The morning of the next day, In Mistwood's town square.
Elyas was climbing the marble stairs again. Today he was going to get answers. As he reached the door, he noticed a particular detail he had missed before. The school had a name. Above the wide wooden door and under an image of a forest made with gold, was a sign that read:
D.E.B
D.E.B…I hate acronyms. Why can't you just tell me what I'm looking at? he didn't linger on it for long though. Dismissing the sign, he opened the door and walked inside. He had more important questions to answer.
Unlike yesterday, the hallways were jam-packed with people. Primarily children. Much like any school, each corridor and classroom was filled with sounds of chatter and gossip. As soon as Elyas entered the main hallway, everyone's attention fell on him. He could clearly hear their whispers.
"Who is he?"
"Is he a new teacher?"
"Why does his hair look funny?"
"He looks like a beggar."
"He looks bald."
Elyas was ignoring most of the comments, but that last one made him grab his pocket mirror and check himself. His hair was still disheveled, but he wasn't balding. I'm not bald! Are you blind? he screamed in his mind and quickened his pace. Before he knew it, he had reached where he needed to be.
Elyas opened the door of a small classroom, interrupting the teacher mid-sentence. "...Oh, I nearly thought you wouldn't show up sir. " The teacher, seemingly recognizing Elyas, said as he gestured for him to enter.
"Class, this is Mister Elyas…Uh, what was your last name?"
"Mortalle"
"Oh yes. This is Mister Elyas Mortalle everyone. He is a True Legacy and will be joining us as a student for the time being." The teacher introduced him to the class, fully expecting the chaos that it would create. But he didn't care much about that though, since he was busy staring at Elyas' face, seemingly finding the man familiar.
"A Legacy! A True Legacy! I'm not dreaming right?"
"But why would a Legacy be a student?"
"Aren't all of them insanely powerful? Why is this guy here?"
"Why is he so old?"
"Doofus, that's what True Legacies are, people from ancient times. What did you expect? Them to be our age?"
Elyas didn't even have the time to sit down before several conversations about him started. Listening attentively while avoiding the numerous glances directed at him, he found the answer to one of his recent questions.
Ancient… I never thought one day someone would say that to me and it would make sense…to be fully honest, I didn't expect to one day be in a classroom full of teenagers and children learning about magic either.
As Elyas was deciding which seat to pick, the teacher observed him quietly, stroking his long beard as he thought. Finally, a hint of recognition and what seemed to be resentment surfaced on his face. But he quickly composed himself and waited for the commotion to die down.
After a minute of heated discussion, class turned silent again. The teacher asked if anyone had any questions regarding what he had taught. This is an opportunity! I need to get answers… But asking the questions outright would make me look like a dumbass considering I'm expected to be an ancient, knowledgeable man...
After a short pause, Elyas came up with a simple question that hopefully would give him more answers than additional questions while also maintaining his image. Having the identity of a powerful figure could prove to be useful, he didn't want to lose it.
Elyas raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Mortalle?"
"I was wondering…Who is a Heartless? And can you explain them to us?"
The corners of the teacher's mouth twitched as he heard Elyas's question. "...Good question Mr, but I'm sure a man like yourself knows that already. Moreover, today's lesson is not focused on that and sadly it's a bit too advanced for—"
The teacher was explaining when he was met with the students' uproar and protest, demanding he tell them. They were as curious as Elyas about the matter after all. That was something Elyas took note of when he entered the classroom. His classmates loved anything related to Dreamers. The teacher looked at Elyas with scorn before he diverted his attention elsewhere and asked, "Do any of you know what Will is?"
Oh yes…wait what? will? What does that have to do with anything?
The classroom fell silent for a moment. Just like Elyas, nearly everyone had the same thought before a few students raised their hands. "Yes Cid, go on." The teacher said as he looked at the student that was now standing.
Cid nervously adjusted his glasses before speaking, "Will is the stored energy of a Dreamer's body. It accumulates in the heart, and is the fuel for all of their miraculous powers."
"Great job as always Cid. That is right. Some of you like him already know this from family members, but no shame if you don't. Knowledge about Dreamers isn't particularly easy to get." After hearing that, Cid sat in his chair before glancing towards Elyas at the back of the class. A silent question written all over the boy's face.
...what is up with him?
The teacher looked at the two's staring contest and continued with a few coughs. "Will is something that every Dreamer gets access to after they use their Wish. It can be utilised in a variety of ways, from augmenting a body part to something as simple as using their powers."
"T…Teach? " A student raised their hand.
"Yes? "
"Does the heart just store Will? "
"That's a good question, and a relevant one at that." The teacher said as he shot Elyas a piercing glance.
Why is he acting like I killed his father? I just asked a question.
"Short answer, no. The heart has another important role, other than keeping you alive, and that is to regenerate Will. Over time it'll slowly accumulate until it reaches the Dreamer's limit…which is decided by a variety of factors that are beyond today's lesson."
"As mentioned before, Will can be used for augmenting one's body parts and one of the most infamous Augmentation, is the heart. Augmentations are simple. A Dreamer only needs to draw their Will from the heart into the body part and keep it there for a set amount of time. Some can't do it since their control over their own Will isn't strong enough, but there is always outside help to remedy—"
"Mr. Anick?" A student raised their hand.
After a dramatic sigh, Anick responded, "...Yes?"
"Why is the heart Augmentation infamous?"
"I'm getting to it! For the love of the suns, you people can't wait for two seconds!" He shouted. After massaging his temples, he calmed down and continued.
"Augmentations require a Dreamer to focus their Will on the body part they want to modify. But what if that part already has Will in it? Well, that's where difficulties arise. A Dreamer needs to block their natural Will generation to not dilute the heart. Moreover, the time required for it is also not short, I think it was around a few days but I don't remember exactly."
"Even if you're done, this Augmentation isn't done with you. Because its main purpose is to remove the Dreamer's heart entirely."
What?! Remove? Doesn't—
"And no, it doesn't kill them." Anick said and paused, as if already done with his speech.
…Are you not going to elaborate?
As if able to read his mind, he abruptly added with a carefree tone: "…But it does make the Dreamer's life difficult by completely removing the ability to store Will. No need for worry though, there are workarounds that mostly rely on dangerous uncertainties like Sealed Artifacts or just give too minor of an improvement to be noticeable."
After soothing his voice with some water, he added: "Most of you are thinking why in the suns' would anyone do this, let alone a Dreamer who needs Will for their basic functions." Anick paused, giving the students ample time to come up with answers. But some already knew, and Elyas was one of them.
…
"It grants the Dreamer immortality. Elyas said it with the mischievous grin of a child, knowing full well that the entire class would become a chaotic warzone. In an instant, as if someone had set them on fire, the students' shouts and heated conversations started.
Anick was smiling as he watched the students jump around like embers. He always liked watching ideas and passion for knowledge spread. That was why he became a teacher in the first place… That and the good pay. But more than his love for teaching, was his hate towards one person.
In the corner of his eye, he could see a man watching the students with a listless attitude. Someone that should have been long dead. Someone that made his blood boil.
He was looking at Elyas.