A splash of coldness spread across his body. Startled from his tormented dream, he saw a disgruntled young man holding a water bucket. “What in three shields is wrong with you?” “Sorry...” He wiped his dripping face with his palm and muttered an apology. “You are driving us crazy, you useless wimp! Every night... every night... Will you let us have a night of peace? Seriously, you...” The young man went on with his angry outburst, but he did not listen as he lowered his head and covered his closed eyes with his hands in an exasperating sigh.
So it was the same dream again. He thought in resignation. Since one month ago after the tragedy befell on Knights of Sheldon, after the demise of his brother, he dreamed of the moment although it was quite fuzzy with nothing that will benefit the Union except making his roommates’ night a living hell of moaning and screaming every night. Almost every night. He corrected. That was when he drank the slumber potion given by the healer, but it was not cheap and the potion left him in a semi-comatose state in the next morning that he could not think with his mind blanked. He hated it when he could not gather his thought although he did not accomplish much even in his lucid mind.
Why did it have to come this, Daelous? “... You could just binge that potion and lie down there for good... Hey, did you hear me?!” “I heard you, Raus. I’m sorry.” He snapped his apology at the rambunctious Raus, which silenced his angry roommate. “I know already, please. The others...” He continued before Raus returned in full force and motion to other roommates. “... I know that. You fool.” Realising the quiet need of the remaining roommates, Raus lowered his retort in embarrassment and annoyance. “Lucy pussy...” Raus muttered, walking away, and blew off the candle on the table and returned to his bunker above.
Becoming sleepless after the troubled dream and the outburst, he scanned the darkened small room, boxed in grey and mouldy daub, and cramped with two bunker beds. He took the lower right bed. Raus slept above him. Already, he could hear the snoring from above. The pig. He was surprised that the tall and thin man, over six flings tall, in his late twenties, wide eyes and red cheek and face as if waiting for a chance to blow with murky brown hair and equally murky brown eyes could sleep after the heated bickering. He felt apologetic to the other two roommates even though he did not bother to know them. Even names. Except for Raus.
At the first moment he entered into this room after been kicked around from rooms to rooms, the angry tall man made it known that he was not welcomed here with jeers and jabs of insults. The other two offered their names, but he has forgotten the names. It could not be helped as he did not talk to either of them ever since he moved into their room and the other two did not bother to approach him. After all, he was a topic spoken in hushed and whispered tone behind his back. A cursed survivor. Only he bore the harsh and cold treatment even though there were other survivors. The difference lied in the circumstance of survival. He was the only one who survived the inferno that flooded the cave; the remaining ones were all reserves outside of the cave.
Afraid of the unknown magnitude of blame and responsibility that would befall on them, the rest of the survivors claimed he had something to do with the explosion and perhaps the whole tragedy. But look at him, a recent Maeist-in-training who knew only the basic barrier chant and four elemental summonings. It was hard to believe a wimpy fresh trainee Maeist with no physical stamina to boot, to have a part in this catastrophe. Instead, they switched to insubstantial condemnation such as the curse and the calamity. In desperate effort to rid of their grief and incomprehension of the tragedy, the people readily accepted such preposterous claim. They needed something to direct their sadness and rage to and he stood in the perfect position to bear such an allegation. He was no one, came from nowhere, an orphan with no family left, and perhaps no friend left after this. Why bother?
Overnight, he was a notorious outcast with no one at his side. He could have been cut loose, but the Union and the city could not effort to let go of a Maeist, even for an unwelcomed trainee. They lost a lot of members in the tragedy and especially Maeists were not easy to find in such a backwater city. As long as they had needs of him, they would swallow any complaint and misgiving. If they were unaware of his condition. He thought in resignation. Lucy pussy. He mused in the snoring silence of the room and smiled sadly in self-disgust. He could not find a better name for what was to come as the first light starting to rise from the horizon.
Getting out of the bed after the faint grey light was visible from the small window of the room, he put on his sandals, took his pail and clothes, and went outside. Closing the door carefully, he strode deliberately and steadily across the silent corridor of the dormitory. Dark and cold, only a few torches and two windows in the front and from the back of the corridor allows some illumination. He walked past few doors with their slumbering residents inside and went downstairs towards the kitchen. The kitchen was already beginning its daily preparation of breakfast as the trainees in charge started to cook soups, grind oats, and pounding dough in the cramped grey area. Not wanting to disturb or start another ugly commotion, he passed through the backdoor in the kitchen without greeting the kitchen hands and they did not spare the effort to care.
It seemed there was a light rain last night as he stepped on the soggy earth at the back of the dormitory and shivered slightly in cold. He could always smell the freshness that the rain brings, but he was too preoccupied with his dream and bleak predicament that he missed the one thing that brings some relief as if it washed away anything. It was almost summer with the soothing coolness of the spring fading slowly. The overcast sky was shedding a dusky light as he walked to the well and scooped a bucket of water to his pail. Looking at his own reflection, he saw a gloomy and tired sharp face looking back. He is the opposite of his brother who was about six feet tall, able-bodied, and nimble. But then again, he had the gift of Maeism...
He started to wash his face and brushed his teeth with a linen cloth. Toothpaste was considered a luxury for his appalling financial situation. Soap also must be frugally used as he removed his clothes, formed a mass of foam in his hands using the soap, and washed for his hair and body. However, he could not take his time to enjoy a long washing. Any confrontation must be avoided. He is now the public enemy number one. Quickly wiping his face and body and donned fresh linen and woollen clothes, he gathered his stuff and starting for the backdoor when three sleepy figures walked unsteadily across the backdoor into the area.
Noticing him, the trio became alerted and walked towards him with a sly smile on their lips. He tried to walk around them. One of the trios stepped in front of his path and kept on intersecting his procession. The other two snickered and laughed. He became desperate and rushed to his left to escape. The one who is blocking him tripped him with a slip of the right foot. Falling down, he quickly turned to his side to fall on his lower back while dropping all his stuff. “Hey, how rude of you not to stop and greet.” Looking up, he saw a pair of mischievous green eyes looking at him with a glee on his lips. He did not need to look for more to recognise the troublemaker, Jasse. With his strength and constitution, Jasse could make for a strong fighter with bulk arms, broad shoulders and chest, and strong hip, not to count a fierce masculine complexion that made girls gawking. Laughing with the same expression were his two lackeys. The one with the fatty face and build was Einard, and the other lean and strong but smaller than Jasse was Geran.
“... Hello there, Jasse. Fancy to see you that early.” “Would have been asleep if not for some pussy scream at night.” The trio laughed at the remark. He felt a bit of irritated but played it cool. “How kind of you to notice. Aren’t you a creep?” Quickly rise before the trio could do more, he responded with a calm big smile. “Don’t think you can push around as you want.” Even as they started to growl, Jasse and his lackeys would not move to take him on. Of course, the slandering rumour isolated him, but it also gave him some leverage particularly towards his fellow trainees. After all, he survived that horrible blast. He ought to have some sort of tricks on his sleeve. As long as he keeps his composure, they will not willing to risk themselves for the fear of his ‘curse’.
He swallowed a bitter smile and kept the smile on his face. “Let’s go, guys.” Sensing no advantage in prolonging this confrontation, Jasse strutted along with his lackeys with their buckets towards the well. He quickly gathered his scattered stuff and entered into the kitchen. People starting to rouse from their sleep and convene on the dining hall, lining up and waiting for their turn to collect their breakfast. He walked in a quick pace, passing through some people before they can react to his presence, and entered his shared room.
Returning to the small confine, he noticed Rause’s bed was empty and one of the roommates is still fast asleep. The other one passed across him quickly and went outside. Wiped away the mud, he sat on his stained bed and ran through today’s schedule in his head. He will work in the Union’s farm in the morning until the evening before returning for the spring Maeism assessment. He shuddered at the thought of the assessment. If they found out. Biting his thumb, he ran through the basic criteria of the assessment. Generally, the assessment is conducted at the end of every season and loosely based on simple tests of lower summoning, working sentry and alarm wards, and finally chanting barrier. Barrier. He sighed bitterly. Either way, today could be the final day he has a bed to lie down to, free breakfast and dinner, and a roof on his head. And he would see to the last of it. Sliding his hand under the blanket, he extracted a simple pendant, a circle of rough thread passed through a few of pretty stones which he collected for his brother and made it for him during their childhood. The pendant was all that was left of his brother. After the end, he would be free, free from all responsibility, hope, and dream. Perhaps he could let go and return to his brother. It might not be long, brother. Holding and caressing the rugged but shining stones on the pendant, he closed his eyes and dwelled on his thought before tugging it back to the folded blanket, rose and walked out of his room.
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