There was a long stretch of silence between Klara, Oliwer, Jadwia and Kewin after Isyd’s words.

“What?” Jadwia said.

“WHAT?” Klara echoed.

“Oh, YES!” Oliwer exclaimed.

Naeht chuckled over his enthusiasm which also snatched a genuine smile from Isyd.

“Perfect, then!” he said. He then turned to Kewin and Jadwia. “I hope you guys don’t mind.”

Kewin just shrugged weakly, still too stunned by the sudden turn of events.

“Er… I guess it’s fine…” Jadwia said. “You’re the Ringleader after all…”

“Now, hold on a second!” Klara said, stepping in. She almost stabbed Isyd with her pointed finger. “I spent an entire semester trying to convince you to join the Ring I’m part of and now you just create your own Ring and recruit my brother?”

“Would you have preferred I asked you instead?” Isyd said. “I doubt you’d have accepted.”

“Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous! Still, it feels a bit backhanded…”

“I meant no offence.”

Klara rolled her eyes and gave him a small smile, meaning that she was simply teasing him. She glanced at her brother and then back to Isyd, her gaze more serious.

“Can I trust with this?”

“You can,” Isyd said with the utmost confidence.

Oliwer standing next to her sighed and rolled his eyes. “I’m not a child anymore Klara!”

“It’s perfect then!” Isyd said. “I think we should hold the first official meeting of our Ring now. That was the reason why we came here in the first place; we were looking for you, Jadwia. Are you busy now?”

Jadwia glanced at Boshena and Tatyana who told her it was okay and that they’ll catch up later on. Klara had walked around the whole Academy with Oliwer to familiarize him with the different buildings. The Common Room had been their last stop, so he was also free to join Isyd and his new Ringmates.

To Jadwia’s and Oliwer’s surprise, they headed out and took the direction of the forest bordering the Fields. The meadow he’d chosen was the same Kewin and he finished their exercise routine, a stretch from the well-trodden path and outside of what was considered the Academy’s boundaries. Thankfully, it hadn’t rained today which meant that they could simply sit in the grass and hard soil. Isyd took a seat on a flat stone near the pond.

“I’ll find a better place for us to meet, but for today this will do,” he said. “I prefer being away from everyone’s attention.”

His Ringmates didn’t seem to mind and took place around him. They couldn’t see it, but Naeht had floated down in their midst and was smiling at him. So, there they were the four members of his Ring, the Tears.

“Oliwer, since you’re new here, all three of us can help you,” Isyd said. “You don’t need to call us Seniors and all that, since we are of the same year technically.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I am already familiar with most of the Academy. Both my parents studied here when they were younger. Since we were little, they talked to my sister and me about when it would be our turn to enrol eventually. It almost feels like I have been here already despite this being my first time!”

“That’s good then. Just don’t hesitate to come to me if you need anything,” Isyd said.

“So, what are we going to do now? Are we just introducing ourselves to each other or do you have something else planned for this first meeting?” Jadwia asked.

“I do actually,” Isyd said. “I want to talk about the Evaluations.”

Isyd saw Jadwia immediately stiffening where she sat.

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“Did you guys pay attention to the results of other Pupils as well as the tuition? It is a disaster!”

“Disaster may be too much of a harsh word, maybe…” Kewin said timidly.

Isyd shook his head. “No, I think it is quite appropriate as description. More than half of the 1st Years are gone!”

“Klara did say that the Evaluations were difficult, but this seems like a lot…” Oliwer said.

“It is a lot, but it is expected,” Jadwia said.

“More than expected, it was desired!”

Jadwia, Oliwer and Kewin exchanged confused looks. “What… What do you mean by that exactly, Isyd?”

“1st Year are not expected to succeed their Evaluations.”

In brief words, he retold the conversations he had with Hidrss. When he was done, Jadwia stood up suddenly. Her fists were clenched and her face was pale. Her lips moved several times but without uttering a word. Isyd could see that she was traversed by a storm of emotions: resignation, betrayal, anger, humiliation.

“This is not fair…,” she could only mutter through gritted teeth.

Isyd turns to Kewin to measure his reaction. To his surprise, Kewin didn’t look fazed.

“I had guessed something like that was possible when I saw that the entry for the 1st semester was free,” he explained with a shrug.

“For me, I never conserved the tuition to be a problem in the first place,” Oliwer said. “My parents said that they will pay it anyway… Sorry.”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize, Oliwer,” Isyd said. “In fact, you should be grateful and thankful to your parents for this chance they give you. I suspect that it is like an open secret in the Academy. Hidrss said as much. The people from the Commonwealth may know it already, but those who come from far away or more secluded areas do not.”

“What’s the point of you telling us that?” Jadwia asked bitterly.

“Would you have preferred not knowing?” Isyd asked.

They locked eyes for a long time. In the end, Jadwia hesitated then shook her head and looked away. “No, I guess it’s better to know… To be entirely frank, I also had suspicion just like Kewin said. I just… decided to ignore it I guess… It became hard to do so after the Evaluations. They were meaninglessly more difficult than they needed to be!”

She slumped down back to the ground and let out a deep sigh. “This is not fair,” she repeated, “but I guess there’s nothing we can do about it. I can’t afford another tuition like the one I received.”

“Well, you won’t have to pay another one,” Isyd declared. “This is why I brought you here. The goal of our Ring, the Tears, is to cultivate everyone’s potential in the Arts, no matter where they are from. This means making sure that they can pay for their tuition or make their tuition null.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?”

“We will participate in the Tourney.”

His words were welcomed by a stunned silence. He didn’t need to explain what he was referring to, they were all familiar with the upcoming event.

“You must be joking…” Jadwia finally let out.

“Wow, how exciting!” Oliwer exclaimed.

Kewin just looked amused by their opposite reaction.

“Isyd, this sounds ridiculous,” Jadwia said. “The best Rings of all the Academies of the Commonwealth are competing. Despite how talented you are, there’s little chance for us to win. The competition is too fierce!”

“This shouldn’t discourage us from participating. We have nothing to lose, all to gain. Plus, don’t start with a defeating mindset. I’m not saying it will be easy, but I am confident in our chances if we get serious about it.”

Isyd turned toward Kewin. “I have asked around, but there doesn’t seem to be a way for you to participate with us. I’m sorry.”

Kewin looked genuinely confused. “I didn’t intend to. There’s nothing I could have done since I’m Disgraced…”

“This doesn’t matter to me, you’re still part of the Ring. Don’t sell yourself short. In fact, this is valid for all of you: don’t sell yourself short. The reason why we enter the Tourney is not only for the recompense at the end but to make a point. The Academy says that you aren’t deserving to invest resources to develop your potential in the Arts? Then, you will prove to them that you don’t need them and can grow by yourselves. They say that the best you can hope to amount to are Artyficers? Then, you will prove to them that you can become the best Artysta there are!”

Kewin, Oliwer and Jadwia couldn’t help but be moved by the confidence in Isyd’s words.

“Do you really think it’s possible?” Jadwia said hesitantly. “Do you think as 1st Year, we will be able to compete with Seniors several Openings higher?”

“Yes, you will be able to. This will demand serious commitment on your part, but it is possible. We will train and I will help you practice the Arts more intensively and make sure that you increase your Openings in no time!”

Jadwia and Oliwer seemed suddenly excited by the prospect. Only Kewin was more reserved. Of the three of them, only he had been practising with Isyd during their morning routine. He knew what Isyd meant when he talked of “training” and at the thought of it, his muscles already started to ache.

He met Isyd’s eyes and the knowing glint in it confirmed to Kewin that – unfortunately – he wasn’t far from the mark. He raised his hand before speaking.

“Is it certain you’ll be able to participate?” he asked. “Isn’t there a selection process beforehand?”

“There is, but this is my job to handle,” Isyd said. “It’s my responsability as your Ringleader.”