Vol 1. Chapter 15 – Of Apep and Ma'at

Arona's voice crackled in my mind, notes of worry and disapproval clear in her tone, 'This is a bad idea, Nelson-Sensei.'

'I know, but I wish to hear them out and offer them a chance to surrender.' I responded, trying to keep my tone light. It wasn't very effective, the computer girl humming in concerned annoyance as I took a look at the building before me.

The office building was fancy, but otherwise non-descript. A tower of blue glass and steel lit by streetlights that could belong to any number of business neighborhoods. The front door was plain, and there was no sign indicating its owner. It was late enough at night that there were only a few other people around.

It was also, annoyingly, not within the Abydos district.

It bordered it, yes. Close enough that it didn't practically matter for most things. But just outside of the jurisdictions in which I had authorization to act.

How vexing.

I walked up the stairs and through the automatic doors, which were large enough for me for once. There, standing in the glittering, clean, sterile lobby was my reason for coming. The writer of the invitation letter sent to me by mail. A 'person' who, even now, had Arona audibly glowering at.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Nelson-Sensei," he said, his voice a low baritone and tone polite but firm as he raised an open hand.

He was possibly the first entity that could pass for a human male that I've seen. He was the very image of a politician, with his plain but well-made black suit and gloves. It was crisply ironed with nary a crease where it shouldn't be. But most bizarrely was what he was made of. He had no flesh that I could discern. What passed as flesh was a black, smooth glass-like material. Violent cracks ran across his body, from which a white light glowed.

I stared at his offered hand, a disinterested frown on my face. "I do not believe we have been introduced, sir."

He smiled, his face cracking and sealing to form the expression. "Of course, where are my manners? You may refer to me as "Black Suit". I've grown fond of that name."

"Ah, you have been discussed before, Sir." I took up his handshake, squeezing just ever so slightly more than necessary. "A pleasure to meet you, I believe."

If he noticed the barb or the pressure, he didn't comment on it. Instead, he just continued to speak as normal, "I've been hoping to talk with you, face-to-face. If you could just follow me to my office?"

"Of course, I would imagine it difficult to discuss such matters anywhere else."

His office was surprisingly plain. A rather mundane desk set in front of a window, a computer screen on one side, and a bookshelf on the other. For all the strangeness about him, it was a room that my Crew's Memories could recount countless copies of.

The only strange thing was the lights. They either didn't work or were never installed correctly. His office was in perpetual darkness, illuminated only by the window behind his seat and the strange light of his flesh.

It didn't bother me. I could see well enough, and I didn't need light for this meeting.

"I'm quite pleased you agreed to this meeting," He said, taking a seat.

I sat across from him, the chair only groaning in mild protest. "Of course, it would be untoward to ignore a meeting with another Adult. Especially one who might alter the direction of the oncoming storm."

"I'm pleased to hear you think so highly of me."

"I do not think that, Sir. Takanashi has informed me of your reach."

He chuckled softly at that but didn't reveal anything else. "Well, I believe it w-"

"Pardon me," I interrupted him, hand raised. Without letting him answer, I twisted my will and an ice-cold green bottle fell into my hand. I placed it on my desk and, after a moment, a pair of chilled glasses joined it.

"Where I am from, it is customary to begin such meetings with a drink," I explained, as I twisted off the cap of the bottle and filled both glasses. The scent of the sweet herbal liquor filled the room, burning the nostrils slightly. "So, would you kindly join me in a refreshment, Sir?"

We stared at each other, his one glowing eye against my own. Finally, after countless moments, he chuckled and said, "I see you've already come to a decision about me."

"Would I be remiss in assuming the same for yourself?"

"No, you wouldn't be wrong at all," He agreed before taking one of the glasses. "But I hope to convince you otherwise during this talk."

I took the other and we clinked the two together silently. He took a long slow sip, while I drank the entire glass in one swig. The cold liquorice-flavoured alcohol burned on its way down, a familiar sensation often repeated in my Crew's Memories.

"So," I started as we both set the glasses down, "What exactly did you wish to discuss today?"

"Allow me to lay my cards on the table," He answered, steepling his hands together. "We know who you are. An enigmatic being chosen by the General Student Council President. Owner of the artifact known as the Shittim Chest. The Sensei of Schale, the Federal Investigation Club."

"Being? I would think I would at least qualify for the title of Human, sir." I pointed out.

He chuckled, amused. "Let's not be coy with the truth, Nelson-Sensei. We both know that's not true. You might be one of the most dangerous beings in Kivotos, but you aren't human."

"I shall take that as a compliment that my inhumanity has not upset the Students. But you speak the truth. I strive to be dangerous when needed. I would like to think it will not be needed tonight."

"Oh, we're well aware of that," He agreed. "Others tend to underestimate you, but we won't make the same mistake. But, let me be clear. We have no interest in a conflict with you. In fact, we want to work with you because, otherwise, you represent the largest obstacle to our plans."

"How peculiar. Your use of 'we' suggests you claim to speak for a group, but you have hardly introduced them, Sir."

I idly poured another glass. I offered the bottle, a single eyebrow raised. He shook his head, instead continuing to answer, "My apologies, I didn't realize I'd forgotten to introduce ourselves in my excitement.

"We are a collection of outsiders to Kivotos, the same as you. None of us might share a point of origin, but we share a common goal. We seek to observe, explore, and research the mysteries of Kivotos. For the time being, we've found a suitable name to borrow to represent us.

"Please, call us Gematria."

I swirled the drink in my cold glass as I pondered the name. Gematria. I wasn't familiar with the name like I was with other subjects. But faint fragments of my Crew's Memories coalesced into a semblance of an idea. Some sort of mystic numerology.

"A lofty name," I observed as I took a sip of the liquor, "And why exactly did you call me here tonight, Sir?"

"We stand at a crossroads, Nelson-Sensei. For us, wiping out an insignificant school like Abydos is child's play. However, we'd rather avoid the consequences of starting a war with you in the process."

He leaned forward, hand outstretched as a smile cracked onto his face. "So, allow me to formally ask. Do you have any interest in working with Us, Gematria?"

I let his hand hang in the air as I slowly finished the rest of my glasses. Then, I put it down with just enough force for the sound of glass against the wood to crack out like a bullet.

I answered as the noise echoed through the room, "I do not, Sir."

He stared at me silently for a second, the crack that was his mouth not moving a millimeter. Then, after many moments, it slipped ever so slightly into a frown.

"Then let me ask you this," He began, bringing his hands back together to steeple in front of him, "What is it that you are pursuing in Kivotos? I assure you; we can elucidate all manner of secrets and truths, should you accept our proposal."

I laughed, a violent angry chortle that reverberated in the room. "You dig for hidden truth where there is none, Sir. My goals are as public as they can be. To lend aid and guidance where the General Student Council cannot. An alliance is impossible so long as you remain a threat to Abydos."

"This is illogical. Why would you go so far to save one dying school? With the time you've spent in Abydos, you could have completed countless more rewarding tasks in the larger schools. You don't stand to benefit from this action."

"Abydos asked first," I answered. "I have a duty and responsibility to help and protect them until they accomplish their goal."

It was that simple. No high-note philosophy, no transactional need to justify every interaction, no plot to gain political power willingly. Abydos asked for my help first and my station demanded I help as best I could.

The President entrusted that to me. It didn't matter if I never met her personally. She called for someone who should entrust the office of Schale. Someone she hoped and believed would help the countless Students of Kivotos. My last life was one of oaths, duties, and responsibilities. One more mantle on my shoulder would hardly make a difference.

But, on a more practical level…

"However, on a baser level," I continued, locking eyes with him, "Even if I am not Human, I aim to be a good person, Sir. I cannot stand and abide while your 'Gematria' sees fit to take advantage of children. As their Teacher, I cannot simply stand by while you sow suffering amongst them for your interests."

We stayed like that, staring at each other before he broke first. He laughed, a broken mechanical noise. Barely a laugh and more like a man simply repeating the words "ha".

"Indeed," He agreed, "We have used the misfortunes of others as stepping stones for our benefit. I won't deny that. What we've done and what we do can be construed as evil. But that is our right."

He leaned in, his eye glowing, "Don't misunderstand, Nelson-Sensei. The disaster in Abydos was not our doing. The sandstorms that ravage it are unusual, but not beyond the realm of possibility. We merely saw an opportunity and capitalized on it."

"You are talking about children, Sir. Not some fanciful immaterial concept such as capital or wealth, but children. Living, breathing people," I pointed out carefully as I refilled my glass.

He shrugged. "What of it? Imagine providing water to someone dying of thirst in a desert. Would it not be fair to expect that person to repay you with their life?"

"Would it not equally be fair to expect nothing at all?"

"That would be irresponsibly naive," He said as he shook his head. "The truth of the world is simple: Those with power exploit those without. Those with knowledge exploit those without. Every adult knows this to be true."

"So I give you this offer, Nelson-Sensei." He waved his arms open, a grandiose sweeping motion. I drank from my glass slowly as he continued his speech, "Walk away from Abydos, Nelson-Sensei. Let us take Horus of Dawn, and we will spare the school. We will sweep aside Kaiser PMC and secure the district ourselves. Your students can continue attending Abydos to the best of their meager abilities. We can accomplish so much without conflict. What do you say?"

He was left there, watching me, as I continued to drink slowly. Finally, I answered, "Strange. You claim you wish to avoid conflict with me, but you have no qualms with forcing your perspective upon me. A curious dichotomy, wouldn't you say?"

"You are not answering my offer."

"Do you need me to say it, Sir? I assume one who claims knowledge would see my response for what it is."

He sucked in a breath, a sharp hiss of air that sliced through the room. Finally, he asked one simple question, "Why?"

"Why what, Sir?" I drolled, voice singsong as we danced upon the question.

"Why do you insist upon standing with these children? Why do you so insistently cling to defending them?! Why do you stand in our way when you are closer to us than you are to them!?" His voice escalated with each demand, with each question punctuated by an increase in volume. The white flame that spewed from his body increased, lending him a truly demonic appearance.

Perhaps it could have been intimidating to a Student. Frightening, even, given his appearance. It might even frighten most civilian Adults I could think of. But I was not a Student. I was not a Civilian. He was right, I barely qualified as a Human. I am an outsider, an existence as foreign to Kivotos as he was.

But still.

"There is a phrase, from my homeland," I answered cooly, voice even. "It claims 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing'. Perhaps you understand why, then," I returned my glass to the table, purposefully pushing it onto the half closest to him, "Why I must do something."

"This is madness," He hissed, his eye shrinking in rage. The glass bounced on the table as he slammed his hand onto the tabletop, "You cannot hope to stop us. You are powerless!"

His eye twitched when I laughed. I couldn't help it.

"Such a bold-faced claim, Sir," I said with a joyless smile, "But we both know that to be a lie at best. Physically, we both know that this is not a fair match." An unfamiliar cold weight made its presence known in my hand. It called to be used here, to prove a point. To make clear how far we would go if needed.

I answered in accord as I tapped the token against the surface of the table. "But you will find that I have yet more hidden."

The token was hardly anything notable from a visual stance. A blank card the size of my charge cards made entirely of solid black metal. It seemed to drink in the light, with only a few faint crack-like lines glimmering in the room.

But it wasn't worrying because of how it looked. It was how it felt. The token emanated an otherworldly malice that was cloying, choking out any other sensation in the room. It was also freezing cold to the touch, to the extent that even I found it mildly uncomfortable to hold. But to everything else? The single tap, a moment's touch against the wood, left a web of hoarfrost across the desktop.

"So, Sir. Let us not pretend."

I found it in my pocket when I awoke from my delaying action. It refused to stay away from my person. Whenever I attempted to leave it behind, it would somehow find its way back to my pocket. It stubbornly refused to enter my storage. And sometimes, it would move on its own accord. I had learned to ignore it because the implications were worrying.

But right now, there was no need for that. Our goals aligned.

"How interesting," He remarked, our eyes locked as he kept his hands on the table but shifted to avoid the ice, "A token that represents a strength that you still keep restrained, one that is in contrast to the just ideal you grasp at. Using it would be enlightening but at the cost of yourself. Are you so willing to throw it away?"

My response was to bring it down on the table again. Hoarfrost gave way to a thin web-like layer of jagged ice, the crack of liquid flash freezing filling the room. His unblinking eye against mine.

Finally, he sat back down. He folded his hands in front of him again, face cracking in a smile once more. "Your point has been made, Sensei. Put it away. It is not yet the time for such base actions."

I slipped the token back into my pocket, pushing its cold weight out of my mind once more. The oppressive weight of the room lessened, but the ice remained. "Let me be clear, Sir. I did not come here to be threatened or intimidated. Be clear with me."

"Very well." He nodded after countless moments of silence. "Allow us to make one final offer. We will help you remove Kaiser from Abydos. Your little project will see success. In exchange, all we ask is that you give us Horus of the Dawn, Hoshino."

I remembered the words Hoshino and I exchanged last night. How long has he and Kaiser been hounding her to join them? It didn't take too much analysis to realize that they may have been dragging it out to force her to agree, an option that was currently off the table. But all the information I had from her didn't answer one question.

"What exactly is your interest in my Student, Sir?"

He stared at me; his eye shrinking as he tried to read me. After a moment, he spoke, "You asked for clarity, so I will answer. Perhaps you may understand the importance of our work then.

"Tell me, have you ever considered the mysteries that surround Kivotos?"

I shrugged. "Once or twice, but frankly, it holds no real relevance to me."

An expression of offense cracked through for a second, before settling into a more even tone. "You must admit though, the inhabitants of this land… They deviate from what one can expect, do they not?"

For once, he said something that wasn't inaccurate or high-blown attempts at philosophy. He wasn't wrong. My Crew's Memories still struggled with trying to compare what they expected from that host of experiences, to what I was experiencing.

He smiled as he read the silence correctly. "Of course you have, it is impossible not to notice. How are these children capable of such feats? Their physical, technical, and thaumaturgical capabilities far exceed what should be possible with the age of the population at hand. Our research is to understand how Kivotos came to be the way that it is, and we have come to an understanding."

He brought one hand to point above his head, a point that would be occupied were either of us a native youth of Kivotos. "The halo."

"Oh?" I intoned, unable to keep the curiosity out of my voice.

"Yes," He continued, the cracks on his face widening into a deranged smile, "It is no coincidence that only students have halos. Tell me, have you looked into the history of Kivotos?"

He raised a hand before I could answer. "Don't answer. The records you have, the official ones, are incomplete. We of Gematria have painstakingly unearthed, recovered, and recorded information long thought lost. And did you know what we discovered, Nelson-Sensei?

We learned that Gods once roamed these lands."

"Surely you jest, Sir," I said with a laugh, only to pause when his expression didn't change. In fact, he seemed to take it in stride.

"I assure you, it is no joke." He said, his voice reverent. "Primal entities that embodied Mystery and Terror once ruled these lands. But disaster struck. Their followers were scattered and destroyed. Without their followers, their believers, these ancient Gods died.

But even the corpses of Gods do not fade so easily. They cling to reality, so long as the Mysteries they once embodied remain."

The pieces connected; the fragments laid out in this conversation formed a whole. It wasn't the entire image, but it was enough. I muttered aloud "Surely, you cannot mean that..."

"Yes.

These students? Each of their souls possesses a capacity for esoteric expression so great that it manifests outwardly. Their halo is a sign of this scattered divinity: their Mystic. They are what remains of Kivotos's old primal nameless Gods. Each student you see carries within them a fragment of godhood, and the capacity to regain Apotheosis."

It was my turn to stand up, my hands slamming on the desk as I leaned forward to stare at him. "You must understand what you claim here, Sir. You expect me to believe that both Gods are real and that the Students are all that remains of them."

He chuckled. "Believe me or not if you wish, Nelson-Sensei. But we would not lie about our raison d'être. Your faith does not change the records we have, nor does it change the results of the experiments we have performed."

We were both silent for a few moments. I sat down as I processed what had just been revealed to me. Meanwhile, he seemed content to revel in his momentary reversal of power. It was unnerving. Even if he didn't present his evidence, he certainly had the faith in his theory that I had only seen zealots possess.

But there was one thing that he hadn't explained yet… "If this is the case, what is your specific obsession with Takanashi?"

"She has the strongest Mystic in Kivotos."

"You mean to say…"

"Yes," He confirmed with a nod. "We believe that of all the students in Kivotos, Horus of the Dawn is the most likely to attain apotheosis."

That was… a disturbing thought. That the sleepy, easy-going tiny president was quite possibly the closest to a God that existed in this land. Still, they hadn't exactly explained something. "Then what do you intend to do?"

"As I previously established, each student has a Mystic, a fragment of divine Mystery. But they do not contain any divine Terror. It is an element wholly absent from them, even though their greater divine form should have both." His voice evened out, even as the excitement remained. As if he was discussing a particularly interesting pet or show rather than the real lives what he was describing must have affected.

"But we know divine Terror to be real. Our efforts with Mimesis have created Shadows of such divine Terror. And more curiously, the readings such Shadows exhibit are an inversion of the readings we record from Mystics."

I didn't like where this was going. In fact, I could guess.

"You intend to invert a Student's Mystic."

He snapped his finger at my answer, his smile cracking wider. "Correct, Nelson-Sensei."

I forced my hand to still, even as I forced every ounce of willpower to keep myself from calling forth a weapon. "And what, exactly, do you intend for this to reveal?"

"Our theory is that the disaster that led the old gods to degenerate into the students destroyed their divine Terror. If that is the case, then inducing Terror in a student's Mystic may be the key to unlocking apotheosis. We will take that esoteric power within Horus of the Dawn, and twist it."

Taking the power within and twisting it… that sounded a lot like… No, it was nothing like my own. More pertinently, what he was describing, if the Mystics were intrinsically tied to each Student's soul, then, "This would kill her, would it not?"

He shrugged. He dared to shrug in front of me. "What does it matter? Whether or not we succeed, we will have understood a new facet of Kivotos. It would fuel further experiments and trials. We are so close to unlocking the mystery of apotheosis and mystics. We just need a few more experiments and we will finally be able to reach Akasha."

"So, Nelson-Sensei," He said, his voice swelling with pride, "Would you join us? You, who has the greatest access to the students? Together, we can unlock the secrets of godhood and shape the futu-"

"No."

We stared at each other for moments, him in the light and I in the dark. Then, his head twitched, as if the weight of my words finally caught up to him.

"WHY?!" He demanded, slamming his hand into the table. "I don't understand. Do you realize what you are surrendering here? Why would you refuse a chance to change the world?!"

"What world are you hoping to create by killing children, Sir?" I asked blandly, my left hand playing with my glass, "What world is there but the one we leave behind to those that follow? I refuse to support a world created by sacrificing those who would inherit it."

I nodded, happy with my final evaluation. "Besides, I have a duty to take care of and help the Students of Kivotos. I would be remiss in my oaths if I were to agree."

"You would go so far to fulfill a duty? One assigned to you, rather than one borne of your desire? You must be mad." He asked, his voice incredulous as he leaned forward in his seat.

"Perhaps I am," I agreed readily, a smile crossing my face, "But I continue this duty because it is the right thing to do. Nobody else was willing to stand and help Abydos, literal children, from the schemes of Adults. So I will take my stand with them, as any decent person would do. I make my choices because they are the right thing to do, Sir."

"Ridiculous," He spat out, "You would leave something as important as this to personal morality? Imagine all the things that you could do if the secrets of Kivotos were unlocked. You could determine the future! Why would you give that up?"

I couldn't help my reaction to his question. I gave it the answer it deserved.

I laughed.

Black Suit paused as Nelson started laughing. He stared on as she kept laughing, and kept on laughing. His frown of offense slowly twisted into concern as the bellowing, mocking laugh continued. It continued far longer than needed. It continued far longer than anyone should be capable of. It continued until the pounding sound of her laughter was all there was in the room.

Only then, did it ease off.

The other adult leaned in as her laughing gave way to hollow chuckling, her face looming in his field of vision. The electric blue glow of her eyes intensified as she pushed herself from the darkness of the shadows into the puddle of light that bled in from the window behind him. She smiled, a cold empty smile void of joy and humanity.

"What of the future?" She asked, her voice an amused whisper, "Please, Sir, tell me more about your fantasies and justify them to me. Tell me all your lies about how your plans for the future are more real than the dreams of a Child, simply because you are an Adult. How that somehow makes your goals any more realistic."

Black Suit knew, at this moment, that Nelson was truly one of them. Despite her appearance allowing her to blend into the society of the children, it was only that. An appearance. A persona of relatable normalcy that made her endearing to them. But he could tell. Something else watched from under that mask.

She continued, her whisper pitching into a mocking lilt, "Because, Sir, do you know what I have learned? Through countless battlefields and deaths? From watching a world burn in the crucible of war?"

Her smile grew as she spoke, to the point it bordered on impossibly, inhumanly wide, "I have learned that the future does not exist. It is a fickle thing which dances and changes at its own whim. Anyone who claims to know how to shape the future has failed to understand that life is chaos. They have failed to learn that the only certain future is death. They lie to themselves that they can somehow see the future and dictate it because the alternative is too frightening."

He stared at her, trying to keep his expression neutral as he muttered, "You truly are mad, to surrender control of your destiny to pure chance."

"Now, now, now," She answered with a titter, "I did not say that I surrender to pure chance. Simply knowing the future is impossible. But planning for what happens tomorrow? Today? Ten minutes from now? I can anticipate it. I can capitalize on chances as they appear, grasping each day by day and moment to moment. It is my responsibility to create the opportunities that those who follow in my wake will benefit from."

He finally saw an opening to rebuke. For all the insanity that surrounded this woman, that was the one thing that separated her from them.

"No, Nelson-Sensei," He said, the sneer forming easily on his face, "That is where you're wrong. We are adults. We determine society by setting rules and laws, we designate the norms, and we define the boundary between ordinary and extraordinary. Adults rule the aimless with authority, the ignorant with knowledge, and the weak with power.

"We carry with us wisdom beyond what these children could ever hope to know. They should be happy to march ahead of us, at our direction, to aid us in uncovering the truth of this world."

"That is what it means to be an adult," He declared as he leaned forward, their faces mere centimeters apart, "I thought you were the ideal of an adult, but what I have learned is disappointing. You surrendered the unfathomable power and authority of the Sanctum Tower to children. You could have had it all. The truth of Kivotos, influence over the city, unlimited riches, and all the power one could ever desire. Yet you threw it all away.

"Why?

"Why would you choose to be a simple teacher?"

Nelson tilted her head in amused curiosity, an uncomfortable number of teeth visible in her leering grin as she spoke, "What you desire, what you describe, is not Adulthood, it is tyranny. You wish to become a tyrant rather than a competent Adult.

"You desperately seek control of a world you do not understand.

"You blindly enforce your ideals on the impressionable to mask the truth.

"You lie to others under the presumption that you already know what is unknowable.

"If you and Gematria wish to be tyrants, then we truly cannot be allies."

"After all…" She trailed off, leaning back out of the light until all that he could see was the lower half of her face and her glowing eyes. Her smile thinned out into an inscrutable line, "I am well versed in the violence of ending tyrants."

"How brutish."

"Yet effective."

"You haven't answered my question."

She shrugged at his demand, a frustratingly casual dismissal. "I am content with my station. There is no greater position than to be entrusted with the safety of a society's future, so I will do my best to look after my Students day by day."

Black Suit sighed as he sat back down as well. He had been elated when this enigmatic woman agreed to their meeting. After all, adults willing to do what was necessary were a rarity in this wishy-washy place.

Instead, they could not agree. For all her madness, Nelson had her guiding principles. As ridiculous as holding oneself to something as nebulous as duty and responsibility was, it was a principle. "I enjoyed our conversation, Nelson Sensei, but you've left me with no choice. These negotiations are ov-"

Before he could finish, Nelson stuck her hand up in front of his face, a frown on her face. She spoke, her voice firm and leaving no room for rejection, "No-"

"-they are not, Sir."

He stared at me, eyes narrowing. "They a-"

"We have not yet begun to negotiate," I interrupted, crossing my arms across my chest, "After all, you have done nothing but make offers and demands one-sidedly. Negotiation is a process of give and take, of proposed deals and their amendments."

I had a read on him now, an understanding of what might make him tick. I spoke, an eyebrow raised and words carefully selected, "I propose a counter-offer."

"Oh?" He replied, the interest in his voice unmistakable, "But you have already rejected what I stand to offer."

"What you offered is meaningless to me, but we can both settle for less."

He sat down, hands tented in front of him. When he didn't object, I continued, "I presume you are aware of the warrants."

"Of course, we have many ears."

That tracked. Even if I had done my best to limit who was aware of the exact wordings, Rin had to at least log her authorization of the task force. It didn't take too much to put one and one together, especially if you were backing one side.

"Then you are aware of what I intend. If I am what you say I am, then you cannot afford my undivided hostile attention. However, I cannot afford your hostile support against my enemy."

"Your assessment is not inaccurate, but what do you propose?" He asked, voice not quite dismissive but impatient.

"I propose a wager, Sir."

"A wager?"

"Yes," I emphasized my answer with a nod, "Our perspectives are too opposed for us to ally, and neither of us can make a deal when we both have guns loaded behind our backs. So, we shall agree to gamble on the outcome of my operation instead."

He smiled, an unsettling sight, "You have my interest."

"If the Students under my command defeat and rout the forces under Kaiser's command, you and Gematria shall pull your support from Kaiser's operations in Abydos." I paused, looking at him with a curious tilt of the head, "After all, given all you have revealed, I am quite certain that you are capable of that much."

"Of course. But what if you can't surmount the opponents you face?"

"Then I will take their place." His eye widened slightly at my offer, but his expression was otherwise unchanged as I continued, "After all, I am certain I contain many mysteries that you must find intriguing."

His gaze moved, ever so slightly, to the bottle and glasses on the table. It shifted again, to the patch of still solid ice on his table surface. Finally, it shifted back to me.

"Yes," He admitted, with a painful honesty in his tone, "Although you are not one of the children, your abilities are novel to us. Such close access could prove beneficial."

"Then it sounds like both of us have an appropriate ante."

He was quiet for a moment, eyes narrowing in contemplation. Finally, he stood up, and with slow measured movements, he reached out with his hand.

"Very well. I accept."

"I knew you would see reason," I replied as I took his hand, giving it an all-too-tight squeeze as we shook. We both took a step back as our hands separated. When he said nothing else, I made my way to the door.

I had only just reached out to grab the handle when he spoke, "You understand that this is not the end, do you? No matter what you do, Gematria will be keeping an eye on you from now on."

I turned my head, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye, and smiled. It was a cold thing, one that almost spread the chill into the room around it.

"Capital. I welcome an audience for my victory."

AN: Who is Apep? And who is Ma'at? What's a story without dichotomy? Nelson expresses several beliefs and values here that I've been trying to hint at and suggest throughout her interactions with the Students. Hopefully, none of what she says comes out of nowhere for anyone. Of course, I think some other details might be more pressing but I think it's beliefs and ideals which really matter.

Also, to really capture the weight of the words, anytime Nelson says "Sir", just imagine it spoken with most acerbically polite British intonation possible. Just ratchet up the venom behind that one phrase to as high as it will go without sounding rude.

I'm happy to announce that, as of the writing of this Author Note, I'm now finished writing up to the epilogue for Volume 1! Which means the entirety of Volume 1, interludes aside, are now ready in the buffer. Takes a lot of stress off my back now that I don't have to worry about whether or not it'd be done.

Thanks as always to my friend for beta reading!