Aurora Over a Dead World

"Professor Zenith... uh... ah... I..." Ashlyn seems like she wants to talk to me now that the combat training class we had is over. I spent the whole day teaching all the students, and now most of them are heading back to their dorms or homes.

’Is she going to ask to sleep?’ She looks like she wants to ask that, but I just wait for her to speak. She bites her lips and then runs off. I guess asking me to literally knock her out with electricity so she can sleep is a weird thing to request.

"...Professor Zenith, what was that about?" Eirwen asks as she approaches, watching Ashlyn flee from me.

"Beats me. I think she’s just tired." I’m not going to discuss Ashlyn’s problems with anyone else. It’s her issue, and it’s private.

"Okay... Professor Zenith..."

"Go ahead." I grab my phone and glance at the time. It’s already much later than I expected. It was a productive class. Even though everyone except Rouge didn’t know the basics, they all participated. I think I’m starting to earn my place among these troubled students.

’Maybe they’re just afraid I’ll do something insane if they don’t obey... well, I’d rather believe they’re starting to accept me...’ I wait for whatever Eirwen was going to say.

"I’ve gotten better at using my powers... I-I also finished watching all of my father’s recordings... I-I’ve also read a large portion of the documents, and... well... I’ve been visiting the records center."

"There isn’t exactly a cemetery outside of private grounds, s-so all the people I killed never had a proper burial, but to show respect I went to the records center to... I don’t know, I think I was being kind of stupid. I don’t know how to show respect to people whose lives I destroyed..." I look into her eyes and see that she’s not just seeking forgiveness. She seems to be genuinely accepting responsibility.

"That’s good. I can’t tell you how to show respect for something like that, but it’s good to see you’ve been improving in every way." It seems her emotions heavily affect her powers, so overcoming this is good for her control.

"...I... I have a question... why... when I looked through the records, it didn’t say who killed them?..." Her question touches on a sensitive point about the death records kept on file.

"...It’s because those records are public, and because you’re a Kaira... they can’t risk the population hating you..." When I say that, she realizes it.

"W-Wait, but that means any one of us who kills someone just gets protected. That’s not fair, right?!"

"No, it’s not. But it’s for the best. It prevents widespread fear among the people, and it protects people like you, who killed accidentally. It’s wrong, but there isn’t a solution that makes everyone happy."

"Do you want to be hated? Is that it? Being hated won’t fix anything. Besides, if you were listed as the culprit, you’d be hated by people who don’t even have anything to do with the dead. It’s just stupid."

"Just focus on improving, and keep that attitude of respecting the people who ended up suffering because of you." She bites her lips.

"Being hated really doesn’t help at all?" Her question sounds kind of dumb.

"No, it doesn’t. Not you, and not regular people either. If you’re hated while trying to improve, in the end you’ll just sink deeper into it and turn into a bitter person who doesn’t understand why they’re hated after they’ve gotten better."

"...It all sounds so... complicated..."

"You’ll understand in the future. Anyway, just remember to keep this up. But in what way have your powers improved? Let’s drop this morbid subject. Your power interests me more."

"Okay!! My powers are way easier to control now, lighter? Like, it feels less complicated to control how cold everything gets."

"Before it was like rain, and I could only catch a few drops while everything else fell, and now I’ve gotten an umbrella."

’What a shitty analogy...’ I don’t say anything, because I understood enough.

"An umbrella can’t hold rain, it only blocks it."

"But the rain turned into snow?"

"...Why are you saying that like it’s a question? You should know, not me."

"It’s weird! I just feel like it’s easier, if that makes any sense! Professor, why do we all have powers that are so different from each other?" She asks a good question as I guide her to a chair in the training area. I grab a bottle of water and take a sip, thinking for a moment.

"Personal experience plays a huge role. Even though our powers rely heavily on physics, shaping them is as natural as moving your limbs. You don’t really need to understand what you’re doing, because the chip and the core handle most of the mathematical calculations."

"Think of the chip and the core as computers that run calculations constantly. Those calculations are influenced by what you feel, what you believe, your culture, your way of life, and especially your personality."

"If someone hits their head and loses their memories, their power can change. That case has already been documented in Kairas who lost their memories and literally had a different power when they woke up."

"Showing that your powers aren’t fixed. They still depend on the same life experiences that shaped them and on the same personality. So even if you know nothing about physics, you can still use your powers."

"Of course, I’m not saying your emotions or memories have powers. I’m just saying they’re parameters that change how the chip and the core calculate data and the world around them."

"An unstable mind results in equally unstable variable data, which leads to... your problem."

"Eirwen, you don’t struggle to control your powers because they’re complex. It’s simply because your mind is very unstable. But you’re improving now that you know the whole truth. You have a promising future."

"Tell me, how many people have you saved in the last few days?"

"...Two? I saw a weak monster attacking someone one night a few days ago and I finished it off."

"That’s good. Two more people saved means you can save people if you try... just avoid overdoing it." She sits down beside me as I hand her a bottle of water.

"...Professor, are you married?"

"Hahahaha!!!!" I start laughing at her question.

"Sorry, but I really don’t like that fruit you’ve got there." When I say that, she looks confused before blushing.

"N-No!! Not in that sense!!!"

"I figured as much. I’m not married, but I am in a relationship with someone special." When I say that, she looks confused.

"Oh?! You—"

"..." My stern glare at her tone makes her stop. I feel like she was about to say something really offensive, like ’Someone actually stays with you?’ and judging by the look on her face, it seems like that’s exactly what it was.

"Why that question? Trying to get close to your professor so she’ll go easy on you? If so, give it up. You could be the person I like most in the world, and I’d still treat you the same in training."

"That’s not it!! J-Just... I wanted to know more about you. You seem so experienced even though you look so young..."

"I’m not that young. Besides, experience comes from doing things. Life gives you that as a gift after it screws you over. It’s not a fair trade, but hey, at least it’s worth something."

"Anyway... haa... life is complicated, girl. Don’t get your hopes too high about relationships. Kairas don’t have time for that until they retire."

"Now you really sound like some old person talking about the past."

"Hahaha... yeah... you know, Eirwen, you’re lucky. Really. Even if your life isn’t perfect, you’re learning early. And I swear to you, learning early is so much better than learning too late." I ruffle her hair, messing it up.

"I would’ve preferred a normal life..." she murmurs.

"Me too. I think everyone would prefer a normal life. But we can’t have everything we want, so yeah, be grateful you’re alive, I guess." She gives me a pensive look.

"I’m going to save a lot of people... I think I want to join the rescue squad instead of joining the army as a combatant." Her tone makes me give her a broken smile, because it’s highly unlikely that someone with her talent will be sent just to save people.

"..." She notices my expression.

"C-Can’t I?"

"I don’t know. It’s not up to me, and it’s not up to you either. It’s the higher-ups who decide. The problem is that you’re a prodigy of this generation, one of the great talents when it comes to power... I don’t think they’ll let you." I’m honest with her.

"The army always needs powerful people for monster hunting."

"But you were a commander!"

"...I wasn’t a great prodigy of the army. I was just a girl who enlisted to have a more stable life and grow. I did a lot of missions to climb the ranks."

"I didn’t just show up and become a commander. It took years of work for that. Besides, my power, even though it was strong, was unstable. That made me lose promotions many times."

"If my powers weren’t unstable, I could have become a commander in two years of service at most. It took me longer than that to make it."

"Not to mention, first I became a provisional commander before they actually gave me the real position. Of course, you’re strong, and if you build good connections, you might be able to pull some strings at the top to go where you want."

"But let’s be realistic. I don’t think it’s bad that you want to go into the rescue field, but the odds are lower than..." She stands up in frustration.

"This is so unfair... I... why can’t I just go into a field to save people if that’s what I want?"

"..." I say nothing to her as she walks away.

"Yeah... I guess that’s how it is... they’re still kids..." Even though they’re all of legal age, to me they never grew up properly. I can’t expect too much from them yet.

"Well, at least she’s genuinely trying. That’s good." I feel strange. I’m managing, right? Even if my teaching methods are a bit brutal, I’m still shaping a generation for the better, I think.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!