by Andre Pisco
"If they don’t get ready in minutes, I'll go alone. Maybe I'll only share what's in the letter with myself.” James said, this time more calmly.
Alec and Lucian, who were laughing, stopped. James had touched on the crucial point, the reason they were there and everyone wanted to know why the director had made his last gesture to hand them the letter.
"We're coming," Alec finally answered, putting on the brown shoes that had been chosen for him. They crippled his feet and as he walked with them he felt as if they were trapped in a box from which they couldn’t escape, "I hate this," he ventured.
"Me too. I never had to use one of these, let alone this," Lucian replied, adjusting his suit.
They had been presented with black tuxedos, a white shirt for the interior, and black trousers of a comfortable fabric that warmed them from the inside. However, it would take away any ability they had to move quickly. They were tight enough to notice the shapes of their bodies, and when they looked in the mirror they complained of the weight they had lost since the time in the academy.
They opened the door and outside, Neil and James waited for them. Dressed with similar suits they stood upright, James stamping his foot and Neil rubbing his hands at the thought of the food. They walked to the door of Lucy's room. Alec knocked three times with little strength and her delicate voice made her heard down the hall, saying that she was just fixing her hair and wouldn’t be long. The corridor, narrow and gloomy, offered their faces a melancholy and dying air.
"Don’t say anything..." Lucy said from the other side, "I don’t even look like me."
She opened the door slowly, peering out, watching the boys' faces light up, as well as their eyes widening as she revealed to them how she was dressed. A long white floor-length dress, lips painted a red that matched the rose of her hair and a very subtle reddish shadow on her eyelids. It was the first time they'd ever seen her so feminine and yet so ashamed.
"You're... great," James said, looking her up and down.
Alec elbowed him and shook his head in dismay. Neil was perplexed, his mouth half-open, not saying a word. Just an intermittent sound like he knew what to say but also that he should not.
"You are fine. Come on," Lucian said, to everyone's surprise.
It was not his usual, but the words had been said and Lucy's cheeks turned pink. Lucian was the first to descend the stairs, followed by the others a few feet away. He sang a soft melody that echoed through their ears and made them a shelter. A sound that he seemed to be still practicing, but he knew what he wanted from him. It molded him to his pleasure and so they walked to the living room in the opposite corner. Their faces became light, even orange, with the light reflected from the glass roof.
"Don’t you think he's been a little different since we rescued him?" Neil asked the rest of his classmates as soon as Lucian was far enough away not to hear.
"I've noticed that... He seems more open, more cheerful. I cannot tell if it's pretense or if he’s taking advantage of life for fear of losing it." Alec answered him, focusing on Lucian's quiet walk, putting his right foot in front of his left.
"Should we talk to him about it?" Lucy asked. She had taken the bottom of her dress and was holding it in her hand.
"No. Let him be. We're not going to make him relive what happened," James said, thus ending the conversation.
Lucian was at the door and the others arrived shortly after. He opened it and they entered, immediately surprised by the greatness of space. A lacquered wooden table in the middle of the room, surrounded by enough room for a ball with dozens of people who would be lit by the large candle holders on the roof that stood a few feet away from the floor. The room made them feel small as if they were stuck in a lair, knowing the danger lurking but not having a hand on it. At the table was Lomi, Grant, Molly, Alice, and an older woman. The traces of age on Lomi's face were visible from a distance. He made no effort to conceal the wrinkles on his cheeks and around his nose, much less try to disguise the damp skin beneath his eyes. Molly wore a pale blue dress to her knees, her wrinkled hands clutched in her lap and a gold cord around her neck. Grant was in one of the corners of the table, which gave him an air of superior importance to the rest. They all seemed to expect the older to say something before they did too. She had them on dominion and they didn’t even care. Even Lomi, who was just giving orders, was now standing beside her, silently, with high shoulders and a locked face, looking at the group without uttering a word. There was a respect for the order of command Lucian and Alec were not accustomed to.
"Can we sit?" Alec asked, breaking the ice.
"Sit down. Lomi showed me the letter. There is a lot we have to discuss." The woman said, standing up and gesturing softly, as if the air were a sensitive instrument which could sit on the chairs that were left, "I think I have not yet introduced myself. I am Evanora, the Governor of Relics and one of the original creators of the Drexus Academy." She said and sat down. The room was a scene of endless echoes, and her thick voice danced unmistakably through the huge free space, "Can you tell me something about who invaded the academy?"
Evanora
Class: Wizard
Specialization: Light
HP: 800/800
Attack: 700 + 20
Defense: 640 + 70
Agility: 330 – 30
Wisdom: 400
Items:
Ruby and Quartz pendant: + 20 attack; +70 defense
Long dress for special occasions: - 30 agility
"We have an idea... Some had the symbol of reapers, but some didn’t. We only know that the leader was a man... ah... a tall man in scarlet armor and black boots." Neil replied, his voice failing him as he remembered the dust that remained in the guise as they fled the entrance hall.
"Shit," Evanora said, to the surprise of everyone present. After a single sentence she had put aside the eloquence that her hand movements and garments conveyed, "If he is involved, this will become much worse than I thought."
"He?" Lomi asked, highlighting that he too had no idea what was going on.
"The idea of creating Drexus came from a conversation between me and two friends. A coffee trip that turned into two sleepless nights to have something concrete and that could be presented to people with money, people who, unlike us, had the possibility of making a real idea. We wanted a place where young people from all over the world could come together to train and learn more. In the beginning, we were 10 to plan the classes, schedules, all they can think, and we were supported by 15 funders. Everyone saw the idea as a way to make the world a bit better. At the time there were not many gyms and most were closed, only for certain places or certain types of powers." Eve started but was stopped by a line of employees entering through a side door.
They were carrying silver trays in their hands, laden with food still smoking; chicken with skin to shine, salmon of an orange never seen before and even vegetarian dishes, stuffed with vegetables, and even spices that the youngsters didn’t know. A complete meal for all tastes.
"The chef wishes you a nice lunch and hopes you will enjoy it." One of the servants said, finishing with a bow. They all wore the same set of white jackets, pants, and black headband.
The young men thanked and looked at each other before their eyes stopped at the plates in front of them. They didn’t know if they could start picking up a portion for the dishes, and there were those who still had to decide what they wanted.
"You're at ease. Eat." Eva said, "I'll go on. There's still plenty to talk about.“ She cleared her throat, "The first two years went well. The academy had more and more candidates and the opportunity arose to get the best students from cities that lived on the edge of poverty. It had been a proposed goal since we started and for the first time, we had a chance to do so. There were those who didn’t find it appropriate but kept their opinions in their circle of supporters." She paused for everyone to serve, including her who decided on one of the vegetarian dishes, "However, on the first try, we had a mishap. We we
re too young, hopeful for the adults we were. We trusted in kindness without testing it and ended up giving the invitation to a disturbed boy. He was a forest power user who was even envious of some teachers. A potential that cannot be measured and that, used for good, could reforest desert sites years before the government started to bet on it."
"His name was Christopher, wasn’t it?" Lucy asked, interrupting Eva, who was rummaging through the plate with the cutlery.
"Lucy, isn’t it? It's nice to meet you. Your parents told you the story, right? What did they tell you?"
"Not much. They told me the story several times, treating it as a scary story, telling me to be careful of my powers or I too would be consumed by them and by their greatness. I didn’t think it was a true story, to be honest," Lucy replied, taking a sip of water before continuing, "Apparently we have the same kind of power. My parents never told me this, just that he was too strong to be restrained and they had to isolate him."
Only Grant and James continued to eat without stopping. The rest had placed the cutlery on the plate and listened intently to the conversation between the two. Alec and Lucian exchanged a glance as if they knew that underneath that story there was something to be revealed, a secret that had been shielded for years about limbo, between what was said and what remained unsaid.
"No wonder your parents told you just part of the story," Eva said, keeping a gentle look on Lucy. She picked up her glass, moved it carefully so that it would not fall on the food, and drank some of her white wine, "The truth is that we never realized what happened. If someone tampered with it, or if their hunger for power made him change, we know he had fun experimenting with other students. He would remove their arms and try to replace them with branches, among other macabre things. Not the best time to talk about it. I understand. We ejected him and sent him to a place where he could be healed, but it didn’t work. He ran away, and for years nobody knew anything about him. To be honest, I didn’t even remember him until the reapers began to emerge."
"But the reapers don’t attack only weaker and poorer people?" James asked, still with pieces of the chicken to be crushed by the teeth.
"That's what they say, but no. Gradually, people in the academy's personal circle disappeared. Some were found dead in alleys; almost unrecognizable, and others only without some parts of the body. Others were never seen again. We only have three left. Me, the world history teacher and a man named Callor, we have no idea where he is. Rumor has it that he lives isolated, while others say he has moved beyond the ocean."
"Ah... The teacher... He... He was already dead. We couldn’t do anything. He was already..." Neil replied. His hands trembled and the cutlery beat on the silver. James stopped eating. Neil dropped the cutlery, which fell on the plate like a drop in the ocean whose sound is not loud but the feeling it conveys send shivers through the body.
"I see," Eve answered, and drank the leftover wine, "We are two then. We will arrange transportation for you all to the city of Lyuna. It is not a good idea to have the letter, a spirit animal and me in the same place."
"Lyuna?" Lucy asked, choking for a moment.
"Yes. Is there a problem? I thought it was the right place." Eva said, "But I can find another spot if you wish."
"No, no. It’s perfect. I have not been there for some time," Lucy said. She took a deep breath before continuing, "We better eat before it gets cold."
"Finally. My stomach couldn’t wait any longer," Neil said, breaking the seriousness of the moment. A sea of laughter shook against the rocks of silence, knocking them down smoothly.
"Idiot," Grant whispered but came out louder than he'd expected.
"You're talking to who?" James asked, defending his colleague.
"That was what I needed, another," Grant answered. He wiped the corners of his mouth with the thick red napkin, begged pardon and got up. He left the room before anyone could say anything.
"James... did you defend me?" Neil asked, still puzzled and confused.
"Just because I can make fun of you does not mean that everyone can," James replied, a little embarrassed, lowering his head, and continuing to eat.
"I apologize. It's not my job to tell you, but believe me he has his reasons for it," Lomi replied, looking at the door from which he had gone. Lomi seemed to expect him to come back, but it didn’t.
"Well, we better get on with the food," Eva said and motioned to one of the three servants still in the room to refill her glass.
Lunch was good. They packed themselves in peace and ate in silence. There was nothing but the rays of light coming in through the half-open door, the exotic aroma of vegetarian food, the smell of the rightly heated chicken, and the teeth tearing apart the food. They were already onto dessert when Lucy touched Alec's leg with the tops of her shoe, and she moved her lips to say the word "letter." James and Neil shared a pudding, pausing only to taste it in their mouths and express their contentment in groans.
Lomi stood for a chocolate mousse with a biscuit topping undone, while Eva settled for a pineapple covered in wine. Molly had chosen a slice of crumb cake. Every time she cracked it her teeth could be heard breaking the delicate side and tearing it into small pieces. The rest didn’t ask for anything. Alec looked up and felt, once again, small. The roof had a painting full of details of a battle from the days of old, where swords and metal weapons were still used, with no energy or advantage except the ability of each person to maneuver the instrument. The red sky showed the amount of blood spilled there, and the bodies lying on the ground were the result of violence. The detail on the faces was both fantastic and scary at the same time.
He remembered the faces of the students in the academy, so frightened, devastated, giving up just because of their fear of also dying there. Perhaps, even though they were still, death had reached them. He distracted himself, losing his love of life, falling into a nightmare in which nothing was left over than the fear he had of being one day caught up in it, or, worse one of his friends or parents. Alec knew in his heart that death had not chained him as before, but only the thought of losing one of his to eternal sleep made his knees tremble and his hands sweat. In the distance, a click awakened him from the world to the part where he had placed himself.
"Ah, yes? Sorry. I was watching the ceiling," he said, not realizing who had called him.
"Brilliant, isn’t it? It was here when we came here. I don’t know who the author was, or the reason for the drawing, but it always made me feel mortal as if at any moment I could be one of those bodies. It's funny how a set of strokes has so much effect on someone, don’t you think Alec? I sense you have something to ask me." Eva told him, looking, like everyone else, at the ceiling.
"Yes... I’d liked to ... I mean, we’d like to know the contents of the letter."
"Haven’t you read it? I'm surprised. I know Molly would have." Eva replied and looked at Molly with a smile that made the girl swallow.
"I'm very curious. You know it. I'm not the right person for such missions." Molly replied and laughed. Yet Alec could feel the nervousness in her forced laughter.
"I suppose so, but let's continue. I need you to assure me that what is said here does not leave here. It is only fair that you know it but it will change your whole perception of the world."
Looks and whispers scattered across the table. Doubts and curiosity took the youth by assault. Interest rose, but with it came a hint of fear. Their world had already been altered and they were not sure if they wanted to deal with more.
"I want to know. We've already made it this far. After all, it cannot be worse than what's happened," James said, leaning against the chair, almost sliding down it.
"He's right. Whatever it is cannot be worse than..." Neil said but was interrupted.
"Tell us." Lucian said, "Is there anything about spirit animals?" He asked as well, leaning forward.
"Yes, there is. You better start there. It says that there are at least three more recognized spirit animals, two of which are hidden. It a
lso indicates their location and asks them to arrange transportation and a safe place. Apparently, your director has been preparing this for some time. Maybe he expected to have more time than he had. It also talks about the gods... You've heard of the big three, haven’t you?" Eva asked, licking her lips and drinking some more.
"Yes. Elix, Lix, and Nix. The three gods who created the chips so that everyone could have powers and with them a better life. Too bad some have used it for evil. They fell into the mistake of relying too much on humanity. It seems to be a common mistake." Lucy said and showed her gold thread, the symbol known to recognize someone who believes in the gods.
"Are you the only one here who believes?" Eva asked. Neil and James put their arms in the air, "Three people then. The letter states that it is all a lie, a plot so that no one bothered to find out more. He goes so far as to say that it all started here, in Relics. Maybe that's why he sent you here. The letter further explains that after the wars and the destruction of the world something was needed that would make people come back to believing in something or someone to bring their hope of the dead. They had to give people a reason to get up and help them do it. He doesn’t know who did it but says he is more and more sure that it is true. After that, there is nothing else.”
The temperature dropped and the silence fell on the table. No one said anything for a few minutes. If Alec thought he had a sound, it would be heard, just like the hands of different clocks, all of them moving forward, one on top of the other, at different times. Lucy fingered the table. Alice took a sip of her lemonade, still with pieces of fresh orange, and licked her thick lips, leaving the imprint of the violet lipstick on the glass. James, as usual, hit the sole of his shoe on the floor and Neil had caught the taste as well.
"Is it possible to get to the heart of the matter? Find out if it's true?" Lucian asked, breaking the silence.
