Shards: Intro- Part 2 (old)

Chapter One: A Week Later

The Cusp, Northern Island, Hyperborea

Gemini
*~~~~~~~~~~*

I had been staring at the wall for I don't know how long until Professor Rigel sat across from me.

Every time I had sat down and talked to him, I must've missed how wrinkled his skin was. In fact, it was depressing. But his ocean blue eyes; they looked as young as those of mine. I had forgotten that Professor Rigel was centuries old, as he was an elder.

"I appreciate how difficult it was for you to come Gemini." He exhaled heavily before continuing. "Allow me to extend condolences to you in regards to your father. Alas, I remember all my former students, and Marcus was certainly no exception. The recent news from Asha about him had hit me very hard."

I nodded softly, but couldn't cry. My tears dried out every morning since it happened. "Th-Thank you sir," I responded in a shaky voice. "Is my mum okay?"

"I have not heard from you mother, Gemini, but rest assured: no incidents of your father's caliber have been reported in Feigmonton." I sighed in relief as he went on. "But....I believe you are in danger, son."

Shrugging, I retorted. "Aren't we all in danger?"

Rigel then leaned across the desk, and gave me a foreboding look. "Gemini, I have called you in at the personal request of the Pleiades Council."

That got my attention. "The leadership of Lemuria? But I'm Atlant-......wait. The Pleiades Council? I'm here at their request?"

Rigel nodded. "Yes Gemini. *sigh* But I'm afraid it isn't for good reason. Their government sees you as a liability to the safety of their people currently on this expedition. As you know, Paige; like you, was an Echelon Five when she turned. Now, she is one of Typhon's symbols of power. I'm afraid they fear your ability to inflict harm should you-."

"Are you saying I could become possessed like Paige?!" The concept of me unwillingly hurting anyone made my heart skip a beat. "No!" Rigel responded swiftly with raised palms. "Far from it!" With a sigh of relief, I relaxed my shoulders.

"On the contrary," Rigel continued, "the Pleiades council believes that all students; including you, should consider the possibility of not possessing a Shard." My gaze went up from the table and met with Rigel's. "Why?"

Rigel clinched his fingers. The words didn't come easily. "It is believed that their.....vulnerabilities are responsible for the mass attacks around the mystic world this past week. In fact, It would seem that unbonded Shards are being corrupted."

A chill ran down my spine. "But, that-that doesn't make any sense. You still have your Shard."

Rigel took his bright blue Shard out from the collar of his vest. "My Shard has bonded with my being long ago. As such, it is no longer susceptible to corruption. I have also noticed that the vast majority of Typhon's new followers came from graduation no more than 5 years ago. It is within a similar timespan that Shards bond entirely to their hosts, and they are no longer able to be corrupted. This means that should you come to possess a Shard now, you could end up being corrupted. Under these circumstances, and by no means necessary, should we allow that to happen, especially to another Echelon Five."

I gaped in shock. "But.....that would just leave the rest of us defenseless! I know many people in Feigmonton who haven't bonded with their Shard yet, but you just said that there were no incidents there! So surely not all Magus's with unbonded Shards are in danger!"

"Gemini!" Rigel shouted. "These reports are too vague to confirm! They are not worth taking risks over."

"All of these faculty drills we've been doing won't help us stop an army or withstand a siege! I want to fight! I want to go home! If the Endeavor won't give me my Shard, then there is no point in me staying!" As I stood up to leave, a flash whizzed past my ear. The exit doors had shut.

"Don't be foolish Gemini. Even if you could somehow leave, Atlantis is a war zone now."

I growled in frustration and leaned over the desk to face Rigel again. "Then at least let me fight that war with my wand! I know every spell and how they should be used. I want justice for my father, and nothing can change my mind."

Rigel kept a stone-hard expression. "Then hear me out, and I'll do what I can to help you."

This time, I didn't sit back down, but stood with my palms on either end of Rigel's desk. The Professor then calmly pushed his seat back and reached into a drawer for something. He came up holding a thin wooden obelisk. "Hand me your wand, Gemini."

I obeyed without hesitation.

Rigel observed it with great care, but he seemed to be tightening his grip on it. To my horror, he put his other hand in a firm grasp around the other end of my wand. He broke my wand like a twig.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

JANUARY 10th:
Hello everyone! It feels good to really kick off my story again.

Right now, this installment has only accumulated four reads, but for anyone who may come across this chapter in the future, this would be a great time to ask questions.

If your question is "what the heck is going on?" Then you may not have read Protostar: the intro that takes place before this whole part of the story.

But if there are any questions about what just happened at all, I may be able to give an answer! Just comment here and ask.

Make suggestions and theories here!

Also, shoutout to pansrpunny! Without whom, I might not have kept writing!

Lastly, please give me a ⭐️, and follow me! I'll follow back and check out y'alls stuff in return!

I'll work swiftly on the next chapter!