Reborn Through Grace (Gray)
Sydria Academy, Massachusetts, USA
December 11th, 2024
Classroom lights buzzed softly as Professor Arohn moved to the center of the room, chalk in hand. He started to write, and his elongated script formed one word on the board: PROMETHEUS.
"Can anyone here, tell me the story of Prometheus?" Arohn asked, his voice low but commanding. Of course, he had not asked for a show of hands, but several shot up anyway. Sevyn remained silent, tapping aimlessly with his pen against his notebook.
Raze, predictably, had his head propped on one hand and was about halfway asleep.
"'Prometheus,'" Arohan started without waiting for a response, "was a Titan who defied the gods. He stole fire, intended for the divine, from Olympus and gave it to humanity. A gift of knowledge and power, a gift that changed everything. That set mankind on a course it was destined to follow..'"
He allowed a pause, letting the words sink in.
"However, Prometheus's bold deed had dire consequences. When the Olympians learned of his defiance, they seized Prometheus and brought him before Zeus, who decided that the Titan must be punished severely." He walked over to Raze, tapping his desk. Raze immediately shot up, but began to drift off again almost immediately after the professor walked past.
"He ordered Prometheus to be chained to a rock on a desolate mountaintop, where an eagle would be set to feast upon his liver every day, which, as it tore at the liver, made sure Prometheus was in constant agony. But it was also the kind of punishment that made the delivery of sin so obvious that some might well add to Zeus's character the attribute of being both virtuous and being seen to be virtuous while doing it."
He continued to pace around the classroom, the soft click of his shoes on the tile filling the silence.
"Prometheus might have understood what he was paying for when he handed out flames. He might have done it because he had faith in what we could become."
"Or." Arohn glanced toward the window, the light of a gray afternoon diffusing through the glass and into the room, then looked back at us.
"He could have just been tired of divine monopolies in power. He could have wanted to see what would happen when mortals played with the same sparks Zeus casually tossed around..."
"Who knows, right?" Arohn says with a smile, the sharp ring of the school bell interrupting him as he was about to continue.
"The journey of understanding often leads to revelations, and perhaps we were just on the verge of one..." he said with a sigh.
"Do think about it, though..." Arohn called after the class as they packed up and slowly walked out of the class. "Because sometimes, whether you're the giver or the receiver, the fire burns all the same."
Raze was balancing precariously between consciousness and the deep embrace of sleep, with his chin in danger of falling off his palm any second, when a sudden smack at the back of his head sent his senses surging.
"Get up. It's time for lunch," Sevyn grumbled, his tone half sigh, while Raze tumbled forward in his chair, about to overbalance.
Raze blinked groggily, glaring at his brother through a haze of sleep. "You have the bedside manners of a drill sergeant."
Sevyn ignored him, already slinging his bag over his shoulder.
With a loud yawn, Raze stretched his arms theatrically, one hand "accidentally" brushing his notebook. He twisted his body in an exaggerated stretchᅳbefore snapping upright and whipping the notebook across Sevyn's face.
The slap carried no real power but was enough to send Sevyn reeling.
He stood there, caught between irritation and resignation, his expression hard to read because it fell somewhere between the two emotions.
"I see how it is keep that same energy," he shouted at Raze. But by that time, Raze was already halfway out the door, cackling like a madman, skipping down the hall with his bag flapping against his hip.
Sevyn shook his head. "Seventeen going on 5..." He muttered.
But before he could step out, the professor's voice cut through the quiet.
"Mr. Veylan."
Sevyn froze, then turned to see Professor Arohn sitting behind his desk, gesturing with a subtle flick of his fingers. "A word?"
Sevyn hesitated. He had no idea what this could be about, adjusting his bag, he walked over.
"As you're well aware," Arohn began, his tone measured, "finals are approaching, and I must say, your performance in this class has been nothing short of impressive,"
"Thank you, sir," Sevyn replied, his voice cautious. Praise from Arohn rarely came without a catch.
The professor leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "Unfortunately, I can't say the same for your brother."
Sevyn raised an eyebrow. "Raze?
"Yes, Raze. While you hold the highest grade in this class, your brother is dangerously close to failing. He's hovering around a low C, closer to a D, in fact. Missing assignments, incomplete work, zero effort."
Sevyn frowned. "That doesn't sound like Raze. I mean, sure, he's lazy, but he always turns in his work. Most of the time, at least."
"Turning in work and doing the work are not the same thing, Sevyn," Arohn said pointedly. "Most of his submissions are incomplete. or suspiciously identical to another Veylan I have in this class."
Sevyn blinked, his expression tightening. "You're saying I'm doing his homework for him?"
"I'm saying," Arohn replied, leaning forward, "that it's rather curious how much of the work he turns in mirrors yours."
Sevyn laughed dryly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Please. I wouldn't do Raze's homework even if he paid me—"
As he spoke, he pulled his phone from his pocket, accidentally sending a crumpled wad of bills tumbling to the floor. Alongside them fluttered a red slip of paper with messy handwriting: '12-Hour Raze Buck.'
Both Sevyn and Arohn stared at the odd currency in stunned silence.
Arohn bent to pick it up, inspecting the makeshift "bill" as if he had just uncovered a secret artifact. "...A Raze Buck?
Sevyn opened his mouth and then closed it, attempting to figure out how to approach the situation. "Okay, look," he finally said, rubbing the back of his neck. "He doesn't leave me alone at home. It's annoying. So, yeah, I do his homework sometimes. But he pays me with these stupid things so I can have some peace for however many hours he writes on the paper.
Arohn's eyebrow twitched, his expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Sevyn."
"I know," Sevyn groaned, raising both hands. "It's stupid. I'm stupid. But to be fair, he started it. And they work! Mostly."
Arohn released a sigh, setting the Raze Buck down on his desk. "I'm not here to reprimand you, Sevyn. But your brother's slipping, and whether or not you're aware, you're enabling him. I'd suggest you encourage him to take this class and his education-more seriously. I've tried talking with him many times, but it's like I'm talking to a wall."
Sevyn nodded reluctantly, scooping up the Raze Buck and stuffing it back into his pocket. "Yeah. I'll talk to him."
"Good," Arohn said. "Now, go enjoy your lunch."
------------------------
The cafeteria was a sea of sound: students laughing, griping about tests, and swapping food they didn't want. Sevyn sat across from Raze, stirring the unidentifiable mush on his tray while Raze was busy constructing an architectural masterpiece out of chicken nuggets and fries.
"You're supposed to eat that, not play with it," Sevyn muttered.
"Art before appetite," Raze replied, delicately balancing a nugget on top.
Sevyn rolled his eyes and looked around the cafeteria. There was something about it that was. off. At first, he couldn't place it; then his gaze fell upon the new addition to the wall near the vending machines: a sleek, glass-encased touchscreen display glowing with crisp, high-definition ads.
The screen flickered, flashing a small looping video.
"Orpheum Corporation: Expanding the Future Today."
It then cut to shots of the same high-rise building with futuristic structures, slender robotics, and smiling scientists in sterile labs. The voice was smooth and sophisticated:
"Orpheum is proud to invest in the future, enabling the next generation through innovation, education, and community partnerships."
The commercial closed with the glowing ouroboros logo of Orpheum before its loop started again.
Sevyn furrowed his brow. "Since when did we have that?"
"Have what?" Raze asked, his gaze never leaving the sculpture of his food.
"The–whatever that is." Sevyn motioned toward the display.
"Oh, that," Raze said between bites. "They installed it last week. I think I heard from one of the staff members that Orpheum started sponsoring our school." He shrugged. "It's just ads, though, nothing important."
Sevyn's brow furrowed. "Sponsoring? Why would a company like Orpheum care about our school? Don't they make, like, weapons or biotech or something?
Raze laughed. "Maybe they're here to make us into super-soldiers. About time somebody realized my potential." He flexed, melodramatically, and then crammed a fry into his mouth.
The comment was barely out before a group of students passed their table, laughing. One of them—a wiry boy in a jacket unusually big for his size, pointing toward the screen.
"You know those new scholarships Orpheum's offering? My mom tried signing me up, but the forms were wild. They wanted my DNA or something," he said, laughing nervously.
"Yeah, my parents thought it was creepy," another student replied. "But my dad was like, 'It's Orpheum—they probably just want to make sure you're not a criminal or something.'"
Their conversation tapered off as they walked away, Sevyn glanced at Raze, who was now trying to stack a napkin tower on top of his food sculpture.
"You don't think that's weird?"
"Don't think what's weird?" Raze asked, eyes still focused on his masterpiece.
"Orpheum. Being here. Doing all this." Sevyn waved his hand vaguely at the display. "It's like they're trying too hard to look friendly, or something,"
Raze shrugged. "Big companies always try to look good. Don't overthink it, Sev. They're probably just bored."
But Sevyn wasn't so sure. He turned back to the ad display, watching the ouroboros spin endlessly in its loop.
"And now, for the final touch!" Raze grinned, lifting his empty milk carton and triumphantly placing it on top of his food tower like the cherry on top of a masterpiece.
Just as he was about to admire his work, a cold, firm hand slammed down on his shoulder. Raze froze, his eyes squeezing shut in resignation, the smile dropping from his face. A soft whimper escaped him, as if he had accepted whatever fate was about to befall him.
"Boy."
The voice was low and gruff, sending a shiver down Raze's spine.
"M-Mr. Griggs..." Raze muttered, looking up with a nervous grin at the school's janitor. The man was built like a linebacker, with a thick neck and a permanent scowl.
"What did I tell you," Griggs growled, squeezing Raze's shoulder with the strength of someone who was used to lifting heavy things, "about building those damn food forts?"
Raze's eyes went wide as Griggs shook him back and forth like a ragdoll. His milk carton teetered dangerously on the top of the tower. Desperate, Raze flailed his arms and looked toward Sevyn, silently begging for help.
Sevyn, ever the reluctant hero, let out a dramatic sigh. With a quick glance at his brother, he picked up his tray, dumped it in the trash with a soft clink, and started walking out of the cafeteria.
"W-Wait! G-GAH!" Raze yelped, Keep that same energy." Sevyn said as he walked the sound of his brother's retreating footsteps echoing behind him. Griggs wasn't letting go anytime soon.