Hale Academy: University of Sui Generis (Vol. I)

Chapter 11: Of Princes and Lost Keys I (...Contd.)

"BAH!!!!"

Marcia almost dropped her cup of tea she'd been served in lull of silence. The tinkling of china the only sound as the sheriff and Zen faced off silently. Only for the man's loud guffaw of laughter shook the room, at least she hadn't spilled her tea, going by the other three, who were equally surprised, their clothes and the table was drenched in remnants of tea.

"Hahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah....."

Marcia raised a brow and waited the man out as he devolved into a coughing fit that had Rosalia handing the man a glass of water.

"Ah just what I wanted to hear my boy", he stressed the last word, "Come", he said and stood up, startling almost all of them, the siblings rushed to stand and his wife sat rigidly.

"You can't be serious", she hissed shocked.

Ignoring her the man reached for his son, grabbed his arms and pulled him into a hug hard enough to rattle bones, he then moved back and hummed;

"I have been waiting for this day, for a long time", he smiled brightly, "Since the moment you were born. Unlike your sister, we feared you would not make it through the night, but you did, and now, look at you", he clapped his son hard on the back and grinned, "An Ascendant", he gushed laughing again joyfully, "I am so proud", his smile not wavering and inch. "Though you must know as a Normal or Mundane, you would have been accepted, right?" he asked quietly, making way through the parlor and out to the main corridor through which they had earlier walked.

Marcia followed, close enough to hear that question and effusive praise.

"I know", Zen answered smiling softly, "Of that I have no doubt", he confessed easily.

"Good", John nodded and then hummed, he stopped in front of a door and hummed, "You three wait here", he ordered and waited as Zen and Marcia stepped into the room, "I suggest if there is something you wish to send your brother off with, then you prepare it now", he addressed his older children dismissing them simply, and then turning to his wife who seemed ready to put up some kind of fight, everything about her put Marcia on edge, she wasn't entirely sure why.

"Hey", Zen hissed.

Marcia turned to him as he gestured and moved to the other side of the room, "What's wrong?" she asked as they waited on John and Rosalia to talk it out on the other side of the door.

Zen frowned, "About my mother", he paused, "She seems off? Are you something like James? A creature or is impolite to ask?" he asked warily.

"It isn't impolite, some people just don't ask, their curiosity is fixated on their own Ascendant connection. I have been an Ascendant now for fifty years, it still has me learning new gifts and tidbits of knowledge that isn't pre-described if I were born as a witch or warlock or elf or any of the current races", she explained eyeing the windows and the room.

It was a simple study, despite the man's clear title as sheriff of the Original Tovio Den; it spoke volumes of the man's sense of style and credibility.

A bookcase from floor to the high arched ceiling, in Mahogany wood lined the wall opposite the door they'd entered, covered in books. A lot of them marked and entitled as Law books and Criminology books.

A simple wooden desk, available in most government offices sat in front of the bookcase, facing the door, a plush leather chair with an arched back, seemed to be the most majestic furniture in the room. The tufted red leather the only color available, in the room, oddly in contrast with the tower of white documents piled high on the man's otherwise empty desk.

Zen stood next to the tower and hummed, "So you can't sense what's wrong with her?" he asked picking up one of the pieces of papers and rolling his eyes at whatever was written on the document.

"Oh I can, I'm just saying I'm not a creature like James. James belongs to the Element group of Darkness, quite like the young one you sent with your friend, the Frenchman", she stated, "Ash, was it?" she frowned shaking her head and then continued; "On the other hand, I am of the Element Light and am an Angel. I am not at liberty to tell you which Angel, but of the Supreme Beings in the Heavenly abode, I am an Angel of Light and Healing. Which certainly makes me sensitive to people's emotions, and you are correct, for having no magic as of yet, you are very sensitive", she hummed curiously.

"Well I am an Opsimath Mundane, I'm sensitive to magic, I just don't have the power to wield it and unlike my siblings I wasn't born in a shower of glowing lights", he muttered, "It just makes me sensitive to surrounding that have a lot of magic, which would explain why my skin carried a constant buzz on the Academy grounds", he muttered half to himself.

"Hm", Marcia nodded somewhat amused, "Anyway to answer your question, it seems your mother is on edge, maybe she doesn't want the baby of her family to leave the nest just yet", she stated as she turned towards the windows, that faced the entrance of the house clearly. Or what she assumed was the entrance if the incredibly long driveway was anything to go by. It could very well have been the garage given the number of cars lining one side of the graveled path.

//Anyway…//

Zen picked up another "Nope, can't be that. I don't think my mother is someone who is that sensitive", he muttered and then sighed heavily, "Something's off", he whispered and then looked up, he frowned as his father raised his voice once and then continued arguing with his mother, "Anyway, it looks like it'll be awhile, you may want to make yourself comfortable", he stated and sighed again, he settled down at his father's desk and started muttering to himself, "Seriously?" he asked himself and then picked up an old pen from the desk to start marking lines across the document.

"Oh wait, are you allowed to do that?" Marcia stepped up hurriedly.

Zen paused and then looked down at the document, he'd already marked. "Well maybe not officially, but I have done part-time jobs as a clerk at the sheriff's station. I'm not paid in cash since I'm underage, though I know the deputies and Venerer Hunter Specialists have an account setup for all three of us", he muttered as he set the paper aside and picked up another one.

Marcia sighed, and "I give up", she huffed, "Be it on your own head to be disciplined by your family accordingly. And so what are you marking down?" she asked as she peered at the document frowning at the nonsensical words.

// What language even is that?//

Zen hummed, "If you're wondering why you can't discern the English on the documents, there's a spell on the ink that was used to print them. A few years ago, someone hacked into the main office and let's just say it did not end well for a few of the deputies on-site", he muttered as he went through the paperwork a bit like a machine. "Dad called in a specialist and she cast a spell on everything that basically spelled, 'For Your Eyes Only' and it's color-coded accordingly. Green for dad or any sheriff really, blue for the deputies, black for Hunter Specialists and Red for all Venerers cases that are Urgent. These are budget proposals, and more than half of them are seriously stupid. For example this one, Spiritual Elder Jacobson is requesting we construct a shine with the allocated government expenses to create a Zen garden of sorts, basically a lot of blah-blah bullshit, wrapped around technical jargon and masked around enough words to confuse a person, and make it look like he's asking for an area of Cleansing For Rituals", he muttered at length.

"And?" Marcia asked, "Why is that a waste of government resources?" she asked confused. "Spiritual Cleansing is required for most spells involving complicated rituals and having an area of zen or a clean organized area is required", she pointed out dryly.

"Hm", Zen hummed as he continued easily ignoring her.

"Zen!" she scolded.

"It just is poppy-c**k", he sassed even as he continued going through the stack of documents, "If it had been anyone else I would have believed them and dad would have signed this and handed it in to the Town Council, it would have been approved", he shrugged simply.

"That doesn't answer anything. And when did you become British?" she muttered exhaling roughly, at this point well versed in his eccentricities.

"How? So I say this, Jacobson is just not someone who would be in need of zen", he muttered vaguely concentrating mostly on the paperwork in front of him.

"Why?" she asked again completely confused.

"It's because you haven't met the man".

Marcia looked up as the sheriff finally stepped into the room, having finished the argument with his wife, he closed the door and then sighed, and "~Zen~ we've been over this, you aren't actually supposed to be doing my paperwork you know", he huffed settling in the seat opposite his seat.

"Well if you combed through these regularly, you wouldn't have the imitation of the leaning tower of Pisa on your desk", Zen answered ignoring the man's exasperation.

John huffed and then turned to Marcia, "And so I have a few questions, but first to assuage you of my son's principles, he's not a bad guy he just knows Jacobson very well. That man is not remotely what you would call 'Calm' and or 'Serene', his entire personality is made up of chaos, and well it's exhausting just being in the same room as him. Every single ritual he's ever conducted has left blood splatter on something or the other, walls, floors, the ceiling, mostly on his own self. The man revels in gruesome", he grimaced recalling the last month's disastrous ritual.

"Well that explains a lot", Marcia muttered with a barely concealed scowl.

"All I can say is the only reason he's even requesting a space, is because blood or whatever has seeped into his other spaces and the area probably stinks, who knows, I don't like the guy but he's one of the Elders that govern over the outskirts of this Tovio Den, the most I can do is try not to get in his way and indulge him, enough not rattle anyone else's cage", he explained.

"Sounds fun", Marcia muttered dryly.

John nodded, "Bureaucratic nonsense, always is", he huffed and then sighed heavily.

"You have questions?" Marcia asked softly redirecting the man's attention.

"Oh", he sat up again, "The school, does it provide housing and board or does ~Zen~ end up commuting?" he asked quietly.

Marcia paused, "Traditionally we prefer the seven selected Ascendants to remain on campus for at least the first year. They need to assimilate to the school and each other including their Ascendant gift in a area that allows us the opportunity and ability to be close by in case of an emergency", she explained.

"Emergency? What kind of Emergency?" John frowned warily.

"It's not always a problem, but there have been Ascendants in the past that have ended up in mini-comas when they get stuck during their spirit-transitions", she explained.

"Isn't that harmful?" John asked worried.

"Not really we have healers and shamans on standby that help provide a guiding light. Several of our Ascendants have had the help provided easily", she stated reassuringly.

"I see do you personally know these people who have gotten stuck?"

"Sure she does", Zen answered as he continued marking something on a paper, "Fiona happens to be one of them, and I'm guessing the guy in the top-hat, had some issues to", he muttered to himself.

Marcia gaped at them, "How does he even know that?" she asked John who shrugged amused and then turned to Zen, "How do you even know that?" she demanded.

"Instinct", Zen answered automatically.

John laughed amused, "You'll find that's an answer he'll give you a lot. It will rarely if ever makes senses, and will certainly making you want to pull your hair out!" he chuckled again as the woman gave up and sat down on the seat beside him. "Question No. 2", John started sobering and hummed, "Room and Board all paid for? Or do we have a tuition we need to pay for?" he asked quietly.

Zen looked up sharply and Marcia shook her head.

"Ascendants are essentially all scholarship students", she informed, "Fully paid", she explained.

"Probably because we pay through the missions we'd have to be a part of in our second year", Zen teased cheekily.

"Well nothing in life actually is for free", Marcia stated simply.

"True", John nodded. "Now on to more important matters", he stood up. "Stop that kiddo", he ordered albeit gently.

Zen hummed and put his pen down, "Fine", he whined, "But you're really need a secretary", he huffed as he pouted at the remaining papers on the desk.

Marcia sighed, "Well if its paperwork you like, you could always help James, that kid couldn't complete his paperwork on time even if you tied him to the chair", she huffed rolling her eyes.

Zen snorted, "I'll take that under advisement", he stated amused.

"Amusing", John huffed, "Something tells me I don't want to know who this James person is", he huffed and at both of them turning to him quizzically, he muttered, "Fatherly Instinct", he half-joked.

Zen rolled his eyes and Marcia hummed;

"Instinct huh, never thought I would hate that word", she grumbled to herself.

Zen sniggered and John shook his head.

"Anyway, we should talk about our family's legacy then", he stated and beckoned Zen closer.

"Our Family's Legacy?" Zen asked.

"Yes", John answered and handed him an intricately marked box, "The Key to our Kingdom of Darini", he said and pushed the box into his kid's utterly befuddled hands.

"Wha—" Zen sputtered exchanging a genuinely startled glance with Marcia.

"Ah so this is what that feeling is?" John stated smugly as his son stared at him still sputtering.

//Revenge is sweet!//

xXxXx

Author's Note: 03-01-2021 >>

Happy New Year!!!! The new chapter will be released tonight, please be patient and THANK YOU FOR READING!!!