Harnio ran as fast as his skinny legs would carry him through the tower. He had spent the night in the library reading and didn't even notice the time or hear any bells ringing.
"On the day of duties given out to the new students, and I'm already late." He felt his face become hotter and redder by the minute.
"I… need...to rest… a moment…" He slowed down and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. He looked around taking deep breaths and started to walk heading in the direction of the common room.
"Why does the library have to be so far from the common room?" He started running again.
He ran past the viewing area and he slowed down his speed and stared at the artwork around the viewing platform. He walked on the platform and watched the grasslands outside the tower. "This is beautiful…"
"DIINNNGG... DIINNNGG!"
The ringing bell broke his concentration. "I don't have time to stop, I need to hurry, or I'll get in trouble."
He looked at the bending grass, sighed and started running again.
He reached the central staircase and started making his way down. He placed his hand on the wooden railing running his fingers over the design imprinted on the railing and stopped again. "This pattern… There is something familiar about it… Where did I see this from?"
He placed his other hand on the railing and focused his attention on the design. He glanced around. "The thing happened again."
He looked up noticing time had once again slowed down around him. His hands started to trace the designs on the railing as put all his focus and attention into the design.
"The design repeats itself…" He smiled looking proud of himself. "I know where this is from. This is the pattern that Sinis used. He made this railing, which means that this design is holding a circuit."
"Clap... Clap… Clap…"
He turned around and lowered his head hiding his red face. He glanced up and then looked back down at the carpeted floor. A familiar voice called out to him.
"It's good to see you again Harnio, our conversation over tea was very eye opening. It seems you quickly deduced that this railing is a circuit as well." He watched as the professor placed their hands on the railing tapping on the design.
"Do you know that this circuit here is what provides power to the entire tower?"
"I knew it was a circuit designed by Sinis." Harnio shook his head. "No… I didn't know it provides power for the tower…" He looked up following the staircase up to its highest point in thought. He glanced at the professor then stared at their hands on the railing. "If it was Sinis that placed the circuit then I can assume it transferring the energy from the winds outside and sending that energy throughout the tower." He looked at the wall, walking to it and placing his hands on the wall. "Which would mean there is a circuit within the stones of the tower…"
He turned and looked at the professor seeing him nod, and then looked down at his feet.
"Yes, Harnio you're correct. By the way shouldn't you be in the common room right now if I'm not mistaken."
Harnio nodded. "I'm on my way there now, I was in the library reading the "Transference of Energy Natures" and lost all sense of time."
The professor looked at him, "that isn't an easy book, even professors have a hard time understanding it."
He nodded, "yes there is a lot of information in there, but if you add the information about the nature of the battery essence in liquid state, then it becomes quite easy to understand."
"DIIINNGG… DIIINNGG!"
Harnio looked at the stairwell and started to hurry down the stairs.
"Harnio stop.If you are going to go to the common room that way,you'll not make it in time. I may have something that will interest you and help the both of us since we're both heading in the same direction."
He stopped walking down the stairs and turned to look at the professor as they pulled a small battery out from his pocket. He stared at the small battery before looking up in shock at the professor. "Is that a dual essence battery?"
The professor nodded with a smile."Exactly. This is a duel essence battery. I call it the cloud battery, and today it is going to help us both… Watch."
Harnio watched as the professor turned on the small battery, and he watched as blue and white lights rotated around the battery slowly forming a cloud which the professor directed over the railing. He took a step forward. "Wind essence and water essence together…" He glanced at the professor who was smiling. "Keep watching this is only the start."
He could only nod and stare at the cloud as it grew larger. He watched in surprise and shock as the professor then climbed onto the railing and stepped onto the cloud. His mouth fell open.
"You can stand on the cloud?"The professor turned, "Harnio, hurry or even with this cloud we'll be late."
He slowly approached the railing and touched the cloud in amazement. "Solid like stone." He climbed the railing and crawled onto the cloud sitting on the cloud in silence as all his attention was focused on the cloud.
"This cloud moves quite fast." He looked at the professor who closed his eyes for a moment. The cloud started moving down the stairwell at high speed.
Harnio looked at the railing as they flew past watching electrical sparks hitting the cloud. "The railing is powering the cloud, so the battery is only forming the cloud." His smile grew larger as his interest in the cloud and the power from the railings combining with the battery kept a constant supply of water and wind forming the cloud. "This way the battery will never need to be recharged."
"That's right Harnio, since we have lost a lot of research and knowledge about dual essence batterys, we have no idea how to charge it, so it is better to use it in a way where the tower provides the power for it."
Harnio smiled as the wind hit his body as they moved through the air. He felt the cloud slow down. He looked around him and sighed. "Harnio, we're here now…" He glanced at the professor before looking at the cloud.
"You may want to get off the cloud before I turn the battery off Harnio." Harnio nodded and climbed down off the cloud and watched as the battery was turned off. The cloud lost its form and dissipated into nothingness. He looked up at the professor who was putting the battery back in his pocket.
"That is the doorway to the common room. You better get inside before it is too late."
He glanced at the professor, scratched his arm, bowed and went to open the door. He turned and looked at the professor.
"Thank you, professor for the chance to see the dual essence battery." He turned and walked into the common room as he saw the professor and another professor talking to each other.
He closed the door behind him and stood at the back of the room, while other students tried to stand closer to where the professors were gathering in an alcove above them. He sighed as he felt his heartbeat faster.
"People… I need to get back to the library, it's better there then here. I want to read about dual essence batterys." He sighed again.
The sound of an opening door caught his attention as the professors bowed on the alcove. Harnio looked up. "That is the professor who has the dual essence battery."
"New students. Welcome to the tower. I'm the head of the tower, Eiken, and these professors around me are your instructors and soon to be future mentors." Harnio looked down at the ground as he saw Eiken look at him.
"Congratulations on passing the test. It doesn't matter if you did very well or just a passing grade. You're all students of the tower, which means you must follow the ways of the tower."
Harnio glanced up looking at the line of professors staring down at the new students.
He watched the grass bending through a viewing window and listened as Eiken continued. "Listen to professors, do your duties well and you'll do well here, even maybe becoming a professor like us in the future."
From the corner of his eye he saw Eiken pacing on the alcove. "Everyone has a duty here in the tower, including the professors, which means that these duties won't just help you in your studies but also help the tower knowledge grow."
Harnio sighed and shook his head. "People… Can't I just have some duty where I can keep to myself?" He sighed again and placed a hand against the wall near the viewing window. "What's that? He stared at his hand. "There must be a hidden circuit here, or it wouldn't be vibrating like that.
He turned his focus onto the wall and started to ignore the speech from the professor. "Also, today... mentors to ... in your studies, some ... chosen by the professors ...not yet..." Harnio glanced around and noticed the professors were coming together and the students focused on the professors.
"This is the chance I need to leave here and go back to the library."He felt his heart start beat faster as he slowly made his way to the door.
He looked down at his palms as they started to sweat. "Library, I must go back to library… While they're busy, I can get out of here."He stretched out his arm to open the door.
"Harnio Stop!"
He jumped back in surprise as a blue aura covered the door forming a thick layer of ice. He put his back against the wall as everyone turned staring at him. He glanced at Eiken who was staring at him.
"Harnio, you aren't allowed to leave yet until you know who your mentor is and your duties."
He looked at the professors looking at him then looked at the other doors in the common room. "They are too far away, also covered in ice. Some sort of circuit triggered by the professor…"
He felt his heart racing. "I need to get out of here… I need… to… get… out..."
He blinked and the world slowed down around him. He placed his hand on the wall and a smile came to his face. "I can use the hidden circuit to get out." He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small fruit knife from one of his pockets and started to scratch the wall.
"If Sinis was able to draw energy from the walls, then so can I." He muttered as he used the knife to make a pattern in the walls leading towards the door.
Once he finished, he took a step back and watched as it started to faintly glow. He suddenly frowned and took several steps back looking at the glowing battery above the door become brighter. "Too much energy… This was a bad idea."
"Get back…"
"BOOMM!"
The battery above the door exploded in a shower of ice, stone and wood filling the common room with dust. "Now's my chance…" He picked himself off and dusted his robes off and ran through the hole in the wall, running towards the stairs.
A hand reached out and grabbed him firmly pushing him against the wall. "Stop… You need to breath and relax. You don't have to go back in there, just breath and calm down." Harnio closed his eyes and squirmed against the hands holding his shoulders. "Let me go..."
"Relax Harnio. You are safe. Open your eyes and breathe."
Harnio stopped squirming and took deep breaths. "Your mentor and duty have been assigned. You're to report to your mentor first thing in the morning."
He looked around the professor holding him and glanced at the professor's arm and wrist. "Who is my mentor?"
"Eiken is your mentor...Don't let him down."