With Servin’s direction, Narvari finally found her way back to the Rookie Quarters. By then, it was late in the afternoon and the sun was getting ready to retire. When she returned to her room, there was someone already waiting for her inside.

“What the hell.” Narvari glared at Yanvirrak relaxing in her bed without a care in the world. At least, he had the sense to take off his shoes. “How did you get in here?”

“I used the door.” He said it slowly like he was explaining it to a two-year-old. “I brought you lunch.” He pointed to the tray of food on the table.

“Thanks.” Narvari paused, waiting for the boy to leave. “Is there anything else?”

Yanvirrak jumped out of the bed, sauntering towards Narvari. He glared at her.

“What?” She returned the glare.

“What the fuck did you do, Shar?”

Narvari raised a brow. “You need to speak plainly, Hames.”

“It’s Hanes.”

“What do you want?”

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his blue jeans. His jawline stiffened. “Tell me what you did to Pheera.”

“I’m sorry, what?” The girl had just disappeared when she asked her a simple question. What exactly could she have done to her? “What did she say to you?”

“That’s the problem, Shar. She isn’t talking to me. She isn’t talking to anyone.”

Narvari shrugged. “What has that got to do with me? Maybe she just wants to be alone.”

“No one wants to be alone.”

“I take it there are no introverts in the Central Domain.”

“Narvari, this is not a joke. Pheera’s recovery has been going well for some time now so I know you did something to make her go back into her shell.” Yanvirrak looked genuinely angry. Maybe this was indeed serious.

“Look,” said Narvari, “I am as clueless as you are. Pheera just got mad at me for no reason and left me all by myself. I don’t know if I said something she didn’t like. She wouldn’t tell me anything so how am I supposed to know if I offended her?”

Yanvirrak paused thoughtfully. Then he sighed. “Did you ask her about her family?”

“I asked her why she was in Draghein School and not in Zoleris School.”

“You did what?”

“Okay, why are you making that face like I just strangled a baby to death?”

“Narvari.” Yanvirrak clasped his hands. “Never ask Pheera about her family. Don’t do that. Ever.”

“Why not? I only wanted to know more about her. I never meant any harm.”

Yanvirrak’s face softened. “I get it. But for everyone’s sake, please don’t. Okay?”

“At least can you tell me why?”

Yanvirrak hesitated. “Look, all I can say is that Pheera wasn’t exactly in the best shape emotionally and mentally when she first came here. When she and her brother arrived, Trixan called me in private and told me never to talk to Pheera about her family or so much as mention the word Zoleris around her. I’m sure the other vanquishers had the same warning.”

Wow. That was extreme, Narvari thought. What could have possibly happened between Pheera and her family that Trixan would demand something like that from the vanquishers?

“It’s been months now and she’s doing a lot better than ever,” Yanvirrak said. “Until now.”

“And it’s all my fault.” Narvari’s stomach twisted in guilt. Not only had she falsely accused the girl of using her power on her, but she had also triggered a deep-seated trauma from Pheera’s past. She had noticed Pheera’s change in mood when she asked about the Zoleris Family. Why did she ignore that? “I’m so stupid.”

“I mean, I’d like to agree,” said Yanvirrak. “But It’s not your fault. Trixan probably forgot to warn you because of how well Pheera’s recovery has been going.”

“Was her family abusive?”

Yanvirrak slumped into a chair. “Honestly, I don’t know. But I won’t be surprised if they did some really shitty things to her. The Zoleris Family doesn’t exactly have a good reputation in Agon.” He rubbed the dark stubble on his chin with his right hand. The hand looked robotic because of its shiny metallic surface. Other than that, it was indistinguishable from an actual hand given how incredibly flexible it was. Yanvirrak’s words interrupted her thoughts about robotic hands. “Whatever they did to Pheera, she doesn’t deserve it. She’s the kindest and most thoughtful person I know. Probably the only good Zoleris out there if you ask me.”

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Narvari surrendered into her bed. “And she never told you what happened to her?”

“No. She only recently started warming up to me a few weeks ago and we’ve been training together for months now. It honestly shocks me that she feels so comfortable around you.” Yanvirrak chuckled. Then more seriously, he added, “I strongly recommend you never talk to her about her family. Not unless she brings it up herself.”

Narvari nodded. She didn’t want to be the reason Pheera relived her traumatic past. She stared at the ceiling in silence. Would Pheera ever speak to her again? Maybe she no longer felt safe around her anymore. She hoped Pheera didn’t feel that way.

“Hey, Narvari.” Narvari glanced at him. “Don’t worry,” he said. “She’s going to come around. Although I think she will be keeping to herself for a while.”

“When she talks to you can you tell her I’m sorry?”

Yanvirrak nodded.

A comfortable silence settled between them until Yanvirrak said, “I’m also really sorry.”

She raised a brow. “What for?”

“About your family. Your people. They didn’t deserve what happened to them.”

“Thank you.” Narvari smiled sadly. “You know, I didn’t get to thank you for saving them either. You’re the reason so many survived.”

Yanvirrak shrugged. “I’m a vanquisher. I was just doing my job.”

“Is that something you’ve always wanted to do?”

“Well, not exactly.” He laughed. “I’ve always wanted to be a chef.”

“A chef?” Narvari gaped. “You? Oh my god. I can’t just imagine you in an apron.”

“Oh, you should have seen little me in an apron. I was amazing.”

They both laughed. “So what changed?” asked Narvari. “Why are you a vanquisher instead?”

“Hellstorm happened.” He shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “From a young age, I heard so many great things about him and I wanted to be just like him. But I didn’t think that was possible. No one had awakened in my family for generations. So I gave up that dream and focused on my next best love… cooking. And then I awakened, and everything changed.”

“Okay, what the hell is a Hellstorm?”

Yanvirrak chuckled. “Former Elder of Draghein School. He died before I was even born but his legend still leaves on. Many say he was the greatest vanquisher of his time.”

“And his real name was Hellstorm?”

“That’s what everyone called him. He’s the reason I agreed to be recruited by Trixan.”

“Trixan recruited you?” A special recruit, whatever that meant.

“Yeah. I was supposed to enroll at another school when I awakened vaz. But then once the woman trained by Hellstorm himself showed up at my house, I knew Draghein School was my destiny. They say our school is no longer what it used to be anymore but I honestly don’t care. I love this place, and Trixan is a great teacher, you know.” Yanvirrak smiled proudly.

Narvari nodded. It always came back to how great Trixan was, didn’t it?

“For now, my goal is to become a class one vanquisher like Trixan.”

“Wait, there are classes of vanquishers?”

“Yeah. It’s from class one to five. Pheera and I are both class five while Azmel is class four.”

“And what is this classification based on?”

“Everything,” said Yanvirrak. “From the overall strength of the vanquisher to the order of their vaz. Demons are really strong. So we vanquishers need to be stronger. The stronger you become, the easier you can vanquish more powerful demons.”

Narvari nodded. That made sense. She still didn’t understand what the ‘order of vaz’ or ‘order of a demon’ really meant. But learning about everything in one day was not a good idea either. She was hearing so many new things it was simply driving her crazy.

But if there was one thing she had taken from all this, it was that she couldn’t sit back and do nothing when demons could easily invade Sharmandi again. Now that she had the means to vanquish those demons, she would have to become stronger to protect her loved ones from any demon out there no matter how strong they were.

Narvari said, “You saw me fight the wraith lord, right?”

Yanvirrak nodded. “It was intense.”

“So what class do you think I fall in?”

Yanvirrak grinned. “Shar, you are still a rookie.”

“Right.” Narvari rolled her eyes.

“No, seriously. You haven’t even learned the basics yet. If that wraith lord’s order had been higher than your savaz, he would have definitely killed you. Trust me. You got lucky.”

Wow. Everyone just kept shitting on her training. Point taken. But Yanvirrak was right. If Narvari were to face stronger demons and Vessels, she would need to train a lot, and obviously, she would need to be trained by the best. From everything she had heard, Trixan was the strongest in the school.

Trixan said she could take as much time as she needed to think about her decision. Well, now she had made up her mind. She would stay here in Draghein School and train to become a vanquisher. It was the only way she could protect her loved ones so that what happened to Anana, Jimbaga, and everyone else, would not happen again.

Yanvirrak balled his robotic-looking hand. He flexed it continuously.

“No, I don’t have a robotic hand,” Yanvirrak suddenly said.

“Huh?” Narvari raised a brow.

“You’re wondering, aren’t you? Everyone does.” Yanvirrak wiggled his fingers as if to prove that they were actually real. “It’s just a glove. I chose this type because it looks so cool. It’s not even made of metal.”

It’s not? Narvari’s eyes widened. “Why do you wear it on only one hand?”

“It’s a fashion statement.”

“And what kind of fashion statement is that?”

Yanvirrak smirked. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“Yes. Sometimes I wonder if that’s what drove my father away.”

The smirk wiped from Yanvirrak’s face. “What?”

Narvari could no longer hide her amusement. She laughed. “That was a joke.”

Yanvirrak chuckled. “You should stay. You’ll fit right in.”

“What? Everyone here has a good sense of humor with impeccable looks like me?”

“I was going to say everyone here is weird. But I guess I have impeccable looks now that I think about it.” A knowing smile widened on Yanvirrak’s face. “If you choose to stay, I wish you good luck in advance in your training.”

Narvari narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“Oh, you’ll see.” Yanvirrak grinned mischievously.