XLIX | REALISATION
Kael sat at the steps in front of the Silver Wolf Den with his luggage beside him, waiting for his brother to take him to the port and send him home. It was late in the morning, the sun just about to peak on its daily cycle. The chirps of the birds and lively rustles of leaves and rodents did nothing to lift Kael's spirit.
He had woken up much later than everyone else, so he wasn't able to see Wynt or the others before they were off for the test. Instead, he had taken his time to take his packed luggage and wait for the lunch break when Kly would be relieved from his duties.
A few other Silver Wolf first-years who failed also stayed at the dorm, and Kael could now hear them approaching the open door to get outside. He slid to the edge, taking his bags to get out of the way. There was an air of bitterness about them as they passed, and Kael hated that he felt as exhausted and depressed as they did.
Glumly, he recalled his argument with Wynt and the words everyone had said after the fight. It didn't feel right to leave, but it would be harder to depart later than he needed. He dug into his pocket and drew out his pocket watch, fingering the fine, intricate details of the howling wolf. He flipped it open. Noon. The test was probably on a break now, and Kly was on his way to escort Kael to the port.
Sighing, he clapped it closed and dropped it back into the pockets of his sleeveless jacket. The weather was much cooler than when he first arrived, and Kael felt a pang in his chest when he realised he wouldn't be able to spend his first autumn and winter away from home.
Homesickness aside, this was supposed to be an adventurous experience. But no. Here he was, less than six weeks into the school year, and he was already going home. He forced himself to stop thinking about his friends, knowing he would likely cry if he did. Sighing, he dug into his bag and pulled out his stamp, tracing his fingers along the design. He wasn't sure if he'd ever use it again even if he got a license. It would probably act as a constant reminder of his failure. He decided to throw it away on his trip back home.
When he heard footsteps pounding on the dirt path ahead of him, he glanced up to see if it was his brother. He stood, mindlessly pocketing the stamp, and stepped forward in concern when he saw a boy running to him while clutching at his shoulder like he was in pain.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Kael abandoned his post and ran to the boy, catching him before he fell to the ground.
The boy had tears in his eyes, and he pointed behind him with a shaky finger. "A b-blighter! Or, a phantom — something! We have to get out of here!"
"What?" Kael's eyes widened as he followed the boy's pointed direction. He saw nothing at first, then a mass of tentacles burst through from the trees. He stood, pulling the boy with him towards the den. Manic laughter sounded from the creature's direction.
A small cluster of students were at the door, peeking from inside to see what the ruckus was about. Kael pushed the boy towards them.
"Here, take care of him!" Kael said to a girl who took ahold of the blighted boy. "One of you has to go get someone! Run while I distract it!"
For a moment, they didn't respond, only looking at Kael with mouths gaping in shock. The blighter's body finally came into view, and when Kael turned he saw how massive it was — larger than a bear. And perched on top was a man — no, a phantom.
"Now!" Kael's shrill yell seemed to snap them out of it. A few students helped the injured kid inside while a fit boy with long legs took off in the direction of the arena.
Kael shut the door and ran towards the blighter, not knowing what he was going to do.
"Hey!" he shouted, trying to get their attention. "Over here, you gunk of waste!"
The tentacles, which were waving mindlessly, now shot towards a target. The phantom laughed with glee. Kael ducked away and ran away from the den, trying to lead it to a place where students wouldn't get hurt. A tentacle shot forward and clamped around his shoe, making him stumble forward and fall to the ground.
"Lookie, here! He wants to play!" the phantom sang. "Come on, little boy, let's see how much fun we can have. Run! Run!"
Cursing, Kael rolled away before another attack hit him. He sprang up and continued until he saw a familiar warehouse. He shifted his run and headed towards it, hoping for some shelter against the blighter and its master.
It chased him with the tenacity of a desperate predator, and Kael was glad he was the only student the phantom was focusing on. Hopefully, the boy would have gotten someone to come dispose of the blighter and the phantom before serious damage could be done.
He practically ran into the door of the warehouse, but the thick wood only rattled against its hinges. Kael pulled and pushed, but the door refused to open. He looked down and saw the reason.
Muttering a curse, he found a rock nearby and used all his strength to hit the rusty padlock. He could hear the oozing movement of the blighter behind him, coupled with terrible taunts coming from the phantom. It was lucky that blighters tended to move slowly as their living cells dissolved into a tenebrous dark aura of corruption. And it was lucky the phantom was content in letting his pet do all the work.
Kael slammed the rock into the padlock several times. At one point, he crushed his finger between the rust and the rough edge of the rock. He hissed in pain and had to pause for respite before continuing to ram it into the old lock.
He had just gotten it broken when he heard a tentacle whipping through the air. On instinct, he pushed himself to the side. His heart pounded and his mouth went dry when the dark mass slammed against the wood seconds after he moved, and he was glad he chose the right direction. If he had gone left, he was likely to have fallen headfirst into a shelf of tools.
Somehow, the tentacles seemed confused, and Kael used the moment of hesitation to open the door and throw himself in. Sensing his movement, the tentacles followed, but Kael managed to slam the door closed just as the tip entered.
He heard the blighter squeal in pain, and the tip of its tentacle fell to the ground like a squirming leech. Myriads of tentacles slammed against the shaky door. Kael did not like that flimsy wood was the only thing between him and certain death.
"Come out, boy! There's no use in hiding." A blast of light seeped in through the cracks, much like how hunters used light sigils to scare their prey from hiding. "Come on out!"
Kael blindly moved back, tripping over scattered tools and discarded weapons until his back hit the wall.
He slid down, drawing his knees to his chest and embracing them. This was it. He was going to die here.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, burying his head into his arm and trying to block out the terrifying pounds against the door. He hated how helpless he felt. He hated that he had no choice but to give up, and he hated that he was depending on someone else to kill the blighter. He didn't want to leave the academy. He wanted to stay with his friends and learn how to control his power, to get stronger, to be like his brother.
"I gave up," he muttered. "I'm sorry I gave up. I let all of you down..."
A splintering crack made him raise his head. A tentacle was struggling with a slight hole in the door and light barely slipped in from the slim cracks. He stood in shock and horror, feeling like a mouse trapped in a cage.
"No." He shook his head and slapped his cheeks. "No, I can't give up. That's not me."
Kael stood straighter, recalling all the things he'd learned. He couldn't be impulsive, and now that he thought about it, he had been stupid to think he could lead the phantom away until someone came. He had to fight them on his own. All he needed was a weapon.
It was too bad they stripped him of his sword after his defeat, but there were plenty of them scattered in the warehouse. Kael let his brain whir as he swept his eyes across the floor.
Old, rusty swords, shovels, spears, glaives, crossbows. He hesitated as he picked up a sword leaning against a wall. It had a blank water sigil. He tested the weight of it in his hand and tried to think of what Kita had said.
You have a habit of gripping the sword like it's a mid-ranged weapon.
With a sharp intake of breath, Kael realised what the problem was. The sword didn't feel natural to him at all. His body refused to reform to the most effective way to use the weapon.
And he knew exactly what weapon suited him best. His eyes skimmed the room for a familiar weapon. When he found it clattered right next to the door which was now being cracked apart, he smiled grimly.
"There it is."
Kly sighed with his cheek in his palm and his elbow on the arm of the chair. The student in front of him sent out a whirl of sand at a blighter before being thrown back by a tentacle. He fell unconscious with a hint of a blight starting in his cheek. Medics ran out to fetch him, and he was disqualified from the fight.
"Wow, what an unfortunate incident," Mohib said, dramatically sweeping his hand. "It was still a fantastic fight, but it seems the boy still has much to learn. Now, ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the first break of the day. The test will continue in one hour, so feel free to find some snacks and take a bathroom break."
Kly stood, and the volume of chattering voices in the arena increased tenfold as the audience made their way out while talking about the test.
"What's wrong, Kly?" Anélá said, crossing her legs. "You seem off today. Are you bothered by your brother's failure?"
Kly shot Anélá a warning look before stalking away with his hands stuck in his pockets. He took the faculty exit and had just gotten outside the arena when he saw Reverdan speaking to his advisors with Silevan ever present at his side.
He waited for the advisors to leave before approaching the schoolmaster. Reverdan took notice of him and smiled warmly.
"Hello there, Kly," he said in a joyful tone. "Is there something you need?"
"Actually, there is," Kly said, completely disregarding how unprofessional this would come off as. "It's about my — about Kael. I know he failed the test, but is there any way that you could possibly help him?"
Reverdan sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I'm sorry about what happened Kly, but the rules state that if you're blighted, you will be automatically disqualified. I know you're his brother, but you have to realise that it's not fair for any of the other students who also failed."
"I know." Kly felt his fingers digging into his palm, and he was sure his knuckles were white by this point. "I understand. I'm sorry for taking your time."
"No, I'm sorry," Reverdan said. "Kael is a bright young boy. It's really a pity to lose a student with such potential."
"Schoolmaster! Proctor!"
A yelling boy garnered the attention of the three men. He was out of breath as he came to a stop in front of them, and he pointed behind him with incoherent babbles.
"Back...Silver Wolf Den...a boy...blighted..." he gasped in a breath, and his eyes began to roll over.
"Hey, hey," Kly caught the boy before he fell over and kneeled down to help him sit upright. "Listen to me. Breathe."
The boy wheezed and gasped, still pointing in the direction he came from.
"It's okay. Just calm down. Take a deep breath." Kly used his teeth to slip off his glove and pressed his hand against the boy's chest. "A deep breath, okay?"
He sent uthra through the boy, trying to identify what was wrong with him. It was startling how easily Kly could do this even after quitting medicine for several years. He could feel the boy's lungs contracting, and his chest tightening from the panic. Sending uthra through a person's body had another effect: relaxing the body. It was all Kly could do until the boy got his bearings back.
"Hold your breath," he said. "Then release it. That's it."
Eventually, when his breathing had somewhat slowed down, the boy stood with the support of Kly.
"What's your name?" Kly asked.
"Teivan," he replied.
"Teivan," Reverdan repeated. "Why were you in such a panic?"
Teivan pointed behind him. "There was a blighter attacking the Silver Wolf Den. A boy was blighted really badly."
"A blighter?" Kly glanced at Reverdan. "What would a free blighter be doing on school grounds?"
"It wasn't alone. Someone was controlling it!"
"A phantom?" Reverdan stroked his beard. "I see. We'll go take care of it as soon as possible. The blighter won't take long until it gets into the dormitory."
Teivan shook his head. "No, sir. The dorm is fine. A boy led it away. That's how I was able to come here."
"Boy?" A sense of dread sunk into the pit of Kly's stomach. "What boy?"
Teivan cocked his head, studying Kly. "Wait. He actually...oh." His brown eyes widened with realisation. "I...I think he was your brother, Proctor."
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A/N
Short A/N here since I need to get going.
As usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember to leave a vote and comment! Love you all! <3
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