Alwin was taken aback. There was a conspiracy brewing right in this very building. Even though Alwin had sworn off going on his usual spiral of self-questioning and doubt, the circumstances warranted otherwise. Screw turning into a mindless zombie that only takes orders in a bid to take things seriously. What exactly did the two Poolice officers orchestrate and how was Milvus involved? Was it his unlawful arrest? The mistreatment he received? Something far more sinister?

"For you, Milvus. Free of charge. It was an honor working with a hero like you, "said one of the Poolice officers.

"Absolutely, sir. But, I hope we didn't treat the little squirt too rough," said the other Poolice Officer.

"Don't worry. That kid needs to learn that actions have consequences. I would've preferred to keep him in lockup a bit longer to let the lesson really sink in but he's a smart one. I know he already gets the message loud and clear."

"We understand, sir. Still, I just want to say that I am blown away at how you managed to predict everything perfectly. From the time and the exact path, the Fire Ant would take to which buildings would get damaged. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to evacuate everyone and reinforce the buildings to limit the amount of damage."

"Well, they don't call me Milvus the All-Seeing for nothing. I would've preferred a less destructive approach, but this was the only way I could find to help whip that young monster into the right headspace."

"Either way, the Poolice Corps will be eagerly awaiting your call again."

You’re saying that everything had been planned out by Milvus. The test, the running away from Uchronia and Gus, the bombardments in the city. All of it was part of Milvus' plan. How did he do such a thing? For how long had Alwin been manipulated? A day? A week? Since his birth? Was Alwin even in control of his own destiny at this point? Or, was he simply playing puppet to Milvus?

He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to react.

Milvus' whole plan was to get Alwin to be more serious, but if Alwin found out that this had been a whole ruse, then obviously, as the rebellious child he was, he should do the exact opposite of what was laid out for him.

But, what if Milvus accounted for that in his predictions? Was Milvus spilling the beans part of his design as well? Or was it just pure luck? Maybe by letting Alwin in on his plan, Milvus was actually trying to get into his head. If so, then it was certainly working.

What was the right way to approach this situation? Did Milvus account for it already? Or was the wrong way actually the right way? In the end, did it all inevitably lead to the same destination? This was a tough situation to wrap his head around.

If Milvus could predict his unpredictability, then was he truly unpredictable?

Alwin was at an impasse. It was a scenario too convoluted for even his turntable of a mind. So, for now, he would do the simplest thing. Nothing. Rather than wasting energy trying to figure out what was the right way to go about this new revelation, he'd just go along with Milvus' orders as if nothing even happened.

Only time could tell whether this was the option that Milvus had predicted, and frankly, Alwin didn't think he and Father Time were on speaking terms—or any terms, for that matter.

On the bright side, this little bombshell of a discovery allowed the chaotic Alwin back in control, rather than whoever was pulling the strings behind the scenes and making him all serious-like. Or maybe he had always been in control and was now just granting blame onto an invisible third party that may or may not exist.

The squeaking sounds of rubber being compressed squeezed Alwin out of his thoughts. He hurried back to the center of the station and bounced to a stop. A slight tremor shook his heart as the last lingering bounces of the inflatable floor threatened to snitch on him. The door swung open, sending a wave of wobbles throughout the floor, covering up any evidence of his sneaky eavesdropping.

"I hope that you've learnt a lesson from this little stunt of yours," said Milvus. "Anyway, there's a big announcement in class tomorrow so go rest up. Dismissed."

Milvus left the building while Alwin trailed behind. From the door leading to the jail cells, the two Poolice officers watched their exchange. They leaned against the door frame with their arms crossed, holding their best attempt at an intimidation pose. Although Alwin knew that deep down they were just putting on a show for Milvus. In fact, they were probably more afraid of Milvus than he was. And Alwin was the one in trouble.

The duo parted ways from the stations. Milvus headed back to the academy seemingly pleased with himself, two of his paper-thin tentacles wrapped about his back whilst he strolled through the carnage that Alwin had enacted on the city. A bunch of the city folks—paid actors, most likely—swooned over Milvus, and showered him with praises.

Alwin on the other hand kept a low profile. Even though he wasn't in his Fire Soldier Ant form anymore, it was better to play it wisely—looks like his more serious nature was beginning to leak out again. Rather than heading back to the academy to get some rest, he opted to go to MOM's Cafe and extend his apologies to Lapis. It was the very least he could do, now that he'd been forced to wise up.

Upon entering the cafe, Alwin got a good look at the wreck that he had made. The drones had successfully put out the fire in the corner of the room, although they were still struggling to remove the black soot that coated the ground. Chairs and tables were still thrown about haphazardly, but a few had been restored to their upright position. Then, there were the destroyed plates and food which provided tiny insects an all-you-can-eat buffet.

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The drones spotted Alwin and paused for a mere moment before returning back to fixing the cafe. A single drone flew out from the room which led to Lapis' hidden lab. Atop its head was a spray bottle, which it promptly used to spray Alwin in the face like the bad boy he was. He winced as the cold water splashed onto him. As much as it annoyed him to be treated in such a manner to the point where he wanted to lash out, it was justified. Alwin allowed the humiliating act to proceed until the water-filled bottle was now air-filled. Satisfied with its revenge, the drone ordered Alwin to follow him.

Alwin shook off the droplets of water that clung to his face, but some still hung on. Regardless, he proceeded down to the lab. There, Lapis was continuing her experiments, unfazed by the disruption to her business. Judging by the ingredients on the lab table—flour, eggs, vanilla extract, and high-quality chocolate—she was most likely working on a new recipe for some super ultra deluxe chocolate cake. If only she put in as much effort into her research about Mana and Essence.

Whether he liked it or not, Alwin understood why Milvus masterminded the whole debacle. He didn't want Alwin to turn into a carbon copy of his teacher, Minister Lapis. Even if by a smidge, he'd hope that Alwin would prioritize work over having fun. Still, to undermine Lapis because she worked hard, but played harder felt disingenuous. She simply had a process, without her revolutionizing work about Essence, he wouldn't have access to his Fire Soldier Ant form.

"Hi, Lapis," Alwin said.

"Hey, slime boy apprentice of mine. Did you solve your girl problem already? See, I told you that apologizing and taking the blame for everything fixes everything."

"Actually, I didn't get a chance to speak to her yet. I got arrested and thrown into jail, but then Milvus bailed me out on the condition that I take things more seriously and work harder."

"Not the wildest afternoon I've heard of. But how'd you get thrown into jail? As much as I hate it, we have laws here. And throwing minors into jail isn't exactly one of them."

That's right. Alwin was a minor, one that wasn't even one year old yet. No sensible court of law would prosecute what one would categorize as a literal baby. Alwin couldn't believe he really thought that he was going away for a long time. More importantly, he couldn’t believe that he didn’t realize such an obvious flaw in Milvus’ plan sooner. Was his brain in low-power mode or something?

He sighed, pushing the thought aside. "Oh, it was just one of Milvus' plans. He wanted to teach me that my actions have consequences and that I shouldn't waste my time mucking about when I should be focusing on getting rid of the humans."

"So, you fell into one of little Milvee's schemes? Been there, done that. Can't say I enjoyed it, but it was fun. I'm going to assume that his little lesson failed, and now he's going back to the drawing board and cooking up another crazy idea."

"Actually... I think it worked," said Alwin.

"It did? You're saying that little Milvee actually taught you something?” Lapis stared at Alwin for a couple of seconds, inspecting her grand apprentice as if he were telling a bold-faced lie straight to her face.

After a moment, she nodded her whole body in approval. “Looks like his teaching skills have improved. This calls for a celebration! Cakes and cookies for everyone!" cheered Lapis. The drones helping out with her experiments spun about in excitement.

"Not for me. I actually came back here to apologize for destroying your cafe," said Alwin, looking down at the ground. Guilt about his horrible actions forced him to avoid eye contact in shame.

"Oh, that was you? I just thought that one of the customers ate too much and wrecked the place in a sugar high. At least that explains why you're covered in water."

"What does that have to do with me apologizing?" asked Alwin, head jerking up with a face full of confusion.

"Well, normally I'd tell my customers not to sweat about it and to let the drones handle it. Then a drone will come flying in and spray them with water. They literally don't have to sweat about it because the drones are helping to sweat for them. Pretty smart, right?" asked Lapis, her body held up high in pride.

"A genius idea as always," said Alwin. "Also, I'm glad you forgave me. Now I only hope that Uchronia will forgive me as easily as you."

"She will. Trust me, as long as you take the blame for everything, she'll forgive you just fine. Also, do you know if dating apps are still the in-thing or did trends change again?" asked Lapis.

"Sorry, I have no idea. And, I hope you're right.” Alwin hesitated for a moment before adding. “Also, I have another request. Could you perhaps teach me a skill that's more combat-oriented?" asked Alwin, his gaze returning down to the ground again, fearful of being rejected from such an outlandish request.

Why was he acting this way? Why was he afraid of Lapis of all people? Since when did he fear rejection? Something was definitely wrong with him, but what?

"Of course! You know, all you had to do was ask. Not go through that whole test thing with little Milvee just to prove that whatever I taught you was actually useful. Well, of course, it's obviously useful, just not particularly fighting useful."

Another point to Milvus. Alwin was seeing why he was so concerned about his development, given the eccentric nature of his grand teacher. Rather than wasting energy wondering how he even made it this far, he figured it was better put toward coming up with a plan to earn Uchronia's forgiveness.

"Thanks, Lapis," said Alwin, looking up at his mentor.

"No problemo, apprentice of mine. Now, go and solve your girl troubles with my expert advice and report back the good news pronto."

"Sure thing," said Alwin, already hopping toward the exit.

"Also, when you come back for your training, make sure you're not possessed anymore. Or even partially possessed for that matter. I'm not possessist—if that's even a word—but I just don't like my students being possessed. Also, I will be prepping extra virgin holy water just in case," said Lapis, before following up with a "Good luck with your girl troubles!"

As if that last sentence could soften the blow of the revelation or—maybe whatever bizarre delusion—he had just been imparted with.

What did she mean by possessed? What does being partially possessed even mean? Was he even possessed in the first place? The serious-side of him was nowhere to be seen, so how could he be possessed? Maybe Lapis was simply spouting nonsense as per usual. But, her nonsense was typically based upon truth, just simply phrased in a way that sounded ludicrous.

You know what? Girl trouble comes first, and then the whole mystery of possibly being possessed by a mysterious entity that he didn't even know existed comes second.