Infernal Academia

Chapter 57 - Trayer's Righteousness: Part 1 (Decryption)

There was a dry storm brewing, and everyone in Brimstone could feel it.  The sudden rise in temperature, the overcast sky, the rumbling and flashes in the distance clouds... Summertime in Hell was a strange phenomenon; equal parts beautiful and inhospitable, and dry storms were the pinnacle of both.  Wonderful meteorological events to witness from the safety of one's home, and not outside where the hot wind cuts through you and lightning falls in place of rain.

Cobalt pondered all of this as he stared out one of the classroom's windows, completely numb to everything around him.  Again and again he told himself that he wasn't going to worry himself about anything unrelated to school anymore, and yet when he sat himself down at the teacher's desk, he just couldn't focus.  His hearing would fade out, his vision would blur and the back of his throat would get incredibly dry.

There was something bad coming, and the storm was just the beginning.

Ahead of him, his students were busy with their own tasks.  Some just sat on their phones or idly doodled in the books, but it seemed like a fair few of them were actually doing the revision work that Cobalt had set for them.  With the end of year exams coming up, it seemed like everybody caught on to the fact that repeating a year was a very real threat.  Even Quinn was buckling down, helping Lottie with her Language work just as she had promised.  Likewise, Jelli was helping Izzbelle and Karazelle with their upcoming final assignments, and though she was acting aloof around her purple-skinned companion, Whitney was helping here and there too.  

As for Arnn... He asked to go to the bathroom at the start of the class, and hadn't returned since, though Cobalt wasn't about to pry as to why that was.

Indeed, it seemed like most of his class had finally accepted him as a teacher.  The ones that still didn't respect him, well... He always had next year.

A small smile flickered across Cobalt's face.

Enough with the doom and gloom; he was happy to see them all working so diligently.  To sit at the head of a classroom, surrounding by hardworking students... how long had he dreamt of this?  It felt like forever, but when Cobalt actually thought back on his dreams and aspirations, he just couldn't quite put his finger on when he first decided to become a teacher.  

He frowned.  Was it even his idea to become one...?

Shaking his head, the Incubus pulled out his pen and began fiddling with the ink cartridge, clicking it in and out again as he twirled the cap around and around.  

He had to stop getting caught up in his thoughts.  Nothing good would come of it.

The Incubus' phone began to silently ring within his pocket.  Frowning, he quietly apologised to his students and turned away as he flicked it open.

"Hello?"

"Bluebell, you got a second?  I, um... I decrypted them files you wanted," spoke the voice of Alison, sounding strangely unsure of herself.

Lowering his voice, Cobalt turned his back to his studying students.

"Alison, listen... I've been thinking a lot lately, and... I don't want to know.  I just want to live a peaceful life, and this whole Damned Defense and Hellhound business is just... not conducive to that," he sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"No, you're gonna want to hear this, trust me!"

"Alison, I just told you that I don't!  I don't care about this Diate stuff anymore!  I- I don't care what he does to me, I just want-!"

"TRAYER!"

He cut himself off and brought the phone close to his face.

"... What?" breathed Cobalt.