Chương 25: Professor Gemstone survives an assassination attempt! part 6 (25)
In the end, Ilya had sealed the curse to stop it from affecting Ezera. Ezera hadn't even known it was an option.
Of course, he was grateful.
They agreed to reconvene discreetly so as to discuss the specifics more. In the meantime, Ezera had finally gotten some sleep. He woke up with Ming cuddled against him. At this point, it was neither a surprise nor a bother. He slipped out of the boy's grip and from under the covers. Then, he went through his morning routine for the day.
Sandra came to see him later, during breakfast, holding out a needle for him.
"Yes?" He said.
"A, a platinum sharp needle," she muttered, shyly but somewhat proudly. "For you."
Oh. Ezera took the tool in his hands, examining it carefully. Alright, this was platinum. He frowned.
"Where did you obtain such a metal?" He interrogated her, befundled.
She looked even prouder.
"I exchanged it from copper and others! I'm an alchemist."
That didn't answer his question at all. How did she even know the ions and electrons she needed to created platinum... Nevermind.
"Thank you, Sandra," he said sincerely. "I'm very grateful for this."
She nodded, smiling.
"It was, a good exercise. I just needed a few coins."
"Coins?" he widened his eyes. "For the copper, you mean?"
This... Was an idea...
"Say!" he adressed his class. "Do you have some spare coins that you could lend me?"
"What would you even do with it?" Yuga asked annoyed.
"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Ezera winked at him, making him scowl. "Seriously, no one? Not even Alan?"
"He must have some," Lina said quietly, "he's filthy rich."
"Hey!" Alan protested at his friend's betrayal. "Don't out me like that! You're filthy rich too!"
"Maybe. But I have restricted allowance each month. Your parents refuse you nothing."
"Ugh."
Leo was doing his best not to choke of laughter on his breakfast.
"Why are you bullying me?"
"Because you're filthy rich. The others need their coins, stupid."
"Yeah but still."
Ezera watched them argue, feeling fondly for them. He was happy that the friendships had bloomed in the time they had all spent together, in those months at school.
It was a mere coincidence for Alan and Lina to become friends with Leo. Leo came from a poor family, but he was a very good student. In turn, his family started putting pressure on him to bring back good results. That created a kin bond between him and the two others, especially Alan. As for Lina, Ezera could only speculate, but her home situation quite resembled child neglect from an outside perspective.
Their trio, after being formed, helped them to become more acquainted with the rest of their classmates, no longer isolated for this or that. Ezera was proud of them all, to have done this first step.
Alan ended up coming closer, putting a dozen coins or so in Ezera's hand.
"I don't know what you plan of doing with it, but I guess I have some to spare anyway."
"Thank you boy. You don't know how happy you make me."
Alan looked skeptical.
"Sure."
Ezera chuckled.
But back to topic. Now with the platinum needle and the coins, he could start on something... Soon.
The entire day passed by in an instant. Soon, Ezera found himself back into his quarters following the afternoon class. He was once again hunched up above a table with his notes all over it, finally completing his first array prototype on paper.
"What is it for?"
Ezera, naturally, did not tense, or flinch... He did not. It was absolutely impossible to take him by surprise. He was trained to detect people coming, damn it! Thirty people at least had tried to do such a trick on him, even with the most silent footsteps in existence, and it never worked. Because Ezera is never surprised. It's all logic.
Then how on earth did Ilya do that?
Immediately, he said to the voice down his neck:
"Don't do that,"
With the flatest tone he had ever used.
Ilya took two steps back, unruffled by the reprimand.
"You knew I was there," he explained himself.
How would you know that? Because I didn't!
Ezera sighed.
"If you say so. At any rate, what is for what?"
"The needle and the alien money."
The alien money? Actually, that was a pretty accurate description of the coins.
"The silver amulet is actually a bad conduct for the scrying array. I was hoping to engrave my version of the array on it to make a scrying lens."
Again with that strange look. But this time, there was something more curious in Ilya's gaze.
"Could I see?"
"What?"
"Could I see you do it?"
"I mean... Why not? It's a long process. Plus I need fire. It might be easier with it."
"I have fire."
Ilya would never stop surprising him. Perhaps Ilya's whole purpose since creation was to surprise Ezera. That'd be funny. And surprising. But Ilya's always surprising.
"You want to see me do it now?"
"Why not?"
"You know what? Deal. Let's try it. Let me just look it over one more time to make sure I didn't forget anything..."
About twenty minutes later, with the last minute tweakings, Ezera was finally ready to start the experiment.
He looked at Ilya, who lifted his palm up at his signal. A pale blue flame appeared out of nowhere in the open palm. Ezera felt flabbergasted. Showed none of it.
"It's cold," Ilya said.
"That defeats the purpose," Ezera observed.
"It fulfills its purpose. It is simply cold to the touch. Or so I've been told."
Ezera nodded. That made sense. Yes. It probably made sense, it just needed Ezera to find out what sense, sometime in the future.
"Alright. Let's get started."
"What will you do if your project works?" Ilya inquired.
It was a cheshire grin that crossed Ezera's face as he assembled his hair out of the way in a high ponytail, falling neatly along the length of his back.
"Well. Then, I'll disable my cursed gift."
Ezera dipped the platinum needle into the cold-hot fire, and began working.
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