The news that I was going to fight for the Truesword name spread like wildfire in the academy. The aftermath was something I had not expected. It was so impactful that I even started to think that the name was not worth the amount of trouble it was bringing to me.
Before the first day was over, I was already a polarizing figure in the academy. Some were happy that I was fighting for the Truesword name, just so that they can watch me get beaten up. Some were angry with me acting way above my station. Some were angry that I was dishonoring the name of Truesword which was iconic in the nation. And then, there were some who believed that I was truly not worthy of carrying the Truesword name, a beacon of hope for commoners.
Amidst these many oppositions, there were a few, namely my friends, who were rooting for my success. My distaste to kowtow to the opposition was the only thing that kept me going for the next few days. Me and my friends were completely abhorred by the academy students. To make matters worse, Kantha, the pompous Great Noble, who was the Novice Representative of Emerald division, took it upon himself to let me know of my place in the food chain.
Being a Great Noble, he had great influence, and to boot it he was the representative for the Emerald Division. His words were sacred like that of a God. And when God himself denounced someone, the only sensible thing is to do is to denounce them. So, no one actually stopped Kantha when he wanted to feel his share of vindication in letting us know of our place. Not the teachers, not the seniors, not anyone. Courtesy of him, several incidents happened that made me feel angry. But there was one that made me feel utterly horrible.
It started out normally with Kantha taking some time off his admirers to come and ridicule me for reaching above my station and taunt me in front of everyone. But, it soon went into something really uncomfortable for me and my friends, and even a few onlookers.
After humiliating me in front of everyone for some time, he went after Elango who was beside me.
"You know, you don't need to worry," he said to me mockingly. "I mean, you already have someone who is experienced in taking care of cripples, eh? Want to know what happens to people who aim for more than they are worth? You should ask your friend there. And Elango you always side with people who don't know their place in the world, don't you?" he asked mockingly and sauntered off causing a heavy silence to fill his wake.
I turned to look at Elango in confusion. What I saw made my blood go cold. Elango was standing beside me with a pale face, his eyes were raging and there were tears slowly trickling down to his chin. His hands were bleeding and it was as if a storm of confusing emotions were raging in him.
Sekar shook his head at me and walked over to Elango. He patted him on his back and tried to comfort him. But Elango shook him off and walked out of the area with the visage of a boy who had a broken heart. I didn't understand what it was all about. One moment Kantha had been going after me and the next moment he had said something that had broken Elango. I looked around to see people murmuring among themselves in urgent whispers.
Santhanu had a superior look on his face which made me confused even further. Why was he so happy with the fact that a Great Noble had broken his brother with words? Nothing made sense to me. Sekar waited for a few moments before jogging back in the direction of Elango. Prasad had a guarded look. And when he saw me look at him, he shook his head and mouthed "not mine to tell."
Even though I realized there was something very important being hinted by Kantha about Elango at that moment, I didn't know what it was. Seeing that neither Prasad nor Sekar were going to tell me without Elango himself coming forward, which was highly unlikely, I decided to ask what it was about to the next person who might have an answer.
With that in mind, I tracked down Santhanu during the evening and cornered him. I pressurized him so much that he had at last deigned to listen to what I had to say. We were a few distance away from his entourage when I finally began my questioning.
"What was that all about?" I asked him.
"What?" he feigned ignorance.
"Don't play with me Santhanu!" I said seriously.
"Pfft," he snorted.
"Tell me," I demanded angrily.
"Why should I? If your precious little friend has not seen it fit to let you know, then why should I?" he sneered at me.
I didn't have an answer for that. I just stood there staring at him angrily.
"Hmmmph, fine, fine. All I can say is that your precious friend is chasing after stupid legacies that don't even have values. What a moron!? I tried to change him, but he is stubborn as a mule, just like you. And you know what, this is for good. When he witnesses you being dismembered by the Knights, he will come to his senses and start listening to me at last." He said angrily and stormed off to join his entourage.
I stood rooted to my spot, dumbly. I didn't understand what he had said one bit. I was totally at a loss. In fact, it had only created more questions in my mind. I didn't know how my duel was personally affecting Elango. I didn't know why Kantha had said those statements to Elango. I didn't know what was actually going on. Among my friends, I was the only one who didn't have a clue as to what the issue was. And the fact that none of them were going to clue me in about it made it worse.
I also didn't understand the talk about legacies. While I know that few of the students were feeling that I was chasing after Truesword's legacy, I didn't know how it tied with Elango. Lost in my thoughts, I walked towards our dormitory.
The next few days were like torture in itself. After that confrontation with Kantha, I personally tried to avoid hanging out with my friends. It was hard on me more than I had dared to imagine. The number of stares and outright animosity was appalling. I was just glad that my friends didn't need to endure it anymore.
To top it off, the first extra classes for the Reds were announced by Mistress Prameela. When I walked into the classroom, to my utter shock, there was Thilothama. I felt the universe was mocking at me with putting me with her in the same classroom. There were a total of around a dozen Reds and none of them were friendly to me. I shook my head at my misfortune and walked towards the back of the classroom to find an unobtrusive seat to sit in.
I could feel the eyes of everyone on me as I made my way to the back. In the past week, I have learned to ignore those kinds of states, and this time I did the same. To my great relief, Mistress Prameela walked in soon and started the lesson.
"As a Red, you all are both at an advantage and disadvantage. The advantage is that you can throw around mana like they mean nothing. It makes it easier for you to perform even the most mana exhausting magic. But, the catch is that you should be able to control that mana that comes from your body," she began crisply as usual.
"Since the mana generation output of your bodies are higher, your control needs to be a level above than ordinary students for you to even perform the same kind of magic as they do. To perform to your true potential, your control should be even higher. This class is aimed to bring out the full potential within you. Do not slack here, for the difference would be the difference in a short life and long life. You want to live long and reap benefits from your fame, learn to control your mana better."
"With that said, this class won't be your usual one. Here, all of your focus will only be on practical things. I won't be elaborating finer concepts of control to you. I believe in a fair education. Each and every student who attends this academy deserves an equal amount of knowledge to be imparted to them. Just because you are Reds, you don't become special to me. But, I am here to help you control your mana better. You have any doubts about controlling your mana, face any problems, I here to solve those doubts and problems. Now, divide into pairs and we can start with today's session."
The sudden order made people scramble to find their partners in a hurry. I knew that no one would be willing to partner with me. After all, I have become the school pariah. Voluntarily partnering with me would cause them trouble from Kantha and his lackeys. No one dared to invite the ire of a Great Noble by partnering with me. Just when I was ready to accept reality, a shadow loomed over my desk.
I looked up to find Thilothama staring at me with inscrutable eyes. Her face was indifferent. She had a cold demeanor that screamed at people to stay away. I wondered if fate was laughing at the situation. With literally no way out, I let out a deep breath and stood up to make some space for her.
She indifferently sat down beside me. While she acted in a nonchalant manner, I occasionally saw her glance at me. I didn't say anything. I didn't grovel at her feet. In fact, I tried very hard to ignore her presence, but my eyes involuntarily glanced at her from time to time. By the time we settled into a comfortable rhythm of ignoring each other, the other students were already settled down.
"Good, good. Now that you all are settled, pass these crystals to each pair," Mistress Prameela came back in and passed a few crystals that were shaped similar to testing crystals.
One student stood up from his seat and walked over to our desk and placed the crystal respectfully before walking back to his seat. Seeing his behavior I couldn't help but snort. Hearing me snort, Thilothama glanced at me sharply. I didn't reply to that glance in any form or manner. Instead, I concentrated on Mistress Prameela who had an identical crystal in her hand.
"These crystals can be used to train your control of mana. Now, what you have to do is to insert mana into the crystals to light them up and maintain the light for as long as possible. Any fluctuation in your mana will result in the flickering of the light in your crystal. You can consider yourself to complete this assignment if you can maintain the light without flickering continuously for five minutes," Mistress Prameela explained and motioned us to try.
I didn't immediately pick up the crystal from the place it was resting. I waited for her to either pick up or give an indication that I should pick up. I waited for a while, but she did neither. It seemed as if she was of the same mind. Sighing inwardly, I extended my hand to pick up the crystal.
But, it looked as if she was also tired of waiting. As a result, we both tried to pick up the crystal at the same time. Our fingers brushed past each other and a strangle tingle went over my body. I repressed it ruthlessly. She looked as if nothing had happened. She withdrew her hand and motioned for me to carry on.
I took the crystal grumpily and sent my mana into it. A red light started coming from the crystal. I maintained the light for about three minutes, but eventually, my control slipped and the light started flickering. I sighed in disappointment and kept the crystal down.
Thilothama picked up the crystal gracefully and held it in her open palms. A look of concentration appeared in her eyes and the crystal lit up with orange light. I stared at the beautiful orange light coming off from the crystal in amazement; the light reminded me of the dawn I had experienced on the day when I arrived in Samara.
She held on till about four minutes and the light inevitably flickered out. A look of irritation crossed her features which she smoothly covered up quickly with a look of disappointment. She pushed the crystal to me for my second try.
As I was about to start my second attempt, she spoke up.
"You don't like me," it was a statement instead of a question.
Her voice was soft and yet had a firm quality behind it. It was pleasing to the ears. I didn't reply to her statement. Instead, I lit the crystal. A dark fiery red-colored light appeared in the crystal. This time I could only last for two and a half minutes before the flickering occurred.
She took back the crystal and prepared herself to send her mana in. As she was about to begin, I spoke.
"If you know that, why partner with me?" I asked her.
"So, you don't deny it," she asked me.
"I never confirmed it," I said in an off-handed manner.
"But your actions do," she countered.
"I am responsible for my words, not your interpretations," I countered back.
A small smile played across her lips.
"I never imagined you to be witty," she replied.
"I live to displease people," I said spreading my arms around to indicate other students.
"I am beginning to see that," she said and lit the crystal.
She held on for about three minutes before the light flickered. I had to give it to her. She had better control of her magic than me. I took back the crystal and waited for a bit to regain my concentration.
"I am curious," she started, "why haven't you applied to the Ruby Division?"
"Not everyone wants to be there," I replied with a guarded tone.
"But every Red wants to be there," she said casually playing with her hair.
The image of her playing with her hair was beautiful to behold. I tried hard not to be swayed by it. It was a very calculated behavior. She knew she looked beautiful when she did it and she had used it at the right time to distract me to spill the beans.
But I was ready. Granny had often used these tricks with me. You can only fall for so many times before eventually guarding your heart against those kinds of distractions.
"Then I guess, I am an anomaly," I said without missing a beat.
Irritation flashed in her eyes for a moment before something more dangerous took its place. She was intrigued, intrigued by me.
"I guess so. And forgive my bad manners, for I have not thanked you properly for saving me," she replied softly causing the hairs on my neck to stand up.
"Staying away from me would be thanks enough," I grumbled to myself.
"Ah! Sorry I couldn't hear that."
"I said that there was no need for you to thank me," I smoothly lied.
I lit the crystal after that without allowing her any room to ask a question. The light lasted for about three minutes this time before it eventually flickered. She took the crystal from me and lit it and maintained the light for around three and a half minutes.
As the crystal came to my hand again, she asked her question.
"So, why the Truesword name?"
I didn't reply. Instead, I tried to light the crystal. But no mana came forth.
'Not this again,' I cursed myself.
Luckily, it looked as if she didn't notice the mishap. I tried to come up with something to reply to her. Nothing came. It would not be a good thing to let her know that I was making the whole academy my enemy just to stick it to an old geezer.
On second thought, it might make her leave me alone. I watched her waiting eagerly for my reply. As I was about to say my reason, another thought popped into my mind. I chuckled inwardly imagining her reaction to that. I leaned forward and whispered.
"So, why did those mages attack you?"
Her face froze and her eyes narrowed. She watched me like a hawk for a minute before nodding her head in acknowledgment. She slowly retreated backward and I did the same. With that simple question, we came into an unspoken accord to not to talk to each other after that. We passed the crystal to and fro for the rest of the class. In the end, neither of us was able to manage to hold the light for five minutes. From the groans coming from our fellow students, I could deduce that none of them had accomplished it.
Eventually, Mistress Prameela brought the class to a halt. We retuned the crystals to her and she collected them into the box before bidding us goodbye. As I prepared to leave, she spoke up once more.
"If you don't have a good reason, it would be prudent to back off from the duel. The consequences of this issue will be long-lasting. Not just for you, but for your friends too," she warned as she got up from her seat.
I squinted at her. It looked as if the warning was genuine. I didn't know why she had given it despite me refusing to answer her question. In the end, I decided to ask her directly.
"Why"
"I owed a debt to your friends. This is my repayment. Think well," she said as she once more adopted her cold indifferent look and walked away.
I watched her walk away with conflicting feelings in my heart. The thoughts that accompanied her always been conflictive in nature. While I was still determined to stay away from her, I couldn't ignore her warnings casually.
A nagging, skeptical part of my brain told me that the warning was a ploy to make me back out of the duel. It wouldn't be the first time well-meaning words were used by a noble to make a commoner like me do what they want. After all, she was still a noble at heart.
The next few days were quite stressful. The matters had worsened quickly. I thought by avoiding hanging out with my friends, I had distanced them from me. I had hoped that the picking on would be limited to me. But having tasted the joy of breaking someone, and since I was too thick-skinned, Kantha had instead decided to pick on Elango more. It started expanding to both Prasad and Sekar too.
While I was skeptical of Thilothama's warning, the events that were unfolding were quickly getting out of hand. I even started entertaining the thought of backing out from the duel. I was so conflicted for the next few days. My mind was in constant turmoil.
But luckily for me, the week came to an end. The turmoil in my mind came to an end as well. With a week-long deadline to back out of the duel gone, my mind cleared once more. Even if I wanted to back out, now I was unable to back out. With no other option left, I stopped agonizing over whether to go through the duel or not.
Instead, I started thinking about what to do with the current situation. It was true that it was beginning to get out of hand. I was sure that if this carried on, an irrevocable chasm would form between me and my friends.
While they weren't exactly happy about my decision to strike out on my own, they didn't object either. They understood the situation perfectly and were aware of what I was trying to do.
But seeing how that didn't work out, and combining the increasing frequency of Kantha's picking on them, tensions were beginning to rise in our dormitory. The atmosphere was becoming stiffer and stiffer each day. Our conversations these days were filled with terse sentences and stiff nods.
As I was pondering on what to do about that one day, an opportunity fell in my lap. I walked into the dining hall to find Kantha near the table of my friends with his lackeys. It seemed that he had decided to pick on them once again.
Seeing him there, a sudden decision came to my mind. I acted on impulse. If I had thought about it, I would have probably not done that.
"Well, well, well," I spoke loudly to cause everyone's attention to turn on me.
"If it isn't the Great Noble Kantha picking on poor commoners for his fun," I spoke walking towards my friends and Kantha.
By this time the attention of the entire dining hall was on me. I could see several faces in the crowd looking at me incredulously, especially Santhanu. I ignored them all with the practice I had in ignoring the stares for the past week.
My friends were also shocked by my behavior; Sekar was shaking his vigorously to let me know his feelings towards what I was doing. But, I had no eyes for them. My eyes were firmly fixed on the Great Noble who was harassing my friends.
Kantha's face was sporting a scowl as I neared him. His lackeys were looking at me angrily as if they were ready to rip me into pieces. I grazed them with my innocent smile and I could hear Pramod groan from near Santhanu.
"Is my lord confused?" I immediately changed my behavior and spoke in a voice that dripped with false servitude.
"I mean, for my lord to come to the section of humble commoners and be with us, it surely does show your magnanimity. But, my lord must forgive this poor peasant. I don't dare share our commoner's food with my lord, lest I offend my lord. But alas! We commoners have nothing to offer to you. What a pitiful creatures we are!" I lamented.
I saw veins pop in Kantha's forehead. His lackeys were raging like bulls on leashes. Their nostrils flared with hot air blowing through them. Their faces were red in anger.
"You…" Kantha's eyes flashed.
"But, if my lord insists, I will be more than happy to share my meals with him," I continued over his objection. "For my lord to visit our humble abode here, he surely must be hungry."
"You sirs," I waggled my fingers at his lackeys. "What vile creatures are you to make the lord walk this poor soil? You must be carrying him in your shoulders, as befitting of your status. Even a poor peasant like me can see that."
Few chortles echoed through the dining hall as people were unable to contain their laughter anymore. But, it soon dwindled down under Kantha's murderous stare. To call him livid would be an understatement.
"You…"
"Yes my lord, I am here humbly waiting for you to complete your sentence. It has been some time my lord, but you needn't rush your thought process. Let it run as it normally does. I will wait here humbly no matter how much longer it takes," I spoke on interrupting him.
"You will pay for this," Kantha hissed angrily and walked out of the dining hall.
His lackeys followed him shooting dark glares at me. I waved at them with my innocent smile. It did cause a few of their faces to turn very dark and ugly, but I didn't mind. After pitting with a Great Noble, these were just smaller fries.
The entire dining hall was filled with silence as I turned around and walked towards the catering place. I filled my tray with food under their silent gazes and came back to the table.
"Are you mad?" Sekar hissed angrily.
"If I was, I wasn't aware of it," I smiled cheekily and dug into my food.
"He is not going to let you go," Sekar hissed again.
"As if, he had his eyes on me from the moment the announcement was made. No matter what, he wouldn't have let me off easily. This way, I am going to get some barbs in," I said with my mouth full.
"You realize, you have made a Great Noble as your enemy, right?" Elango asked concernedly.
"Come on mate, you know it was going to happen sooner or later. With my luck, I wouldn't have walked out of this academy without any enemies," I said calmly.
"Yeah….. you are right," Elango said dejectedly before diving into his food.
Sekar looked at with disbelief and exasperation. Prasad silently observed all this. He didn't comment about anything. The rest of the crowd was stunned with silence for the first few moments. Eventually, the dam broke and a cacophony of disbelief and angry mutterings reached my ears. I sat there smiling joyfully enjoying my lunch.
'That felt damn good,' I thought as I stuffed my face.