Chapter 3 - Part 2

["Alright, I'll leave you at it. I will come back at lunch, and I'll show you around the grounds and grab something to eat in the dinner hall." and with that Master Rwoy left his room.]

"Finally!" he exhaled and plopped on the bed with the book in hand. "Thought he'd never leave." he whispered to himself pouting his lips as something moist jerked at his eye. He had been holding it together by a thread and it took everything he had not to break down with Master Rwoy in front of him. "That jerk, he had to make me think of Regor - didn't he?" he took a deep breath thinking back at the time they spent together. In Haiden's mind it was the very first real connection that he had made with another person. "Creators how I miss him..." he said wiping a few stray tears that managed to break free and pushed the boots off with his feet one at a time. He turned on his side and held the book in front of his face. The first half of the book was full of theory and big words, and the other half had the practical spells. He quickly went to the spells and listed them out loud. "Force blast, Ignition, Frost, Heat cloak..." he remembered seeing people in the skimpy tunic not freezing to death reasoning that this is the spell they might've used and continued. "Object Levitation, Illumination, and the last one...Shielding." after choosing his three spells he went back to the first half and tried to read and understand the big words and heavy theory. It must've passed a few hours until he began grasping the very first concept; that everything was made out of infinitely small objects they called 'motes'.

He looked at his hand seeing only the fine lines, hairs and creases of his pale white skin trying to imagine these motes that built up his whole being. It gave him a slight headache and decided to flip to the next page. Time flew by while he read and practiced compartmentalizing as promised. He didn't even noticed the creeping hunger. A knock on the door snapped him out of a thought that seemed to go in circles. The door opened revealing Master Rwoy's presence.

"So you do know how to knock." Haiden mused and Master Rwoy chuckled. He saw Haiden holding the book up to his nose.

"Enjoying the book?"

"It's...confusing, but it is starting to make sense the more I think about it." he said putting the book down. "Alright, I get that there are these tiny motes, or whatever, that make up you and me, and the...the bed and that door. But, they are hard, the air is..."he waved a hand through the space in front of him. "...nothing."

"Ah, yes the elusive states of matter." Master Rwoy chuckled. Haiden didn't appreciate him mocking him..

"Fine, don't tell me!" he snapped. Master Rwoy just sighed and began explaining.

"Well, matter, is what we call a conglomerate of these motes. Matter has multiple forms like: solid, which makes me and you and the bed and even that door firm. The motes in solids are knitted tightly together making it hard for other objects to pass through. Liquid, which makes the water and blood fluid. It flows, bends and allows solids to pass through them. The motes in this form are loose and malleable. And finally air." he said turning his hand with his palm upwards and slight prickles of static brushed his skin. A slight breeze brushed away from Haiden towards Rwoy, the air becoming sweeter and more enjoyable to breath, he didn't even notice it becoming stale. "The motes are so dispersed that they allow anything to pass freely. Some even say there's a fourth, fire. But that's debatable. Is fire a liquid or just a form of air or something else entirely?" Master Rwoy explained.

"So, are these motes all the same? How come I'm not as hard as iron then?" Haiden asked.

"No, of course not" Master Rwoy's smiled as if he was explaining to a child. Haiden's childlike curiosity and extremely limited knowledge of the natural world gave him an air of innocence that Master Rwoy deemed endearing. He was taking fast to the information if explained correctly, this pleased him immensely. "Iron, has iron motes, of course. Pure elements like iron, gold, and oxygen and hydrogen in the air and water are simple and easy to Wield, there are hundreds of simple elements out there, each having its own special properties. Now, when we look at ourselves, plants, and animals we all have pure elements that combined create more complex materials, like your skin, the wood from that bed frame and the door. The more complex the material, the harder it is to Wield. You will learn, in your second year how hard it is to manipulate your own body, let alone some else's"

"Amazing... " he was not a master of words so with wide eyes that was all that Haiden could say. Master Rwoy laughed. The way that Master Rwoy explained made everything easy to understand. He remembers Master Danil throwing him a bunch of big words and heard to understand sentences and leaving it at that. This gave Haiden the impression that he wasn't a patient man. The book too was tehnical and with big fancy words that were hard to comprehend and it gave Haiden headaches same as Master Danil's explanations.

"You're lucky winter came fast, otherwise you'd have gathered quite the collection of bugs in your mouth." he chuckled lightly at Haiden's expression. "So, have you decided?"

"Decide...?"

"On the spells, of course."

"Ah, Yes!" I want to learn heat cloak, force blast, and of course the shielding you mentioned."

"Good choice, and practical - utility, offense and defense." he nodded approvingly. "We'll start tomorrow morning with the heat cloak. It will do you good in this weather."

"I figured as much." Haiden's lips turning into a smug crooked grin.

"Word of advice, kid, pay close attention to all three spells that you'll learn. At the end of the week I want you to tell me what you've discovered. Think of it as a test." Haiden nodded and Master Rwoy deemed it an acceptable answer. "Now, I'm famished, you?"

As they walked out of the corridor Haiden saw only servants that were dusting about and minding their own errands, their gaze falling to the floor when they passed by.

"Why are they avoiding us?" he asked concerned. He noticed a young woman who was scrubbing the floor. She immediately stopped as they approached and Haiden noticed the quiver of her mouth and quickened breath. She closed her eyes shut and waited for them to pass. "They are scared..." he realized. "Why? They aren't slave are they?." Master Rwoy sighed and shook his head in disapproval.

"They are servants and their status as servants, is higher than that of slaves. They get paid and have their own rights, is true, but at this academy that might not be the case." he said and shook his head in disapproval. "The elites, wealthiest families throughout the Empire roam it's corridors and grounds and they do tend to believe they can do anything they please, and their parent's money surely help them succeeding in doing as such. The servants here know this and try to stay out of the way as possible." they went down a flight of stairs until they reached the outside door of the dormitory. Haiden shivered as he stepped outside putting his arms around himself to warm up. The morning fog had dispersed and he could see the frozen vegetation and trees that flanked the stone-tiled way. Everything was covered with a thin layer of frost. It glistened in the dim light that managed to pass through the thick blanket of gray clouds.

"Let me," Master Rwoy said and immediately the cold air was replaced by soothing warmth. Haiden thanked him, he felt the static of the heat cloak. It radiated around him, sending pricks of energy throughout his body. He wanted to test the limits of the cloak but his mind was preoccupied with what the man just said.

"That's not fair." he finally managed to say as the walked down the stone tiled way.

"No, it is not." Master Rwoy said with an impassive voice. "The world is...rarely fair, Haiden. There are people whose will is not their own in this world, people who despite working their whole lives have nothing to call their own. People whose lives are dismissed at the whim of petty men. As Wielders, by definition our will is power, it has weight in this world we're living in. " Haiden took Master Rwoy's words, it reminded him of his promise to make amends for his sins.

"If what you say is true, shouldn't we do everything in our power to make the world a better place for those less fortunate people?" Haiden asked, eyebrows furrowed in contemplation thinking back to the woman. The event remained stuck in his mind. He could have saved her, if only he could control his powers. It resonated with him even more as he realized that it could happen to him if someone discovers he too is a Yeva'ah

"Alas, power corrupts even the most virtuous of men. Corruption and regard only for power begets the wretched condition of the less fortunate. Now, enough with these antics, we got food to eat." he chuckled and continued their walk on the stone tiled way. He continued to explain that the dining hall was a recent addition to the Academy to cater to the ever growing student body of both Ashen and Wielders and to the increasing number of frivolous balls the wealthy insist on the Academy holding - it was their money after all that funded the Academy and continued to explain that it was built next to the Ashen dormitories because it was the only large enough space for it - which to his amusement annoyed the men and women that threw money at the Academy for their own gain in status. Haiden only listened with half an ear, his mind trailing back to how the less fortunate are treated, back to the woman he watched die and eventually back to Regor.

If only I could have healed him...them. Healing...that's it! He thought.

"...you should've seen the look on their-"

"Master Rwoy, how does healing work?" he asked. Master Rwoy cocked an eyebrow curiously at Haiden as they walked.

"You weren't listening to my story were you?" he asked amused to which Haiden nodded no and Master Rwoy sighed. "Healing, you ask? That's a quite advanced practice. As I said before manipulating more complex matter than pure elements is extremely difficult. It usually takes a whole year to master manipulating your own body, and more on manipulating other living creatures. It takes true dedication to become a healer - a lifetime." he answered scratching his beard as he continued walking. He then stopped to look Haiden in the eye. "Is this what you wish to become, Haiden?"

"If it means I can help people then yes!" he said determined, Master Rowy looking at him curiously with an intense dark gaze.

And try to make amends, I had taken lives and now I can learn to save them he added in his mind.

"Healing is just too advanced for you to start, there is however, something else...' he trailed off in thought. "No, no, it's too soon." Haiden tightened his jaw in frustration his hand waved in dismissal of the thought. However, Haiden did not let it go that easily.

"If I master the three spells in three days will you teach me... this something else?" Haiden didn't care if he had to push himself to the brink of exhaustion - it wasn't something he hasn't done before - the sooner he started the better. Master Rwoy eyed Haiden curiously.

"I suppose....three days and not a minute later." he agreed reluctantly. "I'm only agreeing to this because there are men in high positions who are expecting great things from you and this might be of assistance in the future. This will test if you truly are a natural at wielding and not a one time hack." satisfied, Haiden beamed and hurried his pace. He wanted to ask again about these men in high positions, but he already got what he wanted from Master Rwoy and he didn't want to risk overreaching. The frost covered every bit of vegetation that still survived the cold win. The trees and shrubs that flanked the stone tiled way, that diverged to multiple buildings, were black and white and the air was imbued with the winter's essence, clean and crisp, but the cold never reached him; Master Rwoy heat cloak made the air a comfortable temperature for him to enjoy.

As they continued making their way to the dining hall they neared a circular pit that had a domed overhead, supported on thick columns, and had step-like seats on it's walls in concentric circles. It was huge and could sit his entire village back in Yn'lan. Haiden could hear grunts, cusses and thumps that resembled a body being slammed on the ground. "What's that?" he asked.

"It's the training ring. Mostly Ashen cadets use it nowadays."

"Can we take a closer look." Haiden said, as soon as he heard Ashen cadets his mind went straight to Tasgal. They might've gotten on the wrong foot, at first - immediately his face flushed red as he remembered their first encounter - but he ended up being a decent guy.

"I guess it won't hurt, they're always there trying to show who the alpha male is. I swear it's like living with a bunch of animals." As they approached the training ring, he could discern voices of multiple men.

"Kick him!"

"...at me like a real man, you wuss!" a loud grunt was followed by a thud. Something had hit the ground.

"Fucking...cheater...we...said...no...HEADLOCKS!" the man screamed the last word and then another powerful thud. As Haiden got closer to the training ring he saw two shirtless men. Sweat glistened on their bare chests and thick steam escaped their panting mouths. Just looking at them dressed like that in this cold weather made him shiver. The man who was facing him didn't look familiar, he had a dirty blond hair and a wide silly grin on his face. The other man he was sparing with, had his back to Haiden and crouched into an attacking stance. He had a broad back and tousled black hair. To the side, another man stood watching them, his laugh stopped when he spotted Haiden and Master Rwoy up from the sides.

"Looks like we have an audience boys." the other two men looked up and at once Haiden recognized the other man as Tasgal. His heart skipped a beat and his eyes followed trail of black hair running from his chest down his abdomen and hiding behind his breeches. He swallowed dry.

You fucking idiot, look up! LOOK UP! he forced his gaze to Tasgal's face, this didn't help as the man's summery sky eyes made his stomach bubble and turn.

Tasgal gave Haiden a short wave and a boyish smile. Haiden groaned audibly. Now, that he's actually looking at his face and not trying to avoid his gaze from full on embarrassment he realized how incredibly handsome Tasgal is. The man with dirty blonde hair took advantage of Tasgal's distraction. Haiden heard a crunch on the fine graveled ground and the man swiped Tasgal's feet under him. He landed with a thud. His muscles rippled as he rebounded from the ground with a fluid motion.

He will be the death of me, Haiden sighed.

"You know him?" Master Rwoy asked.

"Uh...aye. He helped me yesterday find my way to the Academy. " he said, it was just a half lie, omitting the part where he ran from thugs and Tasgal kicking the crap out of them, he didn't want him to get in trouble.

"Then we shall invite him to lunch with us after he finishes sparring. My treat, since he was the one who found the lost hamil I've been looking for every day."

"No!" Haiden's outburst earned him a scowl from Master Rwoy. "uh...I have a lot of questions I want to ask you during lunch, and, uh, I don't think he's interested all that much in hearing about it." Haiden lied.

"Very well, then maybe some other time." Haiden sighed in relief at Master Rwoy's words. He stole a few more glances of Tasgal and left with Master Rwoy to the dining hall. He didn't know how he'd react in front of Tasgal now that he was no longer fazed by both mental and physical exhaustion. The last thing he needed was to say something that would let everyone learn of his affinity for the same sex.

The dining hall was a huge, two story building with balconies and wide glass doors. No wonder it took them so long to get to it, it wouldn't have fit anywhere else. And even there it fit snugly between the Ashen dormitories to the right, the castle to the left, and forest line at the back of the grounds. When they entered, Haiden saw light stone chandeliers, thick heavy green curtains draped over some walls and balconies. The exposed walls were a shade of maroon with expensive looking paintings all around. They went up the twin staircase to the second floor where smaller tables were placed. To Haiden's surprise a man came up to him and asked for his order. Luckily Master Rwoy ordered for him. Their food arrived shortly and he was finally able to satiate his hunger.

After the delightful lunch where Haiden prodded Master Rwoy with question after question, he wanted to explore the Academy grounds. As they were close to the Ashen part of the Academy they started there and made their way back to the Wielder dormitories. There was a three story building where Ashen would learn their more theoretical subjects, at which Master Rwoy joked that Ashen warriors were better known for their brawn rather than brains and the building was just taking up space. As much as he wanted loose himself into Tasgal's summer sky eyes, he hoped not to bump into him again. With a bit of luck he managed to avoid him until they've reached the Wielder part of the Academy. The difference was quite notable. The Ashen part was newer with straight lines only caring about functionality, aside for the dining hall that stuck out like a sore thumb and was actually closer in aesthetics with the wielder side. All the buildings had intricate arches, they were topped with towers with finials at every corner and peak. Most windows were stained glass of different green tints. They mimicked the design of the castle itself except for the stark white walls.Master Rwoy said that they've tried to paint the buildings white, but it never stayed in pristine condition like the castle and walls continuing to tell Haiden about the legend that the Creators themselves actually built them. Eventually, after deciding that repainting the white buildings every month or so was too much of a hassle it was removed leaving the exposed bricks and stones of the buildings.

After showing Haiden the now partially dead labyrinthine gardens were, where only the evergreens now stood tall and proud covered by a layer of white frost, then the greenhouse, the stables and lastly library which was an annex jutting out of the castle itself, Master Rwoy lead him to the castle door. The stone and wood interior was plastered with treasures on every wall, cabinet and table. He lead Haiden through the winding corridors and showed him where each of his classes will be held, the lavatory and inner courtyard that had a giant tree with yellow leaves. Master Rwoy explained that it's yellow all year round, and it's a sacred tree planted when the castle was built, it too had a legend attached but Master Rwoy quickly got distracted by a statue bust of an old woman in the courtyard and quickly began the history lesson.

Students were not allowed above the first floor, where the personal rooms and studies of the Masters reside. By the time they finished, the red sister shone through the thick blanket of clouds. Haiden bid Master Rwoy goodnight and went to his room and prepare for tomorrow.

He had grown to like Master Rwoy, he wasn't as frightening as he was last night and felt the need to do him proud. He was determined to learn how to heal, or get as close as possible to it until he was strong enough.

I won't let someone else die while I just do nothing and watch, he vowed as he laid in his comfortable warm bed.