The Fusionist Book 2 -- Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Larek immediately shook his head in disbelief. “What? No. I didn’t do anything to them.”

“As Shinpai mentioned, you did it unconsciously,” the Dean explained. “And it’s not exactly the same thing as what the Great Ones use on those they control. Whereas their Dominion magic has all the subtlety of a warhammer as it invades the minds of those they dominate, what you seem to use is like a hint of a familiar scent in a room. It’s also not necessarily designed to dominate the minds of those you interact with, but to inspire loyalty and a sense of wanting to protect you.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “No, that can’t be possible. If, and that’s a big if, how do you even know it was me? And why hasn’t… whatever this is… affected all the students and Professors that I’ve interacted with since I’ve been here?”

“In all honesty, it’s pure speculation,” Shinpai replied, “but it also makes a bit of sense. I was wondering why it seemed as if you didn’t acquire any Dominion magic from your father’s side, and now I know why. It’s nowhere near as powerful and was kept hidden even from yourself, but it seems to emanate from you in high-stress situations. It’s subtle and overall not very effective without prolonged exposure, but when you’re in a situation where you’re interacting with people during those times, it will seep into them. We believe this is what happened with your team, and the shape it ultimately took was influenced by you.”

“What do you mean by that? I swear I didn’t mean to do anything like that.”

“Again, it wasn’t something you consciously did,” the Dean took over once more. “But your desire to protect your teammates from being seriously hurt during the Skirmish influenced the subtle Dominion magic you dispersed into them, transferring that desire to protect your teammates into them, as well, but with you as the primary beneficiary of the magic.”

“Is there a way to get rid of it?” Larek asked. “This whole thing doesn’t feel right. If I had, indeed, done this to them, then it makes me feel tainted; it’s like there’s something rotten inside of me that I need to cut out.”

Both of them shrugged, before the Dean answered. “I have no idea. I doubt that it’s something that can be cut out of you because it’s built into who you are. As for what you did to the members of your team, that could be a different story. I’m sure there’s a way that you can get rid of it, but almost nothing is known about Dominion magic other than what I’ve already told you about it, but that doesn’t really help you, I know. Further experimentation with it would be necessary to see what could be done, but that would be up to you.”

Larek wanted nothing to do with whatever this Dominion magic was, which included experimenting with it. However, given that the Dean and his Advanced Fusions instructor were convinced that he had unconsciously affected the members of Team Fusion using this power, he knew that he would eventually have to figure out how to get rid of what was influencing them. While at the moment it didn’t seem as though they were forced to protect him, or were obsessive in a way that made them need to spend every waking movement guarding him, but he still felt as if he was violating their free will – which was too close to the slavery that the Gergasi like his father forced upon the Nobles in the Kingdom.

The thought of being even somewhat like them sickened Larek as he completely rejected any desire to be or act like them. Part of that was his disdain for slavery, but the rest stemmed from a more personal place. Knowing that it had been them that had led to the majority of the Kingdom’s people instinctively hating or fearing Larek’s appearance because of his height was more than enough to hate the Gergasi in return. While it had only been a relatively short amount of time that he’d really suffered from the depredations of those who were prejudiced against him, it had left a lasting impression on him that he knew he would never forget. Thankfully, most of the students and trainees who had been around for more than a year or more seemed to accept him after a while, so he wasn’t forced to suffer that sort of thing from them for long, but he dreaded going back outside the Academy into a town or a city with “normal” people.

“I don’t like it and I don’t want to use it, but I don’t want this to inadvertently happen again,” Larek finally said after he realized he’d been thinking silently for a while. “But that will have to wait until I can experiment with this… power… where I can’t hurt anyone. In the meantime, there’s something else I’d like to know.”

“You want to know how I got the Vice General of Fort Pinevalley to sign off on allowing some of his trainees to protect you?” the Dean asked. “Simple, I told him all about you before the Skirmish even started.”

“What? Was he pretending during that meeting?”

“Yes and no,” she replied. “He knew, in general, what you could do and why I wanted you protected, but his shock at actually seeing you do it in person was entirely real. You’re quite impressive when you create Fusions, Larek.”

“Uh, thanks, I guess,” he responded, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck in embarrassment. “But that’s not necessarily what I was going to ask.”

“What did you want to know?”

Larek took a deep breath and let it out before he asked his question. “Why are you doing all this? Can’t you get in trouble for helping me out?”

The Dean laughed shortly, but it was clipped and it was in not the least filled with humor. “Oh, absolutely. That, of course, depends on whether or not they discover what we’ve been doing here.” She was silent for a few moments as she seemed to be thinking about something. “As for why I’m helping you, I already explained that your Fusions could be exactly what we need to help save hundreds of thousands of lives, especially if it allows the SIC members to live longer and be more effective. With this ‘Culmination’ that might be occurring, which would explain the sudden spike in Scissions and danger to the people of this Kingdom, it’s even more dangerous out there and I believe your Fusions could make all the difference.

“But that, on the surface, is actually a small portion of what I desire from you in the future. You’re an investment that I hope will pay off eventually, and I’m willing to risk my life upon the discovery of what I’ve done with you to see it through.”

I knew there had to be an alternative motive! But what exactly is she hoping for me to do? When she didn’t go on immediately, he asked her just that question.

“Ultimately, I’m hoping that you become powerful enough that you can—” she abruptly cut off, a choking noise coming from her throat momentarily. After a few seconds she seemed to recover and she looked to Shinpai.

“What she’s trying to say, but the slave bond that was forced upon her is not allowing her to vocalize, is that she wants you to become powerful enough to end the reign of the Gergasi and free the Nobles from their servitude. Not for her sake, or the sake of the Nobles or even the common people of the Kingdom, but for the entire world. Can you guess how you would go about accomplishing this?”

Thinking about all he knew about the Gergasi, most of which he learned from his interrogation with Ricardo, there was only one thing he could imagine might be able to stop them.

“You want me to close the tear that is letting in the power that the Gergasi unleashed upon the world?”

“Correct.”

“How am I supposed to do that? Haven’t the Gergasi been trying to close it for the last thousand years? If they weren’t able to succeed in that time, what makes you think that I will have any more luck?”

“Ah, I see. What makes you think that the Gergasi have been trying to seal the tear at all?”

Larek was confused, as he was fairly certain that was what Ricardo had said. “They haven’t been trying to close the tear?”

“While it’s possible, the more likely evidence points to them keeping it open. It’s what gives them the energy they possess to make them powerful enough to enforce their domination of the Noble class; taking that away would essentially suck away all their power, potentially even eliminating whatever is making them immortal.”

Larek spoke slowly, trying to understand what they hoped he would eventually do. “But… doesn’t closing the tear mean that the power that Mages and Martials use would disappear, as well? What would they use to fight the monsters from the Scissions?”

“Yes, and the thought is that with the closure of the tear, the Scissions will stop; they are supposedly a side effect of it being open, after all.”

“But you don’t know for sure?”

Shinpai shook his head. “No one alive actually knows the truth of it all, except perhaps the Gergasi – who aren’t liable to tell us. With the closure of the tear, all threats to the Kingdom – no, the entire world – will be eliminated. And we think that you’ll eventually be able to do it.”

“Why me?” he asked, unsure why they were asking him to do this thing when there were plenty of powerful people out there.

“Because you’re the only one that has access to the full power that’s coming from the tear, other than the Gergasi, themselves. From my own personal observation of the tear, there’s a sense of it being incomplete, as if I’m only seeing one side of it; from surreptitious conversations with a few high-Level Martials, I can tell you that they feel the same way. Attempts have been made in the past to try and close it using some of the most powerful Mages and Martials the Kingdom had available; upon their failure, they reported that the experience was like trying to look at grapple with someone with one arm and one leg tied together and immobile. They might be able to make some progress in pinning their opponent with only their one arm and leg available, but ultimately their opponent would wriggle out of their grasp. In other words, it was impossible.

“To put it in terms you might understand better, it was like a Fusion that only has a Mana Cost and Magnitude; without the Effect and Activation Method, it would ultimately do nothing. Do you understand what I’m trying to convey?”

Larek reluctantly nodded. “I think so, but I really don’t think I’m the one to do it. All I’m good at is making Fusions; I have no idea where I would even start in closing something like this tear.”

“That’s why I said you’re investment, Larek,” the Dean took over the conversation again. “I don’t expect you to suddenly go out tomorrow to close the tear; you’re a potential long-term solution to an existing long-term problem, but you’ll need to be cultivated until you grow strong enough to tackle something like that.”

That was a relief to Larek, though something else occurred to him. “Shinpai, you said you’ve seen this tear thingy. I thought it was somewhere only the Gergasi could visit; is that not correct?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” he explained. “From what I know, their Enclave is near the tear, allowing them to control the flow of power that escapes into our world, but they aren’t the only ones with access to it. In fact, there is an entire fortification set up to stop the monsters that are frequently appearing from Scissions near the tear’s origins.”

That sounded familiar to Larek for some reason, but he couldn’t place it.

“I see by your face that you might recognize the place, at least in name. The tear that the Gergasi opened a thousand years ago is in a place called The Diregate. Does that name seem familiar to you?”

He nodded. “It does, though I only heard about it after coming here.”

“Not surprising, given your origins. The Diregate is a dangerous place, made even more dangerous by the proximity of the Gergasi nearby, though they haven’t really been seen anywhere outside their Enclave in decades, if not longer. Regardless, it means that just about anyone can approach the location of the tear, which is what we’re hoping that you’ll be able to do once you’re strong enough to close it up.”

Larek had even less desire to go and do something as dangerous as that than he did to become like his father’s people, though he didn’t say anything to that effect to the Dean and Shinpai. He knew that if he flat-out refused to help close the tear that they would likely rescind their concealment of his presence at the Academy, which would probably end up worse than if he threw himself at the Diregate place with nothing but a hope that he could work a miracle to close the tear.

“I’ll… consider it, but I can’t guarantee that I could even accomplish something like that, even if I were to learn everything possible in the Academy.”

“That’s all we ask, Larek. We know it’s a long-shot, but it’s also the only one that’s ever come along in either of our lifetimes.”

He bowed his head, thinking of the impossible task that they wished of him – and how he had no idea how he would even accomplish it, or even if he wanted to attempt to accomplish it in the first place.

“Alright, that’s enough for now, young man. I’m sure you want to check on your friend, so run along and see how she’s doing. Classes will start up again for you tomorrow, so be ready to learn as much as you can, as fast as you can.”

The Dean’s obvious dismissal was enough for him to get up and mumble, “Thank you,” as he rushed toward the door. It seemed like every time he came to the Dean’s office there was another world-shattering revelation that he had to somehow figure out how to deal with, and he’d had enough that day to last him for years to come. He didn’t want to risk staying longer and having something else dropped on him, so he sped toward the door.

Outside the office, he saw Penelope and Vivienne flanking the doorway and he looked at them both a little closer, trying to see if he could detect whatever the Dean and Shinpai had said about his use of Dominion magic upon them. After nearly 30 seconds of staring at Penelope, looking deeper to see if there was any trace of it, he determined that he couldn’t detect anything; he resolved to look into it more later, when it wasn’t going to look creepy just staring at them randomly.

“See anything you like?” she asked with a smirk.

Normally, such a statement would’ve have made him uncomfortable and potentially even blush, but with all the information and expectations that were just metaphorically dropped in his lap, all he did was turn and walk away.

“Wow. That heavy of a meeting, huh?”

Larek grunted in response rather than explain. “I’m going to go check on Nedira,” he stated, not expecting them to follow.

But, of course, Penelope and Vivienne immediately trailed his footsteps, staying only a few feet behind him. Letting out a heavy sigh, he thought, This is going to get thoroughly annoying rather quickly.

With the sounds of their boots echoing through the deserted hallway, Larek headed straight for the healer’s ward.

Book 2 Chapter 71: https://www.patreon.com/posts/fusionist-book-2-84969071