The sun peeked over the horizon. There was still a brisk chill in the morning air, but Sain was already standing in a circular structure at the edge of the school grounds. Clean white walls surrounded him on all sides, and the ground underfoot was a layer of soil and grass. A dazzling garden of flowers radiated outwards from the middle of the room. A sturdy door served as a reminder that despite its scenic beauty, the area was normally off-limits to students. It was, he thought, a bit of a waste.
He walked to the center of the room, where an enormous staff protruded from the ground and reached all the way to the ceiling. He’d been here when he first came to this school to perform some maintenance on the barrier that surrounded its premises. Last time, on the day of the entrance ceremony, he’d come to repair the barrier. This time, he was here to give it an upgrade in strength and function. He closed his eyes, focused his mind, and reached toward the staff with his right hand. Five minutes passed, after which he opened his eyes again.
“All right, that should do it...” he said as he relaxed. “Hey, Goddess, how’s the barrier adjustment going?”
“I’m done! And it’s perfect! I made it so it can handle incoming guests too, just like you wanted!” the Goddess Vicitaelia said in a blithe tone.
Her form and voice could only be perceived by Sain. To anyone else, it would have looked like he was talking to himself in an empty room. From his perspective, however, the gently smiling figure of the Goddess was clear as day.
“Thanks. Oh, how strong did you—”
“I maxed it out, of course! ”
“I figured as much... No wonder it took so long. I told you the headmaster only needed it to be a little stronger than before, didn’t I? What do I have to do to get you to stop being so overprotective...?”
“It’s not overprotective if it’s you. It’d be a big problem if something happened to you, so I made it strong enough that no human can possibly break it. Even for Chaos, the only thing that can get through it now is probably a Founder.”
“All of whom are sealed away.”
He sighed and shook his head before turning to leave. The Goddess could be downright insufferable with her mother-hen attitude, but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t make him feel a little warm and fuzzy inside, sometimes. He really treasured the time he spent chatting with her.