Nerena Corvantis
Books zipped by like a school of fish as I sat in my Astral Realm History class.
Professor Durn stood in front of the library beside a projector, displaying monuments and artifacts from the Astral Realm. The first was a human carved from metallic ore, laced with cosmic energy.
"Can anyone tell me who this person is?" The classroom was silent.
"I remember that human."
"Care to share any information before I blurt out my answer?"
"You know the deal. Information comes with a price."
"But you have given information without a price recently."
"I was feeling generous."
"Never mind,"
I raised my hand, and Professor Durn called on me. "Go ahead, Nerena."
"That is the Starbound who was recognized as the first person to defeat a Category Three rift, Anatole Solaris."
The professor crinkled her nose. "You are incorrect."
"Interesting."
"Why?" I shot back at the voice.
"Pay up if you want to know." I ignored the voice's request. I didn't feel like paying up today.
But I got the question wrong.
That bothered me.
I studied the image again, recalling it from a shell recording in a Vuke Puha library back home. The information was different from what I read in the textbook issued by Professor Durn.
The information my clan records tells no lie. The Vuku Puha requires a three-step process for any information to be recorded in our libraries.
Many countries and families loathe how we collect and record information. Some even think we fabricate it ourselves.
We don't.
But over the past several decades, other nations have started rejecting applications from our scholars to teach in their nations. I was the first Corvantis to study outside of our underwater nation in the last ten years.
Because of this, I felt doubt creep into my mind.
Anatole came to our nation himself to record his conquest. How could our information be wrong?
"Does anyone have the correct answer?" the professor asked. Seeing that no one raised their hand again, she sighed.
"Recent archaeological discoveries have found that this statue is of Lord Vander Vortaris, the first starbound to conquer a category three rift."
Lord Vander Vortaris? I looked at the image one more time. There were minor differences in the statue from what I remembered. Then again, it has been a long time since I looked at the recording.
Did I misremember?
Professor Durn continued with her slideshow. The next image was a lance.
"Where was this lance found, and who did it belong to?"
A kid from the Morphalis clan was called on, "It was found in the Brontarion territory of the astral realm, at the bottom of Thunder Lake."
"Good Chamakuri, and who did it belong to?"
"It belongs to the very first Storm Lord." Professor Durn gave me a sharp glance, as if she were mocking me.
Then Professor Durn changed the slide once again. The slide showed an old painting depicting six humans pointing up to a formation of stars that took the shape of wings. "Can anyone tell me what this is?" she asked the class.
I had seen this painting before, but the image seemed to be edited. Why has the star formation changed?
I raised my hand. Reluctantly, the professor called on me. "Go ahead, Nerena."
"That painting is supposed to be of the Solaris Arrow, is it not?" the professor snickered.
"Incorrect… Again,"
Murmurs from my classmates grew.
"Seems like the teacher is getting a kick out of this."
"Too much."
"Nerena, I thought you were a bookworm. Don't tell me you have comprehension issues, too." Chamakuri said, giving his friend a subtle high five.
Now I was starting to grow irritated. Because I knew I wasn't wrong.
"If you actually did the reading, you would have known that this painting depicts the ancient Vortaris warrior Orion, flying through the sky."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I have no clue what you're thinking."
"Fair,"
My mind followed a single train of thought. I witnessed the same pattern unfold in class that I had noticed in the textbooks and in the Starchieve. I confirmed the theory I deduced by giving answers I knew the teacher would deem wrong. Anything that I once knew to be related to the Solaris clan has been changed.
But why?
The stories I learned about their clan growing up, regarding their sacred duty given to them by their Pantheon. Why would historians write them out? Does this have anything to do with the massacre? No. That wouldn't make sense; it was stated that their former king, Ezra, turned on his people.
What did that clan do to deserve such a fate?
I wanted to call out the injustice being done to history. But I had no power here.
When class ended, all of the textbooks stopped racing everywhere, and they gently found their ways to their respective shelves. Students gathered their things and flowed out of the library. But I was stopped.
"Nerena, a word, please," Professor Durn asked, her gaze deep in her textbooks.
I didn't want to, but I felt I had no choice.
"Yes, Professor, do you need anything?"
"I'm worried about you."
"Why is that?'
"You have been performing poorly on your quizzes, and in class, you are becoming a nuisance with your responses." Professor Durn said, closing her book, meeting my gaze.
"Why are you not reading the material I assign? Can you read? I know your clan doesn't do written text."
The comment was disrespectful: "Professor, I can read, and I do my assigned readings." Professor Durn stood puzzled, stroking her chin.
"I think I get it now. You are here to spread the Corvantis propaganda."
"What propaganda?" I shot back.
"Don't play dumb with me, girl. We all know the Corvantis are bitter because of their fall from grace. They should never have taken his side."
I didn't know what she was talking about, but heat surged through me, sharp and sudden.
"I will give you one warning, Nerena. Stop the spread of false information, or I will see that you get expelled from Xhatal Academy."
My stomach dropped.
"Now off you go."
I walked out of the classroom, replaying the recent moments. "Why was it necessary for me to come to this academy if this is how I would be treated?"
"The price for that answer is too great for you now."