by RA. Gil
“What's that?” Keelan asked, sniffing. “Smells sweet.”
Valeriana ripped one open and took out an Oreo before shoving it to Keelan's mouth. “Taste it for yourself! You'll like it!”
Keelan looked shocked for moment before he eventually chewed the whole thing and started swallowing on it. As the biscuit melted on his tongue, his eyes sparkled and he jumped excitedly. The strawberry-blond hair on top of his head bobbed along with him as he leaned towards Valeriana for more.
“Can I have some more?” He said.
“Here.” The girl shoved the packet in his hands. “Make sure not to eat the packet—only the cookies.”
Keelan peered into the packet before pulling out another cookie and shoving it into his mouth. “This is amazing!” He then smiled, revealing a row of teeth crusted with dark crumbs.
Those who saw this could not help but chuckle at the sight of the twelfth-ranker.
Valeriana pulled another one open before shoving one cookie in each of the rankers' mouth when they curiously asked what Keelan was eating. She couldn't help but giggle at the look on their faces when the crunch reverberated in their ears.
When everyone got their share, Valeriana went towards Corvan. She held out a cookie to him. “Want one?”
“What is that?” He frowned. “If you're trying to poison me in anyway by deceiving me with such a sweet aroma, then you are horribly mistaken.”
“Relax.” Valeriana rolled her eyes. “It's only a cookie. Although, you're starting to make me hope I did put something in here.” She told him.
“I don't eat human—”
He was cut off when Valeriana violently shoved a piece into his mouth, practically taking him aback. The girl grinned at him before walking away to go back to where her package was. She stopped short and gasped when she saw Raziel holding a pack of her menstrual pads.
“What is this contraption?”
The girl rushed to where he was and snatched it from his hands. “Don't touch this!” She exclaimed.
Raziel raised a brow at him. “What's it for?”
She went beet red. “It's not something you should know about.” She turned her back on him, leaving a confused Raziel to himself.
“Did I do something wrong?” The sixth-ranker's forehead wrinkled.
Chapter Thirty-Six ♣ The Journal
The past few days became hectic for the lady knight. She managed to make some time to teach Valeriana swordsmanship skills and investigate the condition of the crown prince at the same time. There was very little time left before the aristocrats decided for a Candidate Selection.
Well, the investigation process was actually more tedious than anyone would have thought. There was no hunting down people who had the answers she sought, nor was there any thrilling fight. This had to be done inconspicuously and the lady knight knew that the answer should be in the ancient library—which was located in the academy.
Seraphina nodded at the librarian who looked back at her knowingly but said nothing. After all, although Rinda knew of the Celeste's current detective work, she couldn't nor would she ever open her mouth.
Seraphina walked through the aisle of books, letting her fingers trace the endless rows of books decorating the towering shelves. Her eyes speedily skimmed through the titles and she found nothing in relevance to the topic she was looking for. She had already gotten through several of these books, but still nothing.
When the aisle ended, a hunched form appeared in front of her, completely taking her aback. She took a retreating step, heart leaping to her throat. When she saw the old librarian, she gave her chest a gentle pat.
“Rinda, please do not startle me like that.” She told her, breathing deeply.
“What you're looking for is not here.” She replied, ignoring the woman's reaction to her sudden appearance out of nowhere.
“Do you know what I'm looking for?” She narrowed her eyes at the woman.
Rinda waved her hand at her dismissively. “No.” She answered. “But I have a feeling I do.” She then pulled her with her.
A look of confusion riddled the lady knight's gaze. Librarian Rinda had been serving as the academy's librarian longer than anyone could remember. Ever since Seraphina became a student in Celeste Academy, she was already there, tending to the dusty shelves of books without complain. She knew that the old woman was wise beyond one could comprehend since her age went beyond even the Court Leader's. She knew things Seraphina didn't.
“Don't look so confused now, dear.” Rinda told her. “I've been this academy's librarian for so long that there's not a corner in this room that I do not know of. I may be old, but there are things which I can see and you cannot.”
“I do not understand.”
“You soon will.” She answered. “I've seen you scan these shelves for hours and still, that look in your face did not disappear. You have not got what you are looking for, and by the way I have observed your behavior these past days, the answer you seek is not within those books.”
“Am I that readable?”
“No.” She shook her head. “You are far harder to read that anyone else, but with a keen eye such as mine, you shall not get to hide anything.”
“I see.” The lady knight nodded.
“The answer you seek is right here.”
Seraphina looked around and saw that they stopped on a dead-end. In front of them was the same sight of rows and rows of books. The lady knight stopped and stared in front of her in confusion. The books in the shelves didn't seem to be related to what she was looking for, nevertheless, what confused her was what the old librarian was doing.
“Ah,” she hunched her already hunched back over. “My back. Dear me, I'm really getting old. Maybe I should retire after all.” She groaned.
“Maybe I should help you. What are you looking for?”
“Ah, polite child.” She muttered. “I don't even remember what book to take now.” She said. “Oh, yes. Get that smallest book on the third shelf to the right, will you, dearest?”
“Of course.” Seraphina answered.
She reached for the book Rinda was talking about and tried to take it off from the shelf. She was shocked, however, when it simply turned over instead as if something was holding it in place. It didn't fall, but instead, it went right back to the position it was last in, and the shelf pulled itself back before moving to the side to reveal a small, dusty room within.
Seraphina gawked as she entered. “There's a place like this in the library?”
“This place had always been filled with secret rooms and passages.” The old woman answered. “But this one was extra special. This room was the very place which served as the secret war room of the Celestial Knights thousands of years ago. It was turned into a library which was kept with information that cannot be disclosed to public when the Great War ended.”
“I see.”
“You will find what you're looking for in here.” She said. “Very well, then. I'll leave you be.”
The old librarian left and disappeared. Seraphina warily eyed the open door which led to the so-called secret room and took slow steps until she was fully inside. The door closed shut behind her, trapping her in plain darkness. Lamps automatically illuminated the room, small flames starting to eat away at the wicks of half-melted candles.
She looked around and noticed that the room was full of books that she couldn't make out the wall anymore. The previously called war room wasn't that big like one would've imagined. There was a round table which was big enough for at least fifteen people to occupy and discuss whatever they needed to discuss about, one which amazed Seraphina to no end. To fight off the turn of time, the ornate table was made from fine marble, including the chairs which were strictly connected to the floor.
“A place which was used by the first legendary Celestial Knights?” She grinned. “A big honor indeed.”
She scanned the shelves for the book which probably had what she needed to know about and frowned. The topics pr
esented by the titles were things one wouldn't have imagined existed. She traced the old, leather-bound objects, brushing off the dust which clung to their skin. She looked down at the tips of her fingers. The dust was thick and was probably building up for many years. There was no doubt that these books were even much older than her.
When a book caught her eye, she instinctively reached for it and pulled it off the shelf. Dust puffed into her face and she coughed. Seraphina fanned the air with her hand with mild disgust. Once the cloud of dirt subsided, she examined the book which was as thick as her arm. There was no title like all the other books in the room.
She went towards the round table and sat on one of the chairs, placing the heavy object on the surface. She gingerly opened it and turned to the very first page. Seraphina was then greeted by aged paper which had turned brown from time. The writings on the book were made of thin strokes from a quill.
'I have taken the liberty of writing down the origin of demons, should this information come in handy for the future generation. This matter, however, should not be disclosed to ordinary civilians, as I fear that there would be uproar.'
“This writer . . .” She trailed off. “Degenhard Veralidaine.” She turned towards the next pages, looking for the topic which could possibly have the information she was looking for.
'There is one way upon which a person can be turned to a demon. One is when a heart turns dark and heavily tainted. Each one of us is susceptible to being turned into a demon, however, the decision to become one is entirely in our hands. This is what happened to Valdis. You can only become a demon when you accept the darkness into your heart, but when you strongly fight off this darkness, you will remain what you are.'
“I see. I don't know how this is related to what I'm looking for. Although . . . being a demon, the hair and eyes are black . . .” She scanned through the pages. After a few turns, she finally found what she was seeking. “Streaks . . . black streaks . . .”
'My further research on demon transformation allowed me to discern another activity which demons had recently discovered. I came to realize that although a child is born from two demons, that child will remain ordinary like any other children. Because of this, it still rests in the hands of that child if he becomes a demon—but of course, when this child grows in a badly influenced community, chances are likely he'll become a demon himself. Still, there is that choice, so we try to save these children to lessen the increase of demon culture.
'I gave no doubts regarding this matter. After all, birth is the epitome of a creature's innocence. No matter how heavily the child's parents have sinned, that child will remain pure and untainted.'
She sighed. “That's right.”
'But this is also one of my biggest concerns.' Said the author. 'For this reason, demons found a way to turn their child into a demon even before that child is sired. But this way proved to be a highly dangerous method, and thousands of infants died before they even had the chance to experience life outside their mother's womb.'
“A way to turn a child to a demon before even born? What kind of sick . . . ?” She trailed off. “But there's nothing concerning the appearance of black streaks in the prince's hair and eyes?” She whispered under her breath before breaking into a disappointed sigh. She then looked down at the book before clenching her teeth and shaking her head. “No. But this is the beginning. I finally have a lead.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven ♣ The Twelve's Movie Adventure
Valeriana was rummaging through the goods loaded in the package sent by her mother when she suddenly saw something that made her jump excitedly. Her mother was truly surprising. She fought the urge to scream—which she eventually did in the end—as she affectionately clutched the DVD cases in her arms. She jumped around, hair bouncing around her as she did.
“Oh my god! The first, second, and third movie of Kingdom Knights on BluRay! Oh my god! And mom even included the new installment!” She gushed, looking over the fourth movie with fervent eyes. “Kingdom Knights: The Princess of the Crystal Throne. Holy crap! Doug Landers looks even better than he did in the last movie! OH MY GOD! I was waiting for this to be released all year! I'm glad it finally came! I'm so excited.”
“What's that, Valeriana?” Tamara asked her.
“Oh, well . . . it's the movie I was waiting for. I guess it was released when I came here.” She answered.
“A movie? What's a movie?” Elfre asked, forehead wrinkling.
“It's something you watch for entertainment—kind of like a play except recorded in a video and burned to a CD to be distributed among the masses for a suitable price.”
“I don't understand.” Brindon said. “How can a play fit in that small contrivance?”
“Wait a moment. I want to watch this immediately.” She said, before running upstairs to retrieve her laptop from her room.
The rankers shared a look before shrugging, clueless. The ways of men were pretty strange to them, but interesting at the same time as well. They waited for Valeriana to come back, and she later emerged from the stairs with her laptop pinned under her arm. She walked over to them and placed the object on top of the table while the circle leaned towards the object curiously.
“What is that?”
“My laptop.” She answered, pressing the power button to boot up the device.
A tune echoed from the computer as it started, making the circle hop back in surprise—all except for Valeriana and a few others like Tamara, Corvan, Charles, and Rowe, who remained calm. They just raised a brow at the device in confusion, apparently questioning its existence.
After it started, Valeriana typed in her password and ran her fingers over the touch pad. She opened the DVD drive, popping the case of the movie open. She slid the CD into her computer and opened it using her Media Player.
As the intros played, the others hopped back even further, eyes widening as they caught sight of the moving pictures within a very thin screen. Tamara, in particular, leaned over the computer, examining the front and the back.
“I don't get how there are people inside that very small thing.” She said. “What kind of sorcery is this?”
“I told you, it's a movie.” She answered and squealed. “Nanananana!” Valeriana fought the urge to scream while singing the opening music. “As dawn comes rolling, like night they come riding—”
“No, stop!” Tamara hurriedly clamped a hand over mouth. “For the sake of the king, do not sing!”
Apparently, during her time of stay, the circle discovered her horrendous singing voice and practically forbid her from even merely humming a tune.
Tamara pulled back after Valeriana quieted, looking strangely amazed with herself. “My words rhymed! Did you hear that?” She asked them enthusiastically.
Charles sighed and looked like he wanted to bang his head against the wall. “Just quiet down. So you rhymed, what's so amazing about it?”
Tamara pouted at him. “Don't ruin other people's dream! I can be a poet for all you know!”
“You wish.” Charles muttered.
“Quiet down! It's starting!” Valeriana chided.
Heeding her words, they all became silent.
Truth be told, the Twelve were more than entertained when they started watching the movie. They found themselves reacting to every thrilling event as things took turn for the better or worse. Valeriana needed to cover her ears when they started yelling and screaming at Doug Landers when he faced his biggest enemy. At the climax of the story, it turned out that the princess whom he fell in love with after saving her from danger, was the daughter of his greatest nemesis. And although the princess remained innocent from her father's transgressions, she was now under his complete control, and was acting as a puppet under his enchantment.
They watched the protagonist struggle—not wanting to attack his loved one, while the cowardly father heartlessly used his own daughter to stall time for his escape—even bothering to collapse the whole building to trap Doug and make sure he didn't come
after him.
At the end of the movie, as the castle slowly started to crash, the princess willingly threw herself on Doug's blade the moment she regained little control of her body, killing herself.
She said as she lay dying, “Hurting you is the greatest sin I commit.”
“It's not your fault. You were being controlled. You were not yourself.”
“Still, these hands were the ones that inflicted those wounds.”
Tamara began to cry, so did Valeriana, Elfre, Genevieve, and Aneeka while the boys remained nonchalant and stone-faced. Zevlin even dared stick out his tongue and fake-vomit on the floor, apparently disgusted. Brindon—well, like anything would cause a reaction from him.
He received a big whack from his twin. “Ow!”
“How can you not cry, you insensitive men?!” Tamara sobbed.
Raziel laughed. “So Tamara does have a womanly side in her.”
“What irony.” Charles commented.
The exchange of words between the two lovers continued. Doug told her, “It was not you.”
The princess shushed Doug as tears welled up from his eyes. “Always remember the day we met, and the times we spent together. Although the time may have been short, I found happiness in meeting you.”
“No! Miradhea!”
“What kind of rubbish is this?” Corvan narrowed his eyes at the scene.
The movie progressed to Doug carrying the lifeless body of his beloved as he made her lay down the crystal throne, something which her father had spent so many years looking for—something which he so easily abandoned for his cowardice.
The crystal throne was sought and desired by many, since it was said it was the door which led to paradise—a land seemingly untainted, free from any impurities. You could see jewels everywhere, skies a limitless blue, and the air was fresher than anything you would breathe in your entire life. Yet, no one knew what the key was.