"It is always funny to hear you call me professor," Noble chuckled awkwardly. The idea of someone whom she had revered calling her professor seemed so out of place when he simply went by 'teacher.'
"The title was well earned by you, and you will never convince me otherwise. What kind of mentor would I be if I didn't desire for you to outshine me?" Julius's bushy eyebrows wiggled with merriment.
Of course, the titles were all a political game that Noble did not want to play, so she let the matter pass. As long as her beloved mentor and colleague knew how much she appreciated him, that was enough for her.
The older gentleman licked his lips. "Have you come to accompany me to lunch?"
"If you'll have me, I would be honored." Realistically, Noble's query could wait. It was not a life-or-death situation, and a meal with her colleague sounded quite pleasant.
Old-fashioned as he was, Julius offered the younger lady his arm, which she gladly took. They exited the classroom, and the teacher locked his door. Not that the flimsy blockade would do anything to stop an Awakened who wanted to enter, but at least it made things a little more challenging if one tried.
Their trip to the faculty cafeteria was a decent walk, and Julius seemed content not to waste a moment of time. "Tell me about the kids and Fort. Is your husband still behaving himself?"
"The kids are doing just fine. The boys are as rowdy as ever and giving their school teacher fits by switching places all the time. I think I told you that Honey–my eldest started at a new school not that long ago. And Fort is doing his job admirably just like the rest of us."
"It feels like just yesterday you brought Honey home and those boys were barely a twinkle in your husband's eye. Of course, it feels like it was only last week when you came to the Academy for the first time as a student. Time really does fly," Julius sighed a little too anciently, causing himself to chuckle at his own reminiscing. "Forgive me, I fear I am boring you."
"Not at all!" Noble almost told him that nothing he could say would bore her, but feared he might chalk it up to her good nature and not her genuine interest in his words.
For Julius was a second father figure to her. When Noble had come out of her first nightmare, the white-haired teacher had been a relatively fresh face in the faculty of the Academy.
The two hit it off almost instantly. Julius had a passion for both history and the survival of his students, and Noble had a thirst for knowledge.
The teen with the interesting eyes—Noble hadn't fully learned to control them yet—had caught the survivalist teacher's attention. The girl had been unlucky enough to be infected with the nightmare spell just before her eighteenth birthday. If that were not enough, the loss of her father shortly after entering the Academy nearly devastated the Sleeper before she could awaken.
These circumstances, along with Noble's natural curiosity and academic bent, had made Julius feel an intense motivation to help the youth succeed. His efforts forever cemented a place in the woman's heart. Without his prodding, Noble might have given up in what seemed a hopeless time.
Determined to make her teacher proud, Noble awakened in near record time. After visiting her mother to prove she was alright, Noble immediately returned to the Academy to thank her mentor.
Thus, a friendship was born. Julius had been to all her major life events both in joy and sorrow. He had come to her wedding and also attended the funeral of her eldest son.
The teacher had visited the hospital when the twins were born and even brought her kids birthday gifts when they were young. The children occasionally called him grandfather by accident, much to Julius's delight.
When Noble eventually took a faculty position at the Academy, it was as if things had come full circle. She really couldn't imagine a better life for herself, and a large part of it was due to the man who was now happily telling her about his latest research paper.
"Admittedly it is not exactly my work. I am mostly just helping smooth out the rough edges. But I am becoming convinced that parts of the Chained Isles are just as fascinating and unknown to us as the Forgotten Shore was a year ago." Julius's eyes sparkled.
Just because he couldn't go there himself did not mean he was unable to travel there vicariously through others' eyes.
"It sounds like you are keeping busy. I do hope you aren't overdoing it!" Noble knew that she and her mentor were alike in many ways.
One of those was a tendency to take on more work than was realistic. It was easy to burn out when there were too many projects piling up.
"Don't you worry about me. I thrive on all of these reports, I assure you." Julius winked so hard his bushy eyebrow nearly met the lashes beneath.
At last, they reached the Instructor's Cafeteria. The place was a safe haven from students who usually needed something, and it was much nicer than almost any other facility at the Academy.
The wood furniture from a slain titan shone in pristine condition despite its near-constant use. The tall windows allowed in plenty of light, giving the room a comfortable atmosphere.
After ordering and enjoying their food, Julius finally pushed his plate away and sighed at his companion.
Noble looked up at him quizzically. "What's wrong?"
"You didn't come by just to have lunch with me." The old man touched the side of his nose. "And although I have immensely enjoyed being able to catch up with you, my dear girl, I do think you better come clean on why you came to visit."
Noble felt a little guilty. The professor did not want Julius to think she only ever came around when she needed a favor. "Am I really so easy to read?"
"Only to me and probably Fort." Julius leaned back in his seat and patted his stomach comfortably.
"If this isn't a good time, I can let you get back to your other work. I did not realize you had so much going on when I came to ask for help." Noble held up her palms in resignation.
"This must be quite a request! Come on and tell me before I die from curiosity." The old man held both hands on his heart, feigning an attack.
Noble bit her lip to smother her smile at the older teacher's antics. She shrugged. "It's not that important. And after the build-up you just gave, it may end up being a letdown. I was given a Memory by a student to research for her, and I thought you might be able to help me with the runes."
"Ah, a Memory then is it?" Julius tapped his chin. "Well, you are in luck. I just so happen to be free right now."
The brunette professor somehow doubted that he had nothing else to do, but she chose to take his obvious preference for helping her as the gift that it was. She pulled out the papers from her satchel and held them to her chest.
"The Memory is called the [Portcullis Key], but most of the rest of the words are just question marks."
"That is uncommon but not unheard of. When there is no exact translation for a word from the runic language, the Spell seems content to leave things a mystery." Julius had spent the better part of his life learning the intricacies of runes. Like translating from any other dead language, some things just did not have a current counterpart.
"It doesn't even have a proper type or rank."
Julius eyed her carefully for a moment. "Such a thing has happened before…"
"There's more. The runes look…rewritten." Noble sucked in a deep breath.
She knew how crazy her words sounded. Fortunately, the old teacher did not laugh at her. As a mundane robot cleared away the plates onto the motorized tray, he looked at the beautiful lady across from him in contemplative silence.
As soon as the food and robotic busboy were gone, Noble slid the pile of papers across the table to her mentor. "I had Bee Two scan it for more information, but this is what was spat out. My android says it is not a mistake."
Julius looked at the pages one after the other. The longer he stared, the more intensely his bushy eyebrows came together. Minutes passed. He pulled out a pen from his shirt pocket and began making notes in the margin as he underlined different lines of script.
"The Memory has one enchantment?" Julius asked suddenly, startling Noble with the comment.
She peeked over to view the page he was observing. "As far as I can tell. There is only one set of information under that heading at least."
"And what of the runes you see on the Memory? Can you write them down for me?" Julius passed over the pen, but Noble was already reaching into her bag for a writing utensil and more paper.
She placed the synthetic pencil against the page and began scribbling feverishly. Closing her eyes periodically to focus on the Memory's runes, Noble separated the hidden runes from the ones that overlaid them.
Then, with extra care, the professor drew how they looked as they pulsed overlapping one another. She passed over the three groups of text to the waiting teacher.
"This set is underneath the other but not fully gone. I left spaces where I couldn't quite make out the lower rune. And this..this is what they look like combined." Noble held her breath.
Another long silence ensued between them. "I think…" Julius paused.
"What? What is it?" The woman bit her tongue to stop badgering her mentor.
Julius lowered his voice. A single word escaped his lips. A strange word that Noble had not expected to hear.
"Sorcery."