THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: HIS NEW FACE

After the breakfast session was over the next exercises were based on weapon dances both schools competed against each other. To sagiris luck only the best fifty participated on different weapons. Of course kaka asakana was good in sword art, spear art, daggers, hand combat and when it came down to the show down between the schools top one students of course kaka asakana also represented the school. When the showdowns came to an end the instructors left the cadets of both schools to get to know each other. Sagiri could have wanted to know about the freaky duo in a not so friendly way but he had not seen them again after the encounter in the woods. As if they had disappeared into thin air.

Everyone had already marked a worthy opponent after the weaponry dances and hand combat dance and of course those without pride issues like kaka went as far as asking to be taught by whomever they thought superior. No one dared approach Kaka to teach him except of course for Marana who Kaka turned down saying a woman was too fragile for him to teach. kiuga almost died of a heart attack at how blunt his friend was but he already knew it was futile to explain to most of the northern clans that women were not just fragile. kiuga had not participated in the showdowns because of his injury and a warning from his healer ’sagiri’ who insisted he not push himself because it could risk more injuries.

Marana of course came to ask sagiri to teach him and sagiri had to turn her down explaining he was still not good at many things. it didn’t stop there however because many cadets from konate wanted to fight against the suffocation chamber protegee and with everyone he turned down he could tell they were starting to take it as if he was prideful and not just an armature. he had his mysterious benefactor to thank for that. That was not the only reason however. Even if he could he wouldn’t because his body was starting to feel even more cold and warm. He was freezing on the inside and melting on the outside. His birthday was coming up first at midnight and he wondered if he was just nervous and scared of turning

Warmth sat on his skin, a dull heat that made his clothes cling, yet inside him something was cold. It was deep, slow, spreading through his chest and gut like winter water seeping into stone. It wasn’t painful. It was worse, it felt like a separation was srarting inside of him. As if his body and whatever lived beneath it were no longer moving together.

His breath fogged faintly when he exhaled.

His muscles felt tight, then loose, then tight again, unable to settle. When he flexed his fingers, the movement lagged a heartbeat behind his will. His heart beat steady, but wrong, each thud too deliberate, too aware.

Then he noticed the smell. just like N’varu had said earlier on in the day. The scent oozing off of him was different. something he had never smelled before. it was not the smell of sweat or natural human smell. It was as if something sharp and unfamiliar clung to his skin, metallic and bitter, like crushed leaves mixed with iron. Even he didn’t recognize it. It made his stomach turn, made him feel exposed, like prey shedding one scent and taking on another.

The cadets were set to sleep after lunch and he barely ate before he was the first to leave to the dormitory wing. Food tasted like sand in his mouth. His tongue felt rough as if it was made of a rough material. N’varu could see his suffering but it did not seem like a medical condition. He was not sweating much on the contrary as if the core inside of him was swallowing all the sweat his body was generating. It was as if his own body was fighting against itself. The power inside of him was silent, almost too silent. It had never been that silent inside of him. Even when he was too injured he could still feel the power inside of him roam in his veins. Now however only the markings on his skin stirred without a glow. He had only ever experienced something remotely close when he turned six. It was when the power inside of him first stirred violently but then his mother was there to give him sleeping pills and after a whole night of sleep he was back to normal.

Now however he felt worse. Nothing had happened to him before could come close to the feeling of his body tearing itself apart. He even more now felt sensitive to any noise and being stuck together with half a thousand cadets chatting away and excited after sparring against each other. All he wanted was to bury his head in the water where he could hear nothing. He now more than ever wanted to go back in the freezing pool willingly. His senses of perception had become even sharper and not even the oru-shells could save him from that.

even in his dorm room he did not find peace either. He could not sleep because his skin was too sensitive now. Even the touch of the sheets and his clothes were enough to make him want to cry. he tried to take a shower to rid himself of the pain and the water felt like a burning liquid had touched his skin. he groaned in pain and decided against using the water. he wanted to go to the central pentagon but he was even more scared to leave his room in case something happened to him while he was outside.

an hour after he was back in his room things got worse than he had imagined. His joints ached as if being pulled apart and reassembled. Heat rolled across his shoulders while his spine felt hollow and cold. His thoughts fractured, clear one moment, distant the next. He pressed a hand to his chest, half-expecting to feel something tearing loose. the dorm wing had gone completely silent and he could tell everyone was asleep before without even concentrating to take in his surrounding. He tried to fall into meditative slumber to escape the pain but he was jolted to reality just like at the cave when he tried to get into meditative slumber. He could not even begin to fall into conscious meditative slumber. He might have pushed himself to get into one when he was in the freezing pool but now whenever he tried it was as if it amplified his pain.

there was nothing left for sagiri to do to escape the pain other than lay there and feel it. he could not cry so he just whimpered and took the pain. For the entire five hours after they were allowed to sleep, he did not get a drop of sleep or rest. He peeled his body out from his mattress and stood in front of his door.

Sagiri’s patience had thinned. He could feel himself standing at the edge of something and he almost did not want anyone to stand beside him. Meditation was not relaxing to him like it usually did and just sitting still for a few minutes nearly drove him mad. He would have liked to say that after suffering pain and torment for a few hours he had gotten used to it but he hadn’t and it was still unbearable. The pain gnawing at his body made what the tamelku twins did to him sound like a paper slap. At least then he had pain medication to put him out of his misery. Now however he could not even ask for those from the healing wing because he could not get any.

As the meditation period ended everyone started moving, sounds grated against him footsteps too loud, voices too slow, the scrape of cloth against stone. Things that never bothered him before now felt intrusive, almost hostile. He sat opposite N’varu who was wise enough not to utter a word. He stared at his food in distaste and could not get himself to take a bite no matter how long time passed. It smelled odd and looked plain.

”you barely ate during lunch hour. if you don’t eat now you will be too weak for the next exercise.” Nvaru finally spoke when sagiri showed no sign of eating his food. It was the first time he had spoken after a long time and he could not even recognize his voice.

He answered when spoken to, but his words came shorter, flatter. It took effort not to snap. He failed obviously as the cold settled behind his eyes. N’varu might have asked the question because he cared but it was all he needed to snap.

”If you are so hungry why don’t you eat it yourself.” he snapped and pushed his plate towards N’varu some of it spilling along the edges. He did not stop there however. he pushed out of his chair with so much force it slid a few feet before he stood to his feet. He gave nvaru another cold glare before he wheeled around on his feet to leave without watching where he was going. He ran into a body and that put him even more on edge than usual. He stepped back making an irritated sound at the back of his tongue before he looked up to see the tall figure he had run into.

It was the king of Bami and he did not seem startled just looking at him with an empty expression waiting for him to get out of his way. Before he went to bed he could have apologized and stepped out of the way but even looking at the towering guy pushed him to the edge.

”Watch where you are going.” he snarled, voice cold, and kiuga who was not expecting the exchange, whistled. He had never seen sagiri on edge before and he was beside himself. Kaka narrowed his eyes but did not make a move. He exchanged looks between nvaru and the short boy who was glaring at him. him and kiuga had seen the small exchange between the two. Yet he still hated how the boy had taken it out on him. He was not a patient person either and if the boy was spoiling for a fight he was going to give him one.

”Don’t mind him. It is entirely my fault.” N’varu said, jumping to his feet quickly and rounding the table. The statement made sagiri even more angry and he turned around and looked at sagiri with so much venom.

”Stay out of my business,” he gritted before he rounded kaka and headed for the door.

”Did you two fight, I have never seen blind boy that mad?” sagiri barely heard kiuga speak as he stepped out into the hallway. The tamelku twins were standing directly opposite the door and he could have sworn even nature itself was trying to torment him. He could have felt uncomfortable or concentrated on the hate that always rolled off of them but this time he was like a raging bull. He didn’t even pause in his steps as he walked and stopped directly in front of them.

Their confident facade did not falter once even as he came to stop in front of them. He stared at them feeling even more disgusted than usual standing in their presence. They were vermin who thought it was their right to harm anyone to feel superior.

”The smell of hate surrounding you doesn’t fade even when you shower, does it?” he said in a low voice that was full of disgust. For a moment they were pretty taken aback. They had not expected him to come out and say that to them.

”What did you just say, new boy?” nakea said his voice was still void of any emotion but sagiri could feel the controlled rage he was hiding.

”Does ganging up on a ’new boy’ in the dark like the vermin you are make you feel any superior.” Sagiri said and other cadets who stood around the tamelku twins gasped. sagiri was raging for a fight and the pain in his bones was driving him mad. He did not know whether he craved for relief or more pain that could surpass the pain inside of him.

”Are you accusing us, new boy?” Makea spoke this time cracking his knuckles.

”I never said anything Makea, why do you sound so guilty?” Sagiri said in a foreign singsong voice. ”Are you the vermin that can only attack others in the dark because you can’t take it that a new boy beat you in your tribe’s secret art?” he almost whispered with how much venom he was spitting into his voice. A small group had now gathered from both schools.

”I don’t know what you are talking about.” Nakea spoke finally, some of the controlled anger breaking to his voice.

”What are you gonna do nakea and makea. break my ribs again?” sagiri seethed again. He could feel how much the two boys wanted to tear him into shreds but instead of getting scared he was getting more excited.

”Come on boys. Show everyone how strong you were in that dark corner.” His lip rose in a humorless smile. ”are you scared I’m going to tell senraki on you and you will perhaps lose a finger? a leg? a toe?” a laugh escaped his throat so malicious that those gathered around got chills.

”Shut up with the nonsense, new boy.” Makea said, trying to hide his panic.

”You wanna kill me, don’t you, So I won’t tell on you?” sagiri pushed. it was as if he wanted something to break and until it did he was not going to stop. he was not himself and he knew it but he loved whatever was wrong with him. It was like a fire was lighting up inside of him and he wanted to burn someone.