“Where did that come from?” Olesia inquired; her gaze fixed on Zavian.
He shrugged. “Just wondering what happened between you two. Wasn’t he trying to get back together with you?” His jaw clenched as he recalled the scene outside the SVA entrance, but his anger waned as he thought about how Cramzyn had knocked Brockley out.
“Oh, right. Brockley and I just couldn’t agree on anything. We’re too different. It didn’t work out.”
“What drew you to him, anyway? Was it because he’s strong?”
She chuckled. “I don’t think I have to answer that.”
“I understand,” he said, averting his gaze.
After a brief silence, Olesia broke it, asking, “How about you? How are things with your father? Have you reconciled?”
Zavian nodded. In reality, they hadn’t fully reconciled yet, but they had made some progress.
“What are your plans? Have you decided on which degree you will pursue?” Zaphyr asked after taking a sip of his coffee. “You’ve been on a two-year break. It’s time to think about college.”
Zavian quickly finished his peanut butter-covered toast and rose. “No plans for college.”
Surprised but composed, Zaphyr asked, “What do you mean? What’s your alternative?”
Ignoring him, he felt an urge to retreat to his room, but Zaphyr blocked his path and pressed on, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting like this? Why are you treating me this way?” Getting no response, he raised his voice, “Zavian!” He inhaled deeply, blew out air, and continued softly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just can’t figure out why you hate me so much.”
He scoffed bitterly. “Probably because you killed my mother.”
“Wh-what?”
Zavian shook his head in disbelief, observing Zaphyr’s apparent cluelessness. “Don’t play innocent. I saw you remove her oxygen support. You knew she couldn’t breathe on her own. You killed my mother! You’re a murderer!”
Zaphyr stiffened, his eyes wide, red and teary. He shook his head and looked down. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Zav. It was hard for me too. I couldn’t do anything else for your mother.” Tears flowed down to his cheeks. “It was the only thing I could do. She wished to rest. It was never an easy decision. You’re right, I’m a murderer. But I don’t regret what I did. Your mother didn’t deserve to live in agony.”
“Zav!” Olesia called out, snapping him back to the present. “Are you okay? You suddenly went quiet. You didn’t even hear me when I explained why I dated Brockley.”
His eyes widened. “Really? I’m sorry. Could you please repeat it one more time?”
She made a face. “I don’t want to. There won’t be a second chance.”
Zavian chuckled at her endearing manner. “Please tell me, I promise to listen carefully.”
Despite his plea, Olesia never shared the story again.
▼
During his three-month tenure as an SVA student, Zavian was captivated by a particular aspect as he delved into their first subject: All About the Conjurers. These individuals were akin to humans, yet possessed supernatural abilities that manifested in their glowing eyes, though the origins of these powers remained unknown. This discovery left him astounded, especially when he remembered seeing Brockley’s eyes exhibit the same phenomenon during their altercation. Did this imply that Brockley was a conjurer? It seemed plausible, given his exceptional strength and ruthless disposition, traits often associated with malevolent conjurers.
However, why would a conjurer want to become a Valoure? What was Brockley’s true agenda? Was he spying on the academy and its Valoures, or trying to uncover their weaknesses? Perhaps it all revolved around Olesia. Or maybe it was a combination of these motives. On the other hand, could it be that Zavian’s eyes were deceiving him?
The second topic of study was the Theory of Martial Arts. Martial arts aimed to promote physical and mental discipline, improve health and fitness, and encourage personal growth and self-awareness.
Meanwhile, the third subject in the course required them to gather on the open ground. Zavian sat in rows with his classmates, including students from higher year levels. They all paid close attention as Headmaster Kolzon Barphan discussed the upcoming activity. Kolzon, a man in his late 60s with long white hair and chin strap beard, wore a purple robe that billowed outwards and upwards as he stepped forward, revealing his black trousers and a shirt with front buckles, similar to the students’ uniform.
Most of the students, including Zavian, diligently took notes, while the rest observed their surroundings.
“I’m aware that many of you have already participated in this activity once, twice, or even more, except for our first-year students here,” Kolzon stated. “But as I always say, new people, new minds, and new hearts come together. This group activity will always yield a different outcome.” He directed his gaze towards the first-year students as he approached them. “My dear first-year students, you will collaborate with the higher-level students to explore the question of what it means to be a Valoure.”
Group activity? That sounds like a bother. I prefer to work alone. It’s more efficient, Zavian thought.
With 375 students to manage, Kolzon divided them into fifteen groups, each consisting of twenty-five members. It was a significant number, and Zavian wasn’t sure if he could handle working with so many people.
“Twenty-five members is quite a number, isn’t it? So, as usual, you will have to do this activity with a partner. However, your numbers aren’t even, so there will be a trio in every group.”
Zavian observed everyone, noticing their attentive behavior as they listened to Kolzon. It appeared that he had earned their respect, not only due to his intimidating yet warm presence but also because they were disciplined not to interrupt when an instructor was teaching. They were taught that questions could only be asked afterward.
“Please take out the holographic projector we provided and press the power button,” he instructed.
Everyone complied, activating the holographic projector that resembled a camera lens, which displayed their assigned partners.
Three faces with names materialized on Zavian’s. He found himself in group two, part of a trio with a fifth-year student, Mikena Lumen, and a second-year, Crossvan Wrigh. While he had hoped to be paired with Olesia, this presented an opportunity to learn more about Crossvan. Zavian was curious about why he had chosen the academy over a university. Going from a bully to a hero seemed hard to believe, but Zavian considered the possibility of genuine change, unlike Brockley.
Kolzon paced around with his hands clasped behind his back. “For your individual grade, you will need to interview your partner or your team and ask the following questions as shown.”
The hologram transitioned, revealing three questions:
1) Why do you want to be a Valoure?
2) What do you think is an important trait a Valoure must have, but you don’t possess? Why is it important, and why don’t you have it?
3) How do you intend to acquire this trait?
Zavian’s forehead creased as he noticed that the second question contained three sub-questions.
Kolzon continued, “Once you’ve collected your team’s answers, make sure to provide a copy to your group leader or send it via email so they can compile the most outstanding responses from the team and craft them into an essay. The next person you see on the hologram will be the leader of your group.”
Zavian spotted his face on the hologram and took it as a positive sign. He was determined to do things his way but wasn’t particularly fond of being in the spotlight, though he knew he would have to get used to it if he planned to excel as a student here.
“Just a little reminder that your individual grade will depend on how effectively you extract honest answers from your partner or team. So, make sure you extract every bit of detail from them,” Kolzon emphasized. This activity would test their interrogation skills. “Now, go find your group. The number displayed on your holographic projector is your group number, making it easy to locate your fellow group members.”
Within five minutes, the students assembled into their respective groups. Zavian gathered his members and encouraged them to seek out their partners and get to know each other. He recognized that this advice might be challenging for him to follow himself.
Scanning the other groups, he searched for Olesia, who had been placed in group eight with a male partner younger than them, probably just seventeen years old. Zavian couldn’t help but smirk when he realized that Olesia was not in the same group as Brockley.
“Now that you are all with your teams, I will announce the deadline for this activity. I hope you will take your time and think carefully about your answers, so I am giving you a month to complete the task. You may begin.”
With that, Kolzon dismissed the class and walked toward the school building. The open ground was filled with chatter, and Zavian was eager to conclude the day. He turned to his team and said, “Okay, let’s begin by interviewing you first, Ms. Lumen. Please meet us tomorrow at nine o’clock in the morning at any of the picnic tables.”