The smell of cleaning products awoke Rom from a bed to an unfamiliar room. Needles, scalpels, and bandages filled her view before peering out of a nearby window with sunlight shining through.

Well, that’s the library, so at least I am still on campus and I must be in the school’s clinic.

”Rom! You are finally awake!” Shade popped out of Rom’s hair and started fluttering in front of her face with its leaf-like pink tail wagging back and forth.

“Sorry if I worried you. How long was I out?”

“The rest of the night. It is morning now and Suke brought you here and stayed by your side the entire night. I don’t know where she went off to now though.”

“Probably to class if I had to guess. I am grateful she brought me here but now I owe her and I hate owing people.”

Rom felt uneasy knowing someone helped her without getting something in return. Nothing is free was recited in her head as if it was a prayer but it was just something told to her back in the Nile. Also, something she learned firsthand many times.

“Well, Ms. Dorfmure. Glad to see you are awake,” a detached voice said.

“Professor Hash?” Rom had no idea why he was there which worried her. “Did I miss your class? I swear I thought our next one was tomorrow.”

“You are correct in thinking that since our next class is tomorrow. I am here just visiting my friend Dr. Loo and noticed that you were here. She told me that you were pretty banged up.”

Rom started to get out of bed slowly thinking she would feel some pain but nothing. She started moving her body around looking for some sort of discomfort but still nothing. Even the crick in her neck from the less-than-spacious ride up to the school was gone.

“I can see that this is your first time being treated by a mend quill and since I was going to talk about them tomorrow, an earlier lesson won’t hurt.”

“I am guessing a mend quill heals all pain?” Rom asked.

“No. The mend quill transfers the pain, sickness, or injury from a person to its bond called a mender who stockpiles the damage within their body. That is what Dr. Loo is currently doing for you. Stockpiling all your suffering in her own body until it heals.”

“Wow. Hopefully, my injuries aren’t too much for her.”

“No need to worry about that. Dr. Loo has been a mender for a long time and her tolerance for pain is very high.”

A woman wearing a white coat covering a casual shirt and pants walked into the room. “Even outside the hall room, you are still boring students with your lessons.”

Rom spotted the name Dr. Loo over the chest pocket of the white coat.

“Boring or not, my lessons are needed by these young minds to go out into the world as bonds with their quill and—”

A forced snore from Dr. Loo quieted Hash and left him with a frown.

“Young lady. Your friend told me you fell down the stairs which was a lie and so are you going to tell me the truth about what happened or another lie?”

Rom kept quiet.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Silence. Well at least it’s not another lie but just know that the same pain I have taken away,” Dr. Loo walked up to Rom, placing a hand on her shoulder, “I can give back in folds.”

Pain shot through Rom’s body causing her to almost lose consciousness before the doctor removed her hand.

“That was only for a second and you look like hell. So how about next time you have more than just silence for me when I ask what happened,” Dr. Loo said with a smile. “Also you are fine to go and should before Professor Hash continues on with his boring lecture.”

Rom looked at her phone, noticing she had class in an hour, and quickly put on her borrowed roommate’s shoes. “I actually enjoyed his lesson and am glad I could get a snippet of tomorrow's class.”

“Rom look,” Shade said pointing its little green hand of three fingers towards another quill poking its blue little head dawned with two swirly antennas out of Dr. Loo’s coat pocket.

“That must be her mend quill. Its ability would have been great in the past fights I've gotten into.”

Shade tugged at Rom’s ear saying “Having me in past fights would have been great also.”

“Having you back then would have been perfect. Don’t undersell yourself with just great.”

“I know but I wanted to make sure you knew.”

Rom shook her head with a smile at Shade before waving goodbye to Hash and Dr. Loo as she left the room. The thought of her day being cut short by being kicked out of college for fighting an exalted stayed in the back of her mind but never came true.

Still nothing Rom said to herself while sitting at a table eating a whole wheat wrap in the dining hall. Did he not tell anyone what happened?

“Rom!” A shout from behind made Rom turn around into a hug from her roommate Suke. “Hi,” she said with a confused and unwilling look. “Why are you hugging me? I don’t like to be hugged.”

“Oh sorry,” Suke replied, stepping back. “I was worried and just happy you are ok.”

“Her spectrum is yellow so she truly is happy you are ok. Another reason why I like her.”

“The first reason is still her liking how you look correct?”

“Yes of course. That spoke volumes to me.”

“I bet it did.”

“Thank you for taking me to the clinic and staying by my side the entire night.”

Suke sat down next to Rom. “It was no problem but what happened last night? You were knocked out next to Yale Tool with his older brother Sebastian Tool standing over you. It looked like if I came a second later you wouldn’t be here talking.”

Rom wasn't surprised to hear that her life was in danger, especially since Yale’s older brother didn’t hide his disgust for her. So she just shrugged it off and continued eating which alarmed Suke.

“You must not understand. The Tool family are powerful people and many students at this school would give anything to be friends with Yale or Sebastian but somehow you became their enemies within the first day of classes?”

“Yale and his brother are assholes and so becoming their enemy was bound to happen. Also, Yale attacked me because he wanted me to drop out of school so his friend could take my place. Followed by his brother showing up out of nowhere and them bickering with each other just made the whole situation even more of a headache.”

Suke lowered and shook her head. “Well even though you didn’t start the fight and we're just defending yourself, Yale is still an exalted and not just a regular exalted but a Monolith.”

Rom put down her wrap and stared up. “A Monolith. That’s an exalted family that helped build the cities in the sky, correct?”

“Exactly,” Suke said with excitement while proceeding to move Rom’s food to the side.

“I was still eating that.”

“I need your full attention for this. There are five families who were each instrumental part in creating the floating cities above the gloomy clouds. This gave them more power, control, and wealth putting them a step above others. In the Exalted Skies, they are deemed untouchable, and going against them is a losing battle.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Suke spotted Shade pushing the plate with the wrap back towards Rom whose hand started to reach out for it. “No,” Suke said while slapping Rom’s hand away. “I’m still not done.”

“You do know that I still owe you a punch?” Rom threatened.

Suke pulled back a bit. “I’m sorry but I feel like you are not understanding the shit you are in. Yale and Sebastian can make your life at this school a living hell.”

Still, no worry was seen on Rom’s face not because she didn’t care but due to the plan, she was already hatching together in her head. A person who can end a fight quickly is considered a great fighter but a person who can end a fight before it even starts is a great tactician. A recalled saying from a mentor that has guided many decisions throughout Rom’s life.

Suke dropped her head in frustration from Rom’s lack of concern about what happened followed by a large sigh. “Let’s at least exchange numbers just in case anything happens.”

As the two started to exchange phone numbers, a group of students started to surround them. “Hi? Can we help you all?” Rom asked clocking seven people with vibrating yellow spectrums while one person had a low pulsing orange.

A small laugh was let out by Suke. “Sometimes I hate being right.”

It wasn’t hard for Rom to think that the people encircling them were sent by the Tool brothers and judging by their serious expressions and clenched fists, pain and blood were their goals.

“Suke, this is my problem not yours so leave,” Rom said.

“We are roommates, so it's our problem and at least they sent an even number of people. So, you get four and I get four?”

Rom sucked her teeth and grudgingly replied “Fine.”

The dining hall that was filled with students eating, drinking, and chatting became a scene of a brawl. Eight against two. Well, eight against three if counting Shade’s eye pokes and distractions. Onlookers watched with glee and intrigue for five minutes until the fight was broken up by campus security.