A moment after James laid eyes on Miss Walker, his initial shock gave way to suspicion. His training under her had ingrained in him an instinctual wariness of deception, especially in situations as peculiar as this. Without hesitation, he decided to take action. He needed to ensure it wasn’t just an illusion meant to make them drop their guard.
Drawing deep from his reserves, James unleashed a torrent of psychic energy in all directions, the likes of which he had never attempted before. His power, vast and enhanced by his support skills, erupted in a psionic storm that swallowed the entire rooftop.
This wasn't just a sweep; it was an overwhelming flood of mental energy crafted to obliterate any illusion or mental tampering that might be at play.
For an entire minute, the rooftop of the AA building was obscured by the psychic maelstrom. Ethereal winds howled, and invisible forces pressed down on everything and everyone present. James stood at the heart of it all, his eyes closed, face set in a mask of concentration, as he controlled and directed the storm with precise intent.
When the power in his veins finally ran dangerously low, he allowed the construct to subside. Though it dissipated into the day like a bad dream, Miss Walker remained. She stood calmly, her expression unreadable, seemingly unaffected by the raw display of psychic might. Around her, the rooftop was untouched, a testament to James's control over his abilities.
"Well done, James," Miss Walker said, her voice carrying a note of approval that James hadn't heard in a long time. “I would have had to punish you if you had taken my presence at face value."
James and the rest of Team 0 didn’t respond, still in shock, trying to process the reality before them. There she was, their former teacher, alive and apparently well, standing in front of them after so long.
Miss Walker sighed, her gaze softening as she looked at them. "I suppose it's my fault that you are so paranoid," Her voice carried a hint of amusement. "I'm the one who sent you into that poisonous dungeon near Montauk. The air was tainted, which I ignored as I observed it from the shadows."
The confession was the final piece needed to dissolve any lingering doubts. That mistake was embarrassing enough that no one outside Team 0 knew of it, and anyone impersonating their teacher wouldn't think to lower her standing like that.
Overcoming their initial shock, they swarmed her, their expressions a mix of joy, relief, and lingering disbelief. James was at the forefront, his psychic senses now silent, his mind accepting the truth of her presence. The reunion was heartfelt, with each member expressing their relief and happiness in their own way. Maria hugged the woman tightly, followed by Ezekiel. Lauren simply shook her head, a smile painted on her lips, while Daniel laughed deeply, happiness filling his signature.
"It's really you," James said quietly, "The message said you were alive, but after so long without an answer, we didn't know what to think."
Miss Walker eye-smiled, a genuine expression that made James’ heart clench. "I missed you guys too. And there's so much I have to tell you," she said.
As James and his team reconnected with Miss Walker, he caught a movement from the corner of his eye. Turning, he realized that they were not alone on the rooftop. Director Joanna Bisque and Mr. Bethany were also there, both observing the emotional reunion with a sense of amusement and warmth in their expressions. He had been so taken by the revelation his teacher had returned that James had completely forgotten to check his surroundings. His psychic senses still didn't work correctly, but his regular ones did.
Curiosity and a touch of irritation drove James towards them, his teammates' joyful exclamations with Miss Walker fading into the background. He approached the two higher-ups, his stride purposeful. "How long have you known she was back?" he demanded, his tone more accusatory than intended.
Mr. Bethany, ever the picture of calm authority, merely raised an eyebrow. “This is as much a surprise to us as to you, James," he answered, his voice steady and reassuring. "Leila returned shortly after you left for the rescue mission. We've been busy getting an extensive debrief from her, but we thought you might like being involved,” he added, a twinkle of humor in his eyes.
Director Bisque nodded in agreement, her smile still in place. "She's had quite the ordeal. It's a story best told by her, though," she said, indicating she wouldn’t rob his teacher of the opportunity.
James's gaze shifted back to Miss Walker, who had noticed their conversation. She excused herself from the group and walked over, placing a hand over James' shoulder in a familiar gesture he had missed more than he realized.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
"Let's sit," she suggested, gesturing to the comfortable sofas that seemed oddly out of place in this high-stakes, secretive gathering. Once everyone was seated, Miss Walker began her tale, her voice clear and measured.
"I was on the plane when the ambush happened. People I thought were my companions didn't hesitate to attack me. I fought back against the traitors, managed to kill several, and forced the rest to flee. But that wasn't the end of it." Her expression darkened. "A monster from the dungeon below attacked me, probably roused by the pieces of the plane falling into the waters. I was dragged into the ocean, battling for my life. To be honest, I was about to give in to despair when the Sin of Sloth arrived and saved me."
James' mind raced as he listened intently. He knew foul play was involved with her disappearance, but the fact that the Awakeners assigned to the mission banded together to attack Miss Walker shocked him. They were people who had fought and bled with her in innumerable missions, and yet they attacked her without any reason.
They probably had a reason, to be fair, but it was a shitty one. They got what they deserved.
The revelation that the Sin of Sloth had saved her was another shock. James knew very well that his mother was involved somehow in the rescue and thus in high-level operations, but that she was involved with the Sins stunned him. He had to hold back from unleashing the torrent of questions he wanted to ask, as he knew Miss Walker would get to the point sooner or later.
"The Sin of Sloth is an extremely powerful woman. She took me under her wing, quite literally at times," she added with a wry smile. "For the past seven months, I trained harder than I ever thought possible, breaking through barriers I hadn't known existed, she kept explaining, her eyes reflecting the intensity of her journey. "I faced creatures that should have, by all rights, killed me without much trouble and won. It's been an enlightening, albeit harrowing, experience."
The team listened in awe, hanging on every word. To them, Miss Walker was already a formidable figure. To imagine her growing even stronger and more skilled was inspiring and intimidating.
"Normally, I would reserve this level of information for higher ranks," Miss Walker stated, her tone serious, "but Team 0 has proven exceptional. So, I obtained an exemption from Director Bisque to explain things to you."
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes scanning each member of the team. "The Sins, while not entirely righteous in traditional terms, still fight against the true dangers of this world. They've been defeating creatures that could destroy countries and removing dungeons that risk growing exponentially. It's a task that goes unnoticed by the general public, but without them, the world would be a much worse place.”
James' mind immediately went to the ant dungeon. The Shard of the Abyss there had transformed the Boss into an incubator for a monstrously powerful being. Even before it was born, its mana levels had been at B-rank. James shuddered to think of the damage it could have wrought if it had been allowed to grow.
It didn't take a genius to realize that the Shards weren't something unique to New York, despite him having found two within the state.
Now that he thought about it, James wondered how he hadn't gotten it before. Unless some extremely powerful people dedicated themselves to eradicating them before they could grow, the world wouldn't have stood a chance. A single one growing unchecked in the vast wastelands left behind by the Apocalypse would have spelled doom for millions, if not more.
He had even known that the Sins were interested in the Shards! Pride had saved them from the Arachne precisely because he was looking for it.
"While I haven't personally taken part in any such operation so far, I have finally achieved the level necessary to take part in their network, and so Sloth finally allowed me to leave her island." Miss Walker continued. There was much she was only hinting at, and more she was hiding, of that James was sure, but for the moment, he just basked in her presence.
"Does that mean you have gone beyond A-rank?" Maria asked, tilting her head in disbelief.
She wasn't wrong to be skeptical, as the speed with which their teacher had grown was far beyond what was considered average among the powerhouses. Most who managed to get there got stuck earning levels as B-ranks, and of the limited few that achieved A-rank, only a tiny minority pushed through the bottleneck to reach the vaunted S-rank.
Mr. Julian, the Silent Guardian, was one such monster. But his meteoric growth was considered something of an outlier. Just like Michael Towers, he was put on a pedestal and ignored by most Awakeners, as they simply couldn't compare.
It seemed that now, someone else had reached that realm. Miss Walker smiled proudly, though it wasn't arrogant. It was the smile of someone who had worked to the bone to achieve a result with a burning determination. Who had achieved something believed impossible by others but that they had always known, deep within, was within reach for them.
"I have. I crossed level 600 a few weeks ago and spent the days since acclimating to my new power." She revealed, and with a breath, she unfurled her presence.
It was only then that James realized the reason he couldn't feel anything on the rooftop wasn't because a technique was blocking his senses. It was because a massive aura, so great that he was blinded upon looking at it, was taking the entire space.
It was so far beyond him that he couldn't even begin to comprehend it, which had led to the initial misunderstanding.
Jesus, that's… Alright, that's a lot. It's somewhat similar to what Mr. Julian felt like when he fought against the crocodilian champion, but even then, he kept a hold of his power. And the flavor is different. Where he was blinding and painful to look at, like the sun, she's unfathomable, like the darkest night.
The others clutched their heads and cried out in surprise, unused to facing such presences. They all had received sensory skills with their last rank-up, but they weren't as developed as James', which showed.
Lauren fared the best, having been present for Mr. Julian's hunt. Even the two high-rankers seemed to have problems, blinking rapidly and forcefully calming their breaths.
Miss Walker stood before them physically the same but magically an entirely different creature. The weight of her presence was tangible as it settled over them like a warm blanket. There was no hostility. Instead, it was welcoming, like a hug, but by its very nature, it wasn't something that could be withstood easily. S-rankers were beings so far above the average Awakeners that they could be considered legends. Only a few operated in the United States and kept far from their nominal colleagues.
At that moment, James knew why that was the case. His time with Mr. Julian had made him think he understood, but he hadn't, not really.
Standing before him was something that went beyond humanity. Miss Walker’s presence was so immense that he understood why some whackos worshipped Towers now.