1 Blue Beard
Kael rallied all his strength to bang on the large gate, and a young woman came out almost immediately. She gave Kael and his companion a curious look, then turned back to shut the gates. This act annoyed Ashviel and he sent his rage towards the woman.
"Will you take us to Blue Bird already," he shouted out.
The woman moved with great agility as she scurried back into the gates and came back soon with four young men. By the time they returned, Ashviel had already fainted after losing much blood. The men hurriedly admitted them into the building, calling for help as they rolled them into the infirmary.
They laid them on two mattresses and a dainty nurse stepped in with a tray of drugs. She applied a bandage and a tourniquet on Ashviel, and gave a sweet potion to Kael, who slept off right away.
Days passed on and they received care from the nurse, Kael most especially, as the other mage was still in coma. The nurse was clearly a woman of few words. She ignored most of Kael's questions and when asked about Ashviel, she only said he was getting better as fast as could be expected. The days crawled by and Kael grew very bored of the place. His injuries were almost gone, and his face was back to normal. He looked at Ashviel's near-lifeless body and sighed heavily as he thought whether the fight could have gone any better.
The nurse became his only companion, though she rarely spoke a word to him, which made Kael to start wondering whether they were at Blue Beard's place at all. His fear was slightly alleviated when, on the fifth day, a cough on the other side of the room signaled that Ashviel has woken up to life.
He rushed to give him the bottle the nurse had left for him when he wakes up. He gulped it down quickly, and then brought the cup down with a heavy breath.
"Where are we?" he asked as he opened the next bottle.
"Like hell I know."
Just then, the dainty nurse entered and Ashviel leapt back immediately, hands placed as if to draw his blade.
"Good thing you are on your feet," said the nurse with little concern to Ashviel's action. "I'll take you both to Lord Blue Beard in the morrow."
A glimmer of hope appeared on Kael's face when she mentioned Blue Beard. "Is Master Vauxall here?"
The nurse only stared at him and closed the door as she went out.
Ashviel returned to his mattress. "How long was I out?" he asked.
"Five days, but it is a miracle you are alive."
"Five days, and you've been here the whole time."
"Yeah, there's nowhere else to go. So what did you feel in coma?"
'Was I supposed to feel something, like the Damnation Realm or something?' he asked himself.
"Nothing at all," he answered.
"I thought as much."
He remembered the fight he had just struggled to get out of, and the chase by Edward. "By the way Kael," he asked, "when we were being chased, I saw that your eyes became totally red." Ashviel felt a pain from his injury as he inquired.
"Relax, the damnation effects does not make you immortal," he said. "And my sapphire eyes become crimson when I'm angry or exceedingly nervous."
"Wow," said Ashviel. "Is it peculiar to the Zeroszens?"
"No, just me, and I don't know why," answered Kael. "You should rather focus on getting enough rest."
"I see," said Ashviel, and lay on his mattress.
The next day came and the nurse came again, this time with the woman at the gate. She replaced Ashviel's ligature and gave them a new set of clothes. "Sasha will take you out to Lord Blue Beard."
The two went to meet Sasha who stood by the door side.
"I'm sorry about earlier, I had no inkling that you are close friends of Lord Blue Beard. Here, this way to our baths."
They had a clean bath and changed into the blue clothes the nurse had given them. As Sasha led them around the academy, Ashviel took his time to look around. The main building stood out from the rest as it was far wider, even though it was not built so tall. It was a wide estate however, with dozens of semi-detached houses built round.
What was perhaps most fascinating to him was the number of students mages that were at the training grounds. He had not seen many mages, and most of the ones he had encountered only wished him dead. In Blue Beard's academy however was a concourse of mages, most of them young men and women.
The students were all dressed in blue uniforms, the same blue uniforms Ashviel and Kael wore. He noticed a symbol on the uniform and became unsettled as he recognized it to be one of the orphic symbols on the stairs of Hogan.
At that moment, one of the doors opened and large man stepped out of it. He was a tall heavy man with full dark-blue beards that bothered on purple, and Ashviel knew for sure that he was Blue Beard. His shoulders were the size of barrels, almost four times as wide as Ashviel's. He wore a thick elegant robe over his clothes and had a majestic style of walking, befitting a lord.
At his side was another tall mage in a beautiful red robe decorated with pearls. Ashviel noticed that Master Vauxall has made his beards in a sleek fashion, and had his shoulder length hair slightly reduced. Behind him was yet another man that poured him wine from a golden goblet into the glass in his hands.
"Welcome to the academy," Lord Blue Beard said with a grin so broad it bore his very teeth.
"Lord Blue Beard, I take it," said Kael with a light bow.
"Surely, he's the same old Blue Beard," said Master Vauxall. "Come on in."
They followed the three into a large dining hall with a number of chairs arranged round a table. A feast awaited them; the table was filled with all kinds of foods, grander than even the ones at the Grand Hotel. It was further decorated with a variety of numerous fleshy fruits in small baskets.
They five of them sat down around it and Master Vauxall was the first to talk.
"I did not expect you this quick, but it is so great that you found him with little difficulty," he said.
Kael frowned, "little difficulty, you say?"
"How come you got here as you did?" the third man, who Ashviel later knew as Sir Ginx asked. He was a lean man with dry stubbles and a squint in his eyes.
Ashviel recounted the encounter, as he was bid, and as short as he could make it, omitting of course the Grand Hotel and his encounter with the dubious man.
The only interruption whatsoever had come from Master Vauxall. "Manny of Twilight Moon? And who might that be?" he had asked no one in particular.
"Just another silly mage from another silly group of mages," Lord Blue Beard answered. "Go on."
No one else interrupted him until he was done, nor did any one of the three made much movements, but they kept their eyes upon him from first to last.
"Well, it was not Von Flint," said Lord Blue Beard when Ashviel was done.
Master Vauxall looked from the Lord to Sir Ginx and then back to the Lord.
"Don't worry, Vauxall," Lord Blue Beard said. "Ginx has been with me for years now, I can trust him."
"Well then Ginx, what we are about to say at this table does not leave here," said Master Vauxall.
"I see no trouble keeping my Lord's secret," replied Sir Ginx.
"Alright, this here boy," he said pointing at Ashviel, "is the apotheosis."
"Of damnation?" Sir Ginx exclaimed.
"You need not scream," his Lord cautioned him sternly.
"Certainly, my Lord. It's just that—"
"And this boy," continued Master Vauxall, cutting him short and holding Kael," he's a Zeroszen, through and through."
Sharp as must have been his surprise, Sir Ginx had the strength of mind to control himself.
"Good grief," he said, "it is happening."
Ashviel wondered what it was that was happening.
"As for Manny," continued Sir Ginx, "he will give you no trouble as I'll see to him."
"It's great that you are here, and it is fortunate that the damnation effects helped you to recover as you did. Still, you are in no position to resume your training yet," Lord Blue Beard said. Ashviel nodded, understanding that he was alive only due to the superior healing ability of damnation.
They ate in silence, and to the fill of their stomachs, until they could have no more. Master Vauxall ordered Sir Ginx to take his two lads to their quarters, while he drank deep into the evening with Lord Blue Beard.
