9. The Key Holder
Name waited her turn, looking at her companions one by one.
Leo was the first, he went to position himself in front of the 4 display cases that suddenly opened.
Its sphere, lit up in bright red, floated, uncertain between the case with the sword and the one with the scepter.
Eventually it chose the sword, stepped into the case, and quickly vanished into the air.
«Striker!» Mr. Xulio pointed to one of the four doors on the side wall.
«For each category there is a weapons room. You can choose one or have another forged. After each one will enter its category. Come on, I don't have time.»
The tour continued like this.
Estelle: Conjurer, her sphere was of two colors: yellow and orange.
Hayden: Striker. Even his was of two colors.
Lynn: Strategist.
Ross: Striker.
Dianthe: Striker.
Mike, the hooded boy: Strategist
Aldien moved forward, he didn't discover his sphere, the colors weren't seen.
Many leaned over trying to see them, but he was already positioned in front of the case of the book.
The sphere chose just that.
Strategist.
Now it was Name's turn, with her milky-white sphere, she advanced.
As soon as she arrived in front of the display cases, the sphere immediately flew in front of the scepter.
Conjurer.
She was neither happy nor sad, what did that position say about her?
What was she?
She returned to his seat, quiet.
Sky looked at the white-haired girl, with those really funny brown tips
She looks sad.
He wanted to do something for her. He would have liked to know what happened with Mr. Xulio outside the classroom.
She came back injured.
He watched as the green-haired girl was chosen as a Strategist.
I am not excellent at magic, like the Conjurers.
I'm not as strong as the Strikers.
I'm not as smart as the Strategists.
Sky knew that he shouldn't be downhearted: if he had been chosen to enter Deorum, there had to be a reason!
Sky was the last in line.
I have only weak, weak energy magic. Nothing compared to the lightning and thunderbolts of Dia.
Sky also looked at his teammate, Dianthe.
She didn't understand why she never spoke, was she shy?
She didn't even sleep last night, she just sat on the bed.
She was beautiful, clever, intelligent and powerful, yet, she looked sad.
The boy with the crimson eyes was chosen as a Striker.
It was Sky's turn.
The boy swallowed nervously before stepping forward.
His floating sphere, however, did not move.
He looked at Mr. Xulio, looking for an answer, a malfunction, perhaps?
Yet he was well focused.
A slight movement to the right and the sphere floated towards the case with the book.
Sky wondered why.
Aren't I stupid? Strategist? Me?
But he didn't stop in front of that case, he stopped in front of the next one.
The key.
He entered the case and dissolved: everyone, including Sky, gasped.
«A Key Holder ...Gods I haven't heard of one in seventy years.»
It was the only thing that was heard for several seconds.
Then, the sound of a timid and quick applause.
Dia looked at him, trying to imitate a smile, she had only clapped three times, but Sky was deeply moved.
She never even talked to me ... She's so nice.
Sky's eyes went dark.
Key Holder.
It wasn't an easy role.
But it was his role.
He remembered at that moment a conversation with his sister, years ago.
Before she died.
«Why are special people happier?» the shy little Skyar had asked the big sister.
They had just run out of a noble's house, where he had rummaged for food.
Skyar had only looked at them for a moment: one was handsome, the other talented, one intelligent, one sporty, one rich, one creative.
Each was a little bit special.
Everyone had something.
«Sky. No.»
Skyar just thought that if he had been a little faster, he could have prevented his sister's long brown hair from being burned, and part of her neck with them.
If only it had been a little bit more special.
If only he had something more.
«Sky.» the big sister forced him to look into her blue eyes.
«Being yourself means being special. Don't look at others with envy, don't think that they are more special, more unique than you: because you are wonderfully special.
You, Skyar, like me, Eliza, like everyone else. A skill, a talent, luck, none of this makes us special. It isn't one thing, it isn't a physical thing, it's just being alive and continuing to live as yourself: being the person you really are makes you special. You don't need anything else.»
Sky subsequently cried, sobbing, pampered by his sister.
That sister so loving and kind.
Skyar believed that her kindness was her special part.
But it wasn't that, it was just her.
«I'm sure one day you'll think you're special. Whether it's by chance or because of your efforts: remember that you have always been special, remember to live your life because it is you, not because you're special.»
The next day, when his sister had gone to look for food like every morning, he found her that same evening, lying in the street.
She was no longer breathing.
The war had spread overnight: now even that forgotten corner of hell was part of the battlefield.
Now his sister was gone.
Sky tried to shake off that terrible, but at the same time important memory.
Yes, he was a Key Holder, he had been blessed.
But before he was a Key Holder he was himself.
Sky walked to the last door alone.
He didn't know what awaited him, he just knew that he would face it as himself.
-
The room Estelle and Name entered was a wooden corridor.
On the left were a lot of scepters and staffs on display.
On the right there was a counter, with a screen on it, which read: "forge your weapon".
Estelle immediately rushed to the bottom, from the wooden sticks, Name looked around, not even knowing where to start.
She was still reeling from the discovery that she didn't even have normal power.
Nothing was normal about her.
«He didn't hurt you, did he?» Estelle looked at her, with a slight concern.
Name shook her head, negatively, adding nothing more.
«You know my grandmother, when she was young, she had some kind of amnesia after a trauma. The memory came back slowly, after months. It must be hard, but don't get down on yourself! It doesn't matter when, you'll remember.» Estelle smiled at her, before returning to focus on the sticks.
Maybe she's right.
Name wanted to thank her but didn't have the strength to do that either.
«Try the forge! If you don't like anything in front of you, create something new! My uncle always said that, he was a painter, you know? He painted frescoes in one of the most important chapels in Tillit. It's the capital of the kingdom of light.»
Estelle walked over to her, walking over to the counter.
Name decided to follow her advice, without choosing at random.
Name hit the counter screen.
«Welcome, to forge the most suitable weapon we ask you to answer the questions as closely as possible, thank you.»
A question immediately appeared.
Does the weapon have to be convertible?
«Oh oh! Convertibles are great, you can make the weapon smaller when it's not useful. I don't like it, it's better to show off! By the way, my uncle, not Uncle Gernald, the painter, Uncle Lucius, knew a dwarf. You know, they say that now they live only in the kingdom of rock, closed from the world, but he swore he saw it!»
Name soon realized that for every question she answered, Estelle found a new anecdote to tell her about.
It's kind of cruel to hear so much from another person's past and not even know one of mine ... but ...
In the end, they both spent an hour or so there to answer five questions.
I love hearing someone talk.
Nalme liked Estelle's voice, her euphoria and extroversion, even wider than Fera's!
For a moment, she had thrown herself down, she had almost given up.
I have to go on.
She smiled, sending the form, which had answered anything but detail, and walked out the door to the notes of the story of Aunt Mars red hair.
Outside the room, Mr. Xulio was not present.
Name sensed that the lesson had to be over.
Estelle went to talk to her team.
It's kind of like a tornado, it goes around you and traps you inside, then disappears.
Name, now relaxed, joined Fera who was laughing heartily in front of Kein.
«A bow!» Fera continued to laugh holding her belly.
Kein wielded a strangely stringless bow with a thickened vein from the stress.
«A swordsman with a bow!»
It was metallic red, not exactly round, it reminded of flames.
«Oh, hey Name, where is yours?» Fera wiped away her tears of joy.
«I had it forged, I should have it tomorrow, it said like this.»
Name stared at the curious girl, Fera did not understand immediately.
«Ah! I! I only have one book, after all I'm unilementary.» Fera took out her book, old, with a green cover.
«So you use light magic ... And you're a Conjurer.» Kein looked at her, as if to find an answer to a question.
«Y-yes.»
No.
Name felt a turn in her stomach: she didn't like lying, she didn't even think she was doing it very well.
She wanted to let off steam, at least a little, but not for now.
«Are you ok?» Fera asked, whispering.
Name nodded, blushing.
«Great! The sun is out.» Fera remarked, with a smirk. She walked away for a moment, moving to the center.
«Anyone want to go out with the three of us?!» Fera yelled, referring to everyone in the room.
Name only noticed at that moment that Aldien and Sky were missing.
«The three of us, what?» Kein scolded her.
Everyone looked at her a little bewildered and a little doubtful.
Dianthe! Speak! Speak!
Dia was torn in an inner conflict.
She wanted to get out, if she wasn't wrong, at the base of the mountain there was a small village near a lake.
She really wanted to visit it!
Stop being like this!
Dia took a step forward, seized with a burst of courage.
«I-I-I.» stammered, blushing in complete red in the whole face.
She raised her arm slightly, although everyone noticed her.
I ... I... I did it!
«Cool! We come too!» Estelle said, dragging Leo.
Ross, Lynn and Hayden's team ignored them.
Name was pleased to see both Leo and Dia join.
«I have not consented.» Leo grumbled.
As they were leaving the room, the fourth door opened.
Sky came out slowly: his face was streaked with tears.
What happened in there?
Name was about to say something, but Fera preceded her.
«Do you want to go out with us Sky?» both Fera and Name waited hopefully for a positive response.
The boy, slightly lost at first, recovered in an instant.
He flashed a toothy smile and said yes.
-
Before leaving, Fera pointed out to her that on her Pass, as on everyone's, it was possible to consult the rules of the current Regime.
The winter regime had few rules: curfew at sunset, always show up at the first meal of the day and you could leave the mansion, following the tracks and returning before sunset.
It looked more like a big institution than a school.
A regime, in fact.
In the closets, which Name hadn't even checked, there were also snow boots and light blue coats.
Now they were all going down the mountain.
Name was in the lead, together with Fera, behind were Sky and Kein: Sky was trying to talk with Kein, in response he muttered to leave him alone.
Last was Leo and Estelle arguing and, finally, there was Dia.
"l«Will there be a restaurant?» Fera asked dreamily.
«No.» Kein answered.
«It's a former student village, isn't it?» Sky interjected.
«Former students?» Name worried.
«Anyone who doesn't pass the exams within a year either dies or ends up living here. It is quite rare indeed.» Kein seemed to know many things.
«Oh, maybe we can skate on the lake!» Estelle hopped.
«It's not a tourist village. What a fool.» Leo grumbled.
«Stop making me lose hope!» she complained, suddenly sliding across the snow.
Leo grabbed her in time before she fell on her face.
«Oh thanks.»
«It's not that I wanted to help you.» he complained. The two continued to argue.
Both Fera and Sky bursted out laughing, Name smiled.
Together with other people, she felt safer, she felt covered, safe from fear.
A few minutes later, the wooden houses in the valley began to be seen, over there it seemed to snow lightly.
The only one who did not speak, she noticed, was Dia.
She had never actually spoken to us.
She turned, realizing, too late, that the girl had disappeared.