43. Civil Conversation (part 2)

"I know. Zero is your other half." I said to him with my arms folded, and the headmaster clapped his hands.

"Very good." He complimented while wearing a cold grin, and it truly felt like my body wanted to shiver from his tone. 

"You are always very intelligent, Nathan Fiore. Just like your mother, Fae."

Hearing my mother's name, the smile that I was wearing disappeared. 

"Why did you kill her?"

"Why? Hmm…" The headmaster turned to think right away, but I already knew the answer even before he told me.

"Because she knows something that you don't want anyone to know about you. Isn't that right?" I said to him before he could say a word, and the headmaster opened his eyes widely at me.

"And… I wonder how you know anything about that."

"Miss Hilda. Your own student that you've killed aside from my mother. She left behind a will that says everything we all needed to know about you." I told him about how I knew, and he only laughed.

"Oh, that girl knows nothing. She hates me because I didn't protect your mother from the truth. At the end of the day, Fae is just way too smart. No one can stop her from uncovering the truth of this land, not even someone as powerful as me." The headmaster said coldly, which made me wonder what exactly it was that Mom knew about him.

"Is it about the prophecy?" I asked him about what Zero told me, and he chuckled before sitting down on his chair.

"Let me tell you about the history of this land… Avenor, or whatever you people want to call it." The headmaster said while leaning back on his chair, and it seems like he is going to tell a story.

"A long time ago, a monster came to this land from the skies." The headmaster opened the story with such an overused story that every child has heard about. 

"This monster has seven superpowers. The ability to control fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, light, and darkness. The monster fell in love with seven humans, and he bestowed upon them each of the seven superpowers to them.

The humans called these powers 'Origins', because they can only be shared through lineage or bloodlines. Beforelong, all the humans on this land that are alive have origins within their bodies, turning every individual of this land much more powerful than before.

Of course, such a power isn't free. If anything, it was lent. The monster bestowed their power to humans, not so that the humans can use this power freely, but so that one day he can take back the powers from the humans with multitudes of increment than what he gave away."

The headmaster smirked when he arrived at the last part, because that was never a part of the children's story. This is his own version of the made up children's story. But, from the way he is telling it, it's like that story was never a fake.

It's like he truly believes that the monster is real.

"The ancient society called this monster 'Apocalypse'. It is the being that one day will end the world as we know it, by taking away our origins from our bodies, turning us into lifeless entities. Origins are essentially our lives, and humans can't live without them anymore. In fact, only 0.001% of the people alive don't have an origin inside them, and I say that they are very lucky.

The Apocalypse monster has made an appearance once before. Thousands of years ago, long before the war demon 'Omega' walked the land. The ancient society of Avenor combined their strengths into one and fought against this monster, and they successfully defeated the monster.

However, they have only defeated it. They couldn't kill the monster because it was immortal, so they decided to seal it away. To the skies above us, beyond the stars. That is why we always find stargazing to be quite joyful, because the origin in our bodies is craving to return to the source."

Hearing the headmaster's words, I was instead reminded of a certain individual that loves stargazing so much. Remembering her does ignite the anger within me since her killer is in front of me, but I shall hold it back for now.

"Can you please get to the point? I haven't eaten breakfast." I said while placing my hands on my hips, and the headmaster looked like he wanted to throw something at me.

"If your teacher is talking, at least listen. Now, about the ancient society, there's plenty that was left behind for the world around us. But, only one thing that holds the most importance compared to others.

Their prophecy. It was a warning for the future generations that the Apocalypse will return, and so that we can prepare ourselves for when it does come."

The headmaster stood up from his seat and faced me straight, and he pointed one finger at me while staring at me coldly.

"The prophecy… talks about a child that will bring forth the Apocalypse." He said with such a cold tone, and I already knew that he thinks I'm that child.

"… So?"

I asked out of confusion, and he let out a sigh.

"You… really don't understand the point of the story at all?" He asked so bluntly, so surprised that I didn't get his story at all.

But, I do get it. I'm most likely the 'Child of the Prophecy'.

"If you want to stop me from unleashing the apocalypse, then wouldn't killing me solve everything?" I asked something that I've been meaning to ask, and he only grinned after hearing it.

"That can't happen. Because if we do kill you, then you won't become that child who will unleash the apocalypse for us. If it's not you, then it will be a child that will come in future generations, and who knows how long we have to wait until then." The headmaster explained his point of view, and I do understand why he said it.

However, he quickly formed a wide grin at me.

"Plus… we don't want to stop you from summoning the Apocalypse." The headmaster said with such an ominous smile, and I knew right away that this is the dark side of him talking.

"… 'We'?" I pointed out, and he laughed after I noticed.

"Do you know about the story of the Four Harbingers of the Apocalypse?" The headmaster asked, and I remember it was part of history that the religious wind temple is very crazy about. 

"I know a thing or two."

"In that case, do you know why the four Harbingers existed?" He asked with such an ominous tone, and I knew right away what the answer was.

"You… want to summon the apocalypse?" I tried guessing, and the headmaster's smile turned even wider.

"To wipe this world clean."

He is a lunatic. There is no other explanation. Any time I heard someone want to destroy the world, they just simply lost their minds. Always.

However, if someone as strong as him actually does have such wishes, then it might be a possibility. The headmaster is a very dangerous person, and if he truly wants such things, then the chances of him obtaining it is much higher than your average crazy person.

He is really just like… an evil god.

"Allow me to introduce myself again, just in case you didn't hear me last time." The headmaster smiled widely at me, and I already became sick of seeing that smile of his.

"You're the Harbinger of Conquest. The light and darkness origin." I said to him, and he laughed upon hearing it.

"Took the words out of my mouth!!!" In an instant, his facial expression changed. I realized that the person I'm talking to is no longer the same headmaster as before, and his tone of voice has also hinted at what is currently happening.

"… Zero."

"At your service, little child of the village!" The headmaster bowed to me, and I realized that he and Zero had now merged into one body. 

This might've become extremely problematic for me, because the headmaster is already very strong with just himself. I was able to defeat Zero, but that's only because fire origin is more suited at countering darkness origin. But with the two combining into one body, I'm not sure if such a victory can be achieved again, even if I were to go all out.

And… I'm not sure if we all combined our strength can we truly defeat him.

This is the monster that has wiped my village. This is him, the man who I saw that night that was capable of wielding two origins.

The headmaster began lifting both his hands. On his right hand is the light origin, and on his left hand is the darkness origin. Seeing him using the two of them while also wearing that insane grin at me made me amazed at just how fate has played me into this situation.

It all started from there. When my village burned down, and my family was massacred.

And now, we are here. Facing against each other, with nothing other than the apocalypse behind our backs.

The time that I've been looking forward to has arrived.

Now… I will make sure you're dead.