Ruthra Bennette
Morning sunlight crept over Celestiala as I made my way toward the alley, suppressing another yawn. The city was already awake. Merchants shouted prices, children ran through the streets without a care in the world, and the smell of fresh bread floated from nearby shops. Civilization always fascinated me. No matter how many times mankind nearly destroyed itself, people still found the time to argue over fruit and complain about taxes.
By the time I arrived, the Report Service officers had already begun examining the scene. All the elderly people belonging to this district were told to stay clear of the alleyway. The six men remained unconscious, though one of them had somehow rolled halfway into a trash can during the night. One of the officers spotted me and sighed.
"Professor Ruthra. Third time this week."
I blinked, "Third?"
He flipped through his clipboard, "Third." The younger officer snorted behind him. The older one merely rubbed his forehead, "You know, Professor, it's normal for a Sorcerer off or on duty to report crimes... but three times in a week?"
The two approached the unconscious men, inspecting the injuries. Most of them would wake up with headaches and bruised egos. In my experience, damaged pride hurt far more than broken bones. I truly hope these delinquents will turn a new leaf. The older officer turned toward me again,
"These six were harassing someone?"
"A woman."
"And you stopped them?"
"It's the duty of a Sorcerer, off or on duty, to resolve any crime he sees."
He looked down at the unconscious bodies scattered throughout the alley:
"Professor, did you do all this by yourself? Was anyone else involved in this, besides the victim?"
"No."
It took the officer a delayed second to process the information, jotting it down on his paper,
"No?"
"They attacked the pavement," I said, verbal irony in my tone.
Then the younger officer nearly laughed. Even his partner's expression cracked.
"The pavement?"
"A tragic battle," I replied. "The pavement won."
The clipboard snapped shut with a sigh.
"We'll take care of it from here."
"Excellent."
I nodded my farewell and stepped back into the morning streets. People passed by without paying me any attention. I preferred things that way. Fame had always sounded exhausting. Being forgotten was much more comfortable. My eyes drifted upward toward the white tower that dominated Celestiala's skyline. The World Council Headquarters.
Even after all these years, the sight of it was impressive. The structure rose over the capital like a monument to mankind's arrogance. Countless windows reflected the sunlight, while Report Service aircraft moved between the upper levels. To the average person, it probably looked untouchable. I never liked describing anything as impossible or untouchable. I began thinking to myself:
Three patrol routes and four public entrances. Report Services are arriving every few hours. Supply trucks operate on a schedule. I need to study the blueprints again...
A faint smile crept onto my face before I let out a tired sigh and rubbed my knees.
"My knees are going to hate this."
****
The Previous Night
The clock tower struck ten as I exited the library, tucking the old papers beneath my arm. A cool breeze swept through the streets, and I pulled my coat tighter around my shoulders. The city had begun quieting down. Restaurants remained lively, but the office workers and merchants had mostly returned home.
The Celestiala University Library had proven more useful than expected. Whoever designed the World Council Headquarters two centuries ago most likely possessed an ego larger than the building itself. Architects loved recognition. They wrote papers, gave speeches, and preserved records for future generations. Most people only cared about the Headquarters as it stood today. They forgot the building had a past. Thanks to that ego, I looked down at the aged papers in my hand.
This is perfect. Original foundation plans. Expansion proposals. Renovation reports. Drainage systems. Emergency exits. And, most importantly, sections that had been sealed off after later construction. Information hidden in plain sight was always the easiest to miss. I bet my younger self would have called it genius.
I turned the corner and paused. The World Council Headquarters stood wide and tall, towering above the capital, illuminated against the night sky. Even from here, I could spot the upper patrol lights. Three rotations. Seven-minute intervals.
As I continued walking, my eyes drifted back to the blueprints. One section interested me more than the others. The Sub-Level Four. The original archives that have gone unused to date. No longer in service, and forgotten. Officially abandoned. However, I find it hard to believe because nothing involving governments was ever truly abandoned. I scratched my beard.
"Hm."
That section had not appeared in any modern records. Which meant one of two things. Either nobody knew it existed, or somebody had gone through great effort to ensure nobody remembered. I folded the papers beneath my arm and began making my way home. Midnight approached, and for the first time all evening, I allowed myself to relax.
While walking on the sidewalk, my ears perked up at the sudden disturbance of the silence. Loud clamoring coming from the end of the block. I silently walk towards it, my weight on my front foot in case I need to jump backward. An explosion of fire engulfed the alleyway, its heat spreading outward and dissipating. I jumped to the rooftop, squatting down to my heel on the edge to view the conflict.
The sigh escaped me before I could stop it.
"Humanity disappoints me."
As I carefully view the battlefield, I began catching the small details. The most important detail being the two teenagers in an Academy tracksuit. I adjusted the sword on my waist level on my back and changed direction.
"Two Academy students sneaking out," I snort.
***
Zero Langham
By the end of the day, I had convinced myself we'd gotten away with it. Unfortunately, the universe had other plans. We finished our classes for the day, and our performance wasn't exactly the best. Between Toho pacing around our room and me tossing anxiously in bed, neither of us got any sleep after last night's ordeal. We began sloppily walking to our dorm, calling it a day, when we received a message.
"Professor Ruhtra wants to see you."
The words came from a passing student delivering the message. Beside me, Toho froze. I looked over and again watched his soul leave his body.
"We're dead," he whispered.
"We're not dead," I replied, trying hard to sound confident.
"We are so dead."
"It's probably just a warning."
"Zero, we snuck out of the Academy and used Essence in public while underage. On top of that, we almost got ourselves killed in a fight," Toho swiftly yelled. He had this natural habit of speaking too quickly when he's stressed. Along with that, he yells it out, not being able to control his volume at that point.
"You worry too much."
The two of us made our way to Professor Ruthra's office. He held his den on the upper floor of the main Academy building, containing most of the Combat or Essence classrooms. The Theory, Sciences, and History classrooms were located in their respective buildings around campus.
Each step we took towards his classroom felt like we were walking a red carpet of shame. As we approached the marble staircase, my heart thumped like a band of drums. We neared his office, turning the corner and finding ourselves face to face with his door. My hand began sweating profusely like a waterfall.
The two of us stood outside Professor Ruhtra's office, neither willing to knock first. I glanced at the plaque hanging beside the door:
Professor Ruhtra Bennette.
We continued reading the plaque, examining its finest details to stall time. Toho raised his arms, forming a fist and bringing himself closer to the door. I almost thought he'd do it, but then he suddenly gave up. I released a breath of relief before he turned his head to look at me:
"You knock."
"No, you knock."
"No, you're the one who has to do all the talking"
"What! I never agreed to that."
"If I talk, I'll only be digging us a deeper hole. Knock!" He commanded me.
Before either of us could continue arguing, the door opened. Professor Ruhtra stood there with a cup of tea in his hand. He stared at us in silence. Then he looked down at his watch.
"Interesting."
Toho stiffened.
"Wh-what is, Professor?"
"I was taking bets on how long you'd stand outside before knocking. I bet on seven minutes but became too bored to wait," He stepped aside. He took a long sip of his tea before inviting us, "Come in."
Without much of a choice, we obliged. We entered his office, our eyes taking quick glances at the room. His office wasn't what I expected. Books were piled everywhere. Some rested on shelves while others simply occupied the floor. Maps covered half the walls. Wooden practice swords sat inside a bucket in the corner. A tall umbrella leaned on one chair, and beside the desk rested a stack of papers held together by rubber bands. The room looked less like a professor's office and more like someone had attempted to organize an important archive with millions of files.
Toho and I sat down in two chairs, directly across the Professor's desk. I twisted around a little, realizing these chairs can spin. Professor Ruhtra sat across from us and quietly sipped his tea. None of us spoke. Toho and I didn't have the courage, and the Professor seemed to be taking his time. Another sip, and still silence. I glanced at Toho; he glanced at me. He had that look on his face when he was about to burst and start rambling on apologies.
Finally, Toho broke.
"Professor, are we expelled?" He yelled out, his fast-speaking nature taking over.
Professor Ruhtra lowered his cup, gently placing it on his desk. A coaster holding the tea cup. It looked like expensive porcelain, with golden patterns and designs dancing across the tableware.
"Hm?"
"Expelled."
"No," Professor Ruthra replied quickly, matching Toho's speed and urgency.
"Suspended?"
"No."
"Detention?"
Professor Ruthra briskly shook his head. Toho and I stared, very confused. I decided to finally speak up:
"Then why are we here, Professor?"
Professor Ruhtra leaned back in his chair, adjusting his coat and wrapping it around more tightly.
"I'm curious."
"Curious? About?"
He scratched his beard.
"Why?"
I frowned at his short replies and way of conversing, but followed along,
"Why what?"
"Why intervene?"
I hesitated to answer the question, thinking it through:
I could say the obvious answer: the woman. Maybe if he realizes we have good intentions, he'll not change his decision to report us. Yes, I could do that!
"Only for one reason. We wanted to..." I stopped in my tracks.
Wait. Why? Why did we intervene? What was our real reason?
Toho slowly turned his head to look at me, deep in my thoughts.
That's right. We intervened for our own selfish reasons. We wanted experience; we wanted strength. All the times we've done this, I never once lingered on the thought about how much we're helping these victims. Half the time, the good deed I did never crosses my mind. We didn't do it to be heroes... we did it for ourselves.
"We wanted to..." I continued, trying to talk. I didn't understand what to say. This could be the easiest lie I could get away with. It's not like he can read minds and know I'm lying. But putting all that aside, I'm still compelled to give him my honest answer out of fear, "We did it for ourselves."
My voice was shaky. Toho's eyes widen. I could see it from my peripheral vision. I bet he's cursing me right now. I continued letting out everything, "We didn't do it for the woman. That was always in the back of my head. The entire fight, I didn't once think of her or her safety. We went into that fight for our own selfish reasons, nothing more! Even though all the past times we've done this, not once have we thought about our results."
Professor Ruthra smacked his lips, pouring himself more tea from his kettle, "I thought you were going to give a generic answer, like you were doing it to save the woman. That would have disappointed me."
My eyebrows furrowed as I tensed my forehead. My eyes narrowed in on Professor Ruthra. Before I could speak, Toho stumbled and cut me off, "I-I'm confused, Professor. Disappointed? I thought you would have been disappointed if it were for any other reason besides saving the woman."
Professor Ruthra didn't immediately answer, as he wanted to build tension. He intertwined his fingers, his elbows on his desk. He looked at both of us directly, addressing us, "I'm happy-no-I'm overjoyed that this generation still has passion. It has fire. I care more about the fact that you two snuck out to fight criminals, not because you have some hero complex, but because you're selfish enough to get stronger."
We stood there stunned. Toho's mouth was a little open, probably because he was still processing everything. Truthfully, so was I. This wasn't the response we expected to get. I was confused about how Professor Ruthra views a Sorcerer's duty. His philosophy, "But, although our results were good, like saving that woman, isn't it bad, against a Sorcerer's duty that it was never our first reason?" I asked.
"No, no, of course not. You need to be selfish to get stronger. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good thing you saved that woman, even if it wasn't your first intention. Let me ask you this: Do you think a Sorcerer's duty is to protect those that can't protect themselves, or eliminate the threats to our society?"
Professor Ruthra's question stumped me, Toho too. We looked at each other, contemplating an answer. Toho was the first to speak up, "Don't those two go hand in hand? Eliminating the threats to our society also means we are protecting it. Protecting society also means having to eliminate those threats."
I was happy with that response. It was along the lines of what I wanted to say, too. Professor Ruthra responded quickly this time. It caught me off guard.
"You would think so, but no. Think of a scenario like this: You were in battle with two choices. You could turn around, go to the rubble, and save someone caught in the crossfire. However, doing so gives the Mark time to escape. You won't be able to catch him again. On the other hand, you could go after the Mark and catch him, eliminating the threat and preventing further destruction he could have caused if you let him escape. So tell me, what is the Sorcerer's duty?"
I understood now. I understood what type of Sorcerer Professor Ruthra was. He was the one who would choose the latter, the type to eliminate the threat at the cost of lives. The type that believes the end justifies the means. Furthermore, I understood the type of Sorcerer I want to be. I've been thinking about this entire thing the wrong way.
"I think I understand, Professor. And honestly? I choose the first option. My entire life, I grew up believing a Sorcerer's duty is to protect society, and that still hasn't changed. As much as I want to grow stronger, I won't let that take over my philosophy. I aim to become the greatest Sorcerer this world has seen. And how can someone become the strongest Sorcerer without saving lives?" I responded confidently.
"We! We aim to become the greatest Sorcerers this world has seen! We share this philosophy, and we will not let it go for any cost. Even our greed for strength can not take over. What kind of Sorcerer would that make us? No disrespect to you, obviously, Professor," Toho shouted, jumping out of his seat, startling me. I snapped my neck to look at him, and how riled up he is, it made me smile. I stood up as well, turning my head to face the Professor.
Professor Ruthra let out a long-held breath. He also stood up, matching our height, "Perhaps I was wrong about the two of you..." He trailed off, his voice shifted into disappointment.
I couldn't exactly make out his tone, but I'm almost certain he was disappointed. I looked down at my feet, hoping this lecture didn't take the wrong.
Maybe I should have just lied! I could have just done with his philosophy and earned some points with him. I could have gotten on the hook earlier.
My thoughts were interrupted at the sound of his voice, "I too thought that because my reasons were righteous, everything else would work itself out. However, it turns out reality doesn't care about reasons."
He paused before talking again. His head was bowed a little, but now he faced us again directly.
"Mr. Langham, Mr. Isei," He began addressing us, "I want you to keep this conversation in mind. With all that being said, you two are dismissed."
Toho and I let out a sigh of relief. We quickly turned again, pushing our chairs in. Just before we could take another step, Professor Ruthra spoke up one last time:
"And remember! If you sneak out again or have any more fights, I will be forced to report you. I will not tolerate this again. If you wish to grow stronger, work on yourself, starting with the mind. If you wish to become a 'hero' and save lives, then wait till you're administered, Sorcerers. Strength isn't found by throwing your life away. If that were true, corpses would be the strongest creatures in the world."
I listened to his words carefully. His emphasis on the word 'hero', as if he were mocking the word. Toho and I stepped out of the classroom without another word.