One – Rusts and Rocks (II)
After Chrys left in a hurry, Ingrid followed him. It was too dangerous for him to be out of the Academy. When Julian brought Chrys to them and told her what happened, her heart fell. Ryu was the only family Chrys had, and so she understands why Chrys was so eager to find him no matter what the cost would be.
Ingrid followed Chrys until she saw Julian Weller approach him. She wasn’t entirely sure if she could trust Julian Weller, so she continued following them.
She didn’t even make it to the gate when someone bumped into her.
“Sorry…” The boy seemed familiar to her. It was that new apprentice librarian.
“What are you in a hurry for?” She asked him.
“Ohh… I made a big mistake…” The boy said. “I was cleaning in the rare books section before I took my break, and…” The boy sounded scared.
“And what?” Ingrid asked. The boy only looked at her hesitantly, so she took out a golden band with the Norus Scholar Insignia; a silhouette of the main building of the Swyn Academy resting on an open book surrounded by musical notes.
“This is bad…” The boy sounded even more scared.
“Look, I’ll help you out. Tell me what happened.” Ingrid urged him. She already lost sight of Julian and Chrys, but she had a pretty good idea where Chrys would go. Besides, the rare books section of the library contained priceless collections that the Norus Scholars accumulated over the years, it was one of her duties to make sure that those valuable books would be protected.
“Well, I… I accidentally took this out.” The boy showed her a red leather clad book. By the looks of it, that book was very old and very rare. “I won’t get into trouble, would I? I mean, I didn’t mean to take it out. Please, I don’t want to get into trouble.” The boy pleaded.
The boy was almost crying, and Ingrid felt bad for him. He would surely lose his position if the head librarian finds out about it. Ingrid sighed. “Give it to me. I’ll return it.” She told him kindly. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what happened.” She told him.
“Thank you!” The boy said gleefully as he handed Ingrid the book.
No harm was done anyway. Ingrid thought. The book was returned, and the apprentice didn’t mean to take it out, there was no use in putting him into jeopardy.
After returning the book in the library in secret, Ingrid was summoned by Swyn Academy’s headmistress, Eleanor Rosenbloom.
“How can you just let him walk away? It’s still too dangerous for him to be out and about, Ingrid. The culprit hasn’t been caught yet…” Eleanor said as she sat patiently behind her desk. Being the headmistress of Swyn Academy, Eleanor was also the head of the Norus Scholars. She was an elegant woman and her appearance was enough to fool anyone into underestimating her.
“I know Chrys. No one could stop him once he decided to do something.” Ingrid replied.
“We must bring him back here, we must protect him.” Eleanor insisted.
“Chrys is a stubborn man, the more you force him to do something, the more he would go against it. We must gain his trust, instead.” Ingrid insisted. “He wants to find his dad, I know he’ll go back to their house, I’ll find him there. I’ll talk to him.”
“You must…” Eleanor was interrupted when the door of her office suddenly opened.
A young man of medium height with curly brown hair, caramel skin. And was wearing an extravagant outfit – a pair of pants and nothing but an open-chested vest, both made of high quality matte black fabric filled with intricate details made of real gold, and countless pieces of gold jewelry – walking inside. There was a unique sword hanging on his waist that had a bifurcated hilt made of wood with patterns that made it resemble an open mouth of a mythical creature.
Judging by his clothes alone, Ingrid was sure that the man belonged to the Myrouo Tribe.
The Four Gifted Clans of Vreios, unlike everybody else, can access the Power of Vreios directly without the need of a Regalia, instead they use part of their bodies as conduits; Norus Scholars use their lips and mouths, the Myrouo Tribe use their ears and nose, the knights of the Lygard Order use their eyes, and the Cyford Family use their limbs.
“Pardon my intrusion, I am Killan of Myrouo, son of Arwan…” The caramel skinned boy said.
“And what is the son of Myrouo Tribe’s chieftain doing out of Chranit Forest?” Eleanor asked in a calm demeanor.
“I am here for Chrys Tremil.” Killan replied.
While Eleanor kept her calm, Ingrid was struggling to do so. “Why? What do you want from him?” Ingrid asked.
“I was instructed by my father to escort him back to Chranit forest as soon as possible.” Killan replied. “The news about the attack on his family reached our realm and he is extending his interest in protecting Chrys.” Killan replied.
“The Myrouo Tribe offering to protect an outsider is unheard of.” Eleanor replied. “What is it that you’re really after?” She asked, quite in a hostile tone.
“The same could be asked of you. Why are you so keen on bringing Chrys back here at the Academy?” Killan replied. “I mean no disrespect, but if you haven’t caught the culprit yet, then Chrys is still in danger while he is here in Akasanlo.”
“How did you know all that?” Ingrid asked. “You used your Gift to eavesdrop on us?”
“It was not my intention, believe me. I was merely being careful. It’s my first time being in such an open city as Akasanlo.” Killan replied curtly.
“We appreciate your concern about Chrys, but the Norus Scholars can protect him.” Eleanor replied with conviction. “Chrys is to be brought back here at Swyn Academy at all cost.”
“Headmistress, I already told you,” Ingrid then turned her head to Killan. “and I’m sure you heard it,” she turned her head back to Eleanor “the more your force Chrys, the more he would rebel.” Ingrid pleaded. All she wanted was for Chrys to be safe, it doesn’t matter where he would be.
Suddenly, Killan turned his head to the side, looking at the window. “We’ll continue this discussion later.” There was a certain level of concern in Killan’s voice as he spoke. Without saying anything more, he turned around and walked out of Eleanor’s office.
Shortly after Killan left, Eleanor’s assistant came in. “Headmistress, an incident was reported downtown.”
“Ingrid, hurry, I have a feeling Chrys is involved.” Eleanor said as she stood up. “I’ll send reinforcements as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ingrid replied. She couldn’t help but wonder who in the world was brave enough to carry out an attack on the territory of the Norus Scholars.