The Blessed

CHAPTER EIGHT

The last sounds of the bell fished me out of sleep.

When I woke up, I thought it was still early morning. The sun wasn't penetrating my window like it usually did…

Till it all came back to me like a wave crashing into the walls of my consciousness. The window wasn't there because this wasn't my room, and the bed I was sleeping in was not mine.

“Rise and shine bro.”

Daniel's face was looming over me. His white pajamas were dotted with the face of a yellow-haired anime character with a blue and silver headband and whiskers. I had settled for the bunk beneath Daniel's. Dwayne slept on the top part of the bunk opposite ours.

The dorm slowly came to life as the other students woke up and crawled out of their beds. As we shuffled along the corridor on our way to the showers, I looked outside. The grounds were still gloomily illuminated by the weak star light from above.

I wondered how they kept track of days at the Academy.

The water was hot, comfortably so. It was a pleasant experience since I had bathed with water from a bucket for a larger part of my life.

Next to me was a familiar face with ginger hair atop it. It was the guy I had seen dueling the girl with the chains on the platform when I arrived. Naked, he didn't seem quite as lanky as before. Taut muscles stretched and flexed with each of his movements.

He caught me looking at him.

“Can I help you, man?”

“Sorry.”

We returned to the dorm to put on our uniforms after shower time. I had slept in mine, so it wasn't quite as crisp as everyone else. Since I was snatched up without warning, I didn't have the chance to pack other clothes to sleep in. I sniffed my faith-wear shirt and my jeans. I winced from the ripe stench of dried sweat they emitted.

We left the dorms and made our way to the Dining hall.

A fat generic-looking cafeteria lady served us thick white soup, four slices of bread, and tea in wooden bowls and cups. Daniel, Dwayne, and I sat at the table furthest to the entrance, next to the window. The soup was very tasty for something that looked like porridge. It was viscous and warm with a distinct taste that reminded me of roast beef and mixed vegetables. The bread was also very fresh, and the tea was just the right thing for the chilly atmosphere that dominated the place.

“We got History first, right?” asked Daniel.

“Nah, Weapons training, History then Renchiology last,” said Dwayne.

“Oh man, I hate Mr. Kajulu” whined Daniel.

“He's not that bad, just got temper issues”, said Dwayne, “For me, it's the subject he teaches. Renchiology is gross. Dissecting Renchi isn't really the most pleasant experience.”

“How are you gonna be a Blessed if you're squeamish?” I asked as I finished the remainder of my tea.

I glanced towards the canteen to see if I could get a refill. When I saw no one else there besides the lady who served us I abandoned the idea.

“Not everyone who graduates is deployed into the field”, said Dwayne, "Some stay here at the HQ and become part of the teaching staff or the Administration.”

“I don't think you guys understand how much I hate Renchiology, I feel literal pain.” reiterated Daniel.

"Well, too bad it's one of our cores mates."

A thought occurred to me.

"Hey, why do some Blessed wear coats and hats while we don't?"

“Coats and hats are only for those who’ve graduated from the Academy.” said Dwayne.

I decided not to ask what exactly Renchiology, History, or weapons training was since I had an idea about their nature. Their content, I would find out with time.

Instead, I asked which other courses we had.

"We also have Blessed mechanics, four courses for our first year." said Dwayne as he scooped up the remainder of his soup.

After breakfast, we headed to the platform for Weapons training.

According to Daniel, I was supposed to have been allocated a pendent that corresponded with the testing by Amir. He was a great-sword user, while Dwayne was a bangle user. They went to their respective areas on the platform, leaving me to stand out like a sore thumb at the edge.

I spotted a sizeable spot on the bench at the extreme left of the platform. What also made it appealing is that there weren't that many students around there. I crossed the platform and sat on the lowest level of the large metal seat.

Suddenly, a fair amount of students who were dotted around the platform rushed to the bench and filled it in an instant.

A tall thin man with sunken eyes behind small circular spectacles and a grayish bicycle handle mustache stood at the foot of the bench. His person reminded me of those old black and white pictures of Victorian-era authors.

"Morning class." he said.

His words were tired and dragged. In addition to the sunken eyes, I assumed that he must've been a drinker.

"Morning Mr. Hulio." chorused everyone around me.

Mr. Hulio's eyes landed on me.

"An unfamiliar face. You must be the new student everyone's making a ruckus about. David right?"

"Yes sir."

"Yes. I'm aware of your... let's call them abilities, for now."

Judging by Amero's and the Director's reactions after I told them about the woman and the car and then results of Amir's test, I should've guessed that the emergency meeting was about me.

"Well, I'm glad that you've decided to try your luck with chains. They’re the best option for your body type anyway. I highly doubt you could manage a Great-sword."

Someone in the crowd guffawed.

I haven't decided to try anything. I just sat on the bench because it had a few people at the time…

"Anyway, let us not waste any more time. Let's continue from where we left off last time, Aerial combat. I want us to dedicate more time to this because it's one of the hardest techniques to master. Wallace, Jennifer, center!"

A short slender boy with muddy brown eyes, messy blonde hair, and freckles made his way from the top of the bench. A petite girl followed him to the center of the white circle on the platform.

"Begin!"

The two leaped backward, distancing themselves from each other.

Both of them dropped their hands to their sides. The interlinked hexagons on their pendants lit up with a hot orange glow. Black and orange clouds shaped like thick snakes coiled around their forearms. Chains materialized from the smoke, adopting the usual matte gray color.

"Good summoning, now let's get into it." said Mr. Hulio.