Chapter 17 Quoth the Raven “Nevermore” Part 4

“Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,

“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;” - so his cat was named Catterina…

The military police arrived rather quickly. Aiden mentally praised their efficacy as they went about their work, he received some questions about what happened but was let go after they confirmed his identity as a meta with the school. The body needed to be autopsied, but that wasn’t of his concern, so he left for his final orientation day.

“Are we just going to let him go?” an officer asked his senior, just as she was taking pictures of the scene. “What if they’re a cowl?”

“Don’t bother,” the older officer answered, “it doesn’t matter if he was a cape or a cowl, or if he eats babies for breakfast. They reported a Gate incident and so we give them space for this case.”

Cowls were a known quantity, expected, even appreciated to an extent. “If they robbed a bank on Monday and cleared a Gate on Tuesday, we’re expected to smile and thank them for their contribution,” she continued.

With a wry grin, the older officer added, “Of course, once Tuesday passes we’re free to go after them but…”

She gestured at the goblin corpse, wrapped inside what appeared to be a rusted metal pole. Specifically, she gestured inward, towards the goblin’s fingers.

It had human-like nails, peeled back and bloody. It had clearly clawed against the metallic body of the railing with enough desperation that its own nails cracked and bent, drawing lines of red where it had scratched, its hands frozen in a state of rigor mortis, forever solidifying its final struggle.

“If he was a cowl, I wouldn’t want to be the one assigned to them.”

Ranpo soared through the sky.

It was quite breathtaking, he had to admit. More so than he expected, he was after all an avian, yet the sight of all things being mere dots on the ground filled him with a strange exhilaration.

He noted a gathering of people just a few blocks away from his… creator? Master? All of those words were true, yet felt lacking.

In the end, he settled on just Aiden.

Diving down, he swiftly landed beside the man, on a row of wrought iron fence. Flaring his feathers somewhat as he did so.

“Are your arms alright?” Ranpo asked.

Aiden glanced at them, seeing the spots of ugly purple dotting his skin. “Just some bruising,” he answered in response, “nothing to worry about it.”

It was an odd thing, how Aiden seemed to react to pain, namely that he didn’t. Ranpo was not blessed with memories of what came before, only the knowledge of them. So he knew a creature should react to pain, to wounds no matter how benign. Hells, humans had a tendency to say ‘Ow’ just because they think they were hurt!

“Anything noteworthy you saw?”

“Nothing much,” the crow responded, “I saw some people gathering a few blocks from here.”

“Oh? What for?”

The crow searched his mind, he only caught a bare glimpse, but the glaring signs were enough, writ in large red with massive percentages. “Something about a sale.”

Aiden slowed in his steps, “... and where did you see this?”

Ranpo relayed the location, a chain grocery store by the name of-

Aiden was already running.

“Huh?” the crow let out a brief expression of surprise, before he leapt off the iron fencing, flying after Aiden.

“Why are you running?” he called out to the rapidly disappearing figure.

“Are you stupid?” Aiden yelled, “There’s a sale you nincompoop!”

Ranpo let his wings flag, halting his momentum as he watched the figure rapidly disappear into the distance.

Aiden still had a scar on his forehead where the goblin bullet struck him, he did nothing to it but wipe the blood with a napkin.

On his remaining hand, were the scars from when he held his hands so tightly they bled.

Barely a few days as a meta, barely a few days as Aiden Bu, and the man was already covered in a myriad of scars.

And yet his priority was still to get a discount on some groceries?

“There is something wrong with his head,” Ranpo murmured.

Aiden was too late.

When Ranpo had sighted the target, the deed was already well underway. Aiden fought his way through the crowd of old aunties and housewives, barely reaching the storefront, snatching a few cans of tuna, eggs and some other perishables before the store was left completely bare.

What was left was only a long queue of customers and several very exacerbated checkout employees rapidly scanning every purchase, making more than a few slip-ups along the way.

Aiden could only feel sorry as he was leaning on some brand mascot. A large bipedal bear whose empty paw showed that some madman had ripped off the prop can in their insane bid for deals.

“You’re the one holding it,” Ranpo murmured on his shoulder.

With a completely neutral expression, Aiden glanced at the shopping cart he had hurriedly filled, then with a completely straight face, plopped the cart on the ground, freeing his one hand before he took out a stylized can and dropped it in the plaster bear’s hand.

Ranpo smirked with a smug look, then began cleaning his ‘feathers’. Surprisingly the crow drew few looks. He supposed with people like Dr Oliver Oliver running around a talking crow wouldn’t seem that strange.

Oddly, the crow seemed to have more detail than he had this morning. Where before Aiden could say clearly that this was an origami crow made from paper, now… it was more difficult. The thing seemed to have feathers when Aiden never folded that level of detail into the creature. If Aiden only saw Ranpo’s silhouette, he would not be able to distinguish him from the real thing.

It was something that had to be noted, for Ranpo was thus far his longest-living creation.

“How do you feel?” Aiden asked.

Intelligent bastard that it was, he picked up on his meaning, “My body felt stiff this morning. I didn’t even know what ‘stiff’ felt like, just that compared to now, I felt stiff when I was born.”

Aiden nodded. There were still too many unknowns, with his power and of his understanding of the world. Unknowns he had to fill.

Thankfully, he didn’t need to grasp unknowingly in the dark.

“Huh?” Isaac exclaimed. “Why are you asking me?”

The gadgeteer’s warehouse was as dirty as before, enough that his finger itched to clean it up, but he stilled it. “You’re the only other teacher at this school I know of. So I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.”

Isaac shook his head, “Does Hume increase… of course it does!” He moved to the back, pulling out a large whiteboard covered in calculations and other things Aiden couldn’t quite wrap his head around. “I’m only going to say this once, so get it through your thick head. Hume, as a rule, tends to increase due to several factors, Meta Awakening is the main one, but some others are age and practice.”

He wrote the two on the whiteboard, clicking his tongue as his marker appeared to have been dried. Throwing it away, he continued, “You’ve already experienced the first, so right now it’s just a thing of the other two. Age and practice, self-explanatory, the longer you’ve been alive the more Hume you have, the more you use Hume, the more you have. Understanding this is as easy as shitting after Taco Tuesdays.”

Aiden bit his thumb, recalling some memories of Bu, he murmured, “Age and practice huh… Is that why so many high rankers are old?”

“Can’t just be that,” Ranpo said, perched on the tail of Isaac’s flying device. “Plenty of them are pretty young as well, Mischa, Deicide, The Annihilator, Morning Wood… countless others are pretty high ranking even though they’re young.”

“Well spotted,” a fourth voice added.

“Vice Principal Taylor,” Isaac said to the new figure, an older woman with curly red hair.

“Isaac,” she nodded back, “I came to see how you’re doing out of your trance. Unfortunately, I sense the concept of hygiene has still eluded you.”

It was then Aiden noticed that the woman was blind. Her pupils were white and her head-turned not to face them, but to point her ears towards them.

“Did you need anything else?” Isaac asked.

“I would like you to resume teaching. You’ve been freeloading for too long searching for a ‘miracle gadget’. You have better skills than your power and even then the achievement of a Focus is high indeed.”

“A Focus?” Ranpo asked, noting the capitalisation of the word.

Isaac gestured at the flying device, and the Vice Principal spoke as if repeating from a textbook, “An extension of Hume Imbuing. Where the user parts with a significant portion of their Hume into something else, usually of their own creation. To give it not only resistance to Bleed but also minor negation of other powers.”

“It becomes stronger the fewer you make, hence the term Focus,” Isaac added.

“They are costly things,” the woman agreed, “I was surprised you even managed it. They are not lightly attempted even by veteran gadgeteers.”

“Because of the danger of running out of Hume?” Aiden asked.

Both adults nodded.

“Then back to our previous topic,” he continued, “what of increasing your Hume level?”

“Time and practice is the most reliable way to increase it,” Isaac asserted, “use your power every day, well within the limits of your own Hume and it would naturally increase over time.”

The Vice Principal chuckled lightly, “That’s a bit rich coming from you dear Isaac. You and young Frederic both came into your absurd pools through a Defining Moment did you not?”

“And so I understand better than most that it is an unreliable way to do things. You’re basically betting all your money on a lottery rather than on safe, constant investment.”

“Excuse me, but what is a Defining Moment?” Aiden asked.

The Vice Principal glanced at him- well, in his general direction, “Ah forgive me, I sometimes forget not all our students are from geneline families. A Defining Moment is something that rarely happens to a Meta while they are critically low on Hume and experiencing a moment of weight.”

Aiden opened his mouth, but just then Ranpo flew down, landing on his shoulder and blocking his mouth with a wing, “Let’s unpack both of those one at a time, how low?”

Isaac let out a short bark of laughter, “Phasing in and out of existence low. Often times if a Defining Moment doesn’t happen then the person simply disappears.”

Taylor nodded, “There are some interesting things regarding that. When someone runs out of Hume or frequently get low, there are reports of distant acquaintances forgetting about them, or of their personal effects suddenly being lost.”

“It’s fucking biased is what it is,” Isaac said, “all the people who fail a Defining Moment are blanked from existence, so we only hear about those who succeeded. Meaning more idiots try to seek one out!”

“That is only a theory dear Isaac,” the Vice Principal reminded, “while it is true that there are many… blanks in our records. We cannot definitively say a meta blanking on Hume causes them to disappear entirely.”

“Cause all proof disappears,” Isaac muttered, before looking at Aiden, “Kid if there’s a single thing you heard from me, it’s that unless you’re suicidal, you don’t chase something stupid like a DM.”

There was a moment of silence, before Ranpo perked up, “But hypothetically…”

Isaac shook his head before he pulled out a bottle from somewhere and began drinking.

Ignoring him, Ranpo turned to the Vice Principal, “Hypothetically speaking, what did you mean by weight?”

“That is difficult to define, young crow,” she answered.

Aiden raised an eyebrow, for the woman appeared to be blind.

“It is a moment of weight. A moment that is important in one way or another. Perhaps a moment of desperation, or of a revelation that shakes a person to their core. But perhaps most importantly, it is a moment of need. You may think of it as just another Awakening, like the one that gave you your powers, but the difference is-”

“While an Awakening puts you on the board,” Isaac interrupted, “a Defining Moment tells all the players what kind of piece you are.”

Aiden scrunched his brow, “What does that mean?”

“Who fucking knows,” Isaac said, “it’s too esoteric to bother classifying. Its returns are nothing special. You could achieve the same thing with a few years of practice with Meta Techniques, only without the risk and the myriad uncontrollable factors. It is overall, not worth seeking.”

“But it is something to be aware of right?” Ranpo asked, “Something a meta should know?”

“That,” the Vice Principal began, a strange smile on her face, “is true indeed.”

Aiden wanted to ask more, but the woman simply glanced outward, “It appears I am needed again. Child if you require more advice we have an expert staff of teachers and instructors that can help you, though some of us will be required in the near future.”

“The Gate at Last Stand?” Isaac asked.

She nodded, “The Invader has displayed magical capabilities, so I’m required as an advisor. Sister Savage and Carl Reese will also be gone for the future.”

Isaac was silent for a moment, before he finally asked, “Are we that short on people?”

The Vice Principal’s silence said enough that he tsked.

Aiden watched the exchange in silence, not commenting before Ranpo broke the silence. “One last question that this idiot has been meaning to ask, what of employment as a meta?”

“As your Vice Principal, I am obligated to tell you that employment or the exercise of your power over a Class 3 level legally requires a license, which at minimum requires you to be of at least 18 years of age,” she answered instantly, with a serene expression on her face.

Aiden frowned, “Unfortunately I can’t wait 2 years to start earning good money.”

It was nigh impossible for him to get the money he needed with a legitimate job. The most feasible scenario was him relying on his power somehow. The only worthwhile skill that Aiden Bu theoretically had.

Isaac snorted, “As someone who isn’t your Vice Principal and not legally obliged to tell you what the letter of law says, I will tell you to go ask the current Career or Guidance Counsellor about it.”

Aiden noticed that the Vice Principal had a sudden great interest in the dirty concrete floor. Nodding to Isaac, who was rolling his eyes, he figured he probably shouldn’t pursue this line of questioning within her presence.

Plausible deniability was a factor that has come up many times in Lu’s career, more often than someone who worked nine to five as a mid-level accountant should’ve seen.

“Well now that my obligations are out of the way, I’ll be off. Isaac, I look forward to you returning to teaching, and young man, I look forward to your time here, regardless of what career path you choose.”

Aiden nodded, “Thank you for your time.” While Ranpo puffed his wings, “It was nice meeting you.”

She nodded towards them, “While it is my wish all my students take good, legal career paths, I am aware the nature of necessity sometimes makes it difficult. The support we can offer is in the end, limited to education. Despite that, I hope you live a good life.”

“Thank you,” Aiden said and he meant it truly.

She glanced in Isaac’s direction, a wry smile appearing on her face, “Try not to burn yourself out Isaac.”

“No promises,” he murmured.

And she left.

“She seems like a nice lady,” Ranpo remarked.

“Indeed,” Aiden agreed.

Isaac sighed, “Nice is the wrong way to put it, she’s a cautious optimist. But understand no-one gets to her position by being a good person.”

Aiden and Ranpo were silent as they turned towards him.

The man scratched his head, “Just… Kid, don’t commit any major felonies. Don’t get a god complex thinking you’re invincible and above consequences just because you have a shiny new gimmick. I’ve…” he breathed out, the bottle in his hand was now half empty, his voice was shaky when he finally resumed, “Remember this, no Awakened is truly sane, and I've... I’ve seen her kill way too many kids already.”

And on that cheery note, they left.