“Zmei’s policy on conquered territory is plain to see, particularly to us. Myerigrad is itself a more recent addition to the empire, after all…”
Ikhan’s pen rapped away at the notebook in front of him, scribing his notes as the professor’s voice echoed through the lecture hall. It was an average day as far as coursework was considered: History lectures through the morning, a break for lunch, then likely an afternoon spent conducting his own research in St. Myriak’s world-renowned archives.
Though it certainly didn’t feel normal. From an outsider’s perspective, this was Ikhan’s first time attending classes. In the two weeks since the curse had struck, he’d been disallowed from participating in the university’s normal activities for two reasons.
First was the university’s own reservations. Even though he seemed harmless, the mere mention of the Accursed was enough to strike concern in people, including the staff board. Even with Dr. Vellicent’s declaration that they were harmless, it seemed like they wanted to keep him at arm’s length as much as they could.
Second was the need to come up with a cover story. The university’s stipulation that they had to keep being Accursed under wraps was logically sound, but it was still no mean feat to explain that one person had vanished and two had taken his place. It was a stroke of good fortune in this case that Ishmael hadn’t been close to anybody. It was likely nobody out of the know would miss him.
Thinking about it like that certainly didn’t make it feel like a stroke of good fortune, Ikhan noted glumly.
Either way, he and his twin were now enrolled as Ikhan and Seda Rahmet. Ishmael Rabin had been cited as having to return home due to a family emergency, returning on the same merchant caravan that had borne the twins. No relation between the two. At least, that was the cover story they’d set up. Thus far, nobody had questioned it.
“...Most notable of Myriak-Zmei’s demands was the stamping out of various minor spirits, as the presence of the Hearth Spirit was a central tenet…”
Ah. He was getting distracted. Not that he blamed himself, but knowledge was about all he had left. Ikhan’s pen found its way back to the notebook, scribbling even more furiously than before.
--
About an hour later, the outer bell tolled, and the professor looked up, his face creased in a slight frown. “That hour already? Well, we’ve made good progress today. You may leave, unless you have other business to attend to.”
There was a flurry of noise and movement as students rocketed out of their seats, excited to fill their bellies and get some movement in. Ikhan stood up as well, but after taking a moment to scoop up his notebook, he instead slunk down towards the front of the class. “Other business”, the professor had said, but Ikhan understood his intent.
As Ikhan approached, the professor turned to greet him with an outstretched hand. Ikhan took it cautiously, and they shared a firm handshake. “Ikhan Rahmet, correct?” He said, putting on a small smile. No doubt an attempt to be disarming. “How are you adjusting to your new situation?”
Ikhan looked him up and down, piercing golden eyes flickering with understanding. Professor Rosha Kamenev stood head and shoulders above Ikhan, head full of blonde hair that was inexorably fading to white. A pair of heavy glasses framed dark eyes that glimmered with the wisdom that only came with age.
The stories of Professor Rosha abounded: The head of the University’s history department, a Zmeivan army veteran as famously unyielding as the stone St. Myriak’s was built from.
He was also one of the main advocates for Ikhan and Seda among the Board of Directors, as Dr. Vellicent had informed them while they were considering how best to re-enroll. Which predictably led to him becoming the one in charge of keeping an eye on them. Needless to say, he was aware of everything. Ikhan nodded quietly in response to the question. “Passably.”
“That’s good to hear. I understand I’ll be seeing your sister in tonight’s class?”
“Yes.” Ikhan and Seda had agreed to sign up for separate sections, so as to draw less attention to each other. Not to mention having each other buzzing in the other’s brain was distracting while trying to take notes. “Is that all, sir?”
“Almost.”
Rosha placed a rough hand on Ikhan’s shoulder, causing the young man to flinch slightly with the sting. “I’d like a chance to speak with you and your sister properly, but I’ll make this brief. I have nothing but respect for your travels and your goals, which is why I stepped in to protect your right to remain. So long as you honor that desire, and respect this place, I will protect you.”
“Understood?”
Ikhan nodded mutely. He understood the professor’s desire…and also the veiled threat underneath. If he ever reneged on the university, Rosha would be the first to have his head.
Rosha smiled, more genuinely this time. “Wonderful!” He released his grip on Ikhan. “In that case, if you have any problems or issues, please don’t hesitate to inform me. I will do my utmost to assist you.”
Ikhan managed a small smile, though he felt it was forced. “Thank you.”
“Not at all. A seeker of knowledge is a friend of mine. Now go eat your lunch, young man.”
Ikhan nodded again, moving past Rosha towards the door. As he did, he heard the shuffling of jackets and pockets behind him, and Rosha mumbling, “Now where the hell did I put that rubric…”
Being a professor sounded difficult.
--
St. Myriak’s cafeteria could best be described as “archaic”. Supposedly modified from the great mess hall of the former castle, it still boasted the same bleak stone walls and hardwood benches of ages past. The only truly new additions were of the various colorful banners laid out around the walls, a desperate attempt at getting some color into the room.
At least the kitchens next door seemed to be sufficiently modernized. The food was distinctly inoffensive, at least by Ikhan’s reckoning. Though, he’d been told his standards for food were rather low in the past.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
As he went about filling his plate with the kitchen’s offerings, Ikhan kept his golden eyes focused on the tables, scanning for his sister. They’d taken to using lunchtime as an excuse to meet up, just to check in.
Eventually he picked out somebody he knew from the crowd, though it wasn’t Seda. Amelie’s pink hair made it laughably easy to pick her out of a crowd, a feature he was starting to suspect was on purpose. He knew she disliked the cafeteria, though, so she had to be here for a reason.
Maybe a Seda-shaped reason.
Ikhan hoisted his tray of various garden vegetables and a hunk of lamb and made his way over to where he saw Amelie. Sure enough, Seda was seated beside her, picking at her own bit of lamb. Amelie had nothing in front of her. “Morning,” Ikhan muttered as he slipped into the table across from them.
“Morning!” Amelie declared, raising a hand in greeting. “We just sat down ourselves. Class done, then?”
“Yes,” Ikhan said, beginning to pick apart his lamb.
“Professor Rosha give you any trouble?”
“He was…stern, but fair. No different than before.”
Amelie gave him a look. “Sounds right for him. More importantly, you’re speaking a lot better these days. Adapting to the curse, are you?”
Ikhan shrugged. “Perhaps.”
Was he speaking better? He felt like he’d just start using smaller sentences to get around the speech impediment. Not like he could trust his traitorous throat to stay willing to speak for him. “Is Seda?”
Seda shook her head. “I’ll get it…eventually.” Ikhan could feel her frustration in his mind.
“Maybe you can give your sister some lessons,” Amelie teased.
This only made Seda shake her head more. “It’s hard to learn when…we’re together.” Ikhan nodded. Even if they’d started getting independence down while together, it was still hard to think with another consciousness buzzing around in your brain.
“Mmm…If you say so,” Amelie said. Clearly, she wasn’t convinced.
There were a couple moments of silence, as the twins worked through their meal and Amelie flipped through her notes. It was a musical notebook, Ikhan noted, each page filled with bar staves and crammed full of what he could only assume were melodies. After a finishing a bite, Seda spoke up. “Was class…difficult?”
“Not particularly,” Ikhan replied. He knew this dance. Talking to each other was one of Dr. Vellicent’s proposed exercises for making the two of them more independent. It made sense, for certain; Ikhan just wished they were better at small talk. “The history of Myerigrad and Zmei’s conquest.”
Seda nodded. “Did you take…notes?”
“I did. Would you like to see?”
“Yes, please.”
Ikhan nodded, fishing through his bag as he considered. Now that he was paying attention, it did feel like he was speaking better than Seda these days. Was this a concern? He’d have to ask the doctor tomorrow. Either way, he pulled out his notebook, flipping it open to the relevant page. “Here.”
“Thank you.”
Seda reached over and gingerly took the notebook, giving Ikhan a thankful look. Both of them knew the importance of good notes, and neither wanted to cause an issue for the other. Amelie looked over Seda’s shoulder, cocking her head at the contents. “Is this Southlander script?”
“It is,” Ikhan said. “Have you seen it before?”
“I have, yeah, but not this particular type.” Amelie leaned in, leading to Seda moving her head a bit to the side. “Where in the Southlands are you from, anyway?”
“...Trokia,” Seda replied.
“Trokia…That’s one of the Southland Spirit States, right? What’s it like?”
“Hot,” Seda answered.
“Arid,” Ikhan answered.
Amelie rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. Anything more than that? What’s the Spirit like?”
“...Hmm.” Ikhan looked at her thoughtfully. “Her name is Masika, Lady of the Oasis. She protects and nurtures the Sand Lake, the only thing that has kept the people of Trokia standing through the ages.” After a moment, he added, “Our older sister…serves as one of her attendants.”
“Wait, seriously?” Amelie’s eyes widened. “Like, an Avatar kind of attendant?”
Seda shook her head. “No…not in that sense. Just…a caretaker.”
“...I see.” The glint in Amelie’s eyes died down, and she returned to her spot on the bench. “Any other siblings?”
“A…younger brother,” Seda muttered, leaning in to start flipping through her twin’s notebook.
“Oh, so you’re middle children?” The corner of Amelie’s mouth quirked upward. “I could’ve guessed that.”
Ikhan blinked. “What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, it’s just a vibe,” Amelie replied. “I’m an eldest child myself, I can tell these things.”
“...If you say so.”
“Hey, it’s true!”
“Then what are your siblings like?”
“That’s a secret!”
“...” Ikhan sighed. “You’re incomprehensible.”
“Thank you, I try!”
“You do a great job of it,” came a voice from the side. Mellick swept in on the other side of Seda, putting down his own tray of food. “It’s been two weeks, and I still can’t tell when you’re joking or not.”
“Seriously? I took you as the type who could easily tell that kind of thing, Mel.”
“I mean, I usually can. It’s just you. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were joking the whole time.”
“Well, that’s just rude!”
Seda sunk deeper into the notebook, trying to ignore the banter happening on either side of her. Ikhan frowned. The animosity from the first couple of days had never really dissipated between the two of them. He was getting a bit tired of it, truth be told, and their connection told him Seda felt the same. He cleared his throat. “Mellick.”
Mellick turned to Ikhan immediately, a grateful expression on his face. “Yeah?”
“You’re late.”
“Only a little,” Mellick said, only a little defensively. “Had to show a new resident to their room.”
“A new resident?” Amelie said, arching an eyebrow. “Weird time to show up. What’re they like?”
“They’re…I’d call them colorful,” Mellick replied. “If half the things they talked about are true, I’m sure you’ll all hear about them within a week.”
Ikhan blinked. “Colorful?”
“Like I said, if they’re truthful, you’ll hear about it eventually. I’m not about to spread rumors.” Mellick dug into his lunch.
“If you say so.”
The rest of lunch passed uneventfully, with only small talk and a few more snippy comments thrown over Seda’s head. Ikhan was glad for the respite, frankly. He and Seda had been practicing conversation, but isolation was an exhausting habit to break.
After the twins slowly cleared their plates, Ikhan stood up. “I’m going to the library,” he declared quietly.
“Business as usual, eh?” Mellick said, giving him a warm smile between bites of his food. “Hope you find what you’re looking for.”
Amelie stood up as well, stretching in a way that reminded Ikhan of a cat. “I’m gonna head back to the room, too,” she announced. “Gotta get back to work. You coming, Seda?”
“I’m still…reading,” Seda muttered. “Ikhan, can I…keep the notebook?”
“Return it at dinner,” Ikhan answered with a nod.
“...Thank you.”
“Of course.” What were siblings for, Ikhan almost added, but the phrase caught in his throat. Damned thing.
“I’ll stay here for a bit as well,” Mellick added. “Gotta finish this meal.”
“You enjoy that,” Amelie said, earning her a sidelong glance from Mellick. She shrugged in response; Mellick looked as though he was about to reply, but thought better of it.
Ikhan took the opportunity to give the other three a nod before heading off. Another afternoon at the library meant another day of searching, but the thought gave him more comfort than anything. Being on a schedule again might annoy some, but for Ikhan it was nothing less than a blessing. Research and study was his comfort zone, after all.
It was just nice to have some direction again.