The Seeker | Volume 2

The next morning I woke up with a piece of toasted bread with some lackluster raspberry jam that Carter had recently purchased from the market on top. My ambitions were to find anyone linked to the Zourist Family, and to determine Sara Gypsy's exact identity. 

"It's 6 AM kid, where are you going?" Aizawa asked as he watched me step out the door, rubbing his dry eyes tiredly. I looked back at him and paused before pulling out Sara's diary from my satchel.

"I'm looking for information regarding this diary and its owner, and I need to become aware of the Zourist Family and their history and connections." I said as Aizawa took the worn journal and carefully opened it. After a few moments he sighed and closed the book.

"Why exactly do you need to do all this, you never let anyone know prior." he then asked as he took a few steps towards me; a small glint of protectiveness in his eyes. I sighed, leaning against the open door leading out into the street. "The Zourist Family were searching for ingredients regarding the Order 7, 6; and 5 of the Apocalypse Routeway." I replied, looking into Aizawa's eyes; which had suddenly glazed over in worry.

"You're seeking more power? You already told me what was going to happen. If I were you I'd personally stay where you are now. The last thing I want is for another student of mine to die-" Aizawa's words suddenly came to a halt as his crimson eyes widened. 

"What?" 

Aizawa fell silent, taking a few steps back before sitting on the couch. I could hear the man's breathing gradually becoming more and more heavy, slowly accumulating. I approached Aizawa with a worried look on my face before sitting down beside him. "You killed a student, why?" I asked, my voice now slightly hushed. As an empath, it was nearly irresistible to feel his pain, to sympathize with him.

Aizawa suddenly turned towards me, his face now holding a vulnerable expression, something I'd never expect him to ever wear around someone else. "No…they killed themself," he replied softly. 

"Why?" I asked, leaning in a little closer to him, feeling his shaky breaths against my cheek. He looked up at me and let out a choky sigh. "It was an accident, kid. Before I was forced to teach the quirk-less group I taught Class 1-A, the class that aspired to become great heroes and lead the next generation."

"I wish I could say it was an average lesson, but one of the students had a quirk related to empathy and connection; being able to read one's emotions, thoughts, past and traumas. We were doing a quirk exercise related to endurance and mental training. I was personally working with the kid with their quirk. But I guess I pushed them beyond their limits, because they managed to read everything about me, every bit of trauma and grief that coursed through my body." 

"And I wish I could say I acted rationally, but all of that sudden remembrance inside me just made me snap. I said some things I shouldn't, did some things I wish to God I didn't, and I ended up really traumatizing them. And when I tell you my heart felt like it was falling out of my chest when I saw the news report saying they "fell" off the U.A roof." Aizawa said as a few vulnerable tears ran down his face.

At this point, I couldn't believe my ears. "You caused that?" I wanted to ask, but I figured making him remember any more of what happened would cause him more pain and he'd snap again, so I stayed silent and observed his small breakdown. 

"I promise you it won't happen again. I don't want to cause chaos, I don't want to trample over the weak, I want to live and love like everyone else. It wasn't your fault, it wasn't theirs either. "Emotions are a powerful tool. But vulnerability can be the strongest form someone is in, while also the weakest." 

"But what doesn't mean you're weak. If you're able to grow past your struggles and become better, that's the bravest thing a man like you can do. You've already accepted Oboro's death, you can accept that it wasn't your fault." I said, desperation in my voice. I hoped that Aizawa would hear me and allow my words to seep into his mind.

He suddenly turned towards me, wiping some tears away from his eyes, along with the tiny amount that had started to accumulate in mine. Aizawa didn't smile yet, his eyes and face still had that sadness, but I was able to understand that. Grief is a powerful thing, and it can take a long time for it to disappear. 

"I just don't want to see you get hurt like he did. As a teacher and a mentor it's my job to protect you, to guide you and to most importantly; care about you. I was stressed, angry and very, very irrational when I said those things. Now I'm starting to realize how much I've bottled up inside me, thanks to you." 

Aizawa thanked me? At this point I couldn't believe what he was saying, but I was even more relieved that he'd finally stopped denying it. I noticed that the corner of his lips curled up a little, into a gentle, genuine smile. Upon seeing this, I couldn't help but smile back at him, my smile just as bright as his. 

…

After Aizawa managed to collect himself, he and I started walking down the streets, past the market, and towards the historical building. When I went there last night I noticed a bulletin board posted near the stone staircase with tiny paper notes posted all over it. Most of the notes would go directly to the council as a form of "anonymous suggestion," while others would go directly to the newspapers if you paid a small fee of 2 silver Lumin and a donation to the homeless shelter on the edge of town.

"You're posting an advertisement directed to the historical society?" Aizawa asked in puzzlement as he watched me take out 2 silver Lumin and place them into the slit where the money would be collected. I then grabbed a paper note from off the desk and wrote down my advertisement script and where exactly the patrons should meet.

I nodded, looking back to Aizawa. "I am. This should be a feasible way to attract attention without letting any details slip out. That's why I told them it was a material exchange committee rather than an informational gathering community." I replied by attaching the letter to the board and a notice of where the advertisement should go.

"But if information were to slip out and your search for Zourist Family connections was leaked, what would you do?" Aizawa's eyes narrowed slightly expecting an answer from me; a logical one of course. 

"I have made preparations to ensure that no one would leak any information. And no, it's not intimidation." I ruffled through my satchel and took out a small vial of clear liquid from it. "This liquid has no taste, so I can spike their drinks with it." 

Aizawa groaned as he rubbed his temples in annoyance, before glaring back at me. "So you're illegally dowsing people's drinks so they won't leak any information? Where'd you even get such a thing?" 

"I found ingredients inside a book I read. I did some research and changed the formula because it was more for identity hiding rather than mind manipulation." I replied, stuffing the vial back into my satchel. Aizawa fell silent for a few moments before replying.

I didn't want to clarify that it was a diary dating past the previous epoch, because he'd probably get worried and take it away from me.

"Well, kid. If you get in trouble I won't be held accountable unless they threaten to point a bullet at your head. I'm your teacher, not your business partner." 

…

After leaving the market and reentering the base I sat down on the couch and opened Sara's Diary hoping to uncover more secrets and possibly insights regarding the current situation and more possibly clues pertaining towards the Zourist Family. The reason I couldn't just divine Kaden's historical projection into my divine protection was simply because the amount of energy and control I needed to harness last night in eradicating the wooden skeleton made me exert my body beyond its current limits at Order 8.

According to Sara's notes, the Order 7 abilities that I overheard the Zourist Family discussing pertained to increased physical characteristics. But in order to properly digest the potion you had to do some pretty awful things, things that Sara herself couldn't even write on paper. But the only notes that I could read regarding such requirements were bleak. 

Date: January 26th 1402

The Zourist Family has continued to trouble me. After they all advanced to Order 8 with the help of the slate, they were now having ambitions of advancing to Order 7 in the next six months. If only I could discern their true ambitions to uncover their origins and everything about them, for I feel there's something truly wrong with them.

My eyes widened. The slate? The same slate that Raymond is currently searching for? Raymond told me that during the second and third epochs 2 slates were made. An epoch lasts well over 1,000 years, and Sara had no real idea which slate they got a hold of. Could this mean that the Zourist Family had access to outdated information? Could this be a factor pertaining to why the Zourist Family moved to the Katshin Empire from the Church of Saints after?