"Lupus?!" A student cried out in horror.
"In the flesh," the man with the goggles chuckled.
"But you're so…old!"
Lupus shook his head. "Trust me, I feel it."
"Did you learn how to use your Memory?" Kakuja didn't seem bothered by the stark change in his student.
The old Awakened nodded. "It took a while, but I got it."
Handing Kakuja the goggles, Lupus crossed his arms and drew both blades. The swords whipped around him with blinding speed and moved with such ease that they looked like an extension of him.
After his display, he sheathed the swords with one easy, elegant motion.
"That is quite an improvement indeed." Kakuja was clearly pleased with the results. He turned to the class. You may be wondering how that was possible. I will explain. The charm that powers the box can alter the passage of time. What seemed like a minute for us was years for Lupus. Thanks to the goggles that work like a Dreamscape simulation, he has been practicing to become an expert for a very long time."
"You made him instantly old?" The other students were horrified.
"That's the best part!"
Kakuja gave Lupus a subtle nod. The old man dismissed his swords. The visage of the elderly Awakened instantly reversed to Lupus's more familiar face. With the swords, the years also disappeared.
But his memories of years of practice remained.
Lupus returned to his seat, no older but many years wiser.
A hush fell over the room as they watched him sit. What had happened?
"When Lupus dismissed his Memory, the condition I applied to the situation was fulfilled, and I was able to create the equivalent of the time loop. While I could never do that over years, since it would require far too much essence, I was able to turn back a minute. But a minute for me was a lifetime for Lupus thanks to our machine. Now, time is literally of the essence—my essence, that is!"
Upon hearing his words, the room erupted with excitement.
"He can turn back time?"
"That's insane!"
"Imagine if I had more time to try out my throwing stars. I would be the most deadly Awakened in two worlds by the time of the solstice!"
"It's like time travel. Coupled with these Dreamscape goggles, you could do almost anything!"
The clamor rose until Kakuja raised his hand. Having seen his power, they now had a good reason to respect him and quieted of their own accord.
"Just like the other chamber, you will have to make an appointment to use this one. But I hope you will. I would love to help as many of you as possible before the Solstice comes."
"Sign-ups will open after the class has concluded," Bee Two added.
"That is correct. Now…"
Kakuja continued with his lesson, and Noble continued to take notes. Although he was nervous, the young man didn't show it in his expression.
'He feels more confident with them than he did with me. He was quick to try and please me and Bee Two, but here he is showing who is in the lead.'
That had been a concern for Noble, but it seemed to have been unfounded. When the class finally concluded, the students raced to claim the first spots with the new machine.
Noble approached her protege with a smile. "You finished your first seminar. How do you feel?"
Kakuja pushed back his glossy golden locks. "In a word? Tired. What did you think? I am guessing that you have some notes for me?"
"Those can wait for another day. Overall, you did very well! No one left feeling like they wasted their time." Noble encouraged him.
"I trained him, so of course he did well." Bee Two clicked a synthetic tongue. "Kakuja is an ideal assistant for me."
"You make a very good pair. I really thought I would need to step in, but everything was handled beautifully." Noble was too pleased to feel jealous about how easily the two had found a rhythm.
"I did my best to make you proud, Master Noble." Kakuja was openly elated. For once, his face matched the emotions underneath.
Noble's smile grew. "Mission accomplished. Congratulations!"
"Does this mean I can run your seminars?" The young man pressed his hands together expectantly.
"I would still like to sit in a few more times and discuss my notes, but I feel quite confident that you will be taking the bulk of my classes very soon. I will still want to teach some, of course."
"Of course! The Academy wouldn't be the same without lectures from such high-caliber Awakened. I hope to attend your next one myself." Kakuja placed his hand firmly on his heart.
"I look forward to it. But first, rest. I can only imagine how much essence that demonstration took from you. I hope you have staggered those appointments so that you don't completely exhaust yourself."
"I appreciate the concern. I will be careful." Kakuja bowed with a flourish. His long robes billowed.
"Good. We will discuss things tomorrow." Noble collected her things to go. "One question, though. Why did you call it the Memory Maker 3000?"
"Products with numbers are considered to be of superior quality by humans." Bee Two explained.
Noble furrowed her brow. "Why three thousand?"
"It's clearly the best number. Surely that needs no explanation." Bee Two's eyes rolled upwards.
"I haven't fully tested it, but I think that upper limit of the charm can cram up to three thousand hours into a second." Kakuja glanced at the android and coughed. "I mean, it's the best number, certainly."
"Whatever you call it, it works splendidly." Noble hid her grin. She left quickly before she accidentally stirred up a controversy.
She caught the young man's parting words as she headed out the door.
"She liked it! She really liked it!"
Noble was still smiling as she reached the Jade Palace and tucked one of her most familiar Memories behind her ear. When she came within range, her voice practically sang in her head.
"Honey, I'm almost home!"
There was a slight pause before she heard a response. "So soon? Is everything alright?"
Noble shook her head. "Everything is better than alright. I finally caught up on all the paperwork, and Kakuja taught an amazing first class. I can't wait to tell you all about it!"
"That's wonderful! I'm home, but I'm sure you've already figured that out. I'll whip up something special this evening. The boys will be very happy to see you. I'm included in those boys, by the way, though my elation might be expressed differently." Fort's cheeky comment caused Noble to blush.
"I'm happy to see all of you too. This evening, I'm all yours."
"Be careful what you promise!" The ambassador chuckled. "I am going to hold you to it!"
"That's what I'm counting on." Had Fort been able to see her, Noble would have winked. As it was, she sighed happily. For all that was wrong with the world, today had been pretty perfect.
And the best part of it still awaited her.
With a grin, Noble pressed into her speed. Her family was waiting for her.