An Elusive Hue

Would you believe a memory without a place, a truth without a word?

* * * * * * * *

The hollow sound of the shutting door rang through the now empty hallway as the two of them circled down the stairs, feet tapping along the stone steps to ground level.

The sun pierced their eyes when they left the tower. Szak turned away from the sky, and the morning casted a dark shadow against his contemplating frown. Why would Alea have that kind of gold? Are my assumptions too forward? But—

“Is there a clan for that shade of blue?” Iago interrupted.

Szak turned to him, offended that Iago’s mind also dwelled on Alea. Almost as if offended for her. The offense felt inside him only annoyed him further.

His facial response gave a sure sign to Iago that he was not interested in conversation. As far as Iago knew, there was a very particular way Szak’s face would align itself whenever his mind did not wish for his senses to disturb the rhythm of his thoughts.

“Never mind me,” Iago grinned. Of course, Szak’s face just made him want to interrupt those thoughts that much more, but he held back. More important than immediate pleasures, for Iago, was opportune time.

The morning exhaled a light breeze through the air. It held no strength to heave, but any movement it did make was crisp and chilly. They walked across the plaza Szak had peered down on earlier and continued through a narrow stone-paved corridor that led to the main campus grounds. There was a brief cessation of winds when they entered, but they were once again met with brisk air when they came out the other side.

Szak narrowed his eyes. Alea’s physical appearance did not match the profile of any clan he knew. This was an odd occurrence. Every clan with ivory or silver hair had their talents studied thoroughly back in Foyirsinn. Ivory meant Alea had the ability to channel her talent outside of her body. And, if Szak had to guess, her talent was of the morphic nature—one descended from Adrion. That was the only explanation for her regeneration.

The steps they made across the grass eventually made way for large stone slabs that paved the different routes surrounding each destination on campus. Around them, scholars flocked in the same direction, some at greater speeds, and some stagnant along the side, waiting for friends and familiar classmates.

But her thoughts… Szak flashed back to how his memories of Ana resurfaced yesterday, in seemingly absolute randomness, and how it sounded like Alea knew of Yukina’s thoughts. Could Alea be psychic in nature, instead? A talent from Austyr? Could she be both? One from her mother, and the other from her father? But that blue hair…

“Part mermaiden, perhaps?” Szak muttered to himself.

Iago caught the thought and considered it. The shade of blue didn’t match any mermaiden he had ever laid eyes on, and he had laid plenty. “Wouldn’t be my first guess. A mermaiden’s hair is turquoise… er, teal? Whatever we categorize that mix of blue and green.”

Szak said nothing. Only regretted that his thoughts had been voiced loud enough for Iago to hear it beside him.

“An air sprite, perhaps?” Iago asked.

“No.” Szak shook his head. Alea’s shade of blue was too bright compared to the darker navy of his mother’s hair.

“Well, if Alea was a mermaiden, that’d be impressive,” Iago continued, not willing to let the conversation rest just yet.

“Merpeople aren’t impressive.”

Iago only smiled. That had not been what Iago meant. “To the amazing Szak, nothing is impressive,” he answered instead. “To us common folk, though, their abilities are intense—morphic or kinetic depending on the merfamily. That’s not something I would mess with, on any good day.”

“They either change into a fish or splash water around. Nearly useless at the Edge. May be better if there’s a school of them. Maybe.” Szak brushed the idea away with the rest of the breeze.

Movement caught the corner of Iago’s glance over to Szak, and he side-stepped. A splash of water collided into Szak, making him yell out, more in frustration than in any hint of surprise.

“Loelle! Sweetheart!” Iago laughed as Loelle rose out from the waters. He walked over and swung her around before letting her down with a hug. “We were just talking about you.”

“Were you?” Loelle laughed as she shot a glare at Szak, her eyes a swirl of corals and anemones. Szak had wiped his face and was now shaking the water out the crimson scales of his shirt.

Where the fuck is Fiera when I need her.

“You must have heard us,” Iago laughed, letting Loelle out of the hug, a soft layer of fish slime now lining the sleeves of his jacket.

“I only overheard an ignorant man talking, and I felt it my duty to open his eyes,” Loelle huffed.

“Well, you definitely woke him up,” Iago quipped. “He was ready to start sleepwalking the rest of the way to combat.”

Loelle giggled as they looked over to Szak, who was already continuing the trail, leaving the two of them behind.

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“See you in tomorrow’s lecture?” Loelle reminded him.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Iago winked. Loelle rolled her eyes playfully before diving back into the waters.

“Hey! What were we talking about?” Iago asked, catching up to Szak. “Oh, that’s right. Alea. Probably not a mermaiden.”

“Don’t know. Don’t care.”

“You cared enough to look,” Iago shrugged.

Szak bit his lip before responding. “Her sword caught my eye.”

“Yes, that would be why.”

Szak didn’t take the bait to provide Iago more information past that. If Iago didn’t believe him, he didn’t care enough to justify his answer. And so, they continued down the trail in silence once again, each of them with their own priorities concerning Alea.

At the end of their trail was a colossal dome-shaped boulder comparable to half a mountain. It stood at the edge of campus, yet somehow managed to look completely in the way. Compared to the rest of the Academy, full of greens and precise architectural triumphs, this boulder held an abrasive surface that was unpolished, grey, and mineral, and stood in the center of a clearing that was dry, yellow, and dirt. When the trees dwindled behind them, the late morning rays glared unhindered upon their eyes.

“Well, would you look at that,” Iago chuckled.

Szak looked up and saw, to their right, on another trail that also led to the same boulder, Eulylia and Sephria making their way to morning combat practice with Alea beside them.

“So what? They’re friends now?” Szak cleared his throat. He sounded more excited about that than he was comfortable with.

Iago chuckled. “Seems like it.”

“Another opportunity for you, then,” Szak said, eyes on that gold sword shining brilliantly under the sun. Most of it was hidden from view, behind the large black bag that Eulylia carried on her.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just ask her what clan she’s from.”

“I did,” Iago laughed. “The first day I met her, I asked her.” He waved to Eulylia, who had turned at that moment and looked at them. Glared, more so.

“She didn’t respond?”

“Dodged it in a rather peculiar way,” Iago whispered. “But hey. Her father’s a healer in the Mist.”

Szak blinked and repeated that information in his head.

“Eulylia!” Iago sang as he approached them. “Seph.” He reached over for a hug. Sephria hugged back, hand not letting go of Eulylia, who gave Szak an extra-long stare, wondering why he had arrived completely soaked, but asking nothing about it. She looked away just as Iago let go and turned to her.

“No, thank you,” Eulylia answered with a smile.

“Wish granted, love,” Iago shrugged light-heartedly with hands in the air. He turned to Alea, sneaking a glance at the gold sword on her back. “Alea, darling.”

“Iago, Szakarilis,” Alea bowed. “Good morning.”

“I’m sure just Szak is fine, sweetheart. Actually, I think he prefers it that way.”

Alea focused on Szak. “Is that alright?”

“… Is what alright?”

“Is it alright if I call you Szak, instead?”

“Instead?” Szak raised a brow. “Instead of what?”

Iago held back a laugh. “That’s him saying ‘of course you can, darling,’” he winked. He smiled at Szak, who was annoyed and still partly confused, before turning to Sephria and Eulylia with a different grin altogether. “Combat once again, sweethearts.” He gestured to the gaping hole that lay dusty beside the boulder.

With one fell swoop, he lifted Sephria’s legs and carried her in his arms, one arm under her back and one arm under the bend of her knees. Sephria squealed as she felt the world turn about, gravity relinquishing its hold on her.

“Iago!” Eulylia sang. “At the very least say something before you do that to her!”

“It’s fine. Seph loves being swept off her feet.”

Sephria giggled.

Until Iago swung her around and started down the steps of the gaping hole in the ground. She gasped and wrapped arms around Iago’s neck. Her arms bounced upon the curve of his shoulders as they went.

“Be careful! If you trip going down, you’ll fall on top of me, and if you trip going up, you’ll also fall on top of me.”

“Have more faith in me, love.” Iago laughed at the possibilities Sephria illustrated in his head. “I haven’t fallen yet.”

“Yet,” Sephria smiled in taunting agreement. Iago smiled back, but knowing she could not see it, he gave her a couple ticklish squeezes against her thigh, making her laugh and kick about in his arms. Eulylia watched the two of them as she stepped down the dimly lit corridor beside them. She kept a silent smile to herself and glanced back to make sure Alea was following them.

Alea was. She followed them down the stairs and then up the stairs that came shortly afterward, silent beside Szak the entire time they made their way to the inside of the dome. A chilled air traveled down from above, and as they emerged from underground, a grand view of gems surrounded them.

What looked to be a massive boulder on the outside revealed itself as one of the largest geodes on the Academy campus. Dispersed among limestone were dazzling varieties of chalcedony clusters and illustrious quartz. Crystals, some translucent and some opaque, mounted up the walls until a circular opening broke the center of the domed ceiling, where clear skies shined down onto a plain, dirt stage surrounded by a moat streaming fresh water.

Szak had considered taking this moment to ask Alea about her sword. The hesitation, though, mainly came from the knowledge that Eulylia would hear the entirety of their conversation; when the rest of the arena came to view at the end of the stairs and he made the decision to ask anyway, he lost the opportunity.

“Szak!” Ty called out, wearing his usual grey and sleeveless robes. “Didn’t expect you to be here!” He waved a hand at everyone as he went to meet them. His broad shoulders and muscular arms gave hint to what the rest of his lean body would be under his loose clothes that bounced around in his light jog.

Szak only nodded once with a forced smile.

Ty turned to the group. “Iago. Lyly. Seph.” Each returned the greeting in their own way: a wink, a smile, and a blink. Ty’s eyes fell upon Alea. He raised a brow. “Have we met?” He held out a hand, plated wrist guards shining against the morning light.

“Tylin Kyon,” Alea bowed, keeping her hands held to herself before her. “Yes, we have met once before.”

Szak kept eyes on Alea, not noticing Iago glancing over to him.

“An extraordinary coincidence,” Eulylia smiled at her. “It is as if you were predestined by Aiana to be with us today.”

“Yeah, okay… when?” Ty raised a brow. He hadn’t expected this girl to actually answer yes.

“Rude,” Sephria sang.

“Truly, Tylin,” Eulylia added with a soft sigh. “The least to be done in these circumstances is to apologize for your own forgetfulness of another’s existence within your life.”

“Sorry?” Ty tried, but the lack of sincerity in his tone only disgusted Eulylia further. He left it at that and turned to refocus on Alea again. “So, when?”

“… I cannot say that I remember when,” Alea said with a shy smile. “Only that I do.”

“Like, you remember my face? Or… how does that work?”

She looked down at her feet, as if considering—or, thinking? Struggling? Wrestling with some thought? Neither Szak nor Iago could tell, exactly. Tylin was only waiting for an answer. She bit her lip and looked back up at him. “Perhaps. Your father is the Third of Nine in the Mist and visits at times.”

“Visits? Visits where?”

“ASSIGNMENT!” An older woman’s voice boomed throughout the dome. “VIRI SKARLETTA. EULYLIA DESIREEN. RIA ALDERIAS. REA ALDERIAS.”

Iago winked at Eulylia. “Get in there and eat ‘em alive.”

Eulylia’s hazel eyes demanded him be serious when they looked at him.

“… Figuratively, of course, sweetheart.”