Beep! Beep!
The sun shines brightly outside of my window, blinding me for a moment as I roll out of bed. I slam my hand down to turn off the alarm clock. My head still hurts from yesterday. It feels like a hangover except, instead of being drunk, I'm just in psychological shock at realizing my parents cared about me so much.
That I wasn't just abandoned.
I run my fingers through my hair and sigh.
My eyes drift toward the alarm clock to check the time. The clock reads 7:45 am. It takes a moment for me to process, but I remember the conversation with Justus yesterday. I'm supposed to meet him in his office at 8:00 am. His office isn't super far away from the dorms, but still.
I rush to the bathroom and aggressively brush my teeth, staring at myself in the mirror. My appearance looks like a wreck, and I have minimal time to fix it. My cheeks still feel dry from crying myself to sleep. If anything, I feel more anger toward Justus for not telling me this information sooner.
The questions swirling in my mind are way too many to count.
I just hope I get some answers soon, I think to myself as I finish brushing my teeth and throw on a black cloak. I throw open the door to my bedroom and close it just as quickly with a slamming thud as I sprint down the large dormitory hallway.
I navigate the campus with blinding speed. My heart, unusually motivated, propels me toward the meeting spot because I need answers immediately.
Once I reach the familiar, stupidly enormous staircase leading up to the second floor of the main building, my body forces me to take a physical break from all the running.
With one last effort, I bolt up the staircase and arrive in front of the Vice Principal Keeper's office right on time.
Knock! Knock!
The door swings open not two seconds after I knock.
There, standing in the doorway, is the same intimidating figure as before, except this time he's wearing a different suit.
How many suits does this guy have? I wonder as I walk to the chair next to the desk and sit down with a thud. My body practically melts into the seat cushion, unable to handle the intense sprinting required to make the meeting on time.
Justus notices and raises an eyebrow at me, letting out a brief humph, which I didn't quite appreciate.
"If anything, I appreciate the determination you had in getting here on time," Justus says warmly as he sits in his familiar black leather chair, which looks a lot more comfortable than mine.
"Before I answer any of your questions, understand that I cannot answer all of them right now. If I cannot answer a question of yours, don't press your luck. For your safety, there are things you cannot learn at this moment. Outside my office and a few other places, you are constantly being monitored from the shadows."
"Keep this in mind when wandering around campus," Justus explains, placing his elbows on the table and putting his hands together.
He nods at me, signaling I can ask away.
"Well… what did you mean by I am on your side? How are you connected with my parents? How much do you know about my past?" I ask, praying for a response to at least one of these questions.
Justus sighs and shakes his head slowly.
"All I can tell you for now is that I am on your side. I do not stand for the philosophy of the Keepers. I can't tell you why, but just know the Keepers are not who you think they are. The World Keepers and the Keeper Administration are different beings entirely from the students and the mages we look up to as a society."
"This may be confusing to you, which is completely understandable. Just remain wary of them," Justus says, noticing I'm about to speak again.
"Before you ask more questions, let me give you something real quick," he says as he gets up from his desk and pulls a book off the bookshelf.
"Here is a copy of Magic and Emotions with some extra chapters. You can keep it indefinitely. I suggest you read it thoroughly. The book will answer some of your questions. Also, if you want to learn more about your parents, I suggest you go back to your family's house this weekend."
"I will arrange for you to do that this Sunday before classes start. There will be no one watching you at your home because I will come up with a good excuse," he says, handing the book over. "This is all I can answer for now."
I quickly grab the book and place it in my lap. For now, I'm happy enough with at least getting some information from him.
"Thank you, Justus, for telling me more. However, I expect to learn more in the future whenever the time is right. I will forget none of this," I say, hoping to intimidate him slightly.
He looks at me with an unwavering expression of seriousness, unaffected by my attempted intimidation tactic.
"Of course. Now, the next matter at hand. The reason you're here is that I'm going to tell you some things as advice for your fight against Leena. First off, her mana capacity and the raw power of her fire magic are extremely intense, even for advanced noble students."
"The only reason she wasn't placed in the noble class from the start is that her family lost their nobility status when they went against the Keeper King, the leader of Tarondar, on an important issue," he explains cautiously.
Without warning, he whips out his wand and transforms it into a blade of light, and within a flash, presses it against my neck. My eyes widen in fear.
"This world, the continent of Glozaria, and specifically our nation of Tarondar, it's barely being held together. Here in Keeper Academy, in our floating fortress, it may seem like we're here to protect, but it's an illusion. This includes their supposedly protecting students and healing them in duels. They only take care of students deemed full of potential—royals or nobles."
"If you aren't careful, they will kill you. The only reason they haven't is because they'd rather study you and your dark magic before killing you. The monster of magic you have within yourself is keeping you alive. However, this doesn't mean you can take your fight lightly with Miss Leena," he says, withdrawing his wand.
"If you get hit at point-blank range by her magic, you could die. My guess is she'll take it lightly on you because, from my observations, she's a good person. Also, since you both are in the Noble Class, there's no reason for either of you to go all out. I'm going to confirm this, though," he says, walking over to the magical intercom.
I want to stop him from what he's about to do next, but my body won't move.
"This is the Vice Principal Keeper speaking. Leena Grey, please report to my office on the second floor of the main building. I repeat, please meet me in my office on the second floor as soon as possible," Justus announces over the magic intercom.
What in the world is he trying to do?