Changing Her Stars

Aleyne Academy

Wake up. Practice the stances. Eat. Practice the stances. Study the formations. Practice the stances. Eat, if there’s time. Listen attentively to the lecture and take articulate notes. Eat. Practice the stances. Wash up and try to sleep.

Repeat.

Tov opened his eyes, his body sore, even though it was used to the routine. He briefly smiled as a memory of his second week at the Academy rose to the forefront of his mind. Back then, he had had no idea what was in store for him. However, he wouldn’t trade these years for anything. He had entered a boy and was well on his way to leaving as a man. This was his dream. He’d stop at nothing to accomplish it.

“‘Ey. Tovi, get up, sleepy head.”

He rolled over and came face-to-face with his roommate, Jenhem, who was uncomfortably close. The other had reddish-brown curls that stuck out all over and a smattering of freckles on his face. He also always wore a toothy grin. In fact, Tov had never seen the kid without that smile.

“I’m gettin’. I’m gettin’,” he replied, sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. “We have seven minutes before we need to be on the field.”

Jenhem shook his head. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Have a clock in your head that tells you exactly how long you have for everything?”

Tov shrugged. “I dunno. Just do, I guess.”

“It’s creepy, but, like, in a cool way. Ya know? Like, I’m glad I have ya as a roomie because I’ve never been late this year. It’s all thanks to you.”

“You’re welcome?”

The two exchanged smiles before changing and rushing to the training fields, which were located in the center of the Academy. The entire property was formed in the shape of a circle to represent the never-ending cycle of learning and training. Ashes entered the grounds from the top and were housed there, and with each year, they would rotate around in a clockwise fashion until year four, when they could leave the Academy as Ashenites, prepared for whatever life threw at them. With the training fields in the center, anyone on the campus could see students and teachers training from any location, instilling the importance of being ready for the King’s call.

Making it to the fields, they saw their teacher waiting for his Asheni crew to line up. They were finally getting to learn about the Flame Stance. It was often the most favored Stance due to its aggressive, powerful movements. They had already learned the Sturdy, Droplet, and Cloud Stances, which meant that Flame was the final stance that would take them to the end of the year challenge.

Sturdy Stance allowed for one to focus on defenses and protecting oneself from oncoming attacks. It was often seen as the foundation of all Stances and was the easiest to learn and understand.

Droplet Stance used the Sturdy Stance as a base, but added fluidity to movements and allowed for one to test their opponents for weakness. This Stance relied on one’s dexterity to create multiple attacks that built off one another, which often confused the opponent and encouraged them to make a mistake. This Stance was particularly good for disguising one’s main attacking strategy.

Cloud Stance focused on speed and agility. Though this Stance had little power to it, the quick movements were hard to track and if used correctly, could render the opponent completely defenseless.

“Alright Asheni. Listen carefully. I know this is the day you’ve all longed for,” the instructor stated.

Master Marbu was an older teacher who had been at the Academy for over 20 years. He was considered one of the top instructors at the Academy and was widely praised for his wisdom, high expectations, and uncanny ability to help shape some of the best Ashenites to come out of the Academy. It was a known fact that the war hero, Eldrin Montero, had been his student many years ago, and every Ash who entered the Academy prayed to the gods to be in his group. Instructors stayed with their troup for their entire four year career. They only received new recruits after their current group graduated from the Academy.

“A warning before we proceed,” Master Marbu continued. “Though this is the most powerful Stance, it is unforgiving. You must respect it or it will consume you. Do not take on more than you can control. If I say stop, you stop immediately. Understood?”

“Yessir!” the group said, hanging onto every word.

Each student then watched in awe as Master Morbu expertly demonstrated the steps of the Stance in real time. Tov knew that the next week would be dedicated to breaking apart the motions, so that the students would carefully study the movements without injury. Watching the teacher so easily dance through all of the steps fluidly had been a breath-taking sight, and he challenged himself to become as skilled as his master.

“Did you see that?” Jenhem whispered, his mouth still open. “We are so lucky to have Master Morbu. We’re going to become like Duke Montero in no time and join him on the battlefield one day.”

Tov chuckled, cautious to not be seen by Master Morbu. “One day,” he breathed.

All his life, Tov had listened to the stories of the famed Duke, who took on hordes of enemies in order to protect them. He had dedicated his life to a hero who would never know his name, but that was enough for Tov. It was sufficient for him to simply model himself on such a rare talent.

When Tov was a young child, Duke Montero had saved his village from being wiped out. The Ooagi had been raiding villages in the area, stealing the townspeople and burning the area to the ground. According to his parents, the king refused to send troops, since they were too far away from a knight station. Hearing this, Duke Montero took it upon himself to set a trap for the Ooagi with a small group of his men. This ultimately saved his town and everyone in it. They built a statue of the Duke in their square as a way to always remember his kindness. Duke Montero had refused all forms of compensation.

Tov wanted to be just like the Duke, which is why his parents scraped together every coin they could to send him to Aleyne Academy when they discovered his aura. He didn’t have a particularly strong aura, but his skill with the blade made up for it. His desire to succeed kept him going, even on the hardest days. Even when Master Morbu questioned whether he should continue into his third year as an Asheni. It wasn’t that his teacher didn’t believe in him, it was that he was worried about the memories that plagued his mind at night. That was when the Ooagi showed up.

Since he was a child, Tov often had nightmares about them. Each night, he would be locked in the same room, tied to the same metal slab, and see the same phantom creature’s masked face; however, each night, it would perform a different experiment on him. It wasn’t until one morning, when he saw a long cut on his forearm and an odd tattoo, that he told the Master about it.

He was grateful that Master Morbu advocated for him to stay at the Academy, but he had been ostracized because of it. Jenhem was the only one who talked to him now. It was the only reason they had become roommates. He wasn’t stupid or unaware of the rumors said about him. It was also why he believed that Jenhem always smiled at him. Jenhem wanted him to feel normal.

Tov would prove them all wrong, though. All of the other students would see his skills and respect his merit. He would no longer be mocked or defined by the tattoo on his arm. He would overcome everything in his path in order to protect those who couldn’t defend themselves. He would do whatever it took to achieve his dreams; to be like the Duke.

The sun rose once more, and Tov opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling and let out a small sigh before he rolled over and saw Jenhem’s smiling face.

“Time to get up, sleepy head.”

Wake up. Practice the stances. Eat. Practice the stances. Study the formations. Practice the stances. Eat, if there’s time. Listen attentively to the lecture and take articulate notes. Eat. Practice the stances. Wash up and try to sleep.

Repeat.