Chapter 52: Library of Stars

"So, how was last night?" Satoru's voice echoed through the long-winded wooden corridors of Jujutsu High, a teasing smile playing on his lips. His eyes sparkled with mischief as he glanced sideways at August.

"It was beyond your wildest imagination," August responded with a smug laugh, meeting Satoru's deadpan gaze with triumph in his eyes.

"How did you figure it out?" He asked curiously.

"I didn't," Satoru explained casually, as if they were discussing the weather, "I ran into Shoko on my way here and that poor girl was worried how Mei Mei came limping to her office this morning for treatment and even refused to explain how she got injured."

Their conversation shifted, the topic changing as fluidly as the wind until they stopped in front of an ordinary wooden door. The door stood tall and unassuming, with its polished surface reflecting the soft glow of the corridor lights.

Turning his head towards August, Satoru asked, "Ready?"

Taking a deep breath, August nodded, "Yes."

With a soft creak, the wooden door swung open, revealing the interior of a moderately spacious room. Plushie toys of all kinds were scattered around, their vibrant colours contrasting against the room's muted tones.

August's eyes scanned the room before finally focusing on the tall, muscular tan-skinned man sitting on the floor at the center of the room; his hands moved steadily, sewing away at a plushie giraffe with a concentration that was almost too intense.

With a shaved head topped with short, spiky black hair that accentuated his thick eyebrows and the moustache and goatee combo on his face, Masamichi Yaga resembled more of an American brawler than a Japanese sorcerer.

"I brought him," Satoru announced, catching Yaga's attention.

Masamichi had already agreed to hire August as a teacher at Jujutsu High after Satoru talked him into it. However, he wanted to meet August in person first before making the final decision.

"Principal Yaga," August greeted him respectfully with a nod.

"Sorcerer Blackwood," Yaga acknowledged, sizing up the young man before saying, "I heard about your actions yesterday. Impressive."

"Thank you."

"Let's get straight to the point. Why do you want to teach at Jujutsu High?"

"There's no particular reason," August replied casually.

The straightforward answer and the lack of a specific reason took aback the muscular man. The room fell into an awkward silence as Yaga stared at August in surprise. Meanwhile, Satoru stood nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets, already used to August's unpredictable behaviour by now.

Sighing, August elaborated, "I am not disinterested either. Satoru here, has helped me a lot, and I would like to repay him in any way I can."

"Honoring your debts is a respectable thing to do," Yaga nodded, "But that doesn't mean you are guaranteed a spot here."

"Really? Then who is?"

"People who genuinely care for the future of the students they are about to teach. People who understand the harsh reality that awaits them and are prepared to guide them through it," Yaga's words hung in the air with a grave undertone to them as he punctuated with one last point, "People who are not as casual as you."

'That makes sense,' he thought, his lips curling into a small smile. 'But…'

"You are misunderstanding something, Principal," His vibrant amethyst flared intensely. "Just because I appear laid back does not mean I am casual. As a former 'normal' human, I have a better perception of the dangers in this world than you guys do."

Both occupants of the room were taken aback by his statement, their attention centred on him as they listened to his words carefully.

"These barely 16-17-year-old children are learning how to fight when they should be enjoying their days with their friends. This side of the world has dangers even I as a Special Grade cannot handle the way I am right now," August's words did little to ease the bitterness on their faces.

"And the gap between a Special Grade and a Grade One is so immense that it's laughable they are ranked only one grade apart. And most of these students won't even qualify as a Grade One, let alone anything higher. That means just one mission with incorrect intel about the enemy's strength could end their lives."

His words were akin to a punch to the guts, dismantling their society's intentionally overlooked problem with painful accuracy "And even in this grim situation, the council won't stop toying with the future of these kids."

Yaga looked confused at this, his brow furrowing as he asked, "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," August replied coolly, meeting their gaze head-on. "Similar to how the council was trying to obstruct my promotion yesterday, they do the same to any sorcerer they don't like. A lot of promising young talents have been surpassed to the depths of hell by those politics-loving old farts, and yet you all sit idly by and do nothing. So don't act like you are morally superior when you are not."

Masamichi's eyes burned with anger as he lashed out, "What do you know about us?! Do you know what it took for me to get here? How hard we fought to give these children a chance at a better life? We gave them hope—"

"False hope," August cut in with a cold voice. "You gave them nothing but false hope." He sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead with his fingers.

"Listen, I'm not here to argue morality with you, Principal. These kids mean more to me than you can imagine, and I want to help them for reasons beyond just owing Satoru a favour. They need to understand that there's more to the world than just battling Cursed Spirits - much of it far more perilous. Do you know what sets top institutions apart from Jujutsu High?"

"They have special grade teachers while you do not," he replied matter-of-factly. Before Yaga could object, August interjected, "Satoru doesn't count as one as he is too busy solving the world's problems most of the time."

The room fell into an uneasy silence as Yaga and August locked eyes. The tension between them was thick, the quietness almost suffocating.

"You can reject me if you want. But remember, it will be YOUR loss, not mine. I can easily continue living as a special-grade sorcerer. Your pay is a joke to me and teaching students takes up time and patience that I would be foolish to waste on something not beneficial to me. Just remember, the next time a student dies, their blood will be on your hands," August warned, his voice echoing ominously.

With that, August turned on his heel and began walking away with long strides, exuding a presence too commanding and authoritative to ignore.

"Wait," Yaga's deep voice rumbled from behind, halting August in his tracks. He slowly turned around to face the principal.

"Fine! I admit I was testing you, but some of your ideas truly caught me off guard. It's rare for someone your age to recognize the dark underworking of our society so quickly. In any case, we are fortunate to have you," Yaga admitted with a newfound respect for the young man.

This revelation did not surprise August; he had suspected all along that he was being tested. But that did not mean he enjoyed it, so he played along with an innocent little "prank."

"Thank you," he replied, extending his hand towards the principal. Their hands met in a firm handshake, the significance of which they wouldn't understand for years to come.

''One step closer,' he thought to himself with a small smile.

"I have been meaning to ask; could you point me towards the Library of Stars?" he inquired.

The name suggested it would be closer to the tomb of Stars, the home of Tengen, but he wasn't sure.

Yaga's hand tensed for a moment before relaxing. "I almost forgot you're a special grade. Ordinary sorcerers aren't supposed to know about its existence."

'Makes sense' he thought. After all, that library held secrets and techniques that the council wouldn't want the normal populace to know, reserved for only a handful of the country's best.

"Satoru will guide you there."

_________

Ironically, the Library of Stars had nothing to do with actual stars, despite its name. The elevator chimed as it reached its destination, and August and Satoru emerged into a dimly lit hallway. The only light came from the ethereal glow of magical lamps that lined the walls.

Satoru broke the silence first, his voice echoing softly in the quiet corridor, "You know, back in the day, the Japanese Supernatural Society was nothing like it is today. We were the underdogs, unlike the more advanced societies."

August's interest was piqued; as a lover of history and mythology, he couldn't help but be intrigued by the true origins of their world. "How far back does this go?" he asked eagerly.

Satoru paused for a moment before answering, "Hmm…roughly two thousand five hundred years ago. We don't know much before that, except that three super-civilizations led by three powerful pantheons ruled the world; The Abrahamic Pantheon, The Heavenly Court of the Jade Emperor, and The Hindu Pantheon."

He continued, "The Father of Angels is known as the most powerful god, but Shiva, The Destroyer and Jade Lord, The Heavenly Emperor were close behind with only a negligible difference."

"So what set these pantheons apart was their human civilization," Satoru explained. "While the Abrahamic pantheon was reeling from the aftermath of Morningstar's fall, the other two prospered at an unprecedented rate. At one point, both boasted 150 special grades each."

August's eyes widened at those numbers. The Grade ranking was reserved for Humans, while supernatural species such as Angels, Devils, Vampires, etc. were graded by class. That meant there were at least 300 Ultimate Class Humans under these two pantheons, excluding the Gods. Which was a crazy number, since the current world only has a mere 47 Special Grades.

"Wait, that doesn't add up!" August exclaimed. "Two years ago marked the highest number of special grades recognized in one era - 45 - surpassing a previous record set during the Early Middle Ages. It's also the highest recorded number in history."

"That's right," Satoru confirmed, "The reason why these ancient records are not taken into consideration by the Congress is because they don't believe it. Or rather they don't want to believe it."

"What do you mean?" August asked.

Satoru sighed, "You understand what kind of force these two civilizations possessed, right?" August nodded as Satoru continued gravely, "But these two civilizations vanished one day."

"…Vanished?" August asked incredulously.

"Yes, vanished, without any warning, reason or even trace. All that's left of these civilizations are some ancient records and relics."

"And we still don't know what happened?"

Satoru shook his head, and replied helplessly, "The world has been trying to solve this mystery for over 3 millennia with no success. The Hindu pantheon still exists, but they refuse to divulge anything. And the Heavenly Court is no more."

Shivers tingled down August's spine as he continued the rest of the way in silence, with an ominous feeling knocking at the back of his mind.

After a few more minutes, they stopped in front of a large, unassuming metal door. "This is the entrance to the Library of Stars," Satoru informed him.

August nodded in appreciation and placed his hand on the cool surface of the door. Just as he was about to push it open, Satoru's voice warned from behind. "Remember, you may find answers to your questions in there, but don't always take them at face value. Oh, and you can't take anything out with you."

With that said, he turned heel and walked away.

"Well, that's….foreboding," August thought as he pushed the door and stepped into the pitch-black darkness.

The familiar disorienting feeling washed over him briefly, as his senses informed him he was transported to a different dimension.

The darkness lit up as thousands of dots appeared in the backdrop like stars strewn upon the black canvas of a galaxy; they gradually brightened up, revealing thousands of large shelves, which housed countless books.

'Finally'

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Author-san here!!!

Arc Two ends here!

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