by Andur
Explaining to teacher Mirgurd how we made the most important discovery ever, by misunderstanding his teachings, was a real pain in the ass!
I wanted to strangle the stupid fucker more than once in the process of it. At least we will now be known as the creators of a complete new way to draw magic circuits.
Haaah.... The last lesson is mystic arts. We enter the classroom and are greeted by Margerie, Stephen, Sven and Samarin. At least there are not so many people here.
“I already heard you guys slipped another piece of important knowledge!” Margerie states.
“Yes, that's two days in a row now!” Samarin joins the fray.
“You two are sure, you know nothing about gods?” Stephen follows.
Even the timid Sven musters us with a curious look.
“Nope! Nothing we can do! We already explained that it was pure luck. Mirgurd is a failure as a teacher, so we misunderstood him.” Celes jumps in.
I nod and take a seat. “What are you doing here anyway, Margerie! I think you should sleep!” I complain.
“I have slept enough! Here! Sign this!” Margerie deposits a big bundle of papers in front of me.
“What's that?” I ask cautiously and start reading. It seems to be some kind of contract.
“To explain the whole juristic nonsense: Half of everything I gain from the knowledge, you shared with me, is your property. The same is true for every discovery you may help me with in the future. I would feel bad if you don't sign it.” Margerie explains.
“No need Margerie, I already paid him!” Celes smiles. “You will need it all to advance further in any case.”
“Ho? I want to know those plans in detail?”, I ask.
“It is simple. You will further Margerie's family in any way you can. They have the facilities to create the needed research. In their names, we will raise the technology of this world to the needed level, so no more resource problems!
No contracts needed, I have already talked to our parents about everything. Everyone here knows already about your talents, so no security problems. Dad has already checked everyone.” -Celes
“What an honour. To be in the eyes of the royal family. It's like I am suddenly much more than a simple teacher.” -Samarin
You shouldn't think that way about having your background investigated you know?
“You sure are starting to take big leaps here, when did you set all this up!?” I ask Celes.
“I have more than enough time to make plans, while you have your nose inside a book. Creating the necessary infrastructure won't happen over night anyway. If we are lucky, all our problems will be solved by the time we are twenty, or a little older.” -Celes
Hah!? Could it be? The muscle brain was not only setting up a plan to change the world, but also put it into motion already?
“Uh. I haven't heard anything from my parents yet. But if its in accord with the royal family, I can't voice any complains.” -Margerie puts away the documents.
NOOO! My Money! I want to cry! Give it back! That's two times today! Now I am just tired of it all.
“So what do you know about the gods?” - Stephen
“They are all bastards! You create a little havoc and they throw you into hell! Explanation enough!?” I snap.
Celes pats my head. “I am sorry, but it seems you will have to stick around and wait for Seria to show up. Maybe she will answer your questions.” She gives Stephen another evading answer.
“HmHm. In any case let's start the lesson!” -Samarin
While Samarin, Stephen and Sven join a conversation on their own, Celes starts to edit her strange new list of -things to do-. This lesson surely is handled very lax by Samarin.
Margerie sits down in front of me and holds out a writing pad and a pen. “Write down everything that is in your head!” She has that strange fire in her eyes.
I sigh and take the pen. “What do you want to know.”
“Everything!”
“We will concentrate on the stuff, which reduces the strain on resources for now. So point out to me which economical areas cause the biggest problems.” I don't want to waste my time here.
***
We are back at the school gate, where Rose was already waiting. “How was your day my little masters?” she asks and smiles, while opening the car's door.
“We had to run away twice!” Celes answers.
“I gave away -many- precious things!” I follow, while I enter the car.
“Hahaha, little master is very generous.” Rose answers. I hope this ritual won't become a habit!
Once inside, the car starts to move and I look out of the window. Celes yawns and ticks off another object on her list.
Then she suddenly uses my leg as a pillow to lie down.
“Celes?” -Me
“Yes?”-Celes
“There has to be some distance at least, for comfort!” -Me
“Endure it, I do it too.” She answers and is sleeping, like someone switched her off.
Hmpf. I am still not sure what I should think of our agreement. Sure I am not the romantic type. But even I think it would be impossible for two people to just decide to fall in love. While I look out of the window, I start to stroke Celes's red hair.
“When we are at home, your parents want to immediately speak with you two.” Rose suddenly informs me.
“About what? Do you have an idea?” I question her.
“I am not sure, but apparently it has something to do with the plan, little Celes has put together.” -Rose
I don't answer and keep silent, until we arrive at home after about thirty minutes. Once there, I wake up Celes and we disembark.
Ten minutes later we are both in front of our parents, who seem lightly stressed.
“We have to inform you two to be more careful in school from now on. Try not to let people know that all this new knowledge comes from you. We are already trying to cover it up as much as we can.” Nicol informs us with a grim expression.
“What is the problem?” Celes has a curious look on her face.
“The problem lies with those, who don't like the idea of reduced needs for rare elements! I heard you have a class together with the Meltheim twins? And a Tulhelm is there too?” Arthur questions us and I nod.
“The Meltheim and Tulhelm families are biggest providers of rare elements. They own a big part of the market. The publication of the new design for a levitation device by the Cygnus family will put a real dent into their finances! They will still own the market, but the yearly demand will go down for sure.” Katrin states
“So if there are more inventions of that sort, they will try something to stop it.” I conclude.
“They are already moving materials and equipment around in disturbing ways. I don't like it. It smells like they are up to something. We also can see that they are somehow coordinating their actions, trying not to disturb each other.
They both control a big part of the north. Together they have a problematic amount of control. So we have problems to gather information in such a huge area.” -Ireth
“So please be more careful at school, and have an eye out for those guys in your school. I don't think they are ready to try something, but it is better to not feel safe.”, Nicol ends the explanation with a grim expression.
Celes nods and after dinner, everyone goes their way again, leaving me and Celes behind. Celes looks like she bit into a sour lemon.
I take a seat at the couch, to read one of my books. It doesn't make sense to wreck your brain over something, you can't influence.
“Haah, it sure is the same wherever you go. There are always those who aren't of the same opinion.” She talks to herself.
“That's the way it is. Don't tell me you ever found a world in your lifetime, in which, there wasn't some sort of conflict?” -Me
“76839 years and nothing like that. You?” She hits her head on the desk.
“Duh? I stopped counting at the age of about 1200.” I answer.
“Y
ou are that young!?” Celes sits upright again.
“Don't misunderstand! I said I -stopped- counting. I didn't care any more. I don't know how old I am. It doesn't make much sense to count years like you do anyway. Most world's have their own flow of time. The most you can do is to count your lives.” -Me
“Oh, so I have lived about 1230 times until I became a god and you?” -Celes
I sigh “Maybe a little bit more, maybe a little less. I really don't remember. There was a time, when I got mad at the universe and tried to destroy my soul in every way I could think of. But after a certain point, it seems like the memories will always come back after a few years.”
“I had a time like that too" Celes answers. "Maybe everyone has to go through a phase like that. Then I tried the other way and got stronger in every way I could. Until the Council became aware of me and gave me an occupation.” -Celes
“Hrm.” I start to read my book again.
Suddenly Celes jumps up and throws herself onto the couch, using me as a pillow. “Not again!” I complain. “Yes again!” She answers grumpy and ticks off another object on her list.
Then she is off to the world of dreams again.
I wait a few minutes, until I am sure that she is sleeping. I slowly wriggle the folded list out of her hand and take a look at the front page. Now I will find out what you are planning witch!
Steps for a proper life!
Get my parents to further the technological advance! Ø
Fulfil Margerie's dream. Ø
Make peace with the stupid hermit! Ø
Start a new life and leave all the old grudges behind. ~
Have him as a lap pillow! Ø
Sneak into his room, to crawl into his bed!
….
….
The list from there onwards is full of really cliché romance situations..... you read too many bad smut romances, comic's, cheap movies or whatever you did!
Today I will have to lock my room to sleep........
***
The next morning, I awoke fully rested. It seems like Celes didn't try something funny during the night. So I put on some clothes and exit my room.
Outside I find ….. a trail of blood! There are a few squirts on the wall too! Did someone get murdered here?
I follow the trail to Katrine's and Arthur's private rooms. I open the door slightly and take a peek into the room.
Katrine and Celes are in there. The little Celes is bondage-bound to a chair and squirming. Katrine is in front of her and has a chalk-board in her hands.
-I wont sneak into a boy's room until I am old enough!-
I am sorry Celes, but you are in this on your own..... I will never join you in a chalk-board torture session on my own free will.
Oh, how deep has a eighty thousand year old god to fall, just to end up like this?
I slowly shut the door and walk away.
22 - The End?
….snow has started to fall and it is winter.
It is the end of our first school year. I really did a lot of work with Margerie during that time. I think we have now a solid scientific foundation to develop the world's economical structure into the direction, we want it to.
Tongord is training us really hard, putting his own life on the line in the process. I admire him for his ability. I really want that cheat! It is so unfair!
Sarda, Senda, Iris and Gabriel somehow ended up forming their own little group during combat lessons. On the other side are me, Celes, Tanja, Sven and Sandra, who is a nice girl, if you get to know her better. I don't think you could call us friends like we are with Tanja. We are more like good acquaintances.
It's hard to build up any sort of relationship with someone, who you see just for training and who dashes off as soon as the lesson ends.
Strangely enough the Sarda group made no trouble for us any more and laid low. Celes calls it the silence before the storm, whenever we talk about it.
Stephen isn't pestering us about gods any more, because we decided to avoid his questions. So he is now helping his sister to put everything to practice, which I taught her.
Strangely enough Margerie never asked where my knowledge comes from. I guess my parents shut Margerie up by dropping a few heavy words on her parents.
Everything else follows the daily rhythm of going to school, listening to lessons and going back.
There is only one little problem!
We will fail this year! It is the end of us, our parents will turn around our necks and pop off our heads for sure!
I will fail in the art class and Celes has no chance pass the test in rune magic. Her marks are just too bad! We sure broke our own legs in the beginning of the year by choosing the wrong subjects.
There is no hope, because we are sure to fail Samarin's random question test too! If we try to talk to him about it, he won't budge.
Right now I am sitting in the school yard and try to make sense out of this mess. There has to be a possibility. I don't like to just hope for my luck with Samarin.
Celes ran off somewhere with Tanja. I don't care, I am not her babysitter.
In the evening there will be the last test and everyone has to bring something of great artistic value to Mrs. Jeniva. It sucks. I have no idea. As the snowflakes dance down from the sky, I start to shape the snow in the school yard with my mind and start to build a snowman.
It's no problem for me by now, the training with Tongord gave me the necessary experience to use my new body's mana more efficient.
I let my mind wander and try to drown myself in memories of a better time. I think of a time long ago, when I loved a fine woman and had a big family with her. I think she was the first person, I ever really yearned for whenever we were separated.
That was before I became a god and when we died after a long and good life, I searched for her for many lives. But how do you find someone again who doesn't remember his past life?
An impossible task.
“BOOM!”
An explosion shakes me out of my dreams and I jump up. That came from the front gate? I run into the direction but I am soon stopped by a stream of screaming people, running my way.
“The school is under attack! Everyone to the shelters until the security can solve the situation!” A teacher calls out to the students.
The stream of people carries me away, while I try to find someone I know. Unfortunately I have no idea where the others are.
I keep looking until I arrive at the shelter, where a few teachers and Tongord are protecting the entrance.
“Have you seen Celes, Tanja, Margerie and Stephen?” I ask him about the very few people in this school, I have any sort of deeper relationship to.
I don't ask about Sven. First of all, because I don't really talk to him that much – though he is a good friend of Tanja. Second, because I know that he can take care of himself by running away if he wants to. When Sven starts to run, nobody can catch him, and he has the judgement to do so.
With the others I am not so sure, they are more the types to fight instead of using their heads and run away.
“The Cygnus siblings are inside! The others I don't know of!” Tongord answers.
Well crap, two people to search for. I turn around and want to run off, when Tongord grabs me by the neck. “Where do you think you are going?”
“To search my fiancee and my friend. And if you try to stop me any longer I smear you over the entire hallway. Should give me enough time to run away.” I answer Tongord with a grave expression.
He drops me. “Come back as soon as you find them. And run if you meet an enemy. You can't survive daggers from the shadows like me.”
I nod and walk off, trying to imagine where Celes and Tanja could be. We were waiting for the last test to start.
They couldn't have run off too far. I wander the school yard again which is now void of people. I walk very slowly, while I hear the noises of fighting from the gate.
I hope those two wouldn't be so stupid to run
into a full blown fight. The only place I can think of is the cafeteria. Maybe they wanted something to drink? While walking I pick up two fists of snow.
With a little concentration I melt the snow and freeze it again, forming about twelve icicles.
