Hellen woke up to see the bed next to her empty. Am I late? She checked her watch. Nope. She looked out through the window. It is still dark. The bathroom was open, so she is not getting ready. Where is she? Is she already gone? She pushed away the thoughts about her room mate as she had to get ready for the Physical Training in the morning. It’s the start of a new day, the actual first day at the Academy.

  As she got ready, the thoughts she had before sleeping slowly picked themselves back up. Custos could be an interesting route. I may not become a Chief Custodian, or a Merich Custodian, but joining Custos was the way to actually have fun with Alchemy. What she witnessed last day reminded her of the stories her dad told her as a child, about Adwin Escher’s victorious escapades in the Xeaq-Feyroch borders, about Log Sigrid’s Dunamancy that shattered the will of rebels in Perial, about the First Scholars’ triumph against the Beasts of North – Alchemy is simply put, badass. And the only place where that badassery could be explored fully, is in Custos.

  She started drawing a pyromancy sigil mindlessly as the images of scholars shaking battlefields using their skills vividly played in her mind. As she completed the sigil, she channelled the energy made strong by her emotions into her palm, and pushed out with a bellowing shout.

  What?

  Nothing happened. No fireball, not even a spark. Inhibition field. She remembered the pages she skimmed through about the dormitory before joining the Academy. To avoid accidents and to protect students from harm, dormitories are equipped with Alchemy Inhibitors, creating an Inhibition Field which would prevent any energy from leaving the confines of the bodies of scholars. No individual will be able to perform any alchemy in dormitory premises without explicit instructions from Chief Scholars or approval from the Prime Scholar. “Fucking buzzkill”. She said to herself as she quickly got ready for the physical training.

  As she walked out, Tricia was waiting for her. “Slept well?” she asked as Hellen walked towards her.

  “Yeah.” She said quickly.

  “Then why do you look pissed off?”

  “I am not pissed off.”

  “…”

  “…”

  “You remembered the inhibitors.”

  “…”

  “You should have remembered that.”

  “I know.” Hellen said as they started walking towards the Range. The cold mornings of Feyroch was something Hellen could never get used to. While it did not bring any discomfort, she preferred the warmth of the sun. Tricia suddenly stopped and started taking steps in a measured way. “What is it now?” Hellen asked as she was getting somewhat tired of her antics.

  “Try it now.”

  “Try wha–”

  Hellen’s face quickly went through surprise, doubt and a little bit of happiness, as she quickly drew a pyromancy sigil and cast a small fireball.

  “Whoo.” She let out a victorious shout as the fireball fizzled out.

  “Whoo?” Tricia looked at Hellen mockingly.

  “Yeah, whoo.” Hellen answered with a bright smile.

  “Whoo, I guess.” Tricia smiled, looking at the infectious joy in Hellen’s face.

  “Thanks, Tricia.” Hellen said as she found the energy to continue with the day. Tricia casually waved it away as they

  As they climbed over the staircase leading to the Range, Hellen had some concerns. They did trash the whole place last night. Even if they cleaned everything up, what if they missed something? Am I gonna be expelled on the first day? Tricia saw this and stopped Hellen in her tracks. “I want you to do something. Keep thinking what you are thinking, close your eyes, and walk with me”

  “Why?”

  “Just do it”

  Hellen knew arguing would only make this last longer. She closed her eyes and held her hand out. Tricia took her hand and guided her through the staircase. As she climbed each step, she felt more and more anxious, thanks to Tricia’s little game. She felt the cold winds caress her as she got closer. What started as a breeze quickly shifted to become a gust as she got to the top. Her body was shivering even with all the layers. Through the cold, the warmth of Tricia’s hands felt comforting.

  “Open your eyes.”

  Hellen opened her eyes. All she could see was a white wall of fog in front of her. “Wait for it,” Tricia said as she let go of Hellen’s hand and faced the Range. The green pastures she saw yesterday were a world away. And in a second, the day broke and rays of light came through the fog, painting a vivid picture on a grey canvas. As the rays hit the ground, the fog started coming down with it, pooling near the ground. The greenery was completely covered by the fog, making the Range look like a bed of clouds. Hellen could see silhouettes of people peppered in the Range.

  “Wait, the training has already started?”

  “No, those are students and scholars doing their own training. Most of them are training for Custos Selection.“

  “You need physicals to join Custos?” Hellen knew the answer as she asked the question, but Tricia cut her off anyway. “Obviously? You need an insane amount of energy to even apply for selection, let alone be selected.”

  Okay, that is gonna be a problem. But I am not going to let it stop m–

  “If you are thinking of joining Custos, you need to be prepared to do this and more. It is not gonna be pretty, and it will take a long time. I seriously don’t think you can do it”

  Hellen looked at Tricia with her face screaming could you not?

  “Oh shit, I meant you can do it.”

  “You know what? I will do it” Hellen said in what looked like angry determination, from being slighted by Tricia’s unfiltered thoughts.

  Tricia started turtling, but stopped midway as a booming voice cut through the Range.

  “FORM UP!”

  Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and started forming lines. Hellen looked over to see where the voice was coming from. A large figure climbed the stairs up and stood over everyone. Tricia was already in line, back straighter than ever. As Hellen walked towards her line, everyone else was already in line except for the freshmen.

  “I CAN SEE THAT THE NEW KIDS DON’T KNOW WHO I AM. SO I WILL BE INTRODUCING MYSELF. GIVE ME 10 LAPS AROUND THE RANGE.”

  The murmurs grew in the freshmen line, as everyone else stood their positions. Around the Range? 10 laps? Hellen looked over to Tricia and saw a devilish grin. What is happening? The ground suddenly shook, as the figure was not where it was before. Hellen felt the warmth of a large body near her. As she looked up, the towering figure was looking straight at her. Did she teleport? Before she could gather her thoughts, the booming voice cut through her body, sending shivers through her bones.

  “DID YOU NOT HEAR ME? GIVE ME 10 LAPS AROUND THE RANGE”

  Everyone quickly started running. Hellen shuffled along as she gathered her thoughts. Around the Range? Does the Range even have an end? The booming voice brought her back.

  “I AM TERRA, I WILL BE YOUR PHYSICAL TRAINER. WHEN I SAY FORM UP AND YOU ARE NOT FORMED UP BY THE TIME I LOOK AT YOU, YOU WILL DO 10 ROUNDS AROUND THE RANGE. ARE THE RULES CLEAR?”

  Everyone was still confused as some people said yes through the murmurs.

  “ARE. THE. RULES. CLEAR?”

  “YES, SIR!” Terra’s voice made everyone sync their paces. Hellen, shook, shouted along with everyone else. This was the first time she felt fear ever since coming to the Academy. She did not know what would happen if she disobeyed even slightly, and she was definitely not looking forward to finding it out.

  As the freshmen continued their laps, Terra went back to her original position. The orders she gave to others reached the ends of the Range as they continued running. Whenever someone stepped out of line, the voice came down like thunder from the skies, shattering any thoughts of stopping. By the time they reached the perimeter of the Range, the entrance to the range was so far away that it felt like the horizon was spreading the other way now. Hellen was exhausted by the time they reached the perimeter, and the thought of completing the perimeter, and doing it 9 more times felt impossible to her. But her thoughts could not linger as Terra’s threats came from the other side. It almost felt like she was running with them. By the time they completed the perimeter, some had already fainted. Seeing their bodies lying in the cold filled Hellen with even more fear. She closed her eyes whenever she stepped over someone’s body. Why does no one come to get them to the nurse or something?

  “IF YOU FALL, YOU WILL STAY THERE TILL I LEAVE. NO ONE WILL TOUCH YOUR BODIES, YOU WILL PICK YOURSELF UP IF YOU WISH TO NOT DIE FROM THE COLD”

  Terra’s voice became the energy that kept everyone on track. It was like being chased by the reaper. Hellen and others knew in their hearts now that their survival depended on completing the laps. With each shout, the fallen people tried picking themselves up and continuing the punishment. Everyone shut out every other sense they had and focused on completing the laps. Towards the end of the first lap, all they could feel was the bone shattering shouts from Terra.

  Hellen felt like her entire body was on fire as she completed the 5th lap. There were only a handful of people who kept up the pace throughout. She looked back and saw others stumbling aimlessly, like puppets at the end of their power. She had barely enough energy to put one foot in front of the other, but she clung on to that energy as if her life depended on it. She felt that if she fell down, she would be swallowed by the ground Terra would mark her grave there. The shouts continued reverberating through her body as she pulled every bit of life she had to keep moving.

  By the time they completed their final lap, the fog was nowhere as the sun rose up above them. Other students had already left, but Terra was still there. Hellen crossed the finish line and just fell down, with barely enough energy to keep her eyes open. As Terra’s shouts continued, she slowly gathered enough energy to get up. But an unfamiliar voice came to her like a soothing melody. Hellen turned over and saw her room mate standing over her. “Stay down, you’ll need it.” Seeing another person’s face felt akin to seeing land while stranded on the sea.

  “You look dead.” She said as she sat down next to her. Hellen could not form any words. “All seniors are used to this. I heard that she does this with all freshmen.” Hellen closed her eyes. How did I even complete this?

  “It’s Terra’s doing.”

  “Wha..” Hellen tried to ask but could not complete her words as the exhaustion took over. “Terra is special. She had some accident way back and lost her voice. They grafted her vocal cords with stones and fixed her voice. I guess the stones did something and ever since that, she is able to send energy from her body out through her voice.”

  “Is that what all the shouting is for?” Hellen’s voice slurred as she slowly got back her energy.

  “No she shouts because she still can’t modulate her voice because of the graft. I guess it does help with the range of her ability.”

  Hellen thought back to all that she had seen before. Makes sense. All that time I kept running because it felt like Terra was right behind, ready to crush and bury me in the range, it might have been her ability to transfer energy.

  “Wait, how does she have this much energy if she is transferring?”

  “BECAUSE…” Terra’s voice shook Hellen back up as she sat up to see Terra towering over her, flexing her muscles.

  What?

  “Because she is strong.” Her room mate translated for Terra. Terra looked over to her. “TAKE HER AND GO BACK TO YOUR DORMS.” The voice shook both Hellen and her room mate back to their feet, as they started walking back.

  On their way back, Hellen’s mind was wandering through thoughts of joining Custos. If I want to get good enough to get into Custos, I need to get good enough to apply. To be good enough to apply, I need to be able to at the very least, survive Terra’s training. Looking over to her room mate, it did not feel like both of them just did the same thing. While she had blotches of sweat on her outfit, her face did not show any sign of tiredness. She was breathing fine, unlike Hellen who was still struggling. Her gait was perfect, unlike Hellen who was limping along. It almost felt like she cheated. “Maria Hildebrand.” she introduced herself as she extended her hand. “I didn’t get to ask your name yet.” Hellen, still tired, managed to get a hold of her hand with some effort. “Hellen Selicia.” As she gathered her thoughts, she felt compelled to ask about how she was not tired at all. Maria looked at her face and saw the question coming. “I am trying to get into Custos. And for that, you need to impress Terra, since she is the examiner for Custos. So I have been training a lot for the last few years”

  Hellen saw the gulf between her and someone who actually wanted to join Custos. It was overwhelming. Maria saw the fear creeping into Hellen’s face and stopped walking. She understood that Hellen also was looking forward to joining Custos, and was losing inspiration just by her presence.

  “You finished that without falling down. You’re also not half bad.”

  Those words pulled her out of the downward spiral she was walking down. Yes, I did. I finished that. “With Terra’s help, you can really improve. She might be hard-ass, but she is the best trainer out there” Yes, she is. With her ability, she can really help me get better. “Who knows, you might be helping me get to the room next time” Okay, tone it down , I get it. “Okay, maybe not that much. But you can still come second behind me”

  “Mark the day, next year I will be the one carrying you back.” As she said it out loud, she felt the lost inspiration coming back to her. Seeing her face light up, Maria smiled, knowing she played a part in making someone’s day better. As they continued walking back, Hellen’s mind was completely focused. I was never that fit anyway, so expecting to be good right out the gate is just stupid. But today showed me that it is possible for me to get there. One step at a time, I am going to get to where people like Maria are standing.

  I’m on the right track.The next milestone is clear ahead. All I need to do is get there now.

  ———————————————————————–

  The Academy was different from other schools in Feyroch even in the most basic of academic functions. For one, students were forbidden from writing notes to incentivize storing information inside their body rather than outside. Books still were used, but no book could be taken outside of Central. Classes were taken entirely from memory, and students had to either have great memory or understanding to finish their course. The privilege of writing would only be given to graduated Scholars or Scholars that were recognized by the Academy. Their writings would be collected and added to the library, which then the Merichs would read and store within them. For Feyrochas, books were only needed for propagation of information or entertainment, and the Academy took great care so as to not let random information that could lead to the spread of misinformation be propagated. The monopoly on information that the Academy held came with great accountability as anyone in Feyroch could contest the information and have a Scholar engage in discussion or debate with them. If they are able to create reasonable doubt regarding the information, the information was labelled as contested information and further research would be ordered by the Academy.

  Hellen was ready to experience such a class first hand. The teachers of her local school had always praised her for her memory, and this would be the stage to validate that. The first class was Basics of Alchemy. Should be easy enough. Everyone knows the Basics of Alchemy. It’s probably supposed to be a refresher class, and most people here do not need a refresher. As she stepped inside the class, she saw a person on a wheelchair at the front of the class. There were a few students already in class. “Good morning professor” she said in a doubtful manner, unsure if this was the professor, as she walked in. The person in the wheelchair looked over and nodded as she walked to her seat. The class soon filled up as the bell rang.

  “Good Morning class, I’m Ilya Orys, and I’ll be teaching Basics of Alchemy this semester for you. We can do introductions later if we have time, which we probably won’t because this is a pretty long subject.” Everyone seemed a bit taken aback by how quick she was moving on. It is basics right? How would this be a long subject? Everyone already knows this.

  “Thinking girl” She called out. Hellen looked around to see who she was calling. “I’m talking to you.” She pointed to Hellen. “I know you were thinking “Why would Basics of Alchemy be a long subject?” Because Basics of Alchemy is not about Basic Alchemy, it’s about the Basic principles of Alchemy, the foundation of it, why it works, how we manipulate matter, so on and so forth. We are gonna go really deep into Alchemy by stripping away the layers of alchemy that we already know. So let me ask you, what is Alchemy?”

  Hellen stood up. “It is the manipulation of matter?”, she said fully knowing that was not the expected answer. “Yes, but how do we manipulate matter?” Ilya immediately followed up. “We manipulate matter by giving energy to the matter and changing its attributes?” She said, hoping it would be a good enough answer. “Yes, but how are we able to give out energy and how do we change the attributes of matter by giving energy?” Another follow up, with a follow up question tagged on. Hellen stood there thinking for a second. “Sit down. I can see some of you are getting close to the answer, but as I said, this is a long subject so I don’t want to waste our time. Our bodies radiate energy, and using Alchemy, we are able to focus that radiation to manipulate matter. I think all of you have already learned that before coming here. The reason why we radiate energy is due to the composition of our skeletal structure, which consists of multiple elements, and in that, a specific element which is Hemstein” Philosopher’s Stone. Hellen thought to herself. “Again, you would have learned this before coming here. The Hemstein in our skeletal structure is different from the Hemstein we commonly find outside, which is known as Philosopher’s Stone. You would learn more about that from classes in Anatomancy, but in short, the Hemstein in our skeleton is far more inactive than the stone deposits we find out in the world, because Hemstein Composition in our skeletal structure is an evolved property due to constant radiation from the stone deposits. It is essentially the Stone using Alchemy to propagate and the emitted energy from it manipulating our Skeletal Composition to create Hemstein in our body. This much is information that should have been available to you if you were interested in Alchemy.” Was it? My interest in Alchemy started and ended in what was taught. As much as I loved it, I never felt the need to dig deeper. Hellen contemplated the lack of curiosity that she had on a subject she actually loved. Maybe I did not love Alchemy, maybe all I loved was the ability to do Alchemy. As she continued her thought, Ilya continued with her explanation. “In our subject, we will be focusing on how we are able to channel energy, how we are able to manipulate matter, the role of Hemstein in Alchemy, the role of Sigils in Alchemy and the role of Information in Alchemy for the first half, and then practical usage of Alchemy in the second half…” The class continued as Hellen switched back and forth between contemplation and attention. Did I make a mistake by coming here?

  Stolen novel; please report.

  As the classes ended and Ilya dismissed everyone, Ken turned to Hellen. “That was a lot, right?” Hellen broke out of her thoughts as she looked over. “Oh, yeah.” “Ken Darshad. We didn’t get to know each other last day” he said as he extended his hand. “Hi, Hellen Selicia” she said as she shook his hands. He is so small, I can’t get over it. “I know what you are thinking, but trust me – you will get used to it”, he said with a smile. Damn it, I need to do something about my face.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, are you okay?”

  Damn it, I need to do something about my face.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you” Ken said as the smile faded out and he withdrew his hands.

  Damn it, I need to do something about my face.

  “It’s just that I’m really used to that look from everyone.” Ken said, not knowing what he did to piss Hellen off.

  Damn it…

  Hellen smiled a bit awkwardly as she stopped thinking about her face. “I’m sorry too, it’s just been a bit too much since yesterday.”

  “Yeah, me too. I mean, a lot happened yesterday. Normal first days in colleges are tough on their own, Academy first day has to be much tougher.” Ken said. “True.” Hellen said as she thought to herself. Learning your face is a traitorous bastard to your mind, making weird friends, explosions, war crime demonstrations, almost dying because you didn’t know the rules of PT, questioning all the choices you made till now after the first fucking class – just normal first day stuff. “

  I guess you are going through a lot.” Ken’s words brought her back, “Sorry.” she said as the conversation hit an awkward pause.

  “Where are you from?” Hellen asked after a second, hoping to end the conversation on a better note.

  “Oh, North Herris. You?”

  “I’m from here, Teka district”

  “Oh, that is pretty close. Parents work with the Academy?”

  “Not really, my Dad moved here after my mom died. We are originally from the midwest, Roui region”

  “Ah.” As the conversation came to another pause, Hellen saw Tricia standing outside.This is good enough. She thought to herself as she found the exit strategy. “My friend is here. So, see you later?” she said as she waved to Trica outside. “Sure, see you later.” Hellen was already at the door.

  “I know that look, Basics of Alchemy, you thought you knew everything, turns out you didn’t know everything” Tricia said to Hellen a bit snarkily as she came closer. “Shut up” Hellen said as Tricia pulled her back to her thoughts from before. How can I even hope to graduate if I can’t understand a single thing in the first class?

  “Who took the class?”

  “Ilya Orys.”

  “Who?”

  “You don’t know? She’s on a wheelchair.”

  “Oh, that was a Professor? I thought she was a student. One of the new scholars I guess. How is she?”

  “She literally just did the class and left. No introductions, no “getting to know”, nothing.”

  “That is pretty common here. Only the older professors actually go around and get to know everyone. New professors are usually on a very strict timeline to finish up everything because they have like a thousand other things to do”

  “Oh.”

  “Anyways. How was her class?”

  “It was okay” Hellen’s mind went back to what she was thinking of before. It was not okay. It was kind of bad. It was really bad. I am not gonna get throu–

  “Hey, the first few classes are always tough. Don’t let it get to you.”

  Hellen’s mind put brakes on the downwards spiral it just went on. She reminded herself of the conversation with Maria. I can’t expect myself to know all this, I just joined the Academy. This is where I am gonna learn all this. I can’t get discouraged just after a single class. After taking a deep breath, she was ready for the next classes.

  “Who’s the kid?” Tricia asked as she looked inside, towards Ken.

  “Who? Oh, that is Ken. He’s 30”

  “Wait really?”

  “Yeah. Stone graft keeping him young or something-”

  Tricia did not wait to listen to the whole story. She was already running towards Ken. “Hey, I’m Tricia Earhart, second year.” Ken shook the extended hand. “Ken Darshad, First Year. Hellen’s friend right?”

  Hellen watched them talking from afar and felt left out. As she walked back to her seat, they were already starting the story about Ken’s wife. She laughed slightly as she got close to them.

  “They try to follow the Academy in terms of book safety, so no one could take away any books from the library. She risked expulsion to get that book for me. And she kept bringing the book to me every day and taking it back to the library before closing time. She would bring the book, take out her own book, sit in the room, and read in silence. The day I finished Alchemical Revolution, she asked if I needed any other books, the first time she ever spoke to me. And I gave her a list, and she kept bringing them one by one. Months went by, we got closer, and the first day out of the hospital, we went out on a date. 8 years later, we got married”

  “Do people think of her as a pedophile when seeing you together for the first time?”

  Goddamnit Tricia.

  “All the time” Ken said, laughing. “We have gotten used to it. Even I do that to tease her now”

  Hellen did not know whether to laugh or be embarrassed for Tricia.

  “Are you worried she would grow old and senile while you stay young?”

  Goddamnit Tricia.

  Ken stopped laughing. A melancholic smile barely appeared on his face. “I’m so sorry Ken…” Hellen looked sharply at Tricia, who understood that she crossed a line she should not have crossed. “Sorry” She said as she started turning into a turtle.

  “No it’s okay.” Ken said. As a deep sadness coursed through his eyes, he took a moment before speaking up. “Yeah, I used to think about it all the time. Even more so since we had our second daughter. Nowadays, I try not to think about it. Who wants to waste the time we have thinking about a future that might happen?” Hellen felt the anger towards Tricia bubbling up inside her as well as sympathy for Ken.

  “I’m sorry, Ken. I’ll leave now.” Tricia said as she walked away. “No wait”, Ken stood up, but Tricia knew she had done enough, and ran outside the class, not looking back. “Could you please tell her it was okay?” Ken asked Hellen. “It was not okay, Ken. She is an adult, she should know how to respect boundaries” Hellen snapped. “I’m sorry, I’m just angry at her. She just always does this” Hellen said as she sat down.

  “It is nice to have someone remind you of certain things that you should not forget.” Ken said, as he sat down. His eyes still showed sadness, which made Hellen angrier. “The excitement of coming here has made me lose a bit of focus. I think what she said put me back on track”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I came here to find a way to remove the stone graft in my heart”

  “What?”

  “Without killing me” He smiled slightly. “I have gone through all Anatomists and Doctors in the continent, but no one had an answer. Who would want to not be functionally immortal? So I decided to do that myself.”

  “Research?”

  “Kind of. There are some research here already into manipulating Stone Grafts to be more inert. I just need to learn what they learn and go the opposite direction”

  “Oh.” Hellen said as her brain tried to process everything that she just heard. The anger she felt at Tricia had clouded her senses before. But listening to Ken, she understood the gravity of the problem Ken was facing. She imagined herself in his position, having to watch your loved ones grow old and die is hard enough as it is. Her thoughts went back to her own childhood, memories of watching her Dad wipe away the tears as he talked about her Mom flooded through her mind. She remembered him consoling himself, saying how he would join her in time and tell her how proud he was of their little girl. As her mind wandered through her vocabulary to find any words that could fill up the heaving silence the bell rang. It was time for the next class.

  ———————————————————————–

  Serg’s mind was rushing through all the possible scenarios that he would need to prepare for, from the best case to the unthinkably worst case. Adwin is right. We can’t let a single piece of Trask be unaccounted for. And if it leads to conflict….

  Serg could not complete the thought. Age had taken its toll on his resolve. As he reached the classroom, he steeled himself. “Mr. Polin, may I have a word?”, he asked. Elton stood up from the back and walked towards him. Elton was a bit apprehensive as he approached.

  “Professor Escher would like to discuss something with you?”

  “Am I in trouble?”

  Serg took a moment to answer that without betraying the feelings inside him. “Surely not, young man. Unless you have done something that you need to be in trouble for, you don’t need to suspect anything of the sorts”

  “…”

  Serg stopped. “Is there something you would like to tell me, Elton?” Serg looked closely and found the not-so-well concealed bruises in Elton’s face. “Were you involved in a fight?” Elton did not answer.

  “As your Term Advisor, let me remind you that any incidence of violence will be punished severely. So let me ask you again, were you involved in a fight?” The change of tone in Serg’s voice seemed to antagonize Elton. “Yes, Professor Sigrid.”

  “Did you instigate the fight?”

  “No, Professor Sigrid”

  “Who did?”

  “I don’t know sir”

  “What?”

  “The fight was already ongoing when I came in.”

  “Do you expect me to believe that”

  “Yes, sir” Elton said. Serg’s experienced eyes told him that he was not lying. But this gave Serg an idea. “I will be taking you to our resident Counselor.”

  “But, Professor Escher?” “We will go to him after this” He said as he started walking in the opposite direction. As they walked to the Counselor’s office, Serg’s mind was racing to account the new development to his plans.

  “Professor Sigrid?” The voice broke him out of his trance. “Ah, Edda. Mr. Polin, this is Edda Alyr, our resident counselor and Chief Scholar. Edda, Elton Polin. Now, she will have a look and tell me what happened last night”

  Edda was confused. She has not seen Serg like this in a very long while. “Serg, can we please step outside?” Serg nodded. “Elton, please take a seat, I’ll be with you in a minute.” As they walked outside, Edda asked Serg. “What is going on Serg?”

  “The kid got into a fight on his first day”

  “Oh, is that why you are so agitated?”

  “.. Yeah”

  “Okay, so what do you need me for?”

  “He said that he did not instigate the fight, which means there are other people involved. I need to know what happened”

  “Sure, but that does not explain why you need me to read him?”

  “I need to know if this kid is lying, Edda. That is all there is to it.” .

  “Alright. Sure. But on one condition.”

  “What?”

  “You will let me read about your conversation with Adwin from last night”

  “How do you know about that?”

  “I saw you leaving his office last night. And I saw Adwin in his office in the morning. I know something is going on between you two and I need to know”

  “… sure.” Serg said in a measured tone. “But I think you won’t need that once you do this.” Edda’s face changed from doubt to curiosity. “Is that so?”

  Elton was getting restless inside Edda’s office, as they walked back in. “Hi Elton. Let me explain what I am about to do, so that you are comfortable. I am a Trebec, I hope you know what that means”

  “It means you can read minds”

  “Yes. And the way it works is by me accessing parts of your brain. The process would be a painless one, but you will feel some pressure inside your head. Feel free to lie down if it becomes a problem”

  “Sure”

  Edda sat opposite to him and looked into his eyes. Trebecs read minds by sending out energy as signals into others’ eyes. The energy is absorbed by the brain, after which, they are able to freely control the movement of the energy inside the brain. The finesse required for such an action was immense, as any error, no matter how miniscule, could damage the neural network, and hurt or even kill others. And this finesse was not something that could be trained and acquired – it was an inherited trait of Feyrochas from a specific tribe that had exposure to a specific kind of Stone that was depleted long before the First Scholars made contact. The localized name of the stone was Treba – which was worshipped by the tribes as an idol because it gave them the ability to communicate without sound, helping in hunting and warfare. The worshippers of Treba called themselves Trebecs.

  As Edda navigated through the mind of the young man, she found the memory Serg asked for. “He was in his room, and he heard sounds from some other room from some heated discussion. He got annoyed, went to see what was happening, a fight was going on, and someone threw a bottle of water in his face, -”

  Edda suddenly stopped. Serg knew from her face what just happened. “Why did you stop?” Elton asked. “Some interference. Let me try it again.” She started reading his mind again, but this time she was silent, which made Elton anxious. “What are you seeing? I did not fight anyone! They were already fighting, someone threw water in my face, and someone else then accidentally hit me. By then I was already in the middle of it all and had to-”

  “It’s alright Elton. You may leave now, I need to talk to Professor Sigrid.”

  “I did not do anything”

  “I know, but please”

  As Elton walked outside, Edda shut the doors. “I was able to read part of his memory, and after that something absorbed all the energy I sent. This could only mean one thing”

  “His brain matter has a Hemstein Composition.” Serg said as he sat down. “That’s what I wanted to check. And that is what I wanted you to see”

  “Why does he have stone particles in his brain, Serg?”

  “He is from Perial”

  Edda knew what that meant. She sat down and took a deep breath. “Trask.”

  “We are not sure if it is Trask, but it is possible”

  “Adwin wants to find the fragments using the kid, huh?”

  “Yeah”

  Edda took out a pipe and started filling it. Serg sunk into the seat as the thoughts of all that could go wrong plagued him. “Edda, I am not sure if we should do it.”

  “We don’t know how Xeaq would handle it, if they learned of us looking into Trask again. If they decide to intervene, we won’t know how that would come about. I understand what you are afraid of, Serg. TO be honest, I am also afraid of the same.”

  Edda tapped on the pyromancy sigil in the pipe, and it started burning. She took a long drag of the smoke and stood up.

  “I will follow Adwin regardless of the consequences. You, on the other hand, should not”

  Serg looked up. “What?” he asked, in a disappointed, yet frustrated tone.

  “Serg, there are a lot of people who are unhappy in their positions. Positions that they are put in because we know what they would do with Feyroch if they ever climb the ladder to become Scholar Prime. All of them are looking for a moment of weakness from Adwin, or either of us. If things go south, one of us should still be here to look after the Academy.”

  Serg’s frustration grew. “I am done playing this role, Edda! People already think I am plotting to get rid of Adwin. I don’t want my legacy to be a traitorous one!”

  “Serg, all of us have a role to play here, and if your role is to be the one to clean up our mess, what can I do?”

  “Stop making a mess! Stop throwing away the future of this continent for a piece of the past”

  “Serg!”

  Serg took a deep breath. “I know what I said is a betrayal of our core as a people. But did we know we would be at such an impasse when we decided it? That we would have to weigh the future against the past?”

  Both of them could not look each other in the eyes. As moments passed and composure was reached, Serg spoke up. “I am going to take the kid to Adwin. If we are doing this, I will be there to make sure that everything happens as expected, and nothing gets to Xeaq. I want you to convince Adwin to let me do that, or else I will step into my traitorous role much earlier and nothing happens.”

  Serg walked out, with newfound resolve. As the doors closed, Elton saw Edda in her chair, deeply in thought. When Elton looked over to find Serg, he suddenly was in a large forest, covered in snow. There was no one nearby. The cold wind tore through his body like a million needles. His hands were frozen, his fingers cracking at the base. He tried to speak through the gusts of wind, yet no words came out. His lips dried and cracked, and the cold stung even more through the small wounds. As his blood rushed through his body to keep him warm, he was losing consciousness. At the final moment before his mind shut down, he felt an enormous surge of energy through his body, akin to an explosion.

  When he woke up, there was a large man standing over him. “Excuse me?”Elton said weakly. “Can you hear me, son?” The large man said as his head got closer to Elton’s face. The white moustache and beard, coupled with the bassy voice made the man look like a godly figure. “Am I dead?” Elton asked weakly.

  “No you are not”, the man said. He put his hands over Elton’s head, and Elton could make out the Anatomancy sigils tattooed in his fingertips. As the palm touched his forehead, he could sense the energy flowing into his body. “You had a minor stroke in the hallway. Thankfully, nothing was damaged, you just lost control of your body for a few seconds. I’m sending a signal through your body to let everything in there know that your brain is back in business, and you should be good to go.” Elton slowly sat up and looked around. He was in the infirmary. And behind the large man, there was someone else. “Thanks Remi, that should be all.” The voice was familiar. He remembered it from the last day’s address. Adwin Escher. As the large man moved out of the way, Adwin came into view. “Mr.Polin, welcome back. You gave all of us a scare.”

  “Hello, Professor Escher” he said, a bit confused as to why the Scholar Prime had come to see him in the infirmary, rather than call him to his office.

  “I hoped to talk with you under better circumstances. But this place shall do. I hear that you want to become a Merich”

  Elton was still a bit groggy, but hearing the word Merich brought him back to his senses.

  “Yes, sir”

  “Since when?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “When did you start wanting to become a Merich?”

  “As long as I can remember?”

  “Huh.” Adwin sat down on a nearby chair.

  “May I ask, why did you want to see me today?”

  “To talk to a Scholar from Perial that has shown interest in becoming a Merich. When Professor Sigrid brought you up on a discussion we had last night, I was intrigued. Perial is on the western border of Feyroch. The lack of stone deposits in Perial makes it so that not many have the talent to become a Scholar, let alone one from the Academy. And here you are, not just any Academy Scholar, a Scholar that wants to become a Merich. The reason you are here is proof enough of your talent as a Scholar and an Alchemist, but may I ask, why Merich?”

  Elton straightened his back. This was a question that he had faced ever since he expressed his ambition. The answer for that question was engraved in his brain so much so that you could ask him in his sleep and he would still answer it.

  “Because I want to prove that someone from Perial can become one, sir”

  Adwin smiled, but deep within that smile, Elton could feel sympathy, which offended him. Because that was almost always the reaction to his answer. Pity.

  “I will help you become one, Elton” Adwin said as he stood up, to Elton’s surprise. “After all, it is my job to help my students reach the heights they want to reach.” The pity Elton sensed earlier was not there. It was replaced by resolve. Throughout his life, he had only heard half hearted “You can do it” from anyone willing to hear him out. But for the first time, someone was reaching out to him, offering help. At that moment, Elton knew he was in the right place.

  “Thank you, sir.” Elton said as emotions bubbled over inside him.

  Serg was waiting outside for Adwin. “Let’s go to my office” Adwin said as he walked ahead. As they turned a corner, Adwin stopped. He held onto the walls to support him. Serg quickly held him, “Are you okay? What happened?”

  “It is Trask, Serg.” He said, as he suppressed his emotions.

  “How?”

  “He said he wanted to prove that someone from Perial can become a Merich”

  Memories of that night flooded through Serg’s mind. The night before graduation. Serg, Adwin, and Trask, climbed the walls of the Academy onto the roof, to share their final drink as students.

  “Trask, you are fucking weird.” Adwin said as he stood up in a drunken stupor. Serg was sitting down, unable to stand. “Yeah you are weird, Trask” Serg said as he laid down.

  “Fuck you” Trask said as he poured himself a drink.

  “I mean, who would even choose to become a Merich? Living forever as a fucking statue? Like, you can’t even have sex, damn it!” Adwin said as he sat down near Serg.

  “No, you can have sex, you just can’t have personal attachment while having sex” Serg said, barely lifting his head from the ground as a courtesy.

  “Who even wants to have sex like that? I mean, I do, but that is for a different reason” Adwin said as he broke out into laughter. Serg joined him as their laughs echoed through the cold roof of the Academy.

  Trask stood up, still drunk. The sudden motion in their peripheral vision made both Serg and Adwin focus on him, still trying hard to stop laughing. “You guys don’t get it because you don’t know what it feels to climb to a place you don’t know if you can climb to.” Trask walked over to them “Adwin, your dad literally owns half of Roui, you won’t get it. Serg, you come from a line of Chief Scholars, of course you don’t get it. You know who I had to look up to? When I was growing up? Fucking nobody. Nobody from the western border becomes anything in this fucking continent because the continent fucking decided that we don’t get anything. All we get to be are fucking clerks or first year custodians. Fucking nobodies that live and die as nobodies.” Trask looked out into the bright moon. Adwin and Serg had stopped laughing. They looked at each other, not knowing whether they did something wrong to get yelled at like this. As Adwin tried to speak up, Serg stopped him. He understood this was different. Trask was always the level headed one of the group. This was years of bottled up emotions coming out at once. Serg gestured at Adwin to shut up and listen.

  “I am the first person from Corda to get to the Academy. I am the first person from Corda to become a Second Year. And a Third Year. I am the first person from Corda to fucking graduate from this Academy.” Trask’s emotions were spilling over, as he wiped away the tears that trickled down from his eyes. What Adwin did not understand before, he understood now.

  “You wanna know why I want to become a Merich?” Trask asked, as he walked over to the edge of the rooftop, a half empty glass in his hand, his silhouette overshadowing the moon.

  “Because I want to prove that someone from Corda can become one”

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