Phantom Hunters | Saphir Casters Academy

15 | Trepidation of the Unknown

    The animated sounds of the academy died away behind him, and only the slight rustle of trees and sporadic whistles of birds accompanied the pounding of his feet against the dirt.

    By the time he reached the entrance of the Silver Wolf Den, his sweat had soaked right through his white shirt and stained his red short-sleeved jacket. He wiped his brow and caught his breath before entering the dormitory.

    "Kly!" Kael's voice echoed in the empty space. "Kly! Are you in here?"

    His call went unanswered, and the room went silent, filled only with Kael's desperate gasps for air. Something prickled his eyes, though he couldn't say if it was from tears or sweat. He opened his mouth to shout for his brother once more, but he never had a chance.

    "What are you doing here, boy? You should be in class."

    Kael nearly jumped out of his skin. He whirled around toward the door. Through the crack, a small man peeked inside. White clumps of hair seemed to avoid the middle of his head, growing around the shiny scalp like a crown of smoke. What he lacked at the top of his head, he made up for under his nose.

    "Do you know where the proctor is?" Kael had to swallow a large lump. He blinked back tears. "Please, you have to tell me. Where is Kly?"

    "The Silver Wolf proctor left a while ago," the old man said. "It's not my business to know where he goes."

    Kael's heart sank, and he considered lying on the ground to wait for his brother. At least he'd be able to rest after all that running. No. Kael knew he was going to be restless until he could confront the turmoil within him. To do that, he had to find Kly.

    "But," the man said with a raised finger. Kael perked up. "If you give me a hand out here, I might be able to tell you."

    Kael nodded, immediately springing into action. He went outside and saw a large sack laying next to the man.

    "Help me carry this bag, and I'll give you the information you want. Come along."

    Kael grabbed the opening of the sack and heaved it onto his back. He stumbled forward from the sudden weight.

    "W-what's in this thing?" he groaned. His legs trembled under the burden. He took a step forward; his knee almost gave way.

    "Oh, nothing much," the old man said with an innocent smile. He went ahead of Kael, twirling his cane with each step. "Just a few knick knacks for the academy's blacksmith."

    "The blacksmith?" Kael's temple stung from sweat, and he almost dropped the sack in an attempt to scratch his head. He didn't know how such a small old man could drag it around.

    "Oh, yes. The blacksmith makes all the weapons for the academy students. He needs the best materials to do so. These just came in from the mail, so I'm on my way there. Come along, now!"

    Kael found it difficult to keep up with the short old man. His whole body seemed to shiver from the amount of weight on his back. His shoulder strained, and with every step, he let out a grunt of exertion.

    The path to the blacksmith seemed much longer than Kael had thought. Even though he could see a building in the distance, it never seemed to draw any closer.

    "Just a little more," the old man said. "We're almost there."

    Kael's tongue seemed to stick to the roof of his mouth. HIs throat was parched, and every time he swallowed, his body craved a gulp of cool water. He thought of the boar, how he had dragged it up two hills. A kilometer. This should be nothing compared to then.