Kadezna starts suddenly, brought out of the dream-memory by a car, far below his window, backfiring. The idea of cars seems much less foreign now, though the first time one made a loud noise around him, Kadezna nearly jumped out of his skin. They are still startling to the boy.
Blinking softly, feeling refreshed and ready for another day, Kadezna blinks against the soft light filtering through his bed curtains. The light is very soft indeed, lacking the full strength of the sun. It has not yet risen fully. Both himself and Vara were exhausted when they finally arrived at the Wing yesterday. After Kash brought down the Ember type and they walked about half of the twenty-three blocks, it had started to rain. Apprentice and master had arrived soaking wet, angry, and were immediately called to Ashnix's office to argue for another thirty minutes over the events in the subway station. Eventually, Kash was released with a stern warning and Joshua was chewed out in the infirmary. Then, Kadezna collapsed in his bed and passed into unconsciousness.
Sitting up and stretching his long arms over his head, just like that day in the hospital, Kadezna thinks back to his decision. At the time, it seemed obvious to accept Ashnix's solution to the complex question of where Kadezna would be able to fit in in his state of amnesia. Now, however, he wonders silently if that decision was the best one he could have made. He has been treated fairly by some members of the Order, of course. It's mostly the younger group, the group around his age, that he has problems with. This group does not like him. They call him a freak.
Running a hand over the silken bedsheets, Kadezna supposes that they're not wrong.
He knows a lot, too much, about spirits and their origins. That... and his blood tests were not normal. That was really the day that most of his troubles started, actually. If not for that blood test coming back, things might have gone very differently.
Ashnix comes and finds me in the library. The library is very much a safe haven for me. It is quiet, scarcely used, and I have the ability here to answer the questions I have. So, when he came and found me with my nose in a book, I was surprised. Ashnix comes up here rarely and disturbs me even less, so the presence of him today is puzzling to me.
My questions are not left unanswered, for Ashnix comes and sits beside me, saying, "Your blood tests came back."
Laying the book in my lap, the question as to why he is here thoroughly answered, I ask, "And?"
"And... well, I suppose you don't know, but blood tests hardly ever take that long to process. The technicians ran into a... little snag," as he speaks, Ashnix lays the folder in his hands at my feet and opens it. "Kadezna, your DNA matches that of our ancestors. Your blood is thousands of years old. You are thousands of years old. And that's not the most disturbing thing..." sighing softly, Ashnix seems to take a moment to compose himself. I'm not sure why. All the evidence he has presented me so far is just confirming what I already knew. Continuing on, Ashnix finishes, "You have the blood and magic of a spirit intertwined with your DNA. This means that you hailed from a long line of royalty that enslaved and tortured spirits and ruled with tyranny. The Wildfire Cult is a part of their direct descendants. The cult still practices the cruelty of that family."
I merely blinked at the news, not so much shocked or appalled as simply confused. I cannot imagine myself, in any circumstances, torturing spirits or wishing to oppress other people. Of course, I don't really know all that much about my past personality, but what I have discovered of my personality clashes so distinctly with that statement that it leaves me simply confused.
Ashnix, surprised by my lack of reaction, chuckles and says, "You took that very well."
Not bothering to confirm his statement or explain why I took the news so well, I ask, "So, does this mean that you kick me out now? Because my blood hails from a race of long-dead evildoers?" The Wildfire Cult is the enemy of the Order. Everything the Order does to bring peace and harmony, the Wildfire attempts to tear down with gusto. Now, with my lineage being that of the original Wildfire Cult, it would look very bad indeed for the Order to allow me to stay.
Slowly closing the folder, Ashnix grimaces. Softly, he murmurs, "I'm not going to let them kick you out. As head of this Wing, I do pull some weight. Whoever you were, you are no longer that person. You have done nothing to make us suspicious or threatened. So you will be permitted to stay. However, if your memory comes back, if you change, if you start practicing evil again, you will be taken into custody. For now, since we do not know your age, we will assume that you are 18. Your birthday will be that of the day we found you. Do you agree to these terms?"
It's not hard for me to accept that.
It had been harder for his peers.
Word of his lineage and spirit blood spread quickly through the Wing. That was all it took for 90 percent of his peers to turn on him. There are still the rare few that will be around him, even dare to be friendly, but the majority keep their distance. All he really gets from them is mistrust and glares. He can't really blame them. Were their positions switched, he would have the same attitude toward them.
Kadezna groans softly and rolls, swinging his legs out of his bed and throwing the white comforter all the way to the foot. The white curtains hung loosely from a rod block most of the morning light. Most mornings, the light is enough to wake him.
He supposes that this is mainly due to the fact that his instinct is still tuned for a time period that is thousands of years old when one woke themselves or slept through the day. He would not have had the luxury of an alarm clock.
The thought brings a small smile to his face. The more he learns of this age, the more he realizes how spoiled the human race has become. He does not remember his own time, but his body lives with the instinct of awareness. The first time he heard a car backfire he nearly jumped out of his skin, his hand flying to his belt for a weapon that was not there. He got a few weird looks, including that of his companion at the time; this generation is not used to the attentiveness it took to survive years ago. They have become addled on their technology.
Kadezna has refused to integrate with any of the technology that wasn't imperative for him to know. He has refused the use of an alarm clock, but he now can use a computer and navigate a smartphone. He doesn't, however, see the practicality of the internet. He'd rather spend his time training than watching cat videos online. He's been ridiculed for that as well. He doesn't really mind it though. When push comes to shove, the one who trains will survive. The one who did not will die.
So he'll keep training.
Besides, other than reading, that's all he's really good at - training. His fellow apprentices have informed him that what he trains in is some sort of martial art, though none they recognize. He doesn't know what it would be called, or even what the strikes are. His muscle memory simply takes over, and off he goes. Of course, he does not remember where he got the skills, but as they come back to his body, his mind stores them anew. That was yet another thing with Kadezna that people did not understand. He might not recognize many things, but all they had to do was tell him once. One time explaining the expression or object and he would never forget it. He has a memory like none other, he is told.
Kadezna, still with the half-smile on his face, walks the four feet from his white covered bed to the window and throws the curtains wide open. The sunlight bathes his lightly-clothed body, struggling to do so in the early dawn. The sun is just barely rising above the horizon. Kadezna always wears a light white shirt and loose grey sweatpants to bed. It's a habit he has picked up in his two years in this new world. Why? He's not entirely sure. It just happened.
The sun dances on his hair, soaking into the black and reflecting off the odd blonde highlights in the strands. He woke up in the hospital with them, two years ago. He made an assumption then that they were not new; that he has always had them. His hair is not incredibly long, but it is curly and thick and will hang around his head in thick strands. He shakes it out of his light emerald green eyes, the ring of gold around his pupils popping in the golden dawn as he stares at the waking city beneath him.
His room, unlike those of his peers, is on the fourth, and top, floor of the Wing. The Wing is a safe-haven for the Order. There are only about twenty senior members that live in this Wing, and they all have an apprentice to teach. Ashnix and five others make up the governing body of the place. They are called White Cloaks, and they're trying desperately to find more human children that would be interested in joining the Order. The Order's numbers are dwindling quickly. They only have fourteen new members this year, including Kadezna. Kadezna has been an apprentice to one of the senior members for his two years. Today, he and his thirteen peers will receive their Assessment mission, in which the governing body will give them a certain task to accomplish. If they pass, they will be given the title of a Red Cloak, an official member, and go off to college to learn about their history. And, apparently, learn all about the spirits.
In the title of an apprentice, they get hands-on learning experience under a Yellow Cloak, or an official graduated member. The Yellow Cloak does everything that they can to teach the apprentice: From fighting to history to certain detainment techniques to everything they can think of about spirts. In the Red Cloak stage, in the colleges, these skills are merely taken and honed.
Anyway, the first floor is taken up by the meeting hall and the complaints stations, as well as the older member's quarters - many very old members purchase their own homes and retire. Those who do not want to retire, or simply do not want to leave the Wing to stay in these quarters. The quarters consist of separate rooms, each with a separate bathroom. The White Cloaks also live here. Minus, of course, Ashnix, who has his own complex, that he shares with his spirit, as the head of the Wing - The complaints stations are where the public can come in and complain or ask the assistance of the Order. The meeting hall is just that, where the entire Wing gathers for important announcements and meetings. The second floor is the home of most of the business. The archives, or information that is only available to the six White Cloaks, is here.
The third floor is split into two living quarters. One for the females, one for the males. They are dorm-like, each leading into a large circular chamber called the rest area. Everyone cools off or blows off steam there. The circular room is directly above the main meeting hall. This is because of the dome of the building, standing almost directly in the center. From the dome, or the technical fifth floor, down, the building has a hole cut in it, so that sunlight from the dome may reach the ground floor. So, the rest area is actually like a ring of room around that large whole. The rest area is surprisingly big, despite the face. Kadezna, personally, avoids it at all costs. Too much technology and lounging, not enough doing and learning.
The fourth floor is the public library. And, tucked in the north-western side of the massive building-wide library, is Kadezna's tiny little room and a smaller bathroom. The room was originally designed for the library's Keeper, but when the old woman passed away they lugged all her possessions off to her family and never bothered to replace her position. So, when Kadezna showed up, it was natural to put him up there. Ashnix made the argument on behalf of Kadezna's safety. The other White Cloaks argued on the side of his peers' safety.
Personally, Kadezna would never attack one of the other apprentices. He is not cruel, despite what many of the Order seems to think. However, had they attacked him, he could not guarantee them their lives. His body often reacts without the consent of his mind. He might have injured or killed an attacker before he could come completely out of sleep.
Besides, Kadezna does not mind being alone. In fact, he prefers it. He would rather sit in silence and read, train by himself, or use the many books in the library to teach himself about this new world. Humans, to him, are a distraction. Too much drama, not enough logic.
Kadezna spares a few moments to watch as the flow of traffic picks up outside, taxi's honking impatiently at their peers. White, red, blue, green; cars all over the place. Kadezna shakes his head. You would think, with the abundances of unbonded spirits running around, that the humans would find themselves more concerned with the Wildfire Cult. But no, a traffic jam is their worst problem.
He turns from the window, letting the curtains fall together again. Without him pulling them closed, they do not touch, and the golden light of dawn makes a line across his bed.
Of the ten by ten-foot room, the bed takes up a good portion and the dresser takes up the rest. There is only room for one bedside table and a small bookshelf. The bookshelf is always overflowing.
He squeezes around it and slides between his bed and his dresser. Standing between the two pieces of furniture, Kadezna strips the night clothes off, folding them neatly on the dresser's top in preparation for the next night. Then, opening various drawers - all incredibly neat - he pulls out a pair of clothes. He wears a white v-neck T-shirt, a pair of wool socks, and a set of full-length athletic trousers. The white of the t-shirt creates a contrast to his golden-tan skin tone. Of course, he does not notice this. The shirt was a choice of functionality. He will wear the standard gear jacket of the Order over it during his Assessment today.
With his outfit complete, the twenty-year-old - as of yesterday - pads into his small bathing room to tame the wild strands of his hair and clean his teeth. While his one curtained window faces nearly due west, the bathroom door is opposite it on the eastern side of his little rectangle. Inside is a simple sink, though lined with marble. On the very eastern side of the bathroom, there is a shower curtained off. Between the end of the small sink and the shower, to Kadezna's right, is the toilet. To his left is a small cabinet, located next to the door. Directly in front of him, over the sink, is a large mirror. The lights are placed above the mirror.
Kadezna uses this mirror to guide him as he works to position his hair and brush his teeth. With that done he stalks back into his room and pulls on his boots. Perhaps he can grab some time in the training ring - which is located in the basement of the building - before they call for breakfast. He is always up before almost anyone in the building, excluding the White Cloaks. He's ninety percent sure they never sleep.
Seating himself on his bed, Kadezna pulls on his black leather boots, which come nearly up to his knees, and proceeds to spend the next two minutes lacing them up. Once they are finally secured, he rises again and heads for the door, swiping his cloak off of its stand nearby.
Opening the heavy oak door, Kadezna is greeted by a large, dark hallway lined with bookshelves. One of the many aisles in the library. It is an old library, with running ladders attached to each shelf. It is definitely tall enough to warrant them. Kadezna closes the door behind him, feeling the familiar wave of excitement take over his usual removed ordinance. It always surprises him, how much knowledge - or the opportunity to expand his knowledge - excites him. It's exactly the reason his own predicament drives him insane.
Forcing down the giddy emotion, Kadezna walks through the aisle. His eyes are on the books. Book after book after book. There is nothing, he knows, that can quite compare to a library. Libraries are safe. Safe, quiet, and filled with the smell of books. Who knew leather, parchment, and ink could smell so good when bound together and left to age?
Reaching out, Kadezna allows the tips of his fingers to run across the binds of the books, feeling the texture beneath his fingers as he walks. In the silence of the dark library, he can hear his heartbeat, slow and steady in his chest. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. His footsteps are light; light in a way that can only be trained. His breathing, low and even, is also prominent. Gradually, he can feel himself slipping. Allowing his mind to imagine what it would be like to be inside one of those books, so far from reality. In a world where one pen stroke or thought from the author would change his entire world.
Click.
The sound is distinctly that of a door opening. Instantly, every muscle in Kadezna's body locks, freezing him in place. His pulse quiets, his breathing dropping to be nearly imperceptible, his foot frozen half-way through a step. His body remembers a time that his mind does not; when survival depended upon action and reaction.
The door closes with another soft click, and footsteps echo through the dark space. Not Ashnix. Not Kadezna's mentor. He has memorized both of their gates, and it does not match with this one. His heart rate leaps, starting to pound at his throat, readying for the fight or the flight. His muscles tremble slightly, even as his mind remains calm. Who is this? He wonders. What do they want? Are they here to harm me?
Caution is his beginning, center, and end.
Curiosity, suddenly and unexpectedly, makes itself known. Who is there? What do they want? The urge to know surprises Kadezna. He thought that he would be more concerned with keeping himself alive and unhurt then finding out secrets. He was more concerned until the curiosity blindsided him. He is discovering that he really does not know all that much about himself.
Slightly, Kadezna moves. He cocks his head to the side, his hair sliding over his own skin. The footsteps, as he listens, aim for the center of the library, which is a part of the dome's five-story structure. After a few seconds, approximately five, they fade and Kadezna relaxes, letting his boot touch the ground again. The visitor obviously is not there for him. But that begs the question: Why are they here? And what's with the sneaking around in the library at dawn?
No one, as far as Kadezna knows, bothers to use the library this early. Or, more precisely, not one can be bothered to. So why now? Unusual behavior. Very unusual.
Kadezna makes a split-second decision. He wants to know why this unidentified person is here. They didn't seem to care that he was there; everyone knows where his bedroom is.
Taking his arm back to his side, he steps forward lightly. Unlike the intruder, his footsteps are light and quiet. He makes his way to the end of the aisle, and peers to his right, in the direction the footsteps receded. The library is dark and quiet.
Kadezna pursues, turning in the correct direction and slinking through the tall and silent bookshelves. It is not long before sunlight makes itself apparent, poking between the shelves and gliding against the books binds. That can only come from the dome, this deep in the library.
Moving closer, Kadezna becomes aware of a silhouette against the golden sunlight, leaning over the protective railing. No spirit is in sight, which means that this is one of his fellow apprentices. Three more soft steps bring Kadezna enough light to see details.
Brown hair, brown cloak, relatively tall and muscular frame, and pale white skin. Kadezna finds himself scowling, his heart rate instantly dropping, his caution gone. This is no threat. He knows the male figure leaning over the railing.
Joshua McKlerin.
"What are you doing?" Kadezna asks, his voice low. "I thought you were supposed to be in the infirmary, after I hurt you so badly yesterday."
Joshua whips around, almost pitching over the rail, and balancing himself with a startled yelp. It takes him a moment to find the speaker, who is standing with his arms crossed over his chest in the shadows. When he does, however, he immediately goes on the defensive.
"Kadezna! Kadesh! Kash! K! Half-breed scum... whatever you're called! Fancy meeting you here," Joshua stutters.
"The three people here who are my friends call me Kash. You can call me Kadezna," Kadezna replies, unimpressed. He ignores the last part of Joshua's statement and instead asks again, "What are you doing?"
"Why do you care? Are you going to try and stop me? What if I was going to jump?" Joshua asks.
"Then by all means, please, jump," Kadezna replies easily, gesturing with one hand at the open-air below them. As he speaks, he goes through his earlier statement about his nicknames. He has three of them. One for each friend. The thought makes him smile.
Joshua gapes at him for a moment, before muttering, "Well, I wasn't going to."
"Pity. What were you going to do?" Kash asks.
"Why do you care?" Joshua growls, tapping his thigh with one hand.
"Why do you keep avoiding the question?" Kadezna questions, undeterred.
"Because it's none of your business!" Joshua snaps.
Kash lifts a shoulder in a shrug, turning for the aisle behind him. A sense of satisfaction has made its presence known, running down his spine. "Then I suppose I should go get one of the White Cloaks. Everything that happens here is their business," Kash throws over his shoulder.
Immediately, Joshua's demeanor changes. "Kadezna!" He yelps, lunging forward. Kash stops, turning toward the boy. Joshua gulps and murmurs, "Please don't. Get them, I mean."
"Why not?" Kadezna asks. "I have every right to. Especially after the way you treated me yesterday."
"Because I... well... I..." Joshua starts turning red. Really red. He clears his throat. "Well... I was trying to use this to grab my phone." He holds out a large magnet on a string. Kash blinks at it, thoroughly confused.
"Why? Can't you just walk down there and get it?" Kash asks. "Besides, a magnet that size would wipe your phone. It would be useless." Kash learned that in a book he picked up on electronics.
Joshua turns the color of a ripe tomato. "W-well... I uh... didn't know that. And... well... it's on the women's side of the commons area and I didn't... I didn't want to get caught over there... you see. If one of the Yellow Cloaks or spirits forbid, my master, caught me over there again at this hour then... well... last time they made me scrub toilets for a month."
"That doesn't sound too bad," Kash replies blandly, "you scrubbing toilets for a month."
"Well, last time I didn't forget my phone. I was over there with a girl for the night. But I cried wolf and told them I forgot my phone. They didn't buy it," by this time, Joshua is toeing at the carpet, looking so red that he may be in danger of passing out.
"So, you went over to the women's side of the dormitory when you were supposed to be healing in the infirmary. Healing from wounds that you bemoaned yesterday to the point where I got chewed out for them, after I saved your life, let's not forget. And if you went there, that means that you didn't actually break a rib. You probably just bruised one or two, that you cried over," Kash says, shaking his head in disgust. "In the future, why don't you try being grateful to me, instead of making this entire production? I don't have any control over what is in my blood."
With that, he turns and strides back into the dark.
"Kadezna! Wait! You're not going to tell them, are you?" Joshua asks.
"No. You being stupid is hardly a rare occurrence. I doubt they would care, so I'm not going to bother them." With that, he is gone, leaving Joshua to hang his head and mutter.
It does not take Kash long to find the stairs and complete the five long flights of them required to reach the basement from the library. Once there, he proceeds to follow the one winding hallway past the staff's living quarters, the spirit detainment center, and the boiling room. In the very corner of the building is the training room. There are many large heavy bags to hit, some hanging and some on stands. Protective pads and gloves are hung up around the room as well as a number of wooden weapons. Kash drops his cloak on one of the nearby stools and steps onto the padded floor.
For the next hour and a half, he proceeds to train. He uses a sword for this round, practicing balancing and swinging it in the expert arcs his muscles remember. He trains with both two-handed and one-handed weapons, slamming the edges into a larger, wooden, cloth-wrapped target over and over again. Finally, when he is panting and sore, he puts away his equipment, dons his cloak, and makes his way from the basement to the ground floor.
He knows that, by this point, he probably missed breakfast. He doesn't, however, worry about this. A lot of times, he will only eat once a day. He doesn't really need more than that. He suspects that it is because of his spirit blood.
Once on the ground floor, he quickly follows the hallway to the meeting area. There, he finds all of the apprentices and their masters present. Each White Cloak has also arrived. They are seated behind a long, mahogany table situated on the northern side of the chamber, atop a raised dais.
Including Ashnix, the six White Cloaks are made up of two women and four men. Their names are Shreska, Reshna, Grisk, Hollin, and Jess. Each one of them has a spirit to match their personality. For Reshna, a snake named Risk. For Shreska, a small female spirit in a form that looks to be nymph-like. Her name is Frulli. For Grisk, a spirit looking to be made of strands of grey clouds. His name is, adequately, Nimbus. Hollin is bound with a small mouse spirit, who is surprisingly powerful. The mouse is named Squeak. Jess's spirit is a kitsune spirit, with a pale male human body and bright red hair, ears, and tail. His name is Reed.
Everyone turns to look at Kash as he enters, which is not unusual. People like to keep tabs on him; they don't trust him. He doesn't blame them.
Without reacting to their stares, Kash simply lets the door fall shut behind him. He is the last one there, but a look at the clock reveals that he is not late. They were to meet at 7:30 am. It is 7:25 now.
With a quick glance over the gathered people, he quickly picks out his mentor, sitting off to the left side by herself. She was born and raised as a member of the Order. She is a senior, but not a White Cloak, at the age of 34. She has her hood drawn up, her back facing where she knew he would enter, and her arms crossed angrily over her chest. Beside her, laying prone on the ground, is her massive green wolf. Desha is a rock of calm in almost any situation. He's generally nice to be around. He was not deterred by the rain yesterday and, being a spirit, was untroubled by the walk as well.
Ignoring the glances of the others, as well as a snake-like smile from Joshua, Kash walks right over to Vara and sits next to her. Her mouth is fixed in a scowl, her blue eyes hidden by the shadow of the yellow cloak, and her blonde hair is falling in strands around her face. Instinctively, Kadezna knows she is angry. Very angry.
As he sits, he comments, "You look happy, Master."
Usually, he would get a snappy remark back. Today, she just sits and glares at the White Cloaks, completely ignoring him. She is one of the three people he considers a friend here, besides Ashnix.
"What's wrong?" Kash presses, now concerned. Something is wrong, he knows. In response, his muscles start tensing, his heart going into hyperdrive trying to supply his body with oxygen.
"You'll find out in a moment," she replies tightly.
Wrestling to keep himself relaxed, Kash leans back in his seat and crosses his arms, turning his attention toward the table of White Cloaks. They are all standing now, in a straight line behind their table, calling the others to order. The members and their apprentices take their seats.
"As you know," Ashnix starts. He is the highest-ranking White Cloak, the Head of the Wing, and as such he is the spokesperson. "Today all of you apprentices will be given your Assessments. We are here to congratulate you and your mentors, as well as give you hope that you are one simple step away from being a member of the Order. Apprentices, please rise."
Kash and the other thirteen do as told, standing at attention in front of the long, dark table.
"Now, I know that you are all excited and nervous," Ashnix continues. Kadezna frowns slightly, thinking about that statement. He is neither nervous nor excited. He still has that analytical removedness; nothing with him is ever emotional. At least, if he can help it. One step after another, one foot in front of the other. Living minute by minute, survival his only drive. He's not sure what else is supposed to drive him. After all, he doesn't know who he is... or was. Besides, he doesn't really care either way this Assessment goes. He'll keep surviving with or without the Order. At least... that is what he would like to think. He knows that he could, but if he is honest with himself, he does want to see the college. "However," Ashnix's voice cuts through Kash's thought process, returning his mind to the manner at hand. "First, I have to go over some rules."
A low groan comes from the apprentices, minus Kadezna. He's not sure what they expected. There are always rules. Always.
"Yes, yes," Ashnix cuts across their protest. "I know. Rules. Ugh. Right?" he pauses and a tentative round of laughter comes from the apprentices. Again, Kash does not participate. He wishes that they would just get on with it; tell him the rules so that he can go get his Assessment done. "Anyway, if these rules are broken, you will be expelled from the Order. First rule: you cannot seek out help. You must complete this on your own, with your own devices. No help from your mentors. Second rule: you must be done with your Assessment by nightfall today. Final rule: don't get killed! Now, for your Assessments..."
Ashnix reads out the Assessments one by one, adding details as the apprentices ask. For Joshua, he has to remove a rebel spirit terrorizing a nearby train station. For the only other apprentice that pays any attention to Kash, can be counted as his friend, she has to hunt down an elusive mischievous spirit that has been stealing eggs from a chicken coop and bring it back to the Nest. The other apprentices receive similar Assessments, easy for their skill level but with an element of trickery.
"And finally, Kadezna..." Ashnix starts, then trails off. Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, his spirit a mass of gold feathers and magic behind him, Ashnix continues, "As voted by the Council of White Cloaks, Kadezna will be charged with the Assessment duty of removing the rampant Southern Spirit at Rayvin's Point."