Once he and Felix came back to Sam’s room, they starting setting up Sam’s new PC. Which is where Felix truly came in clutch, his previous help in carrying the entire setup disregarded as it was a direct order from Sarah. Felix was handy with computers, for a layman, at least. Much in the same way that Sam was handy with computers before he was brought a hundred years to the future and had to undergo transformation into being technologically illiterate on account of his age.

Jokes aside, things did change between then and now. And although nothing major enough that Sam wouldn’t have been able to figure it out with some good old intuition and online help, Felix’s up-to-date knowledge sped things up. Before too long, they finished installing the OS and moved on to installing all the programs Sam might need, per to Felix’s advice. This brought Sam much closer to his old ‘I’m familiar with all the important programs for me’ self because almost all the programs he had downloaded on his laptop so far, were done per Sarah’s instruction and lacked greatly in the non boring department.

They were just about done when Sarah and Yvessa arrived, bearing four packed breakfasts. “How’s it going?” Yvessa asked, and further confirmed Felix’s claim of her interest by taking a minute to look through all of Sam’s new purchases.

“Almost finished,” Felix said. “You can start eating. I just want to show Sam a last couple of things.”

“Better not be any porn.”

“It’s not. That was the first thing we went over. Oh, I’ll need Dan’s help to refill my core, so I’m going to come with him to Dan’s after we finish eating. You coming with?”

“And ruin yet another chance for you two guys to bond? Sure.”

“Good,” Sam said while sitting down to join in the meal. “It will give us a chance to talk about so called ‘retro games.’”

“What makes you think that I know anything about that?”

“Felix gave you up.” He gestured to the guy, who was in the middle of a bite.

“Tch. It’s not like I play a lot of games, especially old ones. It’s just that Felix won’t play anything from before he was born.”

“What’s so bad about admitting that you like video games?” Sarah asked.

“It’s not video games that I have a problem with. I’ll admit it: I like some video games. It’s Felix acting like I exclusively play games from Sam’s period. I mostly play modern stuff.”

Sam tutted. “There’s nothing wrong with admitting that you enjoy cultural products from the heyday of Terran civilization.”

“How would you know it’s the heyday? You don’t know any modern stuff.”

“Excuse you? I beg to differ. Sarah gave me some music recommendations and from the few that I listened to, I can declare that rock and roll is dead.”

“Yeah, that’s because Sarah’s taste is trash.”

“Hey! Plenty of people like the music I listen to.”

“Old people,” Felix scoffed.

“You also like some of my stuff!”

“I’ve got an old guy’s mentality. What can I say?”

“And you said that you liked it too, Sam!”

“Meh… I didn’t like them enough to abandon my cultural sense of superiority.”

“So I’m guessing that you’re not going to see and modern movies tonight?” Yvessa asked.

“It’s up to Sam,” Sarah said. “He gets to pick the movie.”

“I do?” This was news to Sam, who hadn’t given the subject even an errant thought.

“Yeah. Just pick whatever you want. As long as you don’t mind as talking over it, I guess.”

“Mhmm… what to pick? What to pick? A comedy? Or a comedy? Or maybe a stupid comedy?”

“Don’t you have a favorite movie?”

“I do. But it’s not a comedy.”

“It’s not Lord of The Rings, is it?”

“No! Of course not! How dare you! It’s a completely different kind of movie, based on a completely different novel. Lord of the Rings… Hah! I like Lord of the Rings way too much for it to be my favorite movie.”

“That doesn’t make,” Felix said.

“It does if you’ve read the books. Which, by the way, can you believe Sarah hadn’t?”

“I didn’t too.”

“Yeah, me as well.” Yvessa shrugged.

Sam took a deep breath. He then released it. He then took another breath. That one he released as well. You had to be calm and collected about these things. These were his friends he was dealing with. His only friends. He couldn’t go about this with his usual firebrand mentality. “Yeah…” He smacked his lips. “So… if you guys don’t read the book by the time we graduate, I’m breaking off contact with you.”

“Is it by the time that we graduate?” Felix asked, pointing at him and Yvessa. “Or that you graduate, if you end up starting on year one? What about Sarah? She graduates a year before us.”

“All good questions. I was talking about the time that the three of us will graduate. Because I am most definitely going to graduate the same time as you two. Sarah, I’m leaning towards it being your graduation because you had ample time to read it back in our time, but because you already have a lot on your plate, I’m going to give you the extra year.”

“Thanks Sam!” Sarah said with a sincere smile. He didn’t like that one bit.

“Or don’t. You don’t have to read it. It’s just a book. Literally life changing in my case, but I doubt that it’s going to be in yours. It’s up to you, really.”

“Are we also off the hook?” Felix asked.

“No. You two will just have to play less games and watch less porn. Them’s the breaks, I’m afraid.”

“You hear that, Yvessa? You gotta ease it on the porn. Your friendship with Sam rests on it.” Felix received a middle finger in reply. “But I don’t get it. Why do I need to read the book, anyway? I watched the movies, both versions. I already knew the story beforehand. Not to mention, that whole genre of fantasy kind of lost its luster after the Integration.”

“Felix, my friend. My pal. My buddy. The only gay guy that I know—”

“Nope.”

“Felix, you’re going to read that book. You know why? Not because I told you so. But because one day we’re going to find ourselves fighting back to back and I’m going to make a reference by asking you how it feels dying side by side with a Taken. And if you won’t answer me correctly, then I’m going to rip your head off and defect to the other side.”

“But I don’t need to read the book for that. That line is in the movie. Both of the good versions!”

“Maybe so, but you know where it isn’t? In the fucking book! You know why?! Because Legolas and Gimli were already best friends by Lothlorien! That’s only four-fifths of a third of the way in! So you’re going to read the book and you’re going to like it! And when it’s time for us to die side by, I’m going to say that line and you’re going to react by saying that we must be in the movie version of our lives because in the books we were already friends. Am I clear?”

“Where does Yvessa enter into the picture?”

“She can be Galadriel and give me three locks of her hair, an act which true meaning you won’t understand unless you’ve also read the Silmarillion. But I’m a generous crybaby I am. So I’ll give you until I make it to Ruler to finish the Silmarillion. And that’s not a joke about the Silmarillion being hard to get through! I’m serious. I fucking love that book. I just don’t have any other milestones to give you a deadline with.”

“What about the year of Military Training?” suggested Galadriel.

“No… it feels to me like it’s going to be pretty hectic and what not. I wouldn’t feel comfortable telling you to do that.”

“How gracious of you. By the way, what does breaking contact with us actually entail?”

“I’ll only speak to you in official capacity and only if I have to.”

“No more jokes?” Felix gasped.

“None.”

“And over the top bigotry?”

“Not when speaking to you.”

“And references that only you understand?”

“Not unless there are other people present.”

“Yvessa, we have to read that book!”

“I’ll read it too Sam,” Sarah said. “It’ll give us something to talk about.”

“You don’t have to. You’ve already seen the movies. Plus, we have plenty of stuff to talk about already. Like shitting on on certain electoral results.”

“What electoral results are those?” Felix asked.

“There’s really just too many to count.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Sarah said. “In the long run, none of them ended up mattering and having influence or bearing on the current political or cultural state of affairs.”

“It does make me feel better, thank you. Doesn’t mean that we have to stop shitting on them, though.”

“Will someone please tell me what the hell are you talking about?”

So Sam did. In great length. Whiling the rest of the breakfast away and unjustly heaping all of his woes on the back of a certain Frenchman. “So that’s that,” he said. “Want we should move on to another supranational, although not geographical, organization?”

“No, that’s fine,” Felix squeaked. “Really, it’s quite alright. Thank you. No reason for you to waste your knowledge on such poor foolish recipients like us.”

“It’s up to you,” Sam said. “Just don’t let it be said that Sam Anders doesn’t answer a question when he’s asked one.”

“Better yet, let’s not ask Sam Anders a question ever again.”

“So where are you from, Sam?” Sarah asked.

“Sarah!” Felix choked up.

“It’s fine. He’s not going to answer that.”

“Sure I will!” Sam smiled. “I am from the former planet of Earth, third from the sun in the solar system of Sol, and proud of it!”

“Which nation are you from?”

“I’m sorry. What is that? Naashioon? I’m not familiar with the concept. I’m a one earth one people kind of guy.”

“See?”

“That’s very well done.” Felix rubbed his eyes. “Maybe you could have got him to do that three hours ago when he started his whole speech.”

“I liked it.”

“Really?” asked Sam and Felix in unison.

“Sure I did. You know how rare it is for me to hear someone talking about Earth, much less Britain? All we studied about Earth in Terran history is the Integration War. I like talking about stuff from back then.”

“You should take a course or two on pre-modern Terran History then,” Yvessa suggested.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I’m already swamped as it is.”

“Might have something to do with all those other useless courses that you are taking.”

“So what movie are we seeing tonight, Sam?”

“Let’s watch something British. I’ll make a list and you decide.” Sam had a hint of what he would place at the top of the list.

“No that’s fine. I rather you just pick whatever you want to watch.”

“Pick porn! Pick porn!” Felix whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

“Not porn.”

“Do guys seriously just get together and watch porn?” Yvessa asked.

“Yes,” Felix answered.

“No,” said Sam.

“Maybe you don’t mate.”

“Do you?”

“No. But some people do, I assure you! And it’s not just a guy thing, plenty of women do it as well.”

“Oh good,” Yvessa said. “Please, do speak for all women.”

“I didn’t say all women. I said some women.”

“You said plenty.”

“It could mean both options.”

“It doesn’t.”

“Why do you get to speak for all women, then?”

“Guys.” Sam held up his hands. “There are billions of people living and breathing right now. Right? Three Billion? Yeah. So in these three billion there are bound to be some people, of any gender, who gather around with other people of the same or any other gender, and just sit and watch porn. That’s just how probability work. When you have a large enough amount of people, eventually they’re going to try and do everything they are physically capable of doing. What does matter, however, is that we, don’t, do this. So we, can, make, fun of those people! Unless, of course, they just so happen to be the silent majority and us jeering them will wake them up like a sleeping tiger.”

“Why do you get to speak for all Terrans?”

“I’m the oldest one, therefore I’m the smartest.”

“That’s not a guarantee you know…” Sarah said. “It could be that another Taken, Maurice, for example, was born before you were, and he was just taken young.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“OK. When was Maurice born?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me when you were.”

“I’ll give you a hint. The first video game I ever played was Rayman.”

“Which one?” Yvessa asked.

“Now that’s a question… Which Rayman games are you familiar with, hmm? How many Rayman games are you familiar with? Dare I ask how you are familiar with—”

“Never mind.”

“One of these days you’re going to slip up,” Sarah said. “You’re going to say something that will give away everything you’re trying to hide about yourself. And if it turns out in the end that you’re French. I’m going to make to make fun of you. I promise you that.”

“Why would me being French be a cause for derision? Not that I am of course. To my greatest shame.”

“Then why do you keep making jokes about them?”

“WHAT?! How dare you?! Me? Making jokes of the French? I would never! I love France. Even if all the prototypes about them were true, I would still love these great citizens of that proud nations. Even if all of them do smoke all the time. Even if they all hate anyone who speaks English. Even if some of their most famous philosophers have… problematic opinions.? I would never! Never change my mind about the French!

“True, I might not be a beacon of multicultural acceptance but you won’t find the French in the category of Western European cultures of which I think there’s some definite room for improvment. Those fall under a very selective and analytical grouping. Like those pretentious Monegasques who think the word ‘Monacans’ isn’t good enough for them. Or those rebellious Walloons. Or the lake loving Romands. A small portion of Andorrans, depending on the time of the year. Luxembourgers are fifty-fifty, depending on whether they are willing to be reintegrated into the Kingdom of the Netherlands when their time comes.”

“What do you think about the Quebecois?” Sarah asked him with her attempt at an innocent smile.

“Well, that depends. Is France trying to flex their muscles at NATO? Apropos de Gaulle?”

“Oh!” cried Felix. “Would you look at that? It’s almost time for our lesson. And we have to go to Dan before that. Darn. Means we have to get going right now? Double darn. Well, no use in delaying any longer. Let’s get going. Sarah, we really need to get going. Do you mind cleaning up for us?”

Sarah laughed. “Fine, fine. Be on your way.”

Felix jumped over the three of them, rushing out of the door and down the stairs. Yvessa stood up, and, with a courteous bow to Sam, offered him to go first. They found Felix waiting downstairs, tapping his foot with hands crossed. “I’ll still be able to talk your ear off on the way there,” Sam warned him. “I’ve watched plenty of Sorkin’s shows in order to master the Walk and Talk, just so you know.”

“Sure, but at least there will be an end in sight. And worse comes to worst; I could always run on ahead.”

“Ah yes. The most common practice used by people who don’t want to speak with me anymore. Let me tell you, once I lost my legs, the amount of conversations I had shot down considerably. I couldn’t run after them anymore.”

“Ha! Now that’s funny. Why couldn’t you talk about stuff like that instead of all the other crap you’ve just spouted?”

“That’s cornerstone Earth history that he was talking about, Felix,” Yvessa chided. “You could stand to show some respect to our ancestors.”

“She’s right Felix. But what you really should be doing is your own research in order to reach your own conclusions regarding all the stuff that I was talking about. Of course, you’re more than welcome to take everything I say as the absolute truth. I guarantee you that when I’m talking about the integrational aspects of globalization that I don’t joke around. Long may they rest.”

“We still have globalization of sorts,” Felix said. “It’s just called the Global Web now. The entire Web growing closer together. Isn’t that great? Intermingling of all races, sharing in scientific discovery, fighting alongside one another instead of each other. Of course, it’s not always seen as a positive. And we Terrans get the majority of the criticism from the other nations when they decide they don’t like it.

“They’ll say that our trains are bad even though they’re what made it possible for normal people to travel from one side of the Web to another in a matter of days. They don’t like the internet, and radio or phones. But then it turns out that it’s cheaper to hire radio operators at the front than to train people to be mental connectors. And then they want nukes from us so they forget all their moaning about how our much more industrialized society is hurting their economies. But they have Chosen, one and all, so they get to be hypocrites.”

“You sound just like a Terra Also pamphlet when you talk like that,” Yvessa said.

“What’s that?” Sam asked. “Is it a nicer way to say Terrans First?”

“I don’t know what that is. They’re not just racist, at least most of them aren’t, if that’s what you’re asking. Terra Also is the third biggest political party in parliament, although they sit outside the coalition. They don’t really have a concrete agenda besides claiming that the Terran Republic is being stiffed by the other nations and that they should be sharing with us their knowledge and training just as we share ours with them. Hence Terra Also. They also want an equal sit on the table, even if we don’t have any Chosen currently. Especially because they claim that if we received honest aid from the other powers, we would have already been able to produce a Chosen and many more Rulers.”

“So are they right or wrong? From where I’m standing, there seems to be some logic behind their words. Even if we Terrans have the shittiest pathways on average, our numbers should still be playing hugely in our favor.”

Yvessa shrugged. “I don’t know. They seem to believe it, at least. But in my opinion, the kingdom does all it can to aid the republic without also hurting its own development. Doesn’t Farris coming all the way to greet you and become your mentor, all while still leaving you under Terran authority, prove just that?”

“All the way? Felix just said that there are trains that circumnavigate the Web in a matter of days. How long does it even take to get from here to Maynil?”

“Less than a day on a train.”

“And for a Ruler like Farris?” Sam narrowed his eyes.

“Way less than a day.”

“Hmm… I see. Then let’s hope that he doesn’t make the journey too often. Of course, next time he’s here, I’ll be sure to ask him for some two-on-one sparring lessons. How about that Felix? Would it improve your mood if the supreme commander of our forces at the front dedicates his own time to helping you train?”

Felix sighed. “I guess that it would. I certainly wouldn’t say no to that.”

“Very good. You see Yvessa? We are going to beat Felix’s sense of national (or is it racial?) inferiority out of him yet. We are not going to let him become one of those Terran supremacists Rulers who are disillusioned with the other races and want to pull back from the front or something.”

“How did you know that we have those?” Yvessa asked.

“We actually do? How many?”

“Just two, thankfully. At least, just two who are vocal about it. They’re not going as far as to say that we should pull from the front, but I’m willing to bet that they’re definitely thinking about it.”

“And it’s just as well that you won’t have one of our Rulers teaching you about threads,” Felix said. “Because you would not get along with those two. I met them, and even I didn’t like them. Not saying that I should have. I don’t like your guys’ insinuation that I’m anything like those assholes.”

“Of course you’re not,” Sam said. “But maybe they weren’t always as big as assholes as they are now, you know? We just don’t want you to end even remotely close to them.”

“Fine, I get it.” Then Felix shook his head and laughed. “But we’re probably going to end up being close to them anyway, physically, that is. There’s no way those two aren’t going to want to meet you when they get here.”

“When they get here? Wait, wait… I seem to recall something about Rulers changing places. And it was also to the unit of two of them… Ach! I can’t! It was so many info-dumps ago! No, wait! Those are—”

“Those are the two Rulers who are relieving Esther Livingstone and Zemira Bogani from guarding New Terra. They’ll be here in two months’ time.”

“OK. Cool. They’re not going to kill me if I make fun of them, right?”

“Not with Dan there,”

“Then I’ll have to hear all about them and then you and I will get around to crafting some jokes. No, never mind. On second thought, I don’t want to know anything else about them. I want to keep the encounter as fresh and organic as possible. Do all the other races also have these kinds of racist asshole Rulers in their ranks?”

“Oh yeah,” Yvessa laughed. “Even the deshars somehow manage to have a few. Although, I don’t think that the dwarves have any. They’re very into multiracialism and integration into and with different societies from what I understand. Which, funnily enough, you can also gleam from the fact that one of their yearly days of mourning is dedicated to the day when it was discovered that dwarves and Imperials can’t procreate.”

“Awesome! Horny dwarves. Just another W for the only ones of Tolkien’s boys to do nothing wrong. I’m guessing our appearance must have also hit them pretty hard, then?”

“After several years of deliberation, they decided to join the new tragedy to the same day as the old one. Same thing they did for when they discovered that they also can’t breed with elves.”

“God bless those horny bastards. They don’t have helmets with horns, do they?”

“No one does.”

“OK good. God bless them. Maybe we’ll manage to find a race that the dwarves can multiply with, somewhere beyond the Epirak lines. Because, and this is where I bring us back to the topic of Felix’s moral character, that’s where we’re headed eventually. Mark my words, you two.”

“Why?” Felix’s question was tinged with his ill-confidence and disbelief. “And what does that have to do with my moral character? I’m a good person!”

“For now, yes. But it is our duty as your friends to not let you stray from the proper path and get radicalized by social media. And we are doing this not only because you are our friend, but also because of what you mean to the whole Terran Republic and the world, I mean the Web, at large. For you see, my friends of small faith: the four of us are going to become great someones, some time in the future. We’ll be at the top of the top, the cream of the crop, the big boys at the little table. And then we’ll be undertaking some pretty book worthy endeavors, let me tell you. Like, for example, pushing the Epiraks back beyond the current lines.”

“OK….” Felix shrugged. “I’m not going to question the soundness of the strategy that you just mentioned. I’ll let you discover why what you said is idiotic in your own time. What I do want to know is this: which one of us is going to be strongest?”

“I will, of course.”

“Of course. Yvessa, how could you ask such a stupid question? Of course, Sam is going to become the strongest one of us! But that’s just in the end though, right? So who’s going to become a Ruler first?”

“Hmm… I’m going to say… Dan.”

“You’re only saying that because you just saw him sitting there waving at us.”

“Really?! Where?” Sam exaggeratedly whipped his head around, away from the bench that Dan was sitting on. “Ow! I pulled a muscle!”

“Serves you right.”

“I see you three have already become fast friends,” Dan said with a smile while getting up to greet them.

“Well, no one gives a better analysis of the whole tragedy of direct democracy than Sam here.” Felix slapped Sam’s nape, at exactly the point that he had just finished massaging.

“No one alive, you mean.” Sam weakly slapped Felix’s side with the back of his hand. “I’m sure that there are proper historians, political scientists and what not that could have trounced me with their knowledge of the subject back in the day.”

“There’s still all those kinds of people, even today.”

“Sure. But no matter how knowledgeable or well resourced they are, I’ll always be able to shut them down by saying: ‘Whatever maaan, you weren’t there, you wouldn’t know.’ Why do you think old people are always right when they’re speaking about the good old days?”

“You’ve had a fruitful morning, then?” Dan asked. “You two want to join in on Sam’s training?”

“Not this time,” Yvessa said. Was she just polite or was she actually meaning to join Sam’s lessons eventually? Come to think of it, Dan was also in charge of his three friends. Was Sam taking precious training time that should have rightly been theirs? “We’re just here because Felix drained himself helping Sam carry his new computer back to his room. And he needs your help with refilling his core.”

“What do you mean, ‘helping Sam?’ I was the only one carrying it!” Felix said while presenting Dan with his arm.

Hand on Felix’s forearm, Dan asked, “You have weapon training after lunch, right? They’re having you spar with patterns today? You’re moving along nicely, both of you. All four of you, I should say.”

“You make it sound like you’re going to eat us once we’re strong enough,” Sam said.

“Now, why would I do that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it will help you become a Ruler.”

“You think it would?”

“Worth a try. Have a nibble at the very least.”

“Thanks Dan. OK! Very funny,” said Felix, trying to pull his arm back and out of Dan’s grip.

“C’mon Felix,” Sam said. “Let him have a bite. Just the top of the middle finger. I’ll have you know that there’s no disadvantage in living with one that’s the same length as the other two.” Dan laughed and let go of Felix’s forearm, who then rubbed it with an exasperated face aimed at Sam.

“Thank you, Dan,” Yvessa said in a polite tone while reclining her head. “We’ll be going now. Have fun with your lesson.”

“See you tomorrow, Sam.” Felix clapped him on the back. “Good luck with Sarah.”

“Why would you need luck with Sarah?” Dan asked him while bidding him to take a seat next to him on the bench.

“We’re having this dinner and a movie today. And each one of us is going to try and convince the other one that they’re behaving irrational. Or at least I’m going to try and convince Sarah that she shouldn’t worry so much about me and she will try to convince me that she isn’t. Or maybe we’ll just end up making fun of the movie. Delay the uncomfortable discussion for a later date, forever, if I’m lucky.”

“I doubt luck will be your companion in this aspect today. But I still wish it to you and Sarah both, whatever you end up talking about or deciding.”

“You’re not gonna try and intervene in the matter? Being in charge of us and what not?”

“I’m in charge of your training and military education, not your personal lives. And this seems like a discussion that was going to happen between you two, even were the military education not part of the equation. Besides, you don’t want me intervening now, do you?”

“Of course not. I was just making sure. And speaking of making sure: are you sure that you’re not hurting Sarah, Felix and Yvessa’s own military education by focusing so much on me?”

Dan laughed. “I would have probably been back at the front for this entire trimester, maybe even the next one, if it wasn’t for you. New Point is a great institution, despite not being able to meet your own unique circumstances as a Thread-Weaver. On par with the Sarechi Royal Academy for the most part, even if they won’t admit that. And unlike you, your friends had already been groomed for life in the academy since they were young. Well, younger. There wasn’t much more that I could do for them, nor for any of my other, more minor charges, after the first trimester. So I didn’t have a lot of reasons for sticking around, especially since I could still do much of my work from the front. Of course, now that I’m back here, I’ll be more than glad to offer additional help to any of your fellow students, if they, or I, deem it necessary. But my main reason for being here was and will remain, at least for this year, you. So you don’t have to worry about hurting your friends’ development. And that was before Farris entered the picture.”

“Uh oh. Why do I not like the sound of that?”

“Because you don’t like attention that you feel like you don’t deserve.”

“Were you eavesdropping on us this morning?”

“No. I’m just that good.”

“I see… So what did Farris do? I’m assuming he did something that I’m not aware of. You were already aware of the whole mentor thing yesterday.”

“I was. But now most of the Terran general staff also know about that. Apparently, he spent a considerable amount of his time describing you to the various officers. Which was why it was very annoying for them when Farris explicitly forbade them from revealing that information to anyone else.”

“What’s so bad about that? Confidential information should be confidential, no?”

“Indeed. Only in the case of the modern Terran military, it isn’t the general staff which is chiefly in command of the military like you’re probably used to. As evident by it being wholly based on New Terra and having no Rulers permanently assigned to it. The general staff is instead responsible for the logistics of the army and interfacing with the civilian government. What this means, is that Farris essentially forbade the people in the meeting from reporting about you to their superior officers at the front. Which again, wouldn’t have been so annoying for them if Farris hadn’t wasted so much of his time talking about you. In fact, the conference still hasn’t culminated, but Farris already went back to Maynil. His greatest contribution to it being speaking about becoming your mentor and then forbidding them to pass on that information.”

Sam laughed. “I’m sorry. I really am. I realize that this is awful for you as well. They probably wrote you a bunch of annoyed emails complaining and that’s why you’re so cross. But it’s just so fucking funny. This is an abuse of authority of the highest level. And it’s as nonsensical as it is worthless. It’s just pure comedic genius if he went through all that and once he was back home, he went and told the entire top brass there about me as well. Maybe he wanted to be the one to tell them first, and that’s why he rushed back home.”

“I fail to see the humor in what you’re describing.”

“You just had to be there.”

“You weren’t there.”

“Not true. As my mentor. Farris carries a piece of me with him everywhere he goes.”

Dan cracked a smile. “Just a nibble, surely?”

“Nothing more than the top of my middle finger. Seriously though, did Farris actually cause a change in my… education plan, I guess?”

“When one of the most important people in the Web takes an interest in someone, that will always make a difference. Even if before we were planning to do all in our power to nurture you, Farris proclaiming himself your mentor, has caused us to find some more power beneath the couch cushions, so to speak. But if it makes you feel any better, I was already planning to do everything I could to help you, so alas, my couch remained the same when I checked it.”

“Here’s to Farris then. Hopefully, I’ll manage to live up to his weird-ass expectations of me.”

“I’m sure you will. Oh, before I forget, your new workout regimen has you exercising during the evening tomorrow, right?”

“Supposed to be that way, at least.”

“Good. Then I’ll confirm it with Lin Jingway and you’ll be having a session with him tomorrow morning. We’ll meet again after breakfast. And in other joyous new, I should have your schedule for the second trimester completed by then. Which means that we could begin assigning you some more independent studies. But we’ll talk more about that then. For now, let’s follow what we did yesterday. We’ll dedicate the first half of the day to gathering, and then the second half to tracing. Or would you rather switch the two up?”

“I’m fine either way, but are we going to stay here?” Sam gestured around them, to the crisp and clean outside air.

“I figured you could stand to gain from some time spent outside, a small break to the monotony of being cooped up in the same room for all that time. Would you rather head indoors?”

“Usually I would say yes, because I do, in fact, enjoy the monotony of being cooped up in the same room for hours on end. But I suppose that with a new lease on life, one must also try out some new things. So as long as we can get the same quality of studying out here, I’m willing to go along with this. Oh, just one more thing before we begin: Do you know a third year by the name of Carl Pines? The guy approached me out of nowhere this morning to tell me he was proud of me or something. Felix said that while he might have made it to level 4 rather early, that doesn’t mean much cause he had to fall back in some other areas, but I’m not so sure about that.”

“Carl? Yeah, I know him. He’s one of those minor charges of mine that I mentioned.”

“How many minor cases do you have, anyway? How many major for that fact?”

“Only you four are my major cases, although perhaps you should be counted as your own category. As for students like Carl, I have about thirty, give or take, at New Point at all times, as well as another dozen or so pupils from other academies that I give advice in regards. But before you voice out your admiration for my efforts, I have to admit that I do not give these cadets the amount of attention that they might truly deserve. Or in any case, I don’t give them as much attention as I have given your friends, even when there weren’t any students of you four’s caliber to occupy my time.

“As for Carl: he’s a good kid. I’m sure that he didn’t mean anything bad by approaching you out of nowhere, probably didn’t even consider the possibility that you were going to be bothered by that. And on that note, I’ll have to tell you that you should probably begin hardening your skin right now. Because as you get more and more integrated into the academy and your life here in general, many more people will want to speak to you out of nowhere. At least until the luster of your unique circumstances fades away. But back to Carl, he did make level 4 early, yes. A month or two faster than my initial estimation for him from two years ago. True, he had to sacrifice some other areas of training in order to make it as fast as he did, but I believe that he made the right decision overall. He’ll have plenty of time to get used to level 4 by the time his military training begins compared to his peers. And he has greatly increased his chances of making it to level 5 before his military posting proper.”

“So do you think Felix could beat him in a fight? Cause that’s what it sounded like he was thinking.”

“Not unless he got him very drunk first. Felix might not have made any concession with his training to get to where he is now, but he still has plenty of catching up of his own to get to where a third year like Pines is.”