"You are capable of doing good. I wish for you to live a life free of regret."
Marls takes a sip of coffee. He is well-dressed and currently sitting in a cafe on the side of the road. The sky is blue, and although sunny, he does not sweat at all.
The streets are the opposite of what it was yesterday, what was once a ground of solitude is now just filled by a sea of people with different attires and backgrounds. After finishing his coffee, he'll be just like one of them. Everyday person doing who knows what business.
"What do you think of him?"
Aiden is sitting on the balcony. Next to him is Prof. Hitchson, sitting on a smaller-sized metal chair, drinking his coffee.
"He's a good man." Aiden answers.
"...but his past haunts him."
Prof. Hitch frowns. "His past?"
"His dead mother and sister."
He gulps his coffee down.
"What could we do about it?"
Aiden stares at the scenery in front of him for a moment. The dew is still fresh and cold, it makes the ground wet. The fog is thick engulfing the building opposite where he is facing. No matter how hard you try, you can't figure out the details, just the silhouette of it.
"Nothing. It comes from himself. We can only wait."
The cup taps on the floor. Prof. Hitchson rises and sighs.
Aiden turns his head to Prof. Hitchson. "As I said, he's a good man at heart. We can only wait for him to realize it."
Prof. Hitchson points his hand towards the garden below.
"He's coming."
Marls sits on the bench. He is waiting to be called. The lobby is a huge hall. Looking up, there is a mural that is divided into 4 sections and one big circle area in the middle.
The first section is a massacre, with beams of light coming from the mouths of people that form a serpent circling the battlefield.
The second section is the picture of a person in a white linen robe riding a lion. The hair of the lion is gold, and the king holds a platinum scepter. Surrounding him is the ray of light, all pointing towards him.
The third section pictures the previous serpent's head pinned to the ground by the platinum scepter. The people that were beaming with light is now bowing down head to the ground, facing where the head lays dead.
The fourth picture is the ending of the story, a picture of the kingdom built on top of golden bricks, with the hands of knights stretched out open towards the capital.
The circle area, however, is instead written, "For the leader who answers the call."
"Mr. Marls?"
A lady approaches him. Marls recognizes her, she is the person who heals the seer's eye. Her hair is pink, and she wears a white shirt with a dark brown ribbon on the collar, while she wears a black calf-length pleated skirt. She looks fragile outside, but at least there is one head teacher who is not so threatening.
"The head teachers are ready."
Marls stands up and then follows her. His hands are sweaty, he is even listening to his heartbeat right in his ears.
Marls finds himself standing in front of a long large wooden table. The room is big, several supporting pillars protrude from the walls, continuing with several arches repeating on the ceiling. The chandelier hangs down from the arch in the middle, turned off, but it refracts the light coming from the big window, giving this ambiance of red, blue, and yellow.
In front of him are 4 head teachers. His eye is immediately drawn to the red-haired lady sitting on the other end of the table, she is folding her hands in front of her mouth, while her elbow is pressing against the table. Marls couldn't get used to that familiar piercing gaze that pressures its victim down. Marls jumps when she huffs.
I think she knows what I'm about to say.
Two head teachers on the right side are Prof. Hitchson and Prof. Aiden. Prof. Hitchson smiles and bows his head down to him, to which Marls replies with the same. He can feel the pressure taken off seeing him, but he can't help but notice the feeling of guilt slowly scarring his conscience. Aiden, however, is unbothered. He still focuses on the Rubik's cube he held yesterday.
The other teacher however is unfamiliar. He is a short person with grey overalls and a gingham-patterned shirt the color white and blue. His feet don't even touch the floor, and he swings them around cheerfully.
"Hello!" The boy says. "I'm Alaric, nice to meet you Mr. Marls!" He grins cheerfully.
"Ah, nice to meet you."
"So what brings you here Mr. Marls? Have you decided on the offer?" asks Prof. Hitch.
"yes."
Aiden glances over to Marls.
Adrenaline is rushing in Marls' veins.
"I apologize, but I have to refuse the invitation to join the academy."
Silence ensues.
The chair scrapes the floor as it is pushed back. Echoes of thick soles thump the floor like a battalion marching forward, slowly getting louder as it comes closer to Marls. Marls takes a puny glance at her and immediately retreats his sight the moment he notices her eyes still staring at him.
She stands still next to him.
"Move."
Marls' heart skips a beat, his feet struggling to move, but his instinct takes over in an instant.
The door slam echoes. Marls feels the wind impact as the door closes.
"That is... unfortunate," says Prof. Hitchson.
"...but I respect your decision."
Aiden glances back at his Rubik's cube.
"Then you shall follow me, Mr. Marls!" says Alaric cheerfully.
Marls' guilt isn't gone. But he expects this to happen.
"Professor Aiden I would probably need your aid too" Alaric chuckles. Aiden sighs.
"Where are we going from here?"
"You'll be looking for jobs, right? Why don't we help you with that?" Alaric hops to the door, while Aiden walks over to Marls.
"Let's go." His hand pushes Marls' back.
Marls takes another glance back at Prof. Hitchson before he leaves. He is still sitting, hands folded on the table.
Welp.
Marls is escorted to Alaric's office. His room is similar in size to Prof. Fachnan's room but there is a huge difference in how tidy it is. Every corner Marls can see is filled with mountains of stacked papers. A bunch of random construction tools are everywhere on the floor. Marls has to tiptoe for him to not stand on any of the papers, but Aiden couldn't be bothered. He confidently tramples any paper on his path.
"What job were you doing before on earth, Mr. Marls?" Alaric asks. Aiden is beside him, searching the shelves and drawers.
"Well, uh. I was working on a small stall, serving people and taking orders. Sometimes I cook the food, but it's not that often."
"A stall, huh..."
"Well we don't have job requests for stalls but we do have one from a restaurant."
"I'll take it."
Alaric is looking at the paper when he turns to Marls. "I like your confidence! Come here."
Marls looks at the paper. The restaurant is looking for a waiter.
"This is... your own restaurant?"
"inherited from my father, yep!"
The contract shows that he will work as a waiter, and occasionally, some extra work.
"How expensive is a simple day-to-day meal in this kingdom?"
Aiden turns to him. "You could consume almost a thousand if you eat the usual meals every day, seven hundred if you are sparing. You do have to keep in mind to pay the rent for your flat. But working in the restaurant as a waiter should cover it all"
Marls takes a pen and signs it.
"Welcome to the business, Mr. Marls!" Alaric says looking up, smiling.