"What happened?" she asks.

I squirm in my place thinking about what to say, and her eyes harden. "Last time I left, you were packing to spend some days in the forest to practice for the Riaf Tournament. How did this happen?" she asks again, and I swallow.

I take a moment to think about what I'm going to say, very conscious of both the officials beside us. Should I go along with what I already told Youssef?

"I was in the forest when a beast suddenly appeared. But, I was able to kill it." I explained curtly, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

But thankfully, she didn't add anything. Instead, she focused once more on examining me for injuries, or what were supposed to be injuries, carefully inspecting my ribs and my abdomen.

"Alright." She concludes and glances at my bag, "You're fine for now, but I'll need to take a better look at you afterwards." She turns to the officer and states firmly. "Let him change into another set of clothes. You can't have him walking around like this."

The officer grunts but acquiesces. He guides me into an empty room at the far end of the hall. Raja, stares at me worriedly as I step behind him.

Stepping into the empty room, I rummage through the red bag, and I pull out a change of clothes. Remains of dried blood and dirt cling to my skin, and I wish I could clean it away. The irritated officer waits for me outside of the room, and he quickly pulls me further into the halls, past a few doors to an office.

Upon entering, I find a man of broad shoulder awaiting me, his hard blue eyes fix on me. His Eyebrows twitch slightly up.

"Khaled Ben Sakir, sir!" The officer announces, and the man nods, beckoning me to take a seat. The officer leaves the office after an exaggerated bow to the man and clicks the doorknob behind him. I never did well with authority figures and always felt too weak under their gaze. The confined space and the uneasy silence put me on edge.

"I'm 1st class Sergeant, Ramzi Mouhib," the man starts, breaking the silence, and I stiffen in surprise. Unsure of what to do, I nod hesitantly.

"Do you know why you're here?" He asks, and I shake my head not trusting my tongue.

"We were told that you sustained fatal injuries." Ramzi Mouhib adds, and I feel my heart beat palpitating.

How much did Jahith and Samad tell the guards? Did they tell them about the failed ritual? I push back any thoughts of anger and bitterness of their betrayal to the back of my mind. Did they tell them about that humanoid beast that I summoned? That I was the one that summoned it?

My anger quickly molds into fear and restlessness. The 1st class Sergeant studies me clamly, and I scratch my ears. I need to stay calm. Act natural. The silence stretches, and I feel my anxiety growing.

Is he waiting for me to say something?

I start carefully, "There were two others with me-"

"Jahith Ben Sofien and Ikbal Ibn Samad. They, quite heroically, ran back to the village and told everyone what happened, warning us of the... creature that supposedly mutilated you." he cuts me off, and I stare at the man with horrified eyes.

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He quickly adds with a frown, "Though seeing you now, I am a little doubtful of their story." He then fixes me. Abruptly the thought dawns on me, hitting me like a ton of bricks. Everyone thinks I died, and I should've. I thought that was my end too. I'm not even sure if that mysterious man healed me. But they don't even know that.

Are they now suspecting me of using Founoun* to... heal myself?

"Tell me Khaled. What really happened?"

I swallow. The officers already heard me telling Raja that I defeated the beast. The same story is probably already all over the village now.

"We were in the forest." I start, forcing myself to stay calm and trying to think of a believable story while memories of the ritual run through my mind.

"I'm a sixth year in Medina's the Hami Academy, an Irsal* Major." I say instead to buy more time. "Since we got separated into Irsal* and Anasir* Majors in second grade—"

"I know how the Hami educational system works, no need to explain it to me," He cuts me off. "I just want to know what happened yesterday when you tried to summon a Rafik*."

They told him about the ritual! My heart races in my chest, and my hands feel clammy. "It was horrible. We wanted to join the yearly Hami Tournaments, and we needed Rafiks. But, I... have a restricted Riaf." I confess, and the 1st class Sergeant's eyebrows quirk.

"Spells don't always work, and when they do, they mostly get out of control. Mastering a spell that would need a day on average takes me two at best. For me, Anasir* spells are almost impossible…" I laugh to ease the tension, but it sounds bitter even to my ears.

Ramzi scratches at his beard thoughtfully and states, "The Summoning Ritual is considered an Anasir spell since it calls for a Rafik that embodiments of the element with which the Hami has most affinity to. You as a Sixth year should already know this."

"Yes," I answer dejected. "I feared so. But I didn't want to give up. I haven't tried a Summoning Ritual before. So I was...hoping it would work."

I push back the memories that surged through me at the thought of the creature I summoned. No. I couldn't have summoned that beast. There is no way.

"And as expected, I failed." I breathe out, but I feel confidence growing in my chest. Ramzi nods at me to continue, and I prepare myself for what to say next.

I need to act natural.

"We were on our way back when the monster appeared. It was fast and looked horrifying. Everything was in chaos. We panicked! I fled and before I could realize it, we got separated. The monster came at me and… I was lucky." I finish, glancing up at Faycil.

The man asks me to explain, and I force myself to appear calm. "I am an Irsal* Major. I'm good at that at least. I sent fallen branches at him, and they pierced him, and blood gushed all over me! Then, I ran for my life and hid somewhere in the forest," I lie.

The 1st class Sergeant inspects me with sharp blue eyes, and I feel restless. Does he know I'm lying? "I was very lucky and very tired," I add. "I fell asleep without realizing it. I only got back to Kabila today moments ago... I hurried back as fast as I could because I was afraid that it might've reached the village, and I thought I was too late," I finish.

Maybe I shouldn't have said that...

"I see," Ramzi breaks through the suffocating silence again, and I straighten up. "That must've been terrible." His moustache twitches, and his eyes soften. "You can go."

I stand up stiffly and bow very low, maybe even too exaggerated as I make my way out to the halls. The officer still waiting outside nods at Ramzi though the rift of the door and guides me out the Investigation department.

Relief washes over me, and finally, I calm down. I feel so exhausted.

________________________________________

Stepping out of the gate connected to Medina, a man walks through Kirwan, one of the most important and flourishing cities of Mamlaka and the center of all Hami and Riaf festivals. He passes by the long lines of shops constituting Kirwan's famous Sooks*, his coat ruffling behind him. He makes his way through the crowded streets, only pausing In front of Sehir, Kirwan's center arena.

The sound of the Calabrian Lira playing in the background reaches a stop, and many people clap. The musician bows to his audience. There, covering Sehir's walls, colorful banners hang declaring the 54th yearly Riaf Tournament.

The man clenches his fists and mutters crestfallen, "I'm way too early."

A/N:

*Tabib: healer

*Tib: healing magic

*Founoun: banned arts

*Irsal: Telekinesis

*Rafik: familiar

*Anasir spells: Elemental Spells

*Sooks: markets