Entering Flavia's classroom after Livia's class was like traveling to the poles. If Livia's classroom was a warm conversational environment, this was a courtroom made of ice. Everyone was tense, sitting bolt upright in their chairs, not daring to speak even in whispers. I adapted to this silence, weighing in my mind the promise I had just made to Marcus and the preparations I had made for Flavia's class.
The lesson began with military discipline. Flavia brought the topic to a complex data analysis problem. The graphs and equations she drew on the board became a pile of meaningless symbols in most of the class's eyes, but everything was clear to me. I had studied this topic all night. I had developed my own combined approach for this type of problem where standard solution methods were inadequate.
Flavia asked exactly the question I expected. "We cannot detect the hidden anomaly in this data set with standard models. Does anyone have a different approach?" A deep silence fell over the classroom. No one had any ideas. This was my moment.
I raised my hand. Flavia said, "Yes, Octavian," immediately noticing my raised finger. "Enlighten us." I ignored the slight mockery in her voice.
I went to the board and explained the solution. I showed step by step why the standard method would be inadequate for this data set, and how my proposed combined approach would reveal hidden correlations. I was confident while explaining. This was a moment like in Livia's class. A moment when my intelligence would be appreciated, when my new self would once again be validated.
When I finished, a few murmurs of admiration rose from the class. As I sat down, my eyes were on Flavia. A congratulation, a well done, even a slight nod of approval would have been enough.
But Flavia just looked. There was neither appreciation nor surprise on her face. Just a cold, analytical expression. "An interesting approach, Octavian," she said. "But this is the memorized answer to a problem you came prepared for. In the real world, problems aren't presented to you in such a clean package."
She turned to the class. "What Octavian did is like a parrot memorizing a verse from the epic of 'The Founding of Apexia.' It may seem impressive, but there's no real understanding beneath it. Understanding comes not through preparation, but through instant problem-solving ability."
At that moment, blood rushed to my brain. All my night's work, my cleverly found solution... had it been compared to a parrot's memorization? The whispers in the class now seemed to be mocking me. I felt my face burning. This was a very different feeling from the triumph in Livia's class. This was, in every sense, a humiliation.
The rest of the lesson passed behind a veil of fog for me. My mind was filled only with Flavia's words. Even when I heard the professor's clear voice announcing the end of the block lesson, I couldn't move from my seat. While everyone was packing up, Gaius touched my shoulder and whispered, "Dude, are you okay?" I could feel Ella's worried glances on me from beside me. Cassius and Marcus were also standing, waiting in confusion about what to do. "You go ahead," I mumbled. "I'm coming." But no one moved. Just then, I noticed the gaze of Flavia, who was collecting her things from the podium. Her eyes moved from me to my friends and she gave them an almost imperceptibly slight nod. This was a silent command meaning "Leave him alone." Gaius and the others, as if understanding the command, headed toward the door, albeit hesitantly.
When the classroom emptied, only the two of us remained. Flavia stood erect in front of her desk, as if a commander conducting an inspection. Her voice wasn't as loud as in class, but its sharpness was like a knife.
"I train minds here, not memories, Octavian," she began. "Preparation is the refuge of those who fear uncertainty. There's no room for cowards in my class. Don't bring me solutions found by others. Bring me your own mind, your own path."
She headed toward the door. Just as she was about to leave, she paused.
"That solution... it was from the Institute archives, wasn't it? A method found by an old professor years ago. You dusted it off and polished it. It was an impressive memory display, I admit."
I felt the blood drain from my face. I had been caught.
She delivered the final blow over her shoulder. "This disappointed me. Because this is exactly the kind of thing your uncle would do. Brilliant but fond of shortcuts... Sacrificing his potential for comfort. Don't be like your uncle, Octavian."
Without allowing me to respond, she continued. "I'll be waiting for you after class on Wednesday. And this time come unprepared. Prove to me that you're not a copy of him."
When the door closed behind her, I was left there alone. This wasn't simple humiliation. This was a challenge thrown at my intelligence. An attack on my personality. A declaration of war. And I had to win this war.
[Same moment - Path to Office - Flavia's Perspective]
As the classroom slowly emptied, I didn't take my eyes off the boy frozen at his desk. Octavian Corvus. Alaric's nephew. In his eyes were the sparkles of his uncle's sharp intelligence, but also the shadow of that dangerous complacency. Alaric Hektor Abel... He was one of the Republic's brightest minds. He had climbed to the top but hadn't dared to look at the horizon beyond. He had stopped at the point where he was happy and felt safe, spending the rest of his potential to live a comfortable life. This was a waste.
And now in front of me stood a copy of him. Last Monday, when he stood up to me, I had sensed potential. Today, however, I saw how that potential was about to be suffocated. Just as raw steel cannot be shaped with a hammer without being forged in fire, this kind of intelligence cannot reach its true potential without being tested under pressure. Humiliating him in front of everyone was not a pleasure, but a necessity. I had to break his armor first to reach the gem inside. I commanded his friends to leave with my gaze. This war should be between just the two of us.
The sound of my footsteps echoed in the silence of the classroom. I stopped right in front of his desk. My eyes were penetrating, as if reading the inside of his mind.
"I train minds here, not memories, Octavian," I began, my voice ice-cold. "Preparation is the refuge of those who fear uncertainty. There's no room for cowards in my class. Don't bring me solutions found by others. Bring me your own mind, your own path."
I headed toward the door. Just as I was about to leave, I paused.
"That solution... it was from the Institute archives, wasn't it? A method found by an old professor years ago. You dusted it off and polished it. It was an impressive memory display, I admit."
I didn't need to see the blood drain from his face. He had been caught.
I delivered the final blow over my shoulder. "This disappointed me. Because this is exactly the kind of thing your uncle would do. Brilliant but fond of shortcuts... Sacrificing his potential for comfort. Don't be like your uncle, Octavian."
Without allowing him to respond, I continued. "I'll be waiting for you after class on Wednesday. And this time come unprepared. Prove to me that you're not a copy of him."
As I closed the door behind me, I thought to myself, "Now the exciting part begins."
[Same moment - Classroom]
When the door closed behind Flavia, the only sound echoing in the empty classroom was my own breathing. My mind was crushed under the weight of what had just happened. My uncle... How dare she call Alaric Hektor Abel someone who wasted his potential? The man was the inventor of the artificial intelligence that managed all of the Republic's local defense systems! Millions of people slept peacefully every night thanks to that invisible shield he created. What more could he have done?
But in a corner of my mind, I felt Flavia's words taking root like a poisonous vine. He could have been better. This whisper came from within me. The thought that my uncle could have done more with that intelligence instead of settling for it, that he could have pushed boundaries instead of choosing that comfortable life... This wasn't Flavia's thought, but mine. And that's why it hurt so much.
When I pulled myself together, I noticed a silhouette in the dim light of the corridor. The others had left. But Ella was leaning against the wall, waiting for me.
When I approached her, she looked at my face with concern. "What happened in there?" she asked in a whisper. "You didn't look well. I wanted to do something for you but..."
Her words instantly melted that icy mountain inside me. "Just having you here is very valuable," I said, the sincerity in my voice surprising even myself. "Did you wait long?"
"A little," she said with a shy smile.
At that moment, that instinctual urge came again. I raised my hand, it hung in that strange void again. But this time I didn't hesitate. Whatever, I thought to myself, whatever happens happens. I reached out and gently patted her head. Her hair was like silk.
While she was frozen in surprise, I asked, "Shall we have coffee?"
Her face immediately reddened. "But... what happened this morning..."
"That's exactly why I suggested it," I replied. She looked at my face in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"Think of it as making up for the coffee you couldn't drink," I said, smiling.
She seemed to like this idea. She agreed. When we went to the small café near campus, I went to the barista and ordered two coffees. When the coffees arrived, Ella looked at her cup in amazement.
"This... This is the same as what I had in my hand this morning. Creamy, with cinnamon... When did you notice?"
"From the aroma that spread in the air when it spilled and the color of the stain on the ground," I said, shrugging. "I notice details."
We sat in silence for a while. Then Ella asked, "Did you do something to Marcus before class?" This sudden question caught me off guard. "No, why? Did something happen?"
"I don't know," she said. "He looked very tense and upset when entering the classroom."
A pang settled in me. While my plan was working, I had completely left Marcus's state of mind out of the equation. I realized at that moment how difficult a situation I had put him in. But then my mind activated that familiar defense mechanism to justify itself. I can't let him get a big wound from this incident, I told myself. But... maybe this was necessary. Emotional wounds deepen as you grow up. Maybe this small hurt he's experiencing now is like a child touching a hot stove for the first time and learning about fire. This will be a lesson that protects him from bigger fires in the future. Yes, what I did was for his long-term good.
"Are you ready for tomorrow?" I asked, changing the subject. Tomorrow was Quentillus's programming class.
Ella's face fell. "Not really. I'm a bit... afraid of computers."
"Okay," I said in a clear voice. "Let's sit together again tomorrow. I'll help you."
My words seemed to have comforted her. After finishing our coffees, we walked to the bus stop together. As Apexia's lights came on one by one, the war in my mind seemed to have calmed for a moment. Flavia's challenge, the plans I made for Marcus, and Ella's calming presence... All were complex but equally real parts of my new life.