Chapter 19 – Demigod Dame
Rain shifts uncomfortably on the couch, trying not to stare at the silver-haired beauty sitting next to him. After his outburst earlier, he's more than a little concerned about what he might say to her. Master Bright is just directing her standard, emotionless gaze at him. As if sensing his hesitation, she delivers a blunt...reassurance.
"Relax, Champion Rain...given your age and the recency of your Quirk, I'll be lenient. Keep your hands to yourself, try to look me in the eyes occasionally, and we won't have a problem. Now, on to business. What do you know about the Crucible?"
He's grateful that she's being so laid back about his blatant ogling of her, but...Rain's more than a little shocked by the direction the conversation is heading. It's not what he was expecting, based on what Aron told him last night.
'Isn't she supposed to be giving me a boring, government recruitment speech?'
"Uhm...understood. Thanks, Master Bright. Anyway, I know pretty much what Chosen Aron told me. In two months, I and all the other new Champions will be randomly scattered across Asphodel, and forced to find a Bridge back to Earth. That's pretty much it. Err, not that I am complaining, but why are you asking? I was told that you just wanted to give me the government's standard recruitment pitch before kicking me out."
Master Bright remains silent for a moment, her expression unwavering.
"So, that's all? What about Asphodel itself – do you know what to expect as you travel through it? The terrain, the creatures that roam there, the weather and dangers of the environment...tell me how you plan to navigate it all. You mentioned finding a Bridge, but do you know what they look like?"
Rain tries to suppress his bewildered expression as he fidgets nervously under her unrelenting stare.
'Did she just...straight up ignore my question? Also, why is she being such a hard ass!?'
"No...I can't answer any of those things. I've only known about the Crucible for half a day, and I was asleep for most of that, so I haven't had much time to plan. However, I managed to survive the Labyrinth, and I was alone then. I'm sure I'll meet other Champions in Asphodel, citizens and Legacies that know more. I'll join up with whoever I can, and do whatever it takes to survive."
Without missing a beat, Master Bright nods and responds with a tone that manages to sound detached while still conveying incredulity.
"Perhaps that will work, if you can convince them...and trust them...to help you. Most of them will know one another from the Academies, but you'll be an outsider. No...an orphan. You have no combat training, no knowledge of Asphodel, and no resources to offer them...why would they burden themselves for your sake? As a matter of fact, what makes you so sure they won't just kill someone like you for the Resonance? If they share your Lineage, I'd say they'll almost certainly decide that's their best option."
Rain feels a trace of anger start to flare in his chest, his normally shimmering eyes darken menacingly. At the same time, he also registers a spark of...fear. As cold as Master Bright is being, she's also making valid points.
The Academies are government-sponsored, but independently managed schools for Marked. There are three total, one each on the continents where humanity has remaining stronghold cities. This continent – Weston – has four cities, and its Academy is located in Rain's city, HSW-3. The Academies' primary goal is to prepare new Champions for the Crucible. Now that Rain knows it's not optional like the Rites, the Academies' mission and government endorsement makes a lot more sense to him.
The natural survival rate for the Crucible is abysmal, almost as bad as the Trial's. Since Marked are humanity's greatest asset in combating the Fel on Earth, it makes sense that the government would want as many of them as possible. So, basically any citizen that gets Marked is welcomed into the Academy on their local continent.
The Academies accept students free of charge, and offer them food, living space, resources, and training, all aimed at preparing Marked for Asphodel. It also serves another function – connecting Marked. That's why there's only one Academy on each continent, so the Marked are forced to become as familiar with one another as possible. This aspect of the Academies' function is so crucial, in fact, that even the major clans send their newly Marked Legacies to the Academies. The reason is simple, to secure potential allies...and study potential adversaries.
It's a sad fact, one which even Rain is aware of – Marked will occasionally kill each other for personal gain. Specifically, if one Marked kills another Marked of the same Lineage, they absorb their Resonance points. That's part of why Legacies study other students at the Academy, and why Master Bright mentioned the danger of him sharing a Lineage with other Champions in Asphodel. Of course, nobody seems to have his Lineage, but they won't know that.
Still, despite all of those points, Rain can't help but resent Master Bright's blatant dismissal of him, like he's some hopeless cause. He directs a steely gaze back at her, gritting his teeth.
"Well, I have two months to prepare...I'll just make sure I'm not such a useless burden by then. If someone thinks otherwise and tries to kill me, then they'll regret it. I've had more than a few people try, and none of them have been up to the task."
For the first time, Rain sees what could be a hint of emotion flash across Master Bright's face. If only for a second, he sees the corner of her mouth twitch.
'Was that...a smile?'
However, before he can contemplate her anomalous reaction, she adjusts herself on the couch, leaning a little closer towards him. He can vaguely smell the pleasant fragrance of her shampoo, and despite being angry only seconds ago, his mouth goes dry. Master Bright's gaze seems to intensify, her storm grey eyes peering through him.
"I must say, that's rather optimistic for someone in your position. How exactly do you plan to prepare? Do you even know where you're going to sleep tonight, or find your next meal? You're also mistaken if you think that killing one or two Fallen in the Trial is anything like facing down a trained, fully armed Champion. Especially a Legacy."
The spark of anger that was diminished by her sudden proximity, quickly reignites into a flame in Rain's heart.
'Where does she get off, talking to me like this? Writing me off as useless...assuming that I'll die.'
More than anything, her perpetually calm, detached expression, combined with her callous assessment...it really pisses him off. She seems so sure of her estimation of him as inconsequential, so confident that she knows everything. Rain desperately longs to see her stoic expression crack, to rattle her, to shatter her self-assuredness. Before he knows it, there's a mounting pressure inside his mind, like a torrent of intrusive thoughts, urging him to see her indifference broken. By the time he realizes the danger, he's already opening his mouth, staring at her with a mischievous gleam in his mirrored eyes and the trace of a smirk on his face.
"You don't know anything about me. I killed dozens of Fallen in my Trial...I killed a Harbinger...I even killed a Curse. Why would I fear some pampered Champions..."
Master Bright's calm expression finally falters, her eyes widening in surprise, and Rain's anger is washed away in an ocean of dark, blissful glee. However, as the sinister impulse he felt is satisfied, and his thoughts become his own again, his whole body goes rigid with fear.
'Wh-...what did I just do...why did I say that!?'
But he already knows why...Unhinged. He let his Quirk get the best of him again, and now he's under exactly the kind of scrutiny he wanted to avoid. Rain glances at Master Bright, still tense, but trying to keep his expression relaxed. Her normal, deadpan expression has returned, but she's watching him intently, her cold eyes seemingly trying to determine something. He feels a spike of apprehension.
'No, no...calm down. This is still salvageable...what I just told her is ridiculous. There's no way she'll believe it. When she expresses skepticism, I just have to cave and say I was lying, then act embarrassed. It will be fine...'
Feeling his nerves calm a little at his own reassurances, he directs his attention back to Master Bright. She's still watching him, her face deathly serious. Catching his gaze, she seems to think something over for a moment.
"A Curse...how very interesting. Tell me more."
Rain's eyes widen in surprise as he stares at the stone-faced beauty. His mind briefly races in fear, but after a moment he forces himself to calm down. Maybe she didn't react with as much outward scorn or skepticism as he expected, but there's no way she seriously believes him. He just has to lean into her suspicions.
He acts like he's hesitating for several seconds, trying to appear outwardly nervous, then he sighs, as though he's embarrassed. He cuts his eyes towards and away from hers, as if he's ashamed to meet her gaze.
"Ah, uhm...forget that I said that...I was lying, obviously. I was just feeling a little ridiculed and I let my Quirk get the best of me. I apologize, Master Bright."
Rain watches as Master Bright narrows her eyes at him slightly, her expression giving nothing else away. She remains silent for several seconds, then responds in an even tone.
"I see...very well. How unexpectedly honest of you..."
Breathing an internal sigh of relief, Rain gives her a sheepish smile and clears his throat. He thinks it best to change the topic of conversation as quickly as possible.
"Ehem...uhm, thank you. While we're on the subject of honesty, do you mind telling me what the point of this meeting is? I'm assuming that your goal isn't just to convince me that, as an orphan, I'm disadvantaged and ignorant. If so, I may be wasting your time...I'm already aware of that."
Once again, Rain sees a rare sliver of emotion on Master Bright's face. The corner of her mouth twitches upward briefly, then she leans over on the couch, resting her face in her hand with her elbow on the back of the couch. Strands of silver hair fall over her eyes as she studies Rain curiously for several moments. Eventually, she responds in a tone that sounds almost...pleased.
"What if I told you that I could get you into the Academy? Today, even, if you wanted. That'd let you prepare in earnest for your Crucible, and you'd have food and shelter. You'd stand a lot better chance of surviving with that kind of help."
Rain's face goes slack with shock, and he blinks repeatedly in confusion. However, after a moment, all the puzzle pieces start to fall into place within his mind. Master Bright's relentless characterization of his bleak future, how her words slowly pushed him towards feelings of fear and desperation, her subtle implications that everyone would be out to get him, how her detached attitude and respectful use of 'Champion Rain' bolstered all of that by making it seem like any harsh assessments were just the objective truth of an impartial third party...
'My gods...she's brilliant...so scary, too. Wait...am I...turned on right now?'
Seeing in retrospect how masterfully he was manipulated, he only feels admiration for the beautiful, silvery Demigod. He's been wondering this whole time what she wanted, since she'd obviously abandoned the recruitment speech Aron mentioned. However, Rain now sees the truth. He got exactly what he was promised...Master Bright is just an infinitely more skilled and ruthless negotiator than he could have anticipated.
Rain hangs his head in exasperation, and begins chuckling freely. After a moment, he looks back up at Master Bright and gives her a dry smirk.
"The Academy, huh? You're right, that sounds like an incredibly generous offer. Too good for someone in my position to pass up, really. Let me guess...all it takes to make it happen is a little enlistment paperwork?"
Rain watches her, letting curiosity show on his face. She watches him with her standard expression for another moment, then all notions of emotional subtlety fade – her whole facade seems to drop.
Master Bright gazes across the couch at Rain, an unfettered, predatory smile spread across her face.