What Will Be | Book 2 | Chapter 39

Author's Note: Thank you for the continued support. It means the world to me.

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“Oh my gosh, this is actually happening,” I heard Alicia mutter excitedly under her breath. In the months leading up to our enrolment I occasionally caught her reading what I’d later learn was a series of romance novels set in The Crown Academy– a popular genre in Sentrodah where books were more readily available and young ladies might easily imagine themselves as the protagonist. 

When I idly flicked through one of the books – my payment for secrecy on the matter – I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of familiar narrative conventions. Perhaps ironically given my penchant for fiction in my first life, I’d not engaged much with the pastime since becoming Will; there simply weren’t enough hours in the day.     

The book was also annoyingly addictive, likely a product of the author’s Skill, but that would be yet another digression. More to my immediate concern was the walking trope storming towards us, a mop of messy hair on their head and a peach-fuzzed upper lip.  

“The dog is mine,” I called back. With few exceptions, the people making their way through the hall turned to spectate the encounter, if only in passing. Blanca pinched the bridge of her nose while Alicia quickly schooled her expression, but not before she pinched my arm. 

“Pets are prohibited by-” 

“I am going to cut you off there before we escalate this more than we need to,” I said, raising one hand in a pacifying gesture. The conscript seemed momentarily stunned that I’d interrupted, while his entourage glared daggers at me for the audacity. “This dog is an exception.” I fished the Slayer medallion out of my shirt and held it up for inspection.  

There was a long beat of silence while narrowed eyes scrutinized the symbol of my limited authority. Rather, it was silence from the conscript. The students around us erupted into hushed whispers of renewed gossip while Alicia pinched my arm again. The tension was finally broken when a wide, welcoming smile split the conscript’s face. 

“Well, zonks, that would do it,” he said with a chuckle. “Please, forgive my abruptness. You would be surprised how many first years try to unjustly bend the rules, so we try to be blunt.” The entourage nodded along in reluctant agreement before moving to disperse the small crowd we’d gathered. “Okay, folks, nothing to see here. Move along now.” 

“That… yeah, I do not know what I expected,” Alicia sighed under her breath while the conscript finished closing the distance between us. 

“Sorry again for the scene. My name is Sid, short for Deciduous. Third year. And if that amulet is to be trusted – and I will pretend to mourn you if it isn’t – you must be the young Slayer on the lips of every insatiable gossip fiend this side of Sentrodah.” 

“That would be me, yes. Will.” I’d returned the medallion to its hiding place and was still pleasantly surprised that my first interaction with one of the Crown conscripts was shaping up to be a positive one. There was one small issue I couldn’t quite let rest, though. “So. Zonks?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“What is zonks?

“I… wait, for real?” 

“Yes?” I heard Alicia stifle another small giggle at my confusion. “I take it the word is a colloquialism, then?” If it was Sid’s personal quirk, he’d have expected the query. 

“Wow, you really are from the sticks. No one has ever actually outright asked what it means before. It is just zonks, you know?” 

“Not really, but I can infer it is just a general exclamation of sorts.” 

“Basically? If you were aiming to throw me off balance by getting weird, then you definitely succeeded.” Sid shot me a grin before turning his attention to Alicia. “It is nice to meet you as well, by the way. If you are in the young Slayer’s company then I will presume you are worth knowing.” 

“Thank you,” Alicia murmured with a slight nod, her social walls immediately back in place when under direct scrutiny. 

“Just so. In any case, as much as my own social standing would benefit from monopolizing your time I would loathe to get caught slacking off. There are few things more terrifying than a vexed professor.” A dry chuckle punctuated the sentiment, one Alicia and I politely joined. 

“I had best leave you to it then.” I stepped slightly to one side and gave Fudge another scratch behind the ears.

“I am sure I will see you around, Will.” Sid snapped his fingers and the students in his entourage wasted no time before they regrouped behind him; I couldn’t help but be reminded of the way my mother called the dogs to her side. It was an odd thing, to see school-aged teens with their own sycophants. The group continued down the hall and while a few stares lingered in our direction obligation pulled people back into the flow of orientation day eventually. 

“Why must everything be a spectacle with you?” Alicia groaned. I suddenly understood the purpose of the pinches. 

“Respectfully, I think I handled that rather well.” I sent a quick pulse of mana down the Tamer Bond and Fudge indulged my silly request to nod his head, seemingly in agreement. “See? Fudge is on my side.” 

“I hate it when you use Fudge against me,” she teased. 

“In Will’s defense, it is the best weapon in his social arsenal," Blanca chimed in, having remained silent while we interacted with our peers. Not that either of us expected any intervention; getting rescued by an adult was a poor first impression to make in the gauntlet that was teen social dynamics. 

Another pulse of mana, and Fudge nodded his head once more, earning him a round of laughs. Blanca retrieved a dog treat from one of her many pockets to reward him for the comedic timing, having long since added them to her usual stash of all things sweet. We couldn’t linger long, though. There was still much to do. 

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The Academy’s main hall was our final stop and an illustrious affair. The touch of Skilled craftspeople was in every carved column and stained glass window, oozing the wealth and dedication that went into its construction. I, like most of the first years, audibly gasped when I first took in the space. Words simply couldn’t do the place justice, for it reminded me of the most cherished churches and temples I’d ever seen on Earth, yet somehow more, for literal magic pushed human masterwork into something that strained comprehension. 

Rows upon rows of benches were filled, with new students sitting comfortably alongside their escorts as if the seating plan had been fine tuned in the moments before everyone entered. Surely, there was a Skill at play, for I did not remember being explicitly guided to my seat yet finding it all the same, having simply wandered to it while I took in the beauty of the place. 

Alicia sat to my right. Blanca sat to the right of her. Fudge was waiting up in my dorm room, a veritable luxury suite of a place, for not even my privileges as a Slayer permitted him to participate in the ceremony. I could respect the concession, given that dogs were not renowned as undisruptive creatures. At the very least, his presence would draw attention away from the stage, because who could possibly resist admiring him? 

He was content, at least, and I could sense his appreciation for some rest in a cool, quiet place after a day loaded with so many new stimuli. 

We were close to the end of our row, almost against the wall. Almost being the operative word, as there was a single, empty seat between me and the walkway. It drew my attention only because the relative imperfection shone like a beacon. 

A grand stage stood at the far end of the hall, upon which dozens of adults sat facing the murmuring crowd. Even without a quiet word from Blanca, I’d have clocked them as members of the faculty, the professors. Perseverance stirred, and a quick pulse of mana to my eyes let me focus in on them despite the visual siren’s call that was the architecture. A good majority of the professors were simply sitting straight ahead, waiting patiently. Others engaged in familiar small talk with their neighbours, and a few were even flicking through a book, looking far too bored by proceedings. Some were greying at the temples, others seemed in the prime of their youth, but that did little to convey their actual age and experience. 

One woman, who I would have pegged as nebulously middle aged and wearing a bright, yellow dress perked up slightly when my eyes brushed over her. When her head spun to look my way, I became sure that she was looking right at me, her own gaze piercing through the hundreds of bodies filling the room. A small smile touched the corner of her mouth before she leaned over to whisper something in the ear of the professor beside her, but that was all the attention she gave me. 

One of the professors resembled the blonde, shirtless dude I used to see on trashy romance novels in thrift stores. Fabian? Fabio? Flumbus? I’d only ever heard the name in passing. A velvet case rested by his feet. He drew my attention when he reached down to retrieve the case, from within which he pulled out an ornate lyre. He drew everyone’s attention when he started to play. 

A wave of mana flowed out of him as his fingers plucked the first strings, producing an angelic sound that hushed every other voice in the hall. Mana Sense caught it all, as if the mana itself wanted to be seen. It sung in harmony with the music, pulling at the audience’s perception until everyone could hear it. The colours came next, the dancing lights and hints and hints of shape that found resonance with the soul as one note flowed to the next. It was as if the music had gifted the audience a curated synaesthesia. 

The ballad pulled at me, demanding that I give in to the music and let it guide me through its many verses. It would have been so easy to let go, to enjoy the performance for the welcoming gift it almost surely was. Instead, I flared Perseverance and focused my inwards, on the Tamer Bond. It felt as if I were hunkered down on the deck of ship in stormy weather, every crescendo a gust of wind or surging wave that threatened to knock me into the depths. 

I felt Fudge stir and latched on to his sense of confusion, letting our connection become the heaviest anchor to my sense of self. The silent battle raged. I resisted the urge to close my eyes or physically block my ears, instead relying on my Skills and mana to see me through. Even shielded as I was, the talent of the blonde musician was undeniable. If not for the opportunity to test my Skills in a new way I might have enjoyed letting the music drift away with me on its heels. 

As the minutes passed, I found a sense of stability, a solid footing to stand in the music as an objective observer. Fudge was anxiously pacing around the room, held in check only thanks to my firm reassurances that I was safe; the last thing I needed was for him to burst several doors and interrupt the ceremony. 

Instead, I just observed. At a glance, the entire audience was enraptured. The professors on the stage, less so, possibly indicating some degree of tolerance from them or control on the part of the musician- possibly both. There were no lyrics to the song, yet it still conveyed a sense of… potential, of possibility for the future and how magical that was. It was a muted interpretation, since thinking about it too deeply shook the hold I had on myself while the music played, and it made me question what the majority of the audience would take away from it. 

Before long, the final notes faded pleasantly into the hall’s acoustics and I watched as people gradually came back to themselves, warm smiles on their faces. There was no sudden eruption of cheers or applause, just a silent appreciation for something truly magical. More than one cheek was touched by a tear, the sudden, unexpected kind, lone but powerful. Alicia and Blanca were, of course, no exception. 

It was then that a new presence made themselves known, entering from somewhere behind the stage and walking steadily towards a central lectern. A well groomed beard framed a soft-featured face. The ceremonial robes draped over him did little to conceal the tell-tale build of someone with a variation of the Strength Skill. Mana Sense detected a slight flux of mana when he gripped the side of the lectern, its purpose made immediately clear when the man’s voice boomed through the hall. 

“Welcome, everyone, to The Crown Academy. For those of you unfamiliar with me, my name is Torrens Drago, the current Headmaster.”