Alwin looked at Uchronia, then back at Milvus, Uchronia again, then turned inward to Mind Niwla and Mind Winal.

"So…you're telling me you know exactly what I'm going to say? Like the exact word? And—"

"Yes, down to the intonation, phrasing, and even the pauses."

Alwin's mind was blown.

"Woah, how'd you do that?"

Milvus tilted his head toward Uchronia.

"Eye of Providence," she muttered under her breath

"Eye of whatsis?" Alwin repeated.

"It—"

"Oh," Alwin interrupted Uchronia's explanation. "I think I heard some poolice guy mention it back when I got fake arrested. Honestly, I can't remember if I'm still supposed to be mad about that or glad that I didn't actually end up in jail."

Uchronia's leaves fluttered, and her plant bulb started to grow red.

Alwin winced. "Sorry."

"It's his Core Skill. I don't know the specifics, but basically, it allows him to see things... even how this conversation would play out. But I thought you were injured and couldn't use it anymore."

"Every lie," Milvus said. "Hides a piece of truth."

Uchronia paused to think, trying to unpack the phrase.

Alwin paused to think, too. Not to decipher the meaning behind the cryptic phrase, but for a suitable explanation for what he—Winal—did to Bion. Sure, he may have told Winal that he'd handle it, but it was mostly to look cool. Then again, trying to look cool in front of your other selves didn't sound cool in the slightest.

"You were injured," Uchronia muttered. "And it severely affected your ability to use your Core Skill, not completely erase it."

"Smart girl," Milvus said. "I' running at maybe one percent of what I used to. Even then, it's for a limited time."

"But that's still an amazing ability, especially on the battlefield. So why'd you mainly become a teacher?"

Milvus turned to Alwin again. He felt his heart thump, and he looked around the room. Was he supposed to say something? What was he supposed to say? Alwin didn't know, so he just parroted Mind Niwla's inner monologue.

"What you're saying contradicts each other. Uchronia claims that you're unable to use your Core Skill anymore. Yet, it seems that the general public doesn't know this fact and assumes that you still can. Things aren't making sense to me."

Milvus' head went back to Uchronia.

"You planned all this," she said, deep in thought.

"Planned all what?" Alwin asked, this time without Mind Niwla's assistance.

Uchronia looked up from her ruminations and stared at Milvus. "I wondered why a decorated hero like you was wasting time babysitting a class of newborns, so I did some digging."

Milvus said nothing. Just listened. Even Alwin was focused on Uchronia's story for once.

"All of the other students I asked didn't believe that you were a teacher in the Academy. They claimed that he never taught here. In fact, nobody has ever heard you conduct a class. They balked at the fact that you were our teacher. Most thought that I was just somebody's younger sibling playing a prank on them. So I did even more snooping."

"You mean like spy stuff?" Alwin interjected.

"Breaking and entering. Theft of classified documents. Unauthorized access to government-restricted facilities. Just to name a few," Milvus said, his tone dry.

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"You knew I would do all that. You allowed me to. You left a breadcrumb trail of fake information for me to find. Why?"

Milvus just smiled.

"Because you knew I would get curious. You knew I'd do anything it takes to find out more. Not just about you, but everything in general. You set up all of this to teach me a lesson."

"I knew you'd figure it out," Milvus said.

"Figure what out?"

"I—"

"Let me take it from here," Milvus said. "Uchronia, here's a gifted student. Brilliant. You all are. But therein lies the problem. Brilliance breeds conceit. She thinks she knows it all, that she can always get away with it. Knowledge is her power, and she yearns for it, even if it means breaking the rules. But 'the ends justify the means', she'd argue. If nothing's done, her downfall is all but guaranteed. Eventually, she'll cross a line that can't be uncrossed."

He let the two of them sit in silence, as Uchronia mulled over what he had just said. Alwin was more confused than anything, but good thing Mind Niwla was there to puzzle the pieces together. Now, if only he'd share it with Alwin.

After a few minutes, Uchronia finally spoke, "So what exactly is the truth, Mr. Milvus. Why are you only teaching us? And why are you doing all this? Just to teach us a lesson?"

"Exactly. I'm doing all of this just to teach you a lesson. You, Alwin, Bion. It's better to address your 'quirks' in a controlled environment before things get too out of hand in the future."

"So you did know that Bion would get injured!" Uchronia screamed. "How could you do that? What if he dies?"

"Deep down, you know, I would never let that happen. Bion is strong. He's a fast learner. But pride deafens him to warnings and blinds him to cliffs. Underestimating your opponent will only bring your own demise."

Alwin spoke up next.

"What about me? What lesson are you trying to teach me?"

"In due time, Alwin. In due time. I have plenty more lessons in store for you."

Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

"You still haven't answered my question, Mr. Milvus. Why are you teaching us and only us?"

Milvus' expression shifted, just slightly. A flicker of irritation crept into his eye, before melting into something more reflective. "I'm a relic of a bygone era. I have more long-term use here than out in the field. Who better to teach the next generation than someone who can see your every flaw and patch it up before it tears you apart?"

Uchronia narrowed her eyes and grumbled.

"Who else knows?"

Alwin frowned. "Knows what?"

"Just you two and some people higher up."

"Knows what?" Alwin asked again.

"That Mr. Milvus, the hero, is a shell of his former self. Reduced to a low-life scum who resorts to grooming child soldiers," Uchronia spat.

Milvus smiled like he'd been waiting for that. Because he had been waiting for that.

"Now, tell me, Uchronia. Do the ends justify the means?"

She glowered at him. Her jaw shook left and right, causing the soil in her pot to shift. Without a word, Uchronia grabbed Alwin with her leaf and yanked him out of the chair. He didn't resist and let himself splat onto the floor as she dragged him out of the room.

She slammed the door shut and finally released Alwin. He rolled to a stop, facing the ceiling.

"So... am I off the hook?" Alwin asked.

"No!" she yelled.

With that, she stormed off, leaving Alwin alone right in front of Milvus' door.

He rolled himself upright just to watch her disappear past a bend. With her out of sight, and therefore out of mind, he breathed a sigh of relief. More time to come up with an excuse. Here's to hoping she'd forget about it, because he most certainly would.

Next came a pressing question.

Now what?

The door opened behind him, and Milvus popped his triangular head out. His lone eye focused on the slime.

"Oh yeah, Alwin. Classes are over for you for the semester. The next few days are just for the rest of the class to get them ready for the makeup exam. Enjoy your break. I look forward to seeing you in your second year."

And then the door closed.

Awesome! No more classes! He could sleep in all day, every day!

Alwin wobbled in his signature victory dance. A jiggle to the left. A jiggle to the right. Do a little jiggle everywhere. Jiggle. Jiggle. Jiggle.

Then he came to a stop.

He still didn't know what to do now.

Niwla wanted to address the elephant in the room: his Devolution meter. Nearly a year later, and they still hadn't done anything with it. But honestly? Alwin didn't really want to. Who in their right mind would want to invest time in growing weaker?

Then again, what else could he do?

Go visit the library and read books? Maybe even the library challenge to access higher floors and potentially learn stronger skills? That sounded like too much work.

Refine more Essence and undergo another Tribulation? Too much effort as well.

The only option left was visiting Lapis and letting her know he was okay. But if he did that, it'd inevitably lead to more experiments. She might even make him fill up the Devolution meter just to see what would happen.

Alwin shuddered at the thought of growing weaker.

But, then again, Lapis did have some delicious treats. So maybe it wasn't all that bad.

So, it was decided.

Time to get poked, prodded, and possibly devolved. Yippee!

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