XLIII | THE MASTER ARTISAN
Kael peeked from behind the corner, trying to figure out a way to go past the ambush of higher years standing in front of his classroom door. Ever since he ran off on them, the girls from the higher years had steeled their resolve to catch him and coerce him into telling them everything he knew about his brother. Why they were so obsessed with knowing, he did not know nor understand, but he didn't want to share Kly's private life with people he didn't know.
Kael tapped his foot impatiently, drawing his pocket watch from his pocket and watching the seconds tick by. The girls continued to stand in his way, laughing at one another with sanctimoniously narrowed eyes. Clearly, they were only gathered because they all wanted the same thing rather than from mutual bonhomie.
"Come on," Kael muttered, frustration causing a guttural groan to escape. "Get moving."
It was then that a familiar figure passed by Kael without a greeting. Kael caught the sight of Garun's deep blue hair and familiar red scarf. He jumped the chance and grabbed the back of Garun's coat, causing the boy to halt in his steps.
"What do you think you're doing?" Garun asked, his voice low and steady but lacking the detached coldness it used to carry.
Kael, hoping that Garun would facilitate his walk to their next class, pleaded quietly. "Look, Garun. I know we're still on a shaky boulder in terms of our friendship, but could you be a real pal and cover for me until we get into the classroom?"
"And why is that?" Garun attempted to pry Kael's clutch from his clothes. "Why should I help you?"
"We're friends!" Kael hissed, peeking from behind Garun and ducking away when one of them whipped her head in their direction. The murmurs stopped, and Kael was sure they had seen him. He sighed, waiting for the girls to trap him in the middle and attack him with a barrage of sensitive questions.
"Fine," Garun said. "But this doesn't mean anything."
Caught off guard, Kael had no choice but to begin walking with Garun as his shield if he didn't want to fall forward from the unexpected advancement. As he drew closer, he realised that the girls crowding the door had dispersed. Kael let go and straightened with a relief.
"Oh. They're gone." He shot Garun a grin. "Thanks, bud. I really appreciate it."
Garun snorted and entered the classroom, closing the door in Kael's face. The latter frowned.
"That's not very nice, Garun!" Kael yelled, opening the door. He paused when all eyes turned to him, then he shrugged and shut the door. "Is there something you'd like to say?"
Nihir rolled his eyes from the back of the room, but Kael didn't mind him. Instead, he saw his friends at their usual spot at the middle. Grinning, he walked up the familiar carpeted steps and slid into an empty spot near them.
"I can't believe you guys left me!" Kael said, playfully frowning. "They were waiting for me again. The last time they caught me, they wanted me to tell them how much Kly made in a year, and when I refused, they dragged me around like a dog for an hour! Had to tell them a lie to finally escape."
Tyra snorted, but reserved herself before she could burst into laughter. Wynt snickered from beside Kael, and Rita didn't hold back when throwing her head back and guffawing at his misfortune.
Fadhia only blinked in confusion. "Oh, hello there, Kael. I didn't see you there."
"You're way more timid than I thought, duke." Rita rubbed her nose with the back of her finger. "I thought you'd barge right through them and demand they leave you alone."
Kael frowned. "Why would I do that? I don't want to be aggressive for no reason."
"Pfft. Right." Rita responded with a lighthearted punch to Kael's shoulder. "How'd you get past them, then?"
"Garun helped me out."
"What?" Rita raised her voice and slammed her hand on the table in shock, causing all heads to turn in their direction.
Fadhia tilted her head. "You should be more quiet, Rita. Inside voices, you know?"
Relaxing her tense shoulders, Rita merely shrugged. "Hard to believe someone like him would be willing to help."
"I mean, I kind of forced him to, so it's not like he offered. Still, he's not so bad."
"Right. And I'm an angel." As if to further prove her point, Rita raised her feet on the table and threw a crumpled piece of paper at Tyra, who was calmly reading until it hit the back of her head.
Tyra tensed, snapping her book shut and whirling around with a glare. "Did you just hit me?"
"I threw paper at you."
"Are you asking for a fight? My patience is running thin with you."
"Ooh, scary."
Fadhia flickered a worried gaze between the two girls. "Guys, don't fight."
"Relax, Fads," Rita said. "Little miss protocol there would never fight. Isn't that right, Tyra?"
Huffing, Tyra turned away. "Unfortunately. You're lucky because If I wasn't so patient, I would be beating you up."
Rita seemed to find this amusing, as she cackled loudly, her hands clasped languidly on her stomach. Kael shook his head with a slight smile. Rita was probably too outspoken for her own good, and he was sure she'd get in trouble for it in the near future. Still he couldn't imagine her caring about that. No. Rita would probably lash out even more. He marvelled at how he could imagine her reaction in hypothetical situations. It was as if he had known her all his life.
"You should give Garun a chance," he said quietly but loud enough that Rita could hear him.
She just shrugged and sank lower into her seat, crossing her ankles and pulling her flat cap down her face. "Just wake me up when the teacher gets here."
But it seemed time was against her; as soon as she relaxed into a comfortable position, the door flew open, and Maya rushed in with apologies for being late. She dropped a massive pile of papers on her podium and clapped her hands. Groaning, Rita dropped her feet and slumped forward on the long table with her cheek planted on her palm.
"Nevermind," she muttered.
"Good morning, class," Maya greeted in her usual mellifluous voice. Kael thought she would be a talented singer. "I have a surprise for you, today!"
Curiosity shifted the atmosphere, the shuffle of students perking up with interest animating the perfunctory slouches. Maya smiled brightly as she gestured towards the door.
"Class, let me introduce you to Master Burion. Sir, please come in."
Everyone watched the door, burning with curiosity, wondering who this Master Burion would be. They all heard him before they saw him.
"Maya, my dear, you should be ashamed of yourself for leaving an old man like myself all alone in the halls. You never know when something terrible might happen."
The voice sounded strangely familiar, though Kael couldn't put a finger on where he'd heard it before. His question was soon answered when a familiar backbent figure walked inside with the support of a cane.
Maya chuckled at the old man's complaint. "You're just fine, Master Burion."
"My bones are too stiff and weak to be any good in a disaster. You would need to carry me if anything happens."
Kael decided that the old man had indeed gone senile, and he wondered why Maya would have brought him in.
"Master Burion, please introduce yourself to the class."
The old man smiled at the curious young faces and raised his unoccupied hand. "Hello, young ones. I am Burion Brelston, but you may call me Master."
Students began to whisper among themselves, underwhelmed by the tiny old man in front of them. Kael and his friends were no different.
"Why do you think he's here?" Wynt asked.
Rita sighed. "Do we gotta deal with an old man now? Don't tell me he's another sponsor!"
"I'm sure there's a reason he's here..." Kael said, puzzled. In truth, he was just as baffled as everyone else as to why the man he saw delivering supplies to the blacksmith stood in front of him with the grand title of Master.
"Quiet down, class." Maya waited patiently until the students went silent. "As you all know, the test is next week. You don't have much time, and you're missing one very important preparation for your exam. I'm sure you all understand what I'm talking about."
Kael nodded grimly. He had been so occupied with community service then training with Kita that he had completely neglected to improve his design.
"That's what today's class will be focused on," Maya continued. She glanced down at the old man. "Master Burion is, if you didn't know, an expert artisan." As realisation dawned on the students, Maya gave a knowing smile. "That's correct, students. He is here to finalise your insignias."
Now the class buzzed with excitement. It was after the revelation that Kael realised he had heard of this Master Burion before. He recalled reading over a list of faculty members and making a note to find the artist for advice. It had completely slipped his mind.
"Oh, yeah!" Rita pumped her fist. "Finally! I've been waiting for this moment my whole life!"
Maya waited until the class quieted to listen for her instructions, the students antsy with the excitement of finalising the insignia that would represent them for the rest of their lives.
"All of your rough ideas are in this pile," Maya slapped her hand atop the giant pile of papers for emphasis. "Unfortunately, Master Burion is only one man, so he won't be able to finish all of them in one class. If you're eager enough to wait until your turn, he may be generous enough to offer his services even after class is over. If you are quite satisfied with your design, you can get Master Burion to refine it and finalise it. It will then be submitted to the academy for registration and to create your insignia stamps and seals before being added to your weapon, which you should all have by now.
"If you still need to start from scratch, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until everyone else has finished theirs. Then, you may consult Master Burion for advice. For those of you who are willing to receive your insignias at a later time, you may take your leave."
Kael sighed at the prospect of waiting. It was agonising, really, teetering between leaving and waiting for hours. He pulled out his notebook filled with sketches of the designs he had in mind, hoping the artisan would be skilled enough to make Kael's insignia look much better than what was already on paper.
The hour oozed by, and Kael could only chat with his friends during the wait. He watched enviously as the first students got their designs finalised, waiting his turn with great alacrity. Their conversations fell short, a clear sign of everyone's apprehension. Even Fadhia seemed to be focusing on Master Burion without her cheerful blather.
Eventually, Wynt's turn came, and the Sqorjican flashed a grin before heading down to the artist. Kael held his breath as Wynt discussed his insignia with the master. It seemed to take forever until Wynt returned with a smile he couldn't wipe off.
"Well?" Kael said as Wynt slid into his seat. "What does your core look like?"
Wynt let out an excited laugh. "It would be better if I show you." He put a square piece of thick paper on the table, and the friends leaned in to examine his design. Fadhia gushed, and Kael couldn't take his eyes off the expert strokes of black ink creating two curved vertical lines, the first thicker than the second, followed by a symbol that vaguely resembled a moustache turned sideways, tips curled extravagantly.
"What is it?" Kael asked, awed by the strange symbol he had never seen before.
"It's supposed to be an alto clef," Wynt explained. "It's too fancy to use in actual music, but Master Burion said insignias could be as decorative as you want. That way, I won't mix mine up with anyone else who chooses a similar concept So, I decided to add in some swirls and curves. This is how it actually looks like."
Wynt pulled out a notebook in which he had sketched a cleaner and sharper version of his insignia. "Cool huh?"
"Yeah," Rita said.
Tyra turned the paper so she could see it properly. "It is a beautiful design."
Wynt nodded. "It was inspired by my mother. She had a similar design inked on her skin."
"Kael!" Maya called.
Kael stood from his seat, but Maya gestured for him to wait with a smile. "You're up after Tribav."
Disappointed, Kael sat back down and fiddled with his agate pendant. He scoped his gaze at Tribav, waiting for the boy to finish his design. Tribav pointed at the paper, talking about his design until even the master looked irritated.
Finally, Tribav seemed satisfied with his design. The master made a copy for the boy to take and put another sheet in the growing pile of designs for submission. Kael didn't have to be called to go down for his design.
He received his rough sketch from Maya and bounced over to Burian. The old man's forehead wrinkled as he raised his brows in warm recognition.
"My boy. How have you been?"
Kael grinned. "I've been doing well, sir! Thank you for helping me that day."
Burian chuckled and waved his cane. "No worries, boy. Now, what have you got there?"
Swallowing his excitement and ignoring the butterflies in his stomach, Kael handed the paper over with a quivering hand. It was a rough design of a serpentine dragon with wings that were too large and a face that left more to be desired.
"Well, um, it's not as good, but I'd like to have a design like this."
The master studied the picture with a hand cupping his chin. He nodded to himself. "I think I know where you're going with this. Let me draw up a few designs similar to yours and you can tell me if there's anything you like."
"Okay." Kael watched in fascination as the Burian dipped a brush in black ink and swirled it on the paper. He couldn't fathom how it was possible for a few strokes to create something the eye could recognise as a specific shape. As the dragons took form, Kael felt his eyes widen in satisfaction and surprise. Three different versions of the dragon he designed were now in front of him, and he had great difficulty choosing the one he liked the most.
"Wow," he marvelled, gazing at the black strokes and white spaces that came together to create a complete puzzle of the magnificent creatures. Kael pondered over them, agonised by the choices he had to make. He pointed to the middle one. "I like the horns of this one..." He slid his finger to the right. "And the body of this one." He then pointed at the far left. "And the wings of this one."
The master laughed. "My. I must have mismatched their limbs." He used the designs as reference as he made quick work of the final dragon with the features Kael had pointed out. As the final stroke complete the picture, Kael felt a glow in his heart. Yes. This had to be it.
"Is this all right?" Burian asked, sliding the paper so Kael could see it properly.
Kael felt like his breath had been taken away. There it was. The symbol that would represent him for the rest of his life. Somehow, Kael knew it was just perfect. He remembered poring over his designs, stressing about what he would even use, but it was all worth it.
"This is it," Kael breathed. "It's perfect."
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A/N
I'm sorry for a late chapter again. I just haven't been feeling it these past few days, and I thought I might need a little break from Wattpad, but I'm back now.
Even though everything is already written out, I usually read over every chapter and make a few edits before publishing it, and I just haven't been having any energy to really do so.
Meh. Excuses aside, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It's not as interesting, but it is a significant moment for the characters.
Please vote and comment, and thanks for reading, everyone! :D
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