Kaito had hardly been around the academy. The way he was treated and the trouble he could create by doing so kept him from wandering around. Not that he cared much, but as much as he was against all this segregation, he didn't want to get into more trouble.
As they went up the stairs he noticed that the second floor, where the A rank's were, was better than the first floor, and the third floor, of A/S rank's were much better than the second floor, having expensive vases, red velvet curtains and golden clear walls. But different from what he expected, the fourth floor, where the great teachers of Phoenix Academy, was simple.
Kaito was surprised to see that the corridors and everything around him was normal. Not normal like all the rest of the academy, with its gold tones and red trimmings. Normal like any other place.
"It's strange, isn't it? "said the professor.
"What's strange? I don't understand, professor."
"The floors, Mr. Arturis. Normally the higher you go the more sophisticated it should get, but that's not the case here. A normal floor, with normal rooms..." said Caligan looking around "And to think that on the floor above is the principal's office, which was once an S rank..."
"Is it as simple there as it is here, Professor Caligan?"
"Oh, no. Not really. There is no place with as much luxury as that one. Even with the principal Selize trying to hide everything there, you can still see that the former principal held himself in high esteem." replied Caligan laughing.
"Then why is this hallway like that, professor? Shouldn't he be more luxurious than that? I mean... not that I think it's bad, but it's logic."
"There's a rule in the academy that says that every principal is entitled to a Request of Honor. It's something that was created to give more power to the high rank directors of the academy. One asked for a garden outside, another asked for that uniform model, and had one who demanded that the principal's office be like an art in luxury and power. A principal cannot withdraw the request of another. He can even change something, but without changing much or the essence." explained the professor arriving at a room with his name on a wooden door "One of these principals felt that teachers couldn't be superior. He wanted humility above all else. That's why he created that hallway. In the end they thought he just want to be superior to the teachers..."
Kaito noticed that the professor was looking at the whole corridor nostalgically, but soon he seemed to wake up to himself and turned one with a serious expression to Kaito, already opening the door for him to enter.
"But we're not here to talk about the architecture and history of the academy's principals, are we?" said the professor gesturing for Kaito to enter.
The boy entered the room and saw that it looked like a normal office, except that it had another closed door further down the hall. Kaito walked over to the scratched wooden desk and looked around, seeing several bookshelves full of books, a map on a board on the wall.
Caligan closed the door and walked over to his padded chair, sitting down and making it creak with the sound of old metal.
"Have a seat, Mr. Arturis. We need to talk."
Kaito sat down in the plain wooden chair in front of him and could not disguise his nervousness as he faced the professor. Normally he would have no fear with Professor Caligan, but for some reason he seemed more threatening than usual that day. Even though he had a calm expression, his dark blue eyes showed a seriousness that Kaito also sensed in his father. That was a calm authority that made him want to respect.
"Mister Arturis, I'm afraid your stay at the Phoenix Academy has been a difficult experience to say the least." said the professor opening a folder with Kaito's name on it and examining the data "It seems to me that you are leading quite a hectic life."
"I don't understand what you mean, professor...if it is about today's fight, I apologize..." said Kaito putting his hands together over his legs.
"Mister Arturis, I would hardly judge a person by an isolated act. We are the union of our actions and not the result of just one. What I mean is that for a student who has been here less than a month, there is a lot in your record."
"And what's on my record, teacher? Is it that bad?"
"Bad? That I couldn't say. Interesting? Oh, definitely." replied the teacher flipping a few pages "You fought a B rank in a duel not authorized by a teacher, challenged your own class, dueled a classmate, and did it again today. Oh sure, you have many mentions of your name from your wanderings around the halls... by the heritage, you even have a complaint from the cafeteria vendor..."
"I... it's... I mean... professor, most of this stuff was me defending myself or just trying to live at the academy. I don't think I've done anything wrong." Kaito replied, but seeing the professor's corner-eyed look, he quickly amended "except for today... today I made a mistake..."
The professor took a deep breath, closed the file and removed his glasses, wiping them with a handkerchief he had in his pocket.
"Mr. Arturis, the point I want to make clear is that it seems to me that you make a lot of effort to be noticed, and since you normally already draw attention, you are noticed more than usual."
"I don't want to be noticed..." said Kaito, but the teacher's gaze makes him change his mind again "at least not much."
"I understand what you want to do. The world ignores you, so you want to get attention. It's a simple thing even. But did you know, Mr. Arturis, that the more you draw attention to yourself, the more trouble you'll get into."
"But what am I going to do! If I stand still those higher ranks will want to step on my head!"
"I didn't say to be inactive. I said you must work things out intelligently. You're a smart boy, Mr. Arturis, I'm sure you could extract the best out of every situation if you wanted to. Today's duel could be avoided, for example. You know that, don't you?"
The professor's questioning at first made no sense to Kaito. He didn't want to agree with it, but slowly it all came back to him. Maybe he wouldn't have had to duel against the class if he had had a better conversation. Maybe that fight could only be against Hakon, who was forming the mob. Maybe he could have ignored Gilliard and reported it to the professor.
As he thought silently the answers came to him, and this made him a little more angry at himself and the whole situation. He still thought it was unfair, but he admitted that he had not done his best to lead a more peaceful life.
"You may be right sir...but it's still hard to say," Kaito admitted.
"But life is not about doing what is easy, Mr. Arturis. In fact an immediate ease usually results in worse problems in the future. Learn to make tough decisions and I guarantee you will live a life of favorable consequences."
Kaito gave a deep sigh and lowered his gaze to his hands, affirming and agreeing with the professor. The boy then started to stand up, but before he could do so the professor soon amended in a serious tone.
"Now let's talk about the main subject?"
"Main subject? Wait, didn't we just talk about that?"
"Oh, not really my dear student. What we did now was only counseling. I would do that anyway with you. Our main business is about your stay at the academy, remember?" said the teacher putting Kaito's folder in a drawer.
"But I thought it was the dueling that was going to get me expelled. If that's not it, then what is?"
The professor rummaged through his drawer and pulled out a thick notebook, placing it on the table. Kaito bent down to read and saw what was written, amazed at the same moment.
Notes on F Ranks
Kaito Arturis
"Our main subject is about your survival in this academy, Mr. Arturis. We will discuss about your powers and whether you can match with the other students. Should I not come to a positive opinion..." the professor took a dismissal form and put it on the table "I'm afraid you will have to leave the academy."
* * *
Kaito took a while to understand what was happening. To him nothing made sense. At the first moment he wanted to say something, but he backed off because he didn't know what to say, his second reaction being the simplest and most honest.
"I don't think I understand, professor..."
Professor Caligan opened the notebook and soon Kaito saw a kind of writing full of arrows and small notes resembled his own. It had not been difficult to deduce that the professor was studying Kaito. The question was why he was doing this.
"I have been watching you, Mr. Arturis. I would even say that more than anyone else, I know a lot about your powers..." the professor pondered for a moment and then denied "no... that woman still knows more. In fact I think it's hard for anyone to know more than she does.
"What are you observing? Who is this woman? What's going on, Professor Caligan?
"Mr. Arturis, there are few like you. Very few, to tell you the truth. That is why almost nothing is known about what F ranks can do. I have conducted studies on low ranks and the versatility of blood, but I have never had any way to theorize about an F rank. To tell you the truth I had no interest in you from the very beginning, because I didn't think you could do anything different than a child without the activated blood."
"Gee, that one hurt, professor..."
"I apologize for that, but it's the truth." said Caligan leaning back in his chair "However I changed my mind upon closer observation of you. The versatility of your blood and how you can copy powers greatly interested me. I thought, 'what would happen if you could do this and were of a higher rank'? Imagine, Mr. Arturis, being able to copy powers and use their combined abilities without any limits! Would we have any way of quantifying that? If it was a B rank with these powers would it really only be B rank? But then I saw your limit.
Kaito knew this line would come. He had already written it himself in his notebooks. Even though he knew about this problem he didn't want to talk about it. It was something he wanted to be able to avoid as much as possible.
"So that's the problem? My limit?" asked Kaito in a sad tone.
"I will not lie, Mr. Arturis. That is exactly the problem we have here. You have the physical training and also the versatility with the use of weapons. I even theorize that you can use various weapons due to the non-specific blood you have. But when it comes to time and effort in your battles, we see something worrying." said the professor showing the notes.
Kaito read quickly, but he could tell right there. There were words like tiredness, pressure, exhaustion, and several others that made clear to him his greatest weakness. Still he didn't want to give in.
"But I've proven that I can fight! I've won several fights!"
"You won fast fights, yes, but when you faced someone who made the fight last a little longer, you weakened. Your blood can't stand the skills, and the more you use them together, the weaker you get. Still you tried to use Miss Opame's monk skills, and realized at the same moment that it wouldn't work. The blood of a multiclass uses two skills at the same time, and that was too much for you. Do you understand what I'm getting at, Mr. Arturis?"
"I don't understand." lied Kaito "and I don't even want to understand."
"Stubbornness isn't going to help you at all here, Mr. Arturis. I know you're smarter than that." scolded the professor leaning forward "what I want to make clear is that your body cannot sustain a battle that requires more time, and when we're talking about facing higher ranks, with more resistence and overwhelming powers, stamina is something paramount!"
Kaito closed his fists feeling an anger that filled his entire body. However he wasn't sure what he felt anger about. Was it the teacher? At the situation? Of his body? What did he feel angry about? Confused the boy just let his anger do the talking.
"And yet I have been winning! I beat a whole class like that! If I plan I can beat anyone fast!"
"It's a shame you think that way, Mr. Arturis. A pity indeed. Do you really believe that you are the only one with the ability to plan? That the surprise factor will always be present? That your power will defeat an A or S rank in a few minutes? Is that what you believe?"
Kaito bowed his head feeling foolish. He did not have an answer for that, for indeed there was not one. The teacher's truths were piling up on him in heavy piles that he couldn't shake off.
"But I still want to fight..." said Kaito looking down at his pale hands "I want to show that I can... that I am capable of reaching far..."
"Those wishes are not worth your life, my boy. So much effort and stress can accumulate as eternal damage in your body. Today it's a fainting at the end of a battle, but what would happen in the Tower, where enemies will not stop? And when a powerful attack will hit you and you don't have the strength to defend yourself? Your family and everyone who cherishes you would grieve over that."
Kaito closed his eyes and felt himself diminish. He had no way to rebut those words. The professor was right in everything he said.
"And that is why I want to be proven wrong, Mr. Arturis."
The professor's speech made Kaito open his eyes and stare him in the face. He saw at that moment that Professor Caligan was smiling at him in a way that seemed like a challenge, something Kaito knew well.
"Prove wrong? What do you mean prove wrong?"
"I will give you one week to increase that stamina, Mr Arturis!" said the professor putting away the exit form.
"One week to increase my stamina? And how am I going to do that?"
"Mister Arturis, I may be showing you all the dangers you run, but I am not blind to your achievements. You have defeated ranks higher than yours, passed the test against a powerful troll, and entered an academy that low ranks would never dream of entering. Not whithout money. You did all this when you encountered a barrier in front of you. If there is one thing I know about you, it is that you have the ability to overcome everything that is thrown at you!
Kaito stood up too, but still very confused. Inside he had a relief and a good feeling that he was being challenged, but also the fear that he was being put into something too sudden.
"A week, isn't it?" he said going to the open door and retiring "I will try..."
"No, Mr. Arturis, you will succeed!" said the professor putting him out "and forgive me for the abrupt expulsion, but you have little time and much to do. So run!"
Kaito nodded without much understanding and soon the professor closed the door. The boy turned to leave the hall and in his mind he thought of all the things he could do. However, before he could get any distance the professor's door opened again noisily, and as Kaito turned around he saw that the Caligan was leaving only one eye and piece of his mouth showing.
"I almost forgot to mention, Mr. Kaito" he said through the gap "but for the problem you have I would recommend talking to our nurse. I don't approve of her behavior, but I must admit that she possesses knowledge that only people like her have.