Completion.

That same evening Gaius started his second class. When he arrived at the field he found that once again Terumi was early. Seeing an opportunity he went to him. Terumi was a bit startled when he saw he approaching. Gaius tried to smile at him to reassure him.

“Relax. I have spoken with people since our last class and it has been brought to my attention an issue.”

“Wha!” He swallowed. “What issue?” He shrunk like expecting Gaius to hit him.

“I was insensitive. I'm sorry.”

“Eh.” Terumi’s face froze, unable to understand his apology. He then recoiled before beginning to stutter. “Wh-why, what, why, how, when.” He panicked a bit more before managing to express his feelings. “Why are you apologising?”

“Because as I've said I was insensitive. I have trouble relating to people with anxieties, so I couldn't understand I was making you uncomfortable. I tried to treat you normally, when I should have known to be less pushy.”

Terumi nodded at that. “I actually liked that. I was scared and unable to speak, but it was a bit, um, refreshing, to be acknowledged. Normally people ignore or make fun of me. So it was nice and stuff to be spoken like-”

At that point Gaius, who had began frowning, interrupted him.

“Normally?” His tone was hard. “Then your mother ignores or make-”

“No no no! She treats me well. Too well. Like I don't deserve-” He began mumbling.

“No one does not deserve a good parent. And no one deserves a bad one.” Gaius dismissed his self-deprecation. “Then do you not have friends? Good ones with whom you can speak freely?”

“Well, yeah. I have five friends like that, but-”

“Then who does make fun of you? Your classmates? Neighbours?”

“Not lately, but a few years ago all of them made fun of me.”

“But not in the last year for example?”

“Well there is Hitoshi, but he makes fun of everyone and-” Terumi visibly wilted under Gaius’ stare, which, to him, seemed harsh.

“To recap, in the last year except a probable bully, no one has made fun of you. You even have what seems to be good friends. Why do you fear others so much then? Is this one of those trauma things?”

“But when I was child… When we were children they made fun of me and said I was to big and they were right because I'm not human and-” Terumi began tearing up when Gaius put his hands on Terumi’s shoulders.

“Terumi. Listen me well. First. You are sixteen. A few years ago you were children. Children are assholes, if we judged people for what they did when they were children everyone would spend some time in prison. They lack control, simply because their brains aren't fully developed. They lack empathy for the same.

So while your height might have been weird for them, they made fun of it because they couldn't understand that that made you hurt. It's because of this that children aren't tried for their possible crimes in many countries. You can't take their comments at face value. If they haven't made fun of you lately that means they have matured enough to not discriminate you based on your height. Your appearance doesn't make you inferior. And now they understand that, so now it's time you also grew to understand it. Your appearance doesn't make you inferior. Repeat it.”

“My appearance doesn't make me inferior.” Said Terumi, afraid to disobey. “But I'm not human.”

Gaius looked at him disappointed. “That's my second point. Why is it that being only half human makes you inferior? Are you a bigot? Or was that racist? No, it was both. No wait, would it be speciesist instead?” He stopped himself from further ramblings. “Still, my point is species doesn't make you inferior.”

Terumi swallowed his spit and said trembling. “But what if I'm from an evil species? What if I'm evil by nature?”

Gaius’ left eye twitched. “As a christian I feel deeply offended by the insinuations of that. No one is born evil, one chooses evil. Your birth and culture may predispose you towards evil but it's you who chooses to be evil.” He paused to think for a moment. “Unless you get a voice in your head you can't disobey, in which case you lack freedom, and thus can't be evil.”

Terumi looked at him like he had two heads. “What?”

“You know. According to catholic doctrine if you have no freedom then you can't be good or evil since those, once again our doctrine says, require a conscious and free choice. As such without freedom there is no good nor evil. It's why it's God’s greatest gift. Without it we would be rid of evil, but good would not exist. So both the best and worst parts of humanity wouldn't be.”

“No! I mean, there are evil races like Evil Spirits and demons. Aren't they?”

“Nope. I know of Evil Spirits that aren't evil, that's just the name of their kingdom. An example, there are good onis and they are made of corruption so they're Evil Spirits.

As for demons. Sigh. I will reluctantly admit that I've heard of one seeking redemption and achieving it, so it is not impossible. Even if the majority are at least assholes. And the original demons chose to rebel.

Think of it this way, there are criminals in law keeping cultures. Peaceful people in warrior cultures. Why can't there be good people in evil cultures? Do not think of them as foreign creatures but people with completely different values. That way you won't fear them as much.”

Terumi fell silent and managed to get out his fear. “But what if they fear me?”

“People will always fear that they consider strange, foreign. Racism, discrimination, cultural racism. You can't be loved by everyone, just make sure you are loved by some. That should be enough.”

“And if there aren't?”

“You already have one here.”

“Huh? Where?”

Gaius’ face fell. “Me. I mean me. I may not know you enough to say I love you, but I like you well enough. You seem like a good kid. If I hate you it will be for something you did, not for something you are. Even if you are Satan’s son. Or any other suitable such figure.”

“Oh.” Terumi fell silent, unable to understand that someone could like him so fast. The silence began to grow when someone interrupted it.

“Master Atiius is right, Date. I have known you for just two hours, and I can say you don't have an evil bone in your body. No matter your parentage no decent person would despise you.” It was Kishi who boldly entered the field. His voice filled with certainty and his steps sure.

Gaius lifted an eyebrow at that. “Don't be so certain of that.,”

He stopped, taken by surprise. “What do you mean?”

“You speak in absolutes, that way lies extremism. Even the best of men have weaknesses, even a decent person may fall into discrimination. If so we must show them their error, not call them monsters and shun them. Otherwise they might begin to shun us, and everyone would lose.”

Kishi was left without words, unable to comprehend why his speech of encouragement had elicited such a response. “I know. I truly know. I just wanted to comfort him, that's all.”

Gaius shaked his head at that. “Ideas built on lies are like buildings built on sand, they collapse easily. Never give life advice based on lies, that causes more harm in the long term it solves. What if he took your advice and decided everyone who discriminated him was pure evil?”

“That's.” His eyes widened in realisation. “I never thought of that.” He said crestfallen.

“Hey, don't worry. Everyone needs help. I have my empathy issues. Terumi his acceptance issues. You I don't know, but your current issues are giving bad advice. Also you obviously were listening in and waited for the best moment. Those are some serious manipulation skills there. Be careful not to be taken over by them.”

As he said this carelessly both his charges had a realisation.

“That's true.” Wondered Terumi. “I fear not being accepted. It seems so simple, yet I never realised. So what I fear is rejection.” Having said this he fell into thought.

Gaius was flabbergasted. “Uh, duh? What else could it have been? It was obvious. Wait…”

The third realisation in the past minute happened. “Maybe people don't know how to identify their problems, making it so they can't fix them?”

He then laughed when he understood the wave of sudden understandings that had come.

“While we're all being enlightened. You have something, Kishi?”

The teenager in question was startled out of his thoughts by the mention of his name.

“Uh, not right now. Later.” He remarked seriously.

“Oookay?”

The conversation died, the two teens too lost in thought to speak. Gaius shrugged and began to stretch.

It was to this situation that Kotone came in. She was a bit freaked out by the atmosphere.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yup, you just missed some life advice flinging mission. Want some?”

“Sure?”

“You need to understand that even if your mother happens to not love you, you still have a father who does, so it isn't that you are worth less for it.”

She just look at him with wide eyes too stunned to speak. Terumi began to speak but faltered, before his eyes were filled others determination.

“Master.”

“Yes?”

“That was too blunt.”

“Shit. Sorry.” He said bashfully, while rubbing the back of his head.

She recovered and tried to salvage the situation. “No, it's alright. I asked for it. Even if it was blunt I… I think I needed it. Thanks.”

Gaius scrunched his headache do shouted exasperated. “Exactly when is it alright?! This is confusing! This is why I prefer pigs to people, they're simpler! Ok, that was not true. I still feel like that at times.”

His three students looked at each other and laughed. Gaius shaked his head and complained.

“Sure, laugh it up. Still, now you are all here so let's begin. The two guys, show me your improvement. Kotone I will assess you now.”

They were surprised, but then they saw Akechi and Jian at the door.

“Yo, newbie. Since Terumi isn't trembling I believe you have improved your tact?”

Terumi was the one who answered.

“He has, he apologised and gave me good advice.”

Jian smiled fondly.

“So now you know of the wonders of teaching, as you teach them, they teach you. Even with this brute I learned a lot.”

“Who are you calling a brute, old bastard?!”

Gaius had to break them apart, and with great effort, managed to start his lesson.

The class passed fast, and Gaius thought, smoother than the last. Maybe because Terumi wasn't as nervous but they all seemed at ease, and this ease made them perform better.

Kishi had managed to produce healing energy before the class, through practice. He then moved on to fire, and with his experience, managed to make it appear.

Kotone had decent ki control, so she managed to start directly with the advanced skills. She made decent progress, while not yet mastering it.

Terumi had shown remarkable growth, but he was still not ready.

Jian was, as always, fast in learning new skills, this time controlling the ki of others, but Gaius noticed a weakness.

And Akechi had finally managed to do something other than fire, though still not healing. She had managed to create a stimulant aura, one that increased all physical attributes for a while. Gaius promptly copied it, but it wasn't as effective for him.

He then evaluated them.

“Kishi, good job. Though you have to stay after class, I need to give you advice.”

“Understood.”

“Kotone. Not much to say, you are decent. I’ll have to see next class.”

She puffed her chest.

“Terumi. You show incredible improvement, you should be proud. However you are behind, and should practice more to catch up.”

Terumi smiled at his words, happy to be praised. Gaius nodded at him before sighing and facing the other two.

“You two are troublesome. And I think I know why. Jian, your divine bloodline, is it Cheng Ming?”

“No.” He shaked his head. “It is a minor martial deity. A Taoist ancestor who achieved immortality and was deified.”

“That explains it. You can pick up skills fast. But you don't use them correctly. You haven't mastered them, you waste too much energy. It takes you thrice as much Touki as it takes me to perform the techniques. You are forbidden from learning more until I say so.”

Jian frowned and began to protest, before he reconsidered. “You are the teacher here. Even if it stings I'll follow your counsel. It seems after all I still have much to learn.”

Akechi looked at him worriedly. “It can't be that bad, right?” She tried to aid her master. “Surely he-”

Jian interrupted her. “No, Akechi. I thank you, but it is the truth.”

Gaius nodded at that. “Akechi, I'll return the favour you did. You try to be too tactful, even to the detriment of those you care.”

She looked as if something had hit her, but she nodded. “I didn't realise I was doing it again. My gratitude is yours, thank you for bringing it to my attention.”

Gaius shrugged, sensing a story behind that. “The mistakes I've seen in you are simple. Your innate abilities are awakening. Your Touki has been grown for long enough, and your attempts to manipulate it more deeply have awakened them. Your fire is that of a dragon, and that aura should be too. Before the next class you must figure out those abilities, learn to see the difference between innate and learned. Otherwise you won't learn anything from me.”

She widened her eyes in comprehension, and confirmed her understanding.

They all left after that, except Kishi. Gaius made him sit and spoke extremely serious.

“I don't know what drives you to the lengths you go for power, but you can't do that with the next lessons. You can't practice for hours, that's not healthy and detrimental to your growth. You can't master these techniques easily. Give them time.”

“But Master Jian-”

“Master Jian is forty six, you are seventeen. Experience matters, no matter what some say.”

He clenched his fists. “But I need to be stronger.”

“And you will be, if you follow my advice. If you rush you will injure yourself, at worst crippling yourself. That would be the opposite of gaining strength, wouldn't it?

I won't ask why you seek strength. Just that you do it smartly.”

He relaxed his fists and exhaled slightly. “Understood.” The word seemed to be painful to pronounce.

Gaius saw him off and headed to his next class, where he learned how to enchant household appliances to do their jobs by themselves, though the spell needed to be recast each day.

Once he was done he headed home, where he sat on his sofa, dead tired. He sighed and closed his eyes. It was while he was in that state that he felt something slip from him, and he fell through the floor.

He was stunned, as was his neighbour, but he quickly understood what had happened.

“Reiko!” He summoned his familiar, and it appeared in a flash of blue light. “So the bond has stabilised. Now I can bring you with me when I go out.”

He smiled while he pet the blue bird, and apologised to the flat’s owner, who was surprisingly acceptant of it. He then prepared to leave but he fell through the floor again.

Reiko followed him through the floor and caught him.

“I'm going to have to practice this, don't I?”

Reiko trilled.

"It's going to suck."

Reiko trilled.

"Thought so. You will catch me, right?"

Reiko trilled.

"Thanks."