Something immediately felt off about the professor's visit. What could she possibly have news about?
"Professor, good morning," Amethyst said, their mist drifting toward the gss. "Did you discover something new about Viridian? We've been working all night on things, but I think we'll need another day to learn more about the flux-metal."
Promell ughed, setting a satchel down on the nearby table to fish through it. "Oh, you'll have your day, and many, many more. I worked out a deal that solves everything." She pulled out a piece of parchment from her bag, pushing it against the gss so we could all read it.
—We hereby transfer ownership of our Silvaln Sphere (green) to Berindal Academy and release all interest in the relic. In exchange, a full schorship will be awarded to Garitt R. Langmeyer for the duration of his studies at the academy.Signed,Marcus LangmeyerScarlett Langmeyer—
"No..." I read the note over and over, each pass filling me with more dread. I wasn't theirs to give away!
Professor Promell gnced my way, her smile receding ever so slightly at my response. "So it can speak after all. Good work, you two, I knew you would sort out the issues with this one. The Langmeyers were more than happy to trade the... Viridian, you called it? I honestly didn't expect they'd part with the relic for so little, they didn't even propose a counter-offer. Now we'll have plenty of time with the Viridian Sphere to study the properties of the flux-metal, no need to rush. How does that sound?"
It sounded to me like my temporary home had become my prison. I had to leave, I couldn't let another setback keep me from returning to the mountains! As I'd done before with Rufel, I exploded outward into the form of a sword, bracing my pommel against the back wall of the dispy so the tip of my bde could strike the thick gss with as much force as I could manage. Unlike the mercenary's shoulder, the thick gss withstood the impact, designed to resist cracking under force—though usually the expectation would be that the force would come from the other side of the dispy. I retracted the bde before extending again, and again, unching at the gss and crashing against it with a dull thud each time.
The professor gasped and stumbled backward in surprise when I first struck the panes of the dispy, bracing herself against the table in disbelief. "What is this, what's it doing? This doesn't make sense, it should be happy that I rescued it from that family, I'm giving it an opportunity to learn and grow like they never could! Cerulean, Amethyst, get it to calm down!"
"Well, you see, professor..." Cerulean winced as I smmed into the gss once more. "How do I put this? Viridian has informed us that the Langmeyers are not their true owners, in fact they'd been stolen and then found by the Langmeyer family. Viridian has expressed interest in returning to the residence of their true champion in the mountains."
Grumbling, Professor Promell rubbed her forehead. "There's always a complication, I should have known it wouldn't ever be so simple. Just get it to stop that already, it's not getting through that gss."
"Let me out!" I only found more strength in Promell's dismissal of my chances of escape. I found a little more momentum with each successive lunge, carrying me forward against the gss with more force than I knew I could generate on my own. One lunge ter, a crack began to snake outward, the gss creaking and groaning as it began to lose integrity. But before I could deal the finishing blow, strange runes began to glow all over the dispy case as circur seals of magic appeared above me. The red glow from the magic circles intensified, conjuring a portal in the ceiling—and drenching me with a steady jet of water aimed directly at my core. Wedged between the two walls of the dispy case, the flow of the water prevented me from altering my shape further, as my mist lots its grip on my metallic exterior. Paralyzed and silenced, I could resist no further.
"Good to see that our security measures work the same on all of you spheres. Now." Professor Promell tucked the parchment into her robes, approaching the cracked gss, her scowl having returned in full force as she contempted what to do with me. Pinned beneath the water flowing around me, I could barely hear her over the sound of the water spshing everywhere. "I'm disappointed, Viridian. By becoming part of the family of relics at Berindal Academy, I had high hopes that you'd cooperate with us on research and projects to further our understanding of the Silvaln Spheres, your flux-metal is worth years of study alone. But it's becoming apparent that you may be more trouble than I'd bargained for. Until your original champion walks into my office with some sort of proof of ownership for you, you belong to Berindal Academy. Maybe a couple years locked up in the Archives will get you to behave before—"
"Llowyn!" Cerulean said, their ethereal blue mist floating up against the gss, dodging the occasional spsh of water from the jets aimed at me to keep their mistform intact. "Professor, we have a prime opportunity to try the Llowyn project again, but we need Viridian for it. Please. Amethyst and I will sort everything out with our friend here. There's no need to dey such important research any further when we can rectify Viridian's apprehension with the current situation."
The professor let out a long sigh, turning to look out the window at the Berin ndscape as she weighed the words of my fellow relic. "Three spheres would have better chances finding a way in... I'll consider it. I might even know of a few students in need of a field research project." With a satisfied nod, the professor withdrew a wand from her satchel and tapped the gss. The crack vanished, and the pool of water began to levitate, the magic circle in the ceiling drawing the droplets upward and out of the dispy, leaving the contents of the dispy more or less as they had been minutes prior. "Very well. Field research project preparation starts in a week, if the Viridian Sphere isn't willing to participate by then—if it so much as puts another crack in this gss—I'll send it straight to the Archives without a second thought. I'm not interested in another relic that doesn't respect the work we do around here."
Without another word, the professor departed. Despite Cerulean's assurances of my cooperation to Promell, the only thoughts occupying my mind were how I might do the same.
