My dream was strange last night, but the details evade me as I blink sleep out of my eyes. Elias and I are the last to arrive to class this morning, the halls were empty as we made our way here.
Instructor Zyre taps his desk impatiently as we sit down.
"Dawn was seven minutes ago. You're late. You two get ten laps after class." He paused for a moment, then seemed to remember something as he spoke in delight. "Ah yes, Kelric you get another fifteen for ignoring my rules."
I'm too tired to fight against his words and just wait for him to actually teach us something.
He was waiting for me to snap at him and looked disappointed when I didn't take the bait.
"All right let's begin then. In accordance with the headmasters wishes, this year's program is not very academic in nature. You will learn how to read, write and communicate effectively. Things like history or financial literacy are not a priority and you will not be tested on them. You can take supplementary classes after the first quarter if you want to take up the finer arts that Elomburg is known for."
He paused and let's his words sink in.
"Combat techniques, battle strategy and personal strength. These are the three items you will be judged on this year, nothing else matters. I don't care who you are, if you wish to stay in this class, you will follow my instructions order. Am I understood?"
Nobody falls for his trap and heads nod in compliance. Zyre smiles and starts his lesson in earnest.
"Who knows what an affinity is? You may speak now."
Dean answers his question confidently.
"An affinity is the reflection of one's soul."
Zyre waited for Dean to continue, when he didn't, a sigh escaped his mouth.
"You answered so quickly that I thought you might've had an actual answer to one of life's biggest question. Take five laps after class for disappointing me, Jean go with him because you obviously haven't knocked any sense into that thick skull of his."
A sharp crack rang out and Dean clutched his shin while glaring at his brother.
"Does anyone know why what he said was incorrect?"
Elias spoke up next to me.
"Affinities being reflections of the soul is just a popular theory. Most can't even agree on what the affinities would represent in a person. Fire could be seen as passion or destruction, if a celibate pacifist had a fire affinity what would it be representing then?"
Zyre nodded his head approvingly.
"Good, very good. The reason I asked you all this question is because you need to understand that it doesn't matter what an affinity is. You just need to know how to wield it. In one month, I will have you expelled if you can't condense your affinity."
Shocked cried echoed around the room and Zyre put out a hand to calm everyone.
"Two weeks from now, I'm taking everyone out on a core harvesting mission. Unfortunately, you unlucky bastards are in my class, so we have to get everything ourselves."
A bell chimed indicating it was breakfast time. After the meal, Zyre examined everyone's fighting stance individually to make corrections. He surprises me when a couple of his suggestions make a noticeable difference in my own form.
He has us practice getting into our stance from different positions for hours in end. He stands by our table during the midday meal and the other classes mock us as Zyre randomly calls for us to get in our stances.
When we get back to the classroom, half of class 1-10 is covered in beans and tato mash.
"Sit down on the ground and look inside yourself, ask me for help if you can't sense your affinity. After everyone does so, I'll tell you how to feel and embrace your essence, this is the first step in being able to condense it."
This part is quite easy for me, the floating black void inside me has always been close by. Noise around me stops as I stare at the power, this is the first time I've interacted with it without the intent to use it.
Shadows surge along its surface like a tide of dead faces, men I've killed scream wordlessly as they ripple along. The surface stills as the dead men reach the edges of the reddish-orange fire. Back vapor billows around my mind, becoming a dense mist.
It wraps around my body now and I can feel the tendrils of power becoming one with me. My thoughts turn violent, and I'm encased in a shell of hate. I let the familiar feeling wash my spirit with its anger and pain. A voice chants its wickedness in glee.
"Kelric!"
Another voice snaps me out of my insanity, and I open my eyes to see Zyre several paces away with all the students behind him. Retracting my bloodlust, my hand goes to my nose unconsciously. I feel the same wetness in the corners of my eyes, and I wipe at both to reveal red in my palms.
It's hard to hear as well, my ears are bleeding and staining my new uniform at the collar.
The back tendrils that were inside my mind, seem to flicker in and out of my vision before completely retreating back inside me.
Zyre seems somewhat darker than usual, and he was casting a shadow much too long.
"Kelric, talk to me. Are you okay?"
I nod dumbly because my mouth can't produce any noise and my throat is raw. Was I screaming?
I've been consumed by my rage before, but this time was different. The power inside me has always been something I relied on, but I've never willingly let it completely control me before. Not like this.
I get up and stumble out of the class as Zyre yells for me to stop. My mind hurts and I want to sleep. I'm surprised when a door to my left opens and students walk out, it looks like class 1-1 is finished for the day.
My vision spins and my head rocks off the floor, smearing blood on the white marble. It would be nice if I could go one day without passing out.
I'm slow in opening my eyes as voices argue in a hushed whisper.
"… essence exhaustion on day one! Zyre you fool, are trying to kill the boy!?"
"How was I to know that would happen? Gods damn it all.. we need Professor Mateo, when is he coming back from…."
I don't hear the rest as a palm rests on my forehead and unconsciousness claims me again.
White walls and a sterile smell are old friends that greet me when I wake. I was unconscious for three days apparently and my body is stiff as I get up. It's nighttime, so no one stops me as I leave and head to the mess hall. I'm dreadfully hungry.
I thought a little about modesty and brought the bedsheet from the healing bay to wrap around me. Those healers really liked stripping me naked.
A crew of ten cleaning women freeze when I push open the kitchen door. I've never been in here before and have to open quite a few cabinets till I find something edible. I take an entire armful of bread and leave the way I came in, giving a wave to the women as I leave.
Walking to the dorms, a piece of bread goes down my throat roughly and I run to the large water fixture in the middle of the courtyard. I gag a little at the nasty water and clean my mouth out with more bread. It's a never-ending cycle of choking and drinking until a voice boomed with laughter.
I turn to see a thin and scholarly man with a weirdly floppy hat, my eyes bulge as I realize he's floating towards me.
"Hello young man, I don't recommend drinking that water. Not very tasty if I say so myself." His voice is teasing, but there's no mockery in it.
"Have you tried it before?" The stupid question leaves my lips before I can stop it.
He laughs again and nods amusedly, "Not by choice though. You should head to bed; you'll scare my groundskeepers walking around like that."
From under his cloak, he produced a roll of sausage and tossed it to me. When I turn my attention back up to ask who he was, empty air greeted me.
Shrugging, I head back to room and eat the sausage. It's very good, spicy and smokey, just how I like it.
The next few days are strange, and it seems as if everyone is avoiding me. Zyre said he didn't really have anything for me to do since I can already fight and condense my affinity.
I'm not so sure about the condensing my affinity part. If that rage inside me is really my affinity, I've only ever borrowed its strength internally. As far as I know, it's never been displayed for others before. Though, I do remember seeing those tendrils blinking in and out of existence when I collapsed my second day. I thought it was a trick of my mind, but now I'm not so sure.
Learning to read is very hard. The only saving grace is the fact that sentence structure, conjunction and noun usage are very similar to what I already know.
Since I can already speak this language, knowing how to sound out the letters is a big help. It gets easier with each day, but my education on Earth stopped at eight years old. Having grown up sixteen years on this world, it has been almost twenty years in total since I've had to sit in a classroom quietly. I don't like it very much.
After the first week passed, Zyre, that asshole, makes me read a page from a book at random before class ends each day. Every mistake I make is an extra lap around the obstacle course.
I'm up to nearly forty because I always talk with Marinah at dinner time. She was a complete mess when I saw her after collapsing, she had seen me fall and wouldn't leave alone apparently.
The difficulty for the course has been increased only for me. Zyre only counts my laps now if I'm wearing weighted boots, and heavy lead lined gloves.
After I bathe today, Elias catches my attention before I fall asleep.
"Hey.. I'm sorry Kelric."
I raise an eyebrow and respond, "For what?"
He stared at the ground and wrings his hands out.
"Well, you know.. I've been avoiding you a little recently.."
I nod and commend myself for being right. Though, a question does eat at me after he confirms it.
"Why?" I wanted to ask him earlier, but I haven't had a friend in so long that I didn't know if I was just being clingy.
Elias looks ashamed now and still can't meet my eyes.
"Because.. you terrified the piss outta me.. your body cloaked in that darkness and.." he stopped and shivered before continuing, "... the way you started yelling those horrific words while bleeding everywhere…"
I don't know what I said in my insanity, but it's clear that it's my fault that everyone's been avoiding me.
He looks up to me when I put a hand on his shoulder, "Can you stop avoiding me now, it's kinda lonely…"
I shouldn't have said anything because his shit eating grin returns, and he tries to hug me.
"Come on Kelric, stop being so cold after trying to seduce me! I'll make an exception and embrace you at night—" blargghh
He should eat slower; he didn't properly chew his steak earlier.
I do not like it very much when Elias jokes around like that. He hasn't realized yet, but I know his secret. I've known since the night before I confessed to Marinah.
Patting him on the shoulder, I head to bed happy that he is talking to me again.