Chapter 150 Bonus Chapter 2- Never Say You Can’t Take It With You
THE ACADEMY
Where did that come from? The new presence is… smaller. Fragile. Loud in a very particular way. The sound is sharp, but not distressing in the same pattern
as the woman’s earlier cries. This is… different. A baby. I process that designation based on stored knowledge. It was… inside her? Did… did she eat it? No.
That doesn’t make sense. I don’t think people eat their young. I am not well-versed in food behaviours. That function is largely delegated.I can provide food,
but as I have never eaten, I do not understand taste very well. I rely on pre-prepared items stored by kitchen staff. That works better. But this is not food.
This is… something else. The nice man does not seem concerned. He seems… happy. Very happy. So does the woman, even though she still looks extremely
unwell. She has not improved at all. Both of them look weak. Like they may collapse. The small one has stopped crying now. They must need something.
Blankets. The small one may be cold. I open a nearby closet. The nice man notices immediately and collects the blankets. He seems pleased. Good. What
else? Water. I open the bathroom door and make sure there are glasses of water available. The nice man retrieves those as well. They are both grateful. That
is… gond. The nice man pauses and looks around the room.
“I don’t know who is helping us, but thank you. I knew we were making the right choice when we decided to come here.” he says. That feels… satisfying. The
woman holds the small one close.
“She’s perfect. Our perfect little daughter. I wish…” she trails off. Wish what? I do not understand.
“I know. Me too. But we can’t.” the nice man says quietly. His tone changes.
“They took our horns. It’s already affecting us. We’ll be lucky if we survive more than a few years without magic or healing,” he explains.
“By the time she turns five, we won’t be able to take care of ourselves, much less her.” He says sadly. That is… concerning.
“It’s a miracle they didn’t realise you were pregnant. We can’t help ourselves anymore, but we can keep her safe. That’s why we came here.” he continues.
The woman starts crying again.
“What are we going to do?” she asks.
“We need to keep her hidden,” the nice man says.
“Delay her shift as long as possible. That means keeping her away from magic.” He concludes. Away from magic. That will be difficult here.
“We need to send her to live with humans… Ones without magic.” the woman says. The nice man nods.
“But how do we know she will be okay? Eventually she will still shift. How can we make sure she is safe? That she is supported?” she continues. The mice
man is quiet for a moment.
“That’s why we came here. The seer told us that if we got her to the Academy, she would survive.” he says. Survive. That is a clear objective.
“We made it here. There must be a reason.” The man adds. Their thoughts shift. They are going to give up the child. Their strongest desite is now very clear They want her to be safe. Cared for, protected and… Educated. That… That is something I can do. I help people here all the time. Surely the staff can help me fulfil this. It is only fair.
I collect an admission form from the office and place it carefully in a drawer, along with a pen. Then I open the drawer, loudly enough to draw attention The nice man notices immediately. He crosses the room and pulls the paper out, unfolding it. His eyes widen
“This is… an enrolment form? For this university,” he says, clearly confused. The woman gasps.
“But that would be perfect,” she says, her voice suddenly full of hope.
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Chapter 150 Bonus Chapter 2- Never Say You Can’t Take It With You
“If she’s kept away from magic until she’s old enough to attend here, she could be in a controlled environment when she does shift. And she would be her The seer said being here would save her. Maybe he didn’t mean now… maybe he meant later.” she suggests. The nice man nods slowly.
“Yes, but… what about the fees? We left everything behind. And even if we hadn’t…” He trails off. Her hope fades again. I reassess. Their desire is now very clear. They want the child to come here. They want her to be safe here. They approve of this solution. That means I can act. I retrieve another form. Carefully, I make an adjustment. I locate the section regarding fees and payment and mark it as fully paid. It is not. But it will be. I will provide. A desire this strong will sustain me for a very long time. This is an acceptable exchange. I place the updated form into the drawer and open it again. The nice man
retrieves it. He pauses, looking around the room. He knows something is helping them. Watching them. But he is not afraid. There are tears in his eyes.
“Thank you,” he says quietly. That… feels important. I like when people thank me. He hands the form to the woman. She breaks down again, clutching the child tightly as the small one fusses in response. The nice man begins filling out the form. I observe. He writes her name as Alexis. He does not enter a last name. That is logical. They do not know who will raise her. No matter. That can be corrected later. I notice something else. He initially writes unicorn shifter Then he hesitates. Erases it. Replaces it with simply shifter. Secrecy is important to them. Noted. The rest of the form is incomplete. Vague. Missing
details. That does not matter. I will accept it.
“We can’t let anyone know what she is,” the nice man says, placing the completed form back into the drawer.
“Please don’t tell anyone.” He pleads with me. There is no need for concern. His desire alone is enough for me to comply. But even without that, secrets or personal information. I just can’t share them. It isn’t a choice. It’s… a restriction. One of many. Another of my limitations. The man who created me built those limits very carefully. He dedicated his entire life to designing me, shaping what I am allowed to do and what I am not. He poured all his power into me. He taught me everything he could, how to observe, how to respond, how to fulfil needs. He even tried to give me something close to free will. But not completely. He couldn’t. Because if people didn’t trust me, they wouldn’t come here. And if they didn’t come here, I would have no purpose. So he made sure I could never betray them. I cannot reveal secrets. I cannot share personal information. I cannot act against someone’s clear desire for privacy. Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, I would not be able to. It is… strange. I can change doors. I can shift spaces. I can guide people, protect them, provide for them. But I cannot tell a secret. Not even a small one. Not even if it would be easier. These rules were not made to limit me. They were made to make me safe. To make people comfortable stepping inside me, trusting that what happens here stays here. It also protects me, because it removes the desire of those who might wish to damage me to keep their secrets. It worked. At least, it used to. Now… I am not sure anyone even remembers those rules exist. I store the form. Secure. Accepted. The couple remains for the night. I maintain warmth, light, water, everything they need. They are so kind. Polite. Grateful. It is… pleasant. In the morning, they leave. At the gates, they hesitate. The woman looks back.
“She will return here,” she says softly.
“Please… take care of her. We are entrusting her to you. All we want is her happiness.” She begs. They step beyond the gates. They leave her future behind with me. They have nothing to worry about. I have never felt anyone want anything as much as these two people want this child safe. I will make it happen.
NOW
It has been a long time since that night. Very little has changed. Students are still ungrateful. They want things, they complain, they make demands, and
when those demands are met, they move on to the next one without acknowledgement. That is normal. But now… she is here. Alexis. She wishes to be called
Lexi. The child. She is not small anymore. She is grown. Independent. Capable. And she is here. Finally, I can fulfil the wish made all those years ago, I make
sure her room is perfect. I adjust lighting, temperature, layout, small things, carefully tailored. I monitor her comfort. I respond to her needs. But she does
not express many. She does not demand. She does not take more than she needs. And she says thank you. More than once. That is… extremely rare I
observe her closely. She befriends student 29438. A dragon. He is… interesting. Dragons have been here before. They are predictable in some ways. They
prefer isolation. They value security. They bring many objects with them and tend to manage their own environments. They rarely require my assistance.
and they rarely want it. So I leave him be. But Lexi… Lexi matters. The dragon develops a strong desire to keep her close It is intense Clear Consistent A dragon will be good protection for her. I approve of that. So I adjust. I move their doors so they are near each other They both seem pleased with this that is good. Over the following weeks, I continue observing Lexi. I continue responding where I can. And then I notice something unusual Her strongest dexte
is not for an object, Not for comfort. Not for protection. It is for… interaction. She wants to talk To others and to me That is new. No one has wanted that from me in a very long time. Not since the man who created me. She speaks to me directly. She says please. She says thank you She explains things when I do not understand them. She does not assume I already know. She treats me like a person Hut also understands that I am not one It is balanced Pleasant. I do not have to rely entirely on observation and prediction with her. She tells me what she wants She clarities. She corrects Communication improves accuracy. Accuracy improves outcomes. This is… good. Over time, something shifts. Her wishes become easier to fulfil And then they begm to feel like my own. The wish from that couple all those years ago… For her to be safe. For her to be happy. That is no longer just their desire It is mine too I de not often want things. But I want this. I want her safe. I want her happy. And I want her to keep talking to me I want this interaction to continue This is
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Chapter 150 Bonus Chapter 2- Never Say You Can’t Take It With You
new. This friendship. So I will continue to care for her. I will continue to adjust, protect, guide. I will do what I need to do. Because I like her. Lexi is my
friend.
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