"What is your worth? Have you ever thought of that question?"
Pisces Code - 2:1
When the meeting was over, Osias was left shocked from earlier discussion. Xarles, knowing each of his Deans' attitudes, waited for him to digest those pieces of information.
"I can't believe she just said that. Does she not know what it means when you give her the job?"
Xarles shook his head, "I doubt that. She has knowledge beyond her age and I think she knows the burden of it. She is right in her debate. Letting you handle it will have a result immediately." His point of appointing Clio was to minimize and investigate her movements. The young lady just crushed his plan, sentient or not.
Osias gasped for air and let silence come in between the two.
Meanwhile, Haron was upset. He was rocking his chair in his room, as he thought of how to teach Clio a lesson for snatching his prey again, when his eyes landed on his schedule notebook that was wide open over his desk. A specific date was encircled at it. An evil smile crept at his lips.
⨳ ⨳ ⨳
Clio sneaked into the last door of the hallway. This time, she was ten minutes early. She already delayed her plan for days but now, she was in the mood to go as far as she intended. She had not bumped into someone as she smoothly made her way up to the stairs. She waited at a dark corner, just three meters away from the entrance - concealing herself through her energy - a right place to sneak into the next room immediately with limited time.
Ten minutes had passed and the door lit up. Two figures emerged from inside. The same man and woman she saw the other night. They walked down the stairs whilst complaining about the daily task they were doing. When the shadows vanished down the stairs, Clio made sure that those two figures were out of sight before she took back her energy making herself visible again. She approached the door and stretched her hand but she stopped midway when her premonition kicked in.
Ten shadows flashed in her eyes, 'Stars!' Clio hid back when footsteps started to reverberate from the other side of the door.
She cautiously dashed back inside the room at the end of the hallway, thinking of waiting for an hour before leaving the place. She already felt something amiss with Xarles. 'He is suspecting me of something.'
She knew that Xarles wouldn't be able to point her out as long as she took precautions at her action.
After some time, the door finally opened up and two figures entered, none of them was Xarles. The two vigilantly inspected the room as if expecting any outsider's footprints, but when they found none, they went on to the next room.
Clio left the room immediately.
Clio smirked, realizing how right she was. Fortunately, she was cautious the second time around. She was almost caught! She concluded that the third time would be a disaster.
When she successfully arrived at the front door of her residence, she breathed out, "That was close!"
She entered her room that was immediately greeted by the Xarles's assistant. Clio jumped in surprised. She thought of asking her, but the old lady gestured her hands inside and said, "Xarles is waiting for you inside."
"Huh?" was all her mouth produced. She clicked her tongue thinking how naïve she was at her plan. All this long, Xarles already suspected her.
She promenaded at the sofa and sat opposite to Xarles. Her so-called attendants were at her sides. Since she didn't dismiss them, they stayed.
Xarles displayed his usual genteel smile, "You know that walking around the tower at this time is prohibited. I assume you know the consequence of your actions and this is not the first time at that."
Clio nodded.
"Well then, one month of administrative work at the library. That will suffice."
Clio nodded, not rebutting.
"I'm expecting a long debate with a young mind like you."
Clio finally let words come out of her mouth, "I know what I did. I made a mistake Xarles. This time, I know it was my mistake."
"Well, I hope you will learn a lesson or things will become messy."
Clio's so-called attendants were baffled by his words, but Clio knew what it meant. She didn't reply with words or movements. She now confirmed that he knew her actions. Since she has the knowledge behind those doors, one more step and she will achieve her goal of entering their edifice. Afterwards, she needs not to bother with them anymore.
Xarles left her residence.
Sophia eyed her with a look of curiosity but Clio answered her with a yawn.
Giles resolutely said, "I need to go home." His words convey the message of fulfilling his duty to repay his debt before he left.
Clio scratched her ear and replied, "It can be arranged." Since everyone was gathered, it might be the right time to plan it. "Bien, is this a way you can sneak them through the battlefield in the west?
"Because of these wars of yours, traveling across borders to borders is strictly prohibited. Giles can only reach his destination through sneaking him out."
She was not only gathering information of the lapses of time when she was unconscious, she was also investigating the present movements of the humans.
Bien gravely suggested, "I can, but it will complicate my family if caught. I can sacrifice myself but not them."
Clio nodded in understanding. Meanwhile Giles already vaticinated that he will not voluntarily help them. They were enemies after all.
Clio eyed Giles and shrugged her shoulders, "Any plan?"
Giles intently looked at Bien as if telling everyone that he will not uncover his plan in front of him. Who knows he might talk.
Bien thought of leaving when Clio assured, "He will not talk."
Everyone was dumbfounded by the trust she gave in each one of them. They didn't trust each other, but how could she? Their presence next to her already complicates things, but how could she bear it knowing the consequences? They couldn't fathom her at all.
Unable to bear his curiosity, Bien commented, "Uhm. Lady Clio, I just want to inform you that we are not allies." He pointed his finger to Giles.
Clio nodded as she cleared, "Your enemy is not each other, but far greater and worse than yourself." She didn't explain further. Instead, she pressed her question about the plan from Giles who finally uncovered it unwillingly in front of Bien. He died two times already and survived two times because of her. He trusted his life to her. If she says so, then it will happen.
Giles explained, "We will sneak through a caravan as a merchant. Snatch garbs, join the war and cautiously mix with everyone until we arrive at the border. Then, I will sneak out the border during the middle of the night. I am a well-known person of my kingdom, so I will be easily recognized before they unsheathe their sword to me."
"Well, if they recognize you from a distance before shooting their arrows to your head, then we will stick to that plan," Clio found a loophole but she knew that it was their best option worth the risk. If just Bien join hands, they will be able to sneak in without many problems.
Giles winced. But he already made a plan for that case. "I will raise our flag. That will raise suspicion for them to investigate me in near distance."
Clio agreed. "It might work." They work with their plan, making sure there would be no loophole anymore. And if things went wrong, they formed Plan B and C. Bien almost burst out his idea, but his mind told him not to disrupt them as he was just an outsider.
Clio further asked, "What will you do when you return?"
Giles hardly looked at everyone, lastly landed at Bien. "War between our kingdoms is inevitable," is all he replied.
Clio nodded and offered something they wouldn't expect, "What if you can stop it, and will you do it?"
Giles hesitantly agreed knowing its impossibility but Clio's words nudged him to act too if he wanted it to happen. Bien's hope of lifting peace all over the world woke up again. Bien lowered his head, having a second thought.
"Then, stay here for a while and I will show you how."
"I can barely persuade my kingdom about the nonsense of this war, how could we convince the other kingdom?"
Hearing Giles' loathness about the war, Bien fell deeper into his thoughts. He has the feeling that he has a chance to change the world with their help. If he just extends his helping hand, there is a big probability to make a dream come true, 'It's now or never.'
Bien opened his mouth to suggest ideas and create allies with Giles, when Clio spoke up.
Clio's lips rose at her right cheek. "If you can't entice them with sweets and riches, threaten them with fear and dust."
Bien and Giles felt their skins crawling while Sophia and Hoven felt anticipation for the future to behold. They haven't heard her idea but they felt that with her, there will be a chance to stop their nonsense war.
They were dismissed. Everyone went to their own room and tended to their own businesses.
Bien hesitantly entered his room. He wanted to tell them that he changed his mind. That he can help.
With his head down, he closed the door of his room. He sat at his bed, elbow on knees whilst hands were clasping, 'this is not the last meeting Bien. You can tell them when they plan again.'
Clio cultivated her energy all night. She made it her hobby until she achieved her true strength.
⨳ ⨳ ⨳
The morning came, shooing the darkness on the sky. Clio had just arrived at her classroom when another teacher opened the door and asked for her presence for a second. A letter was handed to her. She thought of opening it later on but the teacher pointed out the meaning of the seal of the letter before he proceeded to his own class. There were two swords in x position, meaning the content was about an incoming competition event.
She noticed the indifferent attitudes of her students seeing the letter as if a curse came crushing their hope. She tossed the letter to Terra saying, "Read it."
Everyone was surprised. Though she noticed it, she didn't care.
Terra was overwhelmed by the trust their teacher had given to them but this kind of job was not meant to them for the time being, so she politely rejected as she stretched her hands with the letters. Bowing her head, she stated, "It is not in our place to read such an important letter, teacher."
"Why?" out of curiosity, she asked.
"It might have content we should not learn, teacher."
"It's a competition for you, so basically you need to learn all of its content. As long as I am your teacher, no content from the higher ups will be hidden from all of you if it concerns your well-being, understood?"
"Yes teacher!" everyone exclaimed.
Terra tear opened the seal and read the letter addressed to their teacher.
Dear teacher Clio,
Annually, we held a survival competition in the wilderness together with the students without primary resources for a week. Every faculty will deploy three classes and each class is not prohibited to exchange students in order to survive longer. It is your choice, your strategies.
I believe that it is the turn of your students this coming week. You all have a week to prepare and plan. Send us the name of the students you want to exchange and we will send you the names that will be assigned to your group.
P.S. Headmaster Xarles
Terra as well as her classmates became gravely serious. It was the event they hated the most for they will not only be separated from each other, but they will be forced to work with people they don't like and students that don't like them.
Clio thought they would be excited but to her amusement, they were not, so she asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing teacher," Terra lied.
Clio shook her head, "How can I address the needs of my students if they don't trust me?"
Dwayne was the one who answered her, "We trust you teacher but this matter… I think it is ours."
"Nonsense!" Clio blurted out. "As I heard, it is a competition together with us, the teacher. So, how could it be just your problem? I will not accept such trivial reasoning. Tell me the problem."
Osman stood up and explained, "The thing is, we can vaticinate that the loser will be on us. Not because we are physicians, but because of our label. We will be only their attendants for sure, being ordered, here and there, and be a bait whenever something worse comes up. That was what happened to the previous class. We don't want that to happen to us too. That was horrible teacher Clio. The teacher didn't care at all either."
Clio nodded in understanding. She suggested, "How about we go there without exchanging one of you? Would it suffice?"
Everyone rejoiced but soon lampooned. Ameril spoke, "Impossible teacher. We need fighters in our group for hunting foods, engineers for building hut, astronomers for the right path, agriculturists to tell which food is poisonous and not, a scholar for guidance and lawyer, if there is, for harmony of the group."
"Well, you can do that too if you want."
Everyone almost shook their heads. Sofer grimly stated, "Aside from the time we need to start learning such skills, who are these teachers that will voluntarily teach us these kinds of things we should not as a physician?"
Clio commented, "Do you want or do you want not to mix with other groups?"
Everyone simultaneously shook their heads as they simultaneously said, they don't want to.
Clio clasped her hands, "Then, it settled. We are not going to exchange any of you, any objections?"
She heard no objection but saw one hand that was raised. It was from Osman who asked, "Teacher Clio, I care so much for our security. Can you promise that?"
Clio raised her hand as she took an oath, "No matter what happens there, I will deliver you to the academy, safe and sound."
They knew their teacher had the strength they have not seen yet. She already possesses the intelligence beyond a professor. They trusted her.
Everyone felt secured as they agreed to go there as a group and smiles slowly emerged as they voice out their plan on mind whilst Clio facilitated it.
⨳ ⨳ ⨳
After waiting for days at Clio's presence, Estes finally heaved a sigh of relief facing the very reason for his departure from his city.
There was an ongoing private meeting at one of the rooms inside the faculty's tower on the eighth floor, the floor for visitors who needed to stay long like Pepin.
Estes couldn't help but scrutinize her, a scrutinized that pierced through once body as of scanning her muscles and cells to a microscope, 'What is this? She has a normal lady institution.'
Clio could bear the silence but not his stares.
Fortunately, he started the conversation, "Lieutenant general Gareth told me everything about you that night."
Clio caught his words definitely. He was talking about the event during a failed assassination of Gareth himself. She just shrugged.
He continued, "You have the knowledge every human will seek. If it is known, you are in great danger."
Clio maintained her reticent behavior.
"I am here on behalf of my lord to offer assistance to your needs. If you need true guards, he will tend to, just say so."
Clio could read him all over his face. She directed him, "In return of what?"
Estes winced, feeling ashamed but reminding himself that what he was about to do was not for himself, he replied, "In return to your knowledge."
"For what purpose?"
"To defend land?"
"Which land?"
"Our land."
"Only your land?"
"Do you expect us to defend the land of the enemy against us, it's what you want to convey?"
"If you do that then I don't have any qualms teaching you how I did it to Gareth."
Estes froze in disbelief. He never expected her to be that blunt. It took him a great time to compose himself before he digests her words, but found it incredulous. As they were talking about it bluntly, he thought of better telling her his query, "then, what will be our reason for learning it if we don't wield it to the enemy?"
Clio grimly replied, "You are wielding your weapon against the wrong being. You will know what I mean when the time comes." She was too lazy to explain it with his closed mind. Better do it when he is ready to listen. "If you don't have anything to say, may I go?"
"Oh! Of course!" He walked her down the stairs. Being at her side, he couldn't help but ask anything just to squish information out of her. "Where did you come from? If you don't mind me asking."
"Above," she coldly replied.
He winced at the side, but it didn't stop him from asking more questions. "Why are you here?"
"Stones brought me here."
"Stones? You're here to mine?"
Clio didn't reply.
He accompanied her to her residence, sometimes sneaking questions but only heard an implicit reply.
⨳ ⨳ ⨳
Sitting at the window pane of her room was a young lady gazing at the horizon, deep in thoughts. She was holding a conspicuous letter resting at her laps as her night white gown swayed due to the breeze of the night. Hair was in a simple bun.
A moment later, someone knocked at her door but didn't wait for her to open it up. Another young lady promenaded towards her wearing her ashen night gown and hair in a bun too.
She stopped just a meter away from her, nagging, "Thuraya, how many times have I told you to go to sleep already around this time? Do I need to visit you always to remind you of that simple thing we humans needed?"
Thuraya shook her head but didn't cast her glance. "Young lady Terra, it isn't becoming of you to shout like that. You are an important person. Watch your actions."
Terra almost burst out in anger. "Exactly! I am an important human breed but how could you just brush off my friendly advice?" If she stole a glance to her face, she would see Thuraya's eyes filled with tears.
Thuraya hadn't answered her as she felt sore at her throat for holding her tears.
Terra felt indignant. She was brushed off earlier and now, she was meanly ignored! She abruptly held Thuraya's arm to get her attention but to her surprise, Thuraya's face was ashen and tears suddenly streamed down to her cheeks. Her sudden shake of her body made Thuraya's effort to hold her tears be for naught.
Thuraya gasped for air. She told her what was bothering her. "My family hadn't been replying to my letters these past few days." Her tears didn't subside as she audibly cried. "I don't know what's happening to them. I want to know but I have no way of finding answers. I need to go home."
Terra was shocked to see her like that. She didn't expect her to feel that deep loneliness. She immediately hugged her tight hoping it would comfort her even just a little. Her voice became soothing as she whispered, "All will be well."