"Order is an invisible chain restraining Chaos to reign."
Pisces Code - 2:8
Upon arrival in front of the door of her classroom, Clio heard a sound of knocking things on the floor. She hurriedly opened the door to spectate and to stop things if she needed to.
She saw a group of students wearing the same cut of gown from her students but with green linen and crest were solid golds. They were holding Otis trying to drag him outside but Otis was straggling until they noticed her presence and they paused, eyes on her, confused.
Her eyes landed on Aldir whose face had bruises and his monocle lay at his side, broken.
Her other students were just sitting at their respective seats, all eyes fixated on her who had just arrived. They all lowered their heads in shame for something they have not done.
She eyed those senior students. "Out," she uttered that simple word but her cold eyes made them scurried away, tails between legs.
Silence came as Clio's footsteps were the only sounds that reigned the room, eyes fixated at her. When she gazed at them, they lowered their heads, as their mental impulse of shame they have done and have not done.
Clio just stood there, arms crossed.
⨳ ⨳ ⨳
Estes was doing his daily chores, tending wounded people at the city hospital when a man, with a broad furrowed face wrinkled due to his age, visited his office. After a day of his work, he decided to go to his office to get ready to go home. He had just entered his office, but such a serious face greeted his eyes. He lampooned knowing that he will be dragged to another mess of his.
Gareth abruptly stood up, which surprised Estes, "Follow me." He didn't say more words as he left the room and Estes obediently followed. The sun was already setting and Estes wanted to have a good nap before dinner but he knew it was impossible.
As they were riding a carriage that he had no idea where it was going, he initiated a talk, "Just so you know I have not discovered anything else aside from what I have said to you yesterday."
Gareth simply replied, "It doesn't matter." His seriousness not only decorated his face but even his tone had a hint of it too.
After minutes on the road, Estes finally realized where they were heading. The familiar road was giving him all the hints. It was the road to the city mansion, the house of the highlord. "Why are we going there?"
"You'll know later." Gareth has no patience for repeating his words, so better tell him when they arrived.
⨳ ⨳ ⨳
At the right side of the faculty tower, a group of down-casted students was led by a young teacher whose apathetic expression seemed naturally carved at her face. She stopped in front of a rusty metal gate depilated by the influx of time.
She demanded, "Open this gate."
Dwayne obediently opened it, face painted with shame. Actually, each one of her students was like that. Their teacher just out of nowhere, demanded them to follow her. They hadn't fathomed their destination until Clio said it, saying, "Enter."
Everyone gasped, eyes gazed at her simultaneously, horrified!
Sofer spoke up for them all, "Teacher Clio, you know that this area is off limits for us. This is not something we can handle."
With her cold eyes, Clio replied in question, "What do you think of me?"
Sofer squinted not knowing what menu of trouble their teacher was thinking of cooking for them. He consciously touched the box his master had given to him looking for comfort.
Ada's body shivered in fear. She was raised in a peaceful environment, away from the quarrel of neither human nor beast, so how could she have the courage to enter such an environment?
The boys were clenching their fists looking for courage whilst the girls were stunned, unable to think of their next move until Clio snapped them all by repeating her word, "Enter."
She noticed that no one of them showed signs of heeding her, so she threatened, "Enter or I will let you go home."
This time, her students' eyes glinted with frustration and wrath as they dragged their feet towards the gate except for one who stood rooted at where she stood. Yamea noticed her, shivering. She held her arms and put a smile to her face as she gestured to Ada to follow the group.
Ada gulped a mouthful of saliva before she forced herself to follow them, finding comfort at Yamea's grip.
They walked, sometimes glancing at the back feeling distressed as the gate was going further away from their reach until it was out of their sight. That moment, they fixated their eyes to their teacher's presence who was leading their group, not giving any room for missing her every movement. Whenever they saw her, they felt secure. The sun was already setting but their teacher showed no hint of stopping. They all felt troubled but as a physician, they have a superior memory, so they can easily retain their footsteps.
Following the conspicuous path, they arrived at a glade.
As they walked to the forest that was slowly deprived from light, they heard rustling on surrounding high bushes that caught their attention. They all simultaneously searched for its origin, the action they have regretted.
When they turned around expecting their teacher, they saw nothing of her figure. They all froze, heart sinking.
"Teacher!?" Ada mumbled quaveringly but there was no reply.
They tried to suppress their panic as Sofer commented. "We can trace our way back, right?"
Everyone calmed down and looked for their way back, but to their horror, the surroundings had somehow changed. The conspicuous path they have been following vanished and they seemed trapped inside the glade.
"No! No!" Ada cried from behind. Yamea was also horrified but she suppressed it and comforted Ada in her arms as she was grasping the comfort from her classmates' presence.
Everyone panicked and cried their teacher's name but as before, they heard no reply. Their heart raced, noticing the darkness slowly eating the surroundings.
"Look for any path," Sofer ordered, panicked-stricken too. His words were just a fleeting whisper to his classmates who were afraid to step out from the group. He repeated with a raised tone, "Look for paths!"
Ameril debated with his mocking tone, "Do you expect us to heed you in the midst of this wilderness? Look around Sofer, we are all afraid, might stick together if you want to survive."
Terra added, "If we don't come back after the sunset, they will look for us. Better stay here." She was clearly in fear as her tone showed it.
"This is your fault Aldir! If you just use your brain before you act, things will not escalate like this. Senior Orestes is the son of highlord Dean, they will not bother us all if you don't provoke them and Teacher Clio will not punish us all!" Otis pointed him out.
Aldir in question kept his reticent attitude.
Dwayne assented, "If you have just shut up as we all did every day, we wouldn't be here!"
Yamea refuted, "That's the very core of this problem. You all didn't care about a single thing around you!"
Terra replied, "Wow! Why? Do you care? That is why you are acting very distant to each of us? That's how you care?"
Yamea replied, "Don't you dare question my character because it was you who had the problem!"
Ada cried, "Stop it! Your debate will not solve the problem. Let's just wait for a rescue."
Osman debated, "Do you really think they will come? Teacher Clio left us here. I bet she is one of those damn seniors."
Yamea stood up in defiance. "How could you say that? She is our teacher and if anything happens to us, she will be held responsible. She will not do it."
Dwayne assented Osman, "Osman is right. Teacher Clio hasn't liked us from the beginning. She just left us on our own this morning, why did we bother to follow her from here? We are so stupid. She is no teacher!"
Aldir shouted, "Stop!" His voice echoed and it was effective as his classmates froze. It was his first time shouting like that, evidently angry from Dwayne's supposition. He has seen their teacher before they did. Yes, she was cold, but she did care about him that time and didn't reprimand him like most humans in power did. He defended,
"She is a teacher. She will come back for sure." His classmates haven't yet digested what he has done, so he continued, head glancing above, "It's going dark. It is not a good idea to stay here in an open space in the midst of this wilderness."
Sofer assented, "Let's search for an opening in two. Do not wonder by yourself."
Those students that were surprised at Aldir's earlier bellowed, nodded their heads absentmindedly.
When they all snapped out, they all looked around cautiously. Only high trees with no sign of path were all they could see. They all gathered in the middle of the glade and reported their failed observation.
Sofer heart sank. He touched the box inside his sleeve again for comfort.
⨳ ⨳ ⨳
Inside a private meeting room of Homobono's residence, sat three figures in different moods - one was comfortable, one was baffled whilst the last one was tense and indifferent.
After minutes of letting the silence rule the room, Gareth shook his shoulder to loosen his tense muscle before he proceeded to his reason for such a meeting. "I asked Physician Estes-" he pointed to Estes sitting oppositely at him, "-about something you might find absorbs your lord. Did you remember the chaos inside Hoven's room?"
Homobono nodded his head, "How couldn't I? It is a frustrating matter for I failed to protect our guest. And you, Gareth, I let you stay here to protect our kingdom whilst the other two lieutenant generals are now marching farther west."
Gareth winced but he didn't sway to tell him the truth. "The truth is, I am the proprietor of such crime my lord."
Homobono's eyes looked at him evidently surprised, not from telling the truth, but his act of doing it. "Why?"
Gareth's secret suspiration didn't slip at the physician's eyes, but Estes seemed more inclined to listen to the narration of Gareth. He heard the news but just part of it.
"Hoven and Sophia are people of our opponent, your lord."
Homobono and Estes jumped in shock but Gareth only continued before they summarized that Clio was a spy. "Clio saved them too together with young master Bien and our warriors, your lord. But it isn't the reason why I demanded this meeting with Estes." He shot a glance at Estes before he fixated his gaze at his highlord who sat up straight befitting to him. "Clio came and stopped me with her strength I couldn't define.
"He held my shoulder and I seemed to carry the weight of a monolith, your lord." His eyes brighten up as if a child narrating his experience in a fantasy world. "When I looked at her eyes, it changed to purple, your lord. I am neither hallucinating nor telling lies. I can even feel the shiver she brought to me, your lord, but when I think of it these past few days, she has the knowledge every human in power would covet. She needs protection and I can't give it to her without your command, your lord."
When he was done, he winced seeing their dumbfounded vitages, a kind of mien that will not believe him.
Estes gulped when the serious gaze of Gareth hinted him to speak up, "I have investigated those things he defines, your lord, but find no hint of such skills or tricks to pull such strings. If he is telling the truth, secrecy of this matter is highly advised for he is right, that kind of knowledge is something worth-" he looked at Gareth with wandering thoughts unable to digest his own words that seemed to believe him, "-coveting."
Gareth smiled at him, evidently for gratitude for such an act.
Meanwhile, Homobono was less pleased with his report, not because it sounded unbelievable but because Gareth didn't immediately tell him. "Why did you just say it now?"
Gareth bowed down in shame. He knew what he had done. To have secrets to his highlord was a shame to him too.
Homobono sighed, understanding his action. Before things went wrong, he pacified, "I'll let you slip this time, this time only, so next time report things immediately to me if it concerns our city, and no mistreating visitors again."
Gareth lightened up and nodded discernibly. Knowing his matter was settled, he pursued his reason for conducting such a meeting, "Your lord, do you agree with putting guards around Clio?"
Homobono fell into deep thoughts before he commented, "We should not haste. Clio seems to know what she is doing. Let us send her a letter first about the matter we know and in case she needs help, we are just behind her."
Gareth nodded as his beaming smile emerged, "I'll deliver it personally."
Homobono was thoughtful about that matter when Estes stated, "I'll do it." He wanted to meet her in person. Just her tale was enough to admire her, what's more of her presence?
Gareth pressed, "I'll do it. Estes you have a patient to attend to." His tone has a hint of irritation. He brought him here to help him out not to snatch something from him.
Estes curved his lips to his right cheek. "Lieutenant general Gareth, you know that you are needed here more than I. I can substitute my presence for the meantime, but you couldn't afford to pass your responsibilities to others. Your tight security is needed especially now that there is war."
Homobono nodded, unable to notice Gareth greeted teeth. He decided, "That's settled then, Estes will go. It's better to send him to show our deep concern to such matters."
After sending their goodbye, the meeting ended.
⨳ ⨳ ⨳
Darkness enveloped a wilderness that brought eerie feelings to the students gathering around a single crude torch they had made from pieces of their clothes. They didn't make fire on the ground, afraid to start a fire and invite predators.
"We can't stay here like this. We are just waiting for our deaths." Sofer wasn't new to the law of wilderness from his master's teaching.
"Then, what do you want us to do?" Terra asked irritatingly. "You've been babbling about the worst thing that could happen. What do you think is happening right now? Is this not the worst already?"
Otis added, "We are hungry and sleepy, and do you expect us to waste our remaining energy?"
Sofer replied to them in his calm manner, "We can't sleep here." He pointed to the trees on the west side, "Let us sleep on trees' branches."
Dwayne assented, "That's a good idea."
Ameril got up from the ground and led them, "Let's go."
Sofer intentionally lagged his steps until he fell behind them. They needed eyes from their back and he took it voluntarily. Thuraya held their torch as she was in the middle of the group.
Ada calmed down at Yamea's shoulder. She obediently followed them clutching at Yamea's arm.
The high bushes that reached their waist gave them disadvantage of what was ahead but they safely arrived at their destination.
The boys were fantasized by the height and thickness of the trees that they hadn't noticed the moment they entered the wilderness, because their fear reigned at those moments. Meanwhile the girls' faces twisted for they know that it will be hard to climb it with their dresses at that.
Terra gave it a try but only ended up bruises on her hands. She looked at Thuraya with tears threatening to fall.
Thuraya handed the torch to Osman who hesitantly took it. She helped Terra climb by giving her a lift at her back.
Terra reached for the nearest branch and lifted her body until she secured a position for herself before she extended her arm to assist Thuraya who also began to climb.
The girls climbed trees on their own as well as the boys.
According to their understanding of stars, it was already midnight. Before they knew it, they fell asleep except for one. Sofer, as always, volunteered to be a lookout without the knowledge of his classmates who fell into deep slumber. They all looked so tired and worn out. Sofer checked on them every single minute.
Osman was in the middle of his sleep but he was woken up by small things bothering his face. When he opened it, his eyes saw Sofer throw some small object towards his face. He was going to rebut him for disturbing his sleep when Sofer gestured him to look below. His squinted eyes obeyed him but it grew into horror seeing a beast trying to climb on the tree he was with.
"Ahhh!" he shouted in horror that woke up his other classmates sleeping in another tree.
They all woke up, eyes showing irritation, but it soon faded and changed with horror and pity towards Osman when they saw why he shouted.
Its claw successfully clutched on the thick trunk of the tree and Osman stood, panicked-stricken. Fortunately, another small thing hit his face that snapped his senses. His eyes caught the figure of Sofer telling him to climb up higher. His classmates couldn't do much in his situation but prayed to the 12 Almighties that THEY help him.
The beast started to climb so Osman didn't waste time and climbed higher, but even so, the beast will surely reach him for the tree has its end point too.
Everyone was in horror, especially Osman who was the spotlight of such horror. Though the breeze of the night was cold, he was sweating.
The beast came higher and nearer to him but Osman didn't stop climbing even though his hands were bleeding already until he reached the almost tip of the tree. He gasped in horror as tears were threatening to fall at his eyes. He was losing hope until a voice comforted him.
Sofer shouted over his lungs for instructions on how to save Osman and every face looked at him in horror more than they did at Osman. Osman too was dumbfounded as to how he could do it for his sake.
Terra debated, "You're seeking death Sofer. I will not cooperate with such a plan."
Ameril felt ashamed of debating him but he too was worried about him.
"Everyone, let's do this together and I will be alive. There is no time for debate." Sofer demanded.
With his signal of the start of their plan, Dwayne, whose tree was next to Osman, bit his hand to wound it just enough for drops of blood to flow. He clenched it to force more blood to flow below.
The beast smelled his blood and successfully caught his attention.
He was followed by Aldir, Thuraya and Terra, Yamea, and lastly by Ameril.
Seeing the beast that went down and already far away from him, Osman felt secured. He continued to spectate the plan Sofer had brewed.
When the beast was at the farthest side, trying to climb at Ameril's tree, Sofer gulped a mouthful of saliva before he threw himself below landing on the ground.
Everyone gasped, eyes fixated at his every movement. He ran farther from them. When he secured a distance, he bit his hand and let it bleed. The beast smelled his blood and ran speedily to him, salivating as if its food was on its plate already.
Ada couldn't watch him anymore. She covered her eyes with her hands in horror.
Sofer ran farther from them until he reached athwart of the glade and he vanished from their sight together with the beast following him.
Unknown to them, Sofer reached his sleeve for the box he had been clutching on. When the beast pounced at him, he opened it, closing his eyes for any unexpected failure.
Bang!
Sofer heard a deafening sound. He curled down, hands of his ears hoping to lessen its effect. He didn't succeed and it took his consciousness. He fell on the ground not knowing what happened to the beast and what would happen to him.
In the deep of darkness, a pair of eyes was coldly observing him.