THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: INTESITY

”He is awake. It is time to begin.” Principal Senraki said in the most serious tone that Sagiri had ever heard come out of him. He looked scary, and his presence held an even darker aura than Captain Salka. It did not look good for him at all. A moment of silence followed like the silence before a storm, and since Sagiri could not get a read on the three men, he could only wait for what awaited him to unfold.

”Take the recruit to the questioning chamber,” Senraki instructed before turning around. He did not pay Sagiri any attention as if he did not exist at all. Salka and Torena stepped aside to allow him to pass before Torena gave instructions for two junior instructors to help him walk. They helped him out of bed and basically supported his entire body weight to keep up with Senraki, Salka, and Torena.

They took Sagiri to the questioning chamber in silence. It almost felt like he was the offender and not the offended.

The interrogation room is a narrow room carved deep beneath the central pentagon. Stone walls. No windows. A single lamp hanging low, its light steady and unforgiving. The air was cold enough to stiffen his skin. He was made to sit on a single seat at the center. Only Torena entered the room, but he could feel the other two watching from behind a veil that stood in front of him. He did not raise his voice when he questioned him.

”Name who attacked you.” Torena came to a stop in the middle of the cold room.

Sagiri kept his eyes forward. His jaw ached where it had been set. Every breath pressed against cracked ribs. He said nothing. The silence stretched. He was put in a compromising position. He did not want to give the boys away because he wanted to punish them himself. To Senraki and all others, it seemed he was scared to mention his assailant. It was only normal for those bullied to be scared of mentioning their assailants for fear of future punishment. To Sagiri, however, the case was different. He did not want to give the boys away because he did not want to miss the chance to punish them himself.

An instructor circled him once, boots echoing slowly against stone. Another adjusted the lamp so the light burned directly into Sagiri’s eyes.

”Your injuries were not from training,” Senraki said. ”This was deliberate. Speak recruit. I will not tolerate disobedience.” Sagiri swallowed. His throat felt dry, raw. He shook his head once. Small. Controlled.

”It was not anyone,” he said. ”I fell on my own,” he lied again, and the dangerous aura that hung around Senraki expanded to dangerous levels. Even without being able to perceive his feelings, Sagiri could tell the man held more than just punishing intent. him and Salka were out of sight, yet he could feel their darkness.

It was a lie, and they all knew it.

Physical pain flooded his body from the dangerous aura of the captain and the marshal. Not enough to break a bone. Enough to remind him where he was. His hands tightened into fists behind his back, nails digging into skin, but he did not cry out. It was like their mere intention was pressing into him, and he was beginning to wonder whether it was the secret art of the senraki tribe or the Bami. He was beginning to understand what N’varu had meant when he told him he was still too weak against strong opponents. Torena crouched to meet his eye level.

”You are protecting someone,” he said. ”That choice carries weight here.”

Sagiri met his gaze at last. His eyes were steady. Tired, but steady.

”I fell,” he said. ”That’s all.” He was not going to lose his chance of being the one to deliver pain to them.

The freezing temperatures in the room were making his wounds start to sting. His breath left him in a sharp sound he couldn’t stop. For a moment, his vision dimmed, the edges darkening, the archive stirring faintly inside him. He forced it down. He would not give it anything to feed on. N’varu had told him the details of what had unfolded, and he was not going to allow himself to just lose control and give his secret away. Torena questioned him again. And again. Names. Times. Locations, but each answer was the same.

”I don’t know.”

”I fell.”

”There was no one.”

Hours passed, or minutes blurred in the chamber. It was as if the room was made especially to break offenders. It did not have any particularly harsh qualities, yet it suffocated with each question.

Finally, when he refused to give in, Senraki appeared from behind a wall, looking even more gloomy.

”Take him to the assembly grounds,” he said. ”If he doesn’t answer, everyone will be punished,” Senraki said coolly, and the statement got to Sagiri. he did not want to get everyone punished. That could create even more enemies and trouble for him. The man was much colder than he had expected, and just hearing his statement, he knew he was not playing, and he was going to punish the whole school until he got an answer. Of course, a principal of a war school could never be a softie, but witnessing him in principal mode was both scary and amazing.

The same junior instructors from earlier took Sagiri from the questioning chamber straight to the assembly arena. The stone doors opened to a wide, open floor cut into the heart of Galka. The fourth-year cadets were already there. Dozens of them. All kneeling in ordered lines, one knee down, backs straight, hands locked behind their backs. Heads forward. No movement. No sound. it seemed as if they had been there since he went to the interrogation chamber.

Instructors stood around them in a wide ring, spaced evenly like sentries. Some held batons. Others had their hands folded behind their cloaks. Their presence pressed down on the arena, heavy and watchful. The cadets only lifted their heads when Sagiri was brought forward, some even gasping when they beheld his face and hand tied to a gauze around his neck before they looked back down. They had all been briefed on his state and even offered a chance of redemption if they confessed. The environment was so tense yet calm at the same time. Those who had a clear conscience had nothing to fear.

He was not forced into a kneeling position like the others because of his condition. He was escorted to a low stone bench, ribs wrapped, jaw stiff, left hand pulsing as the pain medication started to wear off. Even sitting was painful. Standing now was worse. His legs trembled as they stopped him at the edge of the kneeling lines before he was pulled into a sitting position. His eyes met with N’varu, who had a pleading expression. whether he was pleading with him to give up his assailant or not to lose control in front of everyone he did not yet know. One thing was, however, crystal clear to him. He hated to see N’varu kneel and suffer for something he did not do. Even the team 25 members who had forfeited a game for him were suffering the same fate, and it made his blood boil.

Torena spoke finally.

”Point.”

The word echoed. Sagiri looked out over the kneeling boys. heads. Tight shoulders. The rise and fall of controlled breathing. None of them turned. None of them looked at him. Discipline held them still. The instructors waited. Pain pulsed through his chest with every moment that he spent sitting. His jaw throbbed. His vision swam slightly, but he stayed upright.

”Identify who attacked you,” Salka’s voice said.

Sagiri’s hand lifted halfway, then stopped.

”There is no one,” he said. A murmur moved through the instructors, sharp and brief. The cadets remained silent, kneeling, hands still locked behind their backs.

”You are severely injured,” Torena’s voice pressed. ”Someone did this.”

Sagiri shook his head once.

”I fell.”

The arena went quiet again. Wind moved across the open stone. The sound of fabric shifting. Breathing. At last, Senraki stepped forward.

”Remove him,” he started, ”punish all the cadets to kneel all day here all day without food and water,” he continued without missing a beat, and Sagiri gasped.

”Yes, Marshal!” The cadets answered in chorus with respect, accepting the punishment, and he could not believe the turn of events. This was the possible worst outcome he had ever imagined, and suddenly dangerous calmness fell on him. He stood to his feet and swayed immediately. The junior instructors standing on both sides of him took Sagiri by the arms before his legs could give out. As he was led away, the fourth year did not move. He felt helpless between his urge to punish and saving his friend. The doors to the fifth pentagon got dangerously close, and with every step, he just could not bear it. He might not have been the most emotional person, but his parents had raised him to be kind. He was not going to let the tamelku twins cause any more pain.

”Stop!” he bellowed with so much force that the power inside him merged with his deep need. He pushed himself out of the junior instructor’s hands with so much force, freeing himself that he left them stunned. His feet moved before he could forget his pain. He ran back to the assembly as everyone watched, even the cadets who had their heads lowered, bowed, snapped up to watch the boy. No one could deny the command in his voice. He had taken everyone by surprise. The two junior instructors attempted to run after him, but with one signal from Salka, they were forced to stand down.

He stood directly in front of Principal Senraki, stared into his eyes for one long moment, before he fell to one knee, ignoring his pain and pressing a hand on his chest.

”I remember now who attacked me,” he said in a strong voice, all the urge to punish coming back to him. ”Let everyone go, and I will tell you,” he said. He knew he was in no position to bargain, but no matter how much Senraki was putting on a show, he wanted to see the bully. And Sagiri did not wish for anyone innocent to suffer, especially N’varu. He was willing to back down this once, but if he was going to punish everyone anyway, then he was not going to give him an answer, no matter the cost.

”You defied the marshal and the captain and me, what makes you think you can bargain recruit?” Torena snapped, disgusted by his lack of respect.

”I was the one who was attacked. It seems it was a mistake on your end, discipline commander.” His voice came out distorted. His urge to punish was taking over again, and N’varu snapped his eyes to him. ”I was almost killed because you failed. You should be punished,” he said with so much force that the ground under him trembled slightly.

”Keep-sagiri!” N’varu called, ignoring all protocol. ”Stop!” he said with so much panic breaking through to the boy. His sixteenth birthday was approaching quickly, and he was more on edge than ever.

”Torena,” Senraki called for the discipline commander, Torena, who was seething. He had never been disrespected that far and by a mere recruit. ”You should not speak further out of order, recruit!” Senraki said in a level but powerful voice.

”It is the school that failed me, not my classmates,” Sagiri insisted before he spat a mouthful of blood. He had upset his broken ribs, which had not yet healed. N’varu moved again to his ignoring all protocol when he saw him spit blood. senraki watched the display in front of him with hard eyes with hard unyielding eyes for a long moment before they finally softened slightly. The sharpness in them never wavered for a second however.

”And what if you fail to remember again?” he asked, looking at the boy who was now leaning on the other.

”I won’t. But I wish to only speak to you,” Sagiri said, holding Senraki’s eyes. A long moment of silence followed before Senraki finally breathed in.

”Fine,” he started. ”Cadets, back to class. On your hands as punishment for failing to protect your comrade,” he announced.

”Yes, marshal!” they answered in unison before they stood to their feet, offering a salute to all the instructors and senraki in their respectful stances.

”Cadets taking punishment for failing to protect a comrade!” they announced again before they fell to their handstands in unison and started leaving the arena.

”Neni, you too,” Senraki said, looking directly at N’varu. N’varu hesitated to leave Sagiri’s side. ”I shall overlook your disregard for protocol and speaking out of turn this time, now move, cadet!” he instructed again when the boy did not move. Sagiri could feel the hesitation from his friend, so he nudged him and gave him a nod, assuring him that he was going to be alright. He hesitated for another long moment before he left his side and stood to his feet with resolve.

”Yes, Marshal! Thank you, Marshal!” he saluted before getting into a handstand to join the others.

”Now what am I going to do with you?” Principal Senraki turned to face him when the assembly ground had cleared up.