September 3, 2015

“Sensei, do you have a moment?”

“I always have a moment for you, Izumi-kun.”

Aoi’s cue provoked a cackle from a pack of students and a sour smile from Takeshi. He waited for his seniors to leave the class and closed the door tightly. The Enchantment Practice room was lit by the setting red sun, the color palette astounding from an artistic perspective, but otherwise menacing.

“I have scrutinized all of the Eleanor-related materials, as well as a couple of books on related psychiatry cases. You know, I have noticed that most of the specialists were acting like her second personality doesn’t exist. In other words, they’ve been trying to convince her she is the only one existent.”

“This goes along with the methods of how dissociative disorders are treated.”

“Yes, but why don’t we accept Elio’s presence?”

The professor frowned. “How could that possibly be of any help? Even if doctors accepted the two persons, it is still a lie. A fake. There’s no way Eleanor will be able to function normally in society, living in her own delusional world. Besides, we can’t be sure her inner selves would live happily ever after.”

“Haven’t you asked me for an out-of-the-box solution? I would like to describe my theory first, and you can scold me later.”

The student smiled slightly, and Aoi, like most local girls at such moments, took a deep breath.

“What are you suggesting, Takeshi?”

He was surprised that Aoi called him only by his name without any honorifics—within the walls of the Academy, especially—but pretended it was nothing. “You have mentioned fakes. I would suggest creating one of Elio. Literally.”

“Please elaborate?”

“Hugsted-sensei could use his amplifier to create a temporary copy of objects, and a human body is an object too. How about asking him to duplicate Eleonor?”

“Are you saying that…”

“Yes, we will also need a master who can animate things, and... I happen to know the one.”

“You… do you even understand what you’re talking about, Takeshi? This is a life-long deceit. This is breaking a person into pieces. Nobody has done it before! This magic is so subtle that one tiny mistake will mean a death sentence.”

“She is already sentenced to death,” he shrugged. “What she is experiencing now is not a life, and the multiplying cursed cells will make it even worse. Trust me.”

“Is Moku not getting any better?”

“I’m afraid so. If there is even a slightest possibility to help Eleonor to win over her illness, I would use it. Chances are, we could secure the copycat with an amplifier to support Elio’s life, so he will become real. Almost real.”

“This idea is totally crazy, but… I love it! You’re a genius, Takeshi!”

“Thank you, Omnious-sensei, I am—”

The mage didn’t have time to finish as the Celestial threw herself into his arms. Her embrace changed quickly from a manifestation of euphoria into something completely different. “You can call me Aoi,” she whispered in the Viridian’s ear. In total embarrassment, he had no idea what to answer as well as where to place his hands. In the end, he took the teacher by the shoulders and gently pushed her away from him.

“Please, restrain yourself from doing this. People could see us…”

“It doesn’t matter. What’s important is whether you want it or not.”

“I… I am not ready to answer this question right now.”

Takeshi lowered his hands and backed two steps away, creating a distance that seemed safe to him. Aoi knew that this kind of evasive answer was negative.

Eastern manners, screw them. There was no sense in further hopes. Yes, the boy was smart beyond his years, but when you are in your twenties and the object of your passion is just sixteen, it was a large gap, emotion-wise.

“Well, I understand the message you convey… and I think it’s worth taking the risk to use the Gift of Life on Eleanor’s duplicate. Since we want to achieve a long-lasting effect, then most likely the spell casting will take long; more than a month perhaps. For now... I have to go to the principal.”

They left the classroom, and Aoi pressed her card to close the door.

“Do I need to be present during the process?” Takeshi asked.

“Just be an advisor. Let’s start from Monday. As we’re facing a critical situation, I believe I’ll get the permission from all necessary authorities as quickly as possible. I will keep you updated, Izumi-kun.” Aoi left him and strode to the elevators while initiating a smart call.

The Viridian couldn’t say that he had never expected something like this from his teacher, but he definitely missed the moment when he accidentally gave her a little more hope than he should have. True, in spite of his appraised intelligence, he remained a complete layman when it came to feelings and emotions. It was some goal to achieve, though.

As the sun travelled through the sky and Takeshi to the exit, the empty Academy corridor was losing its enchanting reddish shade. To drive away his entangled thoughts about Aoi’s behavior, the Sage reflected about Eleanor.

There may be no ground for this optimism, he thought, but I am pretty confident everything will work out. Eleanor will finally be able to meet her soulmate... if that’s the way to put it.

A first-year student of tremendous beauty was walking down the corridor toward him. She passed Takeshi without even looking at him, and the mage stopped dead in his tracks. The warm colors around him instantly switched to cold ones.

Hitomi. A freshman. He knew her name. Had we met before?

Ten years ago.

Ten years. It seemed like yesterday. Or the present?