Reverse Chronicles

Settling In

The dawn is chilly even in the now silent Xanvaldrea. I open the window to see the silhouette of the city around me. The dim buildings contrast against the starry sky, as the wind whispers into the empty streets.

I do a stretch. The wide-open field of the Academy entices me to go for a morning jog. The lack of running shoes in this world did not pose a problem as I ran barefoot around the grass-covered field. I estimate it to be as big as a basketball court. I run 30 laps around the field, just in time for the sun to rise. My cool down stretches got interrupted when I hear someone opening a window.

It was a boy. He gives me the cold glare as he slams the window close. I finish my cool down exercise and ran back to my room and prepared for the rest of the day.

Students in the academy are expected to wear a uniform. At a glance, it looks similar to school band uniforms except that it is black and has gold and crimson colors with it. I do not have a uniform, so I have to wear the clothes that Wisterion gave me. They were his clothes when he was still around my age. Strangely, they all seem to be custom-made for me. The one that I’m wearing today is a simple white long sleeve paired with black pants and travelling boots.

As I was finishing, someone suddenly knocks on the door. I open it to see Mathilde. She was wearing the school uniform with a butterfly pin on her chest. She also has a strange hairpin that looks like one side of the yin and yang.

“Here is your class schedule,” she hands me a piece of paper. “Today is your first day, good luck. And oh, breakfast is served at the cafeteria downstairs.” She bows and abruptly leaves.

Okay, I should eat breakfast. Let’s see, my first class is Weaponry with Sir Gallant T. Volathia at eight.

I directly go downstairs and pass by students who are also getting ready. When I arrived in the cafeteria, it looked like the typical cafeteria back home. There is a table for the popular girls, the jocks, the nerds, and some super friendly people. Although there are four students who have an entire table all to themselves. Strangely, they have different uniforms than the rest of the crowd. They wore white, instead of black.

“Over here, Alyssa,” Mathilde waves her hand to catch my attention. I run over to her ignoring everybody’s gaze as I went.

“Please call me, Alan,” I tell her.

“But your real name is Alyssa,” she replies.

“I know, but just call me Alan, when we are with other people.”

“Okay,” she nods.

Mathilde guides me through the cafeteria. It is the same with Earth’s cafeterias, except that the food is very high class. Breakfast is salad with a white creamy dressing paired with milk and some kind of stir-fried pork dish. When I was done getting food, Mathilde let me sit with her in their friends table.

“Guys, meet Alan. He’s General Wisterion van Kealyn’s Squire,” Mathilde introduces me, which produced murmurs and whispers. “Alan meet Carina, Amelie, Roland, and Cecil.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all!” I smile as friendly as I could. They reply with silence and blank stares. The tension ended when Mathilde begins eating her food. The salad combined with the dressing is truly delicious. It reminds me of Caesar’s salad, but there is a strange kick to its flavor. “If I may ask, why did you guys decide to become a Squire?”

“What do you mean?” Roland answers.

“I mean you are here because you were chosen as a Squire, right?”

“No, Alan. We’re not like the Chosen,” Carina replies.

“We’re training to become Mage Knight, so that one day we may be able to serve the empire,” Cecil enters the conversation.

“I notice those four have different uniforms than the ones you are wearing. Are they upper class?” I ask.

“They are your fellow, Chosen,” Roland reveals. “Like you, they were also chosen by other dragon generals to become their Squires.”

“That one right there is Syrena von Wilstrom,” Mathilde refers to a girl on the farthest table on her own. She is reading a book and appears to be oblivious of her surroundings. “Don’t let her appearance fool you! She may have a pretty face, but she is a prodigy in magic. The Arcane General met her in Mysinda and decided to take her in as a Squire.”

“The boy next to her is Johannes, just Johannes,” Mathilde continues. Johannes is very focused on his food savoring every bit of flavor. “He is the Knight General’s Squire. His prowess in battle and command is unparalleled in the academy.”

“I was once his Mage Knight in Strategy class and he was so cool!” Carina blushes.

“Next to him on the right is Haruka Miyamizu,” Mathilde adds. Haruka seems still and serene, and the dagger that she is using to pick her food proves her grace. “As the Sword General’s Squire, her skill with the sword and blades are unmatched in the Academy. Although she does get into trouble with some of the professors because all she wants to use is the sword.”

“Finally, the most controversial of them all,” Mathilde begins drumming the table softly, “Luke F. Atharia.”

“Controversial?” I ask.

“He asked General van Kealyn to take him in as a Squire but was rejected,” Amelie whispers. “He shamelessly asked him again and again. In the end, the Defender General took him as a Squire. I’d stay away from him if I were you. He’s a terrible person!”

“Give him a break,” Cecil defends Luke. “The guy is the last descendant of the king of Atharia. Of course, he wants to make a name for himself.”

I remember Luke’s face. He was the guy, who gave me a chilly gaze, this morning.

Does he despise me for being Wisterion’s Squire? I can’t blame him though. It must be hard when you’re the last descendant of a kingdom.

“Alan,” Mathilde stands up after finishing her meal, “I’ll tour you through the campus before class starts.” She grabs me by my arm and takes me outside.

Mathilde guides me around the Academy using my class schedule. She tells me where the professors conduct their classes, how they handle the class, and how they are like. As a chosen Squire, our classes and trainings are harder than other students. We have more subjects and spend more time training than any other student. There are also subjects that are only for the Chosen.

I thank Mathilde for the tour. I proceed to the training dojo, where my first subject is going to be. Weaponry is a subject exclusive to the Chosen. It trains us to be versatile with weapon use. Unlike Mathilde and her Mage Knight friends who use magic, Squires are expected to be adept with every weapon there is.

The training dojo has an arsenal of various weapons, from throwing stars to giant hammers. Every weapon in the armory at the right side of the dojo is like fresh out of a video game. On the other side of the room are dummies and targets that have arrows stuck in them. There are also scratches and marks on the floor and the walls suggesting that sparring with the actual weapons is involved.

I was checking out the weapons, when someone enters the room. “So, you must be the new guy,” I turn to the speaker. It was Johannes. His blond hair shines up close and his green eyes complemented them. He was taller and more buff than me. His pectorals are distinguishable even under the uniform. “I’m Johannes, the Knight General’s Squire. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” He smiles genuinely and reaches out to shake hands.

“I’m Alan. The pleasure’s all mine,” I smile in return and shake his hand.

“How did General Wisterion meet you?” he suddenly asks.

“Well, it’s a long story,” I am about to explain when Syrena enters the dojo.

“Oh hey, Syrena! This is Alan, General Wisterion’s Squire!”

“Hello there!” her face illuminates the entire dojo. She is like the girl from Vermeer’s painting with the pearl earrings, captivating in every way. “I’m General Zenneif’s Squire. We should get along, we both serve the van Kealyn generals, after all.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you!” I reply.

“Likewise,” she smiles then sits on the corner of the dojo, reading the book that she carried.

The rest of the Chosen enters the dojo. Haruka enters silently, like The rest of the Chosen enters the dojo. Haruka enters silently, like a ninja walking on air. Luke enters and pretend to not notice me. Johannes introduces me to them. Haruka bows, while Luke just sneered. Sir Galant T. Volathia eventually enters the dojo and well stand at attention.

“We have a newcomer, General Wisterion van Kealyn’s Squire. I have high hopes for you, mister Lancaste,” he nods and gives an intimidating smile. “As part of this program, I must assess your current skills so that I can develop where you lack and improve them. You will spar with me, grab any weapon that you want to use from the arsenal.”

“Sir Volathia,” Luke raises his hand. “Let me spar with him!” He shouts with all his might.

“Why the sudden outburst, Luke? But, very well, I will not douse your fighting spirit. I trust you are fine with this, Alan?” Sir Galant asks.

Is he trying to prove that he’s better than me? Very well, I’ll make him eat his words!

The array of weapons in the arsenal makes me confused on what I should pick. Although, I do not have any skills in handling almost all of them. Using just one of them would be cool! I went for a safe pick, however, and grabbed the thread and some metal dolls just below it. Luke also grabbed the threads and metal dolls.

“This should be interesting,” Syrena smiles.

What does she mean by that? Is Luke a master of puppetry?

“Ready, begin!”

I quickly attach the threads to one of the dolls. Luke also has one doll. I take the initiative and attacked his. However, it defended with a shield from its abdomen.

How do I do that? I’ve been training with clay dolls and they don’t have that feature!

Luke counters with a sword. Thankfully, I made my doll evade it at the last second, throwing in a punch that knocked his doll back. That blow made him burn in anger. I was taken aback, when he controlled three dolls at once.

“The greatest of puppet masters can control a hundred puppets at once. General Wisterion can control up to a thousand, prove to me that you are worthy being his Squire!” Luke shouts.

He makes all three dolls attack at once. Two attack from the side, while one jumps over and does an aerial strike. I broke my doll by separating all of the threads attached to it. Using the attached pieces, I thwarted his three-pronged assault.

My secret training paid off. I learned that I can break a doll, by separating the threads, but it tangles the threads after making it a double-edged sword. However, with extra training, I learned how to untangle them. I went on the offensive and used the pieces of my doll to detach Luke’s threads.

I got two of them! I might just win this!

Suddenly, Luke begins waving his fingers. The detached dolls suddenly begin moving. They both break down and combines with the only doll he has left.

“The Puppet’s Curse skill,” Syrena giggles.

“What is that skill?” Johannes wonders.

“If a puppeteer’s threads are detached from a doll, the Puppet’s Curse skill will make the detached dolls combine with the remaining dolls adding to its strength.”

That’s cheating!

“Show me your power, Alan!” Luke shouts and sends his strengthened doll at me.

This is bad! I have no way of stopping his attack. Should I drop the threads and grab a bow and arrow? Should I forfeit?

“That’s enough!” Sir Galant stops the match. “I have all the data I need. Thank you for that battle.”