Element Wielder (The Void Wielder Trilogy Book 1) (5 page)

CHAPTER 9

The dining hall was a large rectangular room with a ceiling that seemed to reach out to the skies. Hundreds of loud students sat at long wooden tables. Some ate; other spoke to one another; few did both.

“Have you ever seen so much food in one place?” asked Lao with a grin.

“No. I can’t say that I have. It sure smells good.” The sweet aroma of pumpkin pie, porridge, and blueberry cream cake intermingled with the salty smell from the stewed pig, roast beruda, and lamb chops. But even through the symphony of smells, Falcon easily distinguished the honeyed smell of his favorite treat: roasted Yinjue nuggets.

At the front of the room was a podium where dozens of professors sat facing the crowd of students. They all wore various colored silk robes: black, gold, green, brown, and blue.

“Where do we sit?” asked Falcon. “The table for the first-year students is full.”

Lao shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s just sit at the second-year table.”

Falcon studied the table full of orange-shirted students. They did have a few empty spots. But he knew better than to take them. “Are you crazy? With our white shirts we’ll easily stand out in that ocean of orange. “We’re in enough trouble as it is.”

Just then a small boy stood up from the end of the first-year table. “There are some empty seats here, mates.” The boy waved both his hands wildly in the air. It was the same student who had been scolded by the professor earlier that day, Chonsey. His yelling and hand swings brought stares of disapproval from some of the older students, which led the timid boy to retreat back into his seat.

“Thanks. I was beginning to think all the seats were taken.” Falcon sat in one of the two empty chairs beside Chonsey. “I am Falcon Hyatt and this is Lao Chan-Keen.”

“Please, call me Lao.” The three shook hands. “You are Chonsey, right?”

“Yes, Chonsey Meloth. I would ask how you know who I am, but I’m certain that’s obvious. Half of Rohad probably knows my name after that little encounter at the grand hall.”

Not only was Chonsey the shortest boy Falcon had ever seen, he was also the skinniest. He had bushy brown hair that stood out from the rest of his tiny body. His two upper-middle teeth were also large compared to the rest of his teeth. He reminded Falcon of the beavers he’d seen by the river on his hunting trips with K’ran. However, he was friendlier than most of the students he’d met thus far, and Falcon needed as many friends as possible.

An abrupt silence fell over the dining hall.

“What’s going on?” whispered Falcon, more to himself than anyone else.

“It’s the grandmaster.” Chonsey pointed at an old man who slowly made his way to the podium. The sound of his walking cane banging against the marble floor was the only audible noise.

Falcon thought he looked awkward, to say the least. If it wasn’t for the white patches of untamed hair sticking out from both sides of his head, the grandmaster would be completely bald. Long sideburns and a bushy goatee covered the many wrinkles on his face. And there was a hump on his back that was clearly visible under his dark robe.

“He sure doesn’t look like much,” whispered Lao. “And what’s up with that mountain he has coming out of his back?”

“Watch what you say, mate. Grandmaster Zoen used to be one of the most powerful wielders of Va’siel. I heard he even dueled the Golden Wielder to a standstill in an exhibition match back when he was younger. Can you imagine? Dueling the Golden Wielder.” Chonsey’s eyes twinkled with admiration. 

Lao chuckled. “Yeah, used to be are the key words here. From the looks of it, his time in the sun came and passed a looong time ago. And c’mon,
really
? The Golden Wielder? You actually believe that? For that to be true, the grandmaster would have to be over one hundred years old.”

“I don’t know, mate. That’s what my father told me, and my father knows the history of Ladria well.”

Falcon tapped his fingers on the table impatiently. He was so used to rushing through everything that witnessing such calm demeanor exasperated him. He bit his nails to soothe his nerves. Then he rubbed his head and even pulled his hair for a minute.
Go already.
After what seemed like an eternity the grandmaster reached the top of the podium.
Finally.

“Hello students and a good morning to you all.” The old grandmaster had a soft, low voice. “Some of you already know me, some do not. To those students whom I have had the pleasure of meeting, I look forward to spending more time with you. To all first year students, I look forward to getting to know you. I am Grandmaster Zoen. I run the Rohad academy of Ladria. The moments you’ll pass in Rohad will be some of the most memorable of your lives. Look around you. Many of the people you see now will grow to become lifetime friends.” There was a short silence while Zoen took a sip from his mug. “You will now have the opportunity to meet your professors.”

A short woman in an oversized green robe stood.

“I present Professor Liffos. She will be your teacher for everything involving medicine and healing.”

Professor Liffos smiled and bowed. She looked as old as Zoen. An uncountable number of wrinkles spread over her small face. Every hair in her head was as white as the snow that fell during the harsh Ladria winters. And her entire body shook without restraint as she took a seat.

The second professor in line stood up from his chair.

“I am pleased to introduce Professor Martyn. He will be your source of knowledge for everything involving Alchemy.”

Professor Martyn was a large man in height and width. His extended belly overstretched his bright yellow robe. His long golden hair and beard reflected the morning sun that crept in through the large windows.

“He’s so golden-colored,” said Chonsey, astonished. “He reminds me of the Golden Wielder.”

Lao chuckled. “That professor is too fat to resemble the legendary Golden Wielder. The only legendary skill Professor Martyn might have is winning eating contests.”

The professor waved cheerfully at the crowd of students, oblivious to the fact that Lao was laughing at his expense. He then took a seat.

“When it comes to the sword, none is better than our own Professor Rykas,” bragged Zoen. A large man, with an equally large sword hanging from his waist, took a stand. He had a few silver streaks in his otherwise dark hair. He wore crimson-red armor, as if expecting to go into battle at a moment’s notice. The armor rattled loudly as he waved his hand. “Only those who are deemed exceptional with the blade will study under his tutelage.”

Falcon wondered if he would be one of the chosen students. He hoped so. He needed to learn from the best, if he wanted to become strong enough to fulfill his goal.

One by one, Zoen introduced more professors. Falcon lost interest after Professor Rykas. Instead he entertained himself watching two baby yellow eagles perched on a nest outside one of the windows. The two birds playfully fought. It brought back memories of the times he had spent with his brother, Albert. Those carefree evenings of hide and seek, those long training sessions. If only he could only go back to those happier days. 

Falcon’s composure returned to him, though, when the last professor stood to be introduced. It was the same man who had yelled at him in the hallway.

“I would like you to meet one of the most distinguished professors of Rohad, or any academy for that matter. He will be your guide for everything involving elemental attacks. I present Professor Kraimaster.”

Kraimaster didn’t wave or bow at the students like the previous professors. In the blink of an eye he stood from his seat and sat back down.

“Professor Kraimaster is also a dual wielder,” continued Zoen. “So if any of you young wielders is fortunate enough to possess the rare ability to wield not one, but two elements, then you will study closely with him.”

An immediate murmuring of awe among the students filled the room. They whispered to another and pointed at Kraimaster.

Kraimaster’s lip curled, revealing a set of grinding teeth as he scanned the room with a look of utter disgust. A moment later his usual stoic expression returned.  

“I wish you all the best here at Rohad.” With those last words Zoen excused himself. He took a seat at a large oak table along with the other professors.

Lao’s yes twinkled with admiration. “An actual dual wielder. I never thought I would get to meet one. Imagine the power he commands. One day I will know such power.”

Falcon stared at the stoic Kraimaster. “It doesn’t seem like that power brings him much happiness, does it? Look at him. He looks absolutely miserable.”

“Who cares about happiness when you’ve got power?”

No sooner had Lao finished talking when a small bird flew into the dining hall. Its green wings fluttered so fast that they were near invisible.

“You might want to cover your ears, mates.”

Falcon shrugged. “Why would I want to cover—”

REEEEEEEEEEK! REEEEEEEEEEK!

Falcon brought his hands to his ears. The small bird turned around and fluttered out a window.

“What in the world was that?” said Lao, rubbing his hands over his ears. “Almost rendered me deaf.”

“That was a song bird, mates.”

“That’s what passes for a song around here?” whined Lao. He continued to rub his ears.

“It’s not really meant to sing,” answered Chonsey. “It’s more of a sign to tell us breakfast is over. It’s time we head to class.”

Lao’s ears were now turning red from all the rubbing. “Seems to me a simple bell would have sufficed. Sheesh.”

Falcon was more consumed with something else Chonsey had said to worry about the bird. “Hey Chonsey, you mentioned it’s time we head to class, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“How do we know where to go? No one has told me.” “Don’t worry. You will be handed a schedule on your way out of the dining hall. You’ll see, follow me.”

Falcon pushed his way through the crowd and out into the hall. Professor Martyn handed him a sheet of paper. The paper contained his classes for the day. He compared schedules with Lao and Chonsey.

“Yes! We have the same itinerary, mates. I don’t have to be alone. This way. I know where our first class is located.”

“The same what?” asked Falcon confused. Lao looked just as baffled.

“The same itinerary,” he repeated, as if it was common knowledge. “Surely you know what I mean. A plan? Schedule of sorts?”

“Oh, an itinerary,” said Lao knowingly. “Of course I know what that means.”

It was painfully obvious that Lao had lied. Feeling sorry for him, Falcon changed the conversation. “How is it that you know Rohad so well? You’re a first year student like us.”

Chonsey looked back at him. “That’s easy. My father is a commander of the Ladria army. He graduated from Rohad at the top of his class. He’s been bringing me here ever since I was an infant. He expects me to become a Rohad like him, and a commander after that. Maybe even a general.” Chonsey’s head lowered and his shoulders hunched. By the time he was done speaking he was facing the ground.

“Was I born into the wrong family or what?” said Lao.

“Yeah, he has many interesting stories, mate. Having a commander for a dad is great…just great.” Chonsey’s shoulders remained hunched in defeat. “Well, enough of this. Let’s get going or we’ll be late.”

Falcon followed behind Chonsey as he expertly navigated the maze of hallways. The day had just begun and he was certain the surprises were far from over.

CHAPTER 10

Falcon walked into the classroom. Dozens of desks stood aligned in perfect rows. At the front of the class an oversized desk had been set for the professor, who had yet to show. The room was bright, too bright for Falcon’s taste. Even worse, the lights caused a musky heat to linger in the air. 

Lao pointed at a pair of empty desks by the back window. “Let’s sit over there. We can get some fresh air.”

Falcon doubted they would get much of a breeze. All the windows in the room were high up by the ceiling. “It won’t offer much comfort, but something is better than nothing, I suppose.”

Lao nodded. They made their way to the back and took their seats as Chonsey set up materials on his desk.

Aya, the student Falcon met earlier, strode in. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, but she quickly looked away. She took a seat a few chairs in front of him.

“Hey,” murmured Falcon to Chonsey, trying to get his attention.

Oblivious to Falcon’s efforts, Chonsey splashed paint on a small canvas he’d pulled from his satchel. The paint brush danced up, down, right, up and down again as Chonsey created his “art.” It looked more like a streaks of random splashes to Falcon, but he wasn’t one to discourage a friend.

“Hey, Chonsey,” repeated Falcon, louder than before. Chonsey held up his free hand and signaled for Falcon to wait. His tongue stuck out from the right side of his lip.

“Is this how he always looks when he concentrates?” Lao laughed as he waved his hand in front of Chonsey. “Tongue flying about for the world to see?”

Falcon shrugged “How am I supposed to know? I just met him.”

Chonsey finally set his brush down and acknowledged Falcon’s presence. “Oh yes, mate. Sorry about that. When I start painting I disappear into my own world. I need to put all of myself into it in order to create my absolute best art.”

“Yeah, yeah that’s great,” said Falcon. “Now can you tell me who the girl over there is? The one with black hair?”

“The one with the black hair?” Chonsey rolled his eyes. “You’re going to have to be a little more specific than that.”

“The one with the crest of a pouncing lion on her blouse.”

“Oh,
her
. She’s Aya Nakatomi.”

“Yes, I know her name. We spoke earlier.”

Chonsey put up his hands in defeat “Now you’re confusing me. Why ask me who she is if you already know her?”

“I was getting to that…I know her name, but I don’t know much about her beyond that. I’m trying to figure out why she introduced herself in the first place. Is that something all the nobles do? They get together and see how many peasants they can reach out to in one day? Hah, I wager they have a good laugh at our expense later. Probably huddle up in their mansions and share stories of how pathetic we are.”  

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, mate.”

Falcon tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Chonsey stared at Falcon with his mouth wide open. “Don’t you know about her family? What rock have you been living under?”

“I don’t go out much.” Falcon was certain that was the understatement of the year.

“I’ll fill you in.” Chonsey lowered his voice. Lao leaned in closer, obviously eager to hear what he had been missing out on. “Aya’s family is not on the best terms with the rest of the noble clans of Ladria. You see, after the Ladria high council was murdered by…well, you know.”

Falcon’s gaze remained locked on Chonsey. “Yes, yes, I know. Go on.”

“Well, after the council members were killed, none of the nobles wanted to serve in the council. The fear of being murdered themselves by a copycat killer or by Albert, um, I suppose was too great.” Chonsey looked away from Falcon. “Aya’s parents were the first ones to arise and accept positions in the council, where they have both served ever since, much to the dismay of the rest of the nobles.”

“Dismay? Why?”

“Aya’s parents lowered the taxes for the poor, built two orphanages, distributed food to the homeless, and…well, I can’t remember everything off the top of my head, mate. The point is that many of their decisions have cost the noble families money, a lot of money. And the one thing a noble hates more than anything is losing money. Many have attempted to get rid of them, but legally, there is nothing they can do. Once you are in the council, you’re in it for life.” Chonsey took a deep breath. “Thanks to her parents, Aya has lost most of her friends.”

Falcon sat motionless, shame taking over him. He arrived at Rohad so sure that everyone was out to get him; yet, he himself had now become what he hated the most—someone who judged others simply because of their name.

He needed to set things right. But what could he say? He thought out some probable scenarios.

Hello, it’s me, the jerk from this morning. No, too simple.

Hello, I’m sorry for what I said to you earlier. No, too vague.

Hello there. I heard you don’t have many friends, like me. No, too harsh.

He finally settled with the fact that no matter what he said, it would not be good enough. He would just have to go in blind. He steeled himself and stood up.

“What are you doing, mate?”

“I don’t really know,” said Falcon. “I’ll tell you when I figure it out.”

Chonsey and Lao stared blankly at each other as Falcon made his way to Aya.

“Um…hey there, Aya,” said Falcon, stumbling over his own words.

“Yes?” she answered, not bothering to look his way. “Is there something I can help you with?”

At least she’s talking to me.

“I wanted to say that I was totally out of line with my comments this morning. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, what for? For calling me a corrupted snob? Or for implying that I’m a pampered brat?”

Falcon’s body heat intensified. “Ah, well, both, I suppose.”

Aya ran her hand through her long dark tresses. The scent of strawberries filled his head with vague memories of his childhood. Him holding a woman’s hand, as they played in a green meadow.  

“Fine,” said Aya. “I guess I can give you a pass, just this one time.”

“Great. That’s just great.”

“Not so fast. You don’t get off the hook that easily.”

“What do you mean?”

Aya smiled. “You, Mr. Falcon Hyatt, now owe me a favor.”

“What kind of favor?” Falcon asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I still don’t know. But I expect there will be no objections when I ask for it.” Aya seemed serious, even though she smiled as she spoke.

“Sure thing, I owe you one.”

“Great.”

“Why do I feel like I am going to regret this?” he said. Their eyes met. This time she did not look away.

“Everyone to their zeats.”

Falcon scrambled to his desk.

Professor Kraimaster slammed the door behind him as he stomped to the front of the class.

“There will be no zlacking off. We will work quickly, rigorouzly, and above all elze, efficiently.”

There was a moment of silence as the professor pulled six elemental emblems from a sack. He set all six emblems on a desk in front of the class where everyone could see them.

A gloom enveloped the classroom as Kraimaster pulled shut the curtains. In the dark the emblems shined brighter than ever, their six unique colors clearly visible to everyone. There was no emblem for the advanced elements, which were much harder to come by.

“There are zome who overlook the importance of an emblem crafter. They believe it to be a trade of little zignificance.” The professor banged his fist on the desk, making everyone jump up at once. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Every wielder of Va’ziel owez much to emblem crafterz. It iz the crafter who takez the elemental pearl from itz natural ztate and cutz it zo it fitz in a wielder’z glove. Don’t ever forget that.” Kraimaster took a seat. “The emblemz before you once belonged to wielderz who pazzed on long ago. Now, who can name the bazic zix elementz?”

Everyone raised their hands. The professor pointed at a tall girl with dozens of freckles scattered across her face.

The freckled girl responded, “The six basic elements are: fire, water, wind, earth, mind, and void.”

The professor nodded. “Good, Mz. Nord. Now, who can tell me, what are the advanced elementz? And why it iz of prime importance that wielderz use an emblem whenever they wield?”

Aya’s and Hiromy’s hands were the only ones that shot up.

Kraimaster grimaced. “You there, Mz—”

“My name is Aya Nakatomi, professor.”

“Yez, Mz. Nakatomi, go on.”

“The six advanced elements are space, holy, chaos, darkness, lightning, and poison. Wielders who wield advanced elements are rare. Holy, for example, hasn’t been wielded by anyone in over a thousand years.” Aya flicked her hair back. “Emblems are important because a wielder would not be able to wield without them. A wielder is born with an affinity towards a certain element, but an emblem of the same element is needed to stabilize the raw energy inside a wielder.”

“And what would transpire to zomeone who waz foolizh enough to wield without an emblem?”

Aya remained silent for a moment. “The energy of their element would implode inside them, destroying them from the inside out.”

“Well put, Mz. Nakatomi.”

Aya flashed a shy smile. “Thank you, professor.”

Kraimaster shuffled toward the emblems and continued his discussion on the basic elements.

Falcon was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He already knew all there was to know about the basic elements. He’d rather hear about the advanced elements. Those were still a mystery to him.

“Mr. Hyatt,” called Kraimaster. “It appearz you already know everything there iz to now about emblemz. Zince my lecture iz clearly putting you to zleep, pleaze enlighten uz and explain what makez a void element different from other elementz?”

Falcon was caught off guard, but not unprepared. He was, after all, a void wielder himself. “The element of void is unique among the elements because unlike the other elements, a void wielder is able to use more than one element. They can use all six of the basic elements.”

“All elementz you zay, Mr. Hyatt? Zo one might expect void wielderz to be the most powerful wielderz in the land.” Falcon was certain the professor already knew the answer to the question.

Falcon took a breath before speaking. “Void wielders are the weakest wielders. They cannot wield any of the advanced elements. And even though they can wield all of the basic elements, they can only wield low-level versions of each. This makes their attacks weak.”

The professor grinned. “What element do you wield, Mr. Hyatt?”

“I am a void wielder.”

The class laughed. Anger surged through Falcon. He tried not to show it, but he could feel the blood rushing to his head and his body shaking as it did when he lost control.

Falcon couldn’t tell if the professor enjoyed getting a rise out of him or not. His face remained as stern as ever.

“Refrain from daydreaming during my lecturez, Mr.Hyatt. If you are unable to do that, you are more than welcome to leave.”

Falcon took a calming breath. “Yes, professor.”

“Good. I will now introduce you to the zix advanced elementz.”

Finally.

But to Falcon’s dismay Kraimaster spent the remainder of his lecture speaking about the origin of emblems and who the first wielders were.

“In order to underztand the elementz, you must firzt underztand how the emblemz work,” said Kraimaster. He walked around the room handing everyone the largest books Falcon had ever laid eyes on. Falcon opened the book to the last page, the number 5,722 was imprinted in the bottom right hand corner.

“What in the world?” whispered Lao. “Five thousand pages! I came here to become stronger, not to read books.”

“You should consider yourself lucky, mate. This is the brief edition.”

Falcon did not believe Chonsey until he took a look at the cover; it read:
A History of Va’siel Emblems and Its Wielders: Short edition.
The cover was white with a picture of a large red fire emblem.

“My father has the entire five-volume set at home. I read it from beginning to end, twice.”

Lao stared at Chonsey with narrow eyes. “I take back what I said earlier about being born in the wrong family. I never want to—” Lao stopped talking and brought his hands to his ears.

Falcon looked up as a small songbird fluttered into the classroom. He covered his ears just in time to drown out the bird’s loud screeches.

Kraimaster stared at Falcon with a face of disgust. He began to say something but Falcon rushed out of the classroom before the professor finished speaking—probably hurling more insults his way.

“Hey, wait up!” came the voice from behind. Lao ran after him. “Why in such a hurry?”

“I had to get out of that class.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s not exactly the friendliest class,” replied Lao. “So, do you have any idea where our next class is? It says on the schedule that it is located in the Ja’Luade Gardens.”