I stood up slowly, while others did the same.
"I want each of you to synchronize with this equation by the end of the week. If you fail, don't bother coming back to class" Mr. Orpheous announced as he disappeared out of nowhere. I stood there for a minute until my flashing watch caught my attention.
[9A]
Ooh, next should be... koi studies? I walked out slowly and headed back down to the first floor, with everyone else.
Suddenly, I felt my watch vibrate and a letter icon popped up.
[Message from Tiana Fallen]
[Come to my room to study that equation after your third class]
I glanced back at her and saw brandon and that one girl doing the same. So, she invited everyone? Then, I paused. Class doesn't start till 12, It's our lunch period. Then, I thought back to the picture of the academy and remembered the cafeteria is in the building with the plaque of the anvil with different tools around it. I headed for the door and stepped outside and paused.
Infront of me stood a giant plant man. What plant exactly... I couldn't tell you but he was covered in teal and yellow flowers. Some a mix in-between but some, I couldn't tell what combination of them they were.
Then, I heard it.
'What are you looking at human child?' Rang out from infront of me. I looked at what was supposed to be his face and thought.
"Sorry about that, I wasn't expecting anyone to be out here" I lied and it paused its fluid movements before its body bent down to get on my level.
'You can hear telepathic thoughts?' He questioned and I nodded slowly before shaking my head.
"I can only hear the feelings of plants, but I think that if they're strong enough, I can hear the... telepathic thoughts, you're talking about" I explained and he stared at me for a hot moment until he quickly grabbed my arm and pulled on it, revealing Veil's tattoo. The way he moved was way faster than anyone should be able too.
'Are you on the spirit farmer path? Yes, I can feel it on you. Your koi. Take this to yonglur dorm and plant it in your pot' he explained rapidly before shooting up to the main building. I stared at the mix of teal and yellow flower resting in my hand before placing it in my soul space.
Walking on, my mind was racing as I thought about Tiana's study group and the flower, integraters courses equation. Without me realizing, I walked right into someone.
"Shit! Im so.... sorry" I called out in a hurry but something else caught my attention. All the thoughts in my head went quiet, like they never existed. Infront of me layed that small petite guy from yesterday.
"Are you ok?" I questioned quickly as I helped him up. He nodded slowly as he dusted off his pants.
"Yea, ooh. It's you again. My name is Kasteel. Never introduced myself" je called out calmly, throwing me off. He is really calm for being knocked over. Suddenly, I got a notification.
[Kasteel thorne, as sent a friend request]
I hit accept and had a thought.
"Wanna go get lunch with me?" I offered and I watched his lips pinch into a line. He looked down a little before answering.
"You know you need to bring your own food there, or buy it. They offer kitchens but I don't have any food or money. My parents aren't the poorest but we're really close" he answered and I couldn't help but laugh. I have more than enough food for a long while, but then i got concerned.
"Then how do you plan on eating while you're here?" I asked and he frowned while looking me in the eye.
"You should know about the mountain's nearby, the ocean? I plan on finding food there" he answered slowly and I patted his shoulder.
"Lets eat together" I breathe out as a handful of memories came to my mind. Nights where I struggled to eat as was in a deep depression. Nights where the loneliness was to overbearing to think about the next day.
He looked up at me in suprise, then I held out my arm.
"Take it" I called out with a strong tone, not giving him any room to refuse. He nodded and slowly grabbed my forearm. I thought about sending 30 lb of deer meat over and it disappeared out of my soul space.
<30lb of deer meat transfered>
The system rang out, making me nod. I watched as his jaw openned and closed before he looked down.
"What do I owe you?" He asked quietly, making me sigh. You know what? I actually do need something.
"Come with me to fight spirits soon. We can keep in touch through the watches" I explained as we walked towards the cafeteria. 5 minutes later, we were standing infront of a mini kitchen set.
"You know how to cook?" I called out as I set a square block of deer meat on the cutting board and pulled a steel knife out of a wooden block to my side. He nodded slowly before looking over everything.
"Yea, can you dice the meat into 1" squares. I can make curry. Without the rice, of course" Kasteel answers and I nod. Cutting down on the meat, I dice it quickly. Cutting with practiced moves, I watched as Kasteel spiced the pan with some herbs and butter provided.
Suddenly, I watched him panic. Sighing, I called out.
"Whats wrong?" I questioned and he held out a pot of soil with a small bud poking out.
"The thyme plant isn't ready, I can try to spice it differently but thyme makes the taste richer too" he replied in a depressed voice. I stared at him for a minute, thinking about something.
'Veil, do you feel anything off about Kasteel? I can use my real origin instead of your vines for this but is it safe too?' I called out into my mind and felt her stir, like she was contemplating.
'If you want, you can show him. You can also make him sign a contract' she replied, making me think back to system mechanics.
I thought about the contract and the system sent a notification to me.
Kasteel looked at me with a weird glint in his eyes before accepting slowly.
"Why did you send me that contract? We just needed thyme?" He called out, clearly confused. I nodded slowly as I held my hands beside the sprout. Then, I urged my koi through my arms, illuminating the sprout in a green light.
Kasteel's eyes shot open as he watched the plant grow longer and longer. Finally, at the 4 minute mark, the plant started sprouting little stubs, the thyme. He looked between me and the plant before nodding slowly. He plucked it and set the pot aside.
10 minutes later, we were eating the best deer meat I've ever had. We ate in comfortable silence before he looked at me.
"Wanna eat dinner together too?" He questioned and I smiled faintly. I was already invited to Tiana's room for a study group, then that really weird plant guy, then this?
"Im sorry, I already have to turn down Tiana's study group because I have plans. How about tomorrow for lunch again?" I explained before offering up a different time. He nodded and I checked the time.
"Shit! I got to go to class. I'll see you tomorrow" I called out as I dashed out of the building. I used a lot of my koi and felt a little heavy as I ran but it wasn't too bad. I walked into the main building, then the room right next to system mechanics.
"Welcome to koi studies. Now that everyone is here, we can start" a man called out as I walked in. Looking around, I saw a mostly full room and checked the time. It was 11:50am. How am I late?
Slowly, I took my seat and he started.
"I am Mr. Loaking, and we will be going over the basics today. Can anyone tell me what koi is? No high school answers please" Mr. Loaking questioned slowly, with his eyes scanning each of us. I recovered my own koi as I thought about it. I always thought koi was like, life energy?
"No one? Fine. Koi is, in layman's terms, biological energy purified through the divine flame high in the sky. Yet, it is so much more than that. Over time it has evolved into countless forms, but thats for later" he explained profoundly, catching my attention immediately.
I felt a shift in the room so intensely that it was hard not to pay attention.
"Theoughout your life, youll find koi in many inanimate things like water, soil, air, rock, ice fires, wine, couches, etc etc. But we all know that they aren't alive. So, I'll ask again" he went on, building momentum as he went. I felt my mind racing as he explained more and more until he paused.
"What is koi?" He asked again but this time, it felt much more intentional, like he was asking the meaning of life with as much certainty as basic addition.
The room went silent fast, as everyone was coming up with their own answer and I felt like no matter what anyone said, they would be both right and wrong at the same time. What can be both living and dead? Moving yet still?
My head started to hurt but we didn't have to wait long. He cleared his throat as he started.
"The answer isn't something i share lightly. Koi is a very very inpure divine energy thats been diluted by the very essence of Revaro" he announced with a cold dedication, but that wasn't all. As soon as he said that, loose threads of knowledge started to knot together.
So, the divine golden flame that burns in the sky somehow purifies an entire planets worth of energy? And that energy is divine? But how did it get there?
Then, that damndd bell rang, sparking the students to rush out to there next class. I stood up slowly as I watched Mr. Loaking walk out. I want to know more, but it isnt the right time.
I walked out quietly as I looked down at my watch. A bright orange lettering appeared, different from the normal white.
[Hall of life, mentor- Ms. Solaris]
"Hall of life? What the hell is that?" I called out in confusion, drawing the surrrounding student's attention. I nodded slowly as a new icon popped up, the black of an anvil with tools surrounding it.