Chapter 52.

PART 1.

It is the end of the year, and everyone is waiting for the results. In the meantime, James and Hatori have been working on a sparring yantra, their first project outside of the creative projects book. It helped Hatori to distract himself from the events of a few days ago, while James gets to build things. Hatori has learned that his quiet friend just loves to take things apart and put them back up again, or just build things from scratch.

“Are you ready?” asked James, ready to start their yantra.

Hatori is ready with the spells on his lips. “Yep. Start this thing.”

James flips the switch, and the yantra leapt at Hatori. Though it did attack him, it did not try to spar with him within the ground. After he fired a few Stinger spells on it, which it batted aside, the yantra escaped outside.

“Oh.” They said together.

That was undefined behavior if there ever was one. They can already hear other students getting attacked; the squeals of surprise and anger are audible within their training ground.

Raven and Josh entered the ground, then, sporting terrified expressions on their faces. “Guys. You won’t believe what’s going on outside.” they said.

“A yantra has gone rogue; it attacking the students.” Said Raven.

“Not only that, but some out-of-commissioned yantras have joined it, and they are tormenting the first- and second-year students alike.” Added Josh.

James and Hatori look at each other. “What went wrong?” they wonder.

“Wait, you are responsible for this?” asked Raven in a menacing tone.

“What? Of course not.” Denied Hatori smoothly.

“Don’t you dare deny it like that!” While Raven and Hatori are arguing, Josh checks the schematics. “Guys, you forgot to close this brace here.” He showed the runes to Hatori and James.

“That explains it.” Said Hatori, after examining the mistakes. “The scopes have meshed together here.”

“Can you fix this or not?” Asked Raven.

“I can solve this issue. I just need time to interface with the runes, and cut their power off.” He said.

“You can do that?” asked Hatori in amazement.

“Of course. But mostly because we built that yantra. It doesn’t work if you don’t know the runes, or don’t have the original schematics.”

“But what can we do about the rampage in the meantime?” asked Josh.

“I’ll go fight them.” Said Hatori. “My hands are itching for a while anyway.” He gives a disturbing grin, and leaves the ground.

“Let’s go handle the other students.” Suggested Josh. “Who knows what he might do to them if they got in his way?”

“With his recent mood, anything is possible.” Muttered Raven while leaving Josh. “Let’s find Shin if we can. We’ll need his help as well.”

PART 2.

Hatori finds the yantras, who are kicking and tormenting the younger students. Strangely enough, they have not tried to invade the dorms of older students. Hatori can hear Raven, Josh, and Shin behind him, trying to keep the students away from him. as he fires his opening salvo of Slicer spells, the students who were trapped, and didn’t have a way out escaped.

The yantras turn on him furiously. Hatori is thankful that these can’t speak. He doubts he can face their cutting words. For now, a battle rages between them and Hatori, where he holds nothing back. It helps that these aren’t strong like Swaraj, nor do they have his level of experience. Surprise isn’t on their side, but numbers are certainly. So Hatori doesn’t underestimate them.

As he untangles himself from three yantras who got him by outnumbering him, (he receives a painful blow to his stomach) Hatori laments his lack of wide destructive spells. Those would have been great right now for controlling the crowd of his enemies.

He can’t hear anyone else in this part of the area. ‘Looks like everyone ran away.’ He doesn’t know how long he must fight, for all this evasion and skirmishes are starting to tire him out.

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He thanked his lucky stars when all the yantras go inactive, and just fall to the ground, except for the ones which were already on the ground in pieces, sliced up by him earlier.

He doesn’t have a chance to breathe easily, though, as Josh and Shin’s voices reach him. “Hatori, run!”

He senses a crowd of students coming after them. “Let’s hide in our room.” They decide.

After closing the door quickly, he asked them out. “What was that? Why were they so angry?”

“Because this idiot,” Raven thumps Josh in the back, “Spilled everything.”

“That explains it.” said Hatori.

But even in their room, they are not safe. After getting tired of pounding their door, the enraged students wait for them outside. “They have to come out eventually. Then, we’ll get them.” they heard them speak many such declarations.

“What can we do?” asked Shin. “I don’t want to be trapped here forever.”

“Hmm.” Raven thinks. “I have an idea.”

As the crowd hunkers down to wait, the door opens. They glare at the slowly opening door, spells ready on their lips. But instead of a terrified kid, they saw a yantra marching out of the room, ready to fight. At first sight, they all fled. People who were behind in the crowd got trampled in the process.

The yantra turns around, and goes back inside. James then turns it off. “I do think it would be good for us to stay here for a while.” said Hatori.

“No joke.” Shin wanted to say something else, but changed his mind at the last moment. “Hope that they won’t mob us during dinner.”

PART 3.

The day of the result arrives. The rankings are shown for everyone to see and gawk at, which is just added salt to the wound in Hatori’s opinion. Granted, he and his friends, along with Daphne and Avinash’s group have all the top positions, so they don’t have to worry about their low-scores being made public.

“Who is at the number one spot?” he asked Josh, too lazy to check for himself.

“Avinash.” He responds.

Aside from a twitch of surprise, Hatori doesn’t react much. So, what if he is above him in the ranks? More interesting is, why is he hearing some sobs coming from nearby?

“Who’s crying?” he asked Raven, too lazy to check for himself.

“Mira.” Responded Raven, too lazy to use more words than necessary.

‘That explains everything.’ She isn’t among the top ten, or even the top twenty. She is among the top thirty, though.

‘If I were at her place, I would have been celebrating.’ Hatori has never given much importance to studies, which has gotten him a lot of flak from his mother.

‘Huh. haven’t thought about them for a while.’ He decides to ask Zeko whether he can talk to his parents or not.

PART 4.

Today is the day when all the students are leaving the Academy, at least from the first to third years. Students above them are actually preparing for their apprenticeships, and for the various competitions they are going to participate in.

“Say,” James tried to speak confidently. “ you guys visit each other in the summer?”

“Of course.” Said Josh and Raven. “Hatori probably will come to the castle.”

“You’re invited to Zeko’s house, of course.” Said Hatori.

“But wouldn’t he be mad?” they asked.

“Nah. I’m sure he won’t mind.” He spoke. ‘And if he does, we’re going to have problems.’

“I’m not sure whether I would be able to come or not.” Said Shin sadly. “I can’t afford to travel.”

“We’ll think of something.” Assures Josh.

“You are of course, invited as well, James.” Said Josh. “I’m sure you’ll like to see the castle from inside, won’t you?”

“I would love to.” He replied, his worries being eased.

As the ships which brought them here land to pick them up, they all say good byes to each other, and board them. They have to be separated, since all the ships are taking students in different areas. Hatori wonders whether Zeko will be there to pick him up or not.

(End.)