Chapter 90.

PART 1.

Shin is talking about his time at the Academy. The younger orphans are terrified by the stories of this year and yet fascinated by the animal rampages.

“This all concluded with a hippo of all things firing a massive spell which left a crater in the middle of the hall.” Concludes Shin.

“Well, this Hatori sounds like a wise guy.” Said an older orphan. He is not old enough to join the Academy yet.

“Yeah, you should not let people walk all over you.” said another kid.

Though Shin agrees with them privately, he resented the rest of the world for putting orphans like them on the fringe of society, forcing them to become brutal from a young age, while kids with families get to live sheltered lives.

He doesn’t like to dwell upon it much, so he shakes his head to clear his thoughts, jingling his bells in the process, and brings out his harp. “Enough of depressing topics. Who wants to hear some music? You’re free to sing if you can follow the tune.”

“Yeah!” said all the kids.

PART 2.

As Raven recounts his year, Magpie wonders about the implications of this. As a lifelong military man himself, he can see what Hatori has done. But he can also see the result of this; the situation reeks of nastiness.

“You know son, I usually do not mind your friends. You must decide what kind of people you want around you.” He spoke. “But I believe living around Hatori could be dangerous for you.”

Raven wanted to argue this point, but no words came to him. “I’m not saying that you should break your friendship with him. Just be careful, that’s all, and avoid him if possible.”

Raven still does not have any reply for his father. True, living around Hatori will be dangerous from this year onward. But he is still disgruntled by the idea of abandoning him.

So what, he got in danger, and so he should run? That leaves a bad taste in his mouth. He also thinks that one day, when he will need some help, he might find himself alone because of this. After all, no one helps people who run at the first sign of danger.

PART 3.

James didn’t even get to remove his shoes before he was dragged into his father’s study, where Shakuntala sits like an emperor, and Lucie starts to interrogate him.

“So, did you have anything to do with it?” asked Lucie, unable to control her emotions.

“Do with what?” asked James.

He has a pretty good idea of what she is talking about. But he is not inclined to give her an honest answer. “The rampage in the Academy!” said Lucie, she loses control over her magic, and the windows rattle with her voice.

“Oh, that. Yeah, I think I did help with it. It wasn’t much, but it was satisfying. The problems my friend presents to me, they are fascinating. I doubt someone like you will understand.” Said James.

Lucie grabs his collar. “Many of the high families died in that debacle. Have you no sympathy for them?” she gritted her teeth.

“No.” Said James. “Unhand me, now.” He orders.

“And what will you do if I don’t?” She grinned. “We run this house; you should know that.”

Shakuntala’s stoic expression cracks after hearing those words of Lucie. James smiles, he knows why that is. “What?” Lucie is suddenly dragged away by the air itself, and ethereal hands of magic pin her to the ground.

“You might think you have the command of this house,” said James. “But you won’t as long as a Flora lives.” He said, walking towards her. “Maybe I should drag your sister here to witness this. She is getting rather uppity recently.”

“Enough.” Said Shakuntala. “Leave her be, we won’t bother you anymore.”

James smiled. “Of course, you won’t, dear aunt.” Said James. “Just remember, you know what would happen if the last two living Floras died.”

With that parting shot, he goes to meet his father. ‘Let’s hope he is sober.’

PART 4.

Josh is telling his brother about his fight with Raven. “So, you got triggered because you got called out for your laziness?” asked the said brother.

Josh hung his head in shame. George Junior grabs his chin and raises his face. “Listen, little brother, when you’re friends call out you on something, then that means they are your true friends. You do not fight them.”

“Indeed.” Said George Senior. “That is a fast way to lose your friends. Your friends are nice that they forgave you. A disrespect like that would have resulted in a fight in my day.”

For a change, Josh is happy with his father’s lecture. He promises to listen to his friends from now on and control his anger when they call him out on his bad habits.

PART 5.

Zeko is asleep. He is watching his school days like a third-party observer, unable to do anything. He hates these dreams because they remind him of how things ended so bitterly.

The dream starts slowly, with the start of his school, and slowly making friends. But as the years go by, the images come and go faster and faster, until he finds himself fast-ranged from most of the class of his time, and his closest friend in prison. Dreams like these are the reason why Zeko does not like to be in his house alone when Hatori is in school.

Stolen novel; please report.

He wakes up, and looks at the sealing, unwilling to get out of bed. But Hatori is coming from the Academy today, and he must pick him up. A young boy coming from a hostile environment like the Academy should not be left alone, though he noted that his own house is not any less hostile.

‘But at least there is only unconsciousness here, not death.’ He thought while getting ready to pick up Hatori.

Putting on his black clothes (he despises bright clothing) and combing through his hair, he is ready to leave.

Picking up Hatori, he listens to the chatter about his day. But quickly, he realizes that it is not going to be a normal recount like every previous year so far. “So, you were banished?” he asked.

“Yeah, I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do.” Said Hatori, remembering the feeling. “I didn’t even have any chance of taking my clothes with me. My friends discretely supplied me with them throughout the year.”

“No wonder your clothes are a mess.” Said Zeko.

At his comment, Hatori picks at his tattered shirt. It is a miracle, it is still wearable at this point. “So, did the students decide to banish you themselves?” asked Zeko.

“No.” Said Hatori, his expression getting darkened. “I knew the professor, useless, was behind him.”

“You mean Krishna Menon.” Asked Zeko.

“Yeah, him,” said Hatori.

Zeko silently clenches his fists. Performing some homicide seems like a good idea right now. “What did Corvus do?” asked Zeko.

“Nothing. He wasn’t allowed to interfere.” Said Hatori.

“I would have loved to help you out, kid, but the Academy has a strict no-interference policy; not even entitled nobles dare to cross that line.” Said Zeko.

“I thought so.” Said Hatori.

Hatori was ready for an enemy when they reached home. “Halt! You must defeat me, boy, if you wish to enter this house.”

But a fire-breathing gorilla was not one of them. Hatori thinks it is a gorilla since it seems to have a tail, covered with fir, and it is very large. the fire alignment is very clear from the smoke coming out of its mouth.

“Is he ready for it?” asked Zeko. He thought his student would take a while before he could handle the sentient spirit.

The Yaksha is not counted. He held back his power. “Yes, master, he is ready.”

“Very well, I will watch this fight from the outside,” said Zeko, conjuring up a comfortable chair to sit in.

“Well boy?” asked the gorilla. “Which spell will you use? Stinger? Slicer? Or maybe Knockback?”

Hatori responds with Fire Blast, singeing the gorilla in the process, and sending it flying. But the ape wasn’t helpless. As soon as he lands (He sounds like a mail) he springs back up, and retaliates with a flame breath, nearly burning Hatori where he stood.

Another flame breath comes for Hatori, but he manages to create an earth wall in front of him, one of the few earth-related spells he could perform reliably. Not wanting to remain on defense for too long, he retaliates with some lightning spells, which the lumbering ape fails to dodge. Judging from the roar of pain, the lightning has done its job. But Hatori does not get the chance of capitalizing on this, since a literal wall of fire is coming his way, and he has to abandon his shelter in a hurry.

“I didn’t know you could use the Firewall shield like that,” he muttered.

“There are many things you don’t know, boy.” Said the gorilla, right behind him. He punches him right on his back with a burning fist, sending Hatori flying into the ruins of his earth wall.

The rock was hot, and he scrambled out of the rubble quickly, only to find the foot of a gorilla descending on his head, and it was on fire. ‘Doesn’t this guy do anything without fire?’ he thought while rolling out of the way.

Disappointed that the child evaded him, the ape looks to the sky, and fires jets of flames from his mouth into the sky. Soon enough, all around Hatori, fire starts to rain down. It is the scene right out of a nightmare, as the boy tries to avoid the fire, losing his clothes in the process, having shed them when they started to burn when their enchantment was overwhelmed.

In the smoke, the ape tries to find the boy. He is just as blind in the smoke as anyone else, and the smell is also not good in the smoke. But Hatori has no such problems. To his senses, the gorilla looms large. Since the ape is taking a while to find him, Hatori charges a lightning spell, and fires right at the face of the gorilla, sending the electricity down its gullet. Hatori follows up with a fire spell, but the gorilla grabs the Fire Blast in his palm and tries to wrestle control from Hatori.

A struggle ensued, during which the Fire Blast swelled into an ever larger sphere, until it finally detonated, shaking, and blackening the ground for hundreds of meters. The gorilla is in no shape to get up, and puffs away in smoke, while Hatori is carried inside by Zeko.

He managed to get up despite his burns before the gorilla disappeared in the smoke. In his book, that is a win, though a hard-fought one. the yantra in the basement agrees and turns off the module for a while.

Dunking Hatori in the pool of Yaksha to heal him, Zeko runs his hand through his head. “I’m proud of you, boy. You did well.”

(End.)