I AM DESTINY'S MISTAKE

Chapter 20: World of Runes!

Bastet clapped her hands, "Okay! and I think that's okay for now. We have been talking for some time now, you must be hungry."

"But I am not yet done, there is still a lot he must know about..." Mr Walter protested.

"And I agree, but as they say, Rome was definitely not built in a day. Besides the young master has had nothing to eat and must be hungry,". She interrupted him, "Am I right master Derek!?"

She looked to Derek.

Derek nodded in reluctance. Deep down, he did not want to stop. The lesson was so interesting that he had totally forgotten about food.

"Come with me please. Am sure my acolytes have prepared something nice for you."  She lead the way out of the library while Derek and Mr Walter followed along.

They passed a few doors that lead to a magnificent hall with broad artistically designed tables all around. The hall had chandeliers that did not seem to be connected to the ceiling but just floated high in the air from one end of the room to the other. There were different 'kinds' of people in the hall. They were both humans and not humans.

The moment they entered, all stood up and bowed towards them was baffled by the attention, but in a corner of the room, he noticed one or two people not bowing, with as much confusion on their faces as it was on his.

"DEREK!!!" The familiar voice of his good friend Aesir running over. Madeline and Tiny were also there with smiles on their faces but they kept their composure more.

Derek was so excited to see them that he ditched Mr Walter and Bastet. He and Aesir jumped into an embrace nearly even dropping on the floor. The crowd of people in the room stared in surprise, while Mr Walter's eyebrows twitched. He kept reminding himself to make sure he taught this country pumpkin the proper way to conduct himself as firstly a Writer and secondly, a noble.

While he and his friends were catching up, Bastet clapped her hands and every person in the room stood up and left. Derek turned to Walter and wanted to ask why but Walter just signalled him with his eyes and he kept quiet.

When the hall was empty of people, Derek looked to Bastet and she understood what he was about to say. So she explained instead.

"Power! Power!! master Derek. It's what it is. Power is a mysterious force that can only be adequately held by the mysterious." She clapped her hands again and runes on the tables glowed and different kinds of dishes appeared. "Do you understand master Derek? You are about to eat. Commoners should not see their rulers in such 'acts'."

"You are a Writer master Derek and should carry an air of mystery at all times." Mr Walter added.

Aesir and the others had not noticed Walters presence at first, but when they did, Derek could feel tugging at the back of his shirt. Apparently, there wanted an explanation. He signalled back with the corner of his eyes that he would give it later.

"In truth, Writers do not need 'food' to survive, at least not this type. We have naturally sustenance from anima. But you are a special case."

Derek looked at the variety of food before his eyes. He had never seen such an amazing sight. He really did not know where to start, but Aesir on the other hand didn't care where to start. The glutton nearly climbed the table in his excitement. His hands reached for the nearest thing on the table a chicken rib suffered from the wrath of his jaws.

Derek and the others joined him to partake of the food while Mr Walter stood at the side shaking his head to the lack of manners these children displayed.

Derek suddenly remembered something and stopped eating. Bastet noticed and asked.

"I miss them." He answered.

"Miss who?"

"My friends, all the other kids in the orphanage, Our caretaker. I miss all of them. What's worse, all those kids at school died because of me." He folded his legs on the chair and buried his head between them.

All that knew him well, knew that this was a sign of mental breakdown. Soon, sobbing sounds could be heard.

Everybody eating suddenly stopped. Even Aesir found himself lost for appetite.

Tiny left her seat and came to hold him from behind. She held his head close to hers and whispered into his ears. "Don't worry Derek you still have us and we are not going anywhere. okay?"

"Yes man, we are still here. Calm down, you such a softy." Aesir tapped him on the shoulder. Derek looked up at them and at Madeline that was too shy to approach but still smiled from the distance and he nodded slowly.

They have been here for sometime now while Derek was passed out and pretty much had heard a number of things. They already knew the reason their school was attacked by a 'mad' woman

Bastet moved closer to Walter and whispered, "Hmm, he has good friends. He will need them in the hardships to come." Walter nodded.

"But that girl," She continued with her eyes set on Tiny, "Does he know!?" She asked

"No, he doesn't. I had wanted to get rid of her a long time ago but Maria insisted not to. Honestly, am glad I did not."

Bastet nodded her head, "I agree, she might even be fit to become one later on. I'll keep my eyes on her."

Bastet walked to the 'comforting' family and clapped her hands. "Don't worry master Derek. The very long life of a writer is far more exciting than you can possibly imagine and besides you are a noble.

Trust me, the windows that are opened to you by the world are expansive and beautiful." She looked around her and took a spoon from the table. "Let's take this spoon for example," She bit her finger a little, allowing a few drops of blood out and she traced her fingers in the air drawing a rune and another rune beneath the first one on the table. Both times of which she said a spell and the runes glowed in a faint red.

She dropped the spoon on the rune on the table and it disappeared and appeared through the first rune and through the rune on the table again. The spoon kept on falling through the two runes in an infinite cycle, therefore, increasing the speed at which the spoon fell over time until it reached a speed they could barely see with their eyes and Bastet told everyone to take some steps away from the table.

When they did, she waved her hand and the runes disappeared and the spoon crashed down on the table with so much force that it smashed the table to the ground. Broken parts of the table shot out in force in all directions but Bastet was aready prepared for it and an invisible shield made from her aura, blanketed them so that no sharpnel came to harm non.

Derek and his friends looked on in surprise. Bastet saw that she had his attention and thought it was a good time to initiate another lesson.

"Master Derek! would you like to learn about Runes!?" She smiled.