Chapter 14: The Last Out

Alice and Eli sat as still as statues in front of the single redwood desk at the centre of Corin's office. The headmaster sat opposite. Penitulus and Victor towered behind them, though the pair stared at the floor, not daring to glance at the god-class maestros. The weight of the three giants crushed them. "Reckless," Penitulus said. "Reckless and foolish, I told you to stay out of this, you two could have been killed."

"You two brats could’ve gotten others killed." Victor snarled, “You have no idea what you're dealing with.” They hung their heads.

"And yet,” Corin said, “they succeeded where you two failed." Eli raised a brow and glanced at Alice who shrugged. The maestro’s fell silent. "They entered the inner sanctum of the library, long lost to time, worked together to endure trials far greater than their individual strengths, and emerged victorious … with a shard." Corin beamed.

"They’re kids who got lucky," Penitulus said flatly.

"Kids, you say? In this world, the one I've experienced, age comes second to ability." Corin rebutted. Eli nor Alice seemed to know whether they should feel chastised or praised

"What are you getting at." Victor's tone sent chills down the pair’s spine. Corin reclined in his chair and took a deep breath as if to brace himself. Eli glanced up and saw how he eyed Penitulus.

"I want them to retrieve the final shard," Corin said. There was a silence

"You've finally gone senile old man!" Victor exploded with a burst of heat.

"Victor's right, Corin," Penitulus tried to sound calm but the heat in his eyes showed that he had the same sentiments as his rival. "They got lucky, and you said it yourself, the final ruins are the most deadly." Penitulus stopped there, letting his final word hang.

"I have my reason's for this Penitulus," Corin said easily. "This whole - endeavour - to retrieve the shards have been kept tightly under wraps, very few people know of the coming threat, and even fewer have any power against it." He paused again, collecting his thoughts. "Draven-," Eli's insides writhed at the word, he recognized the name and remembered exactly who it was. Corin’s eyes fell on him for an instant. "-Has proven that he can cause severe damage without the complete exacore. Who's to say that while you two are searching for the last shard he won’t take full advantage of your absence.”

"I hear you,” Penitulus said, “but what does this have to do with them?" Corin held Penitulus’s hard gaze. There was something in his eyes, the gleam of a secret.

"By its very nature, we can't just go asking whomever we want to fulfil the task. At the same time we have a very limited arsenal of people capable of fending off an attack from Draven, and if it were a total assault," Images of a decade past flashed before Eli’s eyes. A world of ash. “Without you two I fear the worst.” Corin paused, "In comes these two, due to uncontrollable circumstances they have come to know about the existence of the shards and independently decided to retrieve them, which puts them in a very precise position to aid us. don't you think so, Ren." Eli could hear the grind of his idols teeth. “I can vouch for my granddaughter,” What! Eli thought. “As for the boy,” He grinned at Penitulus.

"With that being said," Corin continued, "The final decision can only be decided by you two." Corin gazed through them. "And before you make a decision I must warn you. any past ruin you've entered should not be used as a point of reference. This final ruin, by all known accounts, will be gruelling, traumatizing, and horrifying. and I can not promise your survival." The pair sat in silence for a long while. Then, Eli spoke.

“I was there,” He said, “Ten years ago I was there. I thought the world was ending. There was ash, rubble, fire, I remember. Then there was you.” He rose and turned to Penitulus. “I don’t know if you remember, you probably don’t but you saved me.”

“I do,” Penitulus said, Eli took a sharp breath. “I do remember, and I remember saying-,”

“-Don’t throw my life away.” Eli finished. “I want to protect people. I want to save them. And if my decision here can stop that from happening again, well, I don’t have a choice Mr Penitulus.”

“There’s always a choice.”

“And I choose to do what’s right,”

“Kid-,” Eli turned to Corin.

“I’m in,” Penitulus said nothing.

"And you Miss Syn, what do you say." Alice pried her widened eyes away from Eli and beamed and Corin.

"Oh come on grandpa, do you even have to ask." She jumped out of her chair.

"Then it's settled," Corin rose out of his seat. "You two return to your homes, for now, enjoy your families company and I will retrieve you when it is time." Alice punched Eli in the arm and made for the door. Eli beamed and followed her through.

“Granddaughter, grandpa?” Eli asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Alice answered.

***

The pair nodded and left the room, breaking into a run after the door shut behind them. Victor snarled and left the room as well. "You need to have faith in the boy," Corin said to Penitulus. "You've watched over him his whole life, guarded him against all danger's, and so he had no chance to grow, no chance to use his power."

"His power old man?” Penitulus’s voice was dark. “You know nothing of that power."

“I know how his father used it,” Corin answered coolly. “And I know that none of us would be standing here otherwise.”

“And look what it got him. I say this once more, that power should never be used, never seen.”

"How can someone as old as you be so naive," Corin said rather than asked. Penitulus ground his teeth and left.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said before the doors closed behind him.

Corin stared out the window. The children were still there. He watched the boy with the tail. I do too. He thought. We may need that power. Of course, I hope that day never comes.