Part I of the "MEETING IN THE MOUNTAINS" arc:
Bright light speared through Spencer's eyelids. He groaned, rubbing his eyes. His head pounded as though it was a nail being hammered into a plank of wood. He was in a bed, the sheets, pulled tight over him, the smell of lavender perfume drifting up his nose.
His mum would be downstairs cooking breakfast. He smiled at the thought of sizzling bacon and sausages ready to be stuffed inside a plump bread roll. His mum always made the best breakfasts.
A hand touched his shoulder and shook him. He groaned and rolled over. The bed was so warm and lovely - did he really need to get up?
The hand persisted, shaking him rougher this time. 'Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead. Aww, did the little baby-boo get a good night's rest.' While certainly a woman's voice, the voice was definitely not his mother's. Spencer shuddered.
He opened his eyes and saw a face just inches away from his own. 'Argh!!!' He recoiled, smacking his head against the backboard. His hand brushed his forehead, moving across the wound - now clean, dry, and painless - inflicted on his forehead by a vicious flying kick just yesterday. And then it all came rushing back to him: Sensei Akira, the test, Pulsar Hold, Noruhito Academy...
"Welcome, Spencer Jackson, to Noruhito Academy..." He froze. I did it?
He looked at the stranger, blinking for a few seconds.
'What's the matter?' she asked. 'You're not going to faint again, are you? I could do without that.'
He gasped. 'Who - who are you?' The words came out as little more than a ragged whisper. Speaking made his throat sore.
She smiled a dazzling smile, tucking strands of red hair behind her ear. Her hair gleamed like a raging fire, lit by the glow of the sunlight as it filtered through the open doorway behind her. She was dressed in a black kimono. She wore an orange sash. The fierce look in her eyes and the bulkiness of her frame told Spencer she was definitely a fighter. Whether she was a good fighter, though, remained to be seen.
'I'm Lois. Lois Vixen,' she replied. 'Second-year trainee at Noruhito Academy. Master Dejarum sent me to see if you'd come around. You had quite a fight, from what I hear. They say you repelled Sensei Akira's Pulsar Hold?'
Spencer nodded stiffly, futilely trying to, with his hands, smooth his black locks in attempt to look somewhat less unkempt. His hair seemed to have a mind of its own, battling his every attempt. He frowned. 'I thought everyone had to do that, beat Akira's Pulsar Hold, I mean?'
'Is that what Akira told you?' She chuckled. 'He always does the "Pulsar Hold test" on the new recruits. Does it to haze out those who aren't committed to the ways of the Khai sorcerers. It works too: so much so that, of your group, you were the only one accepted into the Academy.'
Spencer sighed, feeling a pang at the thought of his classmates who had failed to get in to the Academy. There would be no more of Thom's offensive jokes or Karen's pettiness and melodrama. No more of Kai-Lee's random dances, nor Fernandez's rants about Barcelona and Real Madrid. Spencer rolled his eyes. Tjose football rants tended to get boring very quickly.
But still, despite that, he knew he'd miss them. They'd spent a lot of time together those last three months, and between them, had forged many tight bonds.
'Evidently,' Lois continued. 'you're very committed to joining the Academy - perhaps a little too committed. Committed enough that you, without knowing any counter-chi* spells, decided to remove a minimised pulsar using only pure will and strength. No wonder you're so exhausted.'
She laughed. Her laugh was a beautiful sound, a sound distinctly imbued with happiness - much like birdsong. Spencer couldn't help but smile. The angelic scent of her lavender perfume drifted up his nose. He looked into her hazel-brown eyes, at the golden flecks that dotted her irises, trying his best to memorise them, though it was an impossible task.
Her freckled cheeks went bright-pink. 'Erm, so, you were the first non-student to ever break free of Akira's Pulsar Hold. The whole place is buzzing with the news. Some say Akira's lost his touch. Others say that you might just be something special. You are, after all, the only one of Akira's students he passed this time around. Even Master Dejarum - hero-warrior as he is - couldn't get in the Academy through Akira and had to go through another trainer.'
Spencer sighed. He didn't know how to feel about that. A bunch of strangers, people he'd never heard of never mind met, were already singing his praises. And even if he was "special" as Lois said - impossible as it was - that was not a burden he wanted to bear. Especially after what Akira had told him of those Khai sorcerers with high potential.
"Those with high potential are unlikely to make it through even the Basic Trial,' he had said. "Those with high potential, though they can go on to be masters of the Khai magics, struggle immensely in learning the basics. While a low-potential recruit will learn quickly and make significant improvements early on, they will struggle with more advanced spells. High-potential recruits are the opposite. This can make many frustrated, hence why so many do not pass the Basic Trial**."
Spencer gulped. I wish I'm not a high-potential recruit. All I want to do is learn the basics of Khai sorcery so I can protect my family, so nothing like what happened to my father happens to my mum or my siblings. I want to go home as soon as possible. Mum is missing me, I'm sure of it.
'What happened to Akira?' Spencer asked.
Lois shrugged. 'Same as you, though he was only unconscious for about an hour. He's trained in Khai for decades and can quickly recover lost energy,' she explained. 'Now, anyway, how about a spot of breakfast? You look at bit peaky.'
Spencer raised his brows. ' "Peaky"? Who's looking "peaky"?'
'I'm only saying,' she replied. 'Dejarum ordered me to look after you. And if the Hero of the Gladden Field orders you to do something, you make sure you cover all bases.'
'I don't need looking after,' Spencer muttered, getting out of bed. He shook violently, then his legs gave way. He was caught by Lois before he could hit the ground - though he came worryingly close.
She kept him at arms-length as she caught him and crinkled her nose. 'Gosh, get some pants on, would you? I swear - it's like I'm working in a care home!'
Spencer frowned at her, incredulity scrawled over his features. He shivered, feeling a cold breeze rush between his legs. He froze. His eyes widened and he looked down.
Sure enough, he was naked. In front of a girl. In front of a very pretty girl.
Cheeks burning as if magma coursed beneath the skin, he sprang onto his bed like a springbok, burying himself in the sheets. His body tingled all over, and his heart raced. He poked his head through the sheets to see Lois watching him closely, hands on her hips.
'You going to hide in there all day, or what?'
'Yes,' he answered, his voice muffled by the mountain of bedding he was nestled inside. 'I think I will.'
'Oh, stop being a baby. Come on. Breakfast will be finishing soon, and if you make me miss breakfast two days in a row, I'll punch you.'
The look in her eye told him her threat was likely a viable one - and one he didn't want to be on the wrong side of.
After Lois had agreed to turn away, Spencer got out of the bedding. His clothes were neatly folded on a stone countertop next to the bed: a black kimono like Lois's, though he had no sash. He pulled it on, wrapping it around himself. Floorboards creaking underfoot, they passed through the open doorway and into the meadow outside, cast alight by the sun's golden light.
The meadow, set on the mountainside, was encircled by a ring of dark trees. Spencer's eyes rose, following the slope of the mountain up until the trees disappeared from sight behind a grey mist. Through the mist was visible a white sparkle: the mountain's snow-capped peak.
No mist hung over the meadow, allowing the sun to blaze brightly over the grass and down their backs. After just a few seconds, Spencer was already sweating. The smell of pollen, mixed with cool mountain air and the residual dampness of the mist left a peculiar but refreshing scent in his nostrils.
'You look good,' said Lois as they pushed through the waist-high grass, the sound of rustling leaves echoing all around them. 'Once you get your sash, you'll look even better.'
Spencer smiled, adjusting his uniform. 'Definitely. What does your orange sash mean?'
'I've passed the Glittering Trial,' she answered. 'It's the last of the first-year trials. I have the Humming Trial coming up soon - the first of the second-year trials. You'll get your first sash once you make it past the Basic Trial.'
'How were the first-year trials?'
She shrugged. 'I passed. That's all that matters for the first year. It's not until the Humming Trial when they introduce gradings. I'm a little nervous about it, being honest.'
'I'm sure you'll do well.'
She shook her head. 'I barely passed the first-year trials. Going to be a struggle this year, no matter how much private tutoring I arrange with Maestro Roblin.'
Spencer didn't reply. His mind wandered to thoughts of what Akira had said about high-potential Khai sorcerers, and he wondered if - potentially - Lois could be one of those.
Or she could just be very bad...Not like I'm experienced enough to know the difference anyway...
As they walked, Lois pointed out a small, wooden shack hidden amongst the dark trees. 'That's where breakfast is. Once we're done there, we'll go up the mountain to the keep. Come on. I really don't want to be missing breakfast.'
They jogged through the grass and through the dark trees, climbing the steps up to the decking of the wooden shack. Lanterns hung from the shack's overhanging roof, gleaming bright yellow, like miniature stars - like minimised pulsars. Spencer repressed shudder at the memory of yesterday's battle, the memory of fatigue slowly creeping into his muscles.
They stepped inside and the smell of sizzling sausages struck them full in the face. Spencer smiled. At least their breakfast in the mountains would be good if it was half as good as it smelled. The room was mostly empty, with precious little chatter. All the people in there wore black, sash-less kimonos.
'This is the first-years' mountain hub,' Lois explained as they walked inside. 'These will be your classmates.'
Spencer nodded, casting a look about the room as Lois led him to a table in the corner. His eyes caught sight of a bulky, squarish hulk sat at a table with another first-year. The hulk had round cheeks, blonde hair, and a glare so smouldering Spencer reckoned it could melt stone. He looked considerably older than Spencer, sporting a full goatee and several creases in his face.
The other first-year he was sat with - a girl - was very much the opposite. She was slender and lean - an almost direct contrast to Lois' buff frame - with jet-black hair running down to the small of her back. Her eyes were blue and alight with an airy sweetness. She kept chattering excitedly to the hulking man, who every so often, would reply with a grunt of his own.
As the hulking man fixed him with a glare, Spencer hastily turned away. He sat down beside Lois at the table, and after ordering, leant back against the wall of the cafeteria.
Lois smiled. 'So, what made you join the Noruhito Academy? No one's just hit with a fancy to go and train to be a Khai sorcerer.'
'My granddad was a Khai sorcerer,' Spencer began. 'He tried teaching my dad, but he wouldn't listen. My dad was killed by a Qualm, out in the woods, not that I saw it happen that was. My grandfather had taught me the signs of a Qualm attack, and I recognised them instantly. Most obvious, of course, was the emblem of the Five-Pointed Star on my father's forehead.'
He shuddered as the image flashed before his eyes of his dad's pale face, lying still amid the foliage, adorned with the Qualms' emblem. 'He died because he couldn't protect himself from them. So my granddad and I made a plan to send me to Noruhito so I could protect my mum and my siblings. We left Mum a note, explaining we had gone off to the Academy, and left on a flight to Nepal in the middle of the night.'
'You must be eager to get back home,' Lois surmised.
He nodded. 'I haven't been back for three months. All I want is to have a basic standard of training so I can protect my family.'
'That's very noble of you,' came a snide voice from behind.
Spencer turned to see the blonde-haired hulk and the slender girl - who looked especially tiny stood next to him, like an ant stood beside an elephant. The blonde-haired man's eyes were narrowed. 'Are you the one they talk about? The student who beat Sensei Akira?'
Spencer frowned and nodded slowly.
The blonde-haired man's eyes narrowed to slits. 'I'm Toby Matthews.' He didn't offer a hand to shake. 'I'm the best in this class, the strongest of the first-years. I can respect you - you're strong, that much is certain - but if you challenge me, I won't hesitate to put all my strength on you and take you down.'
'Toby!' the small girl exclaimed, smacking the blonde-haired man on the shoulder. 'Stop being an arrogant brat!' She turned to Spencer. 'I apologise for my brother. He can be...difficult...'
Spencer smiled. 'It's no problem.'
'Like I was saying,' Toby continued, ruffling his blonde hair and pushing his sister to one side. 'I respect your strength. I respect those who are strong. That's why I'll make you this offer: if you need anything, come to me. I'll be sure to sort it out. But if you challenge me, ever, then all decorum goes out the window.' And with that, the pair left, heading out the door of the shack.
'That Toby is a strange man,' Lois murmured. 'And his sister, Riley, though she seems fairly normal at first glance, is even weirder.'
Spencer nodded. 'Yes,' he concurred.
Breakfast arrived shortly after, and as he dove into his plate of steaming sausages - fresh from the local town of Oktara, as Lois told him - Spencer smiled. I did it, Granddad. I made it into Noruhito Academy!
He let the endorphins buzz down his nerves and electrify his body. He was practically beaming now, like a star bursting through a supernova.
Lois looked up at him and grinned. 'What?'
'I'm just glad I made it in,' he explained. 'I'm just glad I made it into Noruhito Academy...'
*every spell strain has its own set of counterspells. For the Pulsar strain, these are the counter-chi spells. At present, Spencer only knows the Pulsar Hold spell and a few other less powerful non-combat spells.
**the Basic Trial is the first of the five Noruhito Trials. In the first two years of training, trainees must pass two trials each year to proceed. In the third year, they must only complete one: the Trial of Reckoning.
So, I know they haven't had a huge presence so far, but what are you guys' impressions of the Khai sorcerers introduced in this chapter (Lois and the Matthews siblings)? Are they characters you think could be interesting, or do they still need something to spice them up?
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