Chương 48: Family

Dean Octavius had been doing his rounds when he came upon the duel, watching it from the topmost balcony. He'd caught the latter half, observing with equal parts fascination, pride, and disgust. The disgust, of course, was directed toward Emilia Earthbinder. The fight had been going well before her interruption. Both students had been keeping to the rules, though Anne's earth-shattering finisher skirted close to the edge.

It wouldn't fall under the grievous injury rule since Anne had struck the ground and, by his calculation, the shattering of the stone cage would at most cause minor abrasions, disorientation, and a ringing eardrum. However, it was farther than he thought she would go. He was similarly concerned when Arielle initiated [Air Control], using it in a way he'd never seen it used before.

She certainly had enough command and precision to seriously injure Anne, and he was ready to interrupt, but she never pushed that boundary. In any case, he was proud of both students, of the skill and restraint they'd shown. Something Emilia Earthbinder clearly did not have. Then again, she had not attended this institution. She had attended Carrington Basilica, where all that mattered was winning, no matter the cost, and where ego ruled.

He almost could not believe it when she whipped out her wand, couldn't believe she was truly about to do what she'd done. He'd already prepared a counter for her first spell, but Arielle had taken care of it before his spell could reach. Her casting speed was incredible. It was better than his. She was better than him. Her power was certainly beyond whatever was shown in the stat sheet. The question was how? Why?

How much did Elric truly know about his young cousin, and where did her extraordinary strength come from? Dean Octavius intended to find out. But first, he must deal with the problem of Emilia and Anne. He'd caught them in one of the empty atriums, licking their wounds, and had directed them to his office. He had then scolded Emilia at length about how her actions corrupted what should have been a friendly battle, bringing shame onto her daughter.

Emilia had tried to defend herself at first, but now both women stood to the side silently awaiting their penance.

"You can recommend any recompense you want," the dean told Arielle and her family.

"Since you were the one who was wronged. Emilia is already going to be banned from campus, and we will send a serious report of her actions to the Council. Of course, her family will likely dole out punishment of their own, but as the wronged party, I feel you should also have a say in the punishment, especially considering what was said to your father." Though Dean Octavius didn't know exactly what slur had been used, he had a good idea. It only made his disgust worse. He waited to see what Arielle would do.

Arielle didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected this to be the reason that the headmaster called her. She stared at both Anne and Emilia, standing angrily to the side.

"Why?" Arielle asked.

"Why did you insult my father? Why did you not just apologize?" Neither of them said anything for some time. Then Anne quietly spoke up.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive my mother as well for her rude words." Then she turned toward them and bowed her head.

"Anne–" Emilia gasped.

"Please," Anne insisted.

"Forgive her." Well. Arielle had finally gotten the apology she wanted, although it had come from Anne, not Emilia. Either way, she was ready to let her anger go. She'd proved her point, and an apology was an apology. If it happened again... then it would be a different matter. She glanced up at her father to see if he was on the same page. He nodded.

"The apology is accepted," he said.

"We seek no further compensation."

"Though some silver would be nice," Brom muttered, but sealed his lips at his father's look.

"Thank you," Anne said as she straightened, her face carefully blank.

"Anything else?" Arielle asked Dean Octavius. His eyes glittered.

"No. That was all I needed from you."

"Okay. We'll depart now." With that situation resolved, the Blacksoil's left the office, returning to the ground floor. Brom left them to explore campus on their own, and Arielle walked with her father, pointing out different places like where she studied, where she meditated, and where they'd been attacked by deskrunners. She told him about her first days and the friends she'd made and told him she would introduce him to Lyra and Maus later.

He seemed to soak up all the information and expressed annoyance when they were interrupted every now and then by strangers wanting to talk to Arielle.

"My, what is your name, young lady?"

"You're in Cohort 1? Are you sure? I've never seen a first year so powerful before."

"It seems you take after your cousin. How delightful. Do you know who your real father is?"

"Back off." Her father snarled at that last comment and took her hand, moving her away from the crowd They walked toward the shore, and Arielle kept looking at him, unable to believe he was finally here. That he was back after so many years.

"Are you going to leave again?" she asked him. He stared out at the approaching sea and shook his head.

"No. I don't think I'll leave for a while. My family needs me." Arielle nodded. They didn't speak again until they reached the shore.

"Where did you learn to do all that, Arielle?"

"In school," she responded. He wasn't satisfied with that response.

"We have an adept mage with us at the Southern Border. We've seen him use spells a few times to fight mossgiants. His speed was nothing close to that, and he couldn't cast spells wandless."

"It wasn't wandless. It was just delayed activation." He gave her a wry look.

"That might be good enough to convince the rest of them, but I'm your father. I know when you're lying." Arielle let out a squeak, and she looked away.

"If it's something you have to hide, then you have to be more careful with it. Alright?" She nodded.

"Oh, Ari." He touched her hair lightly, then pulled her in for another hug.

"You've grown up so fast. Look at you fighting for your father's honor."

"Yes." Then she had a thought.

"Father, does our family have a bank account?"

"No. As far as I know, only the clan chief has one, and he distributes whatever we earn amongst us in copper and silver."

"Hmm." A direct transfer would be difficult without a bank account. She would have to ask Brom if there was a way to get the gold to them. Or perhaps she could give him one bar to sell himself. Would that get him in trouble? She would figure it out later. For the next thirty minutes, she continued walking with her father in comfortable silence, both enjoying the other's company. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

When they returned, it seemed more families had arrived, or at least more were standing on the front lawn.

"Father, do you want to try the buffet?" Ari asked.

"Of course. Where's your brother? I'm sure he'll want to eat too."

"I'll find him," Arielle said as she used a trace spell to track his aura through a magical tag she'd placed on him. She found him at the back of the Luxarium, talking to Riorke. It was odd. It seemed to be a friendly conversation, with Riorke even smiling, like they knew each other. That was until he saw Arielle standing behind Brom. Then the smile fell off his face.

"Brom?" Arielle called, and her brother turned around.

"Yes?"

"Father and I were going to the buffet," she said.

"Do you two know each other?"

"No," Brom answered.

"I know of his brother, though. A real legend."

"Is that what you two were talking about?"

"More or less." He came over and steered her away.

"Let's go."

"Okay." Arielle allowed him to take her and only curiously glanced over her shoulder at Riorke.

"Brom?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have a bank account?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"I think I'm going to have to get one, and I was wondering how to transfer coin to you and Father."

"Does this have anything to do with the gems and gold bars you were asking me about?" He gave her a look.

"Maybe."

"Just be careful, okay? Although after what I saw, I don't think we should be worried about you anymore, you're still our baby sister. Don't forget that." She nodded, and Brom told her it was best to figure out a way to transfer the coin through more untraceable means. He said he would look into it. In the dining hall, they finally ran into Lyra and her family, and Lyra told her that she'd watched some of her battle, and her brother really enjoyed it.

Her brother was a quiet, bespectacled man, and her mother was pretty like Lyra. They also met Maus' parents, who were overly appreciative of Arielle's tutoring, to the point where his mother insisted on tailoring a robe for her.

"You'll have it by the time severance is over," she said, and though Arielle tried to turn down the gift, the woman claimed to be hurt by the refusal. So she ultimately had to accept. As the sun began its descent, it was time for the rest of the duels and performances. Lyra and Maus were putting on a dance called Flower and Earth, and Lyra was nervous enough about it to actually ask Arielle for charms before she went on. Arielle shook her head.

"You did not practice with charms," she told her.

"If you use them now, they might aggravate your Vitae cores once again. Besides, you don't need them. You'll do well."

"You think so?"

"Eighty percent sure." Lyra smirked.

"That's better than two percent."

"It is." She didn't know why Lyra was pointing out something so obvious, though. Lyra gave her a quick hug before running to the circle. And then the dance began. Both Lyra and Maus stood opposite each other, deliberately circling one another. Then she tossed petals in the air and used [Vitality] to make them glow and swell with life. Lyra seemed surprised when the spell worked perfectly. Maus then used [Air Pattern] to have the petals slowly fall down a path he traced.

When the petals hung low in the air, he used [Kinetic Push] to blow them into the crowd. People laughed and clapped. It went on like that, using petals to decorate the air, making the flowers dance. The pair would twirl, and Lyra even flipped at one point, doing it while casting the spell, and that elicited sounds of awe. No one looked more awed than Lyra, though. She looked as if she couldn't believe her own audacity. Her casting grew cleaner, more confident. Her speed was improved, too.

The crowd clapped, delighted by the dance. Lyra and Maus made a good pair, and Arielle was happy that it was going better than she'd imagined. Once it was done, Lyra dashed over to hug her family and then came to boisterously hug Arielle as well.

"You're the best." She told her, with tears in her eyes, smacking her cheeks with kisses that Arielle protested. After she ran back to her family, Arielle's father smiled.

"I'm glad you have a friend like that," he said.

"I'm glad too."

"Speaking of friends, you should write to Greta," Brom said.

"I know you don't think she was really your friend, but she truly did like you, enough to come out of our house and mope about you for weeks now."

"She has?"

"Yes. I'm tired of it." Arielle thought about it and nodded. Perhaps she should give that relationship another chance to form on more honest ground.

"Okay," she said.

"I'll write to her."

"Good." The day eventually reached its end, and it was time for her family to leave. While she was sad to see them go, she was more happy than sad. Her father was finally back. Her family was now complete again, and Grandmother could stop blaming her mother for his leaving. Arielle allowed her dad to hug her for a long time before he boarded the Griffin carriage on the shore. She gave Elric a much shorter hug, and he told her, "You handled yourself very well. I'm proud of you, Arielle."

"Thank you, Elric," she said.

"For everything." He grinned and ruffled her hair, much to her consternation. Her brother ruffled her hair, too.

"I'm glad you've found your place here, Arielle," Brom said.

"Me too," she responded. She waved for a long time as the Griffins rose into the air, her heart full and achy all at once. After they were no longer within sight, she returned to the campus where a few stragglers remained. She wanted to avoid being talked to as much as possible, so she took a side path toward the dorms that edged close to the forest.

"Hey." She heard a call from behind her. She turned around as Riorke cut through the brush, approaching her.

"Apologize to me," he said.

"I have."

"Do it one more time."

"Okay. I'm sorry I said the things I said about your brother." Once again, his features flexed tightly, but then they eased again. He stared out over the ocean and said, "I forgive you. I'm also sorry for being angry at you. Sorry that I.... I took it the wrong way." He inhaled deeply, then exhaled.

"In a way, I think maybe you had a point." She absolutely did have a point, but she was too smart to mention it.

"Anyway, I'm ready to move past it," he said. She smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"So we can comfortably do research together again?"

"Yeah, although while we're on the topic of it, I should tell you something."

"What?"

"I just found out that this entire research project is kind of a trick."

"What?"

"Professor Woden doesn't actually expect us to find anything. He just wants us to at least appear to put in the effort and for us to work as a team. That was the entire point of it." He shook his head.

"I should have known. Why would he expect first years to discover facts that dedicated researchers haven't?"

"I don't understand," Arielle said.

"Why would he lie to us?"

"It's not a lie. The project is real, but he won't fail us just for not successfully finding new information. We just have to prove to him that we spent a lot of time on the research, and we did it together. It's apparently something the seniors know, but they're not supposed to tell us. They can get in trouble if they do."

"So who told you?"

"Telip," he said.

"It was very random. He basically walked up to me one day and said, 'Tell Arielle she doesn't have to work so hard and spend so much time looking into the Unmaker. It's not healthy for her, and Woden will give you full marks anyway as long as you guys work as a team.' Something like that."

"He mentioned me specifically?"

"Yes. He did."

"Hmmm." Her brows knitted together as she thought about it.

"When was this?"

"Earlier this week." It must have been after Telip found her in the library. Perhaps he thought she had fallen asleep out of exhaustion from overworking herself. Or maybe he knew she had copied from his notebook, and there was something he didn't want her to find. Either way, Arielle wasn't happy with the conclusion. She had homework to do, and she wouldn't be happy until it was completed successfully.

Even if Woden didn't think anyone would find anything, she would prove him wrong and achieve the goal of the assignment, whether it was his intention for her to or not. Not to mention that she really did want to know the truth about Unmaker and the Unholy Trio. Her interest had been piqued from the beginning, and after the portal thing and the notebook... She planned to visit the temple again very soon.

"So," Riorke said, "Are we friends?"

"No." His face fell, so she asked, "Wait, are we?" A familiar look crossed his face. Ari had seen it before on the faces of Lyra and Brom and Celie and just about everyone who'd had a lengthy conversation with her before. It was frustrated amusement.

"Yes," he said.

"Yes, we are."

"Good." She was happy about this development, but also tired from the extended socializing she'd endured today. All the sounds, the talking, the hugs. Eager to get back to her room and decompress, she walked around Riorke to continue on her path, but then she was hit by a troubling thought. She paused and asked tentatively, "My brother…he didn't pay you to do this, did he?"

"Pay me to what?"

"To be my friend." His eyebrow raised. He seemed genuinely shocked by the question, but she was still planning to use [Empath Sense] to confirm when he blurted out, "Why on Earth would I take compensation for that?"

"Did my brother ask you to be friends with me?"

"He didn't ask…but even if he did, why would I say yes? It's not like I need the coin. My family is quite wealthy, probably one of the wealthiest warrior clans in all the continent."

"Possibly because you feel sorry for me?'

"I don't feel sorry for you…" He trailed off and sighed.

"Look, I'm in awe of you, and sometimes you anger me, and sometimes you confuse me. I feel bad about certain things I did and how I handled our fight, but I don't feel sorry for you. Your brother... he just explained to me how you are."

"How am I?"

"Strange," he said.

"But not in a bad way." She hesitated.

"Your brother wouldn't pay me to be friends with you. First of all, he can't afford it. Second of all, my friendship is not for sale."

"Good to know," she said, and she felt much lighter as she continued. As she walked to her room, she thought about all the good things that had happened today. Her father. The duel. The dances. Her students were doing well. Arielle smiled as she reached out to her door handle. After she opened it, she paused. She saw something carved into the wall by her door. It was new. She'd never seen a carving like that before, with jagged lines forming an ominous message: Find me.