Chapter 92: Mystery
The night sky flourished, taking over the bright sky with its endless black, scattering stars in its wake.
Yet remnants of laughter lingered in the scent of cake, binding the five — sealing their first night in Vaeloria academy with sugar and memory.
25 Emberwyn 2004.
The room lit up with the violet hue of dawn that filtered through the singular window. The curtains danced gently with the soft breeze, the shadows of morning moved over the academy grounds.
Ray was the first to stir. Eyes opening at exactly 5:00 AM. He had learned to wake up at specific times until it became routine.
Then instinct.
His hand reached for the spear that leaned against the wall beside his bed. A weapon gifted by his teacher that was suited for his current strength.
Its length reached his forehead and the metal glistened in the warm light, his fingers running along the shaft. His reflection appeared for a moment, showing his features.
He stared for a moment, ruffling his messy hair, a small frown formed on his face as he gently pulled himself to stand up straight. He walked forward exiting the dorm in silence.
***
At 7:00AM, Kael’s alarm spell went off with a loud chime, a small crystal ball left on the desk hummed rhythmically at one-second intervals.
The boy rubbed his eyes, sitting up to move to where Vergil slept.
"Vergil, Vergil get up." Kael yawned.
Vergil stirred, eyes fluttering open slowly, though he was still groggy from yesterday’s ’party.’ This was his first proper sleep in a long time.
I’ll have to get used to this.
The thoughts drifted into his mind, remembering everything that had happened.
A year stuck in a cage, a perfect illusion of a paradise built for him. One that he had left behind him.
He rose slowly, running a hand through his hair, his muscles stiff and his heart oddly quiet. Even now, he could still feel that place tugging at him in his mind.
I wonder how that spear’s doing?
He exhaled, pulling himself out of bed, the clothes in the wardrobe were simple Academy-issued garments. A dark fitted tunic and black pants with subtle golden stitching on the cuffs.
Although there was the basic white clothes also in there, he didn’t feel like wearing it. He left his clothes on the bed, making his way to the bathroom.
The bathroom was modest, on the left was a tub and shower behind a wall of glass that cluld be slid open and the right was a sink and a shared cup of three toothbrushes.
Vergil stared. "Kael! Which toothbrush is whose?"
Kael, still buttoning his shirt, called out from the room, "Green is mine, Ray’s is blue. Yours is purple."
"And don’t you dare touch mine!" He added.
Vergil smirked faintly. "Got it!"
He brushed his teeth thoroughly, it had been a while since he brushed and most of his teeth was yellow.
Foam coated his mouth as he spat into the sink, the paste left a minty aftertaste that made it satisfying. He rinsed his mouth and face before wiping it all with a towel.
He stared at the reflection in the mirror. No signs of tiredness. Only readiness for what was to come.
At 7.30AM the door clicked open and Ray stepped back in. Sweat clung to his body, his usual composed hair now disheveled.
Vergil glanced at him. "How was your training?"
Ray dropped his spear gently against the wall beside his bed. "Same as usual," he spoke walking towards the bathroom. "Wait for me guys, I’ll be back."
Kael chuckled, watching Ray. "Man wakes up at the crack of dawn every day and trains without fail.
Vergil leaned back on the bed. "He’s more disciplined than he looks."
"It would he hard to tell if he was a noble."
"..."
"Obviously if you don’t consider his looks." Kael added.
They both waited as Ray showered, steam drifting from under the door after a few minutes.
By 7:45 AM, Ray emerged. Refreshed. Composed.
Kael stood up, opening the door. "Let’s head early and grab a seat. It’s almost time."
The three headed out, joining the influx of students that were guided towards the dome by both teachers and instructors.
"I hope I pass."
"I heard only 2500 of us can be accepted."
Murmurs and rumors spread across the applicants. Some nervous, others excited. The talk about ranking made Vergil feel anxious.
As they walked through the corridors of the main building. Vergil caught a glimpse of two familiar faces.
"Vergil," Elena called, moving towards them with Elle, who as always carried herself with poise.
Ray blinked, startled by the sudden reunion.
And when he locked eyes with Elena, he looked away, unable to make contact. Mouth remaining silent.
"Ray? Are you okay?" Elle noticed.
"Uh, y-yeah. I mean yes," he cleared his throat. "Your both early." Ray snapped out of his trance.
"Of course," Elle smiled. "I want to see where I rank. "
Elena nodded in agreement. "I wonder how they judge it on." Her lips curving slightly. "A certain duo I know... failed the written exam."
Vergil and Ray flinched, looking the otherway.
"No idea, what you’re talking about." Vergil whistled.
"Same here," Ray assured.
Vergil put his arms behind his back. "I just hope we all pass."
Ray meanwhile, observed. He didn’t have much to say. His usual self disappeared. Replaced only with caution. His eyes lingered on Elena every second she wasn’t looking.
His eyes met Vergil, who had a flat expression on his face, before giving a shaky thumbs up as if saying ’you got this.’
Damn you Vergil. Don’t make fun of me.
They moved closer reaching the now packed entrance to the dome. Instructors waited outside, checking each student and letting them in.
Vergil glanced sideways at Elena, remembering something he wanted to know. "Now that I think about it... what was your test, Elena?"
Elena didn’t respond immediately, gaze still looking ahead. "Its quite hard to put in words but I’ll try."
"The instructor asked, what path we wanted to pursue. I chose the magician. I don’t know much but it was more so because I can’t hold a sword and I’m better at theory.
She exhaled lightly and continued. "After that, they assessed what energy we naturally carried. Some had aura, Yuan qi, some had none. But was one of the lucky ones who had mana."
Kael nodded. "Not everyone carries mana. It’s based on luck."
"True, they said I can walk the path of magic. So they moved to affinity testing."
She slowed down, reminiscing what occured. "When I touched a crystal ball. Lights appeared and swirled around my body. My results came out as. Grey and light blue."
Vergil twitched. "You sure didn’t mean silver? I know blue is ice but..."
I asked about it," Elena admitted. "I also thought the same thing and thought it was soul. But the examiners said otherwise. That the greyish colour was something special."
Ray, who was silent until now finally spoke. "If its not silver. And is grey, I wonder what it is."
"The teachers said not to worry about it." Elena nodded. "They told me that my instructor will show me what it means."
"That sounds like a free pass in,’ Vergil smirked.
Kael grinned. "So, you’re a mystery box."
"Well, I look forward to seeing what’s inside," Ray chuckled.
Elena smiled slightly but didn’t say more.
The group continued walking through the crowd, making their way closer to the entrance of the dorm.
Yet Vergil couldn’t shake the picture forming in his mind of these two distinct colours.
Grey and blue. An ice affinity and an unknown, should I scan... actually, I want her to tell me.