Chapter 11:

Hiro Goes To School (2 of 2)

Chaos Hiro


Magic Alliance Class

Laetus and Terridus are standing on a platform in the shape of the Magic Alliance emblem — a pentagram encased in a circle — floating in the sky at cloud level. Laetus spins her parasol and Hiro, Acies, Sloth, Potesta, Parvul, and Artifice appear. Parvul, Acies, and Hiro are flummoxed by their sudden change in environment, but Potesta and Artifice take it in stride — Sloth is asleep.

Laetus, smiling: "Welcome students, so nice of you to drop in."

Parvul, pouting: "Like we had a choice."

Laetus: "Manners please. You wouldn't want people to think you're a typical science brat."

Parvul clenches her fists and grits her teeth, but manages to refrain from responding.

Acies, peering toward the platform edge, looking nervous: "How high up are we anyway? Is this magic platform secure?"

Laetus: "Don't worry, if you fall, your heart will certainly give out long before impact."

Acies looks horrified.

Laetus: "Your friend Sloth seems completely unconcerned by the situation."

Parvul, aggravated: "Rrrrrrrr. Of course, he's asleep as usual."

Hiro, enthusiastic: "Come on guys, this is so exciting."

Laetus, with a mischievous smile: "That's the spirit Hiro. Perhaps if you do well, I can bestow a personal reward on you after class."

Hiro turns red. Parvul and Artifice look angry, while Terridus nervously twiddles her fingers in response.

Laetus, suddenly turning serious: "Your goal for today is demon summoning. The size and power of the demon you summon will demonstrate your affinity for the magical arts. Given that none of you are in the Magic Alliance, we shouldn't get our hopes up. Even so, the pentagram that is serving as our stage will help to channel your energy. Terridus, please review the steps and provide a demonstration."

Terridus, nervous: "Y-y-y-es Master Laetus."

Hiro, boisterously: "You can do it Terridus, give it your all."

Terridus, blushes, thinking: "He's right, I've got this."

Terridus, composing herself: "Demons are capricious by nature. When we summon them, they'd much rather run amok and cause havoc than bow to our will. That's why it's critical to know your limits, and not exceed your abilities."

Artifice: "As Sun Tzu teaches, 'So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.'"

Acies: "What happens if someone summons a demon beyond their abilities?"

Potesta: "'Qui totum vult totum perdit', He who wants everything loses everything."

Acies: "When you say everything, you mean all their stuff, right?"

Terridus: "Demons aren't interested in material things, but they do find humans to be an extraordinary ... d-d-delicacy."

Acies and the others gulp.

Laetus: "Terridus, I believe you've given your classmates an appreciation of the potential risk. Please proceed with the demonstration."

Terridus: "The chant we'll use is like a phone call to the demon realm. The sigil you visualize picks out the specific demon. For this exercise we've identified a pool of low-level demons for you to select from. Once you've picked out the demon you want to summon, reach out and connect to it. Once connected, bind it to your will — this can be a struggle, especially if you're over-reaching. This experience will be different for each of you. In my case, I visualize ocean waves crashing down on my target. Once you've won, pull the demon into our world — it's like a tug on the connection you've established — and then command it."

Hiro, thinking: "Wow, Terridus really does know her stuff."

Parvul: "How do you know when you've won?"

Terridus: "It's like something just clicks, you'll feel the demon's resistance melt away. Watch me, I'll provide a view for all to see."

Terridus starts repeatedly chanting: "Ommm valoo metea parlum vedee." 

Terridus visualizes a dagger like sigil, dripping mercury. A sleek, shiny, silver skinned demon is seen turning in her direction and baring its fangs. An ocean wave crashes down on the demon and it is swept under the surf, struggling to reach the surface. As the demon gives up hope, ceasing its struggle, a water spout forms above it, sucking it in. The demon is spun toward the top of the spout, where it is ejected, materializing in front of Terridus. The demon bows down before her.

Silver demon: "What is your will master?"

Hiro: "Wow Terridus, that was awesome."

Terridus, blushing, to the demon: "Return whence you came."

Silver demon: "As you command." 

The demon appears to condense into a point of light and then vanishes.

Parvul, arms crossed, grumbling to herself: "Showoff."

Laetus, smiling: "Let's begin."

Each student reviews the sigils associated with the available demons. Demons selected, the summoning chants begin. A red meter-high, armor clad, sword wielding demon appears in front of Acies and bows before him. 

Although asleep, Sloth summons a purple, ½ meter high, buddha-like demon.

Laetus, looking in Sloth's direction: "Nice trick that."

Artifice summons a bluish-grey demon, resembling a human brain. Potesta summons an amorphous, fluctuating black mist that flicks in and out of human semblance. Parvul appears to be struggling with where to begin.

Terridus, pointing to a particular sigil: "How about trying this one, Parvul?"

Parvul, exhaling: "I'll give it a try."

After some amount of effort, Parvul shouts triumphantly: "I did it! Wait, where is it?"

Terridus holds up her hand, materializing a magnifying glass, which she hands over to Parvul, who puckers up her face trying to contain her annoyance.

Parvul, peering through the glass: "Awww, it's kinda cute actually."

Parvul's demon looks like a cherub with horns.

Potesta, looking over at Hiro, thinks: "Am I imagining it again, or is Hiro's cap emitting sparks?"

Parvul, Terridus, and Artifice notice Potesta staring at Hiro, and get angry, gritting their teeth.

Parvul, Terridus, and Artifice to Potesta: "What're you looking at?"

Laetus: "Something's wrong."

Hiro: "I've just about ... got it."

The demon appearing before Hiro is two meters high, with scythe like claws and fangs, a long whip like tail, and spiked horns covering its head. It is writhing and flashing in and out of existence like a media image that is breaking up.

Terridus, concerned: "Hiro, what sigil did you select?"

Hiro, anxiously: "It looked kind of like a red paint splat on a wall."

Laetus: "This is bad. We didn't include anything like that. Terridus, see if you can find out what it is."

Terridus: "Right, I'm on it."

Terridus casts magic to replay the summoning. She sees the sigil, and starts searching for it. The demon takes halting, slow steps towards the other students, as though acclimating to the gravity of its new world.  

Laetus: "Students, use your demons to slow it down to give me some time to cast a banishment spell."

Acies and Sloth's demons move in front of the demon, with the red warrior demon hacking at one leg and the buddha demon hitting the other leg with alternating palms. Although slowed, the demon continues moving forward. Potesta's black mist demon flows over the torso of Hiro's demon, projecting lightning bolts at it, slowing it further. Artifice's brain demon superimposes itself over the head of Hiro's demon, eliciting a soul curdling shriek from it. 

Terridus: "Found it. It's a berserker demon, but it's incompatible with this dimension. The reality of whatever it comes into contact with will start to break down."

As if on queue, the student's demons begin to disintegrate. Almost upon the students, Hiro runs in front his summoned demon, holding his arms out to block its path.

Hiro, defiantly: "I won't let you hurt my friends."

The demon draws its right hand back, preparing to slash Hiro. But then, it staggers backward after trying to clutch its left eye, only to impale itself with its talons.

Parvul, taking a bow: "Cavalry to the rescue, thank you very much."

Laetus completes her spell, twirling her umbrella, sucking the demon back into its own dimension.

Potesta: "How was that berserker demon's sigil presented to Hiro?"

Laetus, containing her frustration at the situation: "That's a matter for me and the faculty to discuss. Class dismissed."

Quantum Alliance Class

Sitting at the center of a 8-foot high hedge maze are Chao, Sloth, Hiro, Parvul, Terridus, Artifice, and Potesta, but not Acies.

Chao: "So all of you managed to pass the first part of my test and find your way to the center of this maze, very good."

Hiro: "Uh, Master Chao, Acies isn't here yet."

Chao: "Ah, yes, I see that you're right. Let me find the Acies that made it here to help him along."

Closing his eyes, Master Chao glows purple visualizing multiple Acies wandering through the maze, including versions of Acies at the center of the maze. When he opens his eyes, Acies is standing there with the rest of the students.

Chao, impatiently: "What took you so long?"

Acies, abashed: "Well, someone abruptly changed the original meeting place. Then as I arrived, a police officer stopped me, asking if I'd seen an old, bald guy in t-shirt and shorts wearing flip flops who was harassing some young ladies. So that delayed me, and then I couldn't get my quantum stuff going."

Chao: "Yes, well errr, no reason to dwell on that, I guess. Let's get down to business. Sloth will be ...."

Sloth's snore interrupts Chao.

Chao, chopping Sloth on top of the head: "Wake up you lazy oaf!"

Sloth, waking up: "Is it morning yet?"

Chao sighs, and sags at Sloth's response.

Chao: "For this quantum class exercise, you students will be entering the quantum world to determine what I've written on this here piece of paper." Chao holds out a small slip of folded paper for all to see.

Sloth, displaying some vitality: "Within the quantum world, there are no certainties, only probabilities. Both past and future are accessible. Multiple, seemingly conflicting outcomes will exist simultaneously. Consciousness and observation can dictate outcomes."

Parvul: "An example is how photons can act as both waves and as particles."

Chao: "Yes, that's correct. No surprise that you grasp it, since Quantum physics is an essential aspect of technology."

Parvul beams in response to the praise.

Acies: "I can't help but live in the one physical, material, real world."

Artifice: "'So many things are possible just as long as you don't know they're impossible.' — Norton Juster, from The Phantom Tollbooth."

Hiro, encouragingly: "All we can do is try."

Chao: "Now then, sit down in lotus position, close your eyes, breathe, and center yourselves."

Students do as Master Chao directs.

Chao: "Become aware of your surroundings. Shift your perception. Focus on the paper I'm holding. Can you regress to the point where I first wrote on it? Perhaps you can move forward to where I reveal it?"

A monochrome purple glowing world is visualized by the students with multiple super-positions of alternate realities. Parvul traces back multiple images of Chao that converge on a single point where he writes a symbol onto the paper.

Parvul, opening her eyes: "Got it."

Potesta, sometime later: "Yes, it's blurry, but I see it too."

Terridus, shortly after: "The image is jumping around, but I think I can make out one pattern above the rest."

Sloth notices Acies sitting there with a frown.

Sloth: "It can be difficult for members of the Militant Faith to demonstrate any Quantum abilities. Even so, if you think of it in terms of your faith, wouldn't the quantum world be an aspect of your god's design?"

Acies expression softens, and his vision briefly touches on the monochromatic, quantum world.

Acies, enthusiastic and face brightening: "I did it. I mean I didn't see what was on the paper, but I caught my first glimpse into the quantum realm."

Chao, looking over at Hiro: "Hiro, what's wrong? Come back to us."

Hiro is unresponsive, breathing rapidly as his unblinking eyes peer straight ahead. Chao closes his eyes, shifting into the quantum realm, where he chops the seated Quantum version of Hiro on top of the head. Hiro, in the real world, shakes his head as tears flow down his cheeks.

Sloth: "What is it? What did you see?"

Hiro: "An attack on the school. All of you died."

Hiro recalls the Quantum realm scenario of his classmates lying dead on the floor.

Chao: "Take heart. Just because you saw a possible future in the Quantum realm does not mean it will come to pass. Now, compose yourself. Students, show me what you saw written on this paper."

Potesta, Terridus, Parvul, and Artifice hold up cards with the Quantum emblem inscribed on them.

Chao, as he holds up his paper for all to see: "Precisely. Good work."

Chao, noticing the consternation on the student's faces glances over to the paper he is holding. The word 'Beware' is written on it.

Chao, thinking: "That's my hand writing."

Chao, as he abruptly hurries off: "Class dismissed."

Psychic Alliance class

Three pairs of plastic white chairs are arranged in a large, white room. Chairs are facing across from each other, with 10 feet of distance between the chair pairs. Hiro is seated opposite Potesta, Acies is opposite Sloth, and Terridus is opposite Parvul.

Dulcia: "During this basic psychic class we're taking an experiential approach. You'll be trying to break through your classmate's mental barriers, while they try to do the same to you." 

Terridus: "How much can we achieve given that we're not Psychic Alliance members?"

Dulcia: "As non-Alliance members you may struggle to use Psychic abilities even against a single individual. Alliance members have no such limitations, and are able to influence multiple individuals simultaneously. Even so, this training may one day save your lives. Artifice ..." 

Artifice: "'Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever', that's from 'All the Light We Cannot See'. So, let us open our mind's eye and see what we can see. Let's start by establishing our mental defense."

Within the Psychic Realm, where everything is represented in monochromatic blue, mental wards manifest to guard the doorways to each of the student's minds:

•    Hiro—Emblem of the shield 

•    Potesta—Monochromatic blue version of a black hole

•    Acies—Religious army horde, with militant faith emblem on their uniforms

•    Sloth—A circular room containing 8 doors with quantum emblems on each

•    Terridus—Spinning pentagram of fire, water, wind, earth, and shadow

•    Parvul—a floating, bodyless AI head with technology emblem on its forehead

Artifice extends her psychic vision out, confirming that everyone's defenses are up.

Artifice: "Next, a physical connection with your opponent will help increase your mental connection, so let's grasp each other's hands."

Parvul and Terridus scowl over at Hiro and Potesta, who are both blushing.

As Hiro and Potesta's hands meet, electric current courses over their hands. Hiro almost pulls away, but Potesta holds on tightly to his hand. 

Hiro, thinking: "This reminds me of the electric current I felt opposite Master Ordo, but much gentler. Potesta seems so tough, but she has such soft hands." 

Artifice: "Concentrate on the opponent in front of you. Acknowledge their presence. Focus your mind's eye on them. Perceive them. Try to form a connection running from your mind down through your hands, into their hands, and up into their mind."

Parvul (offense) vs. Terridus (defense)

A monochromatic blue image of Parvul in her AI suit appears floating in front of Terridus' pentagram.

Parvul: "Technology and magic conflict and tend to interfere with each other. Still, this is the psychic, not the physical world. Alright then, gatling cannon!"

Parvul's arm morphs into a gatling cannon and fires hundreds of rounds of ammo at the pentagram. As the psychic ammunition rounds make impact, a cloud of dust is obscuring the target. When the dust settles, a bullet holed rock barrier has prevented any damage to the doorway. The rock barrier then fades away.

Parvul: "That didn't work, let's see how you handle rockets."

Parvul's chest transforms into a multiple rocket launcher, and she lets loose with a barrage. As the rockets approach the pentagram, flaming meteors explode outward from it, intercepting the rockets in mid-flight, exploding on impact.

Parvul, breathing heavily: "Phew, this is using up a lot of my mental energy. Of course, you wouldn't make this easy on me Terridus, but I expect no less from you. Well, I'm not giving up yet. Flame thrower!"

Parvul's boots transform, sending out jets of blazing fire at the pentagram. A wave of water cascades out of the pentagram, meeting Parvul's flames midway, resulting in a cloud of hissing steam.

Parvul, losing patience: "Grrrrrrr. Laser eyes."

A visor forms around Parvul's eyes, and she starts firing dual laser beams at the Pentagram, which responds with shadow-mist ghost-like beings emerging to intercept the lasers.

Parvul: "This is getting me nowhere. I'll just walk right up to you and pound you, you stupid magical doohicky."

Parvul starts running toward the pentagram, but is met by a gale force wind, which slows, then halts her progress. Parvul's suit shoots anchors into the ground, which temporarily hold her in place, but she's soon flung away by the wind. Losing the contest, Parvul regains her awareness back in the physical world.

Terridus (offense) vs. Parvul (defense)

Terridus appears before a floating AI head.

Terridus, raising the staff she is holding: "I call down lightning!"

A bolt of lightning arcs down, but before it can strike the AI, it meets an unseen barrier, which shimmers as it repels it.

AI: "Didn't anyone teach you any manners? It's rather rude of you to attack me, without even introducing yourself first and saying hello."

Terridus, stuttering: "I I I'm sorry, I would have introduced myself, but you're just ..."

AI: "Just what? An AI representation? I shouldn't be surprised, it's just typical prejudice against AI constructs. And by the way, lightning attacks won't be able to penetrate my forcefield. So, are you going to introduce yourself?"

Terridus, shyly: "I'm Terridus. I'm in the magic Alliance. Nice to meet you."

AI: "That's better. As you've already surmised, I am an AI construct, although it's also true that I'm an aspect of Parvul's psyche. I don't have a name, and I'll fade back into Parvul once you're gone, so I guess I don't need a name."

Terridus: "If you don't mind, I'm supposed to defeat you."

AI: "Certainly, why don't you try another attack?"

Terridus: "I summon forth berserker giant!"

Berserker giant roars into existence, garbed in a tattered leather vest, rusty brass armor, and a massive red hammer. The giant starts pounding against AI's forcefield, each blow sounding like a gong. AI yawns as if bored.

AI: "That's not going to work either."

Terridus waves her staff and the giant vanishes.

AI: "So is there a guy in your life? Anyone you like?"

Terridus, blushing: "That's p-p-personal."

AI: "I see that there is. Alright then, change of subject."

AI suddenly becomes more serious: "You got over your magic hang-up recently, but you seem to be holding back still."

Terridus: "What? How do you know about that?"

AI: "As I said, I'm part of Parvul. And, what's the point of being an AI if you're not smart? So why are you still holding back?"

Terridus, defiantly: "I'm not holding back. I'll show you."

Terridus starts chanting even though her lips aren't moving. As she does this, she utters: "hell ... fire ... in-fin-i-ty an-ni-hil-a-tion bomb!"

A swirling, circular fire vortex encased in a dark, translucent globe starts expanding rapidly, until it explodes outward. The blast obliterates everything, including Terridus who comes back to her awareness in the physical world.

Acies (offense) vs. Sloth (defense)

Standing at the center of a room with eight doors, Acies is clad in leather and metallic armor emblazoned with the militant faith emblem. He wears a helm, and carries a halberd. Mist carpets the ground.

Acies: "Which door? I guess anyone will do."

Acies walks through the door directly in front of him, coming to a sealed metal bar gate, which he kicks open, continuing through. After a few steps he arrives at another gate, identical to the first. Acies shrugs and uses his halberd to slice down the middle of the gate, opening it and proceeding through. After several steps, the same scene plays out, this time Acies shoulders through the gate. 

Acies, coming upon the fourth gate: "I'm not getting anywhere like this, time to turn back ..."

Acies, after materializing back in the room he started from: "So once I decide to turn back, I appear here again. No one's going to call me a quitter. I'll just try another door."

Walking through the door, he approaches a gate that is about 20 meters in front of him. He doesn't seem to be closing the distance with the gate, so he starts walking briskly, then breaks out into a run. Even so, the gate maintains its distance.

Acies: "Another dead end."

Acies appears back in the room. He approaches another door, opens it, and walks toward the gate in front of him. This time Acies makes progress and advances on the gate. However, just as he seems about to reach it his progress slows.

Acies: "I can feel myself moving forward still, but my progress has slowed to the point where I'll never actually ever reach the gate. Alright then, rewind."

Acies, back in the room: "I guess I shouldn't expect any less from Sloth. Even though the guy sleeps all the time, he still manages to get results somehow."

Acies walks through another door ... and falls upward, screaming in surprise.

Acies, back in the room: "I don't see a way past any of the doors I've opened so far. Next!"

Acies walks through another door, entering a moonlit graveyard.

Acies: "Oh man, this is kinda scary."

As he looks at the grave-stones he sees that they all have his name on them, but with different dates.

Acies: "And it just got a lot creepier."

Acies, even more terrified as he looks around at the dates on the grave stones: "Hey, wait a minute, this one has today's date written on it."

Acies hesitantly reaches out and touches the grave stone. As he does so, he has a vision of himself endlessly entering doors and reappearing back again.

Acies, visibly shaken: "That's it. I quit. I quit. I quit."

Acies regains awareness back in the room with his peers.

Sloth (offense) vs. Acies (defense)

Sloth, dressed in a bathrobe and slippers, appears on a raised plateau with a high brick wall extending out into the distance at his back. He faces a single militant faith soldier, who is dressed in the same military gear as Acies during his assault on Sloth's mind. Sloth and the soldier are silently staring at each other.

Sloth: "Any chance you'll let me by?"

The soldier continues his stoic look in reply.

Sloth: "I'd like to just chill out here, then go back when time is up if I could, but I have a feeling Master Dulcia would know. Pissing her off isn't something any sane man does, and will be infinitely more trouble than making an effort here. So, that settles it, I'll have to make an effort — sigh. Maybe I don't have to defeat you. If I can distract, and get past you that may suffice."

Sloth looks down at his open hands and a bar of soap appears in one, and a shower brush in the other. He tosses the soap up and strikes it with the shower brush, sending the soap bar spiraling toward the soldier's helm. Sloth uses the distraction to try and get around the soldier, but as the soap harmlessly bounces off his helm, the soldier swings his halberd at Sloth. Sloth's eyes narrow, and there are momentarily two Sloths. One who dissipates after getting cut down by the soldier, as the other Sloth falls back safely.

Sloth: "I'm actually at the gateway to Acie's mind, not in the quantum world. Whatever quantum abilities I try to manifest here are just representations of the real thing. Then again, is consciousness enabled by the quantum properties of neuron signaling? If I concentrate hard enough, I can imagine a reality where that soldier is no longer there."

Sloth starts moving toward the soldier as the soldier begins to flicker in and out of existence, fading away as Sloth walks through the spot where he previously stood. A smile starts to cross Sloth's face, but then a hand latches on to his shoulders from behind, and tosses him head over heels into the air back to where he started from. Sloth lands on his posterior with an undignified thump. 

Sloth: "Ouch, that's going to leave a mark. Or maybe not, since this is the psychic realm. The soldier reconstituted once I thought I was past him. Or he could just be a different soldier altogether. Perhaps a multi-pronged approach will work. Ok, here goes. Compress distance for me. Slow time for the soldier."

Sloth's first step appears as a giant stride, accompanied by a slow-motion response by the guard. Sloth makes it to the edge of the plateau, where he stops, looking out into the distance.

Sloth's face appears incredulous: "Really? Time to head back. I'll need some extralong nap time to recover from this."

The view through Sloth's eyes reveals the panorama of an endless militant faith soldier horde.

Hiro (offense) vs. Potesta (defense)

Hiro manifests in the psychic realm, his cap immediately flying off his head. His hair color is blue monochromatic, like everything else in the psychic realm. Hiro looks ahead to see a black hole, also appearing as monochromatic blue, in the distance with its glowing event horizon.

Hiro: "How do I defeat ... a black hole? My cap has already been pulled in. If I get too close the same thing will happen to me. The theoretical opposite of a black hole is a white hole. This isn't the actual physical realm, so different rules apply here. Is it possible to generate a white hole in the psychic realm? Seems like I don't have a choice if I want to win. First I should bolt myself down."

Thick chains appear around Hiro and meld into the ground around him.

Hiro: "Next, tap into my own psychic energy. Focus it down to a point. Keep pouring more and more energy into it."

Hiro extends his right arm in front of him, creating a bright sphere of light that contracts into a dazzling point of light with a dark event horizon.

Hiro: "It's still not enough. Need to dig deeper."

Hiro also extends his left arm out. An intense, determined expression crosses his face as he starts to roar, pouring even more energy into the white hole he's generating. Hiro's hair momentarily sparks with flashes of color even though color is impossible in the exclusively blue, monochromatic psychic world. Hiro's white hole and Potesta's black hole start moving closer, eventually orbiting each other, faster and faster. When they collide, there is a blending at the point of contact, with both orbs fusing into a yin-yang sphere. The energy build-up becomes too great, blasting outward, ejecting Hiro back into the physical world. Upon regaining awareness, Hiro grasps for his cap, feeling reassured that it is still on his head.

Hiro, thinking: "I sensed a warmth at the core of that black hole. Is that Potesta's true self?"

Potesta (offense) vs. Hiro (defense)

Potesta arrives in Hiro's psyche and is confronted with the shield emblem, representing all seven of the major Alliances.

Potesta: "Hmmm, the old version of the shield emblem, with Chaos still represented. Let's try an experiment with a little target practice."

Potesta materializes a gun into her right hand.

Potesta, aiming and firing: "Militant faith."

A sword projects out of the shield, slicing the bullet in half.

Potesta, aiming and firing: "Technology."

A force field projects out. The bullet hits it, stops, and falls to the ground.

Potesta, aiming and firing: "Magic."

A brick wall appears, intercepting the bullet.

Potesta, aiming and firing: "Order."

Potesta pulls the trigger, but the gun does not fire.

Potesta, aiming and firing: "Psychic."

Potesta attempts to pull the trigger, but is unable to. Strain shows on her face as she continues to try, until she relents, exhaling at the release of tension.

Potesta, staring at the Chaos emblem: "I wonder what this one will do. Chaos."

The gun misfires, exploding in Potesta's hand.

Potesta, falls to her knees, grabbing her right hand with her left: "Aaaaahh. I know this isn't the physical world, but it still hurts all the same." 

Potesta, getting up and walking towards it: "If I don't act aggressively, it should allow me to get closer. I wonder what will happen if I connect the Order and Chaos emblems."

Potesta materializes a cable directly linking those two portions of the shield. The shield shudders, then morphs into a rapidly spinning ying-yang sphere. The energy build-up becomes too great, blasting outward, ejecting Potesta back into the physical world. Upon regaining awareness, Potesta looks down at her right hand, feeling reassured that it is uninjured.

Potesta, thinking: "That boy sure is ... interesting."

Class wrap-up

All students have their heads bowed in defeat.

Dulcia: "Well done students."

Students look up in surprise.

Dulcia: "I didn't expect any of you to break through. It's much easier to reinforce one's natural defenses than it is to project onto someone else to break through their defenses."

Parvul, rubbing her forehead: "Why does it feel like a bomb went off in my head?"

Terridus grits her teeth, in a nervous straight-line grin as she looks off to the side. 

Artifice, sternly: "Hiro, you can stop holding Potesta's hand now."

Hiro's face turns red and he falls backward off his chair with his legs sticking straight up. 

-june-
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