XV | TREPIDATION OF THE UNKNOWN
In spite of himself, Kael couldn't stop his eyes from wandering to the large chests surrounding him. He didn't know where to look, so his gaze flitted from girl to girl, trying to find something other than their bosoms to stare at. It really wasn't his fault that they were crowding him when he was much shorter than they were, effectively swamping him with their curves. Not to mention the fact that they practically shoved each other onto him.
"Let me talk to him!" a girl said, pushing away her blonde friend.
"No, me first!"
"Ugh, get out of my way!"
"I was here first! Come on, guys! Get in line!"
Kael stood, petrified by the older girls. What did they want from him? They had crowded around him as soon as he'd stepped out of class. And to his dismay, his friends had abandoned him with large grins and fits of laughter.
"Girls! We're all here for the same reason. Let's just ask and we'll all listen to what he has to say."
Kael gulped, hating the feeling of being cornered. He tried to stay calm.
"W-what is it?" he asked. He almost cowered under their fierce stares. For some reason, they reminded him of a pack of wolves staring at their prey.
A girl with dark purple hair stepped up to him. Kael was relieved to see that she didn't have the curves the rest of the girls did despite being a third year, indicated by the ID badge that hung around her neck.
"You're Smaradine, right?" she asked, twirling her long hair around her finger.
Kael nodded vehemently, hoping she'd go away if he gave her the answer she wanted.
"Good." She leaned forward. So much that Kael could feel her breath on his cheek. "So you're Kly's brother."
Kael repeated his previous action, still unable to speak properly. Did they have something against Kly? The dominance exuding from the girl kept Kael locked in place. He almost expected her to grab his collar.
Then, her ferocity dissolved like butter. The wrinkles on her forehead smoothened out, and her pink lips turned up into a dreamy smile. She clasped her hands together, her dark eyes lighting up with what Kael could only describe as admiration, and raised a leg as if to look more feminine.
"You've got to tell me all about him!" she said, her voice much higher in pitch than before. "What's his favourite snack? What are his hobbies? What are the places he likes to go the most? Come on, spill! Tell me everything you know!"
"I-I-I, well, um..." Kael couldn't concentrate with the rest of the girls drawing closer to hear his reply. "Uh, I don't, er, I'm not sure I really..."
Kael faltered. Information — or lack there of — flooded his mind with questions. What was Kly's favourite food? What did Kly do in his freetime? How did Kael not know? He felt something in his heart break. Again, the realisation that he knew practically nothing about the person he admired the most hit him hard. His shoulders slumped, and his mood dampened enough to drown out the mumbles coming from the circle of girls.
"Um, I gotta go..." he muttered, pushing past them without caring that they were still pouring out questions. Questions that Kael could not answer.
"What? Hey, wait! You didn't tell us anything!"
Ignoring them, Kael broke into a run down the hall. Instead of moving to his next class, Kael sprinted out of the education building and towards the Silver Wolf Den. The scorching sun above beat down on him, and sweat began to drip into his eyes, but he refused to stop. He was fueled with determination, anger, and desperation. He hated that his only surviving family member was practically a stranger to him. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.
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.
Gritting his teeth, Kael continued on. The blood rushing through his ears drowned out the old man's chatter. All he could think of now was his brother. How could he have been so stupid? If he couldn't answer a simple question about his own brother, how could he ever hope to gather information on phantoms in the future?
"Stop right there, boy," the old man said. Kael snapped out of his thoughts. When had they reached the blacksmith? "Thank you for your help. Just put the sack down next to the door, and I'll be on my way."
Kael swung the sack off his back. A whoosh of cool air hit his prickly back. He felt an ache on his spine when he straightened.
"Where's Kly?" he asked between breaths. "Please, tell me."
The old man stroked his chin. "I think I saw him heading towards the administration building. He may be at the academy archives. That boy seems to be quite preoccupied lately."
"Thank you, sir." He whirled around to leave, but the old man held his cane in front of Kael's leg.
"Before you go, let me tell you one more thing," the old man said. "Did you know there was a cart with wheels right next to the dorm that you could have used to bring the sack here?"
Kael winced, bitterly wondering why the old man hadn't mentioned that to him until now. Maybe he was going senile. "I guess I missed that, sir. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Sometimes, it's best to pause and observe your surroundings before you decide what you're going to do next. I'm surprised you were able to carry that heavy thing all the way here. You got a strong spirit, but you're too impulsive for your own good."
"Why are you telling me this now?" Kael couldn't keep the impatience out of his voice. The faint clangs of a hammer hitting an anvil answered him before the old man did.
The elder grinned as if he held a great secret, twirling his long white moustache with a finger. "Grit and determination on their own will not pave your road to success. Remember that. It's good to be resilient, but you must also be able to judge wisely. Now before you leave..." He dug into the sack, half his body disappearing inside before he slipped out and handed Kael a scythe. "Will you put this at the warehouse near your dorm? I meant to return it, but it slipped my mind until now."
Though he was confused, Kael shrugged off the old man's perplexing words of wisdom, grabbed the weapon, and sprinted off without more delay. He made it back to the Silver Wolf Den in no time. He paused to throw the scythe inside the warehouse, only taking a moment to notice an empty fire sigil engraved on the blade. Slamming the door closed, he ran back towards the center of the academy.
He tried to remember the tour he took of the academy from the last week. After the education building, the Goldwin Garden, and then the administration building.
The education building with many windows loomed over him. Kael felt like it was scolding him for skipping classes on the first day. He shuddered despite the hot weather before resuming his run.
The garden was easy to spot. A large stone fountain spewed tiered waterfalls from the middle of green grass. At the other end of greenery, Kael saw the administration building. It peeked over a small grove of trees, beckoning him.
Kael drew in a large gulp of air when he made it to the entrance. He never knew he could sweat so much.
Wiping himself down, he entered. The cool air hit him like a freezer, refreshing his exhausted body. The receptionist gave him a disapproving scowl.
"You should be in class," he said, his moustache wiggling with each syllable.
"Sir, I have to see Proctor Kly. Do you know where he is?"
"Do you have a pass to see him?"
"Please, sir, I," Kael swallowed. "I just have to see him for a few minutes. Only a few. It won't be long."
"That's not the issue here. If you're skipping class, you'll be going to the detention center."
Kael was about to protest when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up and froze when he saw Kly. He hadn't even heard his brother approach.
"It's fine, Reiton. I called him here."
The receptionist furrowed his brows, which were almost as impressively sruffy as his bushy moustache. "Kly, he may be your brother, but you know you can't be giving him special privileges. You know better."
"I know. It's just for today. I promise you, it won't happen again." At the last statement, Kael felt Kly's hand squeeze. He tensed, then slumped his shoulders. What was he doing? Why did he run off from class when he could've just talked to Kly after class was over?
"Come on, little buddy. You made it just in time."
Kael let Kly push him away from the receptionist and into a hallway. The large windows let a hot stream of sunlight pour in. The heat, mixed with Kael's shame, made the the air stifling. He watched the tiles move behind him with every step he took.
"I'm sorry, Kly," Kael mumbled.
"I'm sure you had a good reason for coming here like this, little buddy. We'll talk when we make it to my office."
Kly let go of Kael, and the two continued on in silence. Only the loud taps of their footsteps cut into the thick, humid air. They finally stopped before a large wooden door. Kly pulled out his keys and inserted one into the door. He turned the golden knob, and pushed the door open. Kael stifled a gasp at the large space inside.
A massive desk sat at the far end of the room in front of trophies and photographs. Shelves lined with thick books loomed on either side. In front of the desk were two couches facing each other with a low table dividing them. A large window cast bright daylight into the room, and dust danced in the light like smoke.
"Take a seat, bud." Kly gestured to the couches and closed the door behind him.
Kael sat on the couch, mentally punching himself for coming here. He wasn't thinking straight. Maybe the heat had gotten to him. He stared at his clasped hands, watching his knuckles whitening from his grip. What was he doing?
The light tap of a cup meeting the table startled him. Kly sat at the couch in front of him, holding an identical cup that had tea instead of water.
"Have some water. You look exhausted."
Kael nodded and grabbed the cup. The cold wood was welcoming to his heated skin. He took a long sip of water before putting the cup down.
"So," Kly said, slipping his gloves off. "What's the rush? You looked a little panicked when you came running in. Is everything all right?"
"I'm sorry, Kly," Kael said. "I'm so sorry." He gripped his knees and tried to stop tears from falling.
"Whoa, there," Kly's voice softened. "Are you okay?"
Kael sniffled. Angry at himself for crying over nothing, he wiped his tears with the back of his hand.
"When I left my first class, a few girls came to me to ask about you," Kael explained. "They asked me questions that should have been easy to answer. Like what your favourite snack is. Kly, I didn't know anything. When they asked me all those questions, I couldn't answer a single one."
Kly remained quiet for a second. The ticking of the clock was deafening. "Hey, bud. It's okay. You don't have to feel bad about it. We haven't seen each other in years. Of course you wouldn't know any of those things."
"That's it, Kly." Kael felt his heart clench worse than when he watched Aisa kiss Lint. "All these years, you were alone. I had Aunt Lana and Uncle Hont, but you...you didn't have family. I'm your brother, but you were all alone. Why did you leave, Kly? Why couldn't you have stayed with me and Uncle Hont and Aunt Lana? Why did you have to go away and become a complete stranger to me?"
Kly seemed speechless for a good moment, processing Kael's hurt confession. Then, he sighed. "I'm sorry you feel that way, little buddy. It looks like I wasn't there when my little brother needed me the most. I'm really sorry about that."
Kael rubbed his eyes as more tears threatened to fall. He sniffed and looked up to his brother. He was surprised to see Kly smiling, almost sadly.
"Kael, you cheeky bugger. How long have you been worrying about this? Gee, you're worse than Aunt Lana. Tell you what. You'll have a day off of school five days from now. Market Day. We'll hang out then, and I'll tell you everything you need to know about me. Deal?"
"Really?" Kael asked. "You'll really do that?"
"Sure. There isn't a thing in the world I wouldn't do for you, little buddy. Now, come on." Kly stood and offered Kael a hand. "Let's get you to class."
Kael nodded and grabbed his brother's hand. "Okay."
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A/N
Hey!
I am beyond exhausted right now, so I'll keep this author's note short.
I honestly don't know how I feel about this chapter because it kind of feels like a filler. Sorry there wasn't any cool magic and whatnot, but it's pretty important in Kael's character development. XD
Whatever. Hopefully it wasn't boring.
I hope you enjoyed, and if you did, please do give it a vote.
Without further ado, I'll see you Friday! :D
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