"Thank you for joining us." Kakuja's smooth words did little to calm the chatty crowd. He raised his voice. "We are ready to begin!"
The front people settled, but the back was still as lively as ever.
"Quiet!" Bee Two's voice sounded like thunder.
The room fell silent. Noble hid her grin. She would have helped the young man, but it seemed that he already had the help he needed.
"Thank you for joining me for Memory Utilization. I am Awakened Kakuja. Welcome!" The young man smiled brightly. "How many of you have a Memory?"
Every hand rose in the room. Noble smirked. It seemed that Bee Two had coached him on her opening line.
"Great!" Kakuja clapped his delicate hands. "Today we are going to do something a little different here. You all may have noticed my little apparatus right here."
"The Memory Maker 3000." Bee Two waved synthetic fingers in front of the machine like it was a prize on an ancient game show.
"Don't be fooled by the name." Kakuja held up a finger of warning. "The memories you make will be the things you have learned, not items given by the Spell."
Noble could feel the excitement wane slightly at the statement. Free items would have been very nice. However, they were still quite interested in what the contraption might do.
Noble was interested also. She hadn't known they were working on a special presentation. If she had, the provost might have warned the pair against doing it during the first class. If it worked well, it would set a high expectation for future classes. If it fell flat, it would be extra memorable. But it was too late to give advice. She would have to let them make their own mistakes.
"That chamber over there is for you to see what your Memories can do without worrying about destroying your surroundings. This box is something else entirely."
He pulled out a pair of opaque glasses and placed them on his head.
"But just so you don't worry about the integrity of what I am doing. I will demonstrate how it works first. This chamber is powered by two things—a handy little charm integrated at the top of the box and soul essence. Lucky for you, I will be providing that second one."
"When it's your turn, you will put the glasses over your eyes, like so." Bee Two explained as Kakuja demonstrated. "Then summon the Memory that you would like to experiment with."
Kakuja called forth a comb. Noble's eyes opened a little wider. She had one almost exactly like it. How many of those Memories could there possibly be?!
"I will now step into the machine and activate it."
The instructor did as he explained. Bee Two closed the door and secured it. Three seconds passed. Besides an almost imperceptible glow from the charm on top of the box, nothing seemed to happen.
"Time!" Bee Two tapped a nonexistent watch at the wrist.
Opening the door, the android made way for the lone occupant of the small booth to exit.
Kakuja was running his comb through his long hair, which had grown nearly to the floor. His eyes sparkled as he pushed the goggles up onto his forehead.
"See? Perfectly safe. Inside there, nothing can harm you. You can learn more in that short time in that little box than your entire time at the Academy. That is, if you use it correctly."
Kakuja dismissed his comb, and his hair returned to its normal length.
He looked down at his stunning locks with a touch of regret. Shaking off the melancholy at his change in appearance, Kakuja spread his arms wide.
"Who would like to give it a try? I need someone who has a Memory that they want to experiment with but hasn't had the time to do it."
Dozens of hands lifted, some tentatively and others with gusto.
After careful consideration, Kakuja selected someone from the second row. The young man with black hair leaning towards purple and a mahogany complexion came to the front with a spring in his step. One gold eye and one black eye gazed confidently at the new teacher.
Kakuja welcomed him.
"Your name?"
"Lupus."
The instructor nodded.
"Please summon the Memory you would like to learn more about."
Sparks formed into twin swords.
Lupus held them out for Two Bee to scan. A light swept over them from the Android's eyes, and synthetic paper gave a readout for Kakuja to see.
"Very interesting! They are called [The Final Word]?"
"Yes. I got them in my First Nightmare." Lupus looked down at his blades with a somber expression.
"What do you need more time to learn?" Kakuja could provide plenty of information from the readout depending on what his student needed.
"I want time to learn how to wield dual blades. I can handle one or the other well enough, but mastering both will take years or more." Lupus sighed.
Kakuja nodded knowingly. "Mastery of that art can take a lifetime. I have another way."
"I'm listening." Lupus inclined his head.
"First, put on the goggles," Bee Two instructed.
"Allow me." Kakuja took them from his head. As he adjusted the strap, he leaned over and whispered something in Lupus's ear. The pair had a hushed conversation before Lupus gave a determined nod. "I understand, and I accept."
The men shook hands, and Lupus allowed the goggles to be placed on his head. A moment later, he entered the large box, and Bee Two secured him inside.
Kakuja touched the side of the box. His expression clouded as he focused.
"We are ready."
"Timer is set. Begin!" Bee Two held up one finger on cue.
'Quite dramatic.' Noble couldn't help but appreciate the theatrics of it all. Having spent years as a Dreamscape champion, the artistry of showmanship was not lost on her.
Each movement was intentional and strategic to draw in the students. Noble was glad the pair was using their power for good, or else they would have made very convincing conmen.
'Conman and con-bot?'
This time, the pause was longer. Nearly a minute passed without the chamber changing at all. Kakuja kept his hand on the wooden side, never letting his mind waver. While sweat hadn't formed on his brow, Noble felt that if he kept up what he was doing, then the new instructor would soon be drenched. Two more minutes passed, making the students restless.
"Time!" Bee Two finally announced.
A murmur passed around the room. While longer than the first time, a minute was hardly enough to master such an intricate skill.
"Open the chamber," Kakuja told the Android.
Bee Two gave a mechanical bow and threw open the latch. The door flew open, and gasps filled the air. An elderly man with silver streaks in his hair and dark complexion stepped out of the chamber. He sheathed the swords and stepped out of the confined space before pulling off the goggles.
Two mismatched eyes looked out at the classroom, accompanied by a wrinkled, weathered smile.
"It's good to see you all again."
There was no mistaking who this old man could be.