Getting back to the academy was hard. Raphael was bleeding slightly and he seemed to have gotten one or two fractures. Other than that, he was fine, which was a relief to me. I was luckier. I had a few bruises and the lash on my right arm. Feeling gradually returned to my limbs and blood appeared to have just started flowing, pumping life back to my exhausted muscles.
“What happened to you guys?” I heard Janice’s panicked shriek and I looked up.
“Uh…we met into the bloody psychopath that eats souls for breakfast.” Raphael spat out before he winced in pain.
Janice only stared at us, with horror or admiration I do not even know. I was too tired to care. The fire crystal dug into my clammy skin, making beads of blood trickle out. My other hand was wrapped protectively around Ren. He didn’t seem to have any major external injuries. Perhaps he was just knocked out. My numb shoulders were holding up the weight of my bag that I had hastily picked up before heading back.
“You’re bleeding! Let’s go to the infirmary.” Janice finally spoke and hurried us into the academy like a mother goose caring for her little ones. Raphael was treated first. Janice seemed flustered and scolded him for not being careful. Her worried pout amused me and I raised an eyebrow. Raphael let Janice continue reprimanding him and he smiled apologetically. Raphael shrugged his shoulders in response and Janice resumed lecturing him with an imposing posture. His right arm was twisted in an awkward angle, obviously fractured. Raphael groaned in pain when Janice tied a splint securely to support his arm. After she was done, Raphael was chased back to his room to rest.
After twenty minutes of twitching uncomfortably on the wooden chair and a few blood-soaked towels, my arm was finally stitched up and bandaged. Janice must have been a healer before she entered the academy, for she quickly prepared a disgusting concoction of some herbs. It tasted as pleasant as cow manure…not that I had tried that before. My eyes fell on Ren’s sleeping form and a pang of guilt ate into my overworked heart. He was always getting hurt because of me while I escaped with nothing more than a few bruises and a cut.
I showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes. I opened the door into my room and stared at the bag that was carelessly thrown on the bed. After Faris disappeared, I had hastily stuffed everything back into the bag. Too tired to do anything, I decided to leave the task of unpacking to tomorrow.
I pulled out the fire crystal that had specks of dried blood, my blood on it. It was hard to believe that this block actually saved my life. I touched the crystal again with my fingers and a dim glow came to life within the translucent crimson block. A tiny bit of warmth radiated from the crystal which soothed my wrecked nerves. My eyelids drooped down and my exhausted body sank gratefully into the soft mattress. Clutching it with my hands, I brought it to my chest and took in the warmth. Comforted by the soft glow of light, I drifted into unconsciousness and my eyes closed.
I ducked under the bed sheets when the sun rose above the horizon. I groaned as a stab of white searing pain stung my arm as my muscle contracted. Unfortunately, that was all my brain needed to be awake and I reluctantly pushed aside the restricting sheets after I realised I was wide awake.
“Are you okay?” The familiar sound of Ren’s voice penetrated my mind. My eyes flew open and landed on Ren. He was lying lazily on the bed, flicking his tail absentmindedly. He was fine. I let out a sigh of relief.
“Yeah. You?”
“I’m sore all over, but still in one piece.”
It was a holiday for another three more days, which meant no lessons. That was a relief to me especially with my injuries.
After freshening up, Ren and I walked down to the cafeteria to look for some food. I could smell my favourite sweet cakes. My stomach growled and I regretted not bringing down my pot of honey which I could eat with. Just the thought of dipping sweet spongy cake in viscous honey made me salivate. Janice was already there. She smiled and waved to me as I entered.
I spotted Bain lurking at the corner of the room, beady eyes trained on me. He said nothing and seemed withdrawn. On good days, I was greeted with a smirk. Usually (if not all the time) I was greeted with a punch or tripped with a calculated move of his leg. You could never go wrong when you start the day with a punch to decorate your drowsy face. Of course.
From my friendly interactions with him, I have discovered two sides to his incomprehensible behaviour. He absolutely loved to bully me. At first, he did so by harsh force, trying to instil fear in me. That had worked, to a small extent. Now, he just enjoyed using the playful, sadistic painful way while teasing me relentlessly. He knew how much that irritated me which did nothing but fuel his passion for such actions. What a warped hobby to have. To my astonishment, his eyes widened when he saw me. My arm was still tightly bandaged and the bruises all over my body were very prominent. I averted my gaze from him as I walked in.
“How are you feeling?”
“Peachy.” My voice was croaky.
I took a serving of sweet cake and some water. I gave Ren a bit of sweet cake and ate the rest. We ate in silence, all famished.
“What happened?” Janice finally brought up the question that was lingering in the air, unasked. An unwilling memory of Serpenta and Faris’ madness flashed through my mind, causing tension to erupt through my shoulder muscles.
“Psychotic ex-boyfriend Faris happened.” I blurted out without thinking.
“Faris?! He’s your boyfri- Oh, you were joking.” Janice lamely droned off.
“He attacked us when we were walking back to the academy.”
“He wouldn’t dare…” Janice faltered.
“He was after my precious soul. My soul is too tasty…not that I know how souls taste like. ”
“I still don’t understand why.” Janice bit into her sweet cake thoughtfully.
“I don’t know why either. I honestly don’t know why my soul makes him salivate on the spot. Why can’t he pick somebody else?”
“Maybe there’s something special about you. Aaron talked about the value of souls before, remember?” Ren suddenly said.
“What?” Janice prompted.
“Souls, have colours and they follow the colours of a rainbow. Red souls give about 10 years to a Soul Eater. Yellow souls give 20, so on and so forth.”
“What do the colours even mean? How am I different from anyone else?” I asked, not expecting an answer.
“It could mean the amount of magic you have in your body. Daik told me the other day.”
“Daik?”
“I’ve heard of the dragon Daik. Rumours say that Daik doesn’t belong to anyone. He just comes as he pleases.” Janice was quick to add in a juicy piece of news.
“Daik never told me that.” Ren’s voice held a hint of betrayal. Daik must have been a close friend of his.
“Well, what else did Daik say?” I dug further.
“Is this the part where I add a disclaimer that what he said was merely a belief?” Ren didn’t wait for a reply.
“Everything in this world has magic. This magic normally lies dormant, just a vast pool of energy waiting to tapped upon. The familiar bond strengthens one’s ability to use this magic, but only barely. The only way to use this magic is when familiar and owned are in unison, both heart and soul. This normally occurs when strong emotions are emitted. This theory is slightly similar to the sub-class theory.”
“You mean the blue flash when Aria was practicing is magic?”
“Well…it is just a theory…”
“Fascinating. Not that I would believe some mumbo-jumbo fabricated by a rat.” Raphael had entered the cafeteria, drawing stares as he walked in.
“What did you call me?” Ren challenged.
Raphael ignored him and dragged a stool back with his leg and sat down. He grumpily snatched a few sweet cakes from my plate and tore a chunk off, almost like a wolf biting off a deer haunch. His blond hair was in a messy, untidy fashion. He was scruffy-looking and untidy, a complete contrast to his normal neat appearance.
Janice was stunned with his sudden mood change and she exchanged confused glances at me.
“What other lies have that muddled straw-head been telling you?” Raphael coldly spat out, uncaring of anything as he slammed an empty plate on the table. What? Did Bain possess him and turned a mischievous, playful monkey into an insensitive, angst-ridden and rude teenager? Completely taken aback, I sat there, eyebrows rising. Ren was speechless too.
“What?” Janice was shocked.
“Selfish little prick, go eat a cactus when you’re not spreading lies to the world. Of course, I highly doubt that day would even come, you two-faced stuffed animal.”
“What?! I’m not lyin-”
“Oh save it. You’re a sorry excuse for a monkey.”
“Aria’s not a monkey!” Ren defended.
What in the world was wrong with him? Did he knock his head or something? Why was Raphael so angry? He looked up and glared straight at me. I flinched at the intensity of his anger.
“You may actually be right. Monkeys look better than this.” Raphael pointed a finger at me accusingly. The intensity of his glare made me shift my gaze away.
“Raphael? What’s wrong with you?” Janice tried to calm him down.
“What’s wrong with me?! I’m a mummified banana because of this sickening weasel!!”
The words registered and pain struck me.
“That little bastard doesn’t care about anyone except her damn self!! She doesn’t even care, does she?! I almost got killed because of her! All she does is wallow in self-pity about how weak she is and that she can’t protect herself, which is true just in case your skull is empty. She doesn’t care about other people at all! She just wants to save her own worthless ass!! Have it ever crossed your shrivelled mind that we two are in danger because of you?! That psychotic bastard was smiling and laughing when he hit me! Do you know how that’s like?!” I could feel the rage that was deeply rooted into his mind.
I couldn’t say anything. I just stared into blank space, unaware of the amount of stares at me. I bit my lip and pushed back the stool.
“Ren, let’s go.” I said, almost inaudibly.
Ren looked up at me in concern but complied. I took a sharp turn and exited the room. It was then did the insistent tears flood my eyes. I blinked rapidly, trying hard to ignore the rush of warmth to my face. Raphael’s words stung. No matter how much I tried to rationalize with myself that he was wrong, I could not find anything. There was no one, nothing to blame other than me.
It hurt more because he was right. Bain was probably laughing his stupid ass off but I could not care any less. I sniffed as my throat started to get clogged up. I refused to cry and continued blinking, bent on driving the tears back.
I had felt this same pain when Bain said those words to me but at least he was not my friend. It pained me so much more especially when it came from Raphael. Raphael, the sweet overly-playful boy, deadly with his sword, was now a mummified banana because of me.
Ren knew it wasn’t a good time to talk to me right now and tagged behind quietly, making sure he did not obstruct me in anyway.
Frustrated yet depressed, I broke into a short jog, aimlessly wandering. Chaotic thoughts flooded my mind but I was determined not to think of that now. I needed to clear my mind. I huffed as I forced myself into a sprint. My arm stung from the exertion but I pushed on. My whole body was sore and tired, yet I continued to run. One of the few things I had learnt was that pain was inevitable if I wanted to get stronger. It was irony that getting rid of the pain normally required one to suffer through more pain. It was like running even when you had muscle aches. It did make you feel better.
I heard Ren’s scampering behind and I felt the grass brush across my legs when I slowed down, panting. Pain like knives and daggers stabbed into my arm and I grimaced in pain.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I panted slightly and examined the bandage. I had forgotten to change the dressing and it was now soaked in blood. A thin layer of sweat coated my skin, which felt rather enjoyable as the sweat evaporated. I was in one of the more desolate areas of the academy and it brought peace to the turmoil of emotions in me. Trees were scattered randomly and a pile of leaves were starting to build up on the ground. It was just behind the weapons building.
The soothing gust of wind, the sound of leaves and even a few birds chirping far away combined into a relaxing melody which calmed my frayed nerves. I shut my eyes and breathed in deeply, holding it before exhaling.
“Aria! Almonds!” Ren bounced up and down, delighted. His joyful cry broke the peace and calamity and I opened my eyes in surprise. His eyes were fixated on something else and I traced his line of sight.
True to his words, I looked up and saw a tree. As my eyes moved up the tree’s thin trunk, the sight of dull almond fruits came into my vision. I sighed and stepped on a notch in the tree, using it as a foothold. I reach up and grasped a thicker branch and hauled myself up. I rammed up other leg into the tree trunk and kicked myself off. Thankfully, it was enough and I was sitting rather comfortably on the branch. The leaves were tickling the back of my neck and I brushed them aside.
Ren easily scaled the tree, using his sharp claws and agility. I plucked one fruit off a tree and the leaves rustled. I held the fruit between two fingers, inspecting it. It was of dull green, which was soft to touch. I pulled out a small dagger from my boot and peeled the flesh off. It dropped to the ground like a falling apple with a thud. After I was sure I had cleared all the flesh, I passed the hard-shelled nut to Ren.
He let out a jubilant cry before expertly de-shelling the nut to get to the sweet treasure within. I smiled, amused at his overjoyed expression. I plucked another fruit and proceeded to pull the flesh off. Almonds were fatty and not good for chinchillas but it was irresistible when I saw his happy face. He munched down on the nut with enthusiasm, savouring the bland but faintly sweet taste. I cracked one of them open and popped one into my mouth.
My molars cracked the nut into half easily, dispersing crushed pieces of nut all over my mouth. The nut was flavoursome. My tongue rolled over the nut, feeling the rough skin which was bitter. The nut’s sweet taste filled my mouth. Delightful, indeed. Nothing could beat the fresh harvest, Nature’s gift. It was so different from those sold in the markets which were normally dry and hard. The taste was somewhat stale, musty and unimpressive. This almond, however, still retained the freshness and sweetness.
Forgetting all the pain, I rested my back on the tree trunk, continuing to munch on the almond thoughtfully. Ren was sitting on my lap, relishing his own share of almonds. Lying down for a moment, I recalled Raphael’s rage and fury. I shuddered involuntarily when I remember the power of his anger. His eyes were almost bloodshot, with searing anger buried inside those unfathomable eyes. I played with a leaf, twirling it with the tips of my fingers. If looks could kill, I would be dead long ago. That expression gets old, I absentmindedly thought.
“Having fun?” A gruff voice permeated through the air, with a hint of playfulness. Before my brain could even process the familiar voice, my abdomen muscles flexed and I pushed my body sideways off the branch. I felt air being knocked out from me when I was kneed in the stomach and kicked to the ground.
You would have to believe me when I said this. A twenty foot drop to the ground was not pleasant at all. Adrenaline flooded my body and a terrified scream escaped my throat. I flapped my arms pathetically, as if I had gotten supernatural flying powers at that instant. Air whipped past my body and I felt the full force of gravity descend on me. Instinctive fear made the tips of my fingers tingle as I struggled to upright myself.
Training kicked in and I landed on the balls of my feet before tumbling down to a clumsy roll. The force dissipated across my whole body, making a dull ache to nag at me, from toes to shoulder. My arm was burning with pain and I yelped when a sudden surge of blazing pain brutally drove into my cut. My uninjured hand instinctively grabbed my other hand’s wrist, cradling it gingerly.
“I won’t even go into what you looked like when you dropped down. I’ll give you a clue: a chicken, positively featherless.” Bain’s deep voice echoed.
Now I had to prepare myself for being kicked off the grou- I felt Bain’s steely leg collide into my ankle, making me lose my balance and collapse into the bed of leaf litter. Oh, there was his signature move again. I hissed in pain and rubbed the back of my head which was roughly knocked into the ground.
“What the hell? Ever heard of the phrase ‘Never disturb a girl when in she is in her private moment.’?!” Anger bubbled within me as I turned to face him.
For the first impression of Bain, he was a handsome, muscular teen that girls would be magnetized to. Well, minus his giant ego and sadistic, manipulative behaviour. He was clad his heavy boots, with his normal training outfit. In addition, he wore a brown leather cloak that resembled something close to what a matured man would wear. What was his problem? He enjoyed seeing defenceless girls curl up and cry? Not that I was defenceless…
Bain’s eyebrows rose, to be covered by his strands of black hair. He gave an incredulous look.
“Did you just make that up? I have honestly never heard of that.” His playful demeanour returned. It was certainly a match for Raphael, except he never dealt a blow on me voluntarily before.
I did my best to glare at him but he calmly returned the gaze with similar intensity. Bain was such a complex person that I was still struggling to understand. He had been so brutal and cruel the first time I met him. When he realised it was not working out, he changed his tactics. Now, he was a sadistic, short-tempered male that bragged excessively about himself. I was not even sure which I preferred. He often made well-crafted witty insults and teased me to no end. He was confusing and could be considered bipolar.
I did know, however, that he was excellent at observing and manipulating people. He had learnt almost everything that ticked me off. He knew my limits to teasing and all my weaknesses related to battle. It scared me somewhat when I realised he probably knew the same about everyone in the academy.
What was he doing now? Preying on a feeble young woman that was going through a rough time?
“What. Are. You. Doing?” I spat out each word clearly, as venomously as I could conjure. Ren dropped to my side, looking equally surprised at the fact that Bain was here.
“I should give you an award, or promote you to be my second-in-command. I have never seen him so high-strung before. But scratch out the part of me promoting you. That was just a joke.” He ignored me and mused out loud.
“What are you doing here?” I repeated, brushing off the leaves from my shirt and standing back up.
“I don’t know but I-What are you doing there?”
“Excuse me?”
At lightning speed, he kicked my leg off the ground so that I tumbled back into the pile of leaves.
“What was that for?!”
“You belong there, at the same level where leaves are.”
“Leaves are the source of nutrients for every living thing here. So…where does that put you?” It was risky but worth it. I clenched my fists and contracted my muscles, bracing for a blow that did not come. I got back up on my feet, disliking the leaves that pricked at my skin.
Bain ignored that comment. Instead, he leaned against a tree and crossed his arms, looking at me like an intrigued monkey. My gaze fell on Ren, who was equally perplexed at why Bain was here.
“What are you doing here? Are you perhaps moping and wallowing in self-pity because a weasel called you a pig?”
“Since you like animal references so much, I suggest that you become one. But you are an animal. A crow is an animal after all.”
“I’m a crow?” He feigned surprise and laughed. I just stared at him like he was mad. I see now it was not just Raphael that had a knock to their head. This was the first time he had not hit me for insulting him. Plus, he didn’t knock me back to the soft, comfortable ground. What did he want?
“I’m genuinely curious though. How did fighting with a Soul Eater work out for you? Your fighting capabilities are certainly not up to that level yet and- Ooh, an apple tree.” He gaze landed on the tree just beside the almond tree. I blinked rapidly and cocked my head to the side. What the hell? I only stared at him, flabbergasted. His behaviour was nothing I had ever seen.
The Bain I knew was focused and detailed. Bain does not talk about Soul Eaters, before suddenly becoming fascinated over an apple tree. Wait, how does he know about Soul Eaters? How did he know I had fought one?
“What?” I was utterly confused and could not comprehend him at all. He was now climbing the tree with ease, expertly pulling himself up. Bain does not ever get his hands unnecessarily dirty without good reason. Surely an apple was not reason enough to make him climb the tree.
He plucked a ripe apple and tossed it in the air, catching it in his palm. He leisurely sat on the branch and bit into the fruit with a loud crunch. He ignored my attempt to get his attention and concentrated on his apple.
“You want one?” He turned to me, dark eyes twinkling with amusement. I almost choked at those words. I studied his face, trying to figure out what was going on. There was no indication that he was joking. It was a genuine question. No. Bain does not ever ask his biggest hater whether she wanted an apple.
Speechless, I gaped at him, struggling to find out what was happening. The only logical conclusion I had was that he had a really hard knock to his head this morning, which was implausible. He flung an apple at me and I snapped out from my thoughts. Unable to dodge, the apple struck my head and dropped into my palm. A cry of pain left my lips and I massaged the area, soothing the dull ache. I glared at him and his lips twisted into a smile of satisfaction. He mouthed to me ‘bull’s eye’.
“You stupid a-”
“No swearing little bird.” Bird? Why was I a bird?
“How do you know about Faris?”
“Oh, so it was Faris.” He took another bite into the apple, choosing to ignore the rising panic that started to show on my face. How did he know? How? More importantly, what else did he know?
“How do you know about that?”
He avoided the question and continued eating the apple. A tinge of annoyance erupted in me and I tapped my foot on the ground, waiting for an answer.
“Oh, I know Faris.” His tone was indifferent, with a note of finality. His voice was deep, with a hint of threat. He did not want me prying deeper, I realised. Deciding to leave that to another time, I asked,
“How did you know I got attacked?”
“It’s not all that obvious. I mean, a long gash on your arm and bruises all over was not a big hint enough to tell me that. Not to forget about Raphael. I still can’t get over the expression ‘mummified banana’. Genius. What I’m more interested in is how you got out.”
“Why do I need to tell you?”
“I did give you an apple.”
“I’ll give it back!”
“Tut-tut. It’s rude to give back gifts to others. Didn’t your parents tell you that? You can tell me how you got out now or later. Take your pick.”
“What later?”
“When I add a few more bruises and perhaps a couple fractures. I honestly haven’t decided which bones though.” Bain was not joking, but said it in a light tone. I thought that through, pausing for a moment.
“A fire crystal. I got one from the market yesterday.”
Bain did not respond, remaining silent. His playful expression disappeared to form a more serious one. His eyes were blank, like he was in another world.
“I see.” He finally said.
“No broken bones? You must be devastated.”
“If you wanted so, you could just ask. I’ll gladly give it to you. I could even give it to you in the number of pieces of your choice.”
“No thanks and bye.” I turned to leave.
“No goodbye-kiss? I’m crushed.” Bain teasingly said before he dropped down gracefully from the tree. He landed almost silently, with nothing more than a rustle of leaves.
His movements were too fast as usual. I tried to duck but failed before I was knocked to the ground. Again. It was a classic move that I could still not avoid. Bain vanished after that and I looked around, taken aback. My ankles were aching dully and I sighed before getting up. The apple fell to the ground and I picked it up hastily.
“Come on Ren. Let’s go.” I muttered.
“What’s this?” Ren bounded across the ground, heading for a small patch of leaves. I walked over and bent down.
Hidden in the nest of brown leaves, beneath the roof of freshly fallen leaves, was a crystal. I picked it up carefully, not wanting to break it. It was a sculpture, a glass piece. Crystalline, bright eyes stared back at me, shining in the few specks of sunlight. It was a dog, a golden retriever. I twisted it about, marvelling the detail and amount of work put into it. Glass sculptures were rare and very expensive. The effort put into each other was astounding and the skill needed to make one, even more so admirable. I even see the fur of the dog, whose mouth was plastered in a cheerful expression. The body shape was perfect. Everything about it was spectacular.
“It’s beautiful.” Ren cooed.
Realization suddenly dawned on me and the weight of the sculpture seemed to increase greatly.
“Bain made this.” It was hard to admit that Bain was indeed, the skilful creator of this masterpiece.
“A golden retriever? Why one?” I wondered out loud. He was not the kind of person that seemed to like dogs. He was probably more likely to kill dogs for leisure rather than to sculpt them so beautifully.
“Because it’s Janice’s familiar. Bain made this for Janice.”
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It's been a long while since I uploaded due to tests and school work ): If there are confusions in the plot or some minor details, I apologize. I do plan for my story, except I don't follow it. I do tend to make changes here and there so.... haha :)