"That's what I wanted to hear!" Nathan exclaimed. "Monica!"
"Y… yes!" Monica replied, her voice vibrating under the atmosphere.
"Destroy this empty throne of injustice and suppression!"
Monica drew her wand hurriedly and followed Nathan's command without thinking—possibly a habit of her familial background. Nathan's speech, though not directed towards her, presented an undeniable, commanding leadership that she instinctively listened to.
Only after a roaring fireball shattered the empty throne did Monica realise the consequences of her actions. She turned around to her professor, who stood solitarily with no expression on his face. The academy forbade unsupervised usage of combat-type Rune Arts.
Professor Brandle blinked innocently. "The force is barely acceptable. Try improving your accuracy next time."
Nathan Modernson tilted his head at the unusual response of Professor Brandle. It would save him a lot of trouble in the future.
"Nathan Modernson, are you out of your mind?!" Edgar Helmander yelled out—this time, his tone was full of fear.
"My father would never…"
Nathan ignored his desperate calls and continued his speech to the students. "My fellow comrades! Now, prove to me that you have turned to justice and courage. Prove to me that you truly demand change in your futures!"
He pointed towards Edgar coldly, the ordinary demeanour of Nathan Modernson's carefree character nowhere in sight.
"He is all yours. It's time to release the anger you've held within yourselves. This is a symbolic act of rebellion—that anyone else who mistreats us will end up exactly like him. Leave one last breath; I will cover the rest."
The command left a silent hesitation among the crowd. Could they really trust this stranger to such an extent? What if this was just a trap from the Student Council to remove them once and for all?
Yet, once more, a solitary shadow launched himself forward. His kick was weak and sloppy, almost seeming like a reckless act without intellectual consideration. Nathan watched him in silent surprise. He didn't expect that these students would be so courageous and determined. After all, there had to be a reason for their prior inaction.
"Nathan Modernson, right?" Ash Robert turned to him, his voice carrying a clamorous calmness.
Nathan blinked. At least for a slight second, he saw a glimmer of flame inside the boy's eyes. It wasn't a figurative illusion—he was certain it was there.
"Yes."
"Have you ever been treated as trash on the floor?"
Nathan scoffed in his heart, with all the right to do so. Who could say they experienced more persecution than the rejected citizens of Lostburg? But somehow, his white uniform, devoid of any dust or stain, shielded him from this historical shame.
"If I said I have, would you believe me?"
Ash Robert paused. Crouching down, he punched Edgar Helmander in the face with all the strength he had, almost taking him out instantly.
"I would." His words were truthful—at least Nathan felt so.
"The words you said wouldn't come out from a true aristocrat in a million years."
His last sentence was quiet. Nathan couldn't tell whether those words flowed out of Ash's mouth or just his mind.
"Nathan Modernson, you will regret this," Edgar Helmander coldly announced, trying to defend the remaining dignity he treasured.
"Make me," Nathan replied carelessly. He walked towards Ash and rested his hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met, but there was nothing but a short silence. It was enough for them to understand each other. Nathan unconsciously knew the boy in front of him was similar to his own self. Unfortunately, different environments shape different characters.
"What's your name?" Nathan asked.
"Ash Robert."
"Great name." Nathan nodded and turned to the representative students. He signalled them to come to his side. After all, their uses were much more than simply being witnesses.
"We are all representative students in Year 1," Nathan declared, friendlier than before. "If I alone wasn't enough to support you, remember that all of us are by your side. We might be strangers up until now, but onwards, we will be a family."
Leo Blanc took a step forward. Though his announcement wasn't as powerful or effective as Nathan's, his voice carried a unique tone of trustworthiness. "Do not fear, friends. As a member of the clan, I will try my hardest to remove the hatred the Blanc Clan unrightfully holds against you."
Some of the students below had their eyes lit up.
Following his steps, William Schwarz also smiled brightly. "Same goes for the Schwarz family. Though I cannot represent my whole clan, I will do what I can to at least protect you from any form of harm."
Nathan nodded and raised his arms. "No matter who you wronged before, no matter what identity you possess—we hereby provide you with the chances of a second life, sources of redemption that will transform your destiny forever. From now on, this gathering place will be renamed the 'Redemption Club,' and everyone within it during current times, as well as all others under unfair suppression, will be sheltered under our collective wings."
Jay Short could barely wait to say the line he was assigned. "But every club needs a club leader, no? Who can take on that heavy responsibility?"
Jennifer Lumendra shook her head. "I nominate Nathan Modernson." There was a slight amusement on her face that was usually absent. However, her expressions were still cold, much colder than an ordinary girl her age.
Charlotte nodded. "Only he deserves this position."
William and Leo shrugged. They didn't care about who the "Club Leader" was. After all, it was no more than a constructed title than true benefits. As long as it wasn't each other, they were fine with any outcome.
David smiled it off; he had been quiet the entire night. And of course, Monica supported Nathan with all her heart after his sensational speech.
However, there was one vote of objection.
"I say not so." Nathan lifted his head from his thoughts.
"I think the club leader should be one of them—those who actually suffered through their circumstances and became the warriors they are now."
"I vote Ash Robert."
Ash turned his head around, the astonishment unwritten on his face but storming in his heart. Some of the other representative students looked at each other and lowered their heads in embarrassment at how unthoughtful they were.
Somehow, this simple sentence seemed to have fired up the atmosphere more than any of the lines in his speech. The small crowd below cried out in satisfaction—their empty vessels finally brought back to reality.
Nathan smiled. "Seems like everyone agrees. What do you say, Ash? Any commands for your fellow club members?"
Ash paused. In this moment, where emotions of excitement and concern overfilled his mind, he seemed to have lost the ability to think or express any of his emotions.
However, there was indeed something he wanted to do.
Speechless, he pointed towards Edgar Helmander's terrified figure.
Cries of eventual liberation, gossip of unexplained mysteries, and one man's scream of pain replaced the hollowness of the pillar. Among the background tumult, Nathan Modernson slowly walked towards the solitary Professor Brandle, the other representative students fanning behind him.
"Professor Brandle, I apologise that you have to be involved in all this. It must be a great waste of your time," Nathan explained with a truthful tone of apology.
Professor Brandle twitched. "Wasting time" was the least of his worries.
"I know, this must be reported to the other senior staff members… So, guys," he turned to the others, "shall we recollect the events that happened tonight and provide a detailed summary for our dearest professor?"
"Edgar Helmander invited us into his gathering place with the false excuse of a welcoming ceremony for his juniors," Jennifer began.
"We naively thought he had no ill intentions, but we were wrong. He and his followers attempted to assault Nathan." Leo followed.
"This is because he was upset that everyone was mocking him for being a subordinate of Nathan," William nodded.
"Precisely. Even though Nathan humbly apologised for an offence he never committed, Edgar wasn't buying it," Monica continued.
"His followers laughed at him for being such a loser," David murmured.
"And Edgar got even angrier. He started launching combat-type Rune Arts at them," Charlotte shrugged.
"As a result, the rest of us had to take him down to prevent any harm to academy properties and ourselves," Leo added.
"The process was chaotic, and the outcome was not pretty. See?" Nathan concluded and pointed towards the crowd behind, still occupied with their revenge on Edgar.
At this point, Professor Brandle had the urge to laugh. The weight of the atmosphere was alleviated by the peculiar harmony between the representative students, who, before entering the academy, treated each other as hostile enemies.
"Alright, alright… and I happened to be taking a walk outside and heard the whole process." He shook his head in resignation.
Sometimes, brainwashing yourself to believe a story contrary to reality can be difficult. However, in certain circumstances, the truth must be forgotten.
The story they told wasn't true, no matter how you perceived it.
But their identities, and the power behind them, were more realistic than anything else. Sometimes, truths can contradict each other. In those scenarios, one would have to decide which truth was more impactful than the other.
"But tell me, Nathan, what is it that you truly want out of this?" he added in confusion. There seemed to be hundreds of reasons, but none were worthy of paying the cost.
The representative students had many different answers. Some said it was for supportive forces in the future. Some said it was the personal conflict between Nathan and Edgar. Some said Nathan was truthfully sympathetic towards those under suppression.
Though most of these reasons were partially correct, Nathan's true intentions lay far beyond their comprehension. Nathan planned many steps into the future, but the foundation begins with one word:
Attitude.
The attitudes of the representative students, the attitudes of his potential supporters, and—most importantly—the attitude of the academy.
Perhaps even the attitude of himself.
…
"Come in."
Nathan Modernson had stepped into Henry Nox's dreamy office for the first time.
He couldn't put his astonishment into plain words. This mysterious room that felt like an honour to enter seemed too much like an illusion than a reality, or rather, somewhere in between. The vastness and emptiness of his surroundings provided him with a feeling of serenity, as if his mind had ascended into another plane.
Henry Nox was standing before the gigantic window as always. He never seemed to get tired of watching the busy streets of Endnest down below. Nathan called out to him, and a response that sounded like an echo returned.
"Come closer, son."
Nathan nodded instinctively and took a step forward.
Henry Nox appeared directly in front of him. Or rather, he appeared directly in front of Henry Nox.
"Take a seat."
Holding the complexity of feelings within himself, he swallowed a breath of uncertainty.
"There is no chair around, sir."
"Nonsense," Henry replied slowly, taking a sip of his tea in the process. "Aren't you sitting on one right now?"
Nathan blinked. He felt as if his memories were constantly being flushed down a spiral of storming seawater. He couldn't tell or control the actions he performed, and the fantasies he saw. One thing remained certain: he was indeed sitting on a chair, one that wasn't there a few moments ago.
The room rearranged itself.
"Sir…"
Henry Nox dropped his teacup. It rippled into the ground without sound.
"Drop the 'sir.' It lengthens the distance between us. Just call me Henry. Unfortunately, our first interaction occurred in public. Another introduction is needless. We will get to know each other eventually. Now, what's the matter?"
Nathan Modernson was famous for many talents in Lostburg. Quick adaptation to surprise was one of them. He shook any irrelevant thoughts out of his mind and declared with determined, unshakable power, even though he couldn't perceive any attitude from the principal.
"I come here for a sole purpose that cannot be ignored—to report an unforgivable crime Year 3 student Edgar Helmander has committed." His sentences sounded truthful, despite the blatant lie inside the story.
Henry Nox listened carefully as he went on, the smile glued to his face. Only after Nathan had concluded his rant did he ask a single question.
"Any witness that can prove your testimony?"
Nathan lifted his head, a faint smile emerging on his face.
"Everyone present can. Including all the representative students, followers of Edgar, and Professor Brandle."
Henry didn't reply. Instead, he was busy constructing a massive rune. Everyone's techniques and auras when illustrating runes were different. For Henry, it was an endless uncertainty of his next step, the shape forming without anybody else being able to comprehend what happened.
He shook his head. Pressing his hand on the completed rune, a vivid scene began to materialise on the empty field of his office.
The image was authentic and detailed, with Nathan's powerful words echoing in the office. Edgar lay helplessly on the ground, and even the mixture of anger and fear in his expression was easily identified.
Nathan's face twitched. Such a response was faintly expected by a glimmer of insight in the past, though he didn't think too deeply into it.
"Seems like you've forgotten to include a particular someone," Henry turned to him and smiled, wider than the one on Nathan's face. "Curious, perhaps I misremembered…"
"Or is it that everyone else misremembered? Strange…"