It has been a few days since then, after the attack of Vanque Milios was prevented from further destroying Tempest. At the back of every student’s mind, the sight of three Tempest students fighting back against one of the strongest if not the strongest mage in their current time, is absurd to even think about, let alone witness it. Some time in the future the trio would become the talk from every nation.
Back at the principal’s office, countless pile of paperwork’s regarding the casualties and permits to rebuild the destroyed buildings, one of which is the 1st year Men’s dorm broken-down to bits and chunks. Principal Cainne let out a deep sigh before sinking himself amidst the paperwork's in front of him.
His eyes glanced at the door from the sight of someone entering. He quickly then sits straight and recompose himself. ‘I cannot keep up with this work... How long would I have to hold this position?’ Another sigh filled the room.
“I see you still haven’t finished your work, Cainne.” It was the Century Witch or Tania-sensei as people call her today. She then walked up and sat at the couch before taking a pile of paper from the now mountain formed comprising it. Suited with the librarian’s robe, as she skimmed through the papers she picked up, her face still contained the beauty of her past self. The only thing that did not last through was her unmatched mana pool and power.
“Have they already begun their training?” Cainne asked before sitting on to the opposite couch facing Tania-sensei. His once broad shoulders looked stiff and only a small poke would take until it crumbles down to pieces. The stern face of Cainne which terrified the nations once his figure could be seen from miles away back then, was long gone. The former Unkillable Emperor and Century Witch are now only a fragment of their past far from the glorious days.
“Shinra Mavirus, Kan Uolo, and Mika Torri. I think that two of these three students would impact the course of their generation, Cainne.” Placing down the piled paperwork’s, she then looked at him noticing his former image slowly fade within him.
“And would the odd one be, Kan Uolo?” Both took a moment to think of what would come next after the incident with Vanque Milios.
“I think that at some point the innate talent for being a mage would show between the three of them. And once he began to see through the cracks of it, that might be the end of his journey.”
“Don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions a bit? Power is vital to a mage but there are other things where Kan Uolo can excel at.”
“Oh, Cainne you’ve been too lenient with students. I just don’t want the reason for Shinra and Mika’s growth to falter and possibly stop is because Kan could not keep up with them.” As the saying goes that, ‘no one knows what the future holds’ to Tania-sensei who had known countless mages from her life up to this point. Her final judgment is that Kan Uolo is indeed incompetent to be a magician.
“What happens between the three of them is none of your concern. Their action is theirs to reflect, their lives is theirs to live, and their decision is theirs to ponder. Century Witch Tania, you are the one who has become too blindsided from your own ideology of a magician.” Barging in the conversation unattended, it was Sheila Neru or even Cecilia Merue in this moment. One of the Six Calamities stood before the reflections of Unkillable Emperor and Century Witch; that is now only a principal and the head librarian of Tempest.
“Who told you to run off your mouth like that? Cecilia Merue, you are nothing but a psychotic kid.”
“I’m surprised you think you can provoke me and come out alive.” A sudden burst of intense high-concentrated mana rapidly overtook control of the principal’s room.
“St-stop...! We have an agreement, Cecilia Merue.” The once dominating aura exuded by Cainne can no longer be felt.
The dispersion of high-concentrated mana stopped and manifested as one condensed ball of mana. “If you want to fight me Tania, absorb this. I’ll only give you a chance this minute.”
Cainne thought that Cecilia had stopped rather she schemed and provoked The Century Witch.
“Hmmph, fighting you is a waste of time. That little ball of yours is nothing but a representation of your arrogance.” Tania’s eyes tried to pierce through Cecilia.
“Doesn’t your statement reflect upon you as well? Your arrogance would lead you to letting a beast lying in dormant to steer the wheel of fate for this continent.” The condensed mana vanished out of thin air.
“There is a beast lying in dormant...to Kan Uolo?” Principal Cainne let his thoughts come out of his mouth.
“Ever since the first day of this school year, you arranged for most of this to happen, didn’t you?” The suspicion of Tania-sensei drew a faint smile from Merue unnervingly.
“Who knows, it might just be all a coincidence.” A chair, rather a throne appeared out of nowhere as Cecilia gracefully took a seat facing the both of them.
“Your arrogance ticks me off...” Tania snickered completely expressing her anger right at Cecilia.
“Thanks, anyway, going back to our topic earlier. I won’t train Mika, your adopted child can take her in and for Kan, well whether I train him or not, you won’t mind anyway as he is rejected from your standards of a magician.” Cecilia enjoyed every moment purposely triggering the head librarian. In the mind of a six calamity this might just all be to kill time.
“Fine, however, the moment Mika Torri ask for your help you need to do so as agreed upon.” Tania-sensei stood up as she walked towards the door.
“Going already? Well, I’ll keep the end of the bargain if you keep your promise. You need to be careful going against my plans. Your supposedly talk with them back then, I’ll let it slide.” Behind her every words it contained might and forewarning.
Although to Tania-sensei it wasn't enough and didn’t stop walking as the door closes.
“Now then, Principal Cainne. Why did you call me out here for?” Cecilia then vanished as Sheila Neru was the one facing Principal Cainne. Gracing such a presence in this cluttered room, there was no going back for him.
“I want you to explain to me what has been going on in the shadows these past months, Cecilia.” She then once again looked at the reflection of Principal Cainne, this time thoroughly.
“It’s Sheila this time Principal Cainne, but if you are reluctant to spout such names without a care about your students. I’ll tell you what the future holds for Tempest and how it will unfold before your eyes and only be able to watch.” There was no apparent reason to tell the principal the outcome except to enjoy his reaction, such thought entertained both Sheila and Cecilia.
“Shinra Mavirus the third son from the Northern Crucxy Federation, Mika Torri the second princess from Auriora Kingdom, and the anomaly Kan Uolo with no worth background. I saw... rather, the outcomes of the actions led to this sequence, I merely noticed it.
“I know that I am not making much sense, Principal. Even before these three would meet, I already had plans of fighting your daughter Inerva. As it happens when I first heard of the survivor of Auriora Kingdom would get special treatment to enroll here in Tempest. They were only an addition to what I want to achieve since coming here in Tempest.” Sheila leaned forward with great confidence as her eyes fully controlled the room.
“I initially planned to observe Shinra Mavirus to be the key for this continent’s greatest threat...” As Sheila steadily unravel her goals, the room kept itself silent against the quivering presence of her dark striking violet eyes.
“Oh, I could see it in your eyes Cainne, you are slowly realizing.” She then snapped her fingers as she stood up then the throne behind her vanished.
“The Nazarick of Oden, the greatest mystery and widely known tale across the world. You must have heard back then, right? Shinra Mavirus, will undoubtedly find the true Nazarick of Oden. The question then is, when? We cannot say, even us the Six Calamities are unaware where it could be, half of the reason is that we don’t particularly care of what truth it holds or treasure it contains.” Cecilia rests her back against the principal’s desk, whilst, opening her third circulation of mana pool.
Illuminations of light wholly took helm of the room for a second as a colorful orb of mana emerged from her hand.
“We, the Six Calamities, only care for one thing... destruction!” Her hands suddenly clenched the orb tightly to the point of breaking it; causing the orb of mana to explode. A vivid picturesque explosion engulfed the principal’s room without harming anything or everything.
Bewildered and dumbfounded of how an explosion did not destroy the room let alone make a sound. Principal Cainne could only think of what the person before him wants to transpire... that is another war.
“You have truly tested my patience today, Cecilia Merue.” Unable to resist anymore, the Unkillable Emperor then called forth intense aura.
“I’m not yet done talking.” For a second, Cainne couldn’t take his gaze away from Sheila showing glimpses of irritation.
He then could not utter any word as his breathing stopped momentarily before realizing he cannot defy those eyes of Sheila Neru.
Nothing can, in the face of Cecilia Merue.
After a few seconds, “It’s a good time to put a stop to this conversation, but I must add one thing, I had no recollection of Kan Uolo ever passing the entrance exam. Came from the weakest nation, barely passes as an average 1st year student, and the intriguing thing of all, he is not guided by the spirits of this world. Not one spirit nor a watcher and yet he continues to exist. Truly an anomaly of an existence.”
The third circulation of mana pool deactivated cueing the end of this exchange.
“Do you see now, Principal Cainne? The student regarded by everyone as incompetent is unmeasurable. Now whether that result to anything meaningful or not is not for us to predict but be wary of.”
The man looked at the records of students, specifically, towards the three mentioned. Something unimaginable might have already come to play and the students that will participate at the Foundation Festival might be the cornerstone of their continent in the coming years.
“How far have you expected this outcome?” He clenched his hands tightly, desperately recollecting the past months of when it could have started.
“I’d say about a quarter of the events these past months. This is the last piece of advice I’ll give you. You should investigate the matter about a student being wrongly enrolled in Tempest.” Sheila then headed for the door without looking back, the sound of the door closing lingered throughout the room, filling the silence it had left.
It wasn’t long until Principal Cainne dreaded what Cecilia Merue had advised him.
Things have changed. The future of the continent lies to the young generations now. It was those very thoughts that kept him seated as the headmaster of Tempest. Nurturing the batch of students especially those who are aiming for the top. Then, the memory of the past Continent War flashed before him. 20 years ago, many secrets and lies were unfolded before them. The decision to let the future generation take the lead was not because they were weak. It was fear. That the vast lands they have conquered, Yyssa, is only a small continent in the world they thought to have lived in.
Running through the lines of sequence, a federation from nations around Yyssa is currently being pushed for the likely event of another war.
The scale of things has never been larger than what they could have imagined to be. These revelations entangled with hidden truth of their ancestors. Cainne Norford then stood up refusing for his thoughts to overwhelm him. One thing was certain in his mind, that protecting Tempest is all that he can do, is what he should do.
