by Graeme Hurry
Lyn was vaguely aware that Radiaurora’s alchemic knowledge, mostly derived from Centrosis, was incomplete, but she hadn’t learned her own nation’s alchemy in the first place. She smiled, wondering if it was a blessing in disguise, as no prejudices would prevent her from soaking in this new “science.”
Chelavye pointed at a five-element diagram on the left. “This is the Radiauroran list of elements. Fire, water, earth, wood, and metal.” She pointed to the ordered table. “This is what we in Ilysveil have learned about the elements. Water is quite close to being a basic element. It’s composed of only two parts, hydrogen and oxygen. Metal is not a compound element, but is in fact just many different elements with the same label. Iron, copper, and magnesium are all considered metal. You’ll be surprised to know that fire isn’t an element at all.”
Gasps and whispers went through the room.
“When you burn something, that fire is just pure energy. It’s a lot like the sunlight.” Chelavye handed out papers and brushes. “I’ll show you the difference between the two element systems with a real demonstration. Everyone copy the circle I draw.” She drew a basic circle.
Everyone dipped their brush and drew an alchemic circle. Chelavye handed a cup of water to everyone. “This circle is from your royal court’s archives. If you view water as one element, you can change its state.” She poured a little water on the paper. She placed her hand on the alchemic circle. It glowed, and the water froze into a bead.
The class copied her demonstration. Lyn placed her hand over the circle and channeled her aura through her hand and circulated it within the alchemic diagram, and the water in the center of the circle froze.
“Now if you view water as two elements combined, you can do more. You can split them apart.” She drew a different circle. She held a cylindrical device with a tiny wheel at the top over the paper. She poured water and repeated the process. The water vanished. When Chelavye pressed the wheel, a spark flashed, and a fire lit. A small column of fire shot up from where the water had disappeared. “Hydrogen burns very easily. I separated the hydrogen and oxygen.”
The class was silent, filled only with the sounds of brushes on paper. Alchemy that could alter matter to this degree was unheard of. Lyn stared at the device in Chelavye’s hand. “Chelavye Sensei? What’s that you’re holding?”
“This is a lighter. Pressing the wheel here creates a spark that lights up the oil that comes out of the cylinder.”
“Did you make it?”
“No. Corvus, my…” Chelavye blushed. “A very special person made it.”
She resisted the urge to giggle at her teacher’s behavior. Lyn asked her for more details about the “lighter” and kept up with the lectures for the rest of class. A girl with a big forehead about her age glared at her. She probably didn’t like the sight of a commoner taking up the teacher’s time.
Lyn feigned ignorance. She didn’t have to make friends with the noble girls here, but she didn’t want to needlessly antagonize them either. Chelavye followed through on her promise to treat everyone equally here, so they couldn’t bother her too much even if they were nobles outside. She could endure the stares and whispers, for she didn’t want to cause any incidents that would reflect badly on Empress Narsha.
After class, she walked out the gate, Aria right behind her. A noble lady in a pink robe decorated with flower patterns was waiting outside.
“Oh, Aria. What did you do at Eva Academy today?”
“I had a lot of fun, Mother,” Aria said.
Her mother smiled. “Why don’t you show me all the things you did in class when we get back?”
Chelavye stepped outside. “Hello, Countess Yun!”
“Ah, Chelavye Sensei. Thank you for always looking after my daughter.”
“It’s no problem at all. This is what I’m here in Radiaurora to do,” Chelavye said.
She took a good look at the school building. “Well, good day to you.” Countess Yun left holding Aria’s hand.
The girl with the big forehead walked out of the school. “You’re still here?” she asked Lyn.
“Yes. I’m waiting for someone.”
She brushed aside her long, orange-black hair. “What? Your parents are likely on the farm. They shouldn’t have time to waste to pick you up.”
“Who are you to tell me what my parents should or shouldn’t do?” Lyn didn’t want to admit she didn’t have parents.
“You don’t know? I’m Gim Nora, the daughter of Marquis Gim.”
“Now, now. Let’s be nice to each other,” Chelavye said, an awkward smile on her face. Sensei was obviously not good at dealing with conflicts.
Lyn could see where Nora got that attitude. Marquis Gim had the whole capital city of Shinra under his thumb. He only answered to the Duke and the Emperor, and they were probably more interested in national affairs. Growing up like that, she likely expected everyone else to bow to her. “I’m merely here to learn, the same as you. Social rank isn’t going to protect any of us from the Ilysveilans or the Solradians.”
Chelavye raised her hand. “Um, I’m right here.”
“Sorry, Sensei.”
“It’s okay. I know Ilysveil’s been imposing on your country.”
“Hmph. Just because we’re learning the same things doesn’t mean you can get carried away, commoner.” Nora crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks.
Heavy footsteps approached. Two soldiers stopped, then separated. Empress Narsha walked between them, dressed in a shiny blue-green silk dress.
Nora took a step back. “Your Majesty!” She quickly bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
“I’m glad to see your students are doing well, Mira,” Empress Narsha said. Her orange-black hair was tied in a huge bundle, and Lyn wondered how that stayed upright.
Her bundle drooped backward, and a soldier caught it in his hands. “Thank you,” Empress Narsha said. She turned to Chelavye. “Did Teu give you any trouble?”
“I think I saw him walk out of the building before I entered, but I don’t know if he did anything,” Chelavye said.
Lyn nodded to Empress Narsha.
“I see. I hope everything continues to go well, but you never know with Teu. Come, let’s go, Lyn.”
Nora’s jaw dropped. “Her Majesty is picking you up?”
“She’s my legal guardian, and I’m her attendant.”
Lyn bowed to Chelavye Sensei and followed after Empress Narsha, leaving Nora paralyzed in shock.
“So what happened?” Empress Narsha whispered.
“The Prince Regent was rather harshly questioning a child before class started. He didn’t approve of science.”
The Empress stroked Lyn’s flowing orange-black hair and her round ears. “His views are no surprise. What’s concerning is his interrogation. He’s definitely planning something if he’s gathering information. Despite his temper, he doesn’t go around purely to bully people. He’s a dangerous man who always has a plan in mind.”
“Your Majesty, what should I do?”
“Nothing, for now. I want to tell you not to worry, but that would be a false comfort. Keep studying, but also observe everything carefully.”
Lyn concurred. She owed everything to Her Majesty, and vigilance and diligence were her sole means of showing gratitude right now.
The next morning, Lyn walked to school after serving Empress Narsha her breakfast. As she drew closer to the school building, something smelled strange, a combination of bitterness and dustiness. She ran to the school.
A large chunk of the main building which stood higher than the walls was gone, reduced to ashes. The surrounding beige walls were charred outside. An accident? An arson? She didn’t know. All she knew was that the place of hope she had visited yesterday had vanished. To give her such a wonderful dream, and then snatch it away, the heavens were too cruel. She ran to the guard outside the gate.
He held his hand out in front of her. “Halt. No one is allowed in until an investigation has occurr
ed.”
“Weren’t you guarding this school? How did this happen?” Lyn asked.
“My apologies. I’m on the morning rotation. Ken was on the night rotation. He says he didn’t hear or see anything throughout the night before the fire started.”
Lyn remembered Empress Narsha’s warning. A fire under these circumstances was highly suspicious, but she didn’t have any evidence. Still, she wouldn’t let this dream go without a fight. “Is this the only way into the compound?”
“Yes. You either go in through this gate or not at all.” The guard shook his head. “It’s a shame. I thought what Her Majesty was doing here for you girls was a step forward.”
“Make way,” a snooty voice said from behind her.
She turned around. A man in blue robes and a wide-brimmed black hat with a bead chain walked toward the gate accompanied by two soldiers. His lips curved upward at the ends, giving him the impression of smiling creepily.
“Who might you be?” the soldier guarding the gate asked.
The man in blue unfurled a scroll. “I am Inspector Gang Inho, from the Imperial Ministry of Justice. I’m here to investigate the fire that occurred here last night. What’s your name and division?”
The soldier stood at attention. “Sir, I am Choe Yinam, of the 34th Imperial Guard Regiment.”
Inspector Gang looked at Lyn. “And you are?”
“I’m Lyn, a student at Eva Academy.” She suspected someone from the government to be behind this; she didn’t know if this inspector was on their side. She decided not to say any more than what was necessary to the inspector, at least for now.
“Did you notice anything suspicious yesterday?”
It probably wasn’t a good idea to mention the Prince Regent’s visit, in case he was on his side. “I didn’t see anyone suspicious, and I attended class without any problems.”
“I see. Open the door.”
Yinam pulled open the gate for the inspector. The inspector and his guards entered.
“Let no one in.”
“Yes, sir.” Yinam closed the door, the circular black handles rattling.
Aria and Nora soon arrived at the school. They gasped. “What happened?”
“There was a fire. The government is investigating it right now,” Lyn said.
“Maybe it was arson,” Nora said.
Aria looked dejected.
“Perhaps, but we don’t know that yet,” Lyn said.
“Well, I suppose I’ll head back home. There’s nothing for me to do here.” Nora turned around and put her hands on her hips.
“Miss, I’m afraid you have to remain here,” Yinam said. “The inspector will be questioning everyone who was here yesterday.”
“Unbelievable.”
Chelavye Sensei came shortly after and was told the same thing. Later, Inspector Gang emerged from the burnt school to begin questioning them.
After a lengthy series of interviews, Inspector Gang dismissed most of those that had gathered.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Chelavye Sensei,” Nora said.
After she left, the two soldiers approached Chelavye.
“Mira Chelavye, I’m placing you under arrest for arson,” Inspector Gang said.
Chelavye’s large eyes grew wide. “What? This is my school. I would never burn it!”
“The evidence suggests otherwise.”
Lyn took a step forward but stopped. She wanted to protect Chelavye Sensei, but she didn’t know anything. She couldn’t offer any evidence of her innocence. There was nothing she could do for her right now.
“Wait,” Chelavye said. “I’m an Ilysveilan citizen. I have the right to know the charges against me and see the evidence they’re based on.”
Inspector Gang clicked his tongue. “Foreigners telling us how to run our own justice system. It’s sickening.” His fingertip glowed with orange light. He drew a circular pattern in the air. “Binding Arts: Bird in Box.” Shackles of energy chained together Chelavye’s wrists. “You will be allowed to see the evidence, but there will be no touching allowed.”
He walked to the gate, Chelavye following with a glum look on her face. Lyn tried to follow, but Yinam grabbed her by the shoulder. “Sorry, I can’t let you in. You can wait outside though.”
Lyn crouched down and leaned against the wall. Sensei’s impressive alchemy and that fascinating fire device called a lighter remained vivid in her mind. The world was vast, so vast that a commoner girl like her, and the nobles too, were all just specks in the grand scale. Chelavye had shown her a glimpse of that light, and Lyn didn’t want to remain in the darkness. She picked up a pebble, threw it in the air, and caught it. At this rate, Eva Academy would be shut down. What could she do for Chelavye Sensei?
“When did the fire start?” Lyn asked.
“According to Ken, it was the dead of night, just before dawn, right when the shifts change.” His helmet shadowed his green, cat-like eyes.
“That’s when security would be weakest.”
“Right. Whoever did it, if it was arson, knew what they were doing.”
“If it was arson? So you don’t believe the inspector?”
“I haven’t seen the evidence up close, so I don’t know. But regardless of whether Lady Chelavye is guilty, if Inspector Gang says she is, then that’s what the truth becomes.”
“There has to be something he missed. Chelavye Sensei would never do this. No one saw or heard anything before the fire started, but what about after?”
Yinam looked up. “There was some kind of boom, and they saw the fire right after.”
A boom suggested an explosion of some sort. Gunpowder? Fire magic? There were several possibilities.
The gate creaked open.
Inspector Gang and Chelavye walked out, and she looked pale.
“If only Corvus were here. He’d be able to figure this out,” Chelavye said.
“Sensei! What did you see? Tell me, please. I’ll do anything I can to help you. I’ll even talk to Her Majesty.”
“There were traces of oil. The inspector is saying that points to my lighter being the cause of the fire. I don’t know what to say. It’s true that Radiaurora doesn’t use oil-based fire.” Chelavye looked down. “They also found a hair at the edge of the fire that was all black.”
It indeed looked very conclusive. Tigerborns had hair with orange and black stripes. Chelavye Sensei had pure black hair. Still, she couldn’t accept it. “The guard said he didn’t hear or see anyone. How did Chelavye Sensei even get in?”
“That’s irrelevant,” Inspector Gang said. “Even if we don’t know exactly how she did it, she’s the only one that could’ve done it.”
That phrase triggered an idea. “No, she might be the only one who couldn’t have done it. If the guards didn’t see anything, then whoever did it wasn’t using a light, because then they would be seen in the dark. Our eyes are cat-like, so we can see in the dark, but the pupils in Sensei’s eyes are completely round. She can’t see in the dark if she has no light.”
Inspector Gang crossed his arms. “That still doesn’t explain the oil or the hair.”
“I have returned!”
Everyone turned to the voice down the street. Nora was walking toward the school, her chin held high.
“Nora? What are you doing here?” Lyn asked.
“I decided I couldn’t leave this alone. I went to ask my father if he knew anything that could help with this fire investigation.” She looked at Chelavye Sensei. “Sensei! Oh, no. This is terrible. Don’t worry. I promise to prove your innocence.”
“What did you find?” Lyn didn’t know why Nora was helping, but there was no reason to refuse her help.
“A shipment of magitech powder came in from outside the country a few weeks ago, shortly after this school started,” Nora said.
“Is that unusual?” Chelavye Sensei asked.
“Magitech powder is almost never used here in Radiaurora. It’s a Western magic technology. Solradia has recently started using
it though, and that’s where the shipment came from.”
“Outside…” Lyn said. “We’ve been looking at this the wrong way.”
“Explain yourself,” Inspector Gang said.
“We’ve been assuming someone snuck in and started a fire, but if that’s true, then why are the outside walls charred when only the main building burned down? How did the outside get charred without burning?”
“There had to be a fire outside,” Chelavye said.
“Hey, I came here to take care of things. Stop shifting the focus back to yourself, Lyn,” Nora said.
Lyn ignored her. “The only questions that remain are the hair and the oil. If the fire started outside, how did those get inside?”
“Hey, pay attention to me!” Nora stomped her foot on the ground.
“Why did you think the magitech powder was important though?” Lyn asked Nora.
“Why? It was a fire-type powder. It’s often used to burn out forest fires in the West.”
“Wait a minute. Doesn’t this make things look even worse for me? I’m the only Ilysveilan here.” Chelavye looked like she was about to cry, tears shimmering in her eyes.
“You weren’t the one who bought the powder, so you’re safe,” Nora said.
“Who did?” Inspector Gang said. It seemed he was seriously starting to entertain the possibility of Sensei’s innocence. His reaction implied he at least wasn’t a complete puppet of whoever was behind this.
Nora shook her head. “We don’t know. The records are partially missing. I only know this much because someone paid taxes when they brought it into Shinra, and the origin in the manifest was listed as Solradia.”
Lyn closed her eyes. She needed to focus. During the dead of night, just before dawn, they saw the fire start, but no one had heard or seen anything before that. The shift changed, and Yinam stood guard until Inspector Gang arrived. The outside walls were charred, the main building partially burned down, and oil and a black hair were at the scene. What was the connection? In this burning hell, she saw the shine of a thin thread of hope from the heavens.