After the students had dispersed from the auditorium, Madam Mary gazed into the human-sized hole formed in the wall behind her. The entire place was silent as a man hurriedly entered through one of the double doors, his inconsiderate use of strength shattering the door into numerous pieces, fragments of it flying till the podium where Madam Mary stood.
Just when they neared the dais, the wooden pieces paused in mid-air. Then, they fell down on the ground, making tiny tapping sounds. The man, seemingly in his sixties looked flustered as he jumped from the entrance, travelling tens of metres before landing on the dais. When he witnessed the human-sized hole that had formed in the wall, his face turned ashen, looking as if his soul had escaped his body.
"Cosmi, don't blame me for beating you up if you don't control your strength and damage the property of our academy. Moreover, this is an institution filled with students; a single mistake on your part will cost their lives." Madam Mary waved her hands. Cosmi, the man who had just entered felt his body turn immobile; cold sweat drenched his back as he faced the full brunt of her killing intent.
It felt like he had entered a storm, facing a cataclysm that could ravage the earth. After an instant, the storm subsided, making him feel like he had survived, looking at Madam Mary who hadn't moved an inch from her spot.
"Sorry," Cosmi performed a curt bow, "I heard Rhachis Ancestor Strongest had arrived here today and was thinking of meeting the Cadets. I just lost my bearing after having not received a word from him till now."
"He's still here," Madam Mary said, pointing to the hole in the wall. "Brat, come out."
Cosmi felt his legs turn weak, his face scrunched up in fear of the possibility of getting on the bad side of Rhachis Ancestor Strongest. He desperately resisted the urge to run away from the auditorium, trying to appear calm and collected.
'What has this mad woman done this time? I'm done for!' He mentally screamed, averting his gaze from Madam Mary.
Followed by faint footsteps, a hand emerged out of the hole, grasping the broken edges. Pulling the broken edges, the hand widened the hole in the wall, as if it was made of paper before a figure emerged out.
Sharp nose, deep eyes that had a tale of its own, a visage that looked normal, borderline handsome, and a medium build frame. Wearing a set of loose clothes that provided freedom for movement, having no other accessories on him, and being barefoot, the middle-aged man walked out of the widened hole.
"Ancestor," Cosmi hurriedly knelt, placing his right hand curled into a fist on his chest. "Sir, your accommodations have been prepared. If you want, I can lead you to them right away…"
The middle-aged man raised his hand, motioning for Cosmi to stop. "Transformer Cosmi, as the vice-principal of this prestigious academy, you don't need to personally escort me. Just sending a faculty member will do."
Just when Cosmi was about to speak, he heard the middle-aged man speak once again, "Leave us alone for some time. I wish to speak with your esteemed principal about some matters. Hmm, thinking it through, I don't need an escort. I can find the way on my own; moreover, I don't like anyone to disturb my activities."
"As you wish, Ancestor; it is our honour that you are basking us with your presence." Cosmi bowed. He then hurriedly left the auditorium as if he was escaping from the scene.
"It is unbecoming of a Transformer to behave in such a manner. I must say, I am surprised." The middle-aged man said, his expression filled with disdain. He then turned towards Madam Mary, his face looked pitiful; his eyes glistened with water while his hand rubbed his back, leaking out a grunt.
"Aunty, haven't you ever heard the term 'Gentle'? Hitting me with full force, I almost sprained my back."
"Then," Madam Mary said with a smile, "Haven't you ever heard the term 'Inconspicuous'? Two children were injured when they detected you. What do you have to say about that?"
"Ah, umm…you see…" The middle-aged man fumbled a little before he thought of a plan, "I can silently guide them in their training or impart them with a useful Skill."
A formless force hit him, plunging his body through the floor, and then sent him crashing into the roof. The auditorium vibrated as his body crashed on the roof and then the floor, alternating between the two many times until Madam Mary stopped. The clothes of the middle-aged man were torn into many pieces, revealing his well-toned muscles. Despite the numerous crashes, his skin hadn't suffered a single scratch, looking pristine.
"You leave the children alone, understand?" Madam Mary said with a smile.
"Yes ma'am," The middle-aged man said with a sigh. Without any embarrassment he climbed out of the tiny crater in the ground, dusting his torn clothes of the concrete stuck in them.
"When you attain Tier 6, your body experiences a qualitative improvement. It is to such an extent that you are akin to a deity." Madam Mary sighed. There was a faint trace of longing in her eyes for an instant before reverting to normal. She looked at the middle-aged man, the familiar face that had experienced numerous changes from when they last met, looking wise, and filled with traits that a person who had been in power for a long time would possess.
"You have grown well," She said, pausing for a moment in recollection, "As long as you nurture your Tier 6 Skill, our city will gain another pillar of hope."
"All thanks to your teaching, Aunty. If not for that, I would have perished in the Water Crown Raid. If only you hadn't sustained a grave injury back then, our city would have another Ancestor." The middle-aged man sighed.
"Oh my," Madam Mary placed her hand over her mouth, her tone slightly high pitched, "I never knew you were such a smooth talker. Anyway, I never had the opportunity to infer why you decided to visit here. Wouldn't everything you need be available in the 1st or 2nd Ring?"
"I am trying to hasten the process of nurturing my tier 6 Skill. That is why I am planning to travel to all places, meet all sorts of people, and consolidate my experiences. Maybe it would help me." The middle-aged man said.
"Well, don't rush. The longer you take, the greater your skill would turn out to be. Though, I would advise you to try and watch the children in practice. Look at their basics, their innocence, their clumsiness, their fears, and their apprehension of the entity inside them. Take them all at face value. It is something Warriors at your level would never be able to experience." Madam Mary said.
Seeing his attentive behaviour as if he had reverted to being a student, Madam Mary giggled, "Even though I had failed my breakthrough, I gained some paltry knowledge about the factors at play at Tier 6. Anyway, make sure you aren't careless with your disguise, especially with your auras. I don't want the children to die by subconsciously looking in your direction."
"I will ensure something like that doesn't happen ever again. By the way, those two students who could notice my earlier disguise, who were they?" The middle-aged man said.
"Ahh, those two…" Madam Mary thought for a second before remembering their details, "They are the kids with the highest Sync Rate in all of 7th Ring. The girl Heima managed 89% while the boy…"
"How much did he get?" The middle-aged man asked, his curiosity had been piqued.
"94%," Madam Mary sighed, "He's either a bonafide masochist or an absolute monster."
…
"I am hungry," Jyorta said as he held his stomach that was grumbling with hunger like a prehistoric beast. He felt a slight sense of irritation without rhyme or reason. There was also a sense of exhaustion that stemmed from deep within him, making him want to do nothing except lie down and sleep like a log.
"Then, shall we head to the canteen and grab some snacks?" Laila said, feeling that she too was hungry. She hadn't fully satiated her stomach during lunch break as her lunch had spilled on the ground. It was due to her carelessness, prompting the other two to share their lunches with her. Thereby, the three were feeling hungry after finishing their martial arts class.
"Then, it's my treat. My parents gave me some money to spend before they went somewhere in the name of training." George said. He was sad at first when his parents dropped his luggage in Laila's house and went away without informing him but, after staying in Laila's house and having fun playing games all day with her and Jyorta, he didn't feel sad anymore.
"Then, let's hurry. I feel like I can eat the entire unlimited meals set today." Jyorta said pulling his hand. There was a faint bump on his head that had somewhat healed, making the pain subside to the extent he could gloss over it.
"Heh, even if you were to starve for a week, you still wouldn't be able to finish it. It is called the unlimited meals set for a reason." George mocked from the side.
"That is because you guys have only seen my normal form. My true strength will be revealed when I go Super Saiyan. Become awestruck then," Jyorta said, parting his legs a little, throwing his arms down, and making a grunting sound as if he was pulling hundreds of kilograms of weight.
"What's…a Super Saiyan?" Laila said, puzzled at the sudden appearance of another weird term. From her experience after all these years, Jyorta only muttered weird words in his sleep. But, he was now consciously using weird terms that she hadn't heard till date.
"It is probably another one of Jyorta's imagination." George said, turning to face Jyorta, "In recent times, you have cooked up plenty of such bizarre stuff. Where is your source material?"
"I am telling you guys." Jyorta said in anger, "Dragon Ball is real."
The trio walked to the canteen, bickering with each other. Once they reached there, George pushed through a crowd to a token counter and bought three food tokens. The trio then walked to a service counter and obtained a plate of serving each.
While they were eating, the way in which Jyorta held his spoon suddenly changed. Some minute changes happened to his behaviour, giving him a slightly mature feel compared to before for a couple of seconds. He then reverted back to normal, immediately changing the posture at which he held the spoon and continued to dig through the food.
His two friends continued to eat and talk about pointless stuff, having not noticed the minute changes Jyorta exhibited. Jyorta too engaged in pointless chatter with them, only finishing the meal after a full 40 minutes had passed. The trio then returned to Laila's house.