by Shanon Chong
“What do we have?” I asked, pouring myself a glass of water.
“What do you mean?” she replied, bewildered.
“Like board games, like chess or something.”
“We have chess somewhere in the closet. I might have a deck of cards… Want to play?” Rachel opened the closet door and rummaged through the lower section that kept the random items she had brought.
“Is it in the room’s cupboard?”
“Maybe…” She lifted up a wooden box from the ground of the closet; the familiar black and white pattern gave me an idea of what she had found. “I found a chess set!”
“I guess that means we play chess, then,” I said, leading the way to the library. With little else to do, Rachel followed. “Are we playing seriously? I mean, could you say your move aloud when you play it? I’m not going to go all out before I sleep, but I like to know what happened.”
“This can be done.” I smiled, placing my cup on the library table. “We’re using this to kill some time, right?”
“Until we get tired.”
“So, we want to get some sleep, right?” I placed the pieces in their respective positions.
“Yeah, I want some sleep.” Rachel sighed, placing her queen on the board. “Ready?”
“Yeah, sure.” I paused, waiting for her to play. “It’s your move, Rachel. You’re white.”
“Er, pawn to E4.” She slid her piece forward. I didn’t need to hesitate. I mean, we were both tired, so what was the point of straining our minds? “We aren’t trying, right?” she clarified nervously.
“Nope. Pawn to E5. Did I miss anything?”
“Except for afternoon classes, no. Let’s try horse to F3.” She grabbed her knight and slammed it down playfully.
“Knight to C6, any questions?”
“What purpose does visiting the Church serve you? Bishop to C4. I mean, the Church hasn’t interested you before.”
“Damn, you’re playing by the book. Bishop to C5,” I replied, annoyed.
“Answer the question, Theo. Bishop take F7. Check.”
“I’m going to see if they’re hiding something. King take Bishop at F7.”
“How closely do you want to follow your father?” She paused, giving some thought to her next move. “Horse take the pawn at E5. Check.”
“Knight take E5.” I took a breath. “Why do you call it a horse?”
“Old habit. Queen to H5. Check. Are you trying?”
“You said to take it easy… Knight to G6.”
“How was the interrogation?” she inquired. “Queen to D5. Check.”
“Good. I was even given treatment for the ribs you broke.” I sighed sarcastically. “King to F8.”
“Queen take C5. Check.”
“Pawn to D6.” I paused, looking at the board. “Stop putting me in check!” I said, irritated. I took a sip of water and then wiped off whatever liquid remained on my mouth.
“Queen to E5. I’m just playing the game. Don’t complain.”
“Knight to F6. Oh well, can’t be helped.”
“I castle. King to G1 and castle to F1,” she declared. Grabbing a book off the shelf, she casually flipped through the pages. “I mean, we really don’t have much to talk about.”
“I’m trying to find something. Queen to E7.”
“Going on the offensive?” She looked me in the eye. “I can’t let that happen. Horse to C3!” she shouted with false fervour.
“Bishop to D7.”
“Pawn G2 to G4!” She sat straight in her chair. “I made so many mistakes…” She groaned.
“Bishop to C6.” I placed my face in my palm. “Every single move we’ve made has been a blunder.”
“I mean, you aren’t wrong. G4 to G5.” She sighed.
“Knight to G4.”
“Queen to G2. Want to take a break?” she asked suddenly, looking at the board with misery on her face.
“So, you want to stop playing after you get in a bad situation?” I asked, looking at my own pathetic position.
“I want to stop playing this blunder-fest!” Rachel exclaimed, moving her queen. “Queen to F7.”
“Uh, queen take G4.”
“I just want to speak without the game in the way,” Rachel muttered. “Horse to E5.”
“I mean, if you want to talk, we can just do that in bed.” I studied the board. “Queen to E2.”
“Knight to… You know what! Forget it. Let’s just talk in bed,” Rachel declared, flicking her king onto its side.”
“Can I take this as you conceding?”
“If you are so cowardly as to do so.”
“Just a game of chess,” I said, returning the pieces to their home inside the case. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Life!” she demanded, sitting on top of the bed and slowly sinking down into its comfortable embrace. “I just don’t know what’s happening anymore!”
“Well, since we’ve started, tell me about it,” I said amicably, sliding underneath the blanket, consumed by its warm, comfortable grasp. “I mean, we’ve had a rough couple of days.”
“When I first applied for the academy, I felt that I didn’t need to prepare because, you know, I’m way beyond average for my age group in terms of magic.”
“Right. Then you met Bethany.”
“Yeah, her. She was whatever I am multiplied by ten.”
“You already told me that when you injured her. You meant no harm, I mean, but…”
“It’s fine.”
“Look, tell me what’s wrong.”
“We just keep getting dragged into the craziest stuff straight out of the novels in the libraries.”
“You developing a God complex?”
“No, no, no, I didn’t mean it like that,” she denied rapidly. “I just feel like these first few days have been planned in advance or something.”
“Like a preordained fate or something?”
“Yeah, exactly,” she replied, satisfied with my response. “Maybe the Old God, or Hans, is targeting someone!”
“You think a mage could control fate?” I asked sarcastically. Then I realised that many things had been fitting together too conveniently. “Actually, I think I know what you mean.” I thought back to my dream about my ancestors and the childlike Vin.
“Everyone at the school is so amazing, though!” she declared. “I thought everything would go swimmingly!”
“Says the person who won the tournament,” I mentioned sarcastically, poking fun at her.
“Shut it,” she joked. “I was just really lucky. If I’d met Vin…just like you, I would’ve been toast.”
“I feel depressingly weak, though…” I said, looking at her under the dimmed lights of the room. “Never thought I was amazing. I mean, I am slightly egotistical, I guess.”
“You hold your weight here,” she said, patting me lightly on the back. “I mean, you demolished your first opponent.”
“Through trickery! The other two just gave me victory!” I forced a grin to my face.
“Calm down. They respected your strength. You think Shannon could’ve held her ancient magic for long? It seals all magic!” she retorted angrily, defending me.
“How do you know about the ancient magic?” I asked. “Anyway, I really wish I could’ve won via more legitimate means.”
“You’ll surpass them with time. Harrold is training you personally, isn’t he?” She patted my shoulder before retracting her hand awkwardly.
“Why are you involved in the Old God business?” I replied, avoiding the question.
“My mum thought I could provide assistance. I mean, we’re some of the best tacticians in Arcana.”
“The perfect duo, mother and daughter.”
“Husband and wife sounds better!” she declared, sliding her slim legs under the blanket.
“Do I take that as a proposal?”
“Just my opinion, no proposal or anything,” she argued, blushing throughout her small tantrum.
“I’m jus
t joking. You tired yet?” I asked, slowly feeling a yawn come to my lips.
“You asking for yourself? I saw that yawn,” she teased. “Yeah, I guess I am tired.” She yawned as well, and then laying her head on her pillow, she looked at me. “Good night, Theo.”
“Good night,” I replied, following suit, and then I let the entire width of the bed serve as a portal to my dreams.
“Bloody oath, kid, you got to sleep at three in the morning!” I heard my father shout as I entered his dream realm. “I don’t have long, but let’s talk.”
“About what?” I asked as he led me to a bright painted pink bench in his manifested dream state. “We don’t talk about much, do we?”
“Okay, I only have a few minutes…so you better remember to tell Harrold tomorrow morning, okay,” he muttered, nervously eying me. “Tell him to teach you something called a ‘Zone.’”
“Isn’t Zone meant to be a technique that is learned after your fundamentals?”
“You know what a Zone is? Anyway, Harrold will make it work somehow.” He patted my shoulder reassuringly. “I’ll see if my magic can do something interesting… Anyway, good luck with the Church trip. If you see Daniel, tell him—”
I felt a sudden jerk as my father disappeared from the picture entirely and I entered another dream.
“Dad?” I said, panicked, looking around desperately for a trace of his existence. “Dad!”
“Wow, Theo, you’ve grown, haven’t you!”
I felt a slightly shorter figure embrace my torso; the voice reminded me of fond nights and days from my childhood. Remembering the picture in my father’s office, I looked down at the person hugging me.
“Mum?”
“Yes, Theo?” she asked without looking up at me.
“Mum!” I wailed childishly as I held my mother tightly in my embrace. She hugged me tightly, her eyes closed, letting similar tears escape from the corners of her eyes.
“I’ve died, haven’t I?” She smiled in a melancholy way that reminded me of my father. “Don’t be sad…” she murmured into my chest. “I just wish I could’ve seen you grow up…with Andreas.”
“With my father? But he left when I was five,” I retorted quietly, not wanting to start an argument.
“He was the one who brought us together tonight.” She smiled sadly, tearing herself away from my embrace and taking a step back.
“He doesn’t have control over the dead, does he?”
“We should have been able to raise you, Theo…” My mother sighed. “The Old God should’ve been sealed for another ten to twenty years. We could have raised you to be the perfect weapon against him.”
“Weapon? Is that all I am?” I said under my breath, wiping away my tears. “I just wanted a peaceful life with my parents!”
“I would’ve wished for that, too!” My mother knelt on the floor in anguish. Instinctively, I leaned over and held her in my arms. “If only he wasn’t so dangerous!”
“Are you telling me that of all the mages in Arcana, one who is barely fifteen has to kill a master of magic?”
“Your father can’t kill him! Your father gave everything to him. Your father gave him the torch to light his path…yet this apprentice of his couldn’t even walk through the forest without getting burned.”
“Torch? Forest?”
“Please, save your father… He’s your only family left. He couldn’t bear the burden of time. But-but maybe you can.” Grimacing, my mother gripped my shoulders and lightly shook me. “Please.”
“I promise you, Mum, I’ll kill the Old God, I’ll protect him.”
My mother’s sobs faded as I opened my eyes again. The scenery had shifted dramatically, a forest of unimaginable proportions stood before me, trees rose higher than my vision could reach, I paused before muttering. “Where am I?”
“Welcome, child of Arcanas! You have been selected to participate in trial one of six. You will be given two attempts at this test…one now and the second the next time you fall into slumber,” a loud voice declared as roots that I hadn’t noticed before appeared at my feet. The forest surrounding me held many trees of all types. In my left hand, I held a wooden stake painted pure black, and in my right hand was a torch spitting out blue flame.
“What’s this?” I said, dropping to my knees and bludgeoning the roots that bound my feet with the stake, noticing the flock of crows that surrounded me overhead. “What to do, what to do?” I muttered, a pained expression on my face.
“Your time.”
The crows flocked to me as the voice echoed from the land that contained me. Beaks found their way to my skin, pecking at my body. A ticking grew audibly louder, seeming to echo from the trees.
“Your time has expired. That will be classified as your first attempt,” the omniscient voice declared. The crows obscured my vision. My eyes flapped open like the wings of a bird.
“Theo! Wake up, let’s go visit the Church! You said you wanted to have a look around!” Rachel nagged, pulling my closed eyelids open.
“Let me wake up first!” I shouted, annoyed. I sat up, head-butting Rachel. I paused for a moment as my sense were knocked into focus, “Are you okay?” I asked.
“I-I’m fine. I’ll invite some of the other students for breakfast at the Bunker’s Entrance.”
“Sure. Meet me at the dormitory entrance?” I asked awkwardly.
“Okay. See you there!” she replied, and then she dashed out of the room. I trailed behind, walking into the restroom. I grabbed the toothbrush and scrubbed my teeth. Gargling, I rinsed out my mouth, and then I spat out the final mouthful of water and rinsed it down the sink. Finally, I wiped around the sink’s edge, taking care to mop up any water.
Closing the bathroom door carefully, I entered the closet and grabbed a simple white undershirt and a set of grey mage’s robes. My dark attire looked inconspicuous enough from my standpoint. I grabbed my key and slid it in the hidden pouch in the right pocket of the pants I wore. Closing the front door, I locked it and made my way to the dormitory’s entrance.
“Theo! You’re here at last!” Vin exclaimed as I opened the door to the garden-like courtyard. Several students had accepted Rachel’s invitation, all of whom I remembered. There were five girls, and Vin and I were the only males present. Juno, Lucy, Norah, and Alicia waved courteously as I approached them.
“Shall we go?” Rachel asked the girls. Their unanimous nodding brought a smile to her face as she began walking. Vin and I followed reluctantly; though we hadn’t been consulted, we did not want to miss out on breakfast. “You think it’s open?”
“The Bunker’s Entrance?” Juno asked. Rachel’s slight nod led Juno to continue. “I think so. Jayden wants to keep its reputation as a premium restaurant.”
“It’s premium?” Lucy and Norah exclaimed in disbelief, their jaws hanging to the ground.
Following the main road, we slowly made our way to the restaurant.
“I mean, according to the small underground newspapers I’ve read, it’s really well respected among connoisseurs,” Alicia said before Juno could open her mouth. “Sorry, Juno, couldn’t help myself.” She gave a small bow before continuing to walk down the road.
“I guess it doubles as both a bar and restaurant…” Vin added, awkwardly attempting to enter the conversation.
“I’m pretty sure they judge the bar and restaurant exclusively, but I get the gist of what you’re trying to say,” Alicia replied politely.
Juno raised her eyebrow when she heard that, and she scrutinised their conversation silently, judging both Vin and Alicia.
I tapped Juno on the shoulder and leaned over to whisper, “I don’t think they mean any harm by butting in on your conversation.”
“Why are you telling me that?” Juno said, taking a step back.
“Oh, I guess I’m imaging the scowl on your face,” I commented.
“I guess you are imaging things,” she said, now actually scowling. She walked over to the door of the Bunker’s Entrance. �
�In you go, guys!” she exclaimed cheerfully, holding the door open and making sure all of us had entered before she joined us.
“’Ello,” Jayden greeted us casually as he strolled up to the counter. “Didn’t think you kids would end up being regulars.”
“I’m here to see what your restaurant offers,” Alicia responded, holding a hand to her chest.
“You didn’t eat enough on Bill’s paycheck?” Jayden jabbed sarcastically, watching with a smile as Alicia’s expression showed slight frustration. “I’m joking. You guys here for breakfast?”
“Do you serve breakfast?” Juno piped up from the back of the group. Shuffling to the front, she stood straight as she stared Jayden down.
“We do, indeed!” Jayden said, dramatically handing over a clipboard with a piece of parchment bolted to it. “You guys can have room four. The part-timers just finished cleaning it up.”
“Thank you.” Juno bowed graciously and walked down the stairs with the rest of us in tow. “Wonder what they offer,” she wondered aloud, holding the clipboard up to her eyes and carefully examining the entire list of foods.
“Did you guys hear about the incident last night?” Alicia said suddenly, attempting to create conversation. “People think there’s a ghost in the dormitory.”
“Who said that?” Vin asked skeptically. “Could’ve just been some students causing a racket.”
“The people who heard it described it as a wail from hell,” Alicia said ominously.
“What time was this?” Rachel said, asking the question I held in the back of my mind.
“Around two to three. Why?”
“Nothing…” Rachel muttered quietly, avoiding the subject. Leaning over, she whispered into my ear, “I stubbed my toe after you fell asleep… I screamed really loud…”
All eyes at the table turned to us.
“What are you lovers whispering about?” Lucy asked with a chuckle.
“Maybe they’re talking about their date after this,” Norah said.
“Anyway, on another note, does anyone know what they’re doing after?” I asked, hoping to get an excuse to leave earlier.
“I’m going to Ms Merases to learn more about alchemy,” Juno declared, and then she wrote a string of numbers on the order sheet and passed it down the table with the accompanying board and parchment.