappointment... was me."

"I was empty."

"A powerless individual, who was afraid of trying new things, one who was pride-less enough to allow others to trample over me-- Yeah. I was a man who invested his whole being to complete a purpose, a game."

"I don't ever want to feel empty ever again... I wanted friends to drink with, cry with, play games with... I wanted to feel a lover's warmth, the ringing of bells, and eventually the cry of a baby..."

In an instant, Arthur's mind became clear and undisturbed, clear and purified. The realization of the true worth of his reincarnation sparked and exploded like a firework in his mind.

"That's right."

"This world is my second chance."

"The amazing opportunity to live with joy, and die without regret-- anger, or disappointment. This is not just another chance to see theworl play out in the flesh... but a second chance for me."

"My redemption Arc."

Arthur looked up slightly at the taller individual, who was visibly shocked. "Lower your eyes."

The older boy stepped back, his stance slightly defensive, and his hands were off his desk. The room was deathly quiet, with all the attention focused on the boy glowing red. Magic power swirled and enveloped the boy, almost like a protective shield.

His voice was heavy and demanding, making the closest students flinch. However, whilst everyone's attention was set on the two boys, the homeroom teacher had already walked into the potentially dangerous situation.

"I- I- Is that--"

"That's Magic power!"

Bam!

"What is going on here!?!"

The staredown between the two was interrupted by the booming voice of the particularly kind  professor, who right now, was not at all pleased. Mr. Smirth had slammed his textbooks onto the podium, earning the attention of everyone.

"Second-year!"

Arthur watched as the student flinched from Mr. Smith's words, which were sharp and full of poison.

"Mental note: Never piss off Mr. Smith." Arthur gulped, feeling his skin crawl at the angry gaze. "He's a different kind of scary."

"Y-Y-yes... Professor..." The older boy replied, his head bowed down low. 

"What are you doing in my class?!" Mr. Smith asked, his voice incredibly loud and intimidating. His veins visibly bulged from the irritation. "Using Magic outside of proper times, especially to commit criminal-esque acts, are strictly prohibited."

"I-I was..." He tried to answer but trailed off to silence. 

Without missing a beat, the angry homeroom teacher pointed out the door. "Get out." Mr.Smith demanded, making the boulder-like student walk out in shame.

"I will not forget this humiliation."

Arthur sighed, manually dissipating his magic power, which had been collecting in his episode of self-reflection. 

"You yourself are not exempt from that, young man." Mr. Smith coughed, his vocal cords stressed slightly. "Although there are special circumstances, the rules must be upheld."

Arthur shrugged. "Does that mean detention?" he asked.

Mr. Smith walked up to the podium and sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. However, I will personally make sure that this incident will not stain your record."

"Good enough for me." Arthur shrugged, grabbing his bag and pulling out his student handbook for the map. "for how long?"

Mr. Smith looked at his watch. "Normally, that would be for half a day, but a single hour will suffice for now. You'll not miss my wife's class, so don't you worry."

Arthur huffed a small laugh. "Yeah, her class is pretty interesting. I've learned a lot."

"I will gladly relay that to her when I see her today."

Arthur exited the classroom with a wave. "Have a good day, Professor."

"You too, young man."

Arthur was somewhat off-put by the deathly quiet halls, which were always bustling with students gossiping or talking so it was extremely weird. The academy once brimming with life and action, suddenly felt hollow and empty.

"This place without people is incredibly weird."

Arthur navigated the castle-turned Academy, going through empty hallways and bustling classrooms. The Handbook kept changing routes, with the red arrow constantly changing directions.

"Ugh, the Student Handbook is so annoying!" Arthur frowned. "In the game, it was the minimap item the school manufactured with extremely-kept secrets. It's supposed to be functional! Why is it leading me in circles!"

The handbook's bewildering malfunctions finally ended, with the Arrow spinning wildly.

"No wonder why it's acting weird." Arthur sighed, his shoulders drooping. "How's it going, Madam President."

"Oh, my~ aren't you a sharp boy."

Arthur turned around with an unimpressed expression. "Yeah, it took me a moment, but since I've passed by the same classrooms over and over, I guess I got caught in some sort of Illusion loop."

The president just smiled, somehow both sinister and friendly. "As I said, sharp."

"So what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I just wanted to speak with you."

"I doubt that."

The older woman just sighed, putting her hand on her hip. "No need to be so on guard. I just wanted to inform you about your situation– wasn't that our deal?"

Arthur groaned, incredibly annoyed. "Right I forgot, We had a give-and-take deal a few weeks ago."

"Well?" Arthur sighed, picking up his bag and straightening his shoulders. "What is it?"

"How unfriendly. Anywho, It's quite a surprise! Aren't you a specimen?"

"I don't like the wording of that."

"Fufu~ A commoner scholarship student who already is a 1-circle."

Arthur frowned. "It's not like it was a secret in the first place, what's it to you?"

She just smiled. "Nothing really, I'm quite overjoyed on having you on my side. Your influence has significantly skyrocketed, thus, your words and actions have doubled in significance."

"I almost forgot. In exchange for me visibly supporting her, She'll give me preferential treatment." Arthur nodded. "Yeah, now that you mention it, the campaigns will start next week. Im looking forward to it."

"So will I, young man." She waved, slowly dissipating into a gust of air.

Slowly, the illusion started to fade, and the real world materialized in its place. Arthur blinked once, and instead of him wandering the halls aimlessly, he already arrived in the detention room.

"I didn't even notice when I got caught in her illusion spell," Arthur murmured, slightly shaken. "It must've been early on when I got trapped in her spell, and she made me think I was standing still, but in fact, I was walking."

"She is one scary lady."

Entering the empty room, Arthur just took a seat and waited for time to pass.

"This is boring."

Ellis sat on her seat uncomfortably and uneasily. The school ambiance was different, the earlier occurrence stayed fresh on the minds and lips of many students.

"What was that?" She pondered. "That was clearly the power of a First-Circle."

She turned her head slightly sideward to glance at Theodore Miller. He was clearly surprised by the event, but not in a good way. His hands were stiff, his fingers curled strongly around his writing tools.

"Not only that, the power of the reaction– could he be a mage?" She thought. "There's no other explanation for that much power… but still, a mage? Him? I just can't picture it."

"I wonder how Theodore would react, he is not the kind of boy to react kindly to competition."

"Acho!" Arthur sneezed loudly, "Someone's talking shit about me."

Ding! Dong!

The school bells rang loudly, quite violently, but somehow instead of being annoyed, Arthur felt thankful for the liberation from that room.

"Doing nothing for an hour is torture." He complained. "I really need to memorize the layout of this place, it would make things a whole lot easier."

Retracing his steps Arthur arrived in the classroom, just as Mrs. Smith had set her books on the podium.

"Good morning, Mrs. Smirth." He greeted.

"Good morning to you, Arthur." She replied, her smile sweet and caring.

Navigating to his original seat, he ignored all of the sly and quick glances headed in his direction. Just as his rear landed on the cushioned seat, Arthur noticed his seatmates inched slightly further away. 

"They must've been terrified earlier, which is understandable, but being treated like a disease feels pretty shitty." Arthur sighed, opening his notebook, full of notes. "Time to get back to work."