Cain grunted and rolled out of bed, drowsily rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Staggering to the only other room in his small house he began to eat the left-overs from yesterday. His father had left at the crack of dawn without waking him.

Gotta get ready early today, only have about three hours until they start the first real class.

Looking into the small mirror that his father had managed to get at the market for just 30 copper, he sighed at the hazel eyes that stared back at him. Cain tousled his pitch black hair and put on his coarse clothing, unwashed from the day before.

Cain wasn’t overly small for a ten year old, but he was lithe. A strange feature for a small kid his age, but a useful one nonetheless.

"It let me get away from a couple beatings at least," Cain reflected regretfully. He was hoping that at some time in the future he would muscle up and look like his father. Instead, his underdeveloped features seemed sharp, but not in a

rugged way. Still handsome, although a child.

“Must have gotten it from my mother."

None of that mattered though, it was the main reason he wished he would fill his loose clothes. A select few trained warriors could fight companions that weren’t overly strong. He was sure his father could beat Jax. In his immature mindset, Cain forgot his dad was a fully grown adult who would be punished for physically touching a young child. Much less, for a cull.

A couple more minutes and he had gotten ready and walked out the door. Upon reaching the gates, he found a group of people travelling with wares they were obviously going to trade within Starsk. Donning his hood he walked behind them pretending to be a straggler.

It was illegal for non-citizens to enter the gates of the city. Once the guards found you inside without being confirmed at the gates, they would be brutal. Cain wasn't a foreign citizen, but he was always harassed at the gates nonetheless.

Adrenaline pumping as he pretended to catch up to the group in front of him. In fact wasn't very hard to get into the city seeing has he had been doing so for a while. Must be because of all the strong people in the city Cain thought.

As soon as he got past the inattentive guards, Cain changed directions to a side passage. Following the darker alley ways till he reached the border between the lower and upper district. Taking a deep breath he dipped out of the shadows and hurried on the edges of the streets.

Most upper class citizens were too self-involved or busy to even glance at the strange, dirty figure walking on their sides. The few strange glances he received made him change from a hunched stroll, to a brisk walk.

Θ Δ ∪ ∀Δ ΞΘ Δ ∪ ∀Δ ΞΘ Δ ∪ ∀Δ ΞΘ Δ ∪ ∀Δ ΞΘ Δ ∪ ∀Δ ΞΘ Δ ∪ ∀Δ ΞΘ Δ ∪ ∀Δ Ξ

Cain scrambled through the rafters of the extremely tall building. He had to climb an alarmingly fragile drainpipe to make it to the rooftops. Reaching the schools building, he climbed through fearlessly and discovered himself right above Jax.

Why don’t I join the top class? What do you think about that Jax, I don’t even have a companion and I can still participate in your stupid top class.

So he lay there upon a wooden rafter covered in dust, a rag around his nose and mouth, listening in rapt attention. Making sure he shifted small amounts of dust on the bully below him.

“Settle down students, settle.” The overweight lecturer with an oversized earthworm on his shoulder shouted. He began to lecture in a lower tone, looking down at his students from an elevated wooden podium.

“Yesterday we talked about the basic geography of the world, today we talk about the basic concepts of companionship. This is a top class, so all of you have great quality companions and can understand their obvious strength, but you have only released but a fraction of their potential.

In fact all of the companions you hold are unranked. They might be strong, but it is highly unlikely they could beat a ranked companion.” At this point the obese lecturer wiped the sweat rolling down his double chin and took a breath. A question rang out from the students.

Ohh, look Jax is asking a question, Cain thought as he looked down and observed.

“Sir, can you tell us about these rankings and how we can get a rank.”

The lecturer smiled, although with his chubby features it looked more like a grimace.

“Good question Jax. The basic stages start from; unranked, which all of you are, first stage, second stage all the way up to the ninth stage.

After that is a soul-mate stage, something I barely even understand. Beyond that, well, only the true experts can even think about. I myself and my Fire-Earthworm, Poe here, are at the second stage.”

The lectures’ face twisted into another pride filled smile.

“To graduate any basic Companion School, you have to at least be able to gather spirit power into your soul. But the Starsk Companion School recommends students to particular companion academies, depending on their ability. So study and train hard! ”

Another student asked a question; “What is spirit power sir, is that how we become ranked?”

Still breathing heavily the lecturer responded; “Indeed it is. An unranked companion-human pair, such as yourself, are yet to sense natural power and cannot break into the first stage. In fact a huge amount of people cannot sense natural power, even if they have immensely strong companions. To gain spirit power, one has to gather the natural power from the environment and convert to spirit power inside his or her soul.

For example The Starsk minister of finance has a legendary Fire Sphinx, but despite trying for over fifty years he hasn’t been able to sense natural power, hence, he never graduated companion school. Natural power is everywhere in the world, some-places are more dense than others, but all one has to do is gather it inside oneself to become powerful. From there the next step is to gain spirit power, meditation is the most popular method.”

Wow, is that all you have to do? Even I can do that.

A sharp ringing bell resounded throughout the class-room and the school grounds, making the students break out into conversations. Cain was so enraptured with the lecture he nearly fell of the perch he lay on in shock.

“Okay students, return in twenty minutes, don’t wander too far for the break,” the lecturer shouted over the clamour of the students who had already began to flood out of the room.

Θ Δ ∪ ∀Δ ΞΘ Δ ∪ ∀Δ ΞΘ Δ ∪ ∀Δ ΞΘ Δ ∪ ∀Δ ΞΘ Δ ∪ ∀Δ ΞΘ Δ ∪ ∀Δ ΞΘ Δ ∪ ∀Δ Ξ

Cain slowed his breathing and made sure he didn’t move.

I definitely can’t make any noises now, since there is no one in the room except for us

He had kept still on top of that same rafter for just under ten minutes, resisting scratching his nose or sneezing from the dust. The lecturer on the podium was shifting around in his seat, occasionally muttering.

On second glance, Cain noticed he seemed to be uncomfortable or nervous but he couldn’t tell at the distance he was at. Just as the lecturer began to mutter again he shot up straight out of his chair and bowed.

Cain crawled forward carefully, but couldn’t get a view of the figure in the doorway.

Someone that could get a second stage man to bow must be extremely strong or important.

“Have you notified everyone I have told you to leave the Starsk kingdom in two days Jerold,” the man spoke to the lecturer who Cain realise was called Jerold.

Jerold replied still bowing; “Yes, sir it has been taken care of.”

“Good, I will be leaving now. You will not be able to contact me. Make sure you – remove – any obstructions. Nothing can ruin the future, make sure the plans for the Annual March aren't disrupted”

“Of course sir. Salutè.” Jerold exclaimed while striking his chest with his hand. The man responded in like and left.

Just as the mysterious man left the bell sounded and children slowly started flooding back in. Cain was confused at what he had just overheard.

Leave the kingdom? Did that man just say to kill anyone who interfered?

There was a lot of questions revolving around Cain’s head and he hadn’t paid any attention to the lecturer who had already begun. He knew that so much happened in the intricate kingdom of Starsk than he would ever know. I don't even live in the city anyway, how would I know what they are talking about.

Cain was shocked out of his reverie after he heard the word cull. His stomach was in his mouth and his heart was beating loudly. Cain felt that if it was any louder everyone would look up to see what the disturbance was. He held his breath until he realised the lecturer, Jerold, was actually speaking of culls in general and hadn’t discovered him.

“Good question, although it is about culls. Can culls get a companion?” Cain’s heart which just calmed down began to beat faster.

“I am only going to spend a second on this topic since you aren’t culls and don’t need to worry about such unnecessary scum. Of course all of you know the dangers of the ‘dark expanse’, one of its many dangers are beasts. But do you know the origins of these beasts.”

All of the students shook their heads obediently, only the more academic of them still actually listening. However, to Cain perched above them, this was the most thrilling part of the entire lesson. He listened carefully as the lecturer continued.

“These beasts actually in fact originated from early times, thousands of years ago. When humans had no control over the strange existences known as a companion. Not having the same years and years of accumulated knowledge that we now have, they lost all control of their soul companions.

These wild companions escaped into the wilderness and became wild beasts. The beasts mated and produced more exotic and rare beasts. They became a part of the natural environment.

So one way for a cull to obtain a companion is taming one of these beasts. The cull must have a sufficient amount of spirit power to even try to subdue the beast.

Of course that is not the only way, it is rumoured that extraordinarily powerful companion-man pairs, nothing that we could even compare to, can create companions as well. However this is only here-say, regardless let’s get back on topic.”

Cain didn’t even listen after he heard that small amount of knowledge. Unbelievable, this is the best, the best! He could barely form coherent thoughts, as he started backing out of the rafters. Cain made sure he shook more dust onto the oblivious Jax below.

:)

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