The Void Of Intelligence
Albert Gregory Percival spends most of his time in his Study alone. No children of his have ever seen what's behind the white wooden door with panels etched in black and slaver, and a sign that says "Gregory Study, DO NOT ENTER"
Albert was lost in his work, reading a book. This book was different, as it caused Albert to read every word with eyes of greed- Greed for everything the book has to offer.
The study was a large room, looking like a library. The floor was covered in a series of red, orange, or black rugs, with each rug portraying the face of all his wives. The room was filled with pieces of furniture, fridges, a stove, a bed, and 3 shelves filled with books of different languages, subjects, and topics, and the walls decorated and adorned with multiple paintings. Albert's desk was neatly arranged, with files and journals stacked on top of one another, and a simple lamp casting light on the book he was reading.
And then suddenly, there was a knock on the door, a light tap tap tap
Gregory got startled because he was lost in the book, and dispelled the person knocking, but the tapping continued.
Gregory was wearing his casual beach boxers, a red singlet, and huarache sandals. He calmly got up and trudged towards the door. The sounds of Ravens were heard outside, as they cawked so loudly that the Mansion guards were instructed to chase them away, but the flock won't leave.
As Albert reached for the door, he felt a drop in temperature and noticed the shadow of the person on the other side of the door. The knocking continued lightly, as the person on the other side waited patiently for an answer.
"Al?" Albert asked. "Mario?, Hezekiah?, Julius?, Evelyn? Who is knocking? "
The knocking continued, so light and gentle, and the sounds of the Ravens grew louder. Albert was hesitant to open the door, as he felt a presence, a very dark, gloomy presence that threatened him. Albert rushed to his desk, ran his fingers under the desk, and pushed a button.
Albert relaxed on his seat, trying to dampen the sound of his beating hearts. He wasn't afraid, he wasn't worried, he wasn't frightened, but he was curious. Who dares walk into the Percival mansion, get through all the guards, and knock at the study of Albert Gregor Percival, who dares?
Albert doesn't see this person as a guest, but an enemy that should be vanquished.
Albert started to brainstorm, trying to figure out who could be here. An assassination attempt? Most likely, but why now? But in the middle of his internal debate, the sound of a light click echoed, and the door slowly swung open.
Albert was shocked and amused; this enemy came prepared. He carefully watched as the door swung open slowly. The hinges of the door creaked, and the Study's temperature dropped drastically, making Albert regret wearing a singlet.
The figure walked over to Albert, or hovered. The figure's presence was what Albert thought: threatening, piercing, and overwhelmingly filled with evil. The presence was covered in a thick black smoke, but it dispersed when it reached near Albert.
The figure was a man, With a handsome but impossible pale face, a sickly gait, dirty green eyes crying streams of blood, heavy with sorrows, draped in an all black cloak decorated with feathers, bones and weapons, gloves tipped with slaver claws, and a helmet resembling the head of a slaver beaked raven, resting on his boney head like a crown.
"I was meant to stop at Black Meadows, but I was passing the neighbourhood, and decided to stop by." The man spoke in a husky but polished voice.
"What do you want from me?" Albert asked, "Who are you working for, and have you realized where you are right now?"
The man stared intently at Albert. "The book, where is it?"
The ravens outside began to perch on the study's window, desperately trying to enter the room, and they turned ravenous.
Albert's face showed no sign of fear. "I have no idea who you are talking about. I have a lot of books. You can call me a bookworm, but I prefer the term intelligent, brilliant, or even old-minded."
The man showed no sign of impatience. "A wise old man, I see." The man complimented "But I am in a hury. The book that you discovered on the ground of the extinct Rainbow clan, the book with no cover, no name, but with vast knowledge, give me the book, now."
Albert tilted his head and leaned forward. "Or else what?"
A guard dressed in a slaver armour entered the room.
"Master Albert," he screamed.
The guard held a triple-barreled shotgun and pointed it at the man. Three bullets left the gun with a loud bang. It traveled towards the head of the man, threatening to blow off his head. Albert was pleased with his competent soldier and smiled. The man faced towards the 3 spinning goz copper bullets coming at his head, closing in at his swamp green eyes. The Ravens' outburst grew more violent.
But realisation dawned on him. The button he pressed under his desk was meant to alert the guards as quickly as possible, so why did this guard take so much time, and why is he the only one present?
The bullet hit the man's head, but the head of the guard got blown off. With blood splattered everywhere, the headless corpse of the guard stumbled to the ground. Albert still wasn't convinced to be scared, but he was just amused.
"Oh my," Albert asked, "What divinity was that, reflection?"
The man faced Albert, and surprisingly, not even a scratch was found on the man's pale face. "I prefer not to use the term 'divinity'. But you are going to give me that book" The man's slaver claws glistened "Or else..."
Albert's right eye glowed bright orange. The sound of the Ravens dampened.
Caesar was expecting a gloydon star, a well-done sticker, or even a word of appreciation. He didn't expect a ball of glowing green energy to be directed at him. He felt his right eye turn crimson, and the energy coming closer to him. Where teachers are allowed to kill students, Caesar thought.
Caesar was about to punch the energy, but it swerved out of his hands i the last minute, and the energy exploded into a brilliant flash of light, which looked marvellous.
"Always read for an attack." Ms. Fiah said while writing her name on the large chalkboard with a chalk, "Very impressive. But I remembered saying that it was a reward, not a punishment."
The entire class chuckled, except for Caesar and Zeus. Caesar was expecting a fight, a real challenge. But he realised that he had to stop overthinking things.
Caesar sat down on his seat. "Thank you for the reward."
Class started, and it was enjoyable for everyone. While most teachers write on a chalkboard and explain some far-fetched historical stories, Ms. Fiah used her Divinity 'Flashlight' To re-enact a story, a story about a man named Melios.
Melios was a legend hailed across the lands as a very powerful ghoul. He was born 3000 years ago, in a province of ghouls called Black Valley, which was always being attacked by humans who were racist. The ghouls are distinguished by their long black horns protruding from their foreheads, and rarely, their pure black wings. Melios didn't acquire a divinity because he was a ghoul, but he was potent. He acquired powers so great that even Zion feared his wrath, and he brought the terror of Blak Valley to an end. But one day, He led an army to the capital of Zion, and he attacked. He used his most powerful weapon, the "Bell of Melios".
According to historians like Ms. Fiah, the bell of Melios was pure gloydon, and had the power to destroy the entirety of the Zion Empire. The powers were still unknown, but they theorized it had something to do with the moon, specifically the first moon, Astreas. And according to Apothecaries who studied the causes of death, they theorized that the bell, allegedly, could rain down 'Curses' from the heavens; it was never established. But by the mercy of the Almighty, he's army was defeated. Melios got executed, which made the ghouls the prime enemy of humans for 2 thousand years, and the bell of Melios disappeared when Melios died himself.
But the story made no sense to Caesar.
With few Brumite left, Caesar was desperate to satisfy his curiosity.
"Teacher?"
"Yes, Caesar." Ms. Fiah answered warmly.
"Why weren't ghouls able to use divinity at that time?" Caesar started. "But could use it now with other races."
Ms. Fiah stared at Caesar intently, studying him with her sharp brown.
" That is Simple," Ms. Fiah started. "It is true that Divinity was original meant for human. But The Almighty blessed the ability to other races quite recently. Happy?"
"Cool, cool, cool," Caesar slumped on his chair, until his brain refused to stay idle.
"Teacher?"
"Yes, Caesar?"
"How truly rare is a divinity," Caesar asked. "And are there any factors that might influence the chance of receiving one?"
Ms. Fiah stared aimlessly, pondering the question. "Interesting," She whispered.
She briskly walked towards the chalkboard and started to furiously scribble some words. In a brief intermission, she wrote down 5 numbers. 1001, 10001, 100001, 1000001, and 10000001.
"Divinity. Divinity. Divinity." Ms. Fiah repeated. "It is a divine blessing bestowed on us by The Almighty. He knows your fate, even before your parents met, and he decides if you are worthy of a Divinity."
Ms. Fiah sighed. "It basically means that The Almighty has a bias for you."
Chuckles rippled across the class.
"Even though it was widely believed to be based on The Almighty's wishes, our people like to look for the logical side of the story," Ms. Fiah continued. "By carefully recording Divinity awakenings over the last decades, Apothecaries and Statistics mathematicians have invented a reliable and accurate numerical probability of Awakening a Divinity. Or so they say."
"Let's break it down, shall we?" Ms. Fia pointed at the numbers inscribed on the board.
" First, you have a 1 in 1,001 chance to be born with a useless Divinity. These ones are called the Simeon stage, referring to the name of an everyday individual," Ms. Fiah said dramatically. "Yes, I said useless divinities. Imagine the Divinity to teleport in a 3-centicreters radius with a 3-day cooldown."
The students booed.
"Next up, you have a 1 in 10,001 chance to be born with a fairly useful divinity." Ms. Fiah said with a waving hand motion. "They are called the Ranger stage, and they can do some impressive tricks, but aren't game-changers just yet. It's like having the Divinity to know the value of anything just by looking at it."
"Sounds pretty useless to me." A student joked, and giggles filled the room.
Ms. Fiah's gaze twinkled as she continued. "Unto the next, you have a 1 in 100,001 chance of possessing a very useful divinity. These are the Champion stage, and this is where things get exciting. Take Zeus as an example."
She motioned towards Zeus, who suddenly jerked up. He was shocked to have his name called.
"With his Divinity, he can literally summon storms or calm the skies. I'm sure he will wisely use it to make it rain anytime he naps."
The class burst out laughing, but a vein formed under Zeus' eyes, showing his embarrassment. As the class was laughing, Caesar was wondering. He felt like a young kid again, sitting on his father's lap as he told him the secrets of the world.
Ms. Fiah asked for silence, and decorum resumed
"Even rarer than that, you have a 1 in 1,000,001 chance of getting a unique Divinity. They are called the Arcane stage, and who is a better example than my favourite student, Caesar?"
Caesar wasn't surprised when he heard his name. He was well aware of how peculiar his Divinity was.
"His divinity to control the 4 fundamental forces of the 3rd Heaven is truly a one in a million. " Ms. Fiah made an evil grin." His control over heat, one of the fundamental forces, must be a quick and reliable method to boil rice."
Another round of laughter spread through the class. Caesar was dumbfounded. He refused to have his ability to be measured in a culinary scale.
"Embarrassing, isn't it?" Zeus whispered in Caesar's ear. "Now you know how it feels, Rice cooker."
Zeus chuckled.
"Shut up, rain snorer," Caesar whispered back.
Laughter rippled across the room until Ms. Fiah called for silence.
"This might sound crazy, but the last stage is widely considered impossible." Ms. Fiah leaned in. "Yes, it has occurred before a few times, but it hasn't been discovered for centuries. And to make matters worse, the few that were recorded births were so perfect, so precise, that it was confirmed that it could never be replicated."
" The chance?" Ms. Fiah struck the board with her chalk so hard, it made a loud bang. "The numbers experts could give us; you have a 1 in 10,000,001 chance of having two different divinities. These types of impossibilities are known as the Phantom stage."
Murmurs quickly spread across the classroom. Most pupils have heard of the phantom stage, but they believe it was just a myth. They couldn't imagine how perfect a birth has to be in order ot have 2 divinities.
"Wouldn't that make me one of them?" Caesar asked, "Since i can control 4 different forces, wouldn't make me a phantom?"
"NO." Ms. Fiah said sternly with no hesitation. "Perhaps you lack a deeper understanding of your ability, Caesar. You don't actually control the forces."
"I don't?" Caesar questioned.
"Is it a bad thing?" Ms. Fiah asked. "According to your Divinity analysis, your true ability is to control a theoretical fifth force that binds all the 4 other forces together. To be at the phantom stage, you have to have two completely different Divinities. Is just like having your Pentagram, and having my Flashlight."
"What if both of the Divinites are useless?" Chalybe joked, and the class burst out laughing again, louder than before.
"Oh, my" Ms. Fia chuckled, uncontrollably. "How can you be so lucky, and unlucky at the same time?"
The laughter thundered through the class. It was so loud that Izobel was woried whether they would disturb other classes.
Caesar stared at the clock; 5 Brumites remaining. Caesar had just one last question, and he was in need to get it answered. If not, he was sure the question would eat him alive.
"Teacher, I have one last final question."
Ms. Fiah gently nodded, and Caesar stood up. He took a deep breath, and envisioned his question in his mind. Caesar was unsatisfied.
"So you are telling me that Divinity is rare, but there are 209 pupils in year 1 only. And I recalled the announcer saying that everybody in Black Meadows Academy has awakened their divinity. So, everyone here beat the 1 in 100,001 chance or higher?"
Some students shuffled in their seats uneasily, while others looked away. Caesar wondered if he had said something offensive.
"Excellent question Caesar," Ms. Fiah raised a finger, "But do you know that there are some students without Divinities?"
Caesar was shocked. He looked around his class, gaining more interest in them. He couldn't believe that there were students who were able to pass the Entrance trials. As Caesar remembered the trials, a sudden chill went down his spine.
"But..."
"I know, the announcer said it," Ms. Fiah was rubbing her scribbles from the white board, "I don't know why, but he lied. Some peole infact, does not have any Divinity. Take this student for example."
She gestured to a girl, who squirmed when she realized that she was the one the teacher was referring to. With her grey hair cut in a masculine fashion, flawless brown skin, and a rimless glasses, she looked beautiful by normal standards. Her outperforming feature was her deep blue eyes that moved like the ocean waves, and her hair always swaying, despite the absence of wind.
"Atlanta Shelly North, the daughter of Admiral Blue Madison North, like mother, like Daughter, they say," Ms. Fiah teased, which made Atlanta cover her face with a notebook. "Anyways, Caesar, she is a marine spirit who entered the trials and passed with flying colors. She has advanced mastery over some attributes like Never Neverland or Heavy Trident, and she also inherited powerful abilities from her blood. But no Divinity."
Caesar watched in awe as Atlanta cleaned her glasses with a handkerchief.
As Caesar wanted to greet Atlanta, a sweet tune, like a melody, repeatedly played.
"Already?" Ms. Fiah asked, "Well, children, looks like class is dismissed, you can go to your next lesson."
As everyone was exiting the class, Caesar was eager to talk to Atlanta. Before he could leave, Ms. Fiah placed her hands on Caesar's shoulder and whispered, "You still have questions, right?"
Caesar smiled, " A lot, actually. It's about Melios."
Ms. Fiah didn't smile, but kept a neutral face. " Meet me another day, then I will answer your questions, deal?"
Caesar nodded and left the room. His brain was still itching for answers. None of the main points of the story made any sense. Melios was portrayed as a pure ghoul at the start of the story, and at the climax, he suddenly ran amok. And there was no reason for his actions, and they just decided to grant him an execution?
What a terribly written story, in my opinion.
And this is where you get to see Caesar's talent; his talent of curiosity. He is always asking questions, and won't stop until he is fully satisfied, and in this case, he wasn't. It felt like there was a big hole in his chest waiting to be filled with answers, but it wasn't present.
Next lesson was Hexes; the study of potions and their composition, and Caesar asked countless questions.
The professor of the subject was a Neptunian male, hailing from Shawnforth. With well-sculpted muscles pushing against his shirt, to his long, lush brown hair, you could almost not pay attention to his razor-sharp rows of teeth. His name was Pierrot Zeen Cumberland, or Mr. Pierr for short.
He was slow to anger with Caesar's countless questions, and he tried to answer them calmly, such as "Why does the Assassin lizard venom kill mammals, but not other creatures?" or "Why does the luck vile kill ghouls?" or "Why do Galeburst ectoplasm strengthen Elves only when the moon of Rui shines?"
Often, when Caesar asks one of his brilliant questions, the teacher would reply with "Sorry, my friend, the questions would be answered on later lessons."
But one answer impressed Caesar: "Hmmm. The Luck vile kills ghouls because the race is bound by a curse. They are essentially made entirely of curses, so introducing bad luck is just terrible, as it could destroy the very essence that made them."
The lesson on strengthening potions was excellent, and Caesar was haste to make a potion for his father.
1st break arrived after the sweet melody of the dismiss sound.
Caesar, Chalybe, Izobel, Zeus, and Fenrir met up in a grassy field. The Black Meadows grassfield was impeccable, with low-cut grass that caught the light of the sun, Zuizui. Trees were randomly planted around the field, housing various fruits that were safe for consumption. Many students arrived at the venue, so the quintet lounged under a gerry-plum tree, a small fruit with massive nutritional value.
Fenrir was the most excited, as he hugged Caesar, and charismatically greeted the others.
They all plopped themselves under the tree and brought out their food and cuisines, and began to share stories of their experiences. Fenrir said that he attended Biology, or Life graph inputting, which made Zeus cough up his Greyfruit juice. He said it was confusing, but he had fun, and he also enjoyed getting acquainted with a student, Megara.
Izzy complained about Caesar asking too many questions, which made the group laugh.
Fenrir also showed his companions his data;
Name: Fenrir Wolf Endymion
Blessed Name: David
Year: Year 1
Year Rank: 7th out of 209
Divinity: Ragnarok ( Able to use pure grace to increase the physical strength of anything and create constructs)
Divinity Class: Valour – (Defensive)
Attributes: [Neverland], [Berserk], [Spawn of fangs], [Mountain lord]
Class: Sentinel — The shield, the frontline, and the immovable strength of any unit.
"Well," Fenrir sighed, "Guess I'm not the sharpest wolf."
Caesar shared his void of intelligence with his companions; his suspicion of the Melios story and his inability to bury his theory that they are hiding something. Caesar appreciated the way they listened and didn't judged.
Chalybe's snow white hair glistened under the sunlight, as he took a bite of his Cardigen fish rice. "I am not going to pretend that I was not aware," Chalybe said. "I know of your hobby of asking a lot of questions, and you are never satisfied."
Caesar blinked at Chalybe. "What do you mean, mister?"
Chalybe gulped down a spoonful of rice. "Anytime you claim that you are satisfied with your curiosity, another just comes up. You are always wondering, looking for a mystery to be solved."
Caesar spread his arms. "That is because this entire world is just one big question, filled with unanswered questions" Caesar's voice turned more serious," This world is a world of Mysteries."
Izobel looked at the two boys and sighed, "You boys and your fantasy." Izobel then touched her chin, "But I have to say, Caesar's question in history intrigued me. The story of Melios sounded too, what's the word?, incomplete."
Caesar's eyes gleamed, "Like they are hiding something."
"Well, I'm no smart wolf," Fenrir proclaimed, "But I don't think the kingdom is hiding anything."
Fenrir's eye drifted to Zeus, who was gulping down a drink from his metal bottle. "Hey Zeus, my nose smell red grape juice?"
"I'm not sharing it, Fenrir," Zeus replied
"C'mon, they are really good." Fenir pleaded
After a series of discussions, the sweet melody sounded, and the group headed to class. Caesar walked slowly, siloquizing on his companion's words. I don't think the kingdom is hiding anything. That's what Fenrir thought, and that's what they all thought.
Caesar took a deep breath and trudged to his class through the halls, marvelling at the countless luminous pillars.
"Hey, Ceasa, stop slacking," Zeus called out, while finally giving Fenrir a sip from his bottle.
Caesar smiled with one of his devious, yet charming smiles and galloped to his next class with his confidants.
Alarms blared. The Percival manor has been shaken to its core. The Percivals are in despair. Albert's study was thrashed, like a mighty hurricane had rummaged through the place. The paintings, the pieces of furniture, the rugs, the bed, the stove; they were all destroyed. Albert Gregory Percival was attacked, and two giant claw marks wounded his chest. Is the eccentric billionaire dead?