Chapter 1663: Bruce Wayne and the Magic Stone (7)

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Schiller encountered Little Bruce on his way back to the Director's office after dinner.

As it was close to lights-out, Little Bruce's entourage had all returned to their respective colleges, leaving him alone as he made his way back to his dorm. As he turned the corner, he bumped into Schiller, who was heading back to the office.

"Ah!" Little Bruce exclaimed in surprise, causing Schiller to raise an eyebrow and give him a once-over. "Mr. Wayne, why are you still wandering the corridors at this late hour? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I'm not wandering," Little Bruce retorted instinctively, looking up at Schiller with a hint of complaint in his voice. "It's only eight o'clock, and only three-year-olds go to bed at this time."

"Well, it seems you're not tired. Since you have so much time, why don't you tell me how you ended up here?"

"I just wanted to visit the school..."

"I mean, how did you get to this space?" Schiller asked, looking into Little Bruce's eyes. "You're Bruce Wayne, but from another space, right?"

Little Bruce's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth as if to deny it, but then he said irritably, "Yes, I'm Bruce Wayne. Those idiots thought I was an illegitimate child; they're so stupid it's beyond reason."

"Then how did you get here?"

"I..." Little Bruce paused, then suddenly glared at Schiller, his voice sharp. "Why should I tell you? What does it have to do with you?"

"I'm just concerned as the director of this college," Schiller said calmly, sizing up Little Bruce. "You've lost your school uniform. If you tell me the truth, I'll get you a new one."

"I won't wear that ugly uniform," Little Bruce said, hugging his arms and turning his head away. "You're all the same, trying to lecture me with some grand idea about fitting into society. Why should I dress like those idiots?"

Schiller tilted his head slightly, his gaze becoming more focused on Little Bruce's eyes, which made the boy feel a chill down his spine. Instinctively, he took a step back, stammering, "What are you looking at?"

Suddenly, Schiller's expression became one of understanding. He stroked his chin and said, "You had an argument with your butler because he wanted you to return to school. You ran away from home and met someone who shared your thoughts... Who could it be? Joker?... No, you wouldn't have survived if it were him... John Constantine?"

Little Bruce's expression finally showed genuine fear. He took a couple of steps back, looking at Schiller in disbelief. "You can read minds? You can access my memories?!"

"No, I'm just guessing," Schiller said, taking a strange scepter from his sleeve. He gently ran his finger along the side of the scepter and continued, "You met Constantine, but given your age, he must have been quite young, sharing your rebellious thoughts."

"His rebellion stemmed from his environment and his unique magical talent, while your disdain for ordinary people comes from... their prejudice, or more accurately, their pity."

"After your parents passed away, many people probably looked at you with pity, but you didn't like that gaze. It was as if they saw you as a helpless little orphan who couldn't do anything without your parents."

"Your butler wanted you to return to a normal school life, but the thought of facing those pitying looks made you feel agitated and determined not to go back. So, you chose to run away from home."

"After running away, you met Constantine, who had come to Gotham. But why did he come here? Was it because of debt? Was he unable to repay his debts?"

Schiller narrowed his eyes slightly, organizing the slightly chaotic information in his mind. "His magic had some issues, preventing him from repaying his debts, so he came to Gotham to find a solution. That's when he met you, a runaway."

"His more extreme and rebellious ideas reinforced your own beliefs, causing you to behave even more radically."

"Can you tell me who brought you here, Mr. Wayne?"

Little Bruce stared at Schiller, his lips tightly pressed together, trying to maintain his composure and not show his fear, like a trapped young beast.

"If you tell me now, you might get something in return. But if you don't, I'll eventually figure out what you've experienced, won't I?"

"You damn evil sorcerer!" Little Bruce said through gritted teeth. "You're prying into my memories. Constantine was right; there's no good sorcerer!"

"Take it as you will," Schiller said, shaking his head slightly. "So, are you going to tell me or not?"

"I..." Little Bruce took a deep breath, mustering the courage to look into Schiller's eyes, but he quickly averted his gaze when he met the gray orbs.

"That sorcerer, John Constantine, said something about 'Divine Power Runes being altered.' He drew a large magic array on the ground and spent hours modifying it."

"And then?"

"I did have an argument with Alfred because he insisted I attend the opening ceremony on time. I got angry and ran out of Wayne Manor, but I had nowhere to go. After meeting Constantine, I watched him draw the Magic Circle."

Little Bruce opened his mouth again, as if what he was about to say was shocking, hesitating whether to continue. But after a brief pause, he went on.

"I understood."

"What?"

"I understood how the Divine Power Runes worked. Someone was constantly changing the way they were used. Constantine was like a foolish fish drawn to a tempting bait, about to be hooked."

"So, you..."

"While he was away, I used the sacred power he had once wielded and the Time Convergence Runes to lock the Magic Circle's state, temporarily immunizing it from alterations made to the power's flow by its source."

"Did it work?"

Bruce Jr. gave a slightly troubled expression, but eventually shook his head and said, "I'm not sure. The Magic Circle emitted a very strong light, and I vaguely saw a pair of eyes. The moment our gazes met, the Magic Circle collapsed."

"Later, Alfred found me and I followed him back to Wayne Manor. A few days later, a large bat flew into the attic of my house, and I received the admission letter from this magic college."

"I can't understand what's going on," Bruce Jr. licked his lips, which were a bit dry due to his nervousness. After swallowing, he said, "I saw words like 'Heaven' in the Divine Power Runes depicted by Constantine."

"Do you want to know if your parents went to Heaven?"

"That's what they all say..."

Bruce Jr. became nervous and irritable again. He kept rolling his eyes, refusing to make eye contact, and his finger muscles twitched. He spoke quickly, "At the funeral, everyone said they would go to Heaven. Alfred also said that if I was devout enough, I might see them again, but I know this is just nonsense to comfort children."

"When someone dies, they're gone. There is no 'after'. But at that time, I didn't know that magic existed in this world."

"Do you want to resurrect your parents?"

"Constantine said resurrection is a trap set by angels and demons," Bruce Jr. took a deep breath and lowered his head. "This can't tempt me like it does other children who have lost their parents, because I know everything comes with a price."

"Very well, I hope you can always be so firm."

Bruce Jr. looked up at Schiller, unsure of what he meant. As Schiller turned and left, Bruce Jr. stared at his back, still feeling nervous and fearful. The cold wind in the corridor reminded him that his shirt was completely soaked with cold sweat.

"Rodriguez..." Bruce Jr. said the name with a forceful tone as if he was about to bite off the words. He had chosen this college because he wanted to search for information about Heaven in the numerous materials related to the magical realm, and a theoretical college was the most suitable for this. But now, he felt as if this mysterious Director could see right through him.

Is mind-reading also a type of magic?

When Bruce Jr. realized that his thoughts might be read, the feeling of being watched brought immense pressure. He returned to his dormitory with a heavy heart and saw Barry standing among the students in the common room, saying something.

"I don't think I have the right to be above other students, but I have to keep reminding you, over and over, to follow the school rules, respect teachers and classmates, and be responsible for your own and others' safety."

"I must emphasize again that the second room at the end of the fourth-floor corridor in the main castle is off-limits. It contains some important things, and not touching things that others don't want you to touch is basic manners and courtesy."

"Don't make incompetence sound so good..."

Bruce Jr.'s voice came from the doorway. Barry immediately frowned and looked over. Bruce Jr. walked over with a gloomy expression, glanced at Barry up and down, and then walked straight past him, deliberately bumping into his shoulder.

"Here you go," Bruce Jr. said, turning and entering his dormitory, slamming the door shut.

Everyone looked at Barry, who frowned at Bruce Jr.'s door. After a while, he shook his head and said, "If Mr. Wayne insists on setting a bad example, we don't need to bother too much about it. Without his lackeys, he's powerless, so why should we stoop to his level?"

He deliberately raised his voice to ensure it could be heard through the door, and as expected, the door opened again, and Bruce Jr. stormed out, furious.

He rushed to Barry, grabbed his collar, and raised his fist, causing the surrounding students to panic.

At that moment, Harley came out of the room, rubbing her eyes. "What are you all doing up so late? Kane, Kane, aren't you going to do something about this?"

Kaine and some senior students were called out of their rooms. Kaine approached and spoke sternly to the two arguing students, "It's bedtime. Go back to your dormitories immediately."

Bruce Jr. looked around at the senior students who had gathered, and in a fit of anger, he released Barry's collar and pushed him.

Seeing the slightly displeased expressions of the senior students, Kaine sighed and said, "Disputes between students of the same grade are not allowed on campus. This is a serious violation of school rules, and your argument has disturbed others."

"I must inform you that tomorrow morning, you will all go to clean the large garden together. And you, Harley, since you haven't finished your homework, you'll join them."

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Next Chapter => Chapter 1664: Bruce Wayne and the Magic Stone (Part 8)