CHAPTER 518: WHAT ARE THE RULES?

"What are you talking about?" Hailey asked, causing Gabrielle to shake her like she weighed a couple of grapes. "The plan. Hailey, your scheme to get close to my son. You are having him make a speech and he doesn’t like public speaking!"

"Gabby, can you put me down please?" Hailey asked nicely, but Gabrielle refused to budge. ’Oh no... She’s gone feral mamma bear mode.’ She thought to herself before hastily de-escalating the situation.

"Gabby I never said he was making a speech, will you just watch, at most he is going to get a small applause his way." Gabrielle then dropped her ward like a sack of potatoes before watching the speech resume with squinted eyes.

...

"Quick and without frivolity. A perfect speech Princess." Leanna said as the applause began to die down. "Now, some simple rules you all must follow. Failing to follow these rules could end in expulsion and depending on where you break them, be charged with treason and swiftly executed."

’Oh dang. They ain’t playing around.’ I thought to myself as I continued to listen.

" The first rule. Tomorrow, after you have all settled in, you will all be given dress robes. This is to identify you as first year students. As despite what you might think. The most dangerous things in this place are all of you standing here right now.

The vast majority of you are Psionic novices, recently awakened. Your power is just awakening and is at its most volatile. For the safety of everyone. You will wear these robes when entering any place of learning so you are easy to identify. Outside or during extra curricular, you are free to take them off, but during lectures and lessons. You wear these. Period.

’Meh, that’s not so bad. I just have to actually embrace my inner space wizard? Sounds perfectly reasonable.’ I thought to myself, and from the murmurs around me, most seemed to agree with this statement.

"The second rule is also simple. Stay grounded. There are those here at the college that are capable of flight and extreme athletic capabilities and can stay in the sky for prolonged periods of time. Or can do the opposite and shadow walk or dig underground with ease, blending between points of darkness to avoid sight. Outside of classes and lectures, under no circumstance are you to be seen in the air or in some other form of traversal other than walking. We have sensitive and classified projects in certain areas around the camp and if you see them without permission, you will be at the most leniant, expelled, depending on what you witnessed."

All of a sudden I broke out into cold sweats and looked over towards Nerissa who was standing at the very end of the stage with a group of who I assumed to be teachers as Mo-Valerica was also there.

I had the slightest suspicion she was staring at me, so I placed my finger to my lips about the little rule violation I had committed earlier. Nerissa did not move her body, but she did reposition her spear up and down slightly and I took that as a sign of confirmation as she had told me before her longest streak without moving an inch was one hundred and fifty two years.

"The third rule is a bit of a common sense rule. If you choose not to follow it and end up dead, this is on you. Outside of our facilities all of the nature surrounding us is nature reserve. And while most animals in the imitate hundred miles or so are harmless, this moon is a Psionic hotspot and some creatures out there break some... Natural laws of evolution. If you do decide to venture out, we simply ask you are capable of defending yourself as we will not make an effort to reclaim your remains."

A silence had taken over the crowd. People were clearly worried about the amount of ’death’ being shoved into their face all at once, but fortunately, it seemed Leanna was done with threatening everyone’s lives.

"Those were the big three rules we like to explain right from the get go as they are the most often broken by fresh first years. When you receive your lodgings, you will be given a booklet with the rest of the rules and bylaws of the college. I and all of the staff implore you to read it, as tedious as it is, as all we want is for your learning experience to be as rewarding as possible."

"Now before I allow you to leave, I am going to read out a list of news and updates to the schedule." Since the main announcement was out of the way, people began having hushed conversations. The deputy head was going over things like routine maintenance times and stuff like that, it wasn’t important.

"Well... I am a lot more scared now than I was a short while ago." My new buddy Ivy said while holding her brother’s hand. Alder replied to his sister. "I know... I thought this place was supposed to be safe..."

"You guys are reading into it wrong. This place is incredibly safe." I chimed in, causing the two of them to look at me, seeking clarification. "The two of you have hyper fixated on the death part of the information you just received, but, ask yourself this. Can either of you fly?"

The two shook their heads, prompting me to ask further. "And do the two of you plan on going on picnics outside the facility grounds?" I asked further, prompting Ivy to reply. "Eww, no. Nature is gross and sticky, plus I fell over getting off the ship as there was a gravity pocket and I felt so light. I’m not going out there."

I chuckled. "Then you have nothing to fear do you? Just wear your magic robes like they asked and you will be right as rain." The pair shared a laugh, Alder freaked me out a little as his laugh sounded identical to his sisters. Same pitch and everything.

"You know, when you put it like that, you are right. Those rules just do not affect us huh Alder?" Ivy said, causing Alder to simply nod in agreement. She then turned back at me and declared. "you know, you have this sagely vibe about you Apollo, has anyone ever told you that?" She asked curiously, causing me to suppress a laugh.

"Actually yes, quite recently to boot. How peculiar. I-" I was suddenly interrupted as what the deputy headteacher just said gained my full attention. "And finally. A decree was signed by both the military and civil kings granting academic dispensation for the outlawed science of Genetic manipulation, augmentation and enhancement."

’What the shit! No way! What are the odds of that!’ I thought as my eyes became glued to the headmistress. I needed to know everything about this. ’Oh if I can share notes with other scientists, human scientists... Calm down Apollo, you can’t get a science boner here...’

However, even if I did, what she said next would have shrivelled it inside out. "The dispensation has been granted to a first year student who has already shown great scientific ingenious behind closed doors and will be granted funding to continue his research alongside a fully refurbished laboratory in a restricted building on the compound. Congratulations to Archon Apollo Lambdason!"The deputy head then looked directly at me and began clapping.

"Oh shit."

Battle mode took over. I felt an overwhelming sense of being surrounded. My first glimpse was to Valerica. Her surprise was palpable on her face. She didn’t rat me out. Good. Orchid read my instincts and was ready to run with me, ready to cause distraction by sacrificing herself if need be, not that I wanted that.

In less than a second, I had already formulated a plan to get out of the trap. Break rule three, head for the jungles. Orchid and I with Onyx as rear guard in a literal hunting ground meant we could escape easily. Once we were a safe distance away, I would activate the imprint Jewel had left on me on full blast, destroying one of my eyes if need be. the intensity should be enough of a signal to send the entire home world star systems bio forms this way, our pact to let me explore be damned.

Just as I began to fill up my tensed legs with kinetic energy, a familiar figure stood before me unarmed and considering all my plans were thought in less than a second, I was genuinely shocked.

Fortunately, she spoke hastily with a calm demeanor. "Apollo, you are not in trouble in any way. In fact, you have been pardoned for your scientific explorations." I stared deeply at Nerissa’s face mask, practically staring straight through it. Orchid was tense, she was waiting for the slightest movement to begin her assault.

But what it came down to was a very human emotion in the end. Trust. I trusted my friend. With a sigh, my mind calmed down and uttered the word, ’Dome.’

Nerissa understood and pressed the sequence on her armour and a soundproof dome surrounded us, prompting me to ask now that I came down from the adrenaline.

"Ok then. Can you very calmly and very clearly, explain what the fuck is going on?... Please?"