~ 11: Exploring - Part 3 ~

Covering my ears with my palms wasn't making it any better. There was excruciating pain in my head when I caught sight of the pictures briefly — the blackish water that my mother had called "the doomed waters", blood flowing rapidly towards my feet amongst others. The man and the museum-like memorials were relatable to the present. The green eyes were evidently those that belonged to Aidan, and the ancient structures looked like they belonged to the Wildon.

'What does this mean?' I gasped out in an inaudible voice. I was becoming short-winded as the agony prolonged.

'Destiny is in your hands,' a female voice rasped in Taulorus. With a flash of red and brown, my brain blanked out.

I slowly opened my eyes, heaving for air. It was difficult to focus on my surroundings, with the lack of air in my lungs. I was still clutching my head whilst squatting down on the floor. Aidan was holding my front with one of his arms to prevent me from losing my balance, while the other was rubbing my back.

"Are you doing okay now?" he asked in a concerned voice. "You gave me a scare back there."

"Nothing much," I replied. "Just a mild hypoxia problem."

"Well, it didn't look like it was mild, but if you say so, I guess I'll believe it for now. If you want, we can stop now before it becomes severe."

"The capital is in a hilly region, so this happens to me all the time. Don't worry, I can manage it. It will just take a day or two to get adjusted to it."

We walked along the broad corridor before we turned right to face a narrow corridor, which split into three similar ones. We took the left corridor, which had ancient inscriptions on its walls and a few boards with information and quotes about the famous ancient philosophers, historians, scientists and mathematicians.

"This part is called the Language Wing," my tour guide said. "Students who have taken a major in any of the foreign languages utilise this space. Plus, they have got a large library here to view any of the old scripts they would want to. Perks of being a language student as they need it more often."

The library, which lied on the opposite side of all the language rooms, had beautifully polished and wide double doors. The elaborately complex designs on them gave one the feel of the ancient eras.

For my love of books, I had to enter it and see the beauty of it myself. After begging him to have a small peek and promising to not touch anything, he let me in with a deep sigh.

The librarian eyed us most suspiciously, but I was not one to disobey and break my promise. My hands itched to touch them, but I contented myself with the smell of books. It was a sight to see racks of endless books on manifold genres. The size was about a third of the auditorium, yet it was massive enough to hold the heavy, well-preserved texts. This kind of ease of access was undeniably marvellous for these students.

The corridor behind the one we had visited had beautiful ceiling hangings that were attached by thin strings. It would have looked like a kindergarten if it were coloured in the way little kids do.

"They are cute," I said. I couldn't help beaming at them and thinking of my little cousins, which caused my heart to ache.

"One would say this is the Fine Arts Wing, but it is actually the Social Science Wing," he voiced after hearing my remark. "These contain bits of information that have been made to look like an artwork."

His words made me scrutinise them. Indeed the text had been written in multiple colours to make up a little picture. Some were of nature while several had the faces of warriors and other people. Others had the actual flags of different nations or parties on one surface, while the other side had the information in the form of the flags.

"Because of this decor, this passageway has been named The Hallway of Blossoms. They represent the cherry blossoms flowing in the wind, hence the name."

As we continued down the passage, the display of little models held my attention. They were in the form of pop-up books and moving machines, which started up at one's touch.

"Another name for this small area?" I inquired since everything seemed to have a name.

"This is just the display space for any models or inventions," he rejoined. "The departmental exhibitions, held weekly, help creators to interact with the audience. Every Wing has one for itself. If it succeeds, it goes to the Exhibition Vestibule, located at the back of the campus. It serves as the main entrance for ceremonious events."

The next department along the passage was the Fine Arts Wing. The students did keep their good name with the various drawings, tapestries and paintings, which either mimicked the well-known ones or were purely original. Their talent was portrayed by the wall hangings on either side of the aisle. Anyone could see the effort of putting one's heart and soul into the work.

"They always persevere to surprise us," said Aidan as he himself admired every notch from the ceiling to the floor.

We walked to the previous corridor, where the library was situated, thereby entering the Performance Arts Wing. Pinned to the walls were cardboard blocks that explained dance and music in different cultures and their significance. A hologram of different performances was presented on a plain wall, making it look surreal.

"This was the Division of Histories," he addressed once we finished touring our section on the third floor. "We will be visiting the Division of Modernism, and lastly, the Division of Creativity."

On the next floor of the Arts Section, I was introduced to the Media, Music, Photography and Film Wings. This was the only level that had the computer labs, where one would sit to edit their videos.

The department that took up nearly half the allotted place was the Media Wing. Every wall contained pieces on various ways of broadcasting and forms of entertainment. These students were exposed to many types of equipment and resources that one would ponder where they kept them. Aidan revealed that every room had its lockers where students stored their items.

The Photography Wing has barely two rooms to itself in the second passageway. Even then, the little interstice that was theirs was converted into a stunning collage of an honoured person's face. Every picture had a little note explaining the photo, that like pixels made a bigger picture.

"Every memorable student that passed out of the Wildon make it here on the day they die," my accompanier elaborated.

The last corridor belonged to the Film and Music Wings, with each of them taking up one of the two spare rooms on the previous corridor. Their walls spoke of the numerous awards one achieved in their industry. On some spaces on the wall, the pictures of students, the year they graduated, and the awards they won in different years, were displayed.

At the back of the corridor, a few more lockers were stacked. He said that the larger tools that belonged to the teachers were stored there. I peeked through the slits after flashing them with my torchlight. There lied two large lenses, tripods and sheets of papers in one while in another, there were a few lampshades.

My dear senior had turned into Mr Loquacious Aoki as we toured his floor. Perhaps he was very much invested in wanting me to change my chosen course into his favourite one.

Other than a few extra rooms, there was nothing left to see. So we then headed to the last division on the first floor, where I had come to ask for my subjects and teacher's lists. I wasn't able to make out a word on the timetable page until I got the sheets.

The last division had no fewer pieces of work adorning the old walls. Every crevice was filled with unique fabric bits, drawings of clothes, simple yet elegant haikus, animated illustrations and graphics, layouts of buildings, and sketches of the room interiors.

Aidan especially emphasized the critical locations for me, which I would need all year round. The building had larger areas in the lower levels, while the upper floors were smaller, giving it a slight pyramidal shape. Thus, the last division used its extensive area to its absolute advantage.

The Fashion Studies Wing and the Creative Writing Wing were situated along the first aisle, the Architecture Wing and Interior Design Wing along the second, and in the farthest aisle lay the Graphics Wing and the Animation Wing.

Most of the design labs were located in the second passage, whilst the lockers and material storehouses were along the third hallway. From the large windows in the furthest corridor, one could see lines of buildings that housed students or mere travellers. Several of them had few stores open near their entrances.

After learning all there was to see for tomorrow, I requested my guide to spell out the essential sites. My legs ached from the long walk and my eyes were turning heavy, as I had not rested for even a minute when I reached the capital. All I wanted was a good night's sleep before morning set in.