20 Chapter 20 - A tricky situation

"Anyways..." Gill continued, finally getting to why he called Zefer into his office.

"As you can see, we know you are a brilliant student. The incident that happened to you and your sister is..." Gill paused with a solemn expression for a moment, showing how he felt terrible for Zefer. It also seemed like he wouldn't be getting to the point just yet. Gill wasn't a heartless monster, sure he was a principal, and he had to fulfill his job, but he wasn't evil.

"tragic." Gill finished with a soft breath and a shake of his head, not towards Zefer, but the way the government handled it and covered it up. The more Gill saw the government's actions, the more he questioned why he fought for humanity, what purpose was there behind his actions?

Gill was appointed principal of the academy in Falter. Not just anyone could be the principal of an academy filled with kids with superpowers. No, the government gave this role to those who contributed significantly to the war against the demons. Gill was such a person; however, he had been questioning what he had fought for as of late.

The United Front's actions against the other races and their people were unsightly. Zefer was one of those people who became a victim of the government's course of action, and he wasn't able to do a thing about it. Even when the incident happened, Gill looked into it and found that Zefer was innocent, but the government ruled him guilty and a murder.

Zefer could see that Gill seemed to show remorse; however, this didn't change his mind. Even if Gill wasn't responsible for the actions against his life, he also did nothing to prevent them. The United Front ruined Zefer's life because of that incident. Everyone in Falter saw him as less than a worm and treated him as such. Of course, this was all before he gained his power or evolution. Now, only a select few knew that he was Zefer.

Perhaps if word got out about Zefer, things would return to how they were before. Even if they did, his goal remained the same. It didn't matter who felt sorry for him or tried to get on his good side. In the end, this place would erupt in flames, filled with screams of agony and terror. Until that day, though, Zefer needed to become stronger, and no one was going to get in his way or stop him.

"What is done is done, Principal Henderson. No one can change the past, neither you nor I." Zefer responded calmly, his facade of apathy never cracking as she looked at Gill without a care in the world.

Gill sighed softly and shook his head. "I suppose your attitude shouldn't come as a surprise." Gill muttered before continuing, this time speaking up, "Moving on, your grades dropped and everything seemed to go downhill from there, until yesterday. What you exhibited has made us curious. Therefore, we must ask, Where did you obtain such power?" Gill asked.

Zefer blinked once, only once as he thought of an answer. "Should I go with the story of an Artifact?"

"Go for it. Even if you tell them about the Rune of Destruction and Rune Warriors, I doubt they know anything. Besides, they haven't reacted to your eye at all. As I said, all Rune Warriors have the Runic Eye." Ina's voice peered inside of his mind.

Zefer gave it some thought before giving his answer, "I stumbled upon an Artifact on my way the night before."

Zefer's answer caused Gill and the woman to look shocked, but before Gill could ask about the artifact, Zefer continued speaking.

"I thought it was some measly stone, something I could probably pawn for some bread and milk. As you know, I am beyond poor." Zefer's words about the Rune of Destruction caused Ina to pout, seeing as he called it some measly stone.

Ina wanted to lecture him about just how strong the Rune Stones were, but she didn't since she knew he was merely telling this to make up a story. Nevertheless, it still hurt her pride since she was the Rune of Destruction.

"I planned on selling it in the morning on my way to school; however, the stone suddenly vanished. I didn't know it went. I figured some theif came in and stole it or something. You know, since we don't have locks on the homes of the Lower District, allowing people to come and go into our homes as they please." Zefer continued, adding in more words than necessary as if he were pointing out problems with today's world.

"Anyways, I didn't know it was actually inside of me. I suppose I needed to die, or at least be in a fatal condition for it to awaken. You see, the ref wasn't going to stop the match even though I was in a fatal state. Katie was going to finish me off and kill me, but the artifact woke up and saved my life before that. After that, I am sure you know the rest, Principal Henderson." Zefer finished talking; not once did his voice raise or crack. Not once did he show any expression but merely spoke as if none of it mattered to him. Even when he said of him almost dying, it looked as if he didn't care.

Gill released a heavy sigh once Zefer finished. He sat back in his leather chair and massaged his forehead out of annoyance and possibly stress. It looked like he was thinking about something, and then a moment later, he sat up. "You said you almost died, and the ref did nothing to stop it, correct?" Gill asked, his voice severe, chilling almost, which caught Zefer off guard and nearly broke his mask.

"Yes." Zefer nodded as he composed himself.

"Do me a favor and look into this ref, find out what is going on, and report back to me." Gill said as he turned towards the blonde woman. She nodded, "Yes, Sir!" Before leaving the room with haste, not even questioning his order. Once the woman left the room, Gill looked back towards Zefer.

"I'll make sure the man is held responsible for his actions. No one is to die at this academy, no matter what. That is why we have the best doctors on hand. Thank you for bringing that information forward." Gill said with a nod.

Once more, Zefer was astonished by what had just happened. At first, it was about his power, and where it came from, then it became about the ref. Still, Zefer kept up his facade of apathy.

"As for your power, you said it was an artifact. Since it is inside of you there is nothing more we can do. Usually, I am supposed to file a report to my higher-ups but..." Gill paused for a moment and smiled widely, not creepily, but more like someone who felt like it was time to get some payback.

"... I think they can do without it. After all, they didn't care about you to begin with. Thank you for your time, Mr. Zillian. You may return to your classroom." Gill said before leaning back into his leather seat, releasing a relieved breath as if he had just pulled one over on his superiors and didn't care.

Zefer nodded and stood up, "Thank you." He said before turning to leave the office, and once he did, he couldn't help but think, "What... just happened?"

Ina giggled inside of Zefer's head, "You just got away with your power. I am surprised that man didn't ask more about it, but judging from his earlier expression I don't think he really cares." Ina expressed happily.

Zefer sighed lightly on the inside, "Regardless, it would seem I am in the clear for now. There is also another thing I should take note of..." Zefer remarked inside his mind as he made his way back to his homeroom.

"What is that?" Ina asked curiously.

"When I do kill someone, I'll need to make sure it isn't a student or at least not on campus grounds. Not until I am strong enough to take down the principal." Zefer answered inside of his mind.

Once again, Zefer did not show any signs of repulse against killing someone. It was almost as if he accepted that he would do such a thing, but then again, she had just found out what had happened to him. Sure, it wasn't thrown in her face, but she could put the context clues together from what Gill said and the interaction Zefer had with him.

Zefer's sister was murdered, and in turn, Zefer killed the murders. It was clear he held no remorse for his actions, but she still felt pity for him. After all, he had taken his first life at a young age and was isolated with no one to comfort him or help him. She was sure it twisted and warped his mind. Anyone that took a life for the first time without consolidation, no matter the reason, was sure to have some adverse effects on their mental health.