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Chapter Text

Professor Balam and Iruma sat across from each other in the Professor's office. The Gargoyle of Babyls was lecturing a class and indulging in his skinship, when his hand failed to brush up wing roots, he panicked. Professor Balam's first impulse was to bring the boy to the teacher's lounge, but it had two weaknesses: privacy and control.

Once inside his lab, he placed Iruma on his feet but held him in place with a hand as he cast Grand Cocoon. Once inside the cocoon's safe walls, Professor Balam lifted Iruma's shirt, and to his horror, but not surprise, there were no wings. He didn't expect the scars. Many of them long and jagged. Most old implying he got that in early childhood. 

The student and the teacher stood motionless, holding their breath in silence. The shirt fell into place with little notice.

Iruma, on shaking legs, turned to face his wide-eyed teacher. "W-W-What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, 'What's wrong?!' How can you say that?! You have scars, not wings!" Professor Balam put his powerful hands on Iruma's shoulders.

The boy initially flinched but soon realized he was caught in a rather constrictive embrace. He opted not to voice any grievances, as the experience was generally enjoyable, and Iruma was not one to complain. In his desire to be helpful and pleasant, he remarked, "It's okay, everything is fine now, and I never had wings anyway."

Professor Balam held Iruma at arm's length. "What?!"

Iruma struggled but relaxed slightly when he was set down.

"I'm hurting and scaring you. Let me apologize and explain. I promise everything will be okay", Professor Balam said as he removed his mask. He held the mask in one hand, he fidgeted with it. Professor Balam explained his early life.

Iruma focused intently and soon found himself at ease. He realized at that moment that Professor Balam was a kind-hearted and committed teacher; it was almost enough to disclose his humanity to reassure the concerned educator that being without wings was acceptable. Yet, before he could even consider, express, or take any action, Professor Naberius burst through the lab door.

"I knew it!" Professor Naberius declared, but soon he found himself enveloped inside the Grand Cocoon. "What is going on?! I knew you had him, but whatever is going on needs to come to an end!"

"Not just yet." Professor Balam put his mask back on in just a second. It clicked softly when it was back in place. "Take a look at this!" One hand held Iruma in the air as the boy kicked and squirmed, the other lifted Iruma's shirt now for Professor Naberius to see.

"Who did this?" Professor Naberius asked his voice in a deeply low whisper. He took Iruma from Professor Balam and held Iruma so they were face-to-face, the boy's legs no longer kicking in the air, just dangling, too scared to move.

"Iruma, tell me right now, who grounded you?"

"I don't know what you mean. Do you mean the wings? I never had any" Iruma squeeked and was promptly dropped and barely managed to land on his feet. He waved his hands frantically. "I'm fine! I'm alright! Please don't worry about me!"

Professor Naberius leaned over his student, "You stupid fool. You are not alright, you are not fine, you are not leaving until you tell me everything."

Chapter Text

Iruma found himself in a chair as the instructors sat side-by-side opposite him.

On the table sat an enormous kettle and a large glass jar of loose-leaf tea. He sipped the tea, cautiously at first, but drank freely after the first test sip.

"It's really good tea! Thank you!"

Professor Balam smiled, "I'm so glad you like it. Take your time, but please be honest with us. We have to get to the bottom of this."

Iruma set his cup down and reclined back in his chair. "I never had wings, and I tried to tell you that, Professor," he looked directly at Professor Naberius.

Professor Naberius went pale. "I pushed him off the cliff," he muttered in a horrified whisper.

"What did you say?" Professor Balam said in his one horrified gasp.

"I assumed he had wings," Professor Naberius commented, his face blank. He held his head with his hands, fingers interwined in his hair, but the action lacked any true intensity.

"I-I did try to tell you," Iruma said meekly, head down as he picked up his teacup.

Professor Naberius regained some color, and "You have to speak up! You can't be so meek and passive! What kind of demon are you? Be bolder, more assertive-"

"That's enough, Kalego." Professor Balam said sternly. His eyes narrowed, and his body posture was tense.

Professor Naberius's eyes widened, nodded, cleared his throat, and took a moment to drink tea.

Professor Balam took the pause to redirect the conversation. "We understand you ...have no wings and you were born that way," saying the words was difficult. He almost wanted to look at Iruma's back again, just to confirm, but he knew what he would see: a large variety of scars but no signs of wing roots. Iruma was telling the truth; they were never there. "But that doesn't explain the scars. So many scars. Some are older, and others look pretty new. We must know what happened so we know how to help."

Iruma actually peered up. "But I don't need help anymore. I have Grandpa-"

Professor Naberius grunted and sneered.

Iruma chuckled nervously, "I know you don't get along, but I live with him now. With my parents, my life was in constant danger, and they didn't protect me like they should have. Or provided much. Or..." He refilled his teacup. "I don't like thinking about it, but they were abusive and negligent. But Grandpa came into my life, adopted me, and I've live with him and never seen my parents ever again," he said cheerfully.

"Why weren't we told anything about your past or condition?" Professor Naberius asked sharply as he poured his own tea.

Iruma shrugged. "Ask Grandpa, but privacy?"

Professor Naberius snarled and growled while Professor Balam sighed and closed his eyes for a second.

Iruma drained another cup in an instant. "You know, I think in the early days of school, he might have been keeping an eye on me. Monerting me, you know, like when you nearly blew my arm off-"

"You what?!" Professor Balam shouted, and he grabbed Professor Naberius by the biceps.

"I can explain!" Professor Naberius insisted.

"Then explain!" Shouted Professor Balam.

Chapter Text

Professor Naberius sat unmoving, arms crossed, doing his best not to look at his student or his coworker. "The ring was howling and had caused Sabnock and Asmodeus to collapse from mana drain." He cleared his throat.

"I received a threatening vision from the ring when I moved to act. It seemed sentient and malicious. Yes, I did plan on removing your arm or hand if needed. I perceived the threat to be too great. It had attacked two students. I should have put in more thought before acting. As soon as I thought about it, the Chairdemon appeared and stopped me."

Professor Balam was leaning back, his eyes roaming the ceiling of his lab, his hands folded neatly on his stomach.

"Oh, I had no idea it could do that," Iruma said. It occurred to him that drawing attention to Ali was a bad idea. He hoped they could move on to a different topic.

Professor Balam sat up, as if jolted by electricity.

"What's wrong, Professor?" Iruma asked, and he leaned in, ready to help.

"Nothing, I just had to get out of that position. Please go on," Professor Balam said as he rearranged himself.

"I think Grandpa was watching. He saw you were desperate to make it stop, knew exactly what you were going to do, and in a second was there to stop you. I think he was watching me earlier in the year, and he would have gotten involved if that crow didn't take me away."

Professor Naberius leaned back but crossed his arms again. It was all falling into place; it made sense, but it was too clean of an explanation. He wished there were more teachers around; they could keep the interrogation going while he and Shichiro talked about what he suspected was Buzzer catching a lie.

"What happened after the crow?" Professor Balam asked gently.

"I was flown away and dropped off at the nest of the Guardian of Cutthroat Valley. The crow carrying me got into a fight with other crows and left me alone."

"Oh, thank devi," Professor Balam said with a sigh.

"But the baby of Guardian of Cutthroat Valley was there," Iruma continued.

"Oh no! Then what happened ?"

"Its leg was hurt. I bangaged it. It must have felt better because it took me to its parent. Sabro was there, fighting the Guardian of Cutthroat Valley, I think he would have lost" Iruma laughed nervously.

The teachers share a glance. Another deception, but not an outright lie.

"You said your parents were abusive and negligent. That your life was in constant danger, and your parents didn't protect you like they should have. Please elaborate," Professor Naberius said sternly.

"I'll be right back," Professor Balam said.

Professor Naberius nodded his acknowledgment but kept his gaze locked on Iruma.

Iruma twiddled his thumbs. "Well, they hated working so much, I was usually forced to work to not starve. I was also left alone for months at a time. I was injured often doing hard jobs, you know under the table stuff, or hunting or foraging alone. It didn't matter if I got hurt; I never got medical attention." He lifted his gaze to the blank stares of his horrified teachers.

Chapter Text

Professor Balam set a tray of assorted cookies at the table and lowered himself onto the sofa. He looked to his colleague, and they shared a look and came to the same conclusion.

"Oh, those look good! Thank you!" Iruma said, and had to force himself to only take one at a time.

"You said Lord Sullivan came into your life. That's odd phrasing. Was he out of your life until recently? Is he your maternal or paternal grandfather?" Professor Balam asked.

Iruma had to chew quickly and finish his tea before answering. "Oh, I'm not related to him. I don't know how are why, but my parents contacted him, and he must have felt sorry for me, but he did also said he was jealous of his friends with grand kids," He said in a tiny voice, twiddling his thumbs again. He grabbed another cookie to save himself from having to talk.

"Iruma, finish up, and you're free to go," said Professor Naberius.

"Okay, thank you!" said Iruma, grabbed and ate a large amount of cookies, and headed for the door. "Thanks for the concern, tea and cookies!" he said with a cheerful wave.

The Professors sat around, ate cookies, drank tea, in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, Professor Naberius broke the silence.

"How many lies did he tell?"

Professor Balam sighed, "When he said he didn't know the ring could be threatening, when he said he bandaged the leg of Guardian's fledgling, and even how he was adopted felt dishonest. I'm concerned how new some of the scars looked."

"They're not related, but somehow the Chairdemon was available and took him in. We need to investigate more, but for now, act normal."

"Agree. Do we get others involved?" Professor Balam asked for an opinion, not an order.

Professor Naberius growled softly, and he took a deep breath and let his breath out of his nose. "Not yet-wait-actually," He groaned again, not as softly.

"Use words." Professor Balam teased.

"Silence!" Professor Naberius shouted, crossing his arms as his friend chuckled at his expense. "He seems strangely okay. He doesn't seem to be suffering or mentally fragile, but- Well, shouldn't he be?! He was far too casual with working odd jobs not to starve to death! Maybe he should see Professor Murmur, but how to suggest it without mentioning his lack of wings?"

"You don't have to answer now, but maybe all the other teachers need to know. Think about it. For now, just rest and keep an eye on him."

Professor Naberius nodded after letting a slow breath out his nose.

The door to the lab flew off its hinges, and there stood Opera. "There you are. Slacking off on the job is very bad behavior."

The Professors stood, "We can explain!"

"I'd love to hear it, but so does Lord Sullivan in his office after school. Don't be late," said Opera before strolling away.

The Professors repaired the door and ran to their respective classes. Somehow, they both forgot it was still school hours. Neither looked forward to having to explain to Lord Sullivan their findings, from the kind interrogation of his precious 'Grandson'.

Chapter Text

Lord Sullivan listened carefully as two members of his staff explained what happened that day regarding his darling boy. He showed no emotion, his hands remained folded on his desk, with a straight but not stiff posture, and low tension in his body. "It's clear to me now that I've made a few critical mistakes, and I must work to fix them." He said solemnly.

"How can we help, sir?" Professor Balam asked.

Professor Naberius grunted and glared at his coworker. But he nodded.

"Iruma is cheerful and does his best at everything." Lord Sullivan said, and his usual cheerful tone had returned, "He's such a good boy!" He cleared his throat and carried on in a normal tone, "His self-esteem is poor, I've noticed it lately and was considering help, but I hoped a regular school routine and connecting with his peers would help. But I see now that I was foolish, and I need to act now. He has been accustomed to no wings, he knows no other way of life. Other than the flying race, I can't think of anything in the curriculum that needs to be changed to accommodate him."

"He should still learn an alternative. There's got to be a way to fly without wings." Professor Naberius said firmly.

Lord Sullivan was beaming, "It's good to see you invested in his education and well-being. I made the right decision, making you his homeroom teacher!"

Professor Naberius nodded firmly. "As the Guard Dog of Babyls, it is one of my duties to protect the students. Not flying is such a disadvantage that he is in danger, thus, I must see to it that he can fly one way or another."

Lord Sullivan grabbed Professor Naberius in a quick hug.

"Let me go!"

Lord Sullivan complied, but he was still radiant. "Well, it's dinner time, and first thing in the morning, I will connect with Professor Murmur about sessions with Iruma. Gentleman, I thank you for your good work, but do be more mindful of the time and other duties." He wagged a playful finger.

"Yes, sir," Professor Balam and Naberius said as one.

"Goodnight, sir," added Professor Balam.

"Goodnight!" Lord Sullivan, before he disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

...

Iruma was wrapped up in a tight hug as soon as his Grandpa came home. "I missed you! I want to tell you about today!"

Lord Sullivan smiled, "I'm all ears, my sweet, darling grandson!"

"Diner is ready, masters," said Opera.

"Tell me everything over dinner!"

"Okay!" Iruma readily agreed.

...

After dinner, Lord Sullivan and Opera sat in the parlor.

"From his point of view, it was mostly positive, and he enjoyed himself." Opera had a small smile, "A strange boy."

Lord Sullivan nodded, "But a very good boy who deserves the best."

Opera nodded. "Have you decided to tell all the teachers?"

Lord Sullivan shook his head. "I have not made a decision. I have made a contract of secrecy for Professor Murmur and go from there."

"I suggest you make some convening paperwork. Did you remember to add his adoption papers to his student file?"

Lord Sullivan smiled, "Of course I did! Opera have a little faith in me!"

"If asked what happened to his patents?" Opera asked.

Chapter Text

Lord Sullivan paused for a long moment before saying, "I'm open to suggestions."

Opera's ears twitched, and a tiny smile formed. "Iruma and his parents are from far away with their own customs and social rules. The young master has told me about his school days and admitted, more than once, that he said or did something that made him stand out. He should have been trained in our ways, sir."

"But Opera," Lord Sullivan whined, "You know I adopted him the night before the start of school, there was no time!"

"Why didn't you hold him back a year?" Opera gently challenged.

"It would look even more suspicious. Why homeschool him when I'm the Chairdemon of one of the greatest schools in all of Netherworld? I assumed any odd behavior could be explained by an overly sheltered life. The assumption everyone is bound to make"

Opera was silent for a second as their ears twitched and tail swished. "Makes sense. But from now on, we should develop his social skills and teach him general knowledge."

Lord Sullivan nodded, "You're absolutely right, Opera. You've given me much to think about, and I thank you for it. I'm heading to bed, goodnight."

Opera bowed, "Goodnight, Sir."

...

Over breakfast, Lord Sullivan and Opera did some prep work with Iruma. They gave him simple sentences to remember for his backstory. Iruma could talk about his real experiences if he were careful to change details to fit the Netherworld. What they stressed the most was to tell no one he's human. No matter how kind, personally close, or well-intended, not even to his best friends.

"Not just for your safety, but the safety of all humans. In all likelihood, you can trust your friends, but they will tell others, who will tell others. By day's end, all demons will know. They obviously can't all be trusted. I'm sorry, but tell no one, ever."

Iruma sat silent but nodded."I understand, Grandpa. I promise I won't tell," He said eventually and quietly returned to eating, but with less enthusiasm.

"It's for the best, pumpkin." Lord Sullivan insisted, and he too returned to breakfast.

When breakfast was done, Lord Sullivan declared, "You'll be late, so you and your friends have to take the carriage! Have a lovely day, see you later!"

Opera pulled the carriage around, opened the door, and waited for them to pile in and close the door. They unrolled a red carpet to amuse themselves because it was harmless fun to watch Iruma blush and stumble with the large amount of public attention. "Have a wonderful day, young masters and his friends." They said before departing.

"Oh, guys, I forgot to tell you, I have to meet with Professor Murmur after school. It's going to take an hour. I'm sorry, it's something Grandpa has arranged, so I can't get out of it."

Clara pouted, and Alice was chipper.

"Oh, I understand special training! Wonderful, you'll take over the school in no time!"

"We just have to play extra lots!" Clara insisted.

"Thanks for understanding, guys!"

"I'll do anything to support you!" Alice declared.

"What Azz-Azz means is, we will always love and support you!"

Iruma wished he could open up to them more, but he promised, and he believed it was dangerous, not just for him, but for all other humans. So, he merely smiled, "I'll always support both of you! No matter what!"

Chapter Text

Iruma received a text from his Grandpa on where to meet Professor Murmur. He knocked on the door and was immediately greeted, "Hello, Iruma, welcome to my office!"

Iruma was startled by how fast the door opened. "Thank you for seeing me sir"

Professor Murmur smiled and held the door open. "Make yourself comfortable" he stepped aside.

Iruma peaked inside. Dark purple armchairs facing each other, a dark wood coffee table between them, dark purple rug underneath it all. Iruma entered the cozy room and sat in one of the armchairs. "What a nice office." Iruma complimented.

Professor Murmur smiled as he took his seat. "That's nice of you to say, but this session is about you. Your grandfather told me a little about your adoption" ordinarily the Professor would have shown more reverence but in this setting it seemed warmer to be more causal.

Iruma titled his head "It caught me off guard. Everything was normal, even a little better with my parents than usual. But I can't be more grateful; I love my life with grandpa!"

Professor Murmur activated his bloodline ability Mood Ring. Iruma had an yellow aura of happiness with flecks of sad blue, and anxious orange. Still, he smiled "I'm glad you're happy with your grandpa. Please, tell me about your daily routine."

Iruma tilted his head "Well, it's pretty normal for a student, I think." he titled his head the other way "I wake up, have breakfast with grandpa, I walk to school with my friends Alice and Clara"

'Friends' was a new word to Professor Murmur but he could extrapolate and knew who Iruma refereeing to. He merely nodded to show encouragement.

"Most of my time is spend at school, but don't mind, I like it here. I have dinner with Grandpa, and he or Opera, usually Opera, helps with homework. On the weekends I hang out with friends at home, or out of the home, at their houses, and stuff like that. I think my life is normal. Ah-what else do you want to know?"

Professor Murmur double checked Iruma's aura. Still mostly happy yellow with some anxious orange. "I understand you had hardships and were even put in dangerous situations by your parents. Please, tell me one situation and how you feel about it." He noticed Iruma's aura change to mostly anxious with large sad blue streaks.

Iruma's hands fidgeted as he looked away. "Oh, I'm not sure where to start."

"What was the last bad situation you found yourself in?" Professor Murmur asked gently hoping a more direct rephrasing would be helpful.

"Oh, I was on a fishing boat, it was my parents idea for me to make money. There was a big storm and the boat was probably in trouble. And the time before that, I had a job of tracking rare wild animals for researchers. But it was kinda fun and not all bad"

It was at that moment, Professor Murmur knew he had an uphill battle.

Chapter Text

Professor Murmur called an all staff meeting. He waited by the door and handed out a sheet of paper to each attendee. Everyone looked it over and looked to him.

"Everyone, I had a session with Iruma today, and have scheduled a new one next week. I obviously can't divulge any privet information, but I did learn of concerning behavior and mindset. It made me realize I need more information. Please, don't share any information with each other. It's import we keep his privacy as much as possible. Please just fill out form and drop it off at my office by Friday."

...

Professors Balam and Naberius enjoyed lunch while reviewing the form together. Although Professor Murmur instructed everyone to complete the forms individually to avoid disseminating information and to safeguard Iruma's privacy, they concurred that collaboration was necessary for Iruma's benefit.

"Has Iruma displayed any reckless behavior?" Professor Balam read out loud. He hmmed as he thought the question over.

"Has Iruma displayed self harm tendencies?" Professor Naberius read a question at the bottom of the form.

They looked at one another, horror in their eyes.

"Is that a real worry he has?" Professor Balam asked, his hands nervously twisting.

Professor Naberius ran his fingers through his hair as he read the full questionnaire. "Maybe Murmur is just being thorough. We should answer honestly but also look into this issue ourselves."

Professor Balam nodded in agreement.

They took their pens and wrote answers to all the questions they could answer.

...

After dismissing the last class of the day, Professor Naberius kept Iruma back. Much to Iruma's unease, Alice and Clara's furry.

"Sorry, let's plan to hang out after dinner. I'll send you a text!" Iruma said with a cheerful tone, even though he wasn't really feeling it.

His friends brightened up.

"As you wish. I hope to see you soon." said Alice with a slight bow.

"Okay! See you later Iruma!" Clara said and linked arms with Alice.

Alice looked confused for just a second before Clara took off, more or less dragging him.

"Clara, slow down!"

Clara's giggle could be heard down the hall "Speed up!"

Professor Naberius growled as he sighed "Idiots. Let's go," He added.

"Oh, wait!" Iruma said as he got out his phone.

"Why?!" Professor Naberius growled.

"I have to text Grandpa if I'm going to be late getting home or he worries so much!"

Professor Naberius slightly waited his eyes locked on Iruma. The very second Iruma stopped texting, he turned around "Let's go!"

"Yes sir!" Iruma said obediently.

Professor Naberius was slightly pleased when his mind noted that Iruma was always very cooperative but apart of him worried it was abnormal to be this cooperative except in an evil cycle.

"Oh, we're going to see Professor Balam," Iruma noted as they approached Professor Balam's lab door.

Professor Naberius merely nodded and entered, he held the door open for his student.

"Good to see you both!" Professor Balam cheered, he had a large assortment of snacks and tea ready.

"Good to see you too. But what's going on?" Iruma asked with a tilt of his head.

"We have concerns and just want to talk" said Balam without a mask, trying to smile causally.

"You must be honest at all time" Professor Naberius said firmly as he sat next to Professor Balam who gave him some side eye.

"Ah, okay of course. Ask me anything" Iruma said but hoped they kept the questions light. He sat opposite of his teachers.

"Did you have a good day at school?" Professor Balam asked as they agreed ahead of time to go easy early on and slowly build intensity.

Iruma smiled brightly "It was great! I love learning new things!"

Professor Naberius grunted "Good, because you need to learn to fly without wings. We are going to keep trying until we find a way," He said before sipping his tea.

Iruma blinked a few times. "Do you think it's possible?" In his heart he wished to fly since day one of school when he saw the sky filled with the student population. He was still so scared, but it sparked something inside him, that he's been ignoring ever since.

"I'm tired of saying this, I already told your grandfather what should be obvious. Not flying is such a disadvantage and dangerous that I must see to it that you can fly one way or another." Professor Naberius said sternly as he refilled his teacup.

Iruma had a big grin that faltered "Won't it look strange if I'm flying without wings?"

The teachers looked at each other and nodded.

"We thought this through. You are accustomed to walking and everyone at school, is also used to you walking. If you learn to fly use it in emergencies. It's for your safety and flying is critical for life outside of school. Even if it takes until you graduate we must find a way." Professor Balam said gently.

"That's amazing thank you! I can't wait to get started! Where are we going to try?" Iruma asked beaming at his professors.

"We'll have to ask your Grandfather for final details. But for now we have a few questions." said Professor Balam said gently as he loaded Iruma's plate with snacks.

"Oh, thank you! What do you want to know?" Iruma asked internally hoping they would ask small questions with easy answers.

Chapter Text

"Are you depressed?" Professor Naberius asked blatantly. He no longer sipped tea or ate snacks.

Professor Balam was both modified and furious. Yet, his distressed glare and tense body posture went ignored by his friend and colleague.

Iruma blinked in confusion, mid bite into a sandwich.

"Are you depressed? Do you hurt yourself?"

Both Iruma and and Professor Balam blanched. "You really think so?" they asked together.

Professor Naberius sneered "It's a possibility I can't ignore." He said glaring at Balam. He put his full attention back to Iruma. "Answer me" he demanded.

"No!" Iruma denied with waving hands. "My life wasn't always easy but I love my new family and my new life. Life was never so bad to do something crazy like that!"

The adults side eyed each other Balam nodded ever so slightly.

"You said the last time we talked you nearly starved and you never received medical attention. Please elaborate more" Professor Balam said he he poured Iruma more tea.

Iruma's eyes dropped to his lap. "Oh, we'll I mostly lived outside because they didn't want me to dirty the home or risk damaging their stuff. I was pretty clumsy." Iruma chuckled awkwardly. If he looked up he would have seen the horror of his teachers."Most of the time they just weren't around so it wasn't active neglect, but sometimes it was very neglectful and I am upset about it. I'm still not sure why everyone is so concerned about my mental health. I promise I'm fine!"

Iruma finally noticed the wide-eyed horror of his teachers.

"We should take you home soon. Please finish up and we'll head out" said Professor Balam weakly. He reattached his mask.

"You, are going to see Murmur twice a week. I'll see to it." Professor Naberius vowed solemnly.

"Why? I'm happy now, that's all that matters!"

"You don't know how damaged you are!" Professor Naberius shouted slamming his hand on the table between them.

"Kalego!"

Chapter Text

Professor Murmur was seated in his office, perusing the questionnaire he had distributed to all staff members. While most responses did not raise any issues, a few did heighten his concerns. Nevertheless, the troubling responses provided him with clearer insights on what to concentrate on in the upcoming sessions. With only an hour at his disposal, he aimed to devise a strategy. Before he realized it, the hour had elapsed, and Iruma was at his door.

"Come in!"

Iruma waved and closed the door. "Good evening Professor Murmur"

Professor Murmur smiled 'He's such a good kid' he thought. "Good evening Iruma. Please, have a seat. Take your time making yourself comfortable" he said as he activated his bloodline ability. Iruma seemed to be mostly in a good move, with some anxiety.

"Professor Murmur, if it's alright to say-"

Professor Murmur noticed Iruma's anxiety rose. "Please, I want to assure you, you are free to speak about anything. These sessions are to help you"

Iruma smiled awkwardly "We'll that's the thing. I don't mind spending time with you, and I appreciate the concern, but I really didn't I need these sessions. I feel happy and I understand I had a bad childhood, but I think it's a good thing I'm not traumatized by it. My past doesn't haunt me." he sighed "But maybe Professor Naberius is right, I don't know how damaged I am"

Professor Murmur paled considerably. "I must have a talk with him, that is complexly unacceptable thing for him to say. Please, tell me what happened"

Iruma explained the times he meant with Professor Naberius and Balam.

Professor Murmur took notes as fast as he could. "It is admirable they want to help you fly. Now, let's refocus. The reason you are here, despite being happy in your day-to-day life is because living under hardship and neglect does have negative affects and repercussions. Do you understand you were neglected and your life was unnecessarily difficult?"

Iruma nodded "Yeah, I do"

Professor Murmur nodded approvingly "Good, I just had to check. I suspect your mind has been pushing things down, but eventually, you will have to face to emotional backlash and I want to give you the tools to work through the emotions and therapy can help with problem solving and forming better relationships."

"Oh, I didn't know that! That does sound good!"

Professor Murmur noted Iruma's aurora was happy with some excitement.

"Yes, many people are unaware of all that therapy has to offer. Something to consider Iruma, is you exhibit signs of poor self esteem and accepting bad treatment. Your grandfather said you are slow or hesitant to accept gifts and have expressed unworthy feelings."

Iruma bowed his head.

"Don't feel bad. This is exactly why you're here. My point is this: you are demonstrating concerning behavior and thought patterns. Its normal to you, but to an outside observer, it's alarming. I and others are here to help you. Iruma, you once told some of the janitorial staff that you are used to working hard and they didn't need to worry about your safety"

Iruma blinked "Well, that's not so bad-is it? I was just saying I wouldn't get hurt and if I did not that bad."

"I will share my thoughts on what I think happened, and you can correct me if I'm mistaken. I believe your intention was to help, but the work was risky. The janitors tried to politely decline to protect you, yet you attempted to assure them that you would be fine even if you got really hurt. Iruma, imagine if-" he paused to remember the word. "your friends wanted to assist, were told it was dangerous, and they insisted it didn't matter if they got hurt. Iruma, you must treat yourself as if you are valuable, because you are. You need therapy because you disregard your own safety and health. What do you think?"

Iruma's shoulders slumped, his head bowed. "I would feel awful if Alice or Clara said something like that. So I understand everyone's concern more"

Professor Murmur had a pleasant smile and nodded his head gently. He had to keep composure and professional demeanor but on the inside 'A breakthrough!' he thought behind the easy smile.

"As I've said before, these sessions are to teach you good mental tools to help yourself. Therapy can help us strategize, form better bonds, and deal with problems easier. You're not beyond hope, you are worthy of love and support, you are worthy of safety and comfort. Those that care about you, want you to be mentally healthy because that's the foundation of all health and wellness. What do you think?"

Iruma had to wipe a single tear. "I have been thinking of my parents more, and it does hurt and I can't get them out of my mind. But I don't want to bother people. I feel I should put them out of my mind, they don't deserve to even be thought of. Just live my life, be grateful how much better things are."

"It's normal to think about things that are troubling us. Our minds try to problem solve even when we don't want to. What do you think about them? Where does your mind go when you think about your parents?"

"They didn't try to keep me. After all I've done for them. All the danger and pain they put me through they didn't value me to try harder to keep me. I would never go back, but I can't help but feel abandoned and betrayed. I'd run away if somehow I found myself in their custody. I feel so conflicted and confused" He sat for a second before he wept openly.

Professor Murmur grabbed a box of tissues he kept in a drawer. "Take as much time as you need. There's no shame in crying"

"Okay, thank you" Iruma said meekly.