The sun had already started blazing fiercely as the day began. Willow and Jacomus had arrived at the entrance of Vancouver University. Before exiting the vehicle, they collected their belongings. Jacomus leaned over the car roof and asked Willow, "Are you going to be okay today?" Willow looked back at him and nodded her head. Jacomus closed his car door and locked it with the key fob. They started their walk up to the University.
A comprehensive, concrete footpath led them from the parking lot to the front of the school. The University's entrance was a massive stone building that almost resembled a castle from the ninth century. The stairs leading up to the entrance were positioned in a rectangular shape, with nine steps. The doors were large, classical, and resembled those of a church. They were colored in a shade of russet brown. When the University was built, a modern development was added behind the old stone building. It featured walls as windows and white-stone pillars that held everything together.
Willow and Jacomus paused before the doors when they finally reached the entrance. They looked at each other, unsure who should speak first. Jacomus took the initiative and asked, "Are you going to be okay on your own?"
"Yes, I will be fine," she replied. Jacomus smiled and nodded, opening the large doors for them to enter. Once inside, they gave each other a hug and went their separate ways. Considering the vast size of the University, it took Jacomus around ten minutes to reach his classroom. Upon entering his mechanical engineering class, he randomly chose a seat and began to unpack his textbook and binders.
The classroom was a reasonable size and had a hint of beautiful architecture. The windows were as large as the walls, which allowed the students to have a stunning view from the inside to the outside and let in some natural light. The back, front, and side walls were thick and painted white, resembling snow after a blizzard. The ceilings were made of classic white tiles, and the flooring was a beautiful grey and white marble carpet. The desks had a sandy color and were accompanied by orange swivel chairs arranged with every singular desk.
After everyone had arrived for class, their teacher began the lesson. Jacomus was unprepared for what was ahead of him. "Alright, class," said Mr. Gallio, "I hope everybody had a great weekend and is ready for today's lesson." Mr. Gallio got up from his desk, took a dry-erase marker from the pen container, and walked around the student's desks to the whiteboard to start the lesson. He wrote "HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER" in big, capitalized letters across the top of the whiteboard.
"Today, we are going to explore the concepts of heat and mass transfer. These concepts are based on the rate at which heat is transferred through a medium, such as by conduction, convection, or radiation. To get started, please open your textbooks to page 112, where you can find the definitions of heat transfer and mass transfer and how they work together."
All the students were flipping through their textbooks until they reached page 112. After a few minutes of reading, some students raised their hands to ask questions. Jacomus was one of them. Mr. Gallio looked at the class and chose Jacomus to answer. "Heat transfer and mass tra-" As Jacomus began speaking, a knock on the classroom door interrupted him shortly into his answer. "One moment, Jacomus. My apologies for the disruption," Mr. Gallio said as he walked to the classroom door.
The University's principal was on the other side when he opened the door. "Sorry to disrupt your class, but I want to speak to Jacomus briefly. He isn't in trouble, but it is essential that I talk to him now. I hope you don't mind, Mr. Gallio." Mr. Gallio nodded in agreement and looked at Jacomus before gesturing him out. Jacomus got up out of his chair and walked over to the door. "Come with me, please." The principal said, placing his hand on Jacomus' shoulder. They walked out of sight.
The principal led Jacomus to a bench in the garden outside the school. Bushes and trees flourished, and a fountain trickled in the background. "What are you doing here? And why have you taken the form of my school's principal?" Jacomus said, flushed with anger? "You know why I am here, Jacomus." The principal responded, "You sent out the message. We are only replying. Jupiter sent me to speak to you, granting me the ability to take the form of a human. I used your principal's form so nobody would question your absence. Now, my question. You asked us to start preparations early. Why?"
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"Willow, she fell into the Gehenna realm. Not fully, but physically enough that her body went translucent."
The Eagle was silent before speaking. "That is indeed a worry. Do you know why or how this happened?" he asked Jacomus.
"She laid her head on my chest. Something must have sparked the situation, but I could do nothing to prevent it from happening."
"Before we continue, Jacomus, it is not your fault that the situation occurred as it did. You can only do so much without your Divine powers. This also means the set circumstances of the issue are more dire than we had predicted. Lampetia might need to be told early."
"Who?" Jacomus asked, confused. The Eagle looked at him angrily.
With a stern voice, the Eagle replied, "Have you forgotten Willows' actual name? May I remind you that her parents, Helios, the God of the sun, and the nymph Neera, gave her the name Lampetia at birth? I also remind you that you were created by her parents' powers to protect their daughter after she was sent to the Terra realm. Have you truly forgotten after spending 23 Terra years with a fake human family?"
Jacomus was silent with embarrasment. The Eagle continued. "You must remember the importance behind Lampetia?"
"I do. She is the key to locking the Gehenna gates, therefore forever forbidding Satanas and his demonic exercitus from ever leaving the Gehenna realm." Jacomus replied.
"Good. Very good. You must remember what you need to do in this ordeal when she turns 20. Am I correct?" The Eagle looked Jacomus in the eyes as he nodded. "Now, do you believe we need to tell Lampetia early, or will she be ready when you and herself are transferred into the Separatio realm?"
"It is best that we do not, Eagle. She will either choose not to believe me or try to prevent it from happening. I have an oath with Helios and Neera as well. I will not break that oath." Jacomus replied, straightening his posture. He continued speaking, "I will have my preparations ready. Please get the Deos and the other Divines to set the preparations on their end. Now, I must go. The class has ended, and my belongings are still in there." Jacomus stood up and nodded at the Eagle. He nodded back and got up as well. He walked into the trees and bushes before turning back into an eagle and soaring away, disappearing into a gateway in the sky.
For fucks sake. I did not need to speak to Jupiter's messenger. Jacomus thought to himself, heading back to the school. Everyone else had already left when he arrived at the classroom except for Mr. Gallio. "Is everything okay, Jacomus?" Mr. Gallio asked, looking concerned.
"Everything is fine, Mr. Gallio. Thank you for checking in." Jacomus walked over to the desk he was sitting in before the disruption. He collected his belongings and tossed them into his bag before throwing it over his shoulder. "I'm sorry I missed today's lesson. I will finish it tonight if you could email me what I must go over."
"Sure thing, Jacomus. You have a great rest of your day, and I will see you tomorrow morning." Mr. Gallio smiled as he waved Jacomus goodbye. When Jacomus entered the hallway and maneuvered himself through the busy halls, he saw Willow standing by the vending machines, talking with one of her classmates. Jacomus stopped for a moment. I'm sorry, Willow. Your life is going to be so different so soon. He thought to himself. Willow noticed he was standing a few meters away and waved him over to where she and her classmate were standing.
"Hey, Jaco!" Willow shouted, "How was your day today?"
"It was long. How was yours? You seem to be much more chipper than you were this morning." Jacomus replied, smiling.
"It was great! My classmate and I worked on a project together, which went very well. This is Enika, by the way," Enika smiled and gave a soft wave to Jacomus. He waved back and said, "Nice to meet you," as he let his hand out to shake Enika's. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it is time to go. Enika, it was nice to meet you, and I hope the rest of your day is filled with joy. Take care," Jacomus said as he started walking away. Willow excitedly said goodbye to what seemed to be her new friend.
Willow and Jacomus walked down the long pathway toward the parking lot. Jacomus pulled out his key fob and unlocked the doors as they reached the car. They placed their bags in the back of the vehicle before taking their seats in the front. Jacomus seemed quiet and was staring at the steering wheel, which concerned Willow. "Is everything okay, Jacomus?" she asked. He looked over at Willow and smiled but didn't say anything. He then put the key into the ignition and started the car.
"Everything is fine," Jacomus replied as he pulled the car out of the parking spot.