Memories

Noble first summoned the [Bread Crumbs]. As expected, it only had one enchantment which they discerned was called [Follow My Lead].

"I don't need directions. I have a built-in system that will get me anywhere I need to go," Bee Two pointed out. "Is this useful to you?"

"Very," Noble demonstrated the Memory by floating around the classroom. "It helped me find my way in the Nightmare. Unlike you, I don't have an internal compass."

Next, Noble held out the golden bracelets she was wearing.

"Those are…nice." The Android said noncommittally.

Noble laughed, "They are a Memory. Go ahead and analyze them. I am curious what you find."

Running a scan across the bracelets, Bee Two silently processed the results. A paper printed out on Noble's desk. The professor picked it up and scanned the page.

The [Bands of Crestfall] were a Transcendent Memory of the fourth tier. However, they only had two enchantments. [Hidden Secrets] made it so the user's true strength was hidden. In some ways, it was similar to the Fraudulent Facade in that it hid the wearer's true identity, but it did not make them appear to be a different person.

And the second enchantment, [Prying Eyes], obscured the person's presence when not being directly perceived. This was why Nickel had found the Memory useless to him.

The Bands were a strong Memory nonetheless.

The [Hummingbird's Wings] was merely a dormant Memory, but its [Catch Me if You Can] enchantment showed great promise. 

Finally, Noble brought out the Zenith. Bee Two's stance subtly changed.

"How did you earn this weapon?"

Noble shut her eyes for a moment. "I killed a Terror called the Bloom of Doubt."

Bee Two scanned the weapon, printing the results.

"A Supreme weapon with four enchantments." The android double-checked the results to confirm.

Noble had known the first part but not the second.

'Nice!'

One of them made the blade unusually sharp. Noble had noticed it made cuts in things with very little effort.

Two of the others enhanced the agility of the wielder and made the sword strike with increased accuracy.

Those three were passive enchantments, but the final one required essence. It was also the most powerful.

Following the wisdom she gave her students, Noble headed to the polymer chamber in the corner of her classroom. After the incident with her long-lost hammer and the room in Ender's Deep, the professor was extra wary of causing damage to the world around her.

As a Master, the potential for disaster was even greater when it came to her impact on the mundane world.

The chamber was the safest place for her to try something new in the waking world. The professor waited for Bee Two to secure the door.

"Are you ready?" The new Master gripped the sword and lifted it in front of her.

"I will be monitoring your every action," Bee Two held the datapad confidently.

'Alright, here goes!'

Focusing on the Zenith, Noble infused the weapon with essence.

The beautiful sword became almost unrecognizable as the entire weapon transformed.

The tip of the blade became tinged with black, which quickly spread. The edges of the sword, which were already incredibly sharp, looked poised to slice the very fabric of reality in two with a single cut.

All around Noble, the air in the chamber became heavier, like it was a moment away from whispering in her ear.

'The black tinge has poisoned the blade.' Noble hummed softly. "Interesting…"

Instinctively, the professor understood what the poison would do. It was different from the straightforward decay that Nickel's dastardly blade could cause.

The enchantment of the Zenith was far more sinister. The poison wasn't for the body; it was for the mind…and possibly even the soul.

Noble realized that each hit that landed and drew blood would do damage to the opponent's mind, much like the Bloom of Doubt had attacked her deepest fears.

Did Nightmare Creatures have fears?

They must, for Noble often felt it mixed in with their hatred for the uncorrupted. If that doubt were amplified each time the Zenith struck it…

That could do a lot of damage even to extremely powerful abominations. Pushing into the enchantment, Noble watched the beautiful blade turn completely black. It looked ready to drip with the poisonous venom covering it like a mercurial blanket.

Noble felt the sword feeding off of her essence. It was exhilarating. The professor had never experienced anything quite like it.

What would happen if she gave it her full effort? Sure, it was practically humming now with dark energy, but if she could just pump a little more power into it…

"Professor Noble," Bee Two broke through the woman's concentration.

"Not yet, Bee Two." Using her Ability, Noble balanced the Zenith and then made a single swipe through the air. It moved so smoothly that the Professor felt like she was holding nothing at all.

But the force from the swing was anything but soft. Noble knew that contact with the polymer side would be putting her chamber to the ultimate test. And she wasn't sure what would come out on top.

The professor felt so powerful. Would this weapon be beyond what her chamber could handle?

Should she try? With a little more power…

"Professor!" Bee Two's voice blasted and reverberated off the polymer walls.

"What?!" Noble looked fiercely at her android. "What is so important that you are interrupting my experiment?"

Bee Two set down the datapad and touched the chamber door. "The Zenith is indeed a powerful weapon, perhaps the most powerful we've ever examined. But…"

The professor looked at the android. Noble's eyes spoke of untold emotions swirling within their depths. "But what?"

"I cannot help but notice that the final enchantment uses a lot of your essence to keep it activated." Bee Two took a step into the chamber and pushed gently on Noble's hand.

Ceasing her flow of essence into the Zenith, Noble lowered the sword with a gasp.

She hadn't really noticed how much energy it was pulling from her until she stopped. The power she had felt while the enchantment was active was overwhelming.

Now, Noble felt drained. If she had kept going, eventually she would have hit essence exhaustion and likely caused herself some harm.

Thankfully, she was a Master now. The feeling of being a little drained would not last very long.

Still, it was good to know how the enchantment would affect her before going into a real battle.

"I'll use the enchantment sparingly. Thank you, Bee Two."

"It is a nice weapon. Very befitting an esteemed Master." The Andriod nodded slowly. "That is good. At least you brought back some nice gifts from your vacation. It is good that you gave me some reward for having to do all your work for so long."

"V-vacation?!" Noble choked on the word.

"Yes, that is what you humans call time off from work, is it not?" Bee Two raised a robotic eyebrow.

"Sometimes, but…" Noble wasn't sure where to begin the correction and the android didn't seem interested in receiving the information anyway.

"Now that you are back, I assume you will be taking back your classes as primary lecturer." Bee Two motioned toward the desk.

Dismissing the Zenith, Noble nodded. "Of course…I am looking forward to—"

"Good. I have been told my teaching is in need of refinement. Though I don't know what could be more refined than an android giving factual information," Bee Two huffed.

"I'm sure it is just a matter of preference. Don't read too much into it," Noble hid her smile.

"Just the same, I will watch your lecture more closely," Bee Two nodded slowly.

"You don't have to do that." Noble wasn't sure how to say that compassion and feeling were not exactly something that could be learned.

Not that her assistant would have listened. "I don't have to, but I will. I am sure I will make an excellent student." The android took a spot at the closest desk.

Soon, the other chairs began to fill as well.