Chapter 8 - Bonds of Blood

That tapping noise, I find it relaxing. Most would find a constant stream of endless tapping annoying or even dreadful, but I take comfort in it. A steady reminder of reality, a noise not inside my head. Tap, Tap. Being able to think about it, something else to think about, it's a fun distraction. Tap, Tap. Is someone talking?

 "Everyone quiet!" The class falls silent, as her sharp voice crashes to the floor like dust.

"Today's lesson will begin with a simple yet large question. Why is Solan so important to us?" Rows of students raise their hands, begging to be picked by Miss Elanor, our Elementary teacher. It feels creepily similar to back in the Sanctuary. 

When Isaac asked the class. It was as if an animalistic instinct took over their brain, groveling for approval. I suppose I am guilty as well, seeking just a smidge of approval from one I hold on a pedestal. But no more, I can no longer hold anyone or thing on this imaginary pedestal I've constructed in my head, no more.

 "Alivs!" She points to a Castellan with his hand up in the back of the class.

"Is it because he's powerful?" He responds in an unsure chime.

"That could be a part of his grand importance, however that would be for the unfaithful. Another guess?" She points to one of the more attentive students, a girl with striking crimson hair and tanned skin.

 "Well in chapter five of Compendium of Solan, it mentions he taught us the ways of the elements. Is that why he's important to us?" She answers looking satisfied with her speech.

"Well Solan's teachings are important, though they aren't the reason why he himself is important, the real reason is because we need him. Without the influence of his being we would all descend into chaos and despair. Like those who follow Ardor or Altum would. Those poor souls all being so ignorant to a bright road ahead. Though this leads into the secondary reason why he's important. The elements." Her words strung like a lute in the quiet night.

 "In the early ages of Gaia, we knew nothing of either Solan or his elements, but as we gained our orderly path to us, he came down to our world and descended upon us his teachings. He taught us of the fortuitous ice, the willful flame, the acceleratios thunder and lastly the betrayed wind. These four grounded our views of the world and how to understand it. It helped us seek light in darkness, and overcome anything." Her continuous rambling slowly seeps into my eyes, making them heavier and heavier.

"So today's true lesson will be on how to control and make the elements around you assimilate into your blades. Go on and grab your weapons, over in the corner you should also find a chest of inscription stones." I raise myself up from the uncomfy wooden chair to walk over to the chest, as multiple of my classmates grab a stone each, I find one myself and sit back down, readying my sword upon my single desk.

 "Good, now hold your stones and swords like this." Elanor has a dummy sword in her arms, and the stone in her right hand. She tilts the sword to the nearest surface being her desk, as she lets the tip rest on the lectern. 

"Push the point of the stone into the flattest surface of the blade, and make a tiny circle. When you've completed it, inside make some imagery of whatever element you would like, could be an icicle, a campfire or a storm cloud, just something to remind you in battle." I look down to my blade as Elanor goes on with her rambling, I push the tip slightly inside the metal of the blade, slowly corkscrewing away at the shrapnel to clear out a circle, inside I make a simple cute flame. Dad used to show me how he carved the sigils upon his blade, and it was always obvious he had a preference for flame, as I never saw him even once carving anything resembling ice or thunder. It reminds me of him.

Elanor drags on and on about ways to keep a steady mind in combat, but her words became all the fuzzier the more I listened, my eyes feeling like bags of sand mounted on a tired creaky wagon. I might as well take a nap, not like she'll notice.

The warm embrace of the class's soothing air put me to sleep quicker than any spell could have. Just a soft blanket of bliss.

"Ey, wake up sleepy.." A familiar nagging voice breathed across my neck.

"Argh! Rito!" I look up to see the smirking fiend, with a wide grin on his blue face and lips.

"Seems like they didn't even notice you were sleeping and just left you here, you still having t'wobble s'weeping poor little Judari, aw." Rito taunts me with a condescending tone. 

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Sleep is important and all, now why are you here anyway?" I ask, brushing off Rito's remarks.

"Well I have to study up a culture of my choosing for class, and I just found you here. So would you maybe like to join me?" Rito asks as he throws books onto the wooden table.

"Why not, I might remember some of it." 

 "Great, now which one should we start with." Rito takes his hands to his chin, as he spreads out the books in a line with his other hand. Variously shaped books of different colors lay across the table. Only ones catching my eyes had titles such as 'The Kingsbane, a recordance of old'. 

And another one with peculiar binding, gold wings for edges and a light lavender book cover, and an elegantly made font. It's title; 'The teachings of the sky - a self-study of Vinds'. Now that one seemed exciting. I look at Rito also staring at the lavender book.

 "I can see we've both decided, let's get it open." I say sliding the bulky book closer to us as Rito gives an agreeing hmpf. He clasps onto the edges of the cover, letting the yellow dry pages ring their crusty folds. 

Looking down into the words, most were of a language I couldn't understand, mainly the same letters and such but arranged in an unfamiliar way. Though parts were in plain speech.

"Hm, so where would be a good place to start you think?" Rito asks as he flips to the very first page containing a table of contents.

 "At least these are translated, ok let's see… There's a section called Traditions and Rituals. Eh I'm not feeling it. I guess you can pick." He lets me peer over the sections of various categories.

"What about Blessings and Curses, that one seems interesting to cover."

"Seems good." Rito says as he flips to the pages containing the sought section. Pages upon pages of various unreadable descriptors open up before our eyes. 

We peer across the crowded pages for intriguing curses or blessings. Multiple have names such as 'Curse of the Lone'. Or 'Blessing of the Ground-bound'. But one in particular stands out amongst the crowd of exciting texts. 'Curse of the Starchild'. I point to it for Rito to see, as we both look closer.

"Hm, it's hard to understand but I think it says something along the lines of, 'Tu, nate astra. Destinatum ad astra flyto. Si non teneris a tuis dilectis'. Whatever that means, though it must be star related right?" Rito's pronunciation sounds point on from my perspective, so elegant and fluid. But what would I know.

 "It speaks of a Starchild, and astral is a word related to space and stars, so maybe 'Astra' means star?" I try to justify my explanation.

"I guess that makes sense, but what doesn't make sense is that it says curse. Starchild sounds like a sort of advantage or good thing to be, right?"

"Hm, maybe it's poorly translated. We could go digging into some traditions or meaning about the stars to Vinds?"

 "Eh, I would rather look at the Rituals of that section." Rito says as he flips over to the correct section. He suddenly lets his finger drop hard upon the surface of the paper, pointing to a fully translated paragraph called 'Bindings of Blood'. A full explanation was below, only requiring people of Sky origin to share their blood in some way.

"Wouldn't it be funny to do it? You know, really cementing ourselves in our own culture?" Rito says with a wide smirk.

"I don't know if it would cement us in a culture we are complete strangers too. But sure, why not. Now, how are we going to draw blood…" I ask cautiously.

"With this of course!" Rito flings out his sword from under the table. 

I'm not even surprised he carries it around after hours. He immediately makes his blade slice a tiny bit of his hand, drawing nearly ink blue blood out and letting it run down the length of the shiny sword.

 "Your turn, where do you want the little cut?" Rito says, pointing the blade across my face.

"I guess same place as yours. Then we can do a bloody handshake." I ready myself for the slight slash across my hand, and feel the stinging burn glide across my palm.

 "Agh, I guess it's time to shake on it then." I say as my arm extends to Rito's, our hands meeting in a slop of blood. We shake and wait patiently.

"Any second something should happen…" Rito says, as he slowly grazes across the book again.

"Oh wait, I forgot to read what this ritual does. Let me see." Rito says, staring down at the paper.

"Two beings of the sky, a Mast and a Ship. Synchronized in one harmony of the winds. Alone not much can do. But together strong as ever. Though when one falls the other is corrupted. A Mast losing their mind, and the Ship losing their body… What does that mean?" We stop the

"Guessing it's just some old superstition." I say. While Rito closes the book with a glimpse of worry in his eyes.

"Always the optimist huh?" Rito pauses.

"I think I'll choose another culture to study on, Vind culture seems a bit, eerie."

"What about Dzin culture, it seems appropriate since a lot of their history connects to Solan, the god you love o so much Ritose."

 "Oh shut up. But I do think Dzins would be a fun culture to look into." Rito says, grabbing the next book in front of us. Again sliding it across the rough oak table. As we implore ourselves in the history of old.