XV - Roaming Zenith's halls

HYPERION

We left the class and headed to the break zone for recess. Most students, especially the females had clumped together, regaling each other with the tales of their vacation escapades. We chose a secluded section of the lawn with a bench to stay. Before long, a boy walked up to us. He looked like a teenage teenager, dressed in the complete school uniform, a poise walking posture and a passive face. "I've never seen you here before, so you must be the new transfer. I'm your roommate, Malachi Hanson. Would you mind telling me yours", he said with an outstretched hand and a face that showed nothing but necessity in his actions. "Hyperion", I said as I shook his hand. "Well, I hope our stay can be as peaceful as possible", he said passively before walking away. "Now, back to the matter at hand. Our goal is to find out whatever it is the ravens want to achieve in this school. The most probable answers are money, which they can get by introducing something to trade within school grounds, something that will appeal to teenagers and possibly be illegal. Second is artifacts. This school has one of the smartest artificers working here as a part time professor. Most of her research take place on school grounds, so they must be trying to get to her somehow, or rather what she has. You're more social, so keep your ears peeled for anything passing around the school that's suspicious. I'll take the ..., our conversation was interrupted by the loud sound of the bell that indicated the change of lesson.

The junior students that were at the break zone headed back to class, while the fifth year students headed for a room through one of the doors leading back to the classrooms. It was a changing room to prepare for our next class. We wore black t shirt, cargo trousers and boots. After we were all done changing, we returned to the break zone where the lawn had given way for a couple of bleachers that came from underneath the lawn.

The students began to take their seats and a professor came from one of the doors that led back to the classrooms. He was a stout man dressed in a blue tight fitting long sleeve shirt and cargo trousers trousers with thick leather boots and a long wooden staff in his hand. "Hello students", he said in a strong voice that reverberated across the area with no aid. "I am Mr Thomeaux, he who shall teach you combat from today till you graduate. Skill and magical manipulation matter in combat, so you need to know not only both, but also how to use them hand in hand, but I am not about the east way. You shall face of against each other and serve as an example for your classmates.

Now, Gallagher, Malachi, come forth. You have been deemed the best in this class by your fourth year teacher of martial arts, and I'm sure a display of your talents will be a great help to the other students". The two students stood up and headed to the arena left in the middle of the seats. "Today's lessons shall be carried out without the use of magic, and shall continue like that for the next week.

He silenced the murmuring by the students with a raised hand. Pick a weapon of your choosing, and begin. Gallagher took a sword and Malachi took a staff. After a quick bow, the match began. Gallagher charged at Malachi with a lunge that he diverted with his staff. They clashes weapons for a while before in a fluid motion, Malachi bent and swept his leg before locking his neck with the staff, securing his victory.

"Great job both of you, but who can tell me how Gallagher fumbled this match", he asked. "Nobody?", "He paid too much attention to the clash and didn't think of any other methods to secure victory, he didn't take advantage of the fact that his weapon has a shorter reach to attack up close", I stated after the silence lingered too long. Gallagher gave me a malicious gaze. "That's right, fighting with a weapon doesn't mean you have to strictly fight with a weapon, as any advantage you have should be leveraged. If you can't do it, I'm sure your opponent can. Now, I'm sure you have all picked up something from this fight, I want you all to pair up and train with the rest of the lesson time. From tomorrow, I pick at random, and only people who impress me will pass this class, good day".

"I'll be leaving now", I whispered to Ida before heading for the door, but a hand held the door I was about to open. "Pretty big words coming from a person that knows nothing about combat, don't you think?", Gallagher asked. "I'd certainly think so too, if the words had no ground to stand on. But as the words were affirmed by an expert, I'd place a lot of credibility on them, don't you think". "Are you trying to say you're better than me", he snarled. "Look, I'm well aware of how annoying it is to be corrected, heck I also hate being correct, but there is a simple solution, be perfect at what it is you do, or at least, be the best in the room". He grit his teeth in annoyance, but I ignored him as I yanked his hand off the door and made my exit.

***

AURORA NICOLA

It was beautiful, the bioluminescent flower shone with a light blue hue that entrapped me in it's awe. Just looking at the encased flower eased my nerves every time I got exhausted with all this work.

A loud snap of a finger before my eyes released me from the trance. "You seem to be busy, Ms Aurora", "who are you?", I asked. "My name is Hyperion, a fifth year, I just enrolled here", he said in a calm voice. He was the most handsome man I had ever laid my eyes on, with his golden hair and blue eyes that all had a shiny and otherworldly demeanor, his clear, beautiful skin, and the calmness of the magic around him, as if also in awe of him. "Oh right, I don't think I have your class now, could there be any other reason why you are here?", I asked. "I just wanted to see what kind of person you are, so I could know whether to ask you this favour directly". "What favour?", I asked. "Well you see, I'm here on a mission, and I need to know some things about the people around you right now. I know you can't really trust someone who just walks up to you and asks you some sensitive questions, so can I just know what you're working on now", he asked. I took a moment to gather my thoughts. "Sure, I'm working on a way to harvest and manipulate ambient magical energy. Magical energy is more potent than normal forms of energy, but can't really be used to it's full potential because proper manipulation of it requires expertise. You can't find an expert trying to do things like working at a power company, they all want the big jobs, and I don't blame them. All the atmospheric magic is being put to no use, and I want to fix that", I replied. "So you want to create machines capable of enhancement techniques like installment automatically, to replace all those gruelling methods of power generation". "Do you think it's a good idea?", I asked. "No, but it isn't in my place to decide how good the idea is. You're smart, you decided to use that brilliance for research, so you have the rights to research whatever you want, but that is not why I came here, I'm here to ask that favour ".