5 CHAPTER 5: Haik Vilhorm
Ray's father, Haik Vilhorm, was a chubby 47 year old, standing at 5 feet 11 inches. His hair extended till his shoulders and was usually tied up into a ponytail. A thin moustache planted itself below his nose, extending downwards to meet the patchy beard on his chin.
His outfit of choice was a red robe with intertwining golden embroidery vining through its surface, that extended till his knees. This accompanied with a black shirt and pants under the robe gave a kingly air about him. This complemented his haughty and entitled personality annoyingly well.
Haik's office, located on the ground floor of the mansion had the same dimensions as his bedroom, 15 feet by 20 feet. A large desk cemented itself in the middle of the office, partnered with 2 chairs towards the side of the door, and 1 larger chair on the other side. The chairs near the door were shorter than the larger one on the other side to provide a false sense of superiority to Haik who was usually shorter than whoever visited his office.
The desk was cluttered with papers, quills and ink pots. Cabinets of wood lined the west wall of the room, filled to the brim with files and books.
Haik was seated at his chair signing at the bottom of multiple papers when he heard a knock at his door. He looked up from his papers and waited for a moment. Using his control over air he could sense 2 people waiting outside the door. "Odd." He said to himself, curious as to why a second person had arrived.
"Come in." He commanded as Ray and Schelo walked into the room. Schelo closed the door behind him and waited for the stern man in front of him to say something.
Haik glared sternly at Schelo, questioning his presence. Schelo seemed to understand what the gaze meant since he had known Haik for a long time. He attempted to explain why he was here but was shunned by Haik, who gestured for him to stop at once.
The two had met at Zychs Academy, a prestigious institute that aimed to bring out the potential in each of their students, most of whom hailed from rich or royal families. 5 campuses existed all over the country, each housing a total of 600 students.
The campus opened onto a fountain with 4 globes surrounding it. The globes were shaped to represent the 4 major elements - Air, Earth, Fire, Water - that were the face of magic for a long time. The campus had 4 grand entrances on each side of its rectangular area. The gates were guarded by elites who could easily perform techniques above Broken Diamond. There were 6 major buildings in the campus, with many smaller unimportant ones scattered all over. The major ones were: the student dormitory, the kitchen, the academic building, the teachers' rooms, the lounge, and the Arena.
The student dormitory was a 3 storied building with multiple rooms and shared bathrooms. A student could live alone in their room or could share it with another. The costs for individual rooms was much higher, hence only the richer students, usually the sons and daughters of politicians or large businessmen, would choose to stay alone. The shared bathrooms were a row of 30 bathrooms located towards the west wall of each floor. Students could pay extra to have a room with a personal bathroom if they wished, and many chose to do so. The bedrooms were a standard 10 x 10 feet. 2 cupboards and 2 beds were provided by the school, the rest was left off to the students' choice.
The kitchen was a large circular building towards the north of the campus. Renowned chefs would sometimes cook here when special guests were called over. 3 meals were served each day, and it was the student's choice on whether to attend them or not. Students could also buy food from the markets outside the campus if they wished to.
The academic building was an ancient, 4 storied structure. Each floor consisted of 2 large lecture halls which could house around 200 students. But the number of attendees was usually only half of the maximum. This was because, like most other schools or universities, many students at Zychs had the least regard for their academics. Each lecture hall had a large wooden platform facing the seats, and a large black board with chalk pieces at the side. The 4th floor was reserved for the library which contained books on various subjects and magic. The library was divided into sections according to the rank of each technique. Very little space was given to techniques of Broken Diamond and above, since most techniques falling under these categories were hoarded by rich families who would not display them to the public anymore.
The teachers' rooms were located close to the academic building. The rooms here were evidently larger than the students' and each room came with a kitchen, bathroom and a large bedroom. Teachers were assigned individual rooms, but in cases of a married couple, they would be given a bigger room.
The lounge or recreational centre for students was located close to the Arena. The lounge was rather small compared to any other major building but it played an immense role in the students' wellbeing. There weren't many activities one could do in the Lounge, but all of them were a breath of fresh air from the students' tight schedule.
Sitting at the south-eastern edge of the campus, The Arena, was an oval ground with a 400 metre track surrounding it. The track extended further over the perimeter of the rest of the campus for students who wished for extreme exercise. The ground within the 400 metre track was covered with an even patch of grass. A 174 square metre concrete slab acting as a platform for combat practices stood alone a few feet outside the smaller track. Rows of large stone steps placed along the north long face of the track were used as seating areas for students and teachers during any events.
Haik's searing gaze dug deeper into Schelo who had a worried expression. The two had met at Zychs during their second year there and had instantly hit it off. Their strength and understanding of complex concepts was on par but Schelo's comparatively calmer personality instantly set Haik as the dominant one in the friendship.
Since Haik was born into the Vilhorm family, he was set to be a leader and not a follower. This further increased the gap between him and Schelo which inevitably led to Schelo complying with whatever Haik commanded despite their equal footing in terms of magical comprehension.
Ray, who was nervously looking to and from his father and his teacher, grew more anxious as the silence infecting the room grew to immense proportions. He fixed his eyes at his father, trying to focus his wavering mind. Sweat droplets rolled down his brow and spine as he waited for someone to break silence.
Ray's silent request was answered by his father, who spoke in a deep steady voice. "Why are you here Schelo?"
The question was simple and the answer was simpler, but Schelo found it difficult to answer. He knew he couldn't remain silent, nor could he speak his mind. His answer needed to be concise and to the point, but the authoritative air around Haik did not give him the time to think of a precise answer.
"Well, I was just-" the shaking voice of Schelo was once again interrupted by Haik who could sense the uncertainty in his former friend's voice. A frustrated sigh left Haik as he rested his head on his hand. Unlike his lax posture, his eyes remained fierce. "The question was rather simple, don't you think, Schelo?" The annoyance in his voice stuck out as he prodded at Schelo.
Another sigh left Haik. "Get out now." His words were not as angry as they were disappointed. Schelo turned around against his will. He wished to support Ray but did not dare oppose Haik. Facing the ground he walked towards the door, his head weighed down by his own ineptitude.
Ray watched in disbelief as his teacher left the room in shame. He understood why Schelo would leave but the sudden nature of his departure sent shockwaves through Ray's psyche.
A few seconds after Schelo had exited, Haik spoke to his son. The man's irritation had seemed to pass as he asked Ray to sit in front of him. The boy complied without question. Silence creeped in immediately as Haik proceeded to fill out some more papers.
Ray clenched his legs together and cupped his knees in an attempt to stop his legs from shaking as the anxiety swallowed him. Sweat continued to form on his forehead as the silence invaded his mind, sending it into a flurry of thoughts and emotions. Just when it felt as if the torment of emotions would consume him, a knock on the door pulled him out of his anxiety driven nightmare.
Haik looked up from his paperwork like he had done a few moments ago and once again in a stern voice said, "Come in." Two people walked into the room and a large smile split Haik's face.
Ray turned around, his eyes instantly locking with those of the shorter of the pair of guests, a young boy around the same age as him. Confused emotions welled up inside Ray as he tried to make sense of the situation. He turned back to his father to protest, but was shunned instantly. Ray recognized the boy and was taken aback by his presence.
Haik just smiled as he pushed the papers aside and motioned for the shorter guest to take a seat. The shared confusion of the two before him fueled Haik's disgusting enjoyment as he began to explain why they had been summoned.
