*****

The sound that resonated at the end of the long corridor indicated that Fardis waterfall possessed a substantial flow and height. As they passed through several chambers and corridors, Abtin refrained from speaking, engrossed in observing the diverse array of individuals with distinctive appearances and occupations. He pondered the common thread that could unite all these people, although his thoughts were briefly set aside as the noise from the waterfall grew louder. Abtin turned to Pejman and, in order to hear his response, had to tilt his head down as they continued to walk.

"Is Fardis waterfall considered one of the tributaries of the Zino River?" Abtin inquired.

Pejman replied, "That's what I've been told."

Babak, from the other side, asked, "What kind of person is this Master Hitasb? Be honest, now that no one else is around!"

Pejman fell into deep thought, while Babak waited silently, having gained some insight into Pejman's manner. After a minute of gazing at the surroundings and the same enigmatic grids and lines, Babak grew impatient and turned his attention back to Pejman. To his surprise, he noticed that Pejman's lips were moving, and he seemed to have been speaking for a while.

"What?" Babak exclaimed, which prompted Abtin and Pejman to turn their heads towards him at different paces. Babak inquired, "How long have you been talking?"

Pejman's lips moved once more, but with the approach of the waterfall, it became impossible to hear his voice clearly.

"Can't you speak louder?" Babak shouted, accompanying his request with a wild gesture.

In response, Pejman simply shrugged and pointed upwards towards the top of Fardis waterfall as they entered the space on the other side of the corridor.

Babak audibly exhaled in exasperation, and Abtin, along with Babak, followed the direction indicated by Pejman's pointing finger. The space they entered possessed a more complete and cave-like ambiance, albeit several times larger than the Parvin foyer. On the ceiling, adorned with sharp and dangerous hanging stones, were twenty to thirty smaller versions of the same mirrors found in Yoshita's Hall. Similar to the devices there, these mirrors reflected light onto the wave-shaped mirrors, which then scattered the light throughout the cave. Additionally, scattered throughout the area were fires similar to the one in the room where Abtin and Babak had spent the previous night, providing both light and warmth without any discernible wood source. Abtin mused to himself that in natural conditions, such a cave would likely be half-frozen in winter, but now almost everyone he observed in front of him, at the base of the waterfall, was dressed in attire suitable for spring. A couple of them even donned sleeveless shirts, showcasing their muscular physiques.

From the right side of the triangular entrance through which the boys had entered, there was a path that appeared more like an inclined wall. This path wound its way upwards in a narrow width and, near the ceiling, it led to the side of a stone platform protruding from the wall. This platform, resembling a smaller version of the mouth of the God-stricken div with a few distinctions, featured a channel carved into its surface. Through this channel, the frothy and tumultuous water rushed and cascaded from its edge into the pool below, located in front of the assembly in the cave. The newly arrived boys followed the less turbulent river that flowed from the pool with their eyes, which, by tearing into the cave floor, snaked into a conduit built into the left wall of the cave.

"You've got everything down here!" Babak exclaimed, but his voice was lost in the cacophony of the surroundings, and no one heard him.

Abtin momentarily averted his gaze from the breathtaking waterfall and leaned towards Pejman's ear, inquiring, "If you truly do all the exercises here, how are your throats still functioning?"

To hear the response, he had to press his ear close to Pejman's face, and Pejman explained, "Master Hitasb rarely speaks when he's up there."

Curious, Babak, who had also focused his attention, stooped down to join the conversation, asking, "So, what does he do then?"

Pejman clarified, "He typically designates each person's specialized exercises through gestures, pointing, and markings on the board he has on the platform."

Babak raised a valid concern, "What if something unexpected happens on the other side of the cave? How would they inform him or how would the teacher communicate with the others?"

Pejman was prepared to address this question, revealing, "The teacher's two hoopoes are always circling and monitoring. They can see everything in the cave."

Babak nodded with satisfaction. Meanwhile, Abtin had taken the time to count the number of individuals at the base of the waterfall, which amounted to around twenty people. Their heights ranged from half of Babak's to equal to or taller than Babak. Their ages spanned from ten to twenty years and their appearances and clothes were all different, except for one person who was wearing the same clothes as Babak and Pejman.

Abtin wondered aloud, "What's the deal with intern clothes if they're not mandatory to wear?"

Pejman's eyes sparkled with the glint of a smiling face, although he didn't actually smile. He replied, "If it were mandatory, some would complain that their freedom of choice is being denied. And now that it's not, others argue about the importance of discipline. The more time goes on, the more I'm convinced that all decisions ultimately end up being wrong."

Abtin, his earlier frown replaced by a smile, proposed, "I’m not suggesting it’s true, but why hasn’t it occurred to you that all decisions are ultimately right?”

Pejman shrugged and replied, "Because the consequences of such thinking are even more calamitous than my own thought."

Babak, sensing that this was not the moment to dive into a philosophical discussion, waved his hands in the air and suggested, "Alright, let's go! It looks like people are standing there waiting for us to join them!"

He gently nudged both Abtin and Pejman, preventing the conversation from continuing. The group of twenty individuals had divided into smaller groups, with two or more people engaged in conversation. The closest group consisted of three individuals who turned to face the newcomers as they approached.

"Hey, Pejman! You're arriving late—again," one of the 17 or 18-year-old boys, wearing a sleeveless shirt that displayed his muscular arms, remarked.

Pejman, maintaining his usual stoic tone, replied, "Sorry, breakfast took a bit longer than usual."

The muscular boy, with hair no longer than his freshly grown stubble, playfully placed a hand on his head and said with a laugh, "You're taking me seriously again! When will you realize that I talk a lot?" He then turned his attention to the newcomers, extending a hand in greeting.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Who are your new friends?”

“Babak.”

“Abtin.”

“Babak and Abtin, eh? My name is Afshin, Afshin of Abparakan.”

Afshin's attire was not as interesting as his personality. His sleeveless shirt resembled a sack and had a couple of threadbare spots. It was difficult to determine the original color of his ragged trousers, which had probably seen better days a decade ago. His arms and legs were both bare, and even the skin on his limbs bore the marks of thorns and pebbles—God knows what the soles of his feet looked like. Nevertheless, his friendliness overshadowed his appearance as he introduced the second member of their group, "And this here is Ashkan of Abparakan, my little brother."

Abtin couldn't help but think, "This appearance must have a reason other than poverty." Ashkan, who appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, exuded nobility and opulence. He wore a long-sleeved silk tunic adorned with golden streaks, a turquoise stone emblem in the center of his waist sash, and cowhide trousers. His sandals were clean and unscathed. He had long, unbound hair tied into a ponytail, and two neatly arranged thin branches framed his face and descended to his chest.

Ashkan offered a friendly greeting, saying, "Nice to meet you. I hope we learn many good things from each other."

Babak, while shaking his hand, stared at him for a moment, his facial expression conveying, "Wow, what a profound statement and unexpected speech." Impressed, Abtin shook his hand and said, "I hope we'll spend good and useful time together."

Babak, rolling his eyes and silently musing, thought, "God help us if these two spend too much time together!" Afshin was about to introduce the third person, but a loud noise from the top of the platform grabbed everyone's attention, except for Abtin's. Abtin had the opportunity to observe the third member of the Abparakan group before shifting his attention to the commotion at the platform. This individual was unlike anyone he had ever encountered.

To begin with, if Afshin was taller and bulkier than Babak, this person was noticeably shorter than Abtin, who, in turn, was shorter than Babak. Their bone structure appeared more delicate. The upper body was adorned with three layers of clothing. The visible second layer resembled black deer skin and covered the upper half of the body and the hands up to the forearms. Beneath the skin, an unseen material extended to the hands, enveloping the fingers entirely. It was crafted from the hide of an unfamiliar creature, and its black hue appeared even darker than the deer skin. Instead of a typical sash, a delicate gray belt encircled the narrow waist. The semi-loose trousers, crafted from the same material as the deer skin, extended down to just above the ankles.

The footwear was nothing like anything Abtin had seen in the shoe stores of Farnas. They consisted of oval leather pieces that encompassed the feet up to the ankles and shone with a glossy black sheen. Over this striking ensemble, a cloak as dark as the night draped from the shoulders to near the legs. In the front, aside from the straps securing the cloak under the throat, two additional straps were tied at intervals of about a finger's width, across the chest and around the abdomen. Finally, as if to ensure that the overall appearance was as enigmatic as possible, a hood concealed the head. Underneath, a crimson scarf was tied around the forehead, revealing nothing but two curling black strands of hair. A charcoal-colored, stark mask concealed the entire lower half of the face, stopping just below the eyes.

Abtin, who had taken in all these details in a fraction of a second, kept his gaze fixed on the eyes. Like the others, those black eyes were fixed on the platform above. However, when their dark eyes suddenly met his, and their long black eyelashes brushed together once, Abtin immediately averted his gaze. His initial assessment of the third person had been accurate.

Dang!

The second loud sound that reverberated through the cave caught Abtin's attention, and he looked up towards the edge of the platform. A man had appeared there next to the roaring stream of water. Before Babak and Abtin could discern much about him, except for his long crimson robe and long white scarf, he made a sign with his right hand and then disappeared again. Babak and Abtin exchanged frowns and turned to Pejman, anticipating an answer without even needing to ask. Abtin also glanced at the enigmatic third person, who continued to listen while the two brothers conversed.

Babak asked, "So, who goes first?"

Abtin snapped back to attention and saw that Babak was addressing him. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you hear what Pejman said? The sign given by Hitasb means that we should ascend the waterfall."

"What? From this waterfall?"

"Apparently, this branch of Zino is not just a regular stream. It's also a kind of purification mechanism."

"What does that mean?"

"Did you not listen to anything he said? In short, the raging current and intensity of the waterfall don't affect someone who truly has pure intentions. Every morning, before the other exercises, they have to climb this... Just look for yourself, they've already started."

Abtin turned his gaze towards the waterfall and his eyes widened at what he witnessed. Afshin went to the frothy pool that had formed below the waterfall, stood on its edge, and then, with a push from his feet, leaped towards the waterfall. The volume of water, which, if poured onto an elephant, might knock it down, had no effect on Afshin. He easily latched onto the rocks behind the water and climbed up. Abtin squinted his eyes, trying to observe the situation more closely.

The water must have been splashing against Afshin's body, causing it to spread around, but not a drop seemed to touch his sack-like clothes. As he climbed, Afshin shouted with ease, "You chickened out already, Ashk?" Ashkan, with a determined look, gritted his teeth so hard that the others could almost hear it. He then leaped onto the rocky surface and began to climb the waterfall, engaging in a competitive ascent with his older brother.

Abtin turned to Pejman and voiced his confusion, "I do not understand... Why does the water exhibit this property? If it's the same water as the rest of Zino, shouldn't its characteristics be consistent throughout the stream?"

Pejman responded, "Master Hitasb believes that water is alive, like people, and its behavior can vary under different circumstances."

Babak raised an eyebrow in curiosity and blinked. Abtin continued to ponder the situation as he stared at the waterfall. A moment later, a figure draped in black from head to toe swiftly passed by Abtin, touching his forehead with the dancing end of the cape. The figure then began scaling the waterfall with remarkable agility.

Abtin turned to Babak and said, "Did you notice..."

Babak shook his head.

"Yep. That’s a girl.”

Pejman provided further information, saying, "Her name is Shirin."

After a brief pause, Babak inquired, "And...?"

Pejman replied with an air of uncertainty, "That's all I know. I'm not well-acquainted with her. I doubt anyone else is, either."

"Isn't she associated with Afshin and Ashkan?"

"She was in their company when they arrived, but their knowledge of her is scarce, or perhaps they choose to remain reticent."

Babak nonchalantly shrugged and turned to Abtin, remarking, "It's understandable, really. When a girl willingly undertakes such perilous training, it's clear that she carries an air of peculiarity. People, by and large, tend to shy away from the unconventional."

Abtin found himself contemplating the girl's mysterious past and pondered the whereabouts of her parents. His thoughts then extended to the parents of all the other children. Did they reside here in Sepidaran, sending their offspring to participate in a shared education? The magnitude of his ignorance weighed upon him, leaving him adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

"Well, it's our turn,"

"Yes, I'm burning with curiosity!" Babak added enthusiastically.

Contrasting the hasty dash of previous individuals towards the pond, Pejman arrived with a grace that seemed to defy gravity, positioning himself between Abtin on the right and Babak on the left. He calmly explained, "You may not see the back of the waterfall, but there are plenty of crevices to scale along the way. Just be cautious and avoid any falls, for the pond isn't deep, and its bed conceals treacherous, jagged stones. Last year, someone tumbled from the middle of the waterfall, and despite Mahram's best efforts, he still struggles to walk. So, are you ready?"

"One moment, please." As Abtin reached the base of the pond, he was struck by the realization that the distance to the waterfall surpassed any leap he had ever attempted in his life. The image of the cascade crashing into the pond with a thunderous roar added to the intimidation. All these factors temporarily eclipsed his prior belief that Pejman would inevitably require his assistance.

Babak swiftly discerned Abtin's trepidation and moved towards him, assuring him with a comforting nod. "Don't worry, my friend. I've got your back."

Before Abtin could voice his protest, Babak sprang into action, seizing Abtin by the waist and catapulting him towards the cliff, much like a baker deftly tossing dough into a blazing oven.