In times of great upheaval, children would cling to stories of mighty monarchs, wondrous warriors, and legendary legions scattered across lands far and wide, stomping out all evil wherever it may rise. Lo, such tales told are merely a watered-down countenance, crafted from the purest marble, as a means of shielding the truth. Despite attempts to silence it, the truth will inevitably be known. The Glorious elements do not always save the World; in fact, they are often due to the inglorious monsters.
"In this World, there beams an everlasting question called fate, and its many mechanisms that seem to navigate, or at times dictate the actions of others. Well, the only thing certain is that actions always have consequences. All the same, that is why we don't talk about the things that are meaningless drivel." The man said as he laid his textbook on the table. Finishing his long-winded explanation to the students in front of him. The bell rang, and the students then departed, leaving the classroom vacant.
Students, knowing they weren't that far away from the classroom, said aloud, "Why do we need to take a class from that old loser?"
Wigbrand "Brand" Rafe, a tall but thin man, with tired, dimmer eyes, and in them lay a deep, dark brown; they appear red in certain light. He has deep black hair and a patchy shadow on his face. Rafe struggled to consistently keep his students' attention, especially given that he was the lowest-ranked and was said to be the most worthless teacher at the "Institute of Trinity." A long-held higher place of learning and silent experiment, meant to bring the bickering houses together and to enhance mystical and martial capabilities.
Day in and out, year after year, time took a toll upon him, the stress, neglect, and pain that had been put upon him. His daily routine was to move from one lecture to the next. Holding on to the vague hope of regaining the spark he lost, Rafe is stuck in his current position due to many objections and neglect. He wandered the halls, finding his way into the school cafeteria to gain something to sustain himself. While walking, students everywhere once again parted ways and refused to come into contact with him, as if he were a plague. Going into a table in the corner, a routine place where no one would dare bother him. Reaching into his rugged lapel pocket, he pulled out some coins and placed them on the table. A few seconds later, the coins disappeared, and a meager bit of rice porridge with bits of meat appeared before him. With a deep breath, he bowed his head, gave thanks for his food, and began to eat. Tolerating the background conversations and the occasional glimpse from some of the students, he tried to enjoy his meal.
At the end of the day, Rafe found his way back into his cramped little shack just on the outskirts of the school. He would wander in, looking into the day's events in every sad, tedious detail. Looking at one particular door, Rafe would walk up to it, lean his head against the wood, and feel his past regrets surface. Slowly collapsing, as his head would grind against the grain of the door. Downtrodden, feeling guilt and sadness washing freely over him. All the while knowing full well his time would never come, he shuffled into his pocket, grabbed a cigarette and a lighter, and lit up, letting the smoke fill his space. All the while, he forever screams, and no one hears a sound.
The next day, Rafe arrives at work as usual and goes through the motions on his way to his office. Letting his eyes seem like dolls, as he keeps going through. That is, until he wound up at a teacher meeting, where everyone arrived wanting to know what the situation was. Then the three came out, gaining everyone's attention, and they were the Wikan sisters. Sera is a long, rose-haired, voluptuous beauty who is the Head Principal. Maria, a tall, short-haired brunette beauty, is the Assistant Principal. Then the youngest, dirty-blonde, single, pony-tailed girl, named Cassandra, is the Superintendent. From Rafe's perspective, aside from the hairstyles and the attire they wear for their respective roles. They each wear black glass lenses and dark clothing, which makes them look the same. Especially, how they seem to synchronize.
Sera then began with, "Thank you all for coming." She said in a clear voice without needing to raise an octave.
Maria, "We are happy to announce that we will be gaining more students this year."
Cassandra, with a snap of her fingers, summoned a massive sheet of paper. On the surface, written-out names hung over her head for everyone to see. Rafe slowly let the events play out before him, hardly ever caring about what the rules and regulations were for this coming time.
About an hour or two past then, the meeting was brought to a close. As everyone began to file out, Cassandra appeared before Rafe out of nowhere. Not long after, stopping him from leaving, Sera and Maria appeared at his side. Rafe merely gave a deep, heavy sigh. "I'll start clearing out my personal items."
"No," the sisters said in unison.
Rafe, then perplexed by the situation, asked, "If I'm not being removed, then why are you surrounding me?"
"Beginning..." Cassandra said
"...Middle..." Sera
"...End." Maria
Rafe merely stood straighter with a sigh and, with a tired look, realized the three had something to say.
"My time is done, soul burned away, find another to walk into the fray," Rafe said without being serious.
" We since the power.." Cass said
"...we since the pain..." Sera
"...we since the party."Maria
"What do you want me to do about it? Above my pay grade, and I have nothing left to give." Rafe responded in a flat voice.
"The welcoming ball is in a month and a fortnight, and I need you to be there for the students." Sera
"Specifically, the ones who scorn you so deeply." Maria
"For there is a shift in the World, and your true self can only remain buried if you choose."
"There is no true self; there is only the self with all the details to it," Rafe responded.
Cassandra then shook her head, "At least make sure you have what is necessary. For the ones who intend to show off."
"Ladies, those times are gone, they're never coming ba..." Rafe then looked down and realized "...OH! It's already happening."
All three nodded at the same time.
***
BOOM! BANG! BAM!
Alarms screamed aloud as people struggled to find safety. She merely glided towards the shop where her tool was supposed to be. Knowing full well that the fire was caused by something long since lost its will to live. She found her way through two large vault doors that were several lengths high and all the more thick. With the wave of her hand, the doors blew back inwards and lodged into the back walls.
Typing away, the man finished his entry and slowly turned to face the lady. Sitting up straight and smiling behind thick spectacles. The girl merely glared at the old man, a slight knot on her brow. A moment of silence between the two had passed for what had seemed like an eternity.
With a smack in his mouth, the man said, "The system has only activated; the time is coming, and your forbears agreed to the system for when it was tripped."