Knight (19 page)

ime flew by faster after attending Weapon's Art. Valeriana had taken a short break to change back into the regular uniform.

The next few classes were hectic and she barely understood the lessons. She barely made it out of the classroom with her sanity.

Fortunately, Chavi was there. The girl did not hesitate to teach her the things she didn't know. In fact, when they entered alchemy class, she happily demonstrated the sequencing pattern of mixing potions and the right way to put them together. Alchemy resembled chemistry very much with a touch of magic.

Valeriana flipped the book to the next page and sighed, letting her eyes scan over the words printed down on the page. She studied the lessons in advance so that she could catch up and understand what the teacher was talking about. It wouldn't make any sense for her if she listened to something she had no idea of, therefore, she was stuck reading a pile of books she never imagined herself reading.

“Ugh! I want to go home! I can't do this all in one day!” She groaned, shoving her face between the pages of the book she was reading. “They can’t expect me to learn all of these overnight!” Her voice was muffled by the pages.

“Enough with that, you can do it!” Chavi smiled at her encouragingly.

“Back home, this is supposed to be my summer vacation, too! What the hell is up with this world? Aren’t there vacations?”

“We hardly take vacation. There's only the one month long holiday that lets the students celebrate the founding of the kingdom. Other than that . . .”

“But . . . it's crazy! You guys are gonna kill me . . .”

A boy suddenly emerged from the shadow. He brushed his chocolate brown hair back with a long, slow sweep. “There. Fifth-ranker.” He stated in an emotionless tone. His brown eyes lacked the spirit of a person his age—dull and without soul.

Valeriana's brows rose on her forehead. “You mean me?”

“The Gathering. Twenty minutes.” He reminded, making her feel alarmed for almost forgetting. No doubt that Corvan would turn up his nose to know she was late!

“Sorry, with all the work that's supposed to be done, I forgot. Are you . . . that boy from my History class? Brindon, right?”

He nodded. “Can we go?”

“Alright, alright.” She snapped the books close and stood from her seat, giving Chavi an apologetic smile.

Her expression was mirrored by an encouraging nod. “I'll see you later. Go on ahead. I'll fix this first.”

“Sorry for not helping with the cleanup.” She told her, waving her hand to her friend.

The boy turned slowly to head for the door leading out of the library. Valeriana followed suit and sauntered steadily beside her mysterious classmate.

“You know, you can call me Valeriana.” She told him.

“Valeriana . . .”

He was apathetic. He projected the image of a cold and detached individual, having shown indifference with his actions. He possessed round, doe-like eyes with effeminate and androgynous features—flowing, layered locks, long and dark lashes and an unbelievably round face.

“So, how old are you? You look a bit young to be attending the academy.”

“Thirty-six.” He told her.

“What?!” She gasped, before remembering the fact that Valemnians aged differently from humans.

Valeriana mentally slapped herself.

“Oh . . . sorry.” He didn't look angry . . . at least, on the outside. “My name's Valeriana Kerrigan.” She smiled, deciding to introduce herself.

“An honor.” He said indifferently.

“The feeling's mutual.” She replied as they faced the gigantic wooden doors. Valeriana reached her hand out with a smile and pulled them open, which creaked noisily as it was yanked back.

They stepped out of the library and began walking through the corridor, which was almost empty in exception for occasional passers-by. People came and went, heading to the library mostly.

“Where's the Gathering going to be held?” She queried, looking at Brindon from the corner of her eyes.

She spotted the latter shy away from her gaze, as much as an apathetic person could. “The Circle’s residences.” He answered, sighing as though talking so much tired him out.

“I see.” Valeriana murmured. “Anyway, what do you do?” She decided to ask, willing to change the conversation to something more interesting and a bit engaging. No matter how near he was, she felt like he was a million miles away.

“Combat archery.”

Was it just her or he spoke no more than two words every time he would answer?

“Really?”

He nodded.

“That's awesome. Maybe you can teach me sometime.”

He hummed in reply.

Well, this is awkward.
 Valeriana thought.

“So, what else do you do? Any hobbies aside from . . . uh . . . shooting down . . . 
things
?”

He hesitated. “Painting.”

Thank god something's normal about these people!

Valeriana beamed at him, but as she thought back to her experiences, she realized she never was actually good at it. “I thought I would try it once but I'm totally bad at it.”

“Anybody can do it.”

Four words! What a progress!
She never realized she was counting.

“Trust me. I'm hopeless.” She said.

What she admitted was true. She even remembered her teacher mentioning something about her having no talent at all. Her classmates even busted laughing when they saw what she did. Like they said, they preferred the blank canvas.

“I'm afraid I’m inartistic.” She muttered, slouching her back in disappointment.

“I can help you.” He offered.

“That would be awesome.” She almost exclaimed in excitement, but then gave the boy a look the almost resembled pity. “But . . . you’re seriously going to make a harsh commitment there.”

“Don't mind.”

They traveled across a wide, grassy area before reaching their intended destination. The sun had already set and darkness had enveloped the entire school. The only things lighting their way were lanterns that were hung on every corner plausible. Valeriana wrapped her own arms around herself in a failed attempt to shield herself from the chilly night. The long sleeves of her uniform weren't helping at all.

“Are there really demons there?”

“Yes.” Brindon casted a glance at the dark, shadowy forest that surrounded the academy.

“Why would an academy be in a place like this?” She queried, looking at every direction like a paranoid.

“Part of training.” He eyed the forest as a pair of red eyes seemed to blink behind bushes, watching them with scrutiny.

She shivered. “Was there a pair of red eyes just now?”

A growling sound came from a distance, and a red-eyed demon jumped from behind the trees. Valeriana staggered back in shock as the beast fortunately hit an invisible, wall-like structure, preventing it from going a step further than its current location.

Eyes wide, she did not feel Brindon making his way ahead of her. She only came to when she heard a rough, raspy voice.

“
Time will come. You cannot hide yourselves beyond this barrier any longer!
”
 
The voice said, making Valeriana snap out of her trance and run after her guide in fear.

“
Hey, Brindon! Wait up!” She yelled.

B
rindon and Valeriana stepped in front of the building where she assumed the Gathering of the rankers of the Twelve would be held. She opened her mouth wide and inhaled a good amount of oxygen, squaring her shoulders while Brindon pushed the doors open and urged her forward.

Valeriana slipped into the dim room.

The floor was carpeted and ornate loveseats were positioned in the center of the room, encased in bronze frames. There was a fireplace further back into the room, filled with burning logs and crackling fire. Traditional paintings were hung up on the walls and, occasionally, swords and a variety of different weapons. A golden chandelier that carried loads of melting wax candles was heaved up high into the ceiling.

“Wow.” Valeriana gazed around in amazement.             

“Corvan, get your nose out of that book!” A redhead exclaimed. “You do nothing but read, I swear you’re more of a bookworm than Charles, which is saying a lot!”

She looked around and spotted four girls and six boys—which included Corvan, sitting on one corner and flipping open a book. A frown made its way to Valeriana's face.
Of course
he was one of the
elites
.

Corvan closed the book he was reading before he turned to Brindon and Valeriana, watching them make their way into the room calmly. “Mind your punctuality next time.” He said. His tone was cold and harsh that it sent shivers down Valeriana's spine. The lord's long, flowing locks were tied back in a low ponytail, probably to keep it from obstructing his vision.

“We can't be that late, right?” She murmured in a low voice.

“So, shall we start the introductions?” Asked someone.

“I'll go first.”

A guy then stepped forward. He looked unprecedentedly charismatic. His russet eyes softened into a twinkling gaze while a gentle smile pulled the corners of his lips, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.

“It's a nice opportunity to meet you, Miss Valeriana.” He took her hands into his and raised it up to his lips, planting a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

She smiled. It was a rare thing nowadays to encounter such a man who acted chivalrously—at least, back home.

“My name is Rowe von Valdemar de la Nevan, the proud second-ranker of the Celestial Circle who specializes in arm blades. I'm currently in my seventh year.”

“Nice to meet you.” She answered and slowly pulled her hand back. Despite the nice feeling of being treated like so, it made her uncomfortable.

Rowe straightened his broad back. “Anyhow, it's a shame Courtney wounded your face.” He reached out to trace the wound on her cheek, making Valeriana flinch at the sudden intrusion of her personal space. “I'm sorry.” He apologized, seeing her reaction. “I didn’t mean to act so out of line.”

Who is this guy and why is he being so touchy-feely?

“I-it's alright.” She was hesitant from the suddenness that she didn't know what she was supposed to tell him.

Brindon suddenly appeared out of nowhere and latched onto Valeriana's arm. For a guy, he was short.

“What?” She looked down at Brindon in confusion. Rowe was chuckling quietly from where he stood.

“Don't worry, he's always like that.” He told her, eyeing Brindon with a smile. “For some reason.”

“Soooooooo!” A girl broke Brindon and Valeriana apart, inserting herself between them. She hauled her arms and rested them around both of their shoulders, as if they were all close friends. She brought her face close to Valeriana, a look of mischief riddling her expression. “How’s life in the academy? I think we're going to get along just fine.” She laughed. “Third-ranker, Tamara Silver.” She finally introduced herself, holding out her hand for a friendly hand-shake. “I specialize in fighting with twin swords. I'm currently in my eighth year, though there's nothing special about my personal or family background.”

At that statement, she could've sworn that a certain guy's ear perked from what she said. She wasn't acquainted with him yet, so she didn't know who he was.

The girl had wavy and fiery red hair. Her blue eyes contrasted the color of her hair, but suited her blemish-free and smooth face. She had high-bridged nose, and well-shaped eyes. Her skin was tanned, probably from continuously staying under the sun. It looked good on her, nonetheless.

Valeriana reluctantly reached out and clasped her hand around hers, shaking it with obvious jittery. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Instead of returning the shake, Tamara pulled Valeriana close and wrapped her arm around her neck, partly hugging and partly strangling the girl. “Loosen up!” She openly laughed. “There's no need for formalities!”

Corvan huffed through his nose, watching them with hooded eyes. He then turned away from them as though they were a waste of his precious time and reopened the book he was reading, shutting away the world.

Valeriana frowned at him, still caged inside the Tamara's arms. “What’s his position, by the way?”

Tamara cleared her throat with a silent insinuation. She then leaned close to Valeriana's ears and whispered, “He's the first-ranking member of the Twelve.”

Valeriana's eyes widened slowly in realization as she lifted her face full of disbelief to meet the eyes of Tamara. “How can that be?” She whisper-yelled.

The girl shrugged, looking as if she didn't care. “He won it. There are two ways you see—when getting the position.” She narrated. “One is through succession, and the other is through duels. The graduating first-ranker offered to hand over the position to him, but he refused. He took it from the chosen successor through a fight after he left.”

“That's . . .”

“Cruel, I know.” Tamara agreed.

She was about to interject and say that wasn't the word she was about to say when the other girl cut her off.

“But he prefers to obtain things through his own blood and sweat.”

Speechless, Valeriana dragged her gaze to look at Corvan whose never-ending look of irritation was all over his face.

“Oh well!” Tamara ruffled Valeriana's hair. “Do your best.”

“Tamara.” There was a pause. “I told you to contain your vulgar manners.” A blond-haired guy with square glasses framing his cobalt blue eyes sauntered forward with an air of formality. He had platinum blond hair in a neat boy-cut with a lone braid at his nape. Valeriana blinked.

“You're too stiff, Charles.” Tamara told him, looking terribly bored.

So Charles is his name,
Valeriana mused.

“And stop addressing me by my first name.” He said, pushing back his glasses like a typical nerd.

Tamara rolled her eyes and that made him feel even more annoyed.

“Uh . . .” She cleared her throat and broke away from Tamara.

“Excuse me.” Charles said, apologizing for their earlier banter. “My name is Charles von Versailles de la Vernados, fourth-ranker.” He said, holding his hand out for a handshake. “I specialize in the glaive and I'm in my sixth year.”

“Valeriana Kerrigan.” Valeriana shook his hand. “The glaive?”

“Let me enlighten you.” He said as they both pulled away. “The glaive is somewhat like a spear, but with a longer, curved blade.” He explained.

“Sorry. I'm not really good with these things.”

“That's alright. You should try to catch up with the current lessons. Otherwise, failure to do so may cause you to be evicted from the Twelve—or worse, you may get kicked out of the academy.”

“Now, now, that’s no way to welcome someone.”

They shifted their gazes to the guy. Valeriana felt her brows furrowing as she allowed her gaze to examine the young man in front of her.

A confident smirk pulled on his lips and Valeriana could almost be blinded by his smile. She gulped, sensing a feeling of uneasiness to meet his eyes. She did so anyway, and gazed upon a set of sharp, cat-like eyes that were the color of tangerines. His hair was the color of faded orange, like a soft brush from a warm drop of sunlight in the early morning.

“Hi?” She asked, her tone confused. She held her hand out for the usual handshake. “Nice to meet you. It’s Valeriana, and you are?”

The guy in front of her suddenly looked like he'd been splashed by a pail of cold, icy water followed by a thousand, heavy bricks. Her hand was left hanging that she eventually let it fall to her sides. Tamara, Rowe and all the other people within the room exchanged glances then suddenly broke into laughter while Charles merely smirked and fixed the glasses on the bridge his nose. Valeriana looked clueless, seeing as she had no idea of what just happened.

“I’m sorry. Did I say anything wrong?” She asked.

“It cannot be! It is impossible you do not know me! No one does not know me.” He muttered as if he would go nuts. “Die. I will die. Goodbye, cruel world . . .”

“I'm sorry.” Valeriana did not know what she was supposed to do as she glanced between each member of the Twelve. “I really didn’t know—”

A small, decorative box went flying across the room. It hit the guy right on the head as he continued sulking in that corner. A loud
bunk
reverberated, making a few of them wince.

“If you're going to die, do it outside!” A girl, who was sitting arrogantly on an armchair with her legs crossed, yelled. “Seriously.” She massaged her forehead with a look of annoyance creasing her face.

Valeriana blinked rapidly, confused. A warm and tender hand gently seized her shoulder. When she looked up to see whose it was, she spotted Rowe smiling down at her with his kind eyes.

“Forgive us,” he said. “The one sulking is our sixth-ranker, Raziel Aslan, and the lady there is Elfre Baudion, the seventh-ranker. Please don't mind the two of them. They're better off with a wall between each other.” He grinned.

“Um . . . okay?”

These people are actually pretty weird.
 She realized.

“Valeriana Kerrigan, yes.” She asked with a look of boredom. “So, are you prepared for the life of a ranker? Are you even sure you’re capable of holding the position?” Elfre glared openly at Valeriana.

The room was swept with silence and all eyes turned to Elfre, questioning with a mild look of shock.

Valeriana breathed deeply before mirroring her menacing look with a hesitant smile. “I'm trying my best to learn?”

The girl grabbed a bunch of her hair and brushed it with her fingers. She looked utterly annoyed by her reply. “I doubt your
best
will be enough.”

Valeriana sighed, disheartened. Since she came out of the blue and took over the position when she first arrived, it would be unavoidable for the people to doubt her. It was to be expected right? She didn't grow up in this world. She did not know a single thing about alchemy, neither about PC or forging.

“Now, now.” Rowe started. “Don't you think you're getting Valeriana discouraged? She may be uneducated, but it will change in due time. Besides, don't we all start the same? It just so happens that she was left behind. After all, she did not grow up here.”

“Alright, everyone!” Tamara clapped her hands. “How about we talk about something else?”

Her suggestion went unheard.

“She's still a human.” Elfre countered. “How can you be so sure we can even trust her?”

The girl pursed her lips to keep herself calm. “I'm a human but that doesn't mean I cannot be trusted.”

“Hey,” Raziel sniffed, pouting angrily like a child while looking back and forth between the two girls. “You're forgetting about me!”

“Shut up!” Elfre barked at him. “No one gives a damn about you!”

“I really don't want to start with bad feelings.” Valeriana said, not knowing what else was better to say.

“Then leave.”

“That's not an option.”

“Alright! That's enough.” Someone quipped, deciding to break up the brewing tension between the two. “It's time I introduce myself.” The boy grinned. He ruffled his reddish hair back—though his shade was browner than Rowe's. “My name is Zevlin Sabian, ranking eighth among the Twelve. I'm in the same year as you are! If you don’t remember, we have History together.”

“My tuuuurn!” A girl dragged out the word while pulling Zevlin back harshly. Valeriana could hear the boy protesting before being pushed away. She took the front stage herself and sank into a reverent bow playfully. “Genevieve Sabian. Ninth.”

“I wasn't done talking!” Zevlin exclaimed. “Have you no respect for your older brother!”

“You're only two minutes older!” Genevieve bit back, standing straight. “We were born on the same day!”

In just a matter of seconds, these two managed to replace the negative atmosphere with a playful one.

“Twins?” Valeriana guessed, eyeing the weird resemblance the two shared. They both had the same reddish hair and hazelnut color for their eyes, except for their height. Zevlin was a head taller than his sister and he had manly features while Genevieve possessed a much more feminine and delicate appearance.

“Precisely.” Rowe affirmed. “Though they bicker so much like children most of the time. They won't let you get between them. So I suppose it's best if—”