Chapter 45: Hiru

Chapter 45: Hiru The next day, they all dragged their feet into class. Lucen spent the entire night wrapped in heavy covers and took a hot bath, so he felt perfect. The Crystal Dome was bright and warm. Its white walls and the glass roof gleamed in the light, wooden desks circled a raised podium. Warren stood upright on the podium, wearing a white shirt and loose-fitting brown trousers. "Take your seats quickly, I didn’t force you to duel in the rain." Lucen flipped open his notebook. They were going to discuss more Bull Wolf characteristics today. There were only two days left until they arrived. After this class, he needed to meet Liam and Aya in the valley. Try to convince Aya that sentencing herself to death might be a bad idea. "Bull wolves!" Warren boomed, jolting the sleepy students up. "They are a rugged breed, living everywhere. From the high mountains of the Hidden Peaks to the humid forests of Horalix." Horalix was the region where the Grey Keep and the Line sat. Its population was low, but military presence was high. "On a good day, if we heard a pack of Bull wolves were coming, we’d pop a couple of pints and bet on who could kill the most," said Warren, "but they visit us on a bad day. The Patriarch took the best knights and most of our Grand Knights with him into the Void." Lucen shook his head. It had been more than fifteen years since the Patriarch left the Grey Keep. It was a ridiculous amount of time to Lucen but might not be much to his near-immortal great-grandfather. "We only have about thirty Knights here—only three of whom are Top-tier," Warren picked up some chalk and began writing on the blackboard behind him. "We have eight Grand Knights here, and thankfully, they are among our best. Chester, Fyodor, and Kant will not directly enter the fray because of our obligation to protect the Crown of Stars. But Koril, Sandor, Falgner, Tiraneil, and Corus will join the battle fully and hunt down the High-rank Wolves." From what he had read, a High-rank Bull wolf was slightly stronger than a Top-tier Knight. Lucen couldn’t imagine how strong a Heroic-rank wolf would be. "They will come in waves, the stronger wolves will be at the end. You, Squires, will each follow a Mid-tier Knight, and assist them in whatever way they ask you to." Warren clapped suddenly. Lucen looked up, confused. The clap was a signal, and it was to a soldier standing at one of the many entrances to the dome. The soldier pulled a young boy into the light and pushed him in front of the class. The boy was covered in cuts and wore a dirty sackcloth. But Lucen’s jaw dropped as he saw cat ears flapping nervously where human ones should be. The boy’s hair was a bright purple colour, and his eyes were a striking shade of yellow. "This halfbreed came to Castaway with a caravan two days ago," Warren explained. "They came from a village in the path of the wolf pack. The first wave caught up to them, and he was one of the few to escape. He will tell us the ranks of the beasts." Halfbreed, Lucen had heard of the broad term used to categorise half-human creatures. It was part of the reason halfblood was such a potent insult. Halfbreeds were unholy creatures, and some had the ability to accurately gauge an enemy’s strength. It wasn’t the first non-human he had seen, but it was still unsettling. There was a murky darkness in the boy’s eyes, and his shoulders hung limply as he was dragged forward. "Speak, beast," Warren ordered. The boy straightened up immediately, and his voice forced itself from his throat, weak and dry like sand. "There were only... Fledglings, with three Stalkers and one Fiend leading them. They were fast, their fur is like stone, and their horns... they toppled our carriage and started eating them while they were still alive—" "That’s enough," Warren said, waving to the knight to take the boy away. Lucen watched as the boy was dragged away, their eyes met once, and something flashed in his eyes. What was that? Did the boy see something in his mana? He would seek the boy out later. "I don’t want to scare you, but I needed to make the situation clear," Warren said gravely. "Do not underestimate a Fledgling wolf, no matter your recent accomplishments." He stared at Lucen as he said this. Lucen nodded, a bit exasperated. "I think some explanation of the Knight ranks is required to clear up misconceptions. Squire is the first step on your journey. To become a Knight, you must increase your capacity for mana until your soul condenses. Those of you who have decent mana sense can discern your progress." Lucen had been observing the changes to his soul. It started as misty and colourless, but as he continued to channel, his soul changed to represent many colours and solidified. "Becoming a Knight is only a matter of time, technique, and resources. But going from Knight to Grand Knight involves tempering the tripartite—mind, body, and soul. When you break the shell on all three and perceive your inner world, then you can become a Grand Knight." Lucen didn’t like how easy it sounded. He wondered how many people here would be able to even glimpse those heights. Warren’s stiff face softened a little as worried looks spread across his student’s face. "Not everyone will even become a Mid-tier Knight, but it doesn’t mean they are useless. Everyone has a role to serve, know your roles and stick to them." This seemed relaxing to the students, like absolution from living up to their goals. But Lucen felt unnerved by this. Their class ended not long after that. Lucen slipped away before anyone could talk to him. He wanted to find the Halfbreed boy. He skulked down the castle and searched the massive crowd that always occupied the ground floor. He found the boy in the stables, packing away Farrowmount shit silently. The stable door creaked loudly as it opened. The small building was covered in hay that cushioned his footsteps and smelt like a wet animal. Farrowmounts were like griffins, but they had horse ears and tongues. It looked like such a goofy animal; its tongue lolled, and drool pooled under it. The stable was full of these funny-looking beasts, so Lucen stopped and started laughing. The boy’s yellow eyes flicked up to him, freezing with the trough in his hand. He dropped it and wordlessly bowed. Lucen couldn’t stop laughing. "Ra-raise your head," he said breathlessly. He could never resist laughing at the dumb beasts. The boy watched him curiously. Lucen rubbed tears from his ear and coughed. "I won’t waste either of our time. Back in the Crystal Dome, you were staring at me like you knew something. What is it you saw?" Lucen decided to order him to speak to get things done quickly. "Your soul, sir," the boy said weakly, "I never see one like it. It’s so... like water. Everyone soul is like fire." That did fit well into what he knew about mana. But the boy could not speak the language well, so he might fail to describe it. "Do you speak any languages other than Elarian?" Lucen asked. "I speak Shasti well," the boy replied in an unfamiliar language. But his system translated. "Good, describe what you mean in this language." The boy looked around the stable nervously, the Farrowmounts made throaty groans that made Lucen giggle. "What is your name? Where are you from?" Lucen asked as the silence dragged on. "Hiru," the boy said, "we lived in the Lirelian forest before my parents were caught and executed, but back then, we had this name for people with souls like yours. Otherworlders."