With that the two exchanged their goodbyes and Dax headed home. Thoughts of how he would break the news to his family kept racing through his mind. Every scenario he thought of only made him more anxious.
He walked slowly as he thought but eventually made it home. He pulled the door open and heard voices echoing through the house as he entered.
"So, you really have no idea then?" Administrator Ordeen asked.
"No, we have no idea why something like that could have happened." Helen replied. "That just doesn't make any sense at all."
Dax walked towards the voices and found his parents talking with the administrator in the sitting room. They all noticed him as he approached. His mother, Helen, rushed over to embrace him tightly. "My sweet boy." She said and she tightly held him against her. "Your principal said you had a rough day. I am so sorry sweety."
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Frank asked. His face was serious, full of concern about his son's wellbeing. "I mean are we not paying the school enough?"
"Sir, there are some things that are just beyond my control." Ordeen replied. "Even as the administrator, I cannot break the hallowed rules of our institution, lest the whole organization devolve into chaos."
"I seriously doubt it would be anything so dramatic." Frank said, now sitting back in his chair. He reached over and grabbed his pipe. He lit it and began to smoke. "What exactly does the rules say about a zero?"
"Well, nothing." Ordeen said. "We are using the less than fifty rule."
"I would suggest that zero is not even part of the system." Frank said. "You cannot just casually place my son in F class, when you do not even know why your nanites failed him."
"Well, I looked into that." Ordeen said. "Your family has always had issues with the nanites, I believe you were in class C yourself, narrowly escaping class F by one percent. Same for your father and his father before him."
"Your point?" Frank asked. "One point from class F and literally zero points are pretty far apart from one another."
"Well, I was getting to that." Ordeen explained. "Normally we see an increase in scores as the generations progress, but with your family the score has always fallen from one generation to the next. It is possible that whatever is causing that, is the reason your son has a zero. Your family for whatever reason just doesn't accept the nanites."
"That's the dumbest theory I think I have ever heard." Frank said, before taking a long puff of his pipe. "And I work for the government so that is saying a lot."
"I merely came here to try to find a reason." Ordeen replied. "There is no need to attack me in front of one of my students."
"We thank you, we really do, for coming all this way and telling us about how royally you messed up our son's life, but we must really ask you to leave now." Helen said, with a vaguely threatening smile upon her face.
"I did nothing of…" Ordeen started.
"Leave." Frank shouted.
Ordeen just stopped talking and stormed out of the room and the house.
"You alright son?" Frank asked. "I am sorry, I really am."
"It isn't your fault dad." Dax said. "I think whatever happened might have been my fault."
Helen pulled him away and looked him in the eyes. His green eyes matched hers. "What do you mean?" She asked. "There is no way you could have caused that failure to happen. Don't blame yourself honey. We will book you an appointment with the best doctor in the city and they will find out what is wrong."
"Let the boy speak." Frank said. "Why would you think it would be your fault son?"
"I fell asleep, and I had a dream." Dax explained. "In my dream I was casting some fire spell, it was powerful, I had a whole army to destroy after all. Then I woke up and the room I was sitting in was completely charred. Maybe my dream made the nanites overload or something? I don't know, I have just been thinking about it all day."
"The nanites would have killed you if they overloaded." Frank explained. "No, they just failed. I can't see a way that the nanites exploding inside of you would cause the damage to the room that they describe. At least without you being hurt. Something else is going on."
"What do you think it could be?" Dax asked, desperation painted all over his face.
His father pulled a small orb on a leather band out of his pocket and tossed it over to him. "I want to give you this." Frank said. "It has been in the family longer than anyone can remember, passed from father to son at the age of maturity. I had planned on giving it to you today in celebration of your first day at the academy, however that seems in poor taste now.
I do however want you to have it. Along with the words that my father told to me and his father told him. Magic is real to those who seek it."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Dax asked while examining the small orb in his hand. It was a tiny blue orb the size of a marble that appeared to have a dark cloud moving and swaying inside.
"No idea son." Frank said, throwing his hands out and shrugging his shoulders.
"I don't think your dry humor is helpful at this moment dear." Helen replied.
"I wasn't trying to be funny." Frank said.
Helen sighed and rolled her eyes. He then let go of her son's shoulders and tossed his white hair. "Don't worry about it too much." She said, "We will make an appointment with a specialist and get this nanite situation taken care of. Nothing, a little bit of effort and money can't fix."
Dax smiled and hugged his mother. "Thanks mom." He said. He then placed the orb in his pocket. "I am going to my room for a bit, let me know when dinner is ready."
"Oh, you know I will." Helen said. "You just make sure you wash up before we eat." She then turned her attention to her husband. "Alright, oh cryptic one, don't you have some work you need to be doing?"
"Oh, right!" Frank said, putting his pipe down and standing up quickly. "I completely forgot about that!" He then rushed out of the room.
"You just had to marry for love didn't you Helen." She said to herself softly when she was alone in the room.