"You have a talent for this Suzuran."
Class has already ended but Suzuran and Marth are currently using one of the caster training halls for extra lessons.
"Your knack for the Shinto arts are clear, scarily so considering how new you are to this stuff. Must be your connection to Higashi." Apollo said.
"Uh, I'm actually not from Higashi but Scarcusa; however my father came from there." Suzuran explained.
"What did your father do back in Higashi? Was he connected to spirits by any chance?" Apollo asked as he simultaneously thought of what else to teach.
"He is a shrine priest and from what I heard he was very well liked by everyone." Suzuran said with a smile so bright Apollo had to pull out a pair of shades so he wouldn't go blind.
"That explains a lot. Perhaps that light I see from you is the love the gods may have for you, or it could be you are just that cheerful." Apollo said as an idea popped into his head. "So now keep practicing that barrier, it's quite good as it will allow you to do arts or magecraft that requires a lot of prep time. Keep in mind that the barrier will constantly suck mana out of you so keep that in mind." Apollo said.
"Understood Mr. Kotemine. I'll do my best." Suzuran said with confidence.
"I know you will Suzu." He said as he walked towards his other student and in his mind adoptive sister at this point, Marth.
"How's the work coming along?" Apollo asked.
Apollo scanned Marth from head to toe as he observed what she was doing, While Suzuran practiced magecraft based in Japan, Marth was learning more western style magecraft.
"The bounded field is coming along Mr. Apollo, I was planning to ask if you can check it out." Marth said as she drew the final line completing the magic circle.
"Sure." Apollo said as he now held two things. One was a small ball of pure mana, the other was a sucker. "Say the incantation. Also by the way you are missing a line in that magic circle."
A sense of panic flashed on Marth's place as she quickly fixed the error .Marth said the incantation as a small bubble tinted red appeared on the edges of the magic circle.
"It's a good start, now let's see how good it is." Apollo flicked the ball towards the circle. Upon contact a loud crackling sound akin to faint lighting is heard, however as quickly as the sound came it was gone as the small ball broke through the bounded field. The destruction of it was something similar to glass breaking.
"Not bad, I'm proud of you. If you keep going at this then perhaps you will be able to create bounded fields of a first rate mage." Apollo said
"Then what is considered first rate then?" She asked.
"Basically here is the list. Third rate is what you did, the bounded field was easily noticeable and destroyed easily. Second rate would be either not noticeable or not easy to destroy, while first rate is being both hard to find and destroy. However at the end of the day what matters is if it can complete its goal properly." Apollo explained.
Apollo looked at the clock and saw how late it's gotten.
"Alright you two it's getting late so before we leave I'll tell you guys one last thing. In the last six to eight weeks we have gone over a lot, to be honest a lot more than I thought. In class we covered magic circuits, leylines, strengthening, incantations and bounded fields." Apollo said.
"Is it abnormal that we've done so much?" Marth asked as she cleaned up the magic circle.
"While not abnormal, you two would be slightly above average. Similar to a shallow mage family only two to three generations deep, beyond that I have nothing else to say." Apollo explained as he threw a sucker at Suzuran.
"I'll see you tomorrow Mr. Kotemine." Suzuran said as she left the room enjoying the candy she earned leaving the two behind.
Apollo didn't say anything as he gave Marth a sucker and walked out the room. Marth followed his lead and stayed close to them. The two didn't talk as Apollo looked in the notebook he uses for class materials, various sketches, notes and so on. Marth on the other hand simply focused on the sucker she received, mainly on the foreign writing she's never seen before.
Once Apollo reached his room he looked to his side to see Marth still at his side. It's been like this for the last few weeks so Apollo just lets the young one follow him. He used his keycard to unlock his door revealing a simple living space.
A bunk bed to the left, a desk in front of the window and a makeshift closet to the right. Marth took off her shoes and got on the bottom bed enjoying the softness of it. Apollo set himself up at his desk, he opened the cooler to the right of his desk that he smuggled in. He grabbed two drinks, a bottle of water and a can of Ginger Ale.
He gave the water bottle to Marth so she could recover while he snapped open the can. Once he was fully settled in he started writing in a notebook.
"Class is progressing well, from what I've observed the animalist traits of the people on Terra plays an effect on how they interact with magecraft. Suzuran being a prime example, I'm not sure whether someone having nine tails is commonplace but giving her a talent for Japanese style of magecraft. Could I perhaps push her towards the east in general? It may work quite well due to her personality. I'll have to keep that in mind for later.
As for Marth, she is an interesting case. She is someone I would see back home, she aligns more with the western style of magecraft. Unlike Suzuran who I have a rough base for her country and her weird potential connection to the figures from back home. I know little to nothing regarding what the sarkaz are or the nature of Kazdel, for all I know they could connected to this world's equivalent to the demons in Christianity. I'll learn more about that as I go.
As for the other students, they are all making good progress. Vigna who is also a sarkaz is good at enforcement and uses it on her spear for training, she will be quite good if she keeps it up. Angelina is in the same boat in regards to supporting. The most interesting however is Skyfire, she is a problem in a way that will be hard to handle. Her personality isn't the issue nor is her motivation to learn, it's her mentality. At the end of the day she is a scientist and depending on how things progress she could be this world equivalent to Solomon in the downfall of magecraft, but I may be over blowing it.
Once Apollo finished his notes he looked over to see Marth knocked out in his bed. Her body slightly moved up and down in rhythm to her breath, but it was clear to Apollo that she wasn't sleeping in complete peace. Marth's body may be resting but her mind is doing the opposite, Marth's clenched fist and slight shaking was clear in his eyes.
"Another nightmare." Apollo said as he moved his chair so that he was in front of the bed. He rested his arm on the space in front of her.
Apollo was sure that Marth was fully asleep so it kinda surprised him to see Marth move to hold his arm, but seeing that the moment she did her shaking slowed down and her hands relaxed. She looked as if the nightmare became bearable. Seeing her like this reminded Apollo of something.
"I wish you and Shinji were able to meet each other, I feel as if the two of you would have gotten along. I doubt Shinji I raised wouldn't mind having a younger sister." Apollo said as he stayed close to Marth until something clicked in his head. "Oh, yeah your first mission is tomorrow. I guess that must be why you have been nervous these past few days."
The Ark
Once Apollo felt like things were fine he left his room and wandered around the landship. He didn't have anything to do so he just let the wind take him wherever. Before he knew it he found himself in one of the open areas of the landship, it something akin to a garden. Paved paths, bright green grass and an artificial day cycle.
"I keep forgetting how big this ship is, it's like a movable Chaldea. I should have advocated for Mars to add this but it is what it is." Apollo said.
Apollo didn't say anything as he traveled the space, taking in all the different aromas of the plant life present. As he traveled he came across an opening in the shape of a circle, in the center is an empty space that a fountain would normally be. He moved towards the edges of the center and started walking, his steps entering a rhythmic pattern. His breathing was full yet fast as his lung enlarged and deflated like a piston going up and down.
His mind wondered as his body continued the motions, the divine construct forced upon him reacted. The object that has led to many of Apollo's seemingly near impossible victories against his opponents along with countless revelations about himself started to move or rather spin in all directions. In both Ursus and Minos the divine construct, while it did provide him with the very basic function of regeneration, the object didn't really activate. It was akin to a phone being on and passively producing heat, it wasn't doing any function beyond existing.
The deeper into this trance he got, thoughts that Apollo was temporarily not aware of starting to form.
"What is this world?"
"Who are the gods here?"
"Why does magecraft work here?"
"Where am I?"
"What are arts?"
"Should I cook something for Marth and the rest of the class?"
Whatever was diving into Apollo's mind went deeper, pulling out questions that hung in the back of his mind like questions regarding this new world. However the thing diving into Apollo's mind went deeper, it soon found questions that Apollo asks and answers during every moment of his existence.
"Were my accomplishments the work of the divine construct or myself?"
"The Cube and always has been."
"Am I human?"
"Of course not."
"What am I then?"
"A tool, ever since that day you forgot what made you human."
"What is my purpose?"
"Why do you ask? Your purpose has not changed in all these centuries. Your job is to push humanity forward, to help them grow in a way to prove themselves to the universe. You do not matter nor are you included in this, for you are only a tool. Always remember that 'me'."