The Arcane Guardians Chapter 46: Chapter 42: The Last Straw

Read chapter 46 of The Arcane Guardians by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

Fun Fact: The Meta Tier System was developed by the early Magis as a means of categorising their threat level by measuring the amount of Arcani in their body. Tier One Metas are the least dangerous, while Tier Five Metas are constantly being watched and culled at the slightest provocation. Although such barbaric practices have long been outlawed, there are still many people who consider Tier Five Metas freaks of nature. Average global population distribution of Metas sorted by Tiers: Tier 2 ~ 50% Tier 3 ~ 30% Tier 1 ~ 15% Tier 4 ~ 4.99% Tier 5 ~ 0.01% ~ ~ ~ Turns out, the best room the Meta Liberty Fighters could offer was nothing more than a slightly luxurious gaol cell. Felix sat in the corner of the room in silence, while Aglaia walked around their quarters restlessly as though there was even anything to explore. “Get some rest, Aglaia,” Felix groaned, clearly tired of listening to her incessant pacing. “We won’t be getting out of here anytime soon.” The footsteps stopped, and the girl plopped onto the floor. “I don’t get it,” she asked. “None of these Metas are Tier Five; even I can sense it. So why don’t you just overpower them with brute force?” Felix sat up. “I suppose now’s as good a time as any to teach you about the rules of engagement.” “Listen, this is the most important rule when dealing with threats as a Guardian,” he said. “Do not use more force than necessary to subdue your target. As Tier Fives, we have to exercise even more caution to not accidentally kill our…” The boy’s voice drifted for a while, his eyes glazing over as he recalled the criminal he telepathically lobotomised in a fit of rage. “...Our opponents,” he finished with a firm nod, pushing the unpleasant memories away. “But… but what if we did?” Aglaia asked softly. “Even if we didn’t mean to. What if we accidentally took the life of someone?” “There will be consequences,” Felix warned sharply. “Don’t even think about doing anything like that, Aglaia. Don’t make that mistake. The world considers us dangerous beings. Monsters, even. Do not give them the chance to prove themselves right. It may feel good for that moment, but you will never come back from that.” The girl fell silent for a brief moment, looking at the empty hallway through the open door. “Have you done that before?” She turned to him again. “I thought you promised not to read my mind.” “I didn’t. But the way you said it… I can tell,” Aglaia said. “Because…” She took a deep breath. “Because so have I.” Felix furrowed his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue. “There was this boy… A bully, rather. He enjoyed taking my recess meals and hitting me after school with his friends,” Aglaia spoke, her voice trembling. “He was a talented Magi, and I was still powerless. My parents weren’t well-to-do, while his parents were influential businesspeople. Everyone knew about his behaviour, but nobody could do anything about it.” The boy closed his eyes painfully. He knew where this was going. “I remember it was the first day of the week, and my parents weren’t paid for the month. My lunch… It wasn’t much this time, but he still threw it away and kicked me away before I could scrape it off the ground.” Aglaia’s voice was rapidly hardening. “I didn’t know why he enjoyed doing that so much, and all I wanted to do at that time was to figure out why he hated me so.” She was gritting her teeth now. “My ability manifested right then, and so I found out.” “Was he the only victim?” Felix asked. “By the time I regained control of my power, his friends were permanently disabled mentally. And he…” The girl looked away. “The doctors said that there was nothing left in his skull. All because he simply despised poor Metas.” “It’s not fair. We didn’t ask to be born this way,” she said. “I just want to live peacefully, but they hate us so. My parents gave me up for adoption so that I wouldn’t have to face the consequences, and they died in a traffic accident shortly after. They were lucky; that boy’s parents would’ve