Chương 47: 46-Curriculum Adaptation

Elena watched, amused, as the kids relentlessly grilled Aram. He took it with good humor. She instantly liked him.

"What kind of curriculum adaptation are you thinking of, Mrs. Mel? What are you going to teach him?"

"Well, eh, the jury is still out on that one," Mel answered. The kids had a way of outmaneuvering her, turning what was supposed to be a simple social act into a think tank. It always followed the same pattern. Elena watched as Mel tried to reassert her authority without cutting off the flow of ideas—the young teacher was mature enough to admit that her students would come up with better solutions than she did.

"I think that…" she began, but Koji immediately interrupted her.

"He is an elf. Chant-born. A living piece of the history of his people. That means he has a perfect grasp of English, which also happens, conveniently, to be the Elven language. You can chalk that off. He does not need training in it. It is part of him."

"You are right, of course, Koji, but…" Mel tried to steer the conversation, but Maria interrupted her.

"Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics are a must. Human history, too, if he is to live amongst us. I would counsel Ethics and Philosophy, but the material Mrs. Mel gave us is so basic that I think he would benefit more from our debates during breaks."

"Basic? That was Aristotle!" Mrs. Mel snapped back. She loved her students, but sometimes they drove her mad.

"Charming guy. A bit misogynistic, probably the result of a bad education. Not as ground-breaking as Dr. Seuss, though." Elena had to hide her smile as Mrs. Mel shut up, trying to decide if Maria was joking or not. She was not. The Cat in the Hat contained the answer to one of the most difficult conundrums in philosophy, but no one had realized it until Maria got the book as a present.

"Is he really an elf, though? The facial structure is a bit off, and the ears are slightly less pointed than they should be," said Peter, always the spoilsport.

"You are right, Peter," Aram acknowledged.

"My father was human. That is the reason my mother wants me to be raised in Babylon. I would never be accepted in Valdar."

"Uhm, Aram, are you sure you want to share this? Can't this information get you into trouble?" asked Mrs. Mel.

"It can, and it will, Mrs. Mel," Aram answered.

"That is why my mother raised me in the past. I am not a defenseless infant. I can protect myself."

"You were raised in the past? That is so cool!" Koji interrupted.

"There are several questions about the nature of paradox…"

"Enough, Koji, let him speak," Mel tried to impose some order on what was quickly evolving into a third-grade interrogation.

"Sing us the Chant," Elena said, to everyone's surprise. She usually only talked when she absolutely had to. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Beg your pardon?" answered Aram.

"All Elves are Chant-born now. It is part of them. Sing us your favorite Coda." Aram hesitated for an instant, as if trying to choose. Then he began to sing, in a beautiful, deep voice. He chose the Coda of Etele, a beautiful young elven maiden who lost all her memories after eating a forbidden, magical fruit in the forest. She spent most of her life looking for her lost family, whom she could no longer recognize.

She had numerous adventures, making new friends and finding allies who helped her purge the magical poison still troubling her mind. At the end of the Coda, she successfully finds an antidote, and after using it, she realizes that all the friends she had made during her adventures were the relatives she had thought lost. Her family had never given up on her, but the poison did not let her realize that. An awed silence greeted Aram as he finished singing, the usual result of hearing an Elf sing the Chant.

"You sang the third verse of the twenty-second stanza off-key," Peter said helpfully, breaking the silence.

"I know," admitted Aram.

"You are supposed to sing one verse off-key each time you sing the Chant. Perfection is for the gods," he explained, much to Peter's chagrin.

"All right, break time, let's give Aram some space," Mel said, breaking the mood.

"Elena, dear, could you finish helping Aram with his curricular choices?"

"Of course, Mrs. Mel," she graciously accepted as the kids left the classroom in a rush, much like any other kids, everywhere, anytime. They were left alone together in the room. The silence stretched uncomfortably for several long moments, as both studied each other. Finally, Elena spoke.

"You haven't been activated, have you? You have no Class."

"Yes, I intend to get one as soon as possible. Leveling was part of the reason I came back to Earth."

"What do you want as your first Competency? It will shape everything afterward."

"Well, I am first and foremost, a hunter. I thought I should begin with that."

"Is that what you really want to be? There are at least four Codas in the Chant where the main character is a hunter. You chose none of them," Elena looked thoughtfully at him.

"You chose a Coda about a girl finding her family. And you sang off-key the verse in which she first meets one of them and does not recognize him."

"You want to belong." Aram did not answer. He remained very still, looking at the ground.

"You are staying with Dignity. She is a Savant," Elena calmly explained.

"That is Babylon lingo for someone with the Teaching ability. She also has Community as one of her Competencies. I think you should ask her to teach it to you."

"I see you too, and I can give advice as well," Aram answered haughtily.

"The unborn daughter of an unliving mother. A mother with two lives. A daughter born out of need and essence. You are as much of an outcast as I am."

"I know. There are no words for what I am. I have no limits. I am as much a danger to reality as you are. That is why I think we should help each other. I see the Essence within you. You have the potential to be an Avatar, but you are also dungeon-born. There is no way to tell what you will be able to do if you combine both power sets."

"What am I? I thought my only purpose was to survive, but I know that does not define me." Aram's defenses fell. He had never done that, not even with his mother.

"You are a bridge, Aram. Son of Elf and human, of Essential and Experiential. An elven male who fights and hunts. A breaker of molds. You are meant to bring us all together. That is why you should choose Community as your first Competency."

"Is that to be my calling?"

"No. It is to be your destiny."

"And who are you, Elena, daughter of Rosita? What is your destiny?"

"My destiny is to overcome. It is what I do. My only power is this: any goal I set myself, I will see to completion. There is nothing beyond my reach, not because I am powerful, but because I am relentless."

"And as of now, my goal is to make you realize your full potential." Aram bowed his head. He did not need to answer. She already knew.