Nemo pulled the headmaster’s door shut behind them.

“Are you okay? You’re shaking.”

Tilo held up a hand, steadying himself. “I’m fine. I was just a bit excited.”

“Why?”

“Why? Why? That was the Erasmus Turitz. The greatest scientist to ever come from Stonehall academy? I’ve looked up to him since I was very little. It took a great deal of willpower to hold myself back from an excessive bombardment of questions.”

“... You didn’t move.”

“I was nervous, I will admit. Given that I took one of his classes without saying a word, at least I managed to speak to him this time. I’d call that progress.”

Nemo could only sigh.

“You at least listened, right?”

“Of course. He told me to never compete with a student again.”

“Close enough.” 

Nemo didn’t have the heart to tell Tilo that the man he looked up to probably feared him more than anything else. Those shaking hands were evidence enough. 

The headmaster’s panic made Nemo nervous. He didn’t want to assume, but no one looked at someone like that without a reason. Still, he knew nothing of the circumstances; he just needed to wait for more information. Besides, the purity of Tilo’s excitement just from an encounter with Erasmus Turitz was enough to convince him that he should at least give Tilo the benefit of the doubt. 

Time, he repeated to himself. Give it time.

………………………………………….

Contrary to Nemo’s belief, Tilo was unfortunately aware of the headmaster’s fear. If anything at all, he had hoped to alleviate that fear by remaining silent and agreeable, though it was evident that that plan had failed.

That aside, his excitement was entirely real. Turitz was a pillar of the scientific community, one Tilo had, in fact, looked up to since his youth. Tilo of all people wanted nothing more than the chance to prove himself to the headmaster, but he had long since lost that chance.

The young man knew where the headmaster’s fear came from. He too, held the same fears that Erasmus likely had. Though Erasmus might not have been there on that mission, he was one of the few who had dealt with its aftermath. As much as Tilo tried his best to ignore it, he couldn’t evade the truth forever. 

All he could do was reassure himself that it wasn’t his fault.

At least that, he knew, was entirely true. So for now, he could push back the guilt. That dam wouldn’t break just yet.

Of greater concern at the moment was the state of his mind. He was pushing himself to remain vigilant, using abilities he swore he would never use again because of what they did to his head. He was already seeing the effects they had on his body. If he could ask for Nemo’s help, he would have long ago, but there was this mental wall, the same one that he used to keep his unwanted thoughts and memories from himself, that made him fear what might happen if he explained himself to someone else. 

The last thing he wanted was to fall headfirst into the same thoughts that had brought about his problems in the first place.

……………………………….

The third day of class had come and gone without much fanfare, a mere prerequisite to tomorrow’s active demonstration. What followed, on the other hand, was of great surprise to all.

Rayden, who had failed consistently and disastrously, had a plan worthy of a general. Armed with the knowledge of his previous blunders, he developed what might very well have been a failsafe plan. With three points of distraction, two instances of misdirection, as well as multiple players, had his combatant been any other professor he would have had a chance of success. Even Nemo was to be absent during the entire process, caught up in a favor arranged by the ‘unsuspecting’ Tilo himself.

What he could never have counted on was that his realization that the wallet he wanted to retrieve the most didn’t need to be retrieved in one piece (according to the rules laid out) would end up being the key reason for his failure.

From the very beginning, Rayden never had a chance. His only option was to convince Tilo to give him the wallet. Of course, there were a variety of factors that could lead to Tilo feeling convinced that Rayden was worthy of the wallet, as opposed to a direct verbal confrontation. By this point in time, Tilo was nearly convinced - Rayden was trying his hardest, focused both in class, on cooperation, and at the task at hand. He seemed to have changed, even in such a short span of time. 

The moment the wallet was threatened to be destroyed, all of the points in Rayden’s favor were removed. Just when all had seemed won, Rayden almost with his hand on the wallet, Tilo took Rayden by the wrist and pulled him into an empty classroom, closing the door behind them. The crowd that had gathered to watch piled up at the door, trying to catch a glimpse of the show before them.

“Do you know what’s in this?” Tilo held the wallet in the air, just out of Rayden’s reach.

“I don’t know, money? It’s just a wallet.”

“So you didn’t even open it up after you stole it the first time.”

“I don’t get it. Is there a point? I almost had you-”

Tilo opened the wallet, letting the pictures spill out, each contained in a clear pocket. Each one was faded, old and incalculably valuable, if only to the person they belonged to. No matter how often they told themselves that they could always just replace it. Rayden grew silent.

“I didn’t just challenge you because I thought it would be entertaining. I wanted you to learn something. I wanted you to figure out that the way you view the world is limited.”

For the first time since the challenge had been issued, Tilo relaxed. He carefully folded up the photos and, with great reverence, returned it back to his pocket.

“I don’t want to reprimand you. I see enough of myself in you to know that will never work. That said, there are sometimes moments when the point needs to be explicitly made.”

“What’s your point then?”

“You can’t just assume that the world is as you see it."

At that, Rayden grew furious.

“If you ask me, I’m not the only one who needs to learn something like that.”

“You’re not wrong. But it’s eating at you the most. I don’t have to assume anything to know that much.”

“If you’re not going to punish me, I’m leaving.”

“Only if you think about what I said.”

Rayden’s reply was blatantly disingenuous. “Sure.” 

The door opened, revealing the roar of fascinated onlookers, only to be quickly shut as Rayden disappeared into the crowd. 

Tilo stayed in place, simply observing the scene that played out before him. Rayden had failed to completely conceal his expression as he left, one of recant.

The list Nemo had created at the week’s beginning flashed through Tilo’s mind. 

Number 10 - Direction: sometimes all that’s needed is a little guidance.