‘Who are you?’ Yuriko thought furiously. She directed it to, well, her mind since she didn’t really know how else to address the voice. Given the fact that it had responded to her thoughts, maybe she didn’t really need to direct it anywhere.

She waited in silence while Master Alfein’s voice chattered in the background. She focused so hard on listening for the voice that she didn’t hear her adviser call her attention until something made Yuriko jerk her head sideways.

Thonk!

A glance behind her showed the piece of chalk that had been flung at her. The corner of Master Alfein’s eyes were twitching and she had a strange grin on her face.

“What has got you so occupied, Ms. Davar?”

Blinking in confusion, Yuriko glanced around her and saw the others giving her a sideways glance. “Er, my apologies Master Alfein, I’ve, uh, I’ve had some difficulty sleeping last night and got distracted.”

“I see.” Master Alfein’s eyes narrowed. “I hope you weren’t entertaining anyone.”

“Huh? No, not at all. Uhm, just some worries that kept me up. I apologise.” Yuriko stood and gave their instructor a deep bow.

“Oh, very well. Now, please pay attention…”

With a tired sigh, Yuriko tried to keep her focus on the instructor. The problem, she thought, was that Master Alfein spoke of concepts that were far too advanced for her comprehension. She sounded like she made sense, but more background reading was required.

‘Looks like I have to read more. Oh, Ancestors, help me!.’ Just the thought of having to slog through dozens if not hundreds of books made her want to give up. ‘Oh, wait, maybe, there’s a chance here.’ she mused.

She didn’t want to be in Sharom in the first place and the Elite class was even less of an issue. Well, it did allow her to save a hundred and twenty Sovereigns a week and she’d be provided a Zoi Elixir every three weeks. The Novice level Zoi Elixir wasn’t worth that much, but the higher level ones were worth ten times more than the previous level.

No, no, no, she still wanted less to do with Sharom than Agaza. How could she enact a transfer? Well, that entailed either more reading or asking awkward questions. Well, she’d have ample time. Still, she was sure she wouldn’t be allowed to transfer mid-term anyway.

The rest of the class was much the same. Master Alfein lectured and they listened. At the end of it, they were assigned to read the rest of the Treatise for the next three weeks. In the meantime, the class wouldn’t meet until then and they had the next couple of weeks free.

“I’ll be working on your custom meditation techniques,” Master Alfein announced. “After using the Cognizance Laboratory, we have the base data of your Heritage. The way you envision your Anima must match with the resonance meditation techniques. I’ll need to meet with each of you again to discuss your current methods. I’ll post a schedule on the board, please pick a time slot before you leave for your break. Well, that’s that, I’ll see you kids in class in three weeks.”

Master Alfein gathered her things, nodded goodbye and left without ceremony. Yuriko yawned into her fist, shook her head and gathered her things. She eyed the Treatise doubtfully. With Master Alfein’s words, she wondered if there was any use in reading the rest of it.

“Despite that, I think there’s merit to reading it,” Ella-Mai said when Yuriko brought it up. “Even erroneous knowledge is better than complete ignorance.”

“That’s true. Well, thanks for your opinion.”

Yuriko made her way to the corkboard at the back. The other kids were already there. When she finally made it in front of the paper, there were actually double the slots to the number of students. Yuriko picked the one on a Restday at the end of every week. Two hours after noon.

“Ms. Davar, would you consider joining us for lunch?” Emyr Kinnock, a tall lanky boy with dark brown skin and silver hair asked her, somewhat nervously.

“Join us instead,” Tatsuhiko Esras, a shorter lad with curly blue hair gathered in a topknot, asked. Beside him were Diya Esras, Korban Greenwood, and Nathan Slith.

Emyr glared at Tatsuhiko, while the other boy stared back blandly. Behind Emyr were the last two boys in class, Cole Whyte and Marcus Scott. Ella-Mai slowly walked over to Emyr’s side, giving Yuriko a somewhat unreadable look. The last member of the class, Anika Finley who had her blue hair cropped short at the back with the fringe framing her oval face, scurried away, or rather, tried to.

“Miss Finley, please,” Diya said, her voice had a husky quality to it.

“Er, I’d rather not,” Anika stuttered.

Diya frowned but did nothing but watch the other girl exit the room. Then they all looked at Yuriko.

“I’m afraid I have a prior commitment. Perhaps another time,” Yuriko said evenly.

“A pity.’

Gathering her things, Yuriko left the room, glancing back at them just as went through the door. The two Esras kids and Emyr were practically glaring at each other.

‘What’s that about?’ Yuriko thought as she made her way down the hallway. She was to have lunch with Krystal and Mikel at the Strip before they all headed to Agaza, so she really couldn’t have joined them, though if she had been free, Yuriko didn’t know if she would have accepted either invitation.

‘The Kinnock and Esras Clan were often at odds.’ That was what Master Alfein hinted at during the first day of class, now that Yuriko thought about it. Why though?

The Strip was a bunch of cafes and restaurants on the northern part of the Central Reserve and they had agreed to lunch at the Bistro Ilvain. When she arrived, it was almost bursting with the red and gold of Agaza and again, she stuck out like a sore thumb. Thankfully, her childhood friends had already secured a table.

“Miki, Krys!” She waved at them. The other two waved back and pointed at the empty seat on the table, probably the only one left on the entire ground floor.

“So, what’s bothering you?” Krystal said after Yuriko ordered her food. “You looked distracted all morning.”

“Well,” Yuriko scratched her chin, “I’ve, er, had some…oh, ancestors, I don’t know how to say it…”

“Just spit it out,” Mikel said while rolling his eyes. “It’s not going to get easier even if you hem and haw.” He blew over a spoonful of onion soup, stuck the tip of his tongue into the liquid, then sipped it up.

Yuriko’s lunch was a clear beef broth, strips of tender beef in a sandwich, and roasted baby potatoes slick with cream. She nibbled on the corner of her bread before she answered.

“I’m hearing voices.”

“Voices…?”

“Yeah.”

“What kind?”

“I’m not sure,” Yuriko said just loud enough for the two to hear. “I thought it was Fri’Avgi at first, but, it’s back at Faron’s Crossing.”

“That artefact greatsword was talking to you,” Krystal said in a flat tone.

Yuriko just stared back.

“Right, ancient artefact. Of course, it had a mind of its own,” Krystal muttered. “On the other hand, you did spend a bit more than a week in a coma, so…” She looked up at Yuriko with a frown. “When did you notice it begin?”

“I’m not sure,” Yuriko mused. “I only noticed that it was unusual last night, I think. Er…no, I’m not sure at all, except that, well, it feels different.”

“Maybe you should talk to someone?” Mikel interjected.

“Who?” Yuriko shook her head, “I think Leader Yoran had already left to return to the Watchtower, and I’m not comfortable talking about this to someone who’s basically a stranger…”

“How about Spellweaver Merill or Armsmaster Byrne?” Krystal asked with a thoughtful look, “Danika said that those two had arrived here at the same time as her batch did. And I think Armsmaster is getting something done with his arm. So they’re probably still here in the city.”

“Any idea where they are?” Yuriko asked, feeling a bit better now that she had a direction to go to.

“I don’t know. Why don’t we ask Danika? She would know which inn they stayed in since they arrived together. This is the term’s first Martial Sciences class and I’m pretty sure she’s in it.” Krystal answered.

“That’s true,” Yuriko nodded.

They finished the rest of their lunch and started on dessert: sliced bananas with sweet cream and wild berries. Normally, Yuriko would have lingered over the sweets, but even the burst of creamy sweetness in her mouth couldn’t take her mind off her troubles. She finished them off with a sigh and the three of them headed over to Agaza’s campus.

“The class is held at Acadia Hall,” Mikel said as they walked. “That’s northeast of Vinze Hall.”

“I know,” Yuriko said after a moment. “I wonder what it’s like.”

“It’s a big gymnasium,” Krystal muttered. “We did our morning physical training there because of the rain.”

“You think the class would be more PT?”

“I doubt it. Most of the attendees are Agazans. All of us do PT every morning, followed by a spate of Recovery meditation.”

“I’m already feeling the difference,” Mikel said ruefully. “It does a world of difference when we’re forced into doing it every day instead of you when you try to cajole us into it.”

“Hmmph! I’m only looking out for you!” Yuriko grumbled.

“And, you’re right,” Mikel sighed. “I haven’t worked out as hard during training as I ever have.” He shook his head. “Still, nothing quite motivates a man to train as when he had his life on the line and knew he was lacking.”

They went through Vinze Hall and emerged at Hedge Maze, where Agaza’s Elite Trials had been held a few weeks back. Yuriko felt a twinge of melancholy when she stepped on the circumferential road. The rain had weakened to a drizzle, with the sun shining through the thinner clouds. She kept the hood of her rain cloak up while they followed the path east.

Acadia Hall was a rectangular building about three storeys high. It had windows only on the upper half. The walls were painted white but there were reddish-grey fractal patterns painted every dozen paces or so. They entered through the southern entrance, along with a crowd of red-coated students with a smattering of black, brown, and a very few blue.

The students were crowded in front of a board with dozens of papers tacked on it. After a quick look, most of the red coats left down the hall while the other colours lingered.

“Here.” Krystal pointed at a sheet. It had Yuriko’s name on it along with a couple of dozen others. “We’re in the same class.” The label on top said Room 2A.

“Second floor,” Mikel added helpfully.

The two of them led Yuriko around the hallway and into a central region. The middle of Acadia Hall was a huge stadium that took up the entire height of the building. The floor was set up as a huge obstacle course and both of her childhood friends groaned when it came to view.

“Oh, Ancestors, not another physical test!” Krystal moaned.

“Looks fun, actually,” Yuriko said.

“Says you!”

Past the obstacle course, through a short hallway and up one flight of stairs, they arrived at a large classroom that was more than a hundred paces long. A gaggle of red-coated kids were already there, and Yuriko recognized the only other blue coat, Ella-Mai Wol. She was with a few other kids, those who were part of the posse of an Elite Agaza student, Gwendith Sharine.

“Yuri!” Heron called out from a corner of the room.

“Hello, Heron,” Yuriko nodded as he came up to them. He gave Mikel a cool smile and Krystal a wary one. Krys, for her part, gave back a toothy grin.

The room was bare of any furniture, though the sides had racks of different training gear. Yuriko noticed that the wooden weapons had the same runescript that was used to suppress Animus. They were identical to the ones used during the trials and were largely ineffective against her Golden Silhouette techniques.

‘Looks like I’ll have to tell the instructors after all,’ she thought to herself.

She didn't have to wait long before a group of instructors entered the room, along with nearly a dozen older Agaza students. Yuriko recognized two of the boys on the line, Kale Kinnock and Rorke Dinia who had been in the same Commuter Tram when she and her brother travelled to Rumiga City.

Instructor Gethen, a grey-haired man with dark eyes, led the group.

“Good afternoon students, to your first Martial Sciences class. Now, I see several cross academy students, and to you, I welcome you to Agaza, where what you’ll learn here will hopefully allow you to survive any danger you might encounter in the future. Now, we will begin with a general skills and fitness test…”

‘Were they doing this in uniform instead of training gear?’ Yuriko thought idly. Well, the coat was a forceweave, and the rest of the outfit was reasonably stretchy. Either way, she and the rest of the non-Agazans were segregated into the same group. There were about a dozen of them, two from Sharom, and about six from Aneurin. The other four were from Lunette. Instructor Gethen led them back down to the central obstacle course.

“Well, then,” he said gleefully, “now for some fun.”

Yuriko smiled brightly. This was honestly what she wanted all along.