THE MOMENT
"Abby Araña?" Duchess called out the name once more after going through the list once. She hoped that maybe the girl tried to sneak in and she looked over the students. She had not learned all of her students names yet, but she knew who Abby was. Not only did the girl's solid black visor make her memorable; she was part of the B-Squad. Everyone knew who Ballisea's team was.
"Absent, then," the teacher commented, then scribbled a note next to the girl's name. Then, she stood from her desk and walked around in front of it to address the class. "Anyone want to go first?" she asked the class. Most of the students shrank in their seats but a single hand shot up.
"Uh, Dara, right?" Duchess asked; she looked surprised. The girl wearing a mask nodded and lowered her hand. "You finished your report already?" Dara shook her head. Red text appeared on her mask. Duchess squinted a bit, but shook her head.
"Use the board, please," she said, then turned around her back to the students to check the whiteboard.
[ I just got it yesterday. - Dara] red text appeared on the board, large enough for everyone to read.
[You said I had a week?] the girl asked. Duchess nodded and turned back to the class with her focus on Dara.
"I haven't forgotten, you're clear for now," but, Dara shook her head.
[I have questions though.... - Dara] she glanced around nervously at the other students.
[I don't know how to do the homework..... - Dara] she relaxed visibly when no one laughed at her confession. Duchess nodded in understanding, it was an intentionally vague assignment. It was more of a personality test than anything. And, she was glad at least one of her students knew how to ask for help.
"Well, maybe it'll help you understand if you see someone give a report," Duchess said. "If you still have questions after that, I'll be happy to answer them. Okay?" She asked. Dara nodded.
"So? Any volunteers before you're voluntold?" Duchess looked over the class again. As she was about to call on someone a hand went up; it belonged to a girl with neon orange hair.
"Okay, Riot. You're up." Duchess nodded at the girl and walked to the side of the room. Riot walked to the desk, then faced the class.
"Um, you didn't say we couldn't use any external resources...?" Riot asked Duchess to start her report. Luckily, Duchess nodded.
"That's right, I didn't," she said. "Go ahead."
"Nice, so I used the Dungeon Finder to see who was looking for a 'Chosen One' and just picked one of them," she shrugged. "Killed the big bad, and I was done on the first night."
"Did they have any trouble accepting you as a Chosen One?" Duchess asked. Riot shook her head.
"Nah," she shrugged. "Well, kind of," she added. "I finished my homework quest the first night; but, not on the first try. There're a ton of people trying to be the 'Chosen One'. A few times, someone was already chosen before I got there." Duchess nodded.
"Anything else you want to comment on about your quest?" Riot shook her head.
"Nothing I can think of?" Riot said.
"Okay. Reminder for you, and the rest of the class. Don't forget to turn in a copy of your quest log; I will be checking your work." Duchess said. Riot nodded and headed back to her desk.
"Next?" Duchess asked. This time, no one volunteered. "Next is... Valentine," she said. A girl with long, wine-red hair sighed and stood from her seat.
"I didn't think about using the Dungeon Finder but I asked Mundo for help. Found an Earth that had a Dark Lord and a prophecy; but no hero yet. It was super easy to just show up and make it happen. Honestly, they probably didn't even need my help. It was a C-tier Dark Lord at best," Valentine shrugged.
"That's an interesting observation," Duchess said. "Anyone else feel like their Dark Lord could have been handled without your help?" Several hands went up in the air, then Duchess nodded.
"Good," she said. Then, she nodded at Valentine. "Thank you," she said, then focused on Dara.
"Are you starting to get the idea?" she asked. Dara narrowed her eyes and tilted her head at Duchess.
[I think...? - Dara] Text appeared on the board. Duchess noticed all her students look past her and caught on. Once Duchess had a chance to read it, the text changed.
[The prophecy doesn't matter... - Dara]
[The 'Chosen One' is.... - Dara]
[...chosen by the people. Right? -Dara]
"Yep," Duchess turned and nodded at Dara. "So, here you all are. Over 20 'Chosen Ones' in one room. And, that's just this class, I gave this assignment to all my classes. Each Earth might only have one, or a handful of Chosen Ones. But, once you know how the multiverse works, it's a little harder to feel special."
"But.. we are special...," a male student commented as he raised his hand. He was the tallest, broadest person in the class. He looked like he could pass as an adult pro-wrestler easier than the Freshman he was. "I mean, that's what this school is, right?" Duchess shook her head, but smiled at the boy-man.
"That's the whole point, Moose. Everyone in this school is Unique; but, none of us are special."