Book 5, chapter 8

Her class on aura manipulation was much less physically demanding than her combat class, but also a lot more dull. The first day was mostly just an introduction to the class. Maldy was there, but the person she didn't expect was Nathan. 

She didn't have time to hang around and chat during the lecture or once it ended, as she needed to run to her next class.

Advanced rituals and fundamentals of energy patterns were a course she was excited about. The course was somewhat of a crossover between rituals, and etching, though mostly rituals.

That was fine though, as the class was useful, for both herself and Dern.

Speaking of which, she needed to send Dern with Ilukna to her classes. They had similar interests, and he could hide in her uniform pocket. Running down the wide halls, she arrived at her next class just as the instructor was walking in the door. 

Well, walking may have been the wrong term. They flapped gracefully through the open door. Zee wasn't sure if she should be creeped out or not. Her instructor was a Couliteen. It was basically a ball of mottled grey and black skin with batlike wings and three large eyes atop fleshy stalks on its body.

One of the eye stalks atop the instructor's body swiveled around, looking right at her standing in the open doorway.

"Are you coming in?" It asked in a soft voice.

The Couilateen had no mouth, but its skin vibrated creepily. And somehow, the bangle on her arm understood the vibrating and translated it for her.

"Ya, I am coming," Zee stammered. Flushing from embarrassment, Zee walked passed the professor, realizing she had been staring like an idiot.

Walking in, she finally took in the rest of the class. Everyone was already seated at desks, while a stage was elevated at the front of the class for all to see. 

Walking to her seat, Zee scanned over the crowd. Mostly human, though there were a few lizard kin. One person stood out, mostly because they were like an island. There was a ring of empty chairs around a dominative woman.

Strangely, Zee recognized that person. Curious, she walked up between the aisle and took a seat in one of the chairs next to the lone person.

"What are you doing here Yukna," Zee asked.

Yukna pushed her rimmed glasses up her nose, casually tucking a lock of mousy brown hair behind one ear. 

"Good afternoon Zee. I am here because I am working on a project. My project requires a deeper understanding of rituals to complete, so here I am," Yukna said.

"Huh, what are you working on," Zee asked curiously.

Yukna's deep brown eyes glimmered with excitement.

"It's a remotely operated explosive that can fly," Yukna said.

Zee blinked, "That sounds dangerous," Zee said.

"Of course it's dangerous, why would I make it if it wasn't," Yukna asked.

It was then that Zee realized why there was a circle of empty chairs around Yukna. Everyone in attendance was probably well aware of Yukna's tendency to blow stuff up. 

"Remind me again where you are testing these explosives," Zee asked.

Yukna leaned closer, looking excited. "You should by sometime and check out my workshop. I am designing and building some cool stuff these days. I have already sold the blueprints of a unique invention to one of the major engineering guilds," Yukna said. 

"Really? What blueprints," Zee asked.

Yukna beamed. "You know those handheld explosives I used to make? Well, I have enhanced their yield. Now, one of them could wipe out half this classroom," Yukna said, mimicking an explosion with her hands. 

Several students nearby slid further along their seats, moving a little further away.

"Uh-huh. Is that why you have a bit of a reputation," Zee asked, glancing meaningfully at the empty chairs around them.

Yukna scowled. "They are just being scaredy cats. I only blew up the lab once," Yukna replied defensively. 

One of the students nearby coughed loudly into his hand.

"Lizardshit," 

Yukna flushed. "Those other two times were accidents. Lanny, you can't go blaming me for every little accident," Yukna said. 

Lanny harrumphed addressing Zee. "I don't know who you are new girl, but me Tesh here is a menace. If you value that bright red hair of yours, you will keep your distance," Lanny said. 

Several other people nearby nodded emphatically. Yukna winced at the statement. 

"It's alright Zee, you don't have to sit next to me if you don't want to. Lanny is right, I'm just a walking time bomb. A catastrophe that everyone avoids," Yukna said, looking dejected. 

Zee's expression softened as Yukna spoke. She reached over and placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Don't worry Yuky, losing a little hair isn't that big of a deal. Your fiancé stabbed me when we first met, and we are basically best friends," Zee said. 

Yukna's forlorn tone fled, and she smiled.

"I appreciate the sentiment. But what is this about Allison stabbing you, no one told me about that," Yukna asked. 

"Ahh, it was nothing, just a gut wound," Zee backpedaled, realizing she may have gotten the princess in trouble. 

"Just a gut wound? That could have killed you. When did this happen," Yukna asked.

Zee scratched the back of her head, looking for a way to not make things worse. 

"Sorry, the instructor is getting ready to talk," Zee deflected. 

Yukna leaned over and whispered. "This isn't over."

Zee laughed nervously. Given Yukna's expression, Allison was going to be in trouble. She would probably have to sleep on the floor again for a while.

The floating ball with eyes on it that was their instructor started talking as a ritual diagram appeared in the air in front of them.

Long, lazy flaps of their batlike wings kept them hovering mid-air. The Couilateen spoke by vibrating its skin, and its voice was translated with the bangle on her wrist. Even distorted by her bracelet, it sounded bored

"Ritual diagrams are constructs we use to communicate with and channel energy from the universal river. This is a quote from the late Tarnival al Tenereu. He might have been a despot, a tyrant, and a mass murderer, but one thing cannot be denied. Tarnival's works on rituals are pure genius. It's a shame that most of his books on rituals were destroyed or lost when the despot was killed."

Zee listened to what could only be a hate speech. Turns out, the old geezer had good reason to lie low.

Curiously, people seemed to think he had died a long time ago. Or at least someone was pretending he died. Zee wondered what her instructor would think if they learned Zee had a book with a whole library's worth of Tarnivals books in it. Or the fact that Tarnival was alive and Zee had met him not so long ago.

She shook the distracting thoughts from her mind. The instructor's bored tone of voice was so dull making her mind wander. How was Zee supposed to learn anything if the instructor's voice was like a weapon that tried to kill her with boredom?

She forced herself to listen, jotting down notes into a small leather notebook. Lacking any excitement, or inflection, the instructor kept speaking in the same bored tone.

"Ritual constructs that are formed by a cultivator's energy are used to impose the cultivator's will on the world. The rampant energy in the universe might not have a will of its own, but some would say otherwise.

That begs the question, does free-flowing energy in the world river have a will of its own? Many of my peers believe so. 

I do not agree. Energy is not alive, nor do I believe that it possesses an inherent will of its own. 

Free-flowing energy oftentimes takes on properties of its environment and even mimics the illusion of will. Many say that is proof that it does have a will, but that doesn't hold up to any scrutiny.

Performing any sort of ritual will immediately reveal that fact. Free-form energy must be purified before it can be manipulated by cultivators," Master Garg said.

Zee tried to stay focused as the instructor droned on, but the bored tone was exhausting. Zee was curious about how rituals actually worked, but the boring tone of speech was wearing her down.

With the instructor's unbearably dull tone, the class seemed to drag on forever. Most of the class looked asleep in their seats when the instructor called an end to the lecture.

"That was so dull," Zee complained, walking with Yukna out of the class.

Yukna laughed. "Most people come to the course on rituals to get some sleep between other classes," Yukna said.

"I can see why. The emperor could send Master Garg to the front lines where they could use that bored tone of voice to put the enemy to sleep," Zee said.

Yukna laughed again. 

"You are not the first to say that. Master Garg might sound a bit dull, but try to listen. They are very well respected in certain circles. To put it simply, they are brilliant," Yukna said.

Zee raised an eyebrow, " Brilliant? If they are so talented, why is the class only half full," Zee asked.

"You heard their lecture. Master Garg might be a once-in-a-generation talent with rituals, but no one said that would make them a captivating instructor," Yukna said.

"I see your point," Zee said with a jaw-stretching yawn. "I have another class to go to, so catch you later," Zee said.

Zee was already regretting signing up for four classes. It was already late afternoon, and she still had one more course left. 

She hadn't even had time to get lunch, and her stomach was growling. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to go back to her place and make some food, or time to look for the cafeteria.

Instead, she pulled some dried lizard jerky from her spatial storage and chewed on it as she walked to her next class. Eating the salty hard-tack jerky was as unpleasant as always.

Dern's amusement radiated into her mind. "This will teach you to be more prepared next time," Dern said.

"You are such as ass," Zee grumbled.

"It's not my fault you didn't come prepared," Dern retorted.

"Ya, well, you didn't have to be a jerk about it," Zee said. 

"Why do you even keep that lizard jerky around if you hate it so much," Dern asked.

Zee took a bite of the hard, salty meat and chewed. "Because it won't expire for a long time. And besides it's useful. Without this tasteless garbage, I would have likely starved to death in the chasms," Zee explained.

"Then why complain about it," Dern asked.

She shrugged, "We are in my mind, I have a right to complain if I want to," Zee shot back.

"You should be more considerate, there are two others up here who have to listen to your angry ramblings," Dern said. 

Zee sighed. "Fine, if you stop complaining, you can go," Zee said, annoyed. 

She conjured him onto her open palm, and he leaped off. Landing with a soft clank of metal on the tile, the small suit of armor that was Dern ran off down the hall.

Before he rounded the corner, his mental voice echoed in her mind.

"See you later, I am going to help Yukna blow shit up," Dern said.

Zee was more than a little troubled by his parting words. Those two working together were a disaster waiting to happen. One was an immoral soul-sucking monster, and the other a woman with a penchant for making explosives. What could go wrong? 

She sighed, a headache forming. The first day at the academy, and there were already problems.

What was life coming to? Well, no point in worrying, they were both grown adults, and she had a class to get to.

Spatial manipulation was an extremely complex and delicate subject. It involved a fundamental understanding of highly complex physics, and astrophysics.

Anton knew this more than most. 

He was a spatial cultivator, in charge of teaching the best and brightest the Lorocan empire had to offer.

His requirements were incredibly strict, far more so than any other professor in the Imperial Academy. He only accepted twenty students every four years and of those twenty, they were all the best and brightest. 

His curriculum was brutal, and unforgiving, just like spatial manipulation. It was for good reason as the laws of reality, like portals and traveling between dimensions, were no joke.

Anton stared down at the envelope in his hands, anger flooding through him. He would have thought this letter was some kind of twisted joke if not for the imperial seal.

It was a personal note from the emperor himself which allowed someone to bypass all of Anton's rigorous testing. This Zee Viotti was being allowed into his class for no better reason than the fact she had some unknown connection to the emperor.

Anton seethed, but there was nothing he could do about it. At least not yet. Failing her outright wasn't an option. But, he might be able to get her to leave on her own by swamping her in a mountain of work.

Anton nodded to himself. That's right, but in order to not seem blatant, he would give everyone an extra workload. This semester was going to be more work than most of the students could handle. 

Only the best of the best would be able to succeed, which is exactly what he preferred. 

Zee's earlier exhaustion slowly fled, replaced by excitement. It was finally time for her first class on spatial manipulation. It was in District One, and took a while before she found the right building. 

She didn't want to draw attention, so she was wearing the standard grey uniform, with her long red hair done up in a braid. Her sword was belted at one hip, which seemed to be the norm for most students. It was a combat academy after all. 

There were rules of course, like the fact she would be in deep shit if she drew her weapon, or used a skill on another student. In the training grounds, with instructors watching, that was a whole different thing.

Having found the right building, she pushed open the outer door. An odd feeling caressed her skin as she entered. She didn't hesitate, as she had been expecting something like that. It was the complex array, verifying if she was allowed entry. 

Zee had the access token, so she was allowed inside the building without more than a perfunctory scan. From what she had learned, each classroom had a wide array of incredibly valuable facilities. 

Hence why the academy had so many security measures. At first glance, the classroom didn't look like much. There were twenty desks in an elevated series of steps and a pedestal below.

All of the desks except one were already occupied, but at least the professor hadn't arrived yet. 

Zee walked up between the rows, feeling the eyes on her, and the mumbled conversations as she took her seat at the very top row in the back. It wasn't the best seat in the room but she was late, so she couldn't only blame herself. 

"I didn't expect someone new," Asked a friendly voice just as she sat. 

He was a spindly human with auburn hair and brown eyes. He was rail thin with an aura that spoke of a non-combat class user. 

"Ya, I signed up two weeks ago," Zee replied, stretching the truth a little. 

"Really? That's interesting," He replied, his eyes flicking up and down to her uniform.

She lacked any formal crest or visible token which seemed to put the young man in an odd dilemma. 

He looked like he was uncertain how to address her. Zee didn't really care for formality, so she offered a hand. 

"I'm Zee, it's nice to meet you," Zee said.

"Elvot, of clan Denma," He offered hesitantly.

"It's nice to meet you Elvot," Zee replied.

"I don't believe I caught your clan name," He said hesitantly. 

"Oh, sorry, force of habit. I'm from the Viotti clan," Zee said with a shrug. 

"Do you mean the Viotti clan that sparked a war with the blood gorgers over one of their members," Elvot asked with a raised brow. 

"I wasn't aware there were any other Viotti clans," Zee replied. 

Curious murmurs filled the room. "Your clan head is a maniac. I hear his granddaughter got kidnapped by the blood gorgers, and that is why he invaded their territory starting this war," a student near the front of the class called back. 

The entire class was deathly quiet, as his words echoed around the room. 

Zee had no desire to admit that she was the granddaughter in question. It was for the best that she didn't reveal that information unless necessary.

"You are probably right, Julian is more than a little bit crazy," Zee agreed. 

The follow-up questions were cut off, as the professor walked into the room. Dressed in casual brown pants, and a button-up grey shirt, he was not what she expected. She heard he was eccentric, but she hadn't expected this. Without a preamble, the short man walked onto the stage and turned to the class.

"Greetings class. I am Master Anton, or you may call me lord Brunel. Since we have a lot to cover, I am going to just get right into it. First things first. Every week we will hold a test. That test will be designed to judge your aptitude and overall knowledge. Failing one or two of these weekly tests is fine, though I would suggest you don't fail the monthly exams. Failing any of the monthly exams will result in expulsion from the class." Anton clapped his hands together.

"Now that we have that out of the way, let's dive right in,"

A fist-sized dodecahedron floated up into the air beside the professor, and a projection floated out. It created an illusion, one of a lifelike black gate that swirled next to him.

With a long thin pointer stick, Anton gestured towards the illusory portal. "This is what we call a Null gate. Opening one forms a bridge between yourself, the Null realm, and then another place of your specifications. Null gates are some of the most unstable of all gates. Pay attention. Unlike Null gates, portals through the spiritual plane don't have the chance to summon an Eldridge abomination to the physical plane." He gestured with his pointer stick. 

The hovering dodecahedron spun, and a new image appeared.

"This is what can happen if you go around messing with Null gates," Anton said with a surreptitious glare that was directed straight at Zee. 

She didn't notice his glare as her attention was in the image hovering above the stage. After all, how could she forget that nightmare? It was one of the Farahar in all of its horror. Its maw was opened wide as it dragged its gargantuan body through a tear in reality.

Anton continued not seeming to care about the class's horrified reactions. "This is a Farahar, and they only dwell in the Null. Several years ago, a colleague of mine got a recording of one ripping apart a blood gorger war fleet." Anton said.

The image changed to a sky set on fire, as warships fell in burning heaps of metal as they were being ripped apart.

"The reason I show you this is because every stupid young cultivator thinks they are special. They think they can ignore my warnings and do stupid things anyway. This is what you get by opening gates through the Null," 

He paused, looking over the students. 

"Any questions," Anton asked.

One student in the bottom row raised their hand. 

"Go ahead, Thomas'," Anton urged.

"Can we see the rest of that recording," Thomas asked.

"Noo. That information is restricted. Is there any other question related to the subject?" he asked.

Zee raised her hand. "What is it Viotti," Anton asked unhappily. 

"I got stuck in the Null realm once for what felt like a few hours. When I got back out, a month had passed. How is that possible," Zee asked. She had been wondering it for a while, ever since she escaped the tundra and got stuck in the Null.

Anton's gaze sharpened, his expression incredulous.

"A month in the Null? How did that happen," Anton asked, looking unhappy at her question. 

Zee sat back as everyone looked back at her, curiosity and doubt crossing their faces. They might think she was crazy, but she didn't care what they thought. This had been something she wanted to know about for a long time. 

"Well, I was talking to a rift walker, and it took me to the tundra. Wanting to learn the skill myself I used my power and jumped through dimensions into the Tundra. There I got stuck for a few days. After burning all of the stuff in my spatial storage, I was freezing to death. In a flight of desperation, I conjured a gate using a beast fragment, and leaped inside," Zee explained.

The entire classroom had looks of horror and disbelief. Zee ignored their looks and continued. "Somehow I managed to escape, even after the horrifying screeching was right on me," Zee said.

That last part, the screeching, was something not everyone would know about. Anton was not everyone. He to had heard the horrific wails of a Farahar on the hunt.

Anton adjusted his shirt, looking a bit rattled. "It sounds like you are either the luckiest person I have ever met, or you are stretching the truth," Anton said.

She shrugged," Believe what you want. I am simply curious if time passes differently in the Null realm," Zee asked. 

Anton snorted, but his expression was thoughtful. 

"Even if your story is highly suspect, your assessment is not wrong. The Null realm is a formless void, another dimension that operates on its own laws and rules. It is why we anchor one end of a gate on our side, and another on the far end. Free-form gates are dangerous, and unpredictable without proper understanding. As for opening a gate using a beast fragment," Anton tossed something up into the air. There was the crack of glass, and a pitch-black vortex opened. 

It vibrated ominously for a second, before slamming shut with a sizzling hiss.

"As you can see, jumping into that is not a good idea. That gate was unstable, chaotic, and would likely just rip you apart. If any of you think it's a good idea to step into a gate like that, I would suggest you hire a mortician," Anton said.

Zee sat back down, ignoring the curious glances directed at her. Having answered her question, Anton pretended like she didn't exist and went back to his lecture. Zee had wanted to keep her head down and go unnoticed, but it appeared her experiences were out of the ordinary, even for spatial cultivators. Zee kept her mouth shut for the rest of the lecture, scribbling notes in her small leather book.

Once the class ended, and everyone was funneling out, Anton waved her over. Some of her new classmates glanced back at her but left shortly after at Anton's urging..

"What is it Master Anton," Zee asked pausing beneath the raised dais. 

"I had a question about your story from earlier," Anton said.

She sighed.

"What is it," Zee asked.

"How did get to the tundra," Anton asked.

Zee was taken aback by that. She had been expecting him to call her a liar, maybe even chastise her. She hadn't expected a curious inquiry.

"Well, I met a rift walker as I said before. We sort of became friends. They are natives of the tundra and were living in a planar space at the time. Anyways, Pikar, the rift walker, took me to the tundra. I got a good view of the place, then Pikar brought me back," Zee said.

Anton hummed," Go on," 

"Well, I got the bright idea to try copying what Pikar did. I simply visualized the Tundra and willed myself to go there. Honestly, I have no idea how I did it. All I do know is that space was incredibly chaotic after," Zee said.

Anton raised both eyebrows, reassessing her. "An instantaneous brute force gate and you did this by accident," He asked dubiously.

She nodded. "Space was incredibly chaotic in the Tundra when I arrived. It was incredibly turbulent, refusing to let me return the way I came," Zee said. 

Anton nodded as if that made sense. "That sounds right. Let me guess, it took days for the turbulence in the dimensions spatial field to calm down," Anton asked.

"Ya, it's why I almost froze to death. I would have never leaped through an unstable tear to the Null unless I was desperate," Zee said, feeling the urge to defend herself.

He hummed softly. "That's very interesting. Have you tried to transition between dimensions since then," Anton asked.

Zee shuddered. " I have almost gotten eaten by one of the Farahor five times, that is more than enough for me thanks," Zee replied.

"Five times," Anton asked.

She waved a hand dismissively. "That doesn't matter. Anyways, if you will excuse me, I am exhausted," Zee said.

Anton watched the redhead go with a troubled expression. He hesitated to call her a liar. After all, he knew just how crazy her grandpa was. He had half a mind to kick her from his class before she inflicted that craziness on the rest of his students.

Unfortunately, he needed a very good reason to get rid of her. And so far, she hadn't done anything wrong aside from telling an absurd story.