Knight

by RA. Gil

  A loud and impatient sigh escaped Seraphina's lips. “Cut to the chase, Your Excellency.”

  Claude happily turned to Seraphina with his over-optimistic smile. “I came here to deliver the news!” He exclaimed. “I'm sorry for my rude appearance a while ago, but you are being called to the palace.”

  “For what reason?”

  “A summoning.”

  “I apologize, I'm currently off-duty.”

  Claude shook his head. “It's a special request from the king. It's urgent and important. I was tasked to bring you back no matter what.” Claude rushed towards Seraphina and grabbed her by the wrist.

  “But can't you see I'm in the middle of a—”

  “Goodbye, everyone.” Claude winked at the class and pulled Seraphina out of the door.

  Valeriana stared at the spot they were previously standing on with disbelief. The class started muttering things as well, curious about what the king would want with the Celeste.

  “Amazing, isn't he?” Chavi said. “Too bad he took away our teacher, though.” She said, looking more pleased than disappointed. “Well, I suppose that ends the class!” She yawned.

  Valeriana's eyes dropped wearily and her face hit her desk. “What have I gotten myself into?” She grumbled.

  Students began rising from their seats, taking all of their things with them. Chavi stood up with the grace of a dancer and showed off a single pirouette before frolicking towards Valeriana. “I guess it's time to go. Why don't you come with me? I have soooo many questions to ask you.”

  Valeriana remained the way she was. “What's so interesting that only I can answer?”

  “Yourself.”

  “I've heard that I'm interesting so many times.” Valeriana muttered dramatically. She mentally counted how many people said the very same thing. Being caught by surprise with unbelievable abilities was starting to get old.

  “Come on! Up on your feet!” Chavi grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged the lifeless teenager to stand.

  Valeriana lazily followed Chavi's guide and flashed her an exhausted look through her eyes. “What?”

  “Let us proceed to the library. Since it's a summoning, Lady Seraphina probably won't be back for a day or two.” She smiled. “You need to learn the basics, right? I'll help you. Now cheer up and let us go!” Chavi made no reluctance to usher Valeriana out of the door.

  Chapter Sixteen ♣ Power Control

  As Chavi and Valeriana strolled past the towering shelves, Valeriana decided to take advantage of the situation and picked up a single book that caught her interest. Chavi was merrily scanning the shelves containing a wide variety of available selections.

  “Chavi, what's a summoning?” Valeriana asked, rubbing her chin while examining a thick black book that was kept on a shelf in the History Section. She remembered what Chavi told her about Lady Seraphina being involved in a summoning a while ago.

  “There are two kinds of summoning. This kind is like a tasking. It's a huge honor given to a Celeste—missions and all that sort.” Chavi explained, snatching a book bound in old leather and opening it to a certain part. Her eyes speedily scanned the page before turning to the next. “The other is demon-related.”

  “I see.” She sighed as she watched Chavi slip the book back in the shelf.

  Chavi backed off and sighed exasperatedly. She massaged the bridge of her nose. “You seriously have a lot to learn. Otherwise, if you fail, you'll drop out of the Celestial Twelve, maybe even the school.”

  “I don't know. Maybe I'll really just quit the Celestial Twelve. I don't need it, to begin with. All I'm here for is to attend the academy.” She said.

  “What?!” Chavi roared. She grabbed Valeriana by the collar and began shaking her as if it would knock some sense into her. “What in the name of the king are you thinking? Don't you know how crucial being a ranker is? You're even ranking fifth among the Twelve, have a sense of responsibility! No quitting!”

  “Sshhh!” An elder lady dressed in a frilly, purple dress put a finger to her lips after coming out from a corner. Her graying hair was tied up into the traditional up do with librarian glasses suspended on the tip of her nose. “When you speak of responsibility, please mind the rules. Silence must be observed.” She then disappeared as fast as she came.

  Chavi seized her shoulders and dragged her away. Before Valeriana realized it, she was already shoved down a chair. Chavi took a black book about five inches thick, slammed it on the table before her, and opened it to the very first page.

  The girl scanned the first few words and an evident look of relief crossed her face. “It's a good thing this is written in English.” Valeriana sighed. “I won't have to struggle too much.”

  “Yes, well, it's convenient. A much easier mode of communication than the Ancient Language.” Chavi pointed to the title of the first chapter and silently asked Valeriana to focus.

  “Why does Valemnia have Earth languages?”

  “Or rather, why does Earth have Valemnian languages?” Chavi pointed out.

  “Huh?”

  “English came from us. It’s one of the language varieties developed in the Larkovian continent. You do speak a bit weirdly though. It’s not same kind of English.”

  Her eyes shot wide. “Mind-blogger—I mean, mind-boggler.”

  “Never mind.” She dismissively said.

  Chavi discussed with her the lessons they covered about Valemnia's history. Since remembering historical events wasn't a very good point of hers, she had trouble familiarizing herself with everything written down.

  “The first king of Valemnia who sealed the Demon Lord to sleep?” Chavi asked.

  Valeriana paused and pondered for a moment. “Uh . . . King Fried . . . erly von Sign-mond de la Rosellevienne.”

  “It's King Friedel von Seigmond de la Rosellevienne!”

  Their names were so hard to remember since they were all very unusual, too. It was impossible to learn these for just a month. Valeriana smacked her face in frustration and rested her head on the table, groaning.

  -*-

  Chavi looked disappointed when the bell rang. The girl explained it was time for their second class and dragged the helpless girl out of the library.

  “What's PC? Is it a computer class or something?”

  “PC stands for Power Control.”

  “Oh.” She said, feeling dense.

  “What's a computer?” Chavi asked, cocking a brow while looking at Valeriana with a question-filled gaze.

  “Oh, that,” she laughed humorlessly, while goofily scratching the back of her neck. “It's a kind of technology humans use to either communicate or entertain themselves.”

  “That's kind of weird.” She commented, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “Our technological advancement concerns our magical capabilities.”

  Valeriana nodded in understanding, brushing past another student who seemed to be in a hurry. “I see that.” She answered.

  “Yes.”

  Valeriana suddenly felt nostalgic.

  Being away from home made her miss the old days. Reminiscing made the thought even more painful. Even so, succeeding the whole year and seeing them once more made her suffering somewhat bittersweet. This was only the first day—the beginning. The sun had yet many times to rise and set.

  “You said your next class is Power Control?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Its main point is to hone your power in controlling your ability. It lets you discover more about it as well. But you probably won't be doing any of that.” Chavi paused, tapping her chin.

  The warning bell rang, causing both Valeriana and Chavi to rush to their next class. Valeriana felt elated to know that she would be going with a new-made friend, who was obviously very reliable and informative.

  “Let's hurry up!” Chavi beamed at Valeriana, flashing a bright smile.

  Both girls dashed into the classroom while panting and made themselves comfortable just as the final bell rang. Both breathing rapidly, their instru
ctor finally stepped into the room, wearing a sharp glare and glasses.

  “Well, good morning.”

  Everyone stood from their seats and enthusiastically greeted their instructor. This time, Valeriana was able to catch up with the rest unlike the first time. “Good morning, Lady Agatha!”

  Lady Agatha eyed her students while gingerly placing her books down the desk in front of the class. When she saw Valeriana, she adjusted her glasses and frowned. “There's a new face, I see.” She said, making Valeriana gulp at her scrutinizing gaze.

  Valeriana stood and bowed her head respectfully. “My name is Valeriana Kerrigan.”

  “Valeriana Kerrigan? I see. The rumored human? I wasn't there during your duel. Well, since you're a newcomer, I should give you a briefing about my class.” Lady Agatha said with glaring eyes. “I do not care whether your human or Valemnian. I expect nothing but you giving your best. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, ma'am.”

  “Very good, and since you do not have any special skills, I want you to evaluate your classmate's performances and study all their magical capabilities.”

  “You mean . . . everyone's performances?” She replied, dumbfounded.

  “Yes.”

  “How?”

  “You can either interview them regarding the kind of magic they can use. If not, you can observe them when they use it. You also have to include their improvement and the common mistakes they commit often—that sort of work.”

  Valeriana wanted to faint just by hearing the things she was being asked to do. Sighing, she decided to ask something else. “Uh . . . is there anything that can grant power or something? Like . . . a magic rock or . . . a magic staff?”

  “Are you saying you want to attain magic to make your life easier?”

  “Well, kind of.”

  “Then, no.” The instructor straightforwardly answered. “There are no objects that can grant such abilities. Staffs and other things are merely used for channeling.” The teacher then turned and began writing on the board. “We'll start the lesson today with a recall of your past studies. Sit down, Miss Kerrigan. Lest you want to stand the entire hour.”

  She did—with a big, loud sigh.

  Chapter Seventeen ♣ Spoiled Lunch

  PC class was advised by a rather intimidating teacher that knew no smile. She certainly knew how to scare her students, resulting to an incurable silence inside the whole room. She demanded the full attention of everyone and did not tolerate a distracted eye from leaving her face.

  Valeriana learned that every Valemnian possessed a Power Control. This determined their ability to manipulate specific things in category around them. For Elementals, they possess the ability to manipulate objects that belonged to nature. An Elemental Power was performed or acted out when the user partially exploits his aura to mix with the power pressure of Valemnia and control a compatible element—it was termed as Indirect Control mostly. It was divided into different types depending on the nature of the ability of a certain individual. There was fire, water, wind and earth. Ice, lightning, electricity and all others were secondary elements.

  For Direct Control, there was the utilization of one’s aura to manipulate another person's aura by skin or eye contact. These users were much rarer than Indirect, as a child’s chances of becoming one ranges less than one percent.

  In Valemnia, the aura was something that was connected to one's inner self—the emotions and way of thinking, for example. Direct Control, divided into different sections, just like Elemental Control, had two main classifications—the Altruistics and the Manipulatives.

  Their abilities were just as their names suggest. To make a long story short, altruistics can tap, manipulatives do the controlling. Like two sides of the same coin, the other does what the other cannot. In a sense, the relationship was much like the relationship of the colors black and white.

  For example, the nature of the ability Empathy depended on the nature of the Direct Control. Under altruistics, their empathy dealt with the perception and the sensitivity to what a certain person was thinking and feeling. For manipulatives, their version of empathy was different. They dealt mostly with influencing those thoughts and emotions.

  One cannot be both at the same time. Valeriana thought the concept was interesting.

  When lunch break rolled in, things got even worse for Valeriana. The amount of attention she was getting began to feel unendurable. She knew it would take a while before the students in the academy get used to having her around. But right now, she seemed to be the center of attention.

  Chavi allowed her to get settled in the dinner hall while she went to get their food from the buffet table. The dinner hall was a beautiful place. The chairs were cushioned and the tables were ornate, carved out of wood with great care. The surfaces were splashed with creamy yellow cloths and the crimson fabric the table runner was made from had golden tassels dangling from their triangular ends.

  Valeriana swallowed excitedly as a big platter was placed in front of her. Her stomach made hungry noises and she lifted her gaze to meet Chavi's eyes with appreciation, flustered.

  She dug in mindlessly and swallowed food to the point where her cheeks bulged. Chavi watched her with a smile and ate her meal as well.

  “Are you enjoying?” A voice commented.

  Valeriana's eyes went from her food to the direction of the voice and she saw Courtney. She choked on her meal because of this and motioned for water. Chavi, panicking, handed her the cup sitting on her tray. Valeriana immediately downed the whole cup.

  The girl stood up from her seat, wiping her wet chin using the sleeve of her uniform. Her actions only made Courtney frown at her more.

  “Don’t go disgracing the name of the fifth-ranker.”

  “I . . .”

  “I'll be gone for a while, but that won't be long. If I were you, I'll enjoy my seat in the circle. Because after that, I'll be taking it back.”

  Valeriana sighed. “You're free to take it whenever you want.”

  “I'll be expecting nothing less than a worthy fight. I warn you. Do not take me lightly.” With that, she turned her back against Valeriana and walked away.

  “Courtney.” She called after her.

  Her former opponent turned.

  “I'm sorry.” She began. “I just want you to know that I'll try my best until you come and take your position back. Until then, I'll be waiting.”

  “Do what you want.” She waved her off and walked away.

  -*-

  After the little encounter in the cafeteria, Valeriana ate all of her food in a rush. Chavi stated that if it was her, she would lose her appetite, but it was completely different for Valeriana. If there was one thing she couldn't resist, it was perfectly good food.

  They set off to their next class after that.

  “My fourth class is Weapon's Art.” She whispered, looking at the notes scribbled down on the piece of paper handed to her by Corvan.

  “That's good.” Chavi giggled, leaning over to check the contents of the notes. She then snatched it from her hands. “Ooh, a Gathering after classes. Well, it's not like it's very uncommon. Since you're a member of the Celestial Circle, it's not really new.”

  “What's a Gathering?”

  “A Gathering is the time where all the members of the Celestial Circle congregate to discuss matters within their group.” She said. “I heard they do it a lot.”

  “I see, like a meeting.”

  “Wait, do you have the uniform with you? The one for our practicum?”

  They paused.

  “Um . . .” she rubbed her chin. “I-I haven't washed it yet.” She laughed.

  “Seriously,” Chavi sighed. “I guess I can lend you mine . . . but I don't think it will fit you. You’re a bit bigger than me.” She motioned to their difference in height.

  “Valeriana.”

  Valeriana looked up while a loud gasp came from her new friend.

  All eyes turned to her direction, and Chavi, who was
previously trailing after Valeriana, visibly backed off as she saw who had appeared. Corvan emanated a strong presence that one could not possibly ignore, and with his position, he was obviously well-known within the entire school.

  She took a step back, shocked by his sudden appearance. “Oh, hey.” She said. “I was just going.”

  His eyes were hard and cold, but for some reason, it didn't intimidate her one bit. “Idiot.”

  She crossed her arms. “You came just to tell me that?”

  She couldn't miss how everyone stared at both of them as if they were a shocking gossip posted on the tabloid.

  “I was looking for you.” He said.

  “Really?”

  He held out a bundle of clothes. “You're scheduled to take your Weapon's Art during the fourth period, am I correct?”

  She nodded. “Yeah,” she gingerly took the clothes inside her arms.

  “Lady Seraphina asked me to give them to you. Rather than using the ones you had worn a while ago.”

  “Oh, thank you very much!” She beamed at him. “I was worrying about it just now.”

  “Don't forget to attend the Gathering. An hour after classes, do you hear?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  “I'll send someone for you.” He turned sharply, heading out. “Now then, I've already wasted a lot of my time. I'll be late for my next class, so I'll be taking my leave.”

  “Thank you very much.” She muttered, watching the people around him make way as he passed by. “But saying you wasted a lot of time is . . .” Valeriana shook her head. “But really, thanks for bothering and everything. I'm starting to think you're actually kind.”

  Corvan paused, having heard what she said. “Don't get the wrong idea.” He said in a cold tone.

  Valeriana rolled her eyes. “I take back what I said. Demon.”

  “Witch.” She heard him say.