Chapter 9

The cane tapped lightly against the cobblestone as I walked across Main Street toward the Academy. Lights filtered from open windows, bathing the street in a pale light. The sun had vanished, and there was hardly any light offered by the canopy of the First Floor above.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

I listened to the familiar sound of the cane, admiring the town's silence after the shopkeepers had returned to their homes on the Origin Floor. There were many who stuck around, having turned the upper floors of their shops into lodgings, but most found it beneath them to stay here.

A few guards were present here and there along the sidewalk, but most were lazily resting on the benches or playing dice in the well-lit areas. Crime wasn't common on the First Floor... at least not on Main Street, and the guards wouldn't risk their lives stalking through the unlit backstreets at night.

The tapping of my cane drew the attention of one of the nearby groups, but they just nodded when they noticed the Academy uniform beneath my gear. I greeted them in return and continued on my way.

Rather than taking the side entrance closest to the dorms, I decided to take the cobblestone walk that connected Main Street to one of the four major entrances of the Academy. I didn't want to get my new boots muddy, after all.

As I approached, I looked up at the north gate, which consisted of two slightly leaning pillars supporting an arch-like structure on top. Many facets of the Academy still held these ancient structures, which we were told warded the area from corruption. I'd never heard of such a thing, and they weren't even Relics.

Two heavily armored guards stepped out from behind the pillars as I approached, spears held out. I pulled out my registration card, which clearly showed the Academy's stamp of two golden shields hovering around a silver Card.

The guards pulled back their weapons, and one held out his hand for my identification. I handed it over without fuss and watched as he promptly pressed a piece of Demon Glass to the corner. The Demon Glass lit up, giving off a dull, silver glow.

"You may pass," the guard nodded and handed back my registration, the slit in his helmet showing soft eyes rather than the aggressive ones he'd had before. "May the Tower's light shine upon you."

I scratched my chin, thinking he must have seen my status as a scholarship student. Though I was given hell by the students in the Academy, the working class tended to see scholarship students as their representation amongst the greats.

"What a fine gentleman," I smiled and moved toward the dormitory, passing the open gate of the Academy as I reached the courtyard. There was a nip in the air...

I stopped and looked around. My instincts warned me that something wasn't right. My breath escaped in harsh bursts, steam forming on my lips as the temperature continued to drop. The water in the fountain started to freeze, and I struggled to take another step...

"He... Hehe... Heheh..."

A child's laughter echoed throughout the courtyard, followed by the sound of a bouncing ball. The noise faded in and out of existence, making it hard to pin down. I swallowed involuntarily.

The hair on my arms and neck gradually rose, and a cold sweat trickled down my back. It took immense effort, but I forced myself to dig my nails into my palms. Blood trickled as my nails dug into my skin, but I managed to break free from the fear effect the laughter had incited.

I turned and looked at the Academy's entrance, the fear gone and a smile back on my face, "It'll be your turn soon enough, dear boy."

With that, I left the courtyard, the tapping of my cane resuming as I made my way to the dorms. For good measure, I cast heal to stop the bleeding, the light alerting a hunched-over figure that sat beside the doorway of the dormitory.

"Oi! Who're you?" He asked loudly, uncaring of the residents sleeping inside. "You ought to know students ain't s'posed to be about at night."

I smiled at the old miser. The caretakers of the grounds would regularly opt as doorkeepers in the evenings to keep the students in check... In exchange for extra compensation, of course. This fellow, in particular, was here almost every night working on getting that Essence... and after dealing with snobby students for so many years, he naturally became a bit of an arse.

Ignoring the custodian for a moment, I glanced at the windows that were visible from this side of the building, seeing that there were more candles burning than usual. The Academy never bothered paying the Church of Liberation to paint Blood Circuits throughout the dorms, saying, ' Students have to understand discipline. There won't be such conveniences on the higher Floors.'

"You deaf, lad?" The man asked again, though it had been less than a second since he'd spoken the first time. Though I usually wouldn't be bothered, I'd been through a lot over the last forty hours, and his lack of decorum managed to sully my mood.

"Rowan Wilder, Sir," I said tersely, showing my registration.

"Hmmm, Mistah Wildah..." The man opened a hefty tome that sat beside a glowing Relic on his station. "Ahh, yes, you din't show up las' night either. I 'ad to take a chewin' from ol' bat Warren I did. Where's abouts was you?"

​ Rubbing my temples, I candidly replied, "Hunting."

"Hunting, eh? Fer two days?" The man scoffed in disbelief but wrote the information on the page under my name anyway. Dark purple ink seeped into the page and seemingly disappeared. I knew that a similar book in the Headmaster's office would document the note. "It's past curfew, ya know?"

"What an astute observation," I said in a praising tone. It wasn't like this man had anything else to do. He would sit here for the rest of the evening, twiddling his thumbs. "Sir, your powers of perception are astounding."

Not detecting the sarcasm laden within my words, the caretaker grinned widely, his mood changing. I sighed in exasperation, not caring to bother with the man any longer. Nodding to the temperamental man, I pulled out my keys and entered the dormitory. Before I shut the door behind me, I could see that the custodian had laid his head on the tome, using it as a cushion to get some sleep.

The male dormitory consisted of three floors. The first included the entryway, a large common area, and a small library, along with the ornate wraparound steps that led up. This was the nicest of the accommodations and was only meant for those who'd reached their tenth and final year at the Academy.

As I stepped off the stairs onto the second floor, I noticed that many of the rooms were open, an odd sight for it being after midnight. Students rushed back and forth with pages in their hands, calling out answers to other students' questions.

It seemed that the final exams in the morning had everyone worked up. That wasn't surprising since if one failed to score 50 points or above, the Academy insignia would be removed from their registration, and they wouldn't receive the Card reward that most had been working toward.

I reached my own closed door among the sea of open ones, placed my cane under my arm, and fiddled with the ring of keys until I found the right one. About the time I'd unlocked the door and turned the knob, someone tapped lightly on my shoulder.

"Hey... uh, Rowan," a somewhat sheepish but recognizable voice sounded behind me. I turned with my eyebrow raised, seeing my classmate Luke standing behind me, scratching the back of his head. Already in a foul mood due to the old codger outside, I knew I probably looked annoyed at his approach.

"What can I do for you, lad?" I asked, trying to ease the tense muscles in my face. It wasn't easy.

He looked at me like I'd said something funny but shrugged it off and quickly replied, "Miss Warren wasn't pleased with your absence yesterday."

"Oh?" The irritation crept back into my voice, "That's all, is it?"

"Uh, no," he raised his hands defensively. "I didn't mean to be accusatory. I just... Miss Warren was worried. I only want you to consider your actions and how they can affect others. You only performed a little above average on the practical, and you missed the final day of review before the written!"

I just stared at him blankly. Sure, that was the case, but what that had to do with anyone else was beyond me. He sighed in exasperation and shook his head.

"Look, Miss Warren is a friend of the family, so I know her," he said. "For whatever reason, she's worried you'll die a pointless death after leaving the First Floor. You can't blame her. Your performance has been nothing but mediocre."

My face softened, and I nodded, "Thank you for telling me."

Luke nodded, but as he turned to leave, I could hear him mutter under his breath, "At least I tried. I don't know what Miss Warren sees in him, but even if he dies early, my conscience is now clear. Maybe he'll get..."

I never heard the rest as the young man sauntered out of earshot. Sighing, I closed the door and placed my bags on the ground beside my overturned bed. My grimace deepened when I remembered how hastily I'd left the place, never tidying up the fallen mattress or sheets.

While I tended to the mess, I thought about what Luke had said. He'd spoken similar words to me in my first life, though they weren't quite as harsh. It seemed missing the last afternoon of review before the free day given for cramming hadn't gone unnoticed. Still, it wasn't like the written exam was something I had to concern myself with this time around.

Luke may have just had a guilty conscience, but I knew that what he said was true. Miss Warren meant well, and she'd even tried to stop me from ascending to the Second Floor in my first life. In some ways, I wished I'd listened. If I hadn't gone up, I never would have received the Origin Card that ruined my life...

"Well..." That thought hung in the air for a moment. Had it really ruined my life..? Or had it saved me? Without that Card, I wouldn't have returned with my current knowledge and would have perished alongside everyone else on the Origin Floor.

Still unsure whether I should be grateful for my deficient health in my previous life, I finished tidying the area. That done, I used a drop of Infernal Wash to cleanse myself before removing my gear. It would be wasteful to purify the pieces individually when the liquid also affected any donned attire.

I lay the gear out neatly on the common-room table before proceeding to the washroom. My visage appeared in the ornate mirror that clung to the wall. The Infernal Wash nor the additions to my Deck could remove the dark bags under my eyes, though thanks to the Constitution Enhancement, I knew I'd be back in top shape with a decent night's rest.

After relieving myself, I returned to the common area, pulling open a desk drawer and retrieving an old wristwatch I'd hardly used in my previous life. It was a cheap purchase I'd made on the origin floor after seeing it in a store window. The glass was cracked, but it was still a Relic that remained attuned to the clock hovering above the Origin Floor no matter where one advanced within the Tower.

[100:08:23:56:32]

Tossing myself on the mattress, I stared at the watch for a long time before sporting it on my wrist and setting the attached timer to go off in about six hours. There were just under nine days until the turn of the century... the last century.

My mind drifted, thinking about the few acquaintances I'd made in my previous life and the connections that I'd built. Settling down had never been an option. Due to my health, I hadn't been able to conceive, so there was no wife and no children for me to miss.

Most of my associates went off to the higher Floors or died long before the end. None had been close enough for me to consider recruiting them in this life, and the only one that could be called a friend hadn't been born yet. I chuckled when I thought of how Crole and I had met, him hiding from the guards after having stolen a bottle of scotch.

I wasn't sure how long I stared into the darkness before my consciousness fled... and the next thing I knew, there was a pull in my mind. My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing I saw was the early morning sun creeping through the window, falling warmly upon my face.

It was a soft enough light that I wasn't forced to blink, and I lay there for a moment, thinking briefly about closing my eyes and going back to sleep. The tug on my mind hit again, stronger this time. I sat up, rubbed the sleep from my eyes, then glanced at the time on my watch.

[100:08:17:58:49]

The pull came again, this time feeling more like my thoughts were being yanked toward the watch, "Bloody hell, I'm awake!"

I fumbled with the lever on the side of the watch, flipping it into a downward position and then back up again, shutting off the alert. Now fully awake, I stretched, cleansed myself with the Infernal Wash to rinse away the morning ick, then performed a few exercises.

Today, rather than my father's old leather armor, I sported the standard uniform of the Academy's tenth-year students. Around my waist, I wore a multi-pocket belt with my Deck Box attached. Aside from that, I carried nothing. For the final exam, even the pens would be provided by Miss Warren.

After dressing, I spent some time looking at myself in the mirror. The dark circles under my eyes were gone, and I felt fresh as a spring chicken. With a skip, I grabbed my cane and walked out the door, locking it behind me. Though I wasn't sure if she would condemn me for it... an old man had to have his cane.

Many students were rushing about frantically in the corridor, having gotten up late due to their late-night activities. I spied Luke, leaving his room down the hall, who shot a look in my direction. Not wanting to be tactless, I gave him a slight nod before proceeding toward the stairs.

After I left the dorm, I fell in line behind a few batches of students. The boys and girls walked and chatted merrily in their little groups, many of whom would form parties to take on the Tower after the graduation ceremony. It was impossible not to pick up on the childish conversations, and I couldn't help but chuckle at the senseless drivel these students discussed.

The young men were flexing in front of the women and demonstrating how they would bring down Fiends with their bare hands. The women blushed, twirled their hair, and tried to cozy up to any of the men that looked like they could back their claims. In the shadows of the building, couples could be seen snogging before they had to break off and head to class.

With the constant entertainment of the innocence surrounding me, the ten-minute walk to the classroom only seemed to take seconds. My cane tap tap tapped on the stone floor as I walked into the room, drawing a few students' attention. I proceeded to my lonesome seat near the window, not minding the few stares.

I leaned my cane out of the walkway and sat down, staring out the window while waiting for Miss Warren to arrive and distribute the tests. There were still things that I needed to accomplish on this Floor, and they couldn't be done from the classroom.

A prickling sensation caught my attention... something of an instinct I'd picked up after years of facing danger. I turned to find the source, only to see Aurora glaring maliciously in my direction. When her eyes met mine, she didn't look away... like she was waiting for me to back down to prove her superiority.

I chuckled inwardly, not intending to give her the pleasure. My lips curled up, and I matched her gaze, not really sure of what game she was playing at. As it was still somewhat early, there weren't many students in the classroom, and they quickly took notice of this strange interaction.

As the seconds passed, more students flooded into the classroom, each of them feeling the tension in the air as they saw groups of students glancing back and forth between Aurora and... Rowan? I ignored the sudden gossip that erupted from the onlookers.

"Miss Aurora, if you keep staring at me with such intensity, I may start to feel that it's courtship you're seeking this morning," I flashed my most charming smile, stood, and bowed slightly while extending my hand. "If such is the case, the pleasure would be mine."

I could almost hear every jaw in the room drop, and when I looked up, Aurora's eyes were wide, and her face was beet-red. When she didn't respond, I stood, nodded in her direction, and returned to my seat.

"Y-you..." She stammered for a few seconds before letting out a long stream of air and turning back to her work, instantly casting her Sphere of Silence. I smiled again and returned to patiently waiting for Miss Warren, but the rest of the class was another matter...

Zachary watched on from his seat in the back of the room, his face tranquil as ever. He hadn't missed two days prior when Aurora stared at Rowan's empty chair, and Zachary suddenly gained an interest just now while the two were looking at one another. Then, after Rowan's comment...

"Is that why she's ignored my advances?" He asked quietly, more to himself than his admirers who stood around him. They were surprised by his sudden question. Zachary was incredibly calm, so they weren't sure if he was simply interested or if he was upset about the matter.

Multiple conversations sprouted amongst the groups, including his own, and these exchanges only served to make Zachary curious, as he'd never known the youth to garner such attention. He watched the back of Rowan's head as the other man stared uncaringly through the window, twirling that foolish-looking cane.

Suddenly, Rowan's head turned in his direction and met his gaze. Just like with Aurora, when their gazes locked, the youth refused to look away first. Zachary blinked, more from surprise than anything, causing him to lose the challenge. Rowan nodded slightly and turned his attention back to the Tower's sky.

Zachary's eyes narrowed slightly, but unless one was paying close attention, they wouldn't have noticed the subtle change. He stood, intending to approach the cheeky bastard and find out what suddenly made him so confident, but before he could, a chill washed over the room.

Miss Warren stepped in, holding a strange orb, a massive book, and an elaborate wooden container. She glanced around the room, seeing that almost all of the students were looking in one direction. Following their gazes, she was surprised to find that everyone was looking toward the back corner of the class.

Zachary watched her turn toward the incompetent student, smile, and proceed down the stairway until she reached the bottom of the classroom. He remembered how she had asked about the student two days prior, and his curiosity grew.

"Maybe there's something more to this... Rowan Wilder."