Chapter 19
Levi had expected to find himself in another strange glowing room; instead, he was in a comfortable office. He turned, looking around, and realized it wasn’t so much an office as a study. Three of the walls held bookcases that completely hid the architecture behind leather-bound tomes in a variety of colors. The last wall was a glass window that opened as a door to a balcony. When Levi looked outside, however, he didn’t see any of the grassy plains that surrounded the Academy. Instead, the window revealed a landscape of blowing snow and howling winds. Ice clung to the railings at the edge of the balcony and snow gathered in the corners.
The robed figure seemed to hover in front of a faded old leather chair, and there was a round table next to it that held a simple pewter candelabra and a thick tome marked with several ribbons. The balcony was the only obvious way in or out—Levi was tempted to try and look for more detail through the window. Flix took one look at the snow and ice and hissed, curling around him, then stuffed her head into his uniform shirt. Zuzan chittered a few times and Levi raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think it was possible to travel between dimensions without a portal,” he said in response to her squeaks.
“Ah, but if no one had figured out a way to do it… how would the first portal designers have gotten the theories they needed to do it their way?” the androgynous voice murmured, still resonating in his head. The bronze mask focused on him, and in the normal lighting Levi realized the mask looked hollow.
He saw that it seemed to wrap around a human-shaped head, but there was no sign of anything inside the slits, just a blank, black emptiness. There was no proof that anyone alive was inside those robes at all, and the thought sent a chill down Levi’s spine. He considered answering, but shook his head—he didn’t know enough about the situation.
“What area on Earth are you from, Levi Walker?” came the voice, the figure drifting back from the chair and toward the balcony. One gloved hand rose and motioned for Levi to take a seat.
“I was born in a town called Syracuse, in the State of New York,” he said cautiously. He didn’t expect the Director to know anything about his world—no one else had so far. With the hanging robes, hollow voice, and lack of features, it was extremely difficult to get a read on the being in front of him.
“Ah, Go Orange, that is the phrase, correct?” the telepathic sending said—Levi started in shock. “I am not unfamiliar with your world, but I am not from it. I have made a study of the travelers who have come from there over the centuries. It seems like it takes a certain type of human to get drawn to our dimensions, the kind that always wanted more than they had in life. The kind who felt stifled and frustrated with their existence in a world of dead science and empty violence. Would you say you were one of those individuals, Levi Walker?”
Levi stared in confusion and slowly moved to seat himself. The last thing he had expected was a basketball reference and then an explanation about human psychology. “I suppose so. I don’t think being happy with life on Earth is a huge given with the way things are going over there, but I did always love anime and fantasy, science fiction too. Is that why I am here?” he asked, hoping for a solid answer.
“No,” the Director said. “You are here because the dimension fluctuates along a cycle of magical power that ranges from low to high. Our scholars theorize that when the mana in our dimensions is low, the energy is pushed into other worlds. In the case of Earth, a world that cannot process mana, scholars think that the energy inspires your creative types to gain subconscious knowledge of what goes on in the greater dimensions. When the time for mana to flow low comes once more, your world becomes a dreary place, and those individuals who have been most affected by the mana are drawn to us, to maintain the balance.”
“So, what, there are magical tides, and when it is high tide on Earth our artists get fancy, and the people who resonate with their art most get sucked out when the tide goes out?” Levi asked, unable to hide the disbelief in his voice.
“A not unworthy metaphor, though simplistic. Yes, essentially your soul made so much room for mana while reading those stories that when you died, the void sucked you over to us so it could be filled; then, because you craved mana your entire life, your soul kept expanding the container larger and larger. Now, you sit here with far more capacity for mana than most, and no idea how to use it properly. You don’t even know any magic that requires incantation or runes, do you?” The Director gestured with a gloved hand and Levi felt somehow praised and insulted at the same time. “It wasn’t a criticism. No being could be expected to learn the intricacies of casting spells when they’ve only just arrived in a dimension. It is entirely natural that you’d begin with focusing your will to manifest your power. However, that isn’t why I wished to speak with you.”
Levi exhaled and started stroking the back of Flix’s neck, trying to coax her head out of his shirt. Her horns were uncomfortable and he wasn’t enjoying having them press into his collarbone. He motioned for the Director to continue, not wanting to interrupt.
“You’ve already been told about the Heroes and Demon Lords, nonsense titles created by beings who didn’t understand why individuals with so much power would be born onto our planes of existence. You should know, they’re the same thing—it is all a matter of perspective. The Hero of the dark elves is a Demon Lord to the dwarves. There is no higher destiny or predetermined fate, just personal choice. If I were to expel you today, you would retain all of your power and could go on doing whatever it is you are capable of doing. It wouldn’t help you learn more, however. The problem is, if I expelled you, I would be losing some of my brightest students… and faculty, correct?” The hooded figure turned to face him head on and Levi was confronted by the blank metal mask.
“I wouldn’t make anyone do anything they didn’t want to do,” Levi answered. He had no interest in giving away information on who he was sleeping with. He also figured that if this Director was powerful enough to whisk him off to another dimension with a wave of their hand, they could probably spy on his bedroom. The thought didn’t thrill him. Hopefully the masked weirdo isn’t some kind of closet pervert, he thought.
“No, I didn’t mean to imply you would. The bonds that are forged between the powerful during an intimate moment are difficult to break. I hope you consider that before you spread yourself too thin. It might be a way you gain more power, but you can also expose yourself to vulnerabilities you aren’t yet aware of. I believe there is a saying on Earth: don’t stick your dick in crazy?” the Director intoned in Levi’s head.
The monotone voice was so calm it took Levi a moment to realize the last part might have been a joke. He let out a snort and Zuzan squeaked out a tittering laugh. The squirrel hopped down to Levi’s knee, then wagged a paw over her head demandingly. Levi listened for a moment before he took a pouch from his pocket and opened it so she could claim a mouthful of nuts. The crunching sound was a peaceful reminder of some things he valued. Flix finally slid out of his shirt and down to his leg. The dragonet carefully stole a few nuts for herself; her jaws awkwardly attempted to chew the morsels, and eventually she simply swallowed them whole.
“I’m not going to be trying to sleep with your entire female student body, if that’s what you’re concerned about. I do appreciate the warning, what… kind of dangers does it expose me to exactly?” Levi asked. He couldn’t help some sarcasm from affecting his voice, but he did his best to sound respectful. If it had any effect on the hovering specter before him, however, he didn’t see it. The robed form simply clasped both hands together before themself and, he assumed, continued to watch him.
“You’re giving your lovers a piece of you. Just as you form a bond with your beasts, you form a bond with the women. This transition of essence will be reflected upon them somehow; the methods change depending on the individual. If your lover is killed, that bit of your essence is lost. It won’t make you less powerful directly, but it will strip you of your soul piece by piece until you’re just a savage husk. That is the fate that has happened to most Demon Lords throughout history. Those ambitious beings made too many compromises, and in the end they were reduced to powerful monsters. Mindless, soulless targets to be killed by the rest of the dimension,” came the Director’s clinical explanation. “Think of your bonds like anchors, they’ll help you grow and keep you sane. If you use them properly.”
Levi thought about that while his fingers idly found the spot on the back of Flix’s skull that she enjoyed having scratched. The dragonet trilled and Zuzan looked up from her nuts to squeak at Levi until his other hand scratched her back as well. Contented, the squirrel settled down. “And what about your faculty that wants to see me… banished, was it?”
“That, yes. I’m afraid that you’ve caused some embarrassment to both Bear and Crane Houses. Intentional or not, you’ve humiliated one of house mistress Shade’s most prestigious students, and house master Vardis firmly believes that Bear House is the mightiest group at the Academy. It might not be obvious, but there is a great deal of competition between the Academy Houses. Raven House has been out of the running for some time due to how few students occupy its halls, but now they have both a promising vapor engineer and a strange beast tamer that slays Horrors in his free time. Your presence is upending the natural order of life here.”
Levi felt his anger flare up and his eyes glowed with a pulse of red. “And that’s my fault? I get a magic tattoo burned into my arm, try to make the best out of being reborn in a fantasy world, and I have to put up with bullies and dicks just because they’re pissy they’re losing a bit of ego? Fuck that,” he snarled. He might have continued his tirade if the robed being hadn’t raised their hand to stop him. That imposing sense of purpose aimed at him once more and he felt its pressure pushing down on him.
“No emotional rants, if you please. I never said it was fair, nor that I will allow it. I intend to remind our faculty that students are expected to be nurtured here at the Academy and, while pushing them to reach great heights is encouraged, they’re not to be broken for the sake of a House’s pride. You have two options however: you can push yourself to become better than them and rub their pride in their faces, or you can back down, letting them do as they will,” the Director stated firmly. Levi was given no hint as to which decision suited the Director’s desires, though he was sure the strange being had some kind of hidden agenda.
Levi took a deep breath—the monotone chastisement stung more than he’d expected. He felt like he’d just gotten yelled at by a computer. “Yeah, I’m not backing down to shits like Darren, and if your teachers have a problem with it, they can deal. I’m not going to put up with people trashing my friends or abusing the people around me,” Levi stated. He was mad, but he controlled it. His hands remained occupied scratching the backs of his companions as he watched the robed figure of the Director.
The being didn’t respond, so Levi grew more and more uncomfortable as time passed. It would have been one thing if he had any signs of life, but the robe didn’t reveal any body language unless the Director chose to move their arms. The metal mask remained featureless and still and he didn’t see any eyes that might be moving. For all he knew, the figure inside the robes had vanished and simply left their wardrobe behind. Zuzan squeaked and chittered, then the little squirrel lobbed a nut at the Director. Levi was caught unprepared, mid-yawn.
“Zuzan, don’t throw nuts,” he whispered on seeing the airborne projectile.
The tiny projectile hit the gray robes and simply rolled to the ground. After a moment the nut crumbled to dust, and then that powder dissolved even further. When the Director gestured with a hand Levi started at the movement. “Yes, Zuzan, I intend to return your bonded to the school grounds. I was merely communicating my wishes to the house masters at the Academy. I would appreciate no further littering in my office, if you would,” the emotionless tone reverberated in Levi’s head.
Levi stared at the figure. If I had reached out and touched those robes, would I have crumbled away to dust and turned into nothing? he wondered. He carefully touched the back of Zuzan’s neck to make sure the squirrel didn’t leap off of his lap. His other hand stroked down Flix’s back for a moment before Levi let go to pick his cane up and place it across his legs. He debated putting the bag of snacks away. The Director hadn’t issued a single threat nor made a movement to intimidate Levi. They had been… not polite, but not rude either. He couldn’t get a read on the being at all, which bothered him. He was sure the robed figure had ulterior motives, and he desperately wished he knew what they were. Nobody just went out of their way to demonstrate this much power without a purpose.
Unless they have so much power that they don’t think of the shit they’re doing as being anything to worry about? he thought after a moment. That idea was even less comforting. He was about to open his mouth when the Director raised a hand.
“I’ll have you know, Levi, I am quite pleased to have a Demon Lord in my school. It promises to make this the most interesting year we’ve had in quite some time. Study hard,” the robed figure stated. Then Levi was sent into the white once more.
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