A few hundred miles to the South of the city of Barrier Hills, across the mountain range and beyond the uninhabited regions with overlapping dimensional activities were the forests of Jade Forest. Within Jade Forest, in s small township of Nashto, where ariel monitoring would have been impossible because of the thick canopies, Nyla managed to find an open ground. It was semi-circular at its perimeter, stretching for about a hundred meters or so.
Manipulating earth was unlike the other forms of elemental manipulation. It required physical strength, which Nyla certainly did not lack in. Bolstering around almost six feet, Nyla was tall and athletic, and was physically stronger than most of the people her age. But, just like the other elements, the manipulation of earth required strength of mind as well. For Nyla, the stronger the mind, the bigger the boulder that one can pick up.
Nyla's fingers shook with pain as she tried to crunch the earth beneath her. She could feel the sweat trickling down her temples and spine as the earth failed to mould for her. The ground shook slightly and with that she lost her balance and collapsed on to it. Sighing, she wiped up the sweat on her sleeves and got up to walk towards the thick trees.
Today, she had received her acceptance letter from the Academe de Elementals, one of the three most prestigious schools in all of Rahas, where the trained the students to become Seraphs, officers who maintained the sanctity of each dimension connected by the Jiva Sphaera.
Every year, the IDC Training Department would visit each city of Rahas and Silver Cadin would measure the value of a person's aura, their sumira. If their sumira was above thirty percent, then they would be a second level Tetra, allowing them to join the Academe.
Earning a place in the Academe was merely the first step—graduating and rising as a Seraph was a trial all its own. For some they would have to train for years to actually become a Seraph while a few rare ones would immediately be enlisted to be a part of the Inter-Dimensional Committee.
She walked through the narrow pathway back to her home, avoiding the small spots of sunlight on the ground, skipping playfully from near the edges of one to the next. She was not able to understand how a Silver Cadin was able to measure the sumira, nor was she able to understand why the Silver Cadin thought she was Quinque, a level above Tetra. She was the only one who was able to get in for the current cycle of enrollment.
At a distance, Nyla spotted the dim lights of the iron lamp, clattering to make way for a busier pathway. Vehicles of any kind, be it land or air, were exceedingly rare to find in these parts of Jade Forest, most people preferred their Mai forms to transport themselves to different regions. But in the bigger cities or the ones where buildings were metal was used to build buildings, they would have the occasional rovers that move on the land. But here in her small town, everyone used bridges, bridges that entwined from one tree to another, strong enough to hold the rovers that were driven on the ground. Moreover, it would be very hard to construct roads around the giant roots that buttressed against the trees on the surface.
Civilization began to appear with children playing in the streets and one storeyed house, built around the huge thick trunks of trees. Soon, enough she spotted her own house, with a large porch outside, where her mother walked about carrying dried pieces of fish and other small ferrets.
'You are back, shima.' Her mother said, as soon as she saw her. She was with her thin long drying sticks and wood, trying to build a fire in the pit at centre of the porch. There were on the small slabs around the perimeter of the pit, on which the runic script of the Golden Cadins were written. Nyla went over to the pit and kneeled down and traced her hands on the small slab.
The fire jumped up immediately.
'You left early. Was the day spent wisely?' Her mother asked.
Nyla looked at her mother. 'I have completed whatever I had needed to complete. I was not able to make further progress, ama.'
She smiled at her daughter sadly. 'When the time is right, the spirit of the wild will flow through you.'
Nyla nodded sadly.
'Come, sit here and help me dry these weasels.'
Her mother slid to the side allowing Nyla to sit. She sat down, crossing her legs and then picked up the long thin bamboo.
The meat had already been prepared by her mother, by soaking it in a solution of salt, herbs and spices. The smoke was also lit, with a strong and fragrant flowery smell of rosewood. Nyla started poking the ends of well-skinned ferret with the drying stick.
'Tokala asked for you, dear.' Her mother said, glancing at Nyla knowingly.
Nyla put down the meat and the stick and turned towards her mother.
'I am sorry, dear, but he seems quite ardent.' She said. 'He does care for you.'
'I know. He is a good friend.'
'But something prevents you from trusting him.' Her mother answered for her.
'My friends have not treated me the same after the officials came for the admittance to the Academe.' Nyla replied. 'There is suspicion in their eyes.'
'I do not believe Tokala is like that.'
Nyla became silent. Over the past three months, none of the others had called onto her other than Tokala and Nyla did not like the fact that she felt she was distancing him from the others.
Her mother answered her thoughts. 'Talk to him, dear.'
Later that night, after their dinner, Nyla laid on her bed, trying not to let these thoughts get her sleep. The platform in her room inside the hollowed tree was raised allowing her get a clear view from the windows. She turned to the side, looking outside as her hands mindlessly wandered over the fur that covered her bed.
At a distance, she could spot the familiar silhouette of Tokala, walking through the uneven ground, almost effortlessly. He climbed up the branches easily and over onto the branches outside her bedroom, his muscles loosening itself, into its normal state. Tokala looked into window, his gleaming green eyes a stark contrast to his brown tanned skin. He smiled, his white teeth glistening against the night and Nyla shook her head. He pointed downwards and jumped of the branch. Nyla got up and scouted down onto the ground. Even though his face looked the same, it was not the same silhouette of the muscular man who had been pacing through the groves with an ease of a leapord a few moments ago. She got up and climbed up on the branch that was protruding from the trunk, next to her window, walking across it with a feline ease.
Then she jumped off it, causing it to shake lighted, somersaulting in the air and landed softly on her two feet. She crossed her arms and glared at Tokala. 'What is it, Tokala? Why are you calling me so late in the night?'
'It is hardly the so late in the night, Nyla.' He said with a smirk. 'I see, you have not slept.'
Nyla frowned. 'You still have not told me what it is that you needed, Tokala.'
Tokala said. 'I believe I know a way, to help you.'
Nyla frowned. She motioned him towards the porch, and he nodded. They silently walked towards it, stepping every so lightly on the creaky steps. As they sat down next to each, right where Nyla had dried the pieces of meat in the afternoon, Tokala spoke in hushed tone. 'It is not necessary that you need to leave for the Academe, Nyla.'
'Might I know, if this is the send off you want to give me?'
'No.' He said. ' I understand the need of it. I understand why you want believe you must go Academe. '
'I am going to the Academe, because I can.' She replied, in an angry and hushed manner. She did not want to wake her parents up, but she was irritated with Tokala. 'Pray, tell me, what other reason there might be?'
'It is because you believe to break your curse.' He said hurriedly. 'But believe me. The curse is not going to become undone just because you train harder.'
'First of all, my curse is my burden.' She angrily replied. 'And the need to break it, is also mine.'
He said. 'But dear Nyla, do not tell me that is not the main reason why you are going to the Academe.'
Nyla nose flared. 'It is not something you would understand, Tokala. Which is clearly what you have indicated right now.'
'All I am saying is that, you do not need to push yourself so hard for this.' He spoke, holding her hand. 'There are easier ways.'
She shook her head. 'The easier ways mean someone else will do it for me.'
'Yes, Nyla.' Tokala answered. 'I would do it for you.'
Nyla stepped back, leaving his hand but her green eyes softly accessing him. They stayed in silence for a moment. 'I do not know, if I could trust you.'
There was clear hurt in Tokala's eyes. 'Why?'
'All of you, Tsula, Atsili, Woya….all of you, have been different with me.' Nyla answered. 'Ever since the Academe enrollment.'
'Nyla, I want the best for you.' Tokala insisted.
'Somehow, I find it hard to believe.' She said and walked back in, leaving him outside.
She decided against climbing the tree and softly opened the door to her hollowed home. She was walking up the stairs, ever so lightly when her mother's silhouette appeared at the upper landing, her long dark green hair untied and her long coarse nightly gown, ruffled. The sunlight was just dimming the night, a deep blue slowly being replaced with lighter yet deeper one. Nyla couldn't see her expression clearly, but she knew it was of disappointment.
'I hope you spoke to him, honestly.' Her mother said, gravely.
Nyla stood upright and nodded.
'Nyla.' She heard her mother's voice soften.
'Ama, it is alright.' She answered.
She heard mother sigh. 'Alright, be ready tomorrow. We will start early.'
Nyla shoulders slumped as she heard her mother's door being shut. She walked back into her room and fell onto her bed, closing her eyes for the new day.
***
The sled skidded through the white snow eloquently but the blizzard made it almost impossible to see the thin little house at the end of the way. Almost on the border of the artic forest, a house stood, its walls made of thick white snow, easily holding against the heavy blizzard.
'You sure he stays here?' The driver asked his rider.
General Lajos nodded. He had not been a General for several years, but he hated how he had to do his job even now.
'You sure? Such a powerful person could have found a house right in the middle of the city.'
'He is young.' General Lajos replied and with an afterthought added, 'and a recluse.'
'How much of a recluse can he be?'
General Lajos shook his head. 'You have no idea.'
The sledge paused a few yards away from the house and Lajos got out of it and waited, until a young man, or rather a boy walked out of the house with a few logs in his hand. He paused when he saw Lajos standing outside his house and with slumped shoulders, motioned him to come inside.
The inside of the house was mostly baren except for the chairs laid opposite to the fireplace. The boy placed the logs into the fireplace and brought out a matchstick. Lighting it, he turned to Lajos. 'What brings you here, General Lajos?'
'We may have some trouble brewing, Pacifico.' Lajos replied. 'I believe we trouble brewing in the Academe.'
Pacifico looked at Lajos, his expression a mixture of bored and confused. 'What is with the Academe?'
'There might be trouble.' He answered. 'I need you there. To control the situation.'
'Which is?'
'We have a new joinee.' Lajos replied. 'A young Na'ar.'
'And?'
'She got in, yesterday. The enrollment process was sometime ago, if you must know.'
Pacifico shook his head. 'Even then, she must have been at least a second level Quinque. She will not be permissible to attend without that.'
'Well, we know who has the good relations with the Silver Cadins.' Lajos replied. 'Moreover, Sadabrasi had called in and set up the interview through Shen.'
Pacifico's ear's perked up. 'Why would Aaliyah want someone in the Academe?'
'I do not know.' Lajos answered. 'There are two possibilities.'
'She knows something or she wants to stir up something.' Pacifico answered back. 'How long would I have to be there?'
'A year, or until we assess the situation.'
'Why wait for a year?'
'I want to be sure, Pacifico.' He replied. 'I need it to be inconspicuous. Nobody should know. And you look young enough to pass off as new joinee I know. We need to monitor her.'
'What is the use of monitoring a new joinee in the Academe, Sir?' He asked back. 'You should let me monitor that Cadin, Aaliyah.'
'What if she has answers to some of the questions we were searching for, Pacifico?'
Pacifico sat down on the wooden bench placed against the wall. 'Fine, but no more, after this?'
'I give you my word.' Lajos replied, raising his glass of brandy that Pacifico didn't notice he had poured for himself.
Pacifico paused for a moment and shook his head. 'And somehow I don't believe you.'