Cyrus Solaris
A day had passed since my visit to the Founder's Hall. I'd spent the entire day trying to dig up more information on Lord Lugat in the Starchive, but I didn't have the necessary clearance to access those records.
I was at another dead end.
I wanted to head to the training facility to spar with the bots, but with Mira still out of commission, I couldn't update the app controlling them. So I stayed in my room, squeezing the stress ball Gramps had made for me while I worked on combining Gravity Well Minor with Tidal Push.
Then my communicator lit up and dinged.
Who could be messaging me?
I grabbed my communicator, and the name on it wasn't one I expected to see.
It was Cendra.
My stomach fluttered at the sight of her name. We hadn't spoken since the school dance incident.
She wanted to meet up and clear the air.
Why now?
I was hesitant to respond, but this was the only person who had reached out to me since the incident.
I can't blame her; it did look bad.
I stared at the message for a couple of long moments.
Just see what she has to say, Cy.
I responded, accepting her offer to meet up and talk.
My communicator dinged a few seconds later.
That was fast.
She wanted me to meet her at the cafeteria. I looked at the time, and there were a couple of hours before curfew. I gathered my dimensional storage and made my way over to her.
As I made my way across campus, I was met with harsh stares and snide remarks about my character and actions. Ever since returning from break, it had become harder not to lash out.
I need to solve this case fast, before I really do something to prove them right.
When I made it to the cafeteria, it was relatively empty, a couple of students grabbing a late-night snack before it was lights out.
"Cyrus over here," Cendra said, snapping a finger in the air, her smile warm and inviting.
Just the sight of her eased some of the tension in my shoulders as I walked her.
At the table, she had a few books and a light salad drizzled in what appeared to be a vinaigrette.
Our eyes met, and I paused for a second, and my heart fluttered.
"You don't have to stand, you know?" she said, snapping me out of my daze.
I pulled a seat out and sat across from her.
"What exactly did you want to talk about?"
"Well, first off, I wanted to say sorry for not reaching out earlier. I know you must be going through a lot right now."
"That's an understatement."
She let out a slight chuckle, but straightened up quickly.
"But I really wanted to know: did you really do it? Did you beat your own cluster- mate and another student into a coma?"
My hands clenched, and my eyes locked onto hers.
"No. I was frustrated after seeing you dance with someone else, and decided to get some fresh air."
Cendra grimaced at the words.
"While I was out there, I noticed a kid sleepwalking. So I checked on him, and that's when some creature beyond my comprehension attacked me. Mira came out shortly to help."
"And what did this creature look like?"
"That's the hard part. It was dark, and it seemed to have a veil around it, blocking its appearance. But I do know one thing: it beat us pretty bad."
Cendra's gaze shifted from me to the table. I could tell she was taking it all in. She was an Arbiter after all; this was something she would be accustomed to.
A few silent moments went by before she spoke.
"I want to believe you, but it doesn't sound good."
Of course. It was a waste coming here.
"Have you done any research on the potential creature that attacked you?"
My eyes widened.
"Of course! That's all I have been doing recently."
"Lay it on me, what did you find?"
I pulled out my communicator and opened up the tabs I had opened in my Strachive, and explained what I discovered at Founder's Hall, and where I was now stumped.
Her face brightened up.
"Oh, so you believe that the Dread Moon Choir myth and the school legend are related?"
I shook my head.
"That sounds so insane…Let's see your communicator. I think I can help you with the Lord Lugat part. Being a princess of the Ash Mother has some perks."
Cendra installed an extension for the Starchive that I previously didn't have access to. With the extension, the Starchive dashboard changed, adding an advanced search icon. As a result, it was revealed that Lord Lugat had lived during the Era of Man. But everything else was redacted and would require another extension to access the information.
What is so special about this man?
Cendra's face crinkled.
"What's wrong? Did it not work?"
I showed her my screen.
"Oh, that's strange."
"Exactly," I said as I continued to look in the Strachive about the book named Vlad of the Night.
I learned the book was written in the Era of Kingdoms.
So Lugat is older than the book and the academy? How was he able to present a gift? This is really strange.
I was growing more frustrated with the situation. None of it made sense, and it kept leading me to dead ends.
Looks like I need to explore the other two places.
I looked at the time again. Curfew was coming soon, and I wanted to make sure Cendra didn't get caught in any crossfire if that creature came back again.
"Let me walk you back to your isle; it's getting late," I said, putting my communicator back in my pocket.
She gave a slight frown before she stood.
"We have time; do you not want to spend time with me?"
The remark caught me off guard, as I stumbled over my words.
"I-I do, it's just…"
"I'm just kidding, Anqaris."
I froze, and our eyes met.
"How do you know that name?"
"Well, I got curious when I went back home and looked you up. Couldn't find Cyrus Bennu, and my cousin Giovanni seemed to be obsessed with you as well. He thinks you are lying about something, and then asked me to check out the name Anqaris Bennu. Sure enough, it was there in the Burning Nest."
I should have guessed.
"But I actually really like the name, much more than Cyrus," she said, packing up her things.
"It means child of the phoenix, right?"
"Yes, it does, but only my mother called me that. And…I would like to keep it that way."
"Called?"
My eyes broke from her gaze.
"S-she is no longer of this world."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
I cleared my throat and turned away from her.
"It's ok."
I felt a hand touch my shoulder.
"You know the Pyrralis have a belief that anyone who was taken from this world too soon is allowed a blessing from our High Pantheon to be reborn."
"I've heard, but I always thought it was just another myth," I said.
"It is no Myth, Cyrus. I've seen it with my own two eyes. Our High Pantheon is one of compassion; my little sister was brought back to me after suffering from a terminal illness."
"What did you have to do?"
"I'm sorry, I cannot tell you."
"Why not?"
"It's sacred to my family, and I can't just share anything like that with anyone."
"Then why bring it up?"
"Because it's something we can work up to, something you would have to earn. Just like I would like to earn the right to call you by the name of your mother."
A small smile tugged at my lips.
"Deal."
I felt a hand slip through my arm and cling to me.
"Well, Mr. Bennu. I am waiting to be escorted."
And so we left the cafeteria and went outside; the dark clouds blended into the night sky as they gently rumbled like drums.
As we walked through the campus, I noticed a group of kids was sleepwalking.
Not again.
My eyes darted everywhere.
Cendra squeezed my arm. "What's the matter?"
Something bumped into us. A growl reached my ears, not deep or guttural, but wet, almost like a gargle. Then something slapped against my neck. I turned to find another sleepwalking student, mindlessly swinging at us, completely unaware of their own actions.
The urge to strike and hit back was strong.
Don't do it, Cy.
Then we were surrounded.
I used Tidal Push to give Cendra and me some space. But knew I couldn't do much else; otherwise, this would be grounds for expulsion.
"Cendra, if I do something here, my time at the academy is over."
"Don't worry."
She snapped her fingers, and a spark of flame ignited a few nearby trees.
"If you can just keep doing what you did to keep them off us, we should be fine. The fire will trigger an alarm, and someone from the staff should come shortly," she said, her voice fighting over the ring of the fire alarm.
I nodded.
Don't lose your cool, Cy; just hold out until the teachers come.