Knight

by RA. Gil

  “Such a troublesome girl you found for yourself, Lady Seraphina.”

  The said woman came jogging around the corner. Valeriana found it creepy to know that he somehow knew she would arrive within a second. She would probably feel relieved if it was only a coincidence but that wasn't what her guts were telling her.

  “Excuse me.” The woman breathed, squeezing herself through the thin margin between each guard. “Where is Valeriana?”

  Valeriana stood nervously in the midst of it all, her back turned against a confused looking Corvan. He still looked irritated.

  “Someone tell me what is happening.” He demanded.

  “Well, it's sort of hard to explain . . .” Lord Aeron paused for a moment to think. “To cut things short, Valeriana here is a human.”

  Those words were enough to shock him. “A human?”

  “A human who witnessed the pursuit of a demon on human lands. It is hard to believe.” He nodded. “But she has great sensitivity.”

  “This would've been better if you let me go!” She yelled at them.

  Lord Aeron turned to her. “It's not that simple.”

  Valeriana crossed her arms. “If you're all worried about me telling people what happened, then erase my memories! I bet with all these crap, you can do it!”

  “The art of erasing and rewriting the memory is a whole lot of trouble and is currently an underdeveloped method. It has many side-effects including memory loss and insanity. Would you like that?”

  “Geez.”

  Seraphina finally managed to find her way and stood in front of Valeriana. She placed both hands on her shoulders, gently squeezing them. “Thank the gods you're okay. You had me worried when they said you escaped. Rest easy, anyhow.” Seraphina smiled. “Everything's been sorted out.”

  She looked up at the woman in relief.

  “Sympathetic and considerate as always, Lady Seraphina.” Headmaster Kylon remarked.

  “Headmaster.” She greeted, turning to look at the man.

  “It's good you came here yourself, Valeriana. So that must mean you already made your decision.” Lord Aeron told her, stepping forward. The guards made way for him to pass.

  “What?”

  “Ah. You escaped so suddenly that you didn't even hear it out?” Aeron smiled tauntingly. “Should I tell you?”

  “Just tell me already!”

  “Alright. Such impatience. What is up with youth these days?” He sighed. “Well, I thought of something good to do with you during your stay.”

  “I'm not staying.”

  “It's that or die.”

  “Wha—”

  “I knew you'd agree!” Saying this made Valeriana frown. “You can attend this academy. It's quite fortunate. It just started a new semester last week.”

  “Attend the academy? This academy?” She looked around. “This is an academy?”

  “Precisely. I wasn't sure about you being able to pace with the other students because of your circumstance but I leave that to you. I discussed this with the other court members and we had a bit of a debate, but they all agreed in the end.”

  The headmaster turned to the guards and waved his hand dismissively. “Thank you for your hard work. It's alright now. Please leave this to us.”

  The guards lowered their weapons before saluting all together and taking their leave. Lord Aeron continued to explain things to Valeriana as they left.

  “You can either choose to attend this academy, or continue to be detained as a prisoner. Allowing you to attend the academy is probably the best choice since having a human as a Celeste is advantageous. For hundreds of years, Valemnia and the human world has remained isolated from each other with no contact. If ever you survive and graduate from the academy, you'll be our representative—the ambassador of human-kind. Quite a fancy title, don't you think?”

  Valeriana froze on her spot. “Survive? Do you mean I can die?”

  Lord Aeron grinned. “It depends.”

  “I agree with the Court Leader.” Lady Seraphina said with a nod.

  “Why?”

  “This is the best solution. After all, there are instances where demons manage to break through the gates, just like what happened before. You lived the life of a human therefore you know the dealings of the human world. You can deal with the situation easily.” She said.

  “So, Valeriana Kerrigan, what is your decision?”

  “I'm not actually sure.” Valeriana muttered. “Me? Hunting demons? Gosh, I can't imagine it.”

  “If you choose to be kept imprisoned that will be terribly useless of you.” He paused, shaking his head. “I'll be certain to work you off to slavery.”

  “S-slavery?”

  “That's right. If you don't want to take the alternative choice, then you'd best end up in servitude.”

  “This doesn’t make any sense.” She took a deep breath.

  If she would just stay here and be kept imprisoned in a single room, then what was she supposed to tell her mother?

  Seemed as though there was only one way to get out of this mess.

  “Can you tell me more about this academy?”

  “Let me, Lord Aeron.” Headmaster Kylon said.

  “Please do.” The Court Leader stepped back and allowed the headmaster to step forward.

  “Celeste Academy is the training grounds for knight-fledglings. We recruit young ones with great potential and enhance their abilities through relentless training for eight years.”

  “Eight years?” Valeriana felt dizzy and stared at the Aeron guy. “I do not have much of a choice, do I?” She hesitated. “Will you please allow me to tell my family about this? I think they're already worried.”

  “I'll handle the business with your family.”

  “No.” She firmly stated. “I have to talk to my mother!” She stubbornly argued. “Damn it all, I’ll escape this hell-hole as many times as I need to if you won’t let me.”

  Aeron exhaled heavily. “Alright. Write a letter to your mother and I'll make sure she receives it. Give it to Lady Seraphina or Headmaster Kylon after you finish. Any other questions?”

  “Where am I?”

  Corvan gave her an irritated stare. “You’re in Valemnia.” He said simply.

  So he was still sticking around?

  “This is . . . Valemnia?” She looked at Seraphina, who nodded at her.

  “Yes.” She replied.

  “I’m not . . . in Earth?”

  “You aren’t.”

  This felt surreal. Her brain turned into liquid soup at the revelation that her world literally stopped as she tried to process the information.

  “Well, then. My business is done here. I still have to know more about humans being able to see demons, so I'll be taking my leave.” With a cackle, the Court Leader walked away.

  Chapter Seven ♣ Celeste Academy

  After the incident, Valeriana was taken for a tour of the academy. It was reasonable for Seraphina and Headmaster Kylon to tag along, but what she didn't understand was why the arrogant prick from earlier had to come as well. It wasn't at all pleasing to know he was somewhere near.

  “I don't get why he should come along.” Valeriana pointed at Corvan with a frown.

  He made a sound to express his irritation. “I was heading this way until you knocked me down.”

  “Whatever.” She rolled her eyes.

  The ground she was stepping on was made of concrete tiles and ended three steps away from her current position. It was replaced by patches of lush, green grass that was evenly trimmed. A marble and granite fountain stood in the middle of the area.

  She gazed at it in wonder, examining it closely. On the highest level was a flower-shaped basin where the water trickled. Carvings of three cherub angels had their backs set against the stem of that basin, standing gracefully on a round platform. On the lowest level, there were horses that had their jaws wide open while water was sprayed like thin strands straight into their mouths, making the image look as if they were
trying to drink it.

  As she let her eyes wander, she was able to comprehend the structures built around them. There was also a long, curved sandy path ahead. Tall pillars stood in place of the wall.

  “Welcome to the Alcantra Vileamis Academe.”

  “Huh?”

  “Celeste Academy.” Seraphina spoke.

  People roamed wearing identical uniforms like any regular school.

  The gazes of the students were mainly focused on Seraphina, curious and mildly excited. Valeriana consciously patted down her messy hair. Hopefully, they weren’t looking at her.

  From a distance, she could hear the girls gossiping. “Isn't that Celeste de la Rosellevienne?”

  She was starting to think that Seraphina was actually famous. It wasn't a doubt that she was recognized, seeing as she was very skilled and admirable.

  “Well,” Headmaster Kylon started. “Since you're going to be staying here with us for the next eight years, I hope we get along.”

  “Er . . . sure thing, headmaster.” She hesitantly replied.

  “Good. Celeste Academy expects a lot from its students. You see, we have one objective. It is to mold the youth into soldiers that can fight demons.” He released a troubled sigh at this. “It is such a shame though. A lot of our students either quit halfway or die so we often lack people to train. But we have a lot of willing recruits.”

  “Die?” Valeriana gulped.

  “Mostly from training.”

  “Seriously?!”

  Seraphina elbowed Kylon, eyeing him with disdain. “He jests. Do not believe his jokes.”

  The headmaster chuckled. “The eight years of education filters those truly worthy of graduating. Although we receive hundreds of willing learners during the early stages, most of them are removed by the end of the training.”

  Seraphina sighed, massaging the spot between her eyes. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

  “How important is it?”

  “Somewhat.”

  “Then, Lord Corvan, I entrust the young lady to you. Tell her everything about the school and the entrance exam. Don’t forget to lead her to the dormitories.” He threw Corvan a key and it landed on the guy's hand with a jingle. He then flawlessly stepped aside and held out a hand for Seraphina to take. A soft smile dangled on his lips and his eyes glinted with mischievousness.

  “What entrance exam?” She asked in panic.

  “I'm sorry to leave you so soon.” Seraphina whispered to Valeriana. “I need to arrange a few things, but I'll try to check up on you immediately afterwards.”

  Her eyes widened fearfully. “You’re leaving?!”

  “I will come for you, Valeriana. Expect that.” She reassured her. “For now, I must do . . . something.”

  “Come.” Corvan irately said. “I still have matters to attend to. The sooner I get rid of you, the better.”

  “Oh, shut it.”

  He glared at her, but said nothing and began walking towards the opposite direction where the headmaster and Seraphina went instead.

  She jogged to catch up with Corvan's long strides and walked behind him closely. She looked around. This place didn’t seem that bad.

  Valeriana looked up at Corvan's face and pursed her lips. He was very handsome, but he had a rotten personality. It was such a waste of good looks.

  She frowned at the thought and decided to look ahead.

  A few minutes of silence and they arrived in front of a five-story building.

  “This is it.” He said as they casually entered through the front door.

  “You said this is the dormitories for girls. How are you supposed to go in, then?” Valeriana curiously questioned.

  “I've got special permission.” He answered indifferently.

  They passed the hallway with huge, numerous doors. Valeriana was so engrossed looking around that she didn't even notice the scrutiny of the people they passed.

  Soon, they came to a stop in front of a wooden door. She had no reason to doubt that this was the room she was going to sleep in. What else was she expecting? A grand welcome? The thought was far-fetched.

  Valeriana watched as Corvan fished the key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He had trouble opening it as it wouldn't budge, so he ended up kicking it open instead.

  “This is your room.” Corvan said, pointing to the dark area inside. He snapped his fingers and light illuminated the whole room.

  When Valeriana's eyes landed on it, she was dumbfounded and her mouth hung open.

  She stared at the cramped space with a debris of wooden furniture. The room was dusty and cobwebs hung on the corners of the wall. “Can't you give me something more decent to sleep in?!” She practically yelled as she clenched her fists.

  “Do not take it the wrong way. It is tradition for newcomers to fix their own room. No one will do you it for you.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding. This is how you treat your students?”

  “You’re not exactly being treated like a queen.” He told her. He then threw her the key with an irritating smirk and she caught it in midair with a glare directed at him. “Just clean it up.”

  “Easy for you to say.” She huffed and spun to face hell. “Why do I have to do this?” She took a deep breath and rolled up her sleeves.

  “The headmaster told me to inform you about your entrance examination.”

  She looked at him quizzically. “Do I have to?”

  “Do you think that you'll easily enter this academy? Of course not. Even if you got recommended by the leader of the court, that doesn't mean you will get in freely.”

  “Alright, I get it.” Valeriana said, frowning in annoyance.

  “Someone will come take you later. You better get this wrapped up soon.” He said and then turned and walked away. “Have fun.”

  “Shut up, jerk!” She yelled after him.

  Valeriana entered what she began considering as a hell-hole. She fixed her hair into a ponytail and made sure the scrunchie secured all of the strands of her hair in place. She found cleaning supplies sitting beside a pail of clean water.

  They must’ve anticipated this somehow.

  “What do they see me as? A slave?”

  She murmured things irritably under her breath as she began arranging the furniture inside the room, some chairs were toppled over and the surfaces were all dusty.

  She was lucky to have a large window inside the room. It was a big help in dusting the bed's mattress and letting out the thick air that accumulated inside the room. She pulled away the cobwebs and scoured everything until they brilliantly reflected the light.

  Valeriana did not notice how much time passed. When she finished, the sun was already gone and darkness ruled the sky. She grabbed the new sheets and rolled it out on the mattress.

  She then collapsed face first on the bed. Fatigue nagged her sore muscles, making her feel languorous. Her eyes felt heavy and sleep was tempting her to lavish in its darkness.

  “I shouldn't even be here.”

  But just as she was about to fall asleep, loud rapping on the door yanked her out of her drowsiness and she fell out of the bed in fright.

  She heatedly wrenched the door open, glaring at Corvan who stood with his arms crossed. Compared to his primped and proper self, she was pretty sure she looked the worst. Her hair was disheveled and she stank with sweat.

  “What do you want?” She asked, lacking enthusiasm.

  He covered his nose, staring at her in disgust.

  “I know I smell.” She spat. “Just tell me what you came here for and leave.” Valeriana told him impatiently. “I want to go to sleep.”

  “You cannot sleep.”

  “So I’m basically being robbed off of my basic human rights!”

  He gave her a brow raise, but the corner of his lips twitched. He must’ve found that funny for some reason. “You still have your entrance examination.”

  Valeriana cursed under her breath, came out, and slammed the door shut behind her. “You people r
eally are getting on my nerves.” She confessed. “I get knocked out, locked up, and now, this.”

  “Are you coming or not? Lest you want to go back to that prison.”

  Given no choice, she reluctantly followed Corvan’s lead and left the dormitories.

  The cold wind knocked into her once they were finally outside. Like a bucket of water and ice being showered upon her, it prickled her skin like cold, sharp needles. This wasn’t the same kind of cold feeling she got during winter season. It was empty. Just coldness. It was hard to describe it but it seemed totally out of place.

  It was just like back in that Horror House. Talk about déjà vu.

  “Are there demons here?” She asked.

  Corvan, who had been walking ahead, stopped in his tracks and turned to meet her eyes. “Don’t you know where you are?”

  “No. Do I look like I do?”

  He had that look that said he was ready to roll his eyes any second, but he didn’t. Instead, he pointed to the sky. “Look above you.”

  “And what’s that gotta do with my question?”

  “Do you see small, golden sparks? It wasn’t very noticeable during the day, but since it’s dark out, you should see a couple.”

  She did as he said and saw what he was talking about. They weren’t stars, but they resembled stars. Small flashes that came in the color of gold. They came briefly and passed, like currents traveling through a wire.

  “What are those things?” She asked in wonder.

  “That is the barrier.” He then pulled her attention to a distance where a lone lamppost stood near an intricate network of metals towering a couple of meters to the sky. The currents were present there as well. “And what you see beyond those gates is the Forest of Valdis. You are in the Dark Continent, in the heart of the nest of demons.”

  She doubled over at his words and blanched. “Are you serious?”

  After explaining to her where she exactly was, he moved forward. “I am not one to joke.”

  “But why are you going to put an academy, where students are, where people are, in the middle of the enemy base? Are you people crazy?”

  “It’s been that way for a long time.” He said. “So I don’t recommend you asking so many questions. You’ll understand them in due time.” He paused shortly.