"And here we are, finally." Khay said as he gazed up and around. The sewage route they took led them to; "The boy's bathroom, as usual". Trilith said. "But it looks like we're a little late."
"The hard part now is getting to our seats without being seen." Khay replied putting back the lid on the hole they came from.
"But then again who cares if we're seen? You ready buddy?" Khay drew Trilith's attention. "You bet I am."
The Mischievous Duo left the bathroom and worked their way around slowly to avoid detection as much as possible, they were sure to peek ahead; looking around for anyone that might have been ahead. Soon, they came to the hall. An open corridor that served as entrance to the various classrooms. It spanned on for 15meters before it took a left turn. And thankfully to all classes in session at the moment, there was not a single soul, it was as empty as it could be; except for the presence of the two vagabonds that moved swiftly and in zig-zag, following after each other, passing each door and its class unnoticed until they got to a door with the sign 3A above it and squatted to avoid needless detection from the inside.
"Khay! It's almost too quiet inside. You think something is up?" Trilith squeezed out, whispering. "I'm not entirely sure myself." The two conversed undertone.
Curios, Khay pried the door open just a little, attracting as little attention as he could and peeked. His aim was to spot the presence of their class teacher and to his relief, there was no teacher present and yet, every single student was seated and accounted for with the exception of the two of them. He could very well spot their empty seats. "This doesn't look good. Even Lilith is seated." He whispered his findings to Trilith.
"Tch!" he scoffed. Since when has that ever held us back?" Trilith got on his feet. "I know, but something feels different this time. It's just… too quiet." He cautioned, whispering. "Tsk! there you go, being overly analytic over this little situation. So what, who gives a rats ass if the class is this quiet for the first time?"
"I don't know, it's just not normal." Khay continued to express his concern.
"Well, I'm going in either way." Trilith wouldn't hear it. He slid the door to the sides and was about stepping unto the classroom floor. Khay reach out his hand, tried to stop him but before he realized, they had both set foot in the classroom. They look left and right… Something wasn't right, something felt off. They suddenly realized… they had been immobilized… and were hanging in the air.
The students in the class stared on, with some murmuring and others laughing at the situation Khay and Trilith had gotten themselves into. A deafening silent befell the class as footsteps approached; a silver-haired young woman in her youthfulness arrived to the class. Her face was well carved, and her emerald green eyes complimented her silver hair quite perfectly as she strode in with her slender physique, pamphlet in her hand. "Tawa!" Khay and Trilith cried out.
"Well… well… look what I caught. The two mischievous vagabonds." She said as she walked past the boys frozen in the air.
"I bet you didn't see this coming, not in any lifetime." She scorned.
"What kind of sorcery is this?" Khay struggled to move freely but he was without control in the limited zero gravity air space.
"Oh, this?' she set her pamphlet at the teachers table that was at the front of the class. "You would know if you were actually present during lessons. This is one of the rare nature manipulation abilities. It is and basically falls under environmental control. Or environmental control falls under it?" She said; a finger to her cheek, head tilted a little bit to the side sounding rather unsure of herself.
"Release us." Trilith cried; flailing in the air. The class looked on at them in disbelief and awe. Their gaze set on Lilith and she couldn't help but sigh in embarrassment.
"Shut it and stay put." Tawa barked. "You could also learn something from this Trilith" She scorned at him but caught herself and let out a peaceful sigh.
"Now let me take this moment to clarify what I was teaching. As I was saying before I left to the principals' office, you all know there are the basic natural elements. The Solid Matter Manipulation common known as Earth, Gas Matter Manipulation also known as Air, Liquid Matter Manipulation which is commonly Water, and Plasma Matter Manipulation which you all know as Fire."
She wrote on the chalk board. "These are the basic, most common and fundamental elements in our daily lives, we see them… feel them everywhere and every day."
"Yes we do. Point?" Khay questioned but Tawa ignored.
"Madame Tawa." A question came from the students. It was Lilith. "What about the one that's hanging those two?" Could it be a variation of Air…?"
"Smart girls ask good questions. I'll answer that thank you, Lilith for asking". Tawa sung cheerfully, she was a passionate teacher and loved her students but she loved nothing more than an interactive session with her students and as so she was more than obliged to answer.
"It isn't a variation of Gas Matter and neither is it any of the elementals. It happens to be something entirely different in a sort. Something that deals with control over an area one has made his/ her own. It's Environmental and Territorial Control and as the particular technique in play here is 'Ruin'. It's quite simple and interesting.
"But if that's the case, then isn't Territorial Control or Ruin…mightier than all the elements??" Mira, a student of class 3A shared her view.
"In a way, it is but isn't. If it's anything I've learnt from my battles, it's that every technique has a loop hole. Meaning there is always a way around it. Take this current situation for instance." She turned to Khay and Trilith.
"If these two were currently stronger than I, they would be able to break free even if they're stopped for a moment. And there is also the option of meeting the laws set when casted with Ruin. Without Ruin, territorial control is almost impossible and it takes quite a while to cast the laws, depending on the persons experience."
"So what laws did you set for this environmental control thingy?" Khay fidgeted in the air.
She glared at him hesitantly, one eye closed and the other slightly opened. "The laws were quite simple. Any student who makes it to class after lessons have started should be rendered immobile in the air, in "space" the moment they enter the boundaries of my domain. The domain, of course in this case is the class.
"You heard her man." Trilith groaned. "Let's try to raise our zhin to break out of this. Here goes nothing." They closed their eyes and grinned to no avail.
"Hmph." She scoffed. "As if, thank the heavens I didn't make the law complicated. But even still, raise your zhin?"
The students burst of out laughing hysterically. Lilith sat and bowed her down.
"Don't kid us. You two slack off every day instead of building your zhin." One kid laughed.
Tawa, their tutor sighed. "I honestly thought, you, Trilith would be serious given your condition."
"My condition has nothing to do with this!"
"So what would have happened if a teacher entered?" Khay interjected.
A brief moment of silence reigned as she noticed the boys are finally paying some attention and interest in class lessons. She spun out a traditional Chinese style fan and gave herself a few blows and put it on her face, covering face her downwards and exposing only her eyes. Seeming rather proud and a bit fulfilled for a minute but suddenly stared at them with one eye opened and the other closed.
"Nothing!" she clasped the fan back together.
"Nothing, even with all that dramatic build up?!" Surprised and confused at the same time, Khay and Trilith said in unison.
"Yes. Nothing, don't make me repeat myself. If you listened closely; I specified student. I set this law purposely for students. The other laws are quite tricky to apply, space here had to be specified; else the two of you might find yourselves in actual space you see. Quite the handful ability to use. Ruin does speak to the things of the universe after all. Not quite easy to cast. And even if I had set it generally for everyone, I believe most of the teachers here would find little to no trouble at all at breaking free."
"Tsk! In the end that's how strong you see yourself?" Trilith mumbled undertone.
She spread out wide her fan and starred at the two suspended in the air and fanned herself a bit, then slowly to her face and covering her mouth and nose, exposing only her eyes as she gently closed one and looked at them with the other.
"You may be top students, but I'll tolerate this sluggish and vagabond behavior no further. Now, time for your punishment!" She stated, clasping the fan back in place and shooting her hand in the air.