The fellow teachers had "volunteered" him to oversee the detention. Much to their surprise, he was quite happy to sign up for multiple sessions as proctor. "You're a glutton for punishment," one remarked. "I have faced worse," he replied.

That sickening, foul embodiment of the worst aspects of himself were seared into memory. The Oracle of the Burning Voice had made sure of that.

Detention remained most popular form of disciplinary action. As far as Samael was concerned, it was the most ineffective.

He had written on the chalkboard was a quote with one modification. "A ̶f̶i̶s̶h̶ great person rots from the head down."

"Good afternoon, class." He spoke from the front of the room. "I am Mr. Anderson. I will be your proctor." The Mastigos walked from desk to desk, reading off names to confirm attendance for detention.

"Here is your first option. You may sit here until it is time to depart. If you have homework to complete, or exam preparation, I suggest you do it." Eyes focused on him as he left the podium.

"Your second option, I am willing to let you leave early. In exchange, you must write down why you were given detention, in full detail. Pour forth your every thought and feeling." Brows raised up in incredulity.

"For those of you worrying I will report your opinions to your teacher, simply write Mr., Ms. or Mrs. X. Because in mathematics X represents anything you wish it to be. I cannot know who you reference."

"This exercise is to see how honest you are with yourself. Are you certain you are being singled out and treated unfairly? Perhaps, yes. Perhaps, no. Perception is subjective."
An aspect the Awakened knew quite well.

"Do this, and you will begin to improve. It is far more important for you to know how to think."
A critical lesson he emphasized every day in class. "Should anyone tell you, this is how you must think, please tell them to contact me. I will give them a lesson they will not forget."

An hour and half later, the last student left. Before Samael sat a stack of thirty student papers, each containing the students' rationale for why they were given detention. Aura Perception allowed him to gauge which student was simply trying to escape, and which were sincere. Those who tried to fool him, were sent back to their desks with new paper.

Chronic lateness was the most common and swiftest to dismiss. Excuses ranged widely. Most frequent was having to come from the complete opposite end of the school. Next most common, to being distracted by one's phone.

A few instances involved being held up by bullies. This bothered him greatly. Thucydides came to mind. "The strong do what they will, and the weak suffer what they must." The Seers did their best to instill that abominable trait into Humanity.

In the silence, he contemplated his situation. This will be the beginning of a new crucible. If I can reach their young minds now, I can shape their future.