Nightmare Mythos

"You're…"

"Hah, Cesar Sparrow!"

After standing motionlessly in their position after realizing that the person Cesar is telling Amon he was supposed to be meeting with is right on their very front, the three couldn't help but be surprised.

The woman with a giddy smile stretched her hand forward as she added, "The name's Aaliyah by the way, ranked Captain in the Army. I'm called the Trapmaster hence the name for our class,"

Amon couldn't help but chimed in, "Our class? Am I included in this?"

Aaliyah looked at Amon and revealed with a very cheerful tone, "Nah, this class is solely made for Cesar, you see."

Cesar acted surprised but was genuine on the inside since Arnold didn't say anything revealing this information at all. On the contrary, he hadn't spoken about keeping it under the ropes of the students that he was getting this kind of favor from the Headmaster himself.

'What is Arnold thinking honestly…'

Amon, who didn't appear to be disheartened at first, was able to react as if this was only natural to happen before commenting about it.

"Honestly, with what you did to the survivors and how they were doing right now currently, thriving and popular all that, receiving a bit of gratitude from the Academy should be natural," Amon paused as he let out a crazed face, "Besides, I don't want to enter you another kind of training since that seems to be what you're doing,"

He turned around while trying to wave at Cesar and Aaliyah, "I'll leave you two then. I'll have my classmates and other students who I have good contacts with to leave you guys alone. Ma'am Aaliyah, it was nice meeting you. As well as you, Cesar,"

Bowing down his head slightly, Amon began to rush towards his class and continued their training amongst the rest.

Watching the second year leave their presence, Aaliyah then looked at Cesar and said, "You might've known this but you're popularity is back yet again, whether in here in the Academy or outside,"

Cesar didn't really give a shit about everyone's opinions about him but since a good reputation brings good benefits, he didn't reject people saying he was a good man and what is there to say about him.

But he was curious about the people seeing him return from the outside. Since he didn't get a newspaper to read yet, he asked Aaliyah herself.

"Popular, you say. What kind of popular?"

Aaliyah contemplated briefly before answering, "Let's just say that you're a hero who came back from the dead. It's not just rumors now, you see. Outside has confirmed that you are alive,"

Aaliyah paused as she made a remark with a very low tone enough for Cesar to hear, "Arnold is a madman. And whoever is behind Arnold is planning something big. But be very careful. You're in the very center of their machinations."

Cesar was still confused about what she was talking about and had no plan of searching for answers. But if it was endangering his life when his body was already killing himself, he had to know.

But it seemed Aaliyah was reluctant to even say another thing probably because she didn't know what to say. She had a guess but it might be wrong which might Cesar misunderstood.

Aaliyah stopped from prying any longer before letting out a sigh, "Anyways, let's get back on the topic, right? Today, I'm teaching you basic ways to handle, understand, and craft traps. With just a string, stone, and a bit of manipulation, you can make a person fall into the trap you've designed yourself. As a Trapmaster, I can give it to you,"

Aaliyah began to gesture to Cesar to follow her as she began introducing the course and the things Cesar needed to do to pass the class.

"What do you think a person needs to understand how a trap works, Cesar? Genuine question and I'm literally asking you,"

Afraid that he would just get cut off not until the last statement was stated, Cesar pondered very carefully before answering his own understanding regarding the subject.

"How they were created?"

"That's one thing,"

Aaliyah didn't deny or agree to Cesar's words. She just put it in a tone that suggested that's one part of how the trap worked but not really the answer she was looking for.

With a pause, Aaliyah revealed, "To understand how the trap works, you need to know the trap itself. Meaning, you must recognize a trap right very instantly even if you're the one who made it or not,"

Aaliyah further clarified, "There's one thing in common about traps, and that is the time when a person triggered it. If the person is a good trapper, you might suffer from an injury without you knowing. That's why being able to recognize it even if you triggered it is important,"

Aaliyah finally stopped walking forward and came to a halt where a huge table was laid in their front. Atop of it are different kinds of items for Cesar to see that she asked Arnold to prepare in advance.

Once they got a good look at it, Aaliyah whistled.

"Damn Arnold really understand what I need,"

Aaliyah grabbed a funny-looking box and a scrap metal before stitching them together with a string. Adding a few more items she could see, she became quiet while remaining focused on her craft.

Cesar watched it all with curiosity before Aaliyah finished it in just a minute after adding some finishing touches that enabled the trap.

The rough-looking trap she made was a box with a string atop it.

"Let me call this… Stringed Box since you know, it's a metal box with a loose string… Anyways, I've just thought up a way to create it right in this instant." Aaliyah paused, "This is one of the rules of understanding a trap. Don't be fooled by their appearances,"

Aaliyah pulled the string from the box and it opened up, revealing sharp razors on the inside. Right after, these razors seemed to shoot out in every direction which she had accounted that no student would get hurt.

"Stringed Box might appear funny on the outside but there is wickedness it is trying to hide within. This little remember might cost you or your opponent's life so remember well,"