Arrival - Chapter 4

The Headmistress’s office was very old fashioned, especially when compared with the rest of the school.

The walls were decorated with filled bookshelves and display cases, some of which contained ancient tomes, weapons, and other artefacts that were all priceless and irreplaceable.

There were various religious holy books too, many of which seemed to be some of the earliest copies of them in history. The wallpaper was of a golden Fleur de Lis pattern which was quite faded and torn in places. Behind her desk was a table which had, among other things, a one-eyed raven in a silver bird cage and a strange skull that was half machine and half bone.

Resting on her desk was a solid black cat, purring happily next to various documents, pens and even a quill and ink set. Behind her throne-like chair was a golden shield with two long swords behind it, with a crest of an obsidian skull with fangs on the front of the shield. There were two other chairs in front of her desk, but they were far less impressive and newer than her throne.

Eric was nervous, but he was willing to wait patiently for the Headmistress to arrive.

Spike, however, was not.

He was pacing up and down the office, mumbling under his breath and occasionally letting out a heavy sigh.

“Seriously, asking for you immediately and then not turning up herself,” Spike muttered.

Then, the doors burst open and in walked the Headmistress.

She was dressed in an elegant purple dress decorated with pearls and other precious gems, a silver tiara wrapped in her hair which was tied up in a bun with some locks running down the side of her head and face. Eric couldn’t help but be stunned by her beauty, especially since she wore a charming smile on her lips which enchanted him.

“Sorry for making you wait,” the Headmistress said, purposefully pushing past Spike and taking a seat on her throne. “Please, have a seat.”

Spike let out a long sigh. “Kas, if you were gonna make us wait, then don’t bother callin’ the kid out.”

“As far as I know, I didn’t call for you, Spike.”

Spike shrugged and sat in one of the chairs. “The kid had no idea where your damned office was.”

The Headmistress let out a small laugh. “Well, I suppose so. Please, have a seat. There’s no need to be so formal here.”

“Ah, right!” Eric sat down quickly.

“While I’m sure you know me already, I’d like to properly introduce myself. I am Kasmine Aysen, the Head Mistress of Ferris Academy and the Supreme Commander of the Guardians. Also, please call me Kasmine rather than Mrs Aysen or Head Mistress.” Kasmine then stood up and gave Eric a slight curtsy. “Once again, allow me to apologise for what Spike did and suddenly throwing you into this situation.”

“It’s fine, it’s not your fault. And if it hadn’t been Spike, it would’ve been someone else eventually, wouldn’t it?”

Kasmine smiled and sat back down, satisfied. “Well, that’s certainly true. In a way, you’re lucky it was Spike.”

“Why?”

“Because I happen to be an old friend of this bastard and his master.”

Eric turned to face Spike who simply shrugged. “Seriously?”

“Surprising, isn’t it?” Spike grunted. “Kas and I were in a team back when we attended Ferris.”

“Anyway, enough reminiscing.” Kasmine’s smile faded. “I called you here because you’re an extremely rare case, even for those who awaken to their powers right before coming to Ferris, and I think that you deserve to be briefed personally.”

“Because of my Armour, right?”

“Not just that. You aren’t just a rare case of someone getting a God Armour, but you’re an even rarer situation as you might have one of the, if not the, most powerful Armours on the planet.”

“Really?!”

“That’s the main reason Spike came all the way to Imperial to kill you after all.” Kasmine shot Spike a glare. “I also thought that you would need to be taught a lot about your powers as soon as possible. Eric, how much do you know about the Three Realms?”

“The Three Realms? Um, just that they exist and that the Demon and God Realms have some influence over ours,” he answered.

“Hmm, I had hoped you’d know more than that, but I suppose not every school teaches that sort of stuff anymore,” Kasmine said. She walked over to one of her bookcases and pulled out a thick tome called ‘The Realms of Existence’ by Alistair Wilcox. “When a God dies in their Realm, they are reincarnated into a piece of armour which then appears in our world in a person’s flesh, granting that person the powers of the deceased God. No one knows why this happens, but we know that it isn’t an instant process after death and it can take seconds or even centuries for Armours to be forged. However, the Armours allow humans to wield the powers of Gods.

“There is, however, a key and very important difference between a living God and a dead God. When a God is alive, their powers are greatly increased based on the number of people who believe in and worship them and, when a God dies, all those who did believe in them slowly stop and the Gods fade into myth and legend.”

“The Gods also speak to a few individuals in our world every so often, creating the initial influence in our world,” Spike added. “It’s why you had people thousands of years ago start founding religions and such. You understood that, right, kid?”

“I think I understand what you’re saying,” Eric said, still slightly confused. “So, that’s why Greek, Egyptian, Norse and other ancient Gods are considered myth then?”

Kasmine smiled. “Correct. However, it isn’t only Gods who can become Armours. A few Demons and mortals have.”

“Really? How?”

“No one knows. It’s simply a natural phenomenon and we can’t even begin to theorize why it happens or what the requirements are for becoming Armour. We have a student this year who has the Armour of Genghis Khan and your friend Connor’s Armour is the Waste Walker’s.”

Spike frowned and Eric froze up upon hearing the name of one of the greatest, and most powerful, Demon Kings in history.

“It’s scary, isn’t it? However, you don’t have anything to fear.” She smiled brightly at him. “We’ll train you and Connor to properly use your powers, so don’t worry.”

“She might not look it, but she’s a good teacher, kid.”

“Oi.” A dark aura flared around Kasmine, her smile turning into a scowl.

Remind me not to piss her off, Eric thought. “Head Mis-”

“Kasmine.”

“…Kasmine.”

She smiled, her aura fading. “What?”

“How exactly do I get stronger and train to use my powers?”

“Hmm, that’s a little harder to explain,” Kasmine confessed. “Your teachers will explain everything about Mana and Magical Energy, as well as how to control and channel it, and Aria will handle your main combat basics. Like any other power or ability, God Armours become stronger the more they are used, so training daily with your Armour will help increase your power. Physical training as well could help, although it isn’t necessary.

“However, there is a far more dangerous, painful and faster way in which you can increase your powers which involves losing those you care for.”

“What? Wh-Why would that-?”

“Mana is channelled through a person’s thoughts and feelings and, in a state of distress like that, more magical energy would be released,” Kasmine began. “That’s why my aura appeared after Spike’s remark. It’s why aura flare around people when they see those they hate, are suspicious off or feel threatened by. When someone is calm and in control of their emotions, then they can better direct the flow of their magic. If they get too emotional, they can run out completely early on in a fight.”

“So, how does that force my powers to increase?”

“God Armours are living weapons which evolve as you grow stronger to become better suited for their host. For example, we have a student with the Artemis God Armour, but he has been able to evolve it into something like a mech suit, because he’s a gunslinger and that’s how he prefers to fight.

“The Armour understands how its user prefers to fight and evolves itself into an Armour suited to its user’s style of fighting, and this process can be largely controlled with slow and careful training, hence why Artemis’s Armour is now a mech suit. However, when God Armour users have seen the people they care for die before them, great amounts of magical energy are released which forces the Armour to evolve instantly which is why it’s dangerous.”

“Does the sudden release of energy put a lot of strain on the host’s body then?”

“No, the energy itself isn’t the problem; it’s the forced evolution to a stronger form. Rather than it being a natural and slow process where you get used to the increased power and strain that the Armour puts on your body, the forced evolve can change the Armour to a level that you wouldn’t be able to handle, and it could kill you.”

“Huh?” Eric felt his throat close and his body begin to shake. “I…I could die…”

Eric had almost been killed a week ago by a man who was now in the same room as him, and now he had to deal with the fact that, if he couldn’t properly control his own powers, he could kill himself using them.

I could die if I’m not very careful.

“Don’t look so petrified,” Kasmine said softly. “You won’t be on any missions where you will be in danger for a long time, and you’ll no doubt be strong enough by the time you’re ever in that situation. You’ll be fine.”

Eric slowly calmed himself down, reciting Kasmine’s words in his head like a mantra. “Thank you.”

Kasmine glanced at the clock hanging on her wall and smiled. “I’m afraid that’s all for today. While this situation is far from ideal for you, I hope that you will learn a lot about your powers during your time here and that you will enjoy attending Ferris. If you need any other information about God Armours, that book there has quite a lot of details, so please take it with you. However, if there’s anything you don’t understand, or if you need anything, or just want to talk, feel free to pop in.”

“Thank you very much.”

“You’re very welcome. Spike, please show Eric to the hotel.”

“Whatever you say, boss,” Spike mumbled, practically dragging Eric out of the room.

***

The hotel on campus was one of the tallest buildings on the grounds and it functioned as an exclusive hotel for Guardian personal most of the year. For the first week of each new school year, it served as the temporary residences for new students.

“Tell the front desk ya name and they’ll send you to the right place. I’m off to the staff houses, but I’ll drop by at some point tomorrow. Night, kid.”

“Um, night, Spike.”

Spike left with a lazy wave.

By the time Eric got to his room he was sharing with Connor, it was late at night.

“Welcome.”

“Hey.” When Eric arrived, Connor was watching a film on the TV. “Did they bring our stuff here?”

“Yep. It was waiting next to our beds before I arrived. Pretty good room service, huh?”

The room was closer to a luxury suite than a regular hotel room.

It had two main sections, a living room and a bedroom with two single beds, and everything in the suite looked like it was from a five-star hotel.

I wonder how expensive it is to keep Ferris up and running.

Eric’s stomach rumbled loudly, which made Connor laugh.

“Restaurant’s still open if you want to grab something to eat.”

“Cool. Hey, could you come down with me?”

“I could.”

“…But you won’t.”

Connor turned to face Eric and, with a blank expression on his face, said, “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I haven’t seen this film before and I ate earlier.”

Eric couldn’t help but sigh at his friend’s lack of compassion. “Fine, I’ll see you in a bit then.”

“See you later.”

***

Eric felt a little restless after his meal, so he decided to go for a walk around the grounds.

The pathways were lit up and there were few students out at this time of day, though the guard patrols were still prominent.

With no particular destination in mind, Eric decided to simply see where the path would take him, and he soon found himself facing over a vast lake, lit beautiful by the moonlight and streetlights. The surface of the water reflected the moon and stars on its surface and Eric could just make out the ripples of the fish in the lake.

“This would be a lovely place to read one day.”

As Eric looked closer, he thought he saw something.

A deep blue mist slowly rising from the water, taking on the form of a young woman, standing on the lake’s surface.

She turned to face him and smiled, before evaporating into mist.

Confused, he blinked and rubbed his eyes; when he looked again, she was gone.

“…There was someone there, right?”

He let out a long yawn and decided to head back to the hotel.

As he walked, he heard someone yelling beyond the trees near the lake.

Concerned, Eric slowly approached the tree line and found someone standing in the middle of a clearing, swinging a spear around.

While the area was well lit, all Eric could make out was that the person had ragged brown hair that went down to their shoulders. They grunted as they thrust and swung their spear, using precise and powerful motions.

After a few minutes, they stopped and let out a satisfied sigh.

They turned around and Eric found himself being stared at by an emerald-eyed boy.

“What are you doing?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Eric replied, entering the clearing.

“Hmm? Can’t you tell? I’m practicing. I’m Ajax Amory.”

“Eric Agrim.”

The two shook hands and Ajax picked up a bottle of water which he took a big swig off. He was wearing light workout clothes and was covered in sweat. The only thing that stood out about him as peculiar to Eric was a steel-coloured bracelet engraved with a green stone on Ajax’s left arm.

“How long have you been practicing?”

“About an hour, I reckon. I always make sure to train for at least an hour a day.”

“An hour a day? Isn’t that somewhat excessive?”

“Honestly, I still don’t think it’s enough.” Ajax looked down at his bracelet and clenched his fist. “I’ve got to put in at least that much effort if I want to keep up with the best.”

“How many years have you done this kind of training for?”

“Hmm, I’ve been doing this since I was about ten, so about eight years.”

“Seriously?”

Ajax looked at him, confused. “It isn’t that weird, is it?”

“I…I guess you’re right.”

Eric had no idea what to say back to that.

For him, everything about his situation was weird.

A week ago, Eric couldn’t even begin to imagine living his life as a Guardian and now he had met someone who, from a very young age, had trained to be one.

In a strange way, Eric couldn’t help but feel a bit envious of Ajax’s situation.

“So, are you a normal human like me?”

“Normal?”

“You know, no magic, no enhanced abilities, no tattoos or extra souls, right?”

“Actually, I have a God Armour.” Eric rolled up his sleeve and smiled awkwardly. “Although I didn’t until a week ago.”

“Seriously?” Eric nodded. “An Awakened then?”

“Yeah.”

Ajax nodded. “Still, that’s pretty amazing, don’t you think? It must be nice in a way, to be born with those powers.”

“I mean, I think you’re more amazing than I am. You’ve been training your whole life to get here which I think is better in a way.” Eric grimaced and grasped his scar. “You got to choose this life, after all.”

Noticing what Eric was referring to, Ajax’s smile faded and he whispered, “Sorry.”

“Anyway,” Eric said, breaking the silence. “If you don’t have any magic, then are you a spearman or something?”

“Not quite.” Ajax held up his bracelet. “This thing contains my mech suit which is where my spear comes from. Watch.”

Ajax picked up his discarded spear in his right hand and the stone in his bracelet began to glow.

In the next instant, his spear vanished into thin air and Ajax was covered in a metallic armour which looked like a Greek Hoplite.

“That was awesome.”

“Isn’t it?” Ajax chuckled. “I designed, built and maintain this suit all by myself as well.”

“That’s…even more impressive.”

“If I didn’t do this much-”

“Is there really that much of a power difference between mechs and mages?”

Ajax transformed out of his suit and looked dumfounded. “You’re really ignorant about these things, right?”

“I asked something stupid, didn’t I?”

Ajax couldn’t help but laugh a little. “It’s actually a little bit cute. While it depends on the mage and the mech pilot, there’s typically a massive gap in power between the two. If mech users don’t do as much work as I do, then we won’t stand a chance against superhumans.”

“Seriously?”

Ajax gazed up longingly at the stars. “It’s an unfair world, isn’t it?”

Eric couldn’t help but think that Ajax looked incredibly sad.

In just a week, Eric had become more powerful than Ajax could ever hope to be, a fact which must have frustrated him.

“Hey Ajax, would you like to be on a team with me?”

“Huh? You’re asking me? Seriously?”

“A bit too soon to ask?”

“A little. I mean, we did just meet.”

“You don’t want to?”

“It’s not that, not at all, but…wouldn’t you want someone stronger on your team?”

“Honestly, I don’t know much about the world that people like us live in, but I do know that you’re someone who really wants to become a Guardian, even without being a superhuman, and I think that’s amazing. And I think it’d be good to have someone that passionate as a teammate.”

After a moment of silence, Ajax snorted. “Sure, why not? From the sounds of it, you need all the help you could get, so I’m looking forward to working with you, Eric.”

“Likewise. Anyway, it’s getting late, so I think I’ll head back for now.”

“Right. I’ll meet you in the restaurant tomorrow morning, I guess.”

“Sounds good. Good night, Ajax.”

“Night, Eric.”

***

When Eric went back up to his room, he found Connor already asleep.

Quietly, he took a quick shower and slipped into his bed.

But he couldn’t sleep.

He was exhausted and it’d been a long day, but his mind was struggling to process everything he’d learnt today.

It’s an unfair world, isn’t it?

Those words echoed in Eric’s head and made his heart ache.

“The world really isn’t fair, is it?”

In a week, Eric’s entire life had changed forever and he was ignorant about so much. Worse, in that time, he’d already surpassed someone who spent almost a decade hoping to reach a fraction of the power he now possessed.

Although it wasn’t his fault, Eric couldn’t help but feel terrible.

With an exhausted sigh, Eric tried to push those thoughts out his mind but nothing worked.

Annoyed, Eric decided that he would star gaze for a while until he felt tired again.

Though, when Eric got to the roof of the hotel, he was disappointed that he couldn’t see any stars in the sky.

The edges of the rooftop were protected by eight-foot-tall bullet proof glass walls and the lights of Ferris and Imperial drowned out the stars.

Eric’s gaze turned to the coast, across the bay to Ferris, and he could see the city still full of life and brightly lit, as if it never slept.

It was a beautiful, yet lonely, view.

“I wonder if I’ll ever be able to go home.”

It was a stupid, almost naïve, thought, but he couldn’t help but think silly things like that.

“Oh, you’re up late,” a playful voice called.

Confused, Eric turned around and found that there was no one else on the rooftop.

He heard a soft giggle. “Up here, dummy.”

Eric turned around and looked to the roof above the stairs he had come up and saw a girl sitting there, her legs dangling off the ledge above the doors.

He couldn’t properly see her in the darkness, but he could make out her blood red eyes staring at him. When Eric involuntarily took a step back, the girl laughed.

“Oh, did I make that bad of a first impression?”

“No, it’s just…your eyes…”

“Ah. Hmm, I guess they do look brighter at night.”

The girl leapt down off the ledge and landed elegantly before Eric. Now that Eric could see her, he couldn’t help but admit that the girl was beautiful. She had long black hair and was wearing an all-black outfit which Eric could only describe as a witch’s outfit, but even her unnaturally bright eyes made her seem even more alluring when he could see her.

“Why? Are they scary?”

“A little,” Eric said instantly.

Her expression became pained. “How cruel! How could you say such a horrible thing to a girl you’ve just met?” She cried in a mocking way, before giggling. “Just kidding. Although I do think they’re pretty myself.”

“I never said they weren’t.”

“You kind of implied that when you said they were scary.” She smiled. “So, what brings you up here at this hour?”

“I just wanted to spend some time somewhere quiet to collect myself.” He gazed longingly at the cityscape. “It’s been a long week.”

“You only just got your powers then?”

“Yeah.”

Eric put his hand on the glass and found himself staring off towards where his house was. He had spent months away on holiday before, but Eric had never felt this far from his home.

“Hmm, you don’t seem to be handling it well.”

“Can you blame me?”

“Still, it could’ve been worse. Someone could have tried to kill you.”

“They did.”

“Oh.” For the first time since they had started speaking, the girl’s voice sounded sincere. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. It’s something that I need to come to terms with and pretending it didn’t happen won’t change anything.”

The girl was silent for a while and Eric didn’t turn back to face her. The girl laughed a little and whispered to herself, “You’re strong.”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing. Oh right, I forgot to ask, what’s your name?”

“Eric. Eric Agrim. And you are?”

The girl smiled softly. “Kiara Morrigan. Nice to meet you, Lord Lucifer.”

“Lord Lucifer? How did you-?”

“Everyone in your group tried to get a good look at your face back at the gym, so I also had a very close look at your face after you’d transformed back.”

Eric’s cheeks reddened a bit and he shifted his gaze away from her.

Feeling a familiar sensation of annoyance, Eric got goose bumps upon seeing Kiara smirk.

“Ah, are you embarrassed?” Kiara asked, moving closer to Eric and staring at his face. “Aren’t you used to girl’s looking at your face when they talk? Or in general? You’re quite handsome, you know.” Eric’s cheeks became a deeper shade of red and he turned away from her. “Huh? Have you never had a girl tell you stuff like this?”

“Of course not!”

“Seriously? Have you never had a girlfriend before? Or do you just suck at talking to women in general?”

“I can talk to them perfectly fine!”

“Hmm.” Her smirk grew. “Prove it.”

Eric spun around to look at her directly in the eye, but she was less than two inches away from his face, which caused him to turn away from her.

“I thought so. Shame, you’re pretty cute.”

“Could you please stop doing that? I get embarrassed easily,” Eric protested, making Kiara laugh.

“Sorry, but it’s just too easy to tease you and your reactions are great. Almost like you were made for it.”

It’s another Connor!

“I’m leaving.”

“Ah, wait, I’ll stop, I’ll stop.” Kiara put on a puppy dog face and pulled on Eric’s sleeve. “Please, stay a little longer.”

Damn it! Eric cursed internally.

“Fine,” he said and she smiled. “So, what are you doing up here at this hour?”

“I like looking at the stars on nights like these. It’s beautiful tonight.”

Confused, Eric looked up and found the sky empty of stars. “What stars?”

“Ah, you can’t see them then? Well, that makes sense, seeing as humans have poorer eyesight.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

Upon realising that she had let it slip, Kiara covered her mouth and took a step away from Eric.

“Wait, what are you then?”

Kiara opened her mouth to say something, stopped and turned away, a distressed look on her face. She collected herself, let out a small sigh, and whispered, “I’m a vampire.”

“A vampire?” Eric’s eyes widened.

When Eric was younger, he had heard many stories about vampires; some portrayed them as tragic, others said they were bloodthirsty monsters. In history class, Eric had studied the Blood Moon War and the formation of the vampire nation of Lamia, so he understood what vampires were capable of.

Now, Eric found himself face to face with a girl, seemingly his own age, who was one of those legendary people.

“Um, you know what, I’ll, um, just go,” Kiara said, smiling awkwardly. “It was nice-”

“Why?”

“Huh? What do you mean ‘Why?’”

“What do you mean, ‘What do I mean why?’”

Stunned, Kiara stumbled backwards. “Huh? But I just said that I was a vampire, didn’t I?”

“You did.”

“Right…So, usually, most people call vampires monsters and run away from them, especially in this country, right?”

“Really? I haven’t met many people who hate vampires.”

Kiara’s face was overcome by shock and she was unable to say anything for a while.

“Um, so, you’re not scared of me?” She asked shyly, tapping her fingers together.

“Not really. I mean, you don’t seem like a bad person, so does it matter that you’re a vampire?”

“…I guess not then…Hehe, thanks, I guess.”

Upon seeing how relieved Kiara was, a dreadful thought surfaced in his mind.

“Kiara, are you scared of me?”

“Hmm, mind if I answer honestly?” Kiara asked and he nodded. “I’m not scared of you, but I’m scared of your powers.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s because it’s unknown, I suppose,” Kiara said, a little unsure of herself. “No one knows what your God Armour can do and given his influence over our world, I imagine Lucifer’s Armour is either the strongest in the world or is up there. It’s the fact that I don’t know what you can do that worries me.

“For me, I know what my eventual limits will be and what to expect as my powers grow, but you and no one else in the world knows. If I’m honest, I’m surprised you haven’t been worrying about that.”

“I…hadn’t given it much thought until just now, to be honest. This is all still so new to me, but I guess I should, huh?”

“Hey, if you ever want someone to talk to about it, I’d be willing to listen.”

“Thank you, I’ll probably take you up on that offer one day. Also, this might seem kind of rude, but how old-?”

“Eighteen. I only-” Kiara cut herself off. “Don’t worry, I’m not secretly three hundred years old or something.”

“Ah, that’s a relief,” Eric laughed awkwardly. “Hey, are you on a team yet?”

“No, why?”

“Well, would you like to be on a team together we me?”

“Sure, but might I ask why? Ah.” She grinned. “Is it because of my looks?”

“No, I mean, you’re pretty, but that’s not why. It’s just…I think we’d be good friends and I’d like to get to know you better.” Kiara smirked at him, distracting him. Eric loudly cleared his throat and said, “As a friend.”

She laughed and climbed back onto the roof above the stairs. “Hmm, seems like the next five years will be a lot of fun if I join your team. Looking forward to working with you, Leader.”

“Leader, huh?”

“What? Too soon to start calling you that?”

“A little.”

The two laughed together and Eric went towards the door. “I’m going to go back and get some sleep. What about you?”

“Vampires don’t have to sleep for more than a few hours a week, so I’ll stay up here a bit longer. It’s probably going to be a busy day for you tomorrow, so sleep and rest up.”

“Will do. Goodnight, Kiara.”

“Goodnight, Eric,” she replied in a suspiciously sweet voice.

With a strong sense of dread instilled in him, Eric went back to his room but, as the doors to the stairs closed, he could’ve sworn he heard Kiara giggling to herself.

***

Beside her desk, Kasmine’s raven kept cawing endlessly, flapping its wings furiously in its cage.

“Be quiet,” Kasmine said and the bird went silent.

With a soft meow, her cat jumped up onto her lap and rested on her legs. Kasmine smiled, bearing her fangs, and petted it gently.

Aside from the night shift workers and guards, the school was practically asleep. Kasmine leant back in her chair, staring out of the open window at the night-time landscape of Ferris, a cool breeze drifting over her which she took a deep breath from.

Someone knocked loudly at her door, to which her raven cawed at and her cat hissed at.

“Spike, huh?” Kasmine hushed the bird. “It’s open.”

Spike slowly crept into the room, silently closing the door behind him. Upon seeing Spike, the cat arched its back high, but Kasmine tapped it on its head and it stopped, before jumping onto the ground and going to sleep.

Spike walked up to her desk and stared directly at her, visibly annoyed.

“Why didn’t you tell the kid everything?”

“I thought it was obvious why. We can’t just throw him deeper into the deep end after a week now, can we?”

“He needs to know just how much danger he’s truly in.”

“I know. However, now’s not the time. If Eric’s too busy worrying about every single weight that just been put on his shoulders, he’ll collapse. None of us want that.”

“Kas…”

Kasmine opened the bird cage and the raven hopped onto her desk, perfectly still and silent. She took a rolled-up piece of parchment from her desk and fed it to the bird, who then promptly flew out of the window.

After flying for a few moments, the bird vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

“We’ve taken lots of steps to ensure Eric’s safety,” Kasmine continued. “You being here for one, not to mention the army of guards, Guardians and other battle-hardened students on campus. I’ve asked a few of the teachers to personally tutor him as well, plus the Merchant’s keeping a greater eye on the city than ever.

“Lich is also coming to Ferris.”

“M-Master is coming to Imperial? But, doesn’t that seem…excessive? All this for one kid?”

Kasmine snorted as she smiled. “Why don’t you try asking Lich why Eric’s so important.”

“I mean, it’s because of his Armour, right?”

“Partially.”

“Partially?”

Kasmine sighed and spun back around in her chair. “If Lich hasn’t told you, then I won’t either. Just know that if something happens to Eric on your watch, you’ll have more than just Lich to answer to.”

“H-Hey, don’t worry about that. I’ll keep him and his friends safe. Kas, when exactly will the right time be to tell Eric everything?”

“Hmm, by the school year’s end, I imagine. Depending on how the situation changes however, it could be around the beginning of the tournament instead. Don’t tell him anything else without my permission.”

“I won’t.”

Kasmine smiled as she spun back to him. “Good. Now, get some rest and do your best to help Eric form his team.”

“Understood,” he said, taking his leave.

Once Spike had gotten a good distance away from her office, Kasmine let out a heavy sigh and span back around to the open window.

“All for one kid, huh?”