Joren, the Order, and their Target

Even as I passed through the dormitory corridors, my mind was still occupied by what had happened just moments before. Me walking through the subterranean maze of passage ways to arrive at Castle Desiderii, teleporting with Heather, Norc, and Tora outside of Academy grounds, and witnessing an actual bloody battle between forces of good and evil...

And somehow, the most prevalent sight that I could firmly remember was of Norc's dark greenish face right after passing through the telly twice in a day. In the echoing hallways, I allowed myself to chuckle at the precious memory.

However, long after I had taken my bath (this time, more than double checking for possible fellow bath-takers) and shortly after I had realized I had been tossing and turning about my bed for the past few hours, I knew I couldn't sleep.

Sighing, I decided to go to the only other person I knew was still awake despite the ungodly hours. I carried with me a single candelabra and wore only my basic sleeping attire, and headed off to Professor Whitaker's room. My thin slippers slapped noiselessly on the marble floors and distant howls from the Elarian monsters echoed through the cold walls, and although the nocturnal version of the school did seem eerie at first, I had grown rather fond of it after witnessing it for more times I could count with both hands.

Humming the catchy tune I had heard from the Head Nurse, my journey to the Second Head Professor's room was both quick and leisurely.

Facing the door, I didn't even bother to knock anymore, as I've come to know that if I chose to not conceal my presence, my teacher would already unlock the door before I had fully arrived. So, I had assumed that this would be the case this time as well.

However, when I casually grabbed the knob, I felt that something was off. It was locked.

But more than that... someone was inside, and I knew it wasn't the professor.

I forced my heart to calm down, and decided to act like everything was normal. Well, as normal as I could while enforcing the candelabra with notes, that is.

"Professor Whitaker?" I called out evenly, my grip on the stick growing stronger. "It's Eleftherion. I have questions about what happened earlier."

"..."

I was responded with silence, but I could hear the unsteady and panicked breathing of my enemy from behind the door.

"... Professor?" I asked again after a grueling minute, this time holding the knob hard enough for it to creak. In three seconds, I would push it open with force, and beat down the invader with my candlestick.

On the third and final second, the lock clicked, and the door creaked open. And through the gap... I saw the gaunt face of my closest friend. Seeing him there surprised me so much that the candelabra fell from my hands, the fire extinguishing the moment it made contact with the cold floor.

In the sudden darkness, I could only oblige as he grabbed my arms hard and dragged me into the room, shutting the door behind him with finality.

"What the-" I gasped out.

"Therion..." Joren panted out in fright and surprise, his freckled cheeks pale from being caught...

"Joren, by the Gods, what are you doing here at such a- ???"

He clamped my mouth shut with both hands, them shaking hard against my skin. His emerald eyes were coated with an onslaught of frustrated tears. He then rapidly explained, "I-I'm not here c-'cuz of anythin' bad, I swear. B-But please keep it down, Therion... T-That professor might be c-comin' back soon, and I-, no, ya can't trust 'im, Therion. Ya can't-"

Taking his unsteady hands away from my mouth, I took hold of his arms and pinned him in place. "You calm down first, Joren. Do you realize what you're doing? You've intruded into the Second Head Professor's office without permission. What's worse, you look as though you've been up to no good-"

"A-And he's no good, either, Therion!" he stuttered out, his pale face looking back and forth at me and the door, fear evident on his face.

I pursed my lips.

I knew Joren was busy with some things the past few days, but I didn't think he would be doing something bad or utterly illegal. I shook my head to clear my head.

"Come here." I all but dragged him to a chair, forcing him to sit down. When he had somehow calmed down a bit more, I finally had a good look at the scene around us.

... The immaculately orderly room was now in chaos.

I gaped around the room, flinching when I saw an overturned ink bottle, promptly destroying piles of official documents, which were already crumpled and disorganized from being thrown haphazardly around the room...

I sat down on the chair opposite him, fighting the urge to drag my hands across my face. Instead, I stared at him firmly. "Joren."

He twitched on his seat. "Yes?"

"What... What have you done?"

His lips quivered, his eyes still drawn to the door. I sighed sharply, which made him jump again. I then told him with a hint of irritation, "If you're worried if someone will be passing through that door soon, then don't. There's no waking person around us within a mile radius."

"I- How did you-" he uttered, and I cut him off.

"Do you really think you should be asking that right now?" I asked him with a small glare.

Then, he cowered into silence, which made me angrier in turn. Sighing, I forced myself to calm down a little bit more, reminding myself constantly that I was the adult, and him the child.

"Joren... I know you wouldn't be doing this unless there's a valid reason," I started, which was enough to make his face brighten up considerably, but I wasn't so kind, as I continued on, "But I simply can't allow this crime to go unpunished. With a simple, cursory glance, I can see how much damage you've done, and truth be told, a mere suspension might not even be enough..."

His brighter pallor immediately turned dark again, and his whole countenance sunk lower in depression. "I-I'm sor-"

"But that's why it's all the more imperative that I hear out your reason first before I act," I finished my declaration.

He looked up at me with blinking eyes. "Y-Ya will? Ya'll hear me out?"

I huffed out softly. "Of course... We're friends, aren't we?"

He then scooted closer towards me and took my hand with both of his with great excitement, "Blood brothers!"

I smiled gently at his enthusiasm, and was surprised at how easy it was for me to accept it. "Blood brothers."

However, my face immediately turned serious again, and I grasped at his hands tightly. "Now tell me quick, and I swear to the Gods Solus and Luna that if you use the same excuse you've been-"

He nodded swiftly. "I know, I know. Even I know excuses won't do this time. 'Sides, I... I trust ya."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "So, you mean you didn't trust me before now?"

"N-No!" he denied fiercely. "'T'wasn't safe then, and it still isn't safe now. But... I don't think I can deal with this alone, anymore... I-I need yar help..."

I took a deep breath, guessing from the gravity of his words that this would turn out into a big deal... and a big headache.

"Well, go on then," I told him, to which he nodded his head to.

I watched as he wet his lips with his tongue, his eyes uneasily unfocused as he tried to organize his thoughts. And then, he finally began, "It started when we first entered the Academy-"

'It started since then?!' I thought in shock.

"- we had to do that sorting ceremony, right? And I asked you somethin' 'bout a mare right after?" he asked, to which I agreed with.

"Well," he mumbled. "I didun actually know much 'bout that mare... I only heard, well, read about it when I-"

My eyes grew wide. "When you talked with the sorting parchment?"

He nodded gravely. "It, uh... It told me 'bout how my Ma was once in a mare called, Mare Desiderii. It told me how I was destined... to find it."

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Why would it want you to find it?"

'And not join it instead?' I thought as an aftermath.

Joren shook his head. "I dunno, but it must be 'cuz it's a lost mare, right?"

"Lost?" I uttered out in surprise. "It's lost? Not... hidden?"

He looked at me with innocent eyes. "I- I really dunno 'bout that, Therion... But anyway, that was it..."

Then, he looked more troubled. He then took a deep breath and continued, "But then right after the Test of Waning... I-I got a message from my Pa..."

Upon saying this, his already teary eyes finally broke away like a dam, the salty liquid trailing down endlessly. "My- My Pa told me that my, that my Ma has been, been-"

I clutched onto him then. "Oh, Joren! Why did you have to face this alone?!"

"Y-Ya were sick from, from the Test, and, and that glasses boy Albert was summoned ba-back to his lofty kingdom-"

I patted his back as I hugged him. "I'm sorry, Joren. I wasn't there for you..."

"... Iz fine, Therion," he murmured. "Be-Besides, my Ma only disappeared... She's not d- She's not go-gone..."

I pursed my lips harder. "What did your father say actually happened?"

He shook his red head against my chest. "H-He only said she was pro-probably taken by bad men..."

I sighed silently before pushing him out just enough so he could see my face. "You've been through a lot, Joren. Now that I know this, I could carry the burden with you. You did well to tell me the truth."

His green eyes shook as he nodded at me, and soon it grew darker. "Therion, what I'm 'bout to tell ya won't sound good at all."

I gulped down and told him it was alright. So, he started to tell me what was happening to him ever since the Test of Waning ended.

"I-I've always known my Ma has been hidin' things from us. Maybe not much from my Pa, but a lot lot from me..." he murmured. "And I assumed that... it's somethin' to do with this school... and now that I've learned 'bout that fishy mare..."

"You thought that her disappearance would have something to do with it," I finished his words quietly.

"Yeah, and..." he trailed off. "When the sorting ceremony happened again... I decided to ask more from that... magic paper, and-"

He looked down, his face growing even paler than before.

"I-I found out 'bout somethin'... somethin' I'd rather not know," he barely whispered. "An a-assas... assa-"

"An assassination," I said, rather than asked.

He looked up at me, his face withdrawn of any color. He looked pitiful, and by all rights, how else would he look like: a boy not even ten, faced with such dark pieces of information? I could only ask myself, 'Why did he have to know of this? Why would that magic parchment have to tell him about this?'

Then, images of death flashed through my head. The blank stare of the animal companion I had treasured and personally put down. My own soul leaving my naked body, collapsed on the cold floor-

I shook my head, dismissing these unhelpful thoughts. I then asked the flame-haired boy, "What do you know about the Or- about these assassins?"

"Not much," he answered as he shook his head. "The paper only told me a few things... Namely, the assassin... and her target..."

I furrowed my brows. "I'm assuming that this killer is that girl, Leila?"

"I-I, uh, yes," he mumbled, looking somehow troubled and embarrassed. "I know y-ya might not believe me... Ya and that girl seemed... close."

I sighed into the air. "Yes, we are close alright."

His face broke apart. "Then-"

"No, no." I shook my hand at him. "It's not that. I do believe you when you say she's an assassin. It's just..."

'It doesn't make sense,' I thought to myself. 'This is clearly Zepherin's mission, and Leila is merely a trainee...'

But I was curious about one thing. "Who's the target?"

He coughed into the air, and then his eyes flitted around the room, as though...

"The professor?" I blanched.

He bit his lower lip and nodded his head. "A-And Therion, I know he's yar teacher, but no one innocent w-will be the target of an assassination, right? So..."

I shook my head. 'Could the Second Head Professor be so tightly woven into power plays that he would be a target of such evil acts?'

No, in the first place... who was the Second Head Professor?

The Order has always been an organization that made its moves for the good of the continent. That is one of the few things that stayed with me after all those hours of lectures in the floating isle. So, if the Order was forced to kill this professor, then his death would surely benefit the continent.

But in what way?

He was a man who loved and respected his wife dearly. A man who would teach and protect a commoner boy. A man who would help out this same commoner boy when he knew that that boy was actually only a girl...

Why would anyone wish death upon such a man?