Latentnotes

Chapter 5

Lance finds himself and the others inside a spacious cabin. The fragrance of the fresh woods fills their nostrils, its surfaces glistens with light reflecting from orange lamps fitted on the wooden walls. He catches brief glimpses of glowing leaves disappearing which Tamiko had used to teleport them here. There's a large window through which he can see that there are lots of trees and it's also raining heavily here.

"We just teleported!" Galsey says in amazement as she checks their location on screens and a hologram of planet Gaea projected by light rays from her wrist gear.

"I wanna dig into those books with hot drinks on hand later," Tamiko says.

Lance senses a certain presence nearby.

"Lance, you're here!" A warm, manly voice greets them. "Miss Armelis and your furry companion too, thank you for coming this far from Eurasia."

"Once again, it's an honor to make your acquaintance, sir. Please, call me Galsey. And she's Jules."

It is him, the Sire! White-long-beard like of a sage, tall and muscular with some visible cuts and scars on his massive arms. Lance hesitates for a moment.

Lance approaches him and bends down to touch the sire's feet with the tip of his fingers and place them on his own forehead. It's a certain culture of paying respect and outmost humility to a revered elder.

"Aayuṣmān Bhava," the sire gives him his blessings.

Lance stands back up.

"I'm grateful that you're here, son."

"Likewise, it's good to see you again, sir," Lance says, "but I must ask you." His gaze is intense. "Why did you shut down the school? Why did you leave without saying a word...to any of us?"

Galsey watches the former teacher and student. It was something very unusual. She could only look at Tamiko who is merrily rubbing Jules's fur and looks back at her with a comforting slight nod.

The sire looks him in the eyes, firm yet calm and assuring. He was expecting this. In a calm voice, he speaks to him, "the purpose for which I had founded the institution had been fulfilled."

Lance brows close in. How could it be just that? He can't be using them that way, did he? The Sire continues, "it was to help some able children not waste their potential before they even got the chance to try. Me leaving abruptly was my final lesson as the Guru." Lance keeps looking at him. The elder released a breath, eyes never erring. "Now I stand before you as Rudroneel Sengupta, and nothing else."

Lance isn't able to say any further. He understands what he meant. The sire had spent his own fortune on the temporary campus, after all why would there be funds for such an absurd, scopeless, non-profitable and brief school. How does somebody run a school meant to last only 8 years? An that too, a school of homeless teenage murderers.

Lance breathes in and exhales. "You'll always be Acharya to us."

The sire leans and hugs Lance who is taken aback. He could sense it, that it was genuine and deep. Was he dear to him? No, it is more like he loved all his students. At least, they meant something to him like he did to them. Lance hesitates to hug him back, not because of anything else but because he respects him just a bit too much. The muscular Acharya retraces back and gives him a grateful smile. The wise elder says, "I made lots of protein for lunch."

He gestures Galsey and him to take seats. And as they do, "Tamiko, where's Zahr-Ra?" the Sire asks.

"She hasn't woken up, I guess. I'll go get her." Tamiko says and heads to the other side of the cabin.