CHAPTER 17 - GAID, AGAIN...
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In the end, despite having already been introduced to the concept beforehand, Natirra found herself once again in a classroom. The thought that just two days earlier she had still been in school felt strange, considering how little time had passed, even though it seemed like an eternity to her.
The classrooms were compact, also set up inside tents. She had the privilege of glimpsing at the routine she would have to follow. It consisted of a three-day cycle. The first day was entirely dedicated to physical training, the second mixed play and physical activities, which was where she found herself now, and the third was exclusively academic.
Although she hated school with all her heart, she was at least reassured by the fact that tomorrow she wouldn’t have to work her muscles. Unfortunately, there were no rest days.
Each tent was a different classroom, and the classes were large. Not organized, of course, like those back in the village, but full of chaos and delinquents. Naturally, since schools had only been a thing for a few years, they weren’t the first choice for most people. Only the most unfortunate in one way, and fortunate in another, could afford it. However, it wasn’t a privilege just for the wealthiest; it was for those who aspired to higher levels in their careers. In the end, playful education was free.
Natirra didn’t aim so high, but unfortunately, her parents did, and as a result, she was stuck where she was. Unlike the others, she was used to the school system, but she wasn’t used to having classmates ready to cause chaos for the entire lesson. Yet this only continued until the tutor arrived.
Natirra spent a while wondering who might be teaching them. She had been guided by the guards to pick her spot, sitting on the grass with notes and ink, and separated from her friends. The guards had smartly decided to rearrange the seating, separating people they knew were in the same section of their tent, thus preventing constant chatter between new friends. Although clever in some ways, it simply meant they would make new friends or, as had been happening earlier, just yell across the room.
As it was, Monomia, Riaca, and Igre weren’t next to her, and she had to stay by herself, unable to even distract herself with her friend.
When the tutor finally entered and everyone recognized her, they knew talking was no longer an option, and the entire room fell silent. General Blondie walked in, a smile plastered on her face, but after positioning herself in front of all the soldiers, she dropped the smile, putting on her usual serious expression.
«”Look at you, making me play the role of a teacher. Back in my day! Before the Empress there were no schools!”» She then turned around, mimicking a disappointed mother. «”But despite that, most of you… are still dimwits!”»
She then pulled out a menacing wooden stick, so threatening that everyone jumped in fear at the sight of it.
«”The rules of this classroom are different from those of the training camp. So, I might as well update you!”» As she said that, several guards quickly brought a chalkboard behind her. It was made of wood. From the stick held by the general, a shiny metal blade emerged, and the general began making various marks on the wooden “chalkboard.”
That’s how it worked: each chalkboard was a simple piece of wood, used once and thrown away, modified for each lesson. Writing on it consisted of carving it with the blade.
«”The first rule is… Whoever dares to speak will be slapped with the stick! Whoever looks around will be hit by the stick! Whoever doesn’t study will be hit by the stick! Whoever asks me anything without permission will be hit by the stick! Whoever asks me anything in general will be hit by the stick! Whoever breathes in my presence without my permission will be hit by the stick! The stick will hit you at least once in your life, and I will personally ensure that I make up rules on the spot to make sure it happens! And…”» She took a deep breath. After all, she had been talking for quite a while without stopping, probably straining her throat from all the yelling.
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«”To show you that I’m serious… I’ll hit each and every one of you once, so you’ll know what to fear!”»
And with that, swiftly, everyone—including Natirra—was smacked in the hands. And from there, the real lesson began.
It consisted of nothing but lectures on military tactics.
«”Pirates travel the seas, that’s clear, and they take advantage of distance, disorientation on the seas, the difficulty of maneuvering a ship, and the lack of knowledge of the terrain. That’s how pirates take advantage of soldiers, catching them off guard. That’s why I expect you to be prepared! But just saying that doesn’t mean anything, so we’ll dedicate these first lessons to studying shipbuilding and its maneuvering! We’ll assign the seniors the job of steering it, but in case of emergencies, a little extra experience never hurt anyone. Are we clear?”»
«”Yes, ma’am.”»
And so, as with all the catastrophic events before, Natirra found herself back where she started—listening to another lesson she couldn’t care less about.
…
To Natirra, it felt like she had just taken a well-deserved nap. After all, it was fair to say that she hadn’t slept well the previous night, even though she had managed to dream, and for that reason, she could honestly say that if she were assigned the task of steering a ship, she would sabotage the entire operation, sending all the soldiers with her to their deaths.
But she was probably not the only one.
After all, it didn’t seem like most of the people there were driven by genuine interest, but more by the fear that the general inspired. Some had even been holding their breath. Natirra cursed the heavens quite often, more in these three days than in her entire life, and this time it was to ask why she had to endure this particular general.
Why not a more benevolent one, male or female? Still, it was over. She could finally enjoy the little break she had, because there were breaks between lessons. The only constant was that the general would always be the one instructing those poor souls, and that this was merely a reprieve from the beatings from the evil stick.
Natirra wanted, in that brief window of time, to head over to her group of friends, but she was interrupted by a familiar face she had encountered not long ago.
He stepped in front of her, blocking her path. It was… Gaid?
Gaid, the boy they had met the day before, who had left quickly with the grace and anger of a rhinoceros, not even acknowledging Monomia’s and the others’ offer of help.
Before she could ask any questions or refuse his presence, he spoke.
«”Listen, I know we don’t know each other, but with you in particular, I need to talk, but we have to do it in private.”»
«”Huh?”»
Even though Natirra wasn’t entirely convinced—in fact, she would have preferred not to be alone with someone she barely knew—she decided to move and follow Gaid anyway. With the insistence he had, and the expression on his face showing that he had something important to say, she hurried along, thinking that maybe it was something she couldn’t afford to underestimate, and that it would be better not to risk missing anything.
Gaid and Natirra distanced themselves to a remote spot, just outside the tent, since they were allowed to do so. Once they reached an area where no one else was around and where they could speak freely, Gaid immediately blurted out what he had to say. He scratched his hair so aggressively that it messed it up, and he looked around.
«"I know this might sound stupid to you, but please, understand me. I had a dream last night... A premonitory dream. You were there, and there was another creature surrounding you and speaking to you, while I was trapped in some kind of liquid under the sea, far away... And it seemed almost like a warning."»
Natirra’s eyes widened. Her, and a creature? So he had the same dream she did? Impossible. Gaid continued.
«"I came here to confirm if you had the same dream, but from your perspective, of course."»
«"How... Is that possible? We dreamt the same thing at the same time? You were in my dream, I didn’t see you... You were in the background, but... That can’t be... Did you read my mind?"» It felt almost surreal; it couldn’t have just happened randomly. They didn’t even know each other that well. At first, she had even struggled to recognize Gaid—how could she have dreamed of him? The whole thing was giving her chills.
«"Listen, I can explain, I know this might sound strange, but when I explain it better, you’ll understand... I believe that both of us witnessed what is commonly called... a prophecy."»