204 Education (2/2)

”The undisclosed three schools are three supreme schools of magic. They are forms of magic that are simply beyond the ken of mortals, even working in tandem. Non-mortals may be able to scratch the surface of such schools of magic but they could never master them. Higher beings on the other hand...” The domain revealed, whispering the words conspiratorially. There was an edge of excitement in its voice as if it were somehow, subtly setting things in motion beyond my ability to understand. Which... it very well might have been.

The magic domain was a potent domain that appears to have birthed several, at least somewhat, reality-bending subdomains. I didn't know how powerful it was, and I knew that at least some domains could perform interventions of their own accord. It was possible that the domain was in the middle of setting something up. Though if it were it was probably something far away. The so-called ”Supreme schools of magic”... I wondered how supreme they must have been, and how far off from gaining any real knowledge of them I must have been. Any further thoughts I might have had on the matter were interrupted before they began by the intrusion of new noises. Ones coming from the human-inhabited household.

It was only at this point that I heard footsteps begin to come my way. I heard the soft footfalls of two sets of feet approaching me. Both Saoirse and her boyfriend were approaching me. I grinned as they edged ever closer to the door and then stopped. I could hear their muscles twitch and the soft sounds they made as they stretched their necks looking downwards to see if they spotted my shadow.

For a moment I considered actually ordering my shadow to withdraw from view as I possessed control over it. That said I never issue that command. Instead, I solemnly and stoically waited for the couple to open the door.

A few moments passed where all I focused on was their muttered words. They were in the middle of a heated argument.

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”Are you seriously telling me to open this door?” Brandon whispered, angrily. There was a look of frustration on his face. His brown eyes blazed with fury at the thought of doing what his girlfriend suggested he do.

Saoirse looked at him and scowled. She was not the rude type, and she had no idea who was behind the closed door.

”Yes! It's the polite thing to do.” She said, sternly. Her eyes blazed with her own frustration and anger at her boyfriend's rudeness and caution. She was fearless and had always been. He wasn't. This was but one example of the frequent differences of opinions the two of them had had over the course of their years-long relationship.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Which then extended into another moment. And went on for a few more. It was exceedingly awkward, especially since the two of them were dead silent.

The moments seemed to stretch on for eternity. As they gazed angrily into each other's eyes, dozens of thoughts and memories flooded their minds. Within the confines of the house, so long as the door was closed, they were safe from Althos' powers. Or rather he allowed them to be safe from his powers. He was aware of their squabble, and on the other side of the door he was quietly amused at their expense.

The god silently waited for them to act. For one of them to break the awkward impasse they were in. And when it was Saoirse he was unsurprised. That said, internally he still applauded her courage. He sensed the slightest twitching of her muscles as she began to lunge for the door.

She moved, catlike in her speed and agility, for the door. She was smaller than her boyfriend and was able to catch him off-guard, even ducking underneath his attempt to stop her. On the other side of the door, the god who awaited them took a step back and smiled even as the young teacher managed to put her hand on the doorknob and turn it, all while pushing the door open. Althos chuckled at this and watched as the door opened.

As the door opened and Saoirse laid her eyes on Althos once again, for the fourth time since he had invaded the home of her father, she began to smile. Althos' own grin widened at the sight of hers. Brandon, Saoirse's boyfriend, scowled at the pair and his expression darkened.

”Saoirse... Who is this? Do you know him?” He asked, concern seeping into his voice. Jealousy too. And then for a moment, a look of confusion crossed his face as well. A heartbeat later a look of realization stormed across his brow. And this one continued to darken his features. The look of realization wasn't one of delight, but rather one of horror.

”This is... Him, isn't it?” He asked. There was something especially venomous about the way that the man uttered the word ”him”, so much so that Althos audibly chuckled.

Althos took a step forward and Brandon interposed himself between Saoirse and the god, stepping right where the once closed door had been. Althos sensed the jealousy and hatred of him that the mortal man felt deep in his soul. It was a curious mixture of emotions and one that the god had never truly felt directed towards himself specifically. It amused him to be the subject of such raw emotions and yet be so unthreatened by the one who felt them.

”Don't take one step closer...” The man uttered, his eyes filled with determination to stand between the god and the person he knew was the god's target: Saoirse. Althos, who in his current form towered above the mortal, looked down on the man and smiled pleasantly. Internally, the god wondered how to handle this. A part of him considered violence, after all violence mixed with the god's power over mortal memories gave the god the smoothest path forward. But he didn't leap to smite the audacious mortal.

Unchecked, unnecessary violence was never the god's style unless it came with the acquisition of more power as a direct consequence. After a few moments, Althos made eye contact with the mortal and began to read his mind.