Hello Readers,
I hope you enjoy the next installment of Professor Tohsaka at Beacon Academy.
ShirouKuroEmiya
P.S Some of you are itching to read the RWBY's casts Magic Circuit activation, learning about their Origins and Elements, and the special lesson of today's character, but that will all take place in the near future. Some RWBY cast I have their Origins, Elements and ahem *animals* but others I have no idea about. Could you recommend me some of your ideas to use?
Chapter Four "Fear the Hero of Justice"
I stared with great interest as my favorite class of trainee Huntsman entered the room. Team RWBY caught my attention the most, in particular Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee. Both of them possessed Sorcery Traits, a characteristic that was unique with certain bloodlines. Weiss's Glyphs was explained in my last class, a day ago. Ruby's was so distinct that I had instantly remembered a certain Remnant legend about Silver-Eyed Warriors; an ancient lineage of mythical warriors who possessed special abilities through the usage of their eyes.
If I could then I would definitely approach Ruby on the topic as the Silver-Eyed Warriors, besides my trans-dimensional research to get back to Earth, was one of my most curious subjects that I wanted to investigate. Yet that would have to wait.
The stares and comments about the caged animals that I had prepared for today didn't surprise me. Some of the students seem to have some idea, or were actually right on the dot. This group likely was interested in the fantasy genre given that the topic I wanted to teach was a common trope.
"Welcome!" I called out as the students sat down and got out their writing utensils. "Some of you have already guessed correctly the topic of today's lesson. I shall be teaching you how to create your own Familiars!"
"Familiars?"
"You don't know what Familiars are?"
"Am I supposed to?"
"It's a common theme in the fantasy genre about magic users."
"Oh, you mean those Familiars!"
I waited patiently for about the minute as the more knowledgeable students of the fantasy genre enlightened their uninformed peers before speaking up once more.
"Some things that the fantasy-genre portraying Familiars are correct, and others are very misleading. It will be my duty today to inform you what real Familiars are, their properties and abilities." I paused as I started clicking on my pointer to activate the holographic projector that displayed some of the class material I had prepared. "Familiars are special assistants used by magic users. This can be simple tasks such as small errands to specialized jobs such as fighting. Although a different entity, familiars are seen as an extension of magic users as there is both a mental and physical connection between the two."
My instinct was to start a lecture about the most commonly used method of creating Familiars. This most traditional way was by placing the leftover thoughts of an already departed soul, of a dead human, into the body of a dead animal. Following that, the mage needs to repair the animal corpse so that it can move again and by transferring a part of the mage's body, that has a great concentration of Magic Circuits (eyes, hair, blood, etc.), into the body of the dead creature in order to give it a new life.
Yet, the most common and time-honored method of Earth's mages couldn't be taught on Remnant for various reasons. There was the ethical implications of using spiritual echoes of a deceased human and touching upon what many non-mages would consider the creation of life, which many saw was the domain of the gods. Another part was that it may paint a negative light of the magecraft that I was trying to spread across Remnant.
"Rin," said Shirou in a concerned tone, snapping me out of my musing as I returned back to reality. "Are you okay?"
"No, I am fine." I smiled at my husband before returning my attention to my class. "Familiars can be created by forging a bond with an animal. This bond involves creating a spiritual connection between the master and familiar."
"Do bonded animals become magical creatures?"
The words, Phantasmal Species, nearly slipped out of my lips. I quickly quashed my subconscious as that definition of the word didn't apply to Remnant.
"Yes," I replied. "The Familiar gains certain benefits just like how business relationships work. An animal that never had any magical ability would gain one depending on what sort of potential the animal possessed and the type of magic ritual conducted during the bonding process." I brought my hand up and there was a fluttering of wings before a small swallow with various shades of blue and white landed. "This is one of my many familiars. I call her, Sapphire."
I didn't even need to give the command. Cute, little Sapphire having followed me for several years already with an intelligence far surpassing her species predicted what I wanted. Sapphire chirped cutely before a large bloom of flames, easily capable of engulfing an entire human, bursted out her mouth.
"Woah!" Many of my students shouted in surprise or disbelief. Some didn't even voice their thoughts, but simply stared at Sapphire.
My hand reached for one of my magical pockets and I took out a few grounded up gems that Sapphire loved. The small swallow peeked at the powder-like gem remnants and occasional let out happy chirps as it ate the special treat.
"Sapphire didn't have any special potential, but was able to gain the ability to use fire magic." I continued, playfully rubbing Sapphire's body. "This was due to the special preparations in the magic ritual I conducted to bond with Sapphire."
I was about to continue when I heard cawing from a familiar black crow. My brow twitched as I once again saw the spying shapeshifting mage. I did not understand why there was any need to spy on me. Just like all classes taught at Beacon Academy, my classes were recorded so that students that missed the class or wanted to rewatch the lesson could do so on their leisure online. All the mage had to do was scrutinize those videos instead of annoying me with constant spying.
All I had to do was give a simple mental command and Sapphire flapped her wings and launched herself into the air. As I watched Sapphire disappear, I smiled deviously and continued with my lecture.
- O -
Argh! Qrow screamed in his mind as a swallow chased after him in the air.
If it was a regular swallow then he would have easily scared off the smaller bird with his larger size and aggression or had escaped very quickly with his superior speed. Yet none of his normal advantages mattered as his pursuer was a magical bird that could easily breath out flames that could have engulfed his human form.
How is the swallow so fast!? Qrow asked himself in disbelief. Oh, right! Magic... Despite having a larger frame to allow faster movement the chasing swallow quickly started to close the distance. Damn you, Rin Tohsaka! You unleashed your familiar on me on purpose didn't you?
- O -
Ozpin stared at the reports submitted to him on his desk. These reports came from two sources. There were Qrow's own testimony and trusted analysts that worked on him had come to conclude after watching video recordings of Rin Tohsaka's classes. To say he was troubled was a wrong assumption. Many would believe that if magic was to spread throughout Remnant that the end of the world would come. He refused to believe that, but he did have to admit that there was going to be widespread chaos and confusion with arcane knowledge and magic proliferating.
It wasn't his opinion. It was a fact. The magical civilisation of his time might have disappeared, but he had witnessed enough to know that if criminals had magic that didn't mean the law enforcement wouldn't catch up. The history of Remnant, post-annihilation of the magical civilisation at the hands of the Brother Gods, had demonstrated this fact time and time again. Dust's discovered; the inventions of technological wonders like the gun, radio and many others showed that humans and faunus could eventually adjust to just about anything given enough time.
Magic was just another tool that humans and faunuskind had lost. An invaluable addition to the existing arsenal used to battle the Grimm. One that Ozpin was eagerly waiting to be weaponized.
He glanced down at the reports before him. Qrow's opinion and the conclusions of his trusted analysts were extremely helpful in discovering perspectives that he had never thought about. Yet, he had to disapprove of many warnings and recommendations about the magic Rin was trying to spread.
Of course, he would have to approach Rin and talk about his subordinates' concerns to demonstrate that he took their advice seriously, but that was more of a formality. Ozpin didn't doubt that the very shrewd and wise Rin wouldn't know about the problems that might arise from spreading the knowledge of magic.
Ozpin took a sip of hot coffee. Well, calling it coffee wasn't entirely correct. There was a mix of Mana Potion added to it. He laughed thinking about the handwritten note that had come with a gift of some very fine coffee beans sent by Rin. It turned out that Mana Potion could be mixed with most forms of liquid without any effects on the Mana Potions' properties to replenish Aura and re-energize the drinker.
In fact, regular old coffee had fallen out of Ozpin's favor after learning about this wonderful combination. Sleep was a very rare luxury for him when there was always some sort of problem on Remnant that required his attention be it related to Salem and the Grimm or just mundane issues. Ozpin now could stay awake for longer periods of time without sleep to keep his mind functioning at tip-top shape or causing him physical/psychological problems with the use of coffee and Mana Potion combination.
"I should write a handwritten thank you note of my own and send Rin a gift from my rare collections gathered over the centuries." mused Ozpin happily as he sipped away his coffee.
He was about to reassume looking at the myriad of reports that awaited his attention when something unusual caught his eye.
"Is that Qrow... Running away from a swallow?" The Beacon Headmaster asked himself incredulously.
Ozpin was about to laugh at the absurdity of what he was seeing. There was no way that Qrow, a battle-hardened Huntsman that had experienced some of the most horrible things to exist on Remnant, would be flying away as if his life depended on it from a small, normal bird. He brushed aside the amusing sight as mistaking the fleeing crow with Qrow's shapeshifting form.
At least that was until Ozpin was going to do it before he saw the chasing swallow unleash a burst of flames big enough to burn a human-sized target.
"Ozpin, help me! Get this fire-breathing swallow off me," screamed Qrow as he smashed into the glass windows of Ozpin's office.
The fire-breathing swallow continued to follow Qrow into Ozpin's office, but it quickly stopped and landed on Ozpin's desks. It chirped innocently as if pretending that Qrow's exhausted crow form didn't exist and looked at Ozpin.
"Are you okay, Qrow?" asked Ozpin, half-amused, and partially seriously at the panting crow that lay on the floor.
"Do you... think... I am okay...!" Qrow screamed angrily in between heavy breaths.
"Maybe, not..." Ozpin admitted as he turned to the swallow. "Given that you are able to chase after Qrow who has the intelligence of a human that should have allowed him to escape any normal bird, you must be a Familiar. The fire-breath was a dead give away," he noted. "How intelligent and capable are you? Can you speak the human language or is your master's mind dwelling inside you right now?"
"While Sapphire is intelligent enough to understand the human language and perform simple errands, it is not able to converse with you, Headmaster Ozpin," replied a voice that Ozpin wasn't too surprised to hear. "It is a pleasure to introduce myself again, Headmaster Ozpin. This time as a mage to another mage."
"It is indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance as a fellow mage," nodded Ozpin. "I would appreciate in the future that you don't..." He glanced at Qrow. "Fool around with my people."
"Yea!" grumbled Qrow.
"I was just getting some revenge. There was no need for Qrow to continue spying on me after he had been confronted by my husband."
"I apologize if you were offended by Qrow's spying, but we had good reason for it." Ozpin took a sip of his coffee. "Do you by any chance know about someone called Salem?"
"No I don't." The swallow shook her head. "I presume from your tone that this 'Salem' is a dangerous individual, likely your enemy?"
"Yes that is correct, but describing her as my enemy is a flawed assumption. Words cannot explain how dangerous she is. Salem is a danger to all on Remnant. She is the one that controls the Grimm," explained Ozpin. "You have unwittingly painted yourself as a target with your attempts to teach magic. In fact, you're probably amongst the top three targets..."
- O -
I might have been in two places at the same time. Half of me was teaching my class and the other half talking to Ozpin through my familiar, Sapphire. This was only possible with the use of a magic spell favored by alchemists known as Memory Partition, alongside the aid of Thought Acceleration to temporarily boost my mental capacity.
Turning to my class, I spoke loudly, "I apologize, but I will have to stop class here. An unexpected emergency has come up that I have to address immediately."
I didn't even give my students time to respond. I grabbed my husband along the way and exited the room.
"What's wrong?" asked Shirou as he followed along.
My husband was dragged down the hallway and into a spare classroom that wasn't being used. I set up a simple Bounded Field to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
"Sapphire followed the spying black crow into Ozpin's office. It turns out the black crow was Qrow, and Ozpin was his superior. I talked to the headmaster and learned that we unwittingly dragged ourselves into a war with my attempt to spread magecraft. We may also have painted ourselves one the very top of a hit list. Our new enemy happens to be the invisible hand guiding the Grimm." I explained.
Shirou frowned, but took in every word I said seriously at face value.
"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't infected me with your ideals as a Hero of Justice." I glared at my husband while poking him in the chest with my index finger.
A snort escaped Shirou. I was not pleased by his reaction. In fact, it only infuriated me, but I quickly calmed down. It wasn't the first time that I had made this accusation when I was dragged into a problem without meaning to. Instead, I blamed my husband's luck. He happened to like a hero from the stories that unwittingly walked into situations that needed a hero to resolve. I as his wife had been dragged into too many conflicts for me to count that I had just come to accept it as a part of being Shirou's partner.
"How dangerous is this Salem as an individual? Are we talking about a god-like entity?"
"It's hard to say." I shook my head. "Ozpin was very tight-lipped about the details. He just warned that wherever we go that our chances of encountering the Grimm is almost guaranteed, and that we should watch out for traitorous human and faunus sympathizers loyal to Salem's cause."
Shirou's expression darkened and he turned in the direction of Ozpin's office. "Do we need to capture and interrogate Ozpin?"
I sighed. My husband, after facing my Servant, Archer, or EMIYA as Archer's true identity happened to be, might have accepted the consequences of wanting to uplive the ideals that had damned EMIYA, but have changed by the fight. Yet, it was nothing compared to how much Shirou had changed after he started traveling the Earth to combat evil wherever it could be found. This had started when he had been forced to commit the very evils that he wanted to put an end to due to situations that didn't allow him any other choice. Otherwise, people would lose their lives by choosing other, slower solutions.
The fact that Shirou proposed such drastic measures was displeasing, but what scared me the most was how much I had changed. I didn't flinch anymore at such proposals. I just accepted it...
No, I didn't! I couldn't!
"Shirou, let's use that option as a last resort." I said firmly, staring right into my husband's eyes to dare him into refusing my decision. "Forget about helping me out as my assistant. It would be better for you to work with Ozpin so that we learn more about Salem."
"That would exp..."
I interrupted my husband by giving him a peak on his lips before smiling. "If I travel outside into areas with known Grimm's presence that might be the case, but I am at Beacon. One of the safest, and very last places that a Grimm would be." He was about to speak again when I spoke first. "It's not like I cannot defend myself against assassins. I have more experience than you in that field during our stay in the Clocktower."
"Fine." Shirou sighed. "You have a good point, but don't refuse my offer of leaving several Mystic Codes and Noble Phantasms for your protection." His hands landed on my hips and he hugged me closely. He whispered into my ears, "If you refuse then I... Salem can wait."
I tried to hide my smile. It hurt me that I was forcing Shirou between choosing his ideals and my safety, but in some ways I felt happy. Happy that Shirou treasured me enough that he was forced between saving others and me.
I passionately kissed Shirou for a while before I released my kiss and breathed heavily. "Okay," I whispered back. "Show Salem what kind of Hero of Justice you are."
"Oh, Salem would regret trying to hurt you." Shirou spoke with strong conviction. "She should instead be fearing me."
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Thank you for reading!