THE APPRENTICE II

51

I just finished writing the last chapter of this book and the first of the third book :") I'm feeling all the feels rn. The rest of this, aside from the final chapter, is more chill and filled with wholesome things.

I just wanna thank you guys for reading and being interactive. Your comments make my day.

It took Hazel about four days to recover, thanks to Heskit. After the past few days (or months), the monastery decided it would be best for her to take a few days off. What Hazel told Stephen was that she and Heskit were going to go to the movies and then head off to Wakanda to hang out with Shuri. A part of this was true; they really were going to Wakanda, but it was for a project that she was trying to develop.

Ever since Hazel found out about Eye of Angulas, she's been fasinated by them. In fact, the potential this gem had to make their lives easier was overflowing. So, the next thing she did was go to the best mind she knew: Shuri. Hazel and Heskit didn't get any push-back from the Wakandans, given that one of them was an avenger. Still, Wolfe thought it was best to give T'challa and the family a head's up. They arrived at the vibrant and enchanting country of Wakanda, Heskit very clearly mesmirized by its culture and technology. They reached Shuri's lab after stopping by to greet the royal family.

"Hazel!There's my girl!" Shuri exclaimed and opened her arms. Hazel, being reluctant towards physical affection, gave an awkward half-hug. She pulled away and looked at her up and down, drinking her all in. "Look at you! What did you do?! How long has it been!,"

"Oh, I decided to stop de-aging my body." She explained. Right, the rest of the Avengers had yet to see her all grown up. She gestured to the man. "Shuri, this is Heskit. Heskit, Shuri— Fuck, uh, Prince Heskit, Pentadillune, Princess Shuri, Wakanda."

Heskit did the Wakandan gesture that Hazel taught her and Shuri returned it, then gave a bow. Shuri gave him a nod, impressed he cared enough to learn about their greeting.

"I just realized I'm the only one who isn't...a royal here." She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot against the floor. "Awkward,"

"You two have saved the world." Heskit shrugged comfortingly then turned to the princess. "Hazel's told me a lot about you. She says you're the smartest woman she knows,"

"Oh, stop." She faked her bashfulness and led them deeper into the lab. "I'm sure you're great too, given she's spending time with you,"

"Actually, I kind of found him annoying, at first." She exposed and placed her coat on one of the tables. The air was much thinner in the all-white room. "He immediately tried to sleep with me— twice, actually. He became my student,"

"I was your teacher too, Wolfe." He brought up and crossed his arms with slight shame.

"So when did you start seeing each other?" Shuri asked. Hazel's eyes widened and she tilted her head. "When did you start dating?"

"Oh, oh, no. No, we're not dating, no." Heat rose to Hazel's cheeks and she waved her hands.

"Why? Do we look good together?" He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. He gave her a cheeky wink and clicked his tongue, making her pull her arm back to hit him, but he caught it. "See? I know you so well,"

"Don't be fooled." She said to Shuri and pushed him away. "He's just a whore."

Shuri gave a loud laugh as she began to wheel away a few of the suits she was working on. She placed them in her storage room and jogged back to the two. They seemed to have been in a heated conversation, which she found impressive, given how short the time she spent away from them was.

"Okay, fine, fine." Heskit showed his arms in surrender and Hazel crossed her arms with a sour face. He waited for a reaction from her. "I said I wouldn't-,"

"-Come on, Shuri." She grabbed the woman's hand and led her to the work starion. "Let's go do some science."

Hazel showed Shuri the Eye of Angula, a reddish, magenta stone that Heskit broke out of his crown in order to get insight on the state of her mortality. They deconstructed the stone and its properties from an atomic to a magical scale.

"Whoever looks through it sees all their possible deaths during this given moment. Right?" Hazel looked to Heskit for confirmation and he gave a quick nod.

"Right." He confirmed and pointed to it. "It can't show you how exactly you will die, but it shows the most probable scenarios. When the time is near, it gets brighter and brighter,"

"So I was thinking of using the stone, maybe? To try and make something of it, something useful." She suggested and leaned on the table. "I think, on the science side, it has something to do with probability and a little to do with artificial intelligence, motion detection and all that.  On the magical side, it has something to do with foresight, maybe energy and attraction?,"

"We're seriously combining magic and science?" Shuri laughed excitedly and cracked her neck from side to side. "Dude. This is gonna be so fun,"

"I think my own magic can get things done easier, too. Can we do it?,"

"We can."

Shuri and Hazel have agreed to work on the project through facetime and in person, when necessary. For the rest of the time, the sorcerer acted as a bridge between Heskit's homeland and Shuri's. The idea came to mind a few days after the whole incident with Yomer; she had a discussion with Heskit about the state of Pentadilune and he was humble enough to admit that there was some truth behind his words. So, Hazel thought it would be a good idea to collaborate with Wakanda, given their strengths were highly complimentary to one another and were both mostly hidden from the general public. Heskit and Shuri got along just fine, the two minds seeing great promise in each other's prospects while also enjoying each other's company. This certainly was the start of a new era.