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Early the next morning, Narvari was already awake doing her morning workout. An hour later, she was drenched in sweat. She quickly took her shower and changed into the new clothes Trixan had provided her. There was a knock on the door by 6:30 am while she was lying in her bed wondering what to do next. She raised a brow when she saw her visitor.
“Pheera.”
“Hi,” Pheera beamed. She wore a light blue mini-skirt and a white crop top that hugged her in all the right places. There was no doubt Pheera looked good in anything she wore. She held a red plastic bag. “May I come in?”
“Oh, sorry. Come in.” Narvari widened the door.
Pheera came in looking around curiously. Narvari stood behind her, watching her every move.
“How are you settling in so far?” Pheera finally looked at Narvari.
Narvari shrugged. “I’m not settled. I’m only staying for a few days until I decide to leave.”
“Or stay?” Pheera smiled, coming closer to Narvari.
Narvari retreated a few steps back, all the while holding Pheera’s intense gaze. “Who knows?”
Pheera halted, a small dimness in her eyes. Narvari couldn’t tell if the girl looked disappointed or hurt.
“Don’t be discouraged by how small your room is.” Suddenly Pheera’s interest was in everything but Narvari’s face. “This is only the Rookie Quarters.”
Narvari had been told that the Rookie Quarters was home to the rookies. Rookies were people who had awakened their savaz but were not yet trained to be vanquishers. Apparently, Narvari was a rookie. Who knew?
“I don’t mind this place. It’s great.”
Her room back home may be far larger than this place, but it was still as clean and charming. As a bonus, Narvari didn’t have a roommate.
“This is for you.” Pheera lifted the bag towards Narvari, but the distance between them was too big for Narvari to receive it. Pheera, however, refused to move an inch. Seeing that Pheera had no intention of getting closer, Narvari breached the gap between them and took the bag.
“What’s that?” Narvari opened the bag. There were white plastic containers packed inside. Even though the containers were sealed, the rich aroma of the food still permeated the air. Narvari had never smelt anything so divine.
“It’s rice garballs, mueri salad, and Freydian meat.”
“That is awesome.” Narvari nodded. Gazing intently into Pheera’s eyes, she added. Then she grinned. “I have no idea what those are.”
Her chest tightened at the sound of Pheera’s laugh. The happiness that radiated from the girl was contagious. Narvari laughed.
“You’ll love it,” said Pheera. “Trust me. Don’t worry about the name. It’s completely vegetarian.”
Narvari raised a brow. “How do you know I’m vegetarian?”
“Zemeron mentioned it.”
Zemeron? She never thought the robot actually listened when she talked.
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.” Narvari looked at the food silently.
“But?” Pheera asked.
Narvari paused. Did her face show that she had an objection? “It’s nothing. I just don’t eat this early, that’s all.”
“Well, you need your strength before we go.”
“Go? Where?”
“She didn’t tell you?”
“Who didn’t tell me what?”
“Trixan. She asked me to give you a tour of the school.”
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Did she?” She had not yet agreed to stay but Trixan was already giving her a tour of the school. Narvari sighed internally. That woman was relentless. “Alright then. But only if you agree to have breakfast with me.”
Pheera brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Are you sure about that?”
Narvari hesitated for a moment. Wait, had she just asked Pheera to have breakfast with her? What happened to staying as far away as possible from Pheera?
Crap.
She should never have asked Trixan about Pheera. It was no wonder the Elder had sent her here. But this was probably a good thing. It was the only way to learn more about Draghein School.
Narvari shrugged casually. “I don’t mind.”
Watching the smile slowly widen on Pheera’s face was like watching a sunrise.
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The tour with Pheera turned out to be more fun than Narvari had expected. There seemed to be no end to the sheer vastness of the school. It was like touring an entire city. The buildings had an ancient feel to them, as though they were built centuries ago. But they were charming and exquisite. The numerous trees added to the splendor of the school. Narvari could simply not stop gawking at everything.
They saw the Junior Quarters, where junior vanquishers like Yanvirrak and Pheera resided. Pheera promised to show Narvari her room later. Then they went to see the Senior Quarters, a massive fortress that served as the residence for senior vanquishers like Zemeron.
Then there was the Elder’s Residence. It was a relatively smaller manor compared to the other quarters but it was easily the most impressive building in the school. After seeing Trixan’s incredible office, Narvari was not surprised to see how magnificent Trixan’s residence was. This school must be really wealthy.
Later they saw the Academy. Pheera explained that the Academy was where the training of vanquishers took place. It was the heart and soul of the school — the place that made Draghein School a vanquisher training school.
“So where are all the students?” Narvari asked. It was no exaggeration to say that Draghein School was almost as large as Sharmandi, and yet the number of people she had met so far was less than ten. Were the students on holiday or something?
“Students?” Pheera asked.
“Yeah. There is barely anyone around. I thought it was a school.”
“It’s not the kind of school you’re used to,” said Pheera. “Draghein School is more like a workplace than a school. Except for rookies, we are all professionals here. Some choose to stay in the quarters, but others have homes outside or have gone on missions.”
“I see.” Narvari nodded. She had been wondering why there was hardly anyone around. Other than Azmel, Pheera, Yanvirrak, Zemeron, and three more others Narvari had seen during their tour, the school was practically empty.
“You’re right though,” said Pheera quietly.
Narvari raised her brows. “About what?”
“About the population here. Draghein School doesn’t have many vanquishers compared to the other schools.” Pheera quickly added, “Oh, there are Twelve Schools by the way.”
Narvari chuckled. “I know.”
She wanted to ask why the population was so low compared to the other schools. So far, she had a feeling the facilities in the school could cater to thousands of vanquishers. Yet there were hardly any vanquishers at all. Before Narvari could ask about this, Pheera said, “I have one more place to show you before we wrap up for the day.”
While they were on their way, a building towering in the distance, as though touching the sky, caught Narvari’s attention. She halted, her eyes not leaving the black cylindrical tower.
“That is the High Sepulchre,” said Pheera.
“Yes, it is indeed high.” Narvari grinned.
“It’s the most important building in the school.”
Narvari’s attention turned toward Pheera. “I thought the Academy was the most important building in the school.”
“Perhaps, if you count all the training we do there,” said Pheera. “But none of that will matter without security. The High Sepulchre is the school’s main security system.”
“Really?” Narvari glanced back at the tower. It reminded her of Sharmandi Tower, although Sharmandi Tower was nothing but a dwarf compared to the High Sepulchre.
“Do you know that the entire school is concealed from the outside world?”
Narvari gaped. “What do you mean concealed from the outside world? Isn’t it in Johannesburg?”
“It is. In a very secluded part of the city. It’s under a cloaking technology that makes it invisible to outsiders.”
Narvari merely stared at Pheera in silence. “You know what,” she said finally, “I’m not even surprised anymore.” She chuckled. “So I’m guessing the cloaking technology is inside the High Sepulchre.”
Pheera nodded. “The High Sepulchre holds the shield beam, charged by powerful sacred energy. This produces the shield rays and they secure the entire school.” Pheera paused. “Well, technically each shield ray has its unique function.”
“Shield rays?”
“Yes. See those colorful lights radiating out of the High Sepulchre?” Pheera pointed to the bright blue sky. “Those are the shield rays and they run all over the school. The white rays are the ones that cloak the school and make it invisible. The red rays prevent demons from entering, the blue rays — ”
“I’m sorry, what are you talking about?” Narvari stared intently at the skies. Where were the lights? She rubbed her eyes. Was she turning blind or something? The only colorful things above were the white clouds and the beautiful blue sky. She looked back at Pheera in confusion. “What colorful lights are you talking about?”
Pheera chuckled in embarrassment. “I’m so stupid. I completely forgot.”
If Pheera thought she was stupid, Narvari felt ten times worse as the confusion plagued her. “What do you mean?”
“You need sacred vision to see the shield rays.” She bit her lips as if holding herself back from laughing. “I’m sorry. I keep forgetting you’re still new to all this.”
Narvari had expected Pheera to clarify what sacred vision was, but the girl gazed silently at her with those intense blue eyes, making Narvari even forget about asking.
Pheera cleared her throat suddenly before looking away. “Um, we still have one more stop to make.”
“Ah, right.” Narvari scratched her head. She had totally forgotten about that.