Translation and Testimony

Aayla thought for a moment to consider Daren's offer. The guards glanced at each other in confusion. Wasn't the young master the one who pleaded with the Lord to let her participate?

"Sorry, but I have some cleaning to do."

Daren's smile faltered as the guards' eyes widened. Did she just refuse their young master?! Since when do young ladies tell him 'No'? That's their young master.

"I don't know how to run a trial either. Professor Nestah should have left some notes behind somewhere. I'll see if I can dig those out from whatever hole they're buried in."

"Great. I'll help you look."

Daren's smile returned as he followed Aayla to the back office. The guards noisily followed behind. They ignored any of Daren's attempts to wave them off. Aayla quickly pulled a thick book out of a cabinet and then handed it to Daren.

"Here you go. This should have what your grandfather needs to know to use the trail grounds."

Daren quickly blocked Aayla from leaving.

"Thanks. So, are you still working on translating that journal? I've got a bit of time to help if you have something that you're stuck on. I'm sure that Dormi can manage with the gremlins' help."

He turned and mouthed the word 'Sugar' to a fluffball peaking down from the ceiling. Its eyes lit up as it nodded and slipped back into the ceiling. Several small feet scurried towards the lounge.

Aayla thought for a moment as she watched the trash disappear from the lounge. The last time that she worked on the journal was a few days before finals. Several pages were left untranslated. Without Ramona, Daren would have to do.

"All right. If it's not a bother for you. Let me go grab the journal from my room. We can talk in the rear courtyard while your grandfather is walking over."

"Oh, no! Helping you isn't a bother at all. I'll just wait for you there."

Daren watched as Aayla walked up the stairs. Nearby gremlins gave him knowing stares or nods. A few of them even made kissy faces and giggled.

"What are you all looking at? Get cleaning or no sugar for you all!"

They rolled their eyes and got back to work.

"You two! Get lost now. Seriously. I don't need your protection inside. Dormi is more than adequate to protect me."

The walls seemed to straighten with pride. The guards looked at each other and shook their heads. They would have to report all of the details about this study date back to their lord. Besides, what if it fails and their young master's poor heart is broken?!

He's already been through so much recently. If his heart breaks then that could be the end of him! Or at least that's what they told themselves. Their eyes gleamed with curiosity and a desire for gossip.

"Our orders are to stay by your side young master."

"That's right. No matter how powerful the spirit artifact is, we are not leaving you alone with some unknown person."

Daren sighed and rubbed his temples.

"She's not an unknown person. She's Aayla. I've known her for a while, and so has Chris. I'm sure that the family's made several reports about her already."

"Not that we've read."

"The lord hasn't told us that we know that young lady, so we don't know her."

"Fine. Then just guard the front door or something."

Daren turned to leave. The guards stuck right behind him like shadows. Daren slammed the door shut behind him when he entered the rear courtyard. He ran to the other side to lock the door to the dining hall.

When he turned around, the guards were patiently cleaning off a table and a couple of chairs. A trash can hopped over to clean up dead leaves and trash. One of the guards gestured for Daren to sit down with a smile.

"Seriously?! You're not leaving?! If you screw this up, I'll tell grandfather."

The young master continued to complain as he sat down on the chair. The guards both smiled and shook their heads. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't. The lady might kill them if she didn't get all the details of his first date. Besides, they hadn't seen their young master pout like this before.

"This isn't a date you know. She's just a friend, and I'm helping her with some work from Deputy Heston."

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say, young master."

"Of course."

When Aayla arrived, she found Daren pouting as the guards stood behind him. Their work began slowly. Having guards breathe down their necks was stressful. As the duo kept talking, they slowly forgot about the silent bodyguards in the background.

Minutes turned into hours. Stallesso arrived with the other Halcyon students to find his grandson pleasantly chatting with a young lady outside. The students carefully hid as they peeked through the windows to observe.

"Has he ever talked one on one with a girl for this long? The guards are present, but this still counts."

"See! I told you guys! Daren started disappearing somewhere that even Vanessa couldn't find him. Miss Glowery must have helped!"

"I remember that! Then he reserved that entire café to have a meal with her."

"So that wasn't just a simple thank you for helping him. They're dating. How serious are they?"

"Jacki, you're friends with Miss Glowery. Did you know about this?"

All eyes turned to Jacki, who has started dating Daren's attendant.

"Both of them called it 'studying' rather than 'dating', and Chris never called it 'dating'. But yes, they've been talking more privately for a couple of months now."

The students patiently waited for her to continue.

"What? That's all I've got."

"Oh no. You are not holding out on us!"

"Spill it! We know where you sleep!"

As the students forced Jacki to tell them everything, Stallesso looked out the window to watch the couple chat outside. He had never seen his grandson so expressive and happy in a very long, long time. With a wave of his hand, the guards were dismissed.

Stallesso watched his grandson for a few more minutes before dragging the students outside. His grandson could have his little date in private for now. There were many ways to get the full details later.

The week passed by quickly and happily. Stallesso carefully watched his grandson foolishly try to get the attention of a young lady for the first time in his life. Honestly, the old man was more than a bit grumpy that she wasn't just jumping into his grandson's arms. His grandson was the best, you know?

Since she did help save him and seemed to be good for Daren, Stallesso decided to forgive that small transgression. Hmph. The young lady might be a bit dense, but his grandson would be able to charm her anyways. Eventually.

**********

Thousands of miles away, the first day of the hearing about the attack on Nafriton University began in Sarrasak. A committee of ten senators was selected to oversee the proceedings. The schemes involved were as convoluted as the Gordian knot. Eventually, the Prime Minister and the President directly chose five senators each.

Artifacts were spread throughout the city for the public to watch. The room itself was restricted to the committee and witnesses, including Headmaster Marin and all of the high-ranking faculty. Only the most powerful nobles, politicians, and merchants could enter. Even high-ranking senators had trouble entering the room.

Those powerful people who did not have a deep enough background or pockets to enter crowded around the building. Many more artifacts were set up to disperse this crowd to other areas. This pushed back the starting time by an hour.

When everything was finally ready, intense questioning began. The public was deeply upset over the incident, and even senators had been implicated in this mess. The committee had to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

Headmaster Marin testified first. The committee tore into him. Ultimately, the responsibility of protecting the students fell onto his shoulders. By the grace of the Celestials, Headmaster Marin had started his investigation a long time ago and requested military aid.

Otherwise, the committee might have just stripped him of his position, thrown him into prison, and dissolved the original university charter that very day. Public opinion about the headmaster and the future of Nafriton was the most controversial part of the incident.

Should Nafriton and Headmaster Marin stay as they were before? Or should Nafriton finally be brought into the fold of the Chinebar school system and Headmaster Marin be fired?

Conflicting opinions and interests clashed. Titans fought behemoths, while gods fought devils. Sarrasak became more and more unruly as the arguments grew fiercer. The unrest began to peak on the fifth day of the hearing.

In the late afternoon, the city was exhausted from another day of interviews. The hearing was way behind schedule. No one was happy. The committee had just called for another witness when a loud booming noise was heard in the distance.

Then began the slaughter.