"So explain to me how the city that asked for help ended up destroyed. I remember you guys saying this will be an easy mission. So did it end up with many people killed and a student in the hospital?", Mercer questioned as he narrowed his eyes at Lyra as she fidgeted under his stare.
"Sir", the teacher in the room spoke up. "It was my respon-"
"Quiet", Mercer interrupted. "Instructor Kael when addressed you will speak. I assigned you a group of students. Now one lay in the hospital, and I need to remind you that the entire village was destroyed. So you explain to me why you weren't there to protect these students from any of the given dangers. "
Kael stood up bowing to Mercer. "Headmaster it is my lack of attention that led to this, I thought since it was a simple mission asking to help find animals I thought they wouldn't need me to be there."
"No it wasn't from lack of attention it was from lack of care! You decided to go home to visit your wife instead of caring about the students.", shouted Mercer with his hand, slapping his desk with major force. "I assign you simple tasks yet you guys constantly fail at every turn."
"I don't think that's fair sir", Kael argued. Frown on his face as he straightened up from the bow. "Truly thought it was a group of wolves or something simple they could've handled without my help."
"What to know what's not fair, the students whose parents had to bury their children from", Mercer scolded. Nodding his head in disappointment at the teacher in front of him.
The reply deflated Kael as he sat back down in the chair reflecting on his actions. What would've happened if that was his child that was in the hospital would he be calm. What if it was his child whose teacher decided to fail his students, like he did. Kael clenched his fist in regret at realizing why Mercer was so angry.
"I had soldiers have the remains of multiple villagers' bodies, houses crashed. Yet you think you can sit here and lecture me.", Mercer continued his anger in tone as he glared at Kael. "How dare you come in here lecturing me when you couldn't even bother to show up to a job."
"I.. Sir…", Kael trailed off as he saw the look on Mercer's face.
Lyra looked in shock at the anger on Mercer's face. She has never seen him this angry before. Lyra looked down at lap, guilt on her face since she had a part to play in Sami getting injured again.
"Leave!", Mercer demanded in his tone, offering no reply.
Both Kael and Lyra quickly bowed before leaving Mercer's office. Shutting the door softly behind them as Mercer gripped the edge of his desk tightly.
"Lyra I'm sorry for not going with you guys on the mission", Kael sighed as they both began making their way down the stairs from the office.
Lyra shrugged not really knowing what to say. While the majority of the blame could be at Kael's hands for not protecting them. Lyra also allowed the group to split up, maybe things could've gone differently if she was there to help Sami fight.
Lyra couldn't help but think of what happened with her last group, how Gin died saving her. How Poke was in coma for a month due to the Gbahali. Sami, while a fast learner, just recently began his training.
It's been less than two months and he has already fought vampires, the minotaur, and now whatever creature left that huge hole in the ground. Lyra wasn't jealous of Sami, well not much. His learning curve is something to be jealous of. It took her years of training that he achieved in just a month.
"Lyra", Kael called.
Breaking her from her thoughts as she looked at him. "Yes?'Lyra whispered.
"It's not your fault what happened, I take full responsibility for the injuries you the others have taken.", Kael declared with his fist clenching as he turned to go down a different hallway.
"You know it's funny everyone wants to apologize after something happens. Yet never wants to be around to stop it from happening", Lyra scoffed. "Keep your apology, I'll tell you the same thing I told Anna. I don't need your help, nor your guidance. You're all useless anyways."
Kael stopped walking after hearing that, his face in shock as he looked at Lyra. Lyra already continued on walking after giving her speech, her feet taking towards the hospital wing.
"Lyra, wait", Kael said. Trying to get her to stop so they can talk.
Lyra ignored him as she continued on. In heart she knew the academy had been nothing but a let down. With it just a breeding ground for incompetence and death.
It feels like this school is trying to take everything from her as time goes. First it was her brother Gin, now Sami keeps almost dying. Sigh maybe she was the one's cursed. Even her parents died from being around her.
These thoughts keep circling Lyra's mind as she quickly makes her way to the hospital room.
The world began to turn dark as a ball of shadows was thrown at Zoe. No matter how fast she ran, the ball was closely following behind her. The heat made her scream as it finally made contact with her.
Woke up, leaning forward from the chair she was sitting on. Her face matted with sweat and she tried to take deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She glanced around the room, noticing the sun outside dimmed.
Zoe sat by Sami's bedside as she started working on a new project. Welp more of updating an old project. After Sami used her gauntlets to block the dark sphere, the ones he had on shattered. Using this project as a way to help her stop the thoughts from the attack that happened.
She decided to improve upon the last model with new material that is much more lightweight and switched the gauntlets to fingerless gloves. It'll be just as durable(at least as durable as she could make it right now.) She also wanted to add in magic redirection ruins, that'll allow Sami to discharge any built up energy.
After seeing that fight Zoe realized she isn't cut out to be in the field. Her hands began to shake as she tried to keep calm. That energy felt so wrong, so evil. Most of the students thought being a Knight was fun and games.
Yet Zoe saw the truth, hell the truth is laying in the bed right in front of her. Being a knight is about sacrificing, about facing down the evils of the world. The majority of the students can't even face a little adversity, let alone face down a group of monsters.
Zoe's hands slowly stopped shaking as her breaths calmed down. She slowly began to write the runes needed on the gloves as time began to tick by. After about thirty minutes the hospital doors opened as footsteps began to hurriedly march across the floor.
"Ugh you turned his whole bed into a workshop Pixel", Lyra sarcastically stated as plumped down in the chair on the other side of Zoe.
"Pixel?", Zoe inquired.
"Yeah it's your nickname", Lyra answered as she leaned back into the chair.
"Okay but why?", Zoe was confused as she glanced at Lyra.
Lyra shrugged as she looked at the gloves Zoe was writing on. "All my friends get nicknames. Besides the point, what are you working on?"
"The gauntlets I made broke when I first used them so I'm now making new ones that are smaller and can be used better.", Zoe explained.
"Oh interesting, I bet he'd love those. No matter how much I tried to get him to use weapons he prefers his fist.", Lyra muttered.
"Welp hopefully these new gloves will allow him to not only hit harder but also use his magic much more freely. I studied the runes on the necklace he had and I'm including those in the gloves as well", Zoe added.
"Hmm, I forgot he had the magic inhibitor on. I remember our trainer gave it to him to help with his abilities. His magic was growing so strong that his body couldn't contain it. It didn't help either that his ghost ability actually damages his body the more he uses it.", Lyra commented.
"Interesting, I need to learn more on how his abilities work", Zoe exclaimed.
Zoe not having anything else to add to the conversation turned her attention back to the gloves. As Lyra began to fall asleep in the chair.
Zoe didn't ask about her conversation with the Headmaster because she felt like Lyra was already pissed when she came in. It just feels the school has been going down in quality over the years, but Zoe still held out hope that things could turn around.