Chapter 12

Yuna, as she stared at their food for breakfast in front of her. It was composed of vegetables and fruits known to human men like leafy veggies, oranges, and apples. There were some slices of bread, but not a single piece of meat.

‘Maybe wild animals don’t exist here. What a rather menacing place to be stuck on where meat is not even cultivated.’ She closed her eyes as she sighed upon that thought.

She savored her food; it was quite bland and not properly seasoned but she was able to distinguish the taste of salt.

‘So they also know salt huh.’

Even if she was living alone in an apartment, she always indulged herself with tasty food, most especially meat and noodles. Diet wasn’t in her vocabulary but she was able to maintain her slim body with thorough exercise. Maintaining good health is every killer’s priority, ironic.

As Yuna silently eat her breakfast, together with Manasseh and Dale in the kitchen, she wondered where the others were. She meant, why were they eating alone in the kitchen and not at a proper dining table?

The clatter from the spoons to the plates lingered on the atmosphere. She wouldn’t want to ruin but…

“Geeh Mana, your food tasted like the wind.” Dale pursed his lips as he ridiculously looked at Manasseh beside him

Manasseh shot him a deadly glare, intrigued by the plan on  how she would even hurt Dale without making him cry.

“ugh, this was my first time cooking, okay? Since I always eat at the dining hall together with…” Manasseh stopped with a realization of what’s about to leave her mouth. Almost slipping her tongue out.

Yuna was right but the thought of causing someone to pull away from others for the sake of a company bothered her. She doesn’t want that.

“Hmm, how should explain this. This place is an Academy, after all, the dining hall will be crowded in any second by now.” Manasseh informed.

“Academy?” Yuna asked. No wonder the place was so big and isolated by the walls. Manasseh nodded in agreement and was about to reply when Dale meddled with a holler.

“Teacher Yuna, your hair is turning blue!” He pointed to her hair. He thought those blue strands of hers yesterday were permanent, but no, he just watched a white strand turned into blue.

Yuna combed her hair with her hand; she did not feel anything strange lately though.

“We should probably ask Zyair.” Manasseh suggested and in not less than a minute, Dale sauntered out of the room to find Zyair.

“That brat sucks,” Manasseh muttered as she watched the young Yuu’ni ran out of the room.

“You said this place is an Academy, and then you are a student.” Yuna assumed.

The thought of learning their tradition, culture, and magic intrigued her. She survived college and high school, a non-existent magic school would be nothing to her.

Funny.

An unpleasant look was plaster on Yuna's face after she just found herself fooling around. No way, she wouldn't dare to enter such a school.

“Well, not actually. Omri, I and everyone only came here for refuge after the war 31 years ago.” Manasseh replied. Her voice might not have shown it, her eyes have hints of sorrow. It was the first battle in history of Nevaeh and hopefully the last.

Yuna narrowed her eyes as a certain one’s death slipped on her mind.

“That was the time…I died.” Yuna slowly uttered, quite convinced that ‘she’ indeed died around that time. “How did I die?”

Manasseh kept silent while wearing that soft yet sad smile of hers. As if she wanted to remember everything that happened. She lost too much that her wound was not able to mend to a scar. It’s still fresh and slowly getting deeper and deeper. She wanted to cry but she just felt too numb to do so.

“In order to overthrow darkness, the light must shine throughout the world, Yuna. You made that possible with your pure soul.”

In other words, she was a sacrifice.

She figured out that much just by Manasseh’s abstract statement. She should let the past aside, it doesn’t matter for now.

The transient silence was then filled with Dale’s obstinate shouts from the outside.

“Here,” Dale retorted as he impatiently pulled Zyair’s sleeves. Yuna and Manasseh only watched them enter the room.

“My my,” Zyair grinned.

-

After a quick scan on Yuna’s appearance, Zyair finally thought of a conclusion.

“Hmm, seems like the light power or ‘iphram’ is beginning to fade away from you.” Zyair concluded and cupped his chin. “This must be the aftereffect of the ‘Severance’. Now that the power of Light wasn’t in your possession anymore, your body is beginning to change back to who you once were, a normal night sprite.”  

Which was very good news for her and to anyone, for the old Yuna will be at peace once more. She can roam around freely without everyone thinking that ‘Yuna’s’ back and alive. That’s what Zyair and Omri wanted to avoid, catching the Council’s attention.

And thankfully, with her disguise yesterday, it reduced the possibility of stirring up any commotion.

---or so they thought.

“Why don’t we continue our conversation yesterday, shall we?” Zyair happily smiled at the stunned Yuna. She has nothing to comment about his conclusion since this stuff was not even her nature. She needed to get used to this unbelievable stuffs as soon as possible.

 “Okay,” She replied. Nobody could see it but inside her, she’s quite excited about what she was about to learn from him. That’s their deal yesterday, after all, the exchanging of information.

They then left Manasseh for a while and strolled to an empty and elegant hallway. Stone pillars beside were standing two meters away from each other and the floor was painted with unique designs.

They strolled until they reached a spiral stair going up to a tower. As Zyair led the way, she glanced at the window to see the enchanting sight outside of the Academy.

Various creatures in their same black robes can be seen walking on the ground as they enter and leave the place. Magic tools like magic carpets and deformed stick brooms were flying everywhere together with their owners. Such a breathtaking scene, she did not see it coming.

After the silent journey, they finally reached a normal wooden door. So normal that no one would assume there’s nothing magical inside, well, that’s on human’s perception.

Zyair opened the door and entered as Yuna and Dale followed.

“Woah,” Dale awed from the wonderful sight.

Everything inside was ancient and less magic. Wall plastered with images, scripts, mathematics, and maps. The ceiling was sketched with specific constellations, stars, and signs unknown to her. Bookshelves smaller than of the library were full of glass bottles, scrolls, and books, perhaps containing more precise information than the books in the library, but what enticed her the most when her eyes wandered on the room was an object by the huge and open glass window balcony. Her longing of going home subsided as her face agape with happiness.

“Good riddance, a Telescope,” She murmured with bliss.