Chapter 8 – Secrets  

Sylvia is a liar.

During this fight, I am certain that she has not used her ability once. When we exchanged the workings of our [melodies] earlier, she said that hers allowed her to increase the weight of objects and people. Her hits during this fight were much stronger than mine, which I thought could be attributed to Sylvia momentarily increasing her own weight to deliver more powerful blows. However, some inconsistencies caught my attention. My suspicions began when I noticed that she never used her [melody] on the bear, it never became slower due to an increase in its weight. This would have been of tremendous help in this fight, thus, there was no reason for her not to use this facet of her powers. They were then confirmed when she struck my shield. I told her to hit it with all her might meaning that she must have used her ability. At that moment, the insight I gained into her [melody] was not a glimpse into a complex [melody] capable of altering the laws of physics, I saw something incredibly simple. She has been relying on pure flow this entire fight. 

Despite these realizations, it is undeniable Sylvia risked her life to save me, so I do not question her. We all have our secrets after all. Yet, I wonder, what else is she hiding? No matter how much I obsess over this, I won't have any answers soon, so I clear my thoughts and talk to Sylvia again. 

"Rowan really left us huh.." 

"F**k him! damn imbecile!" 

"Woah!?" 

I look at her with a perplexed expression. I never thought her capable of uttering such profanity. She really is hiding many secrets. Sensing my gaze, she looks back at me. 

"What? Am I not allowed to be angry?" 

"No, you are, just wasn't expecting an F bomb from you" 

"that's because you don't know me" 

"I guess so, but you're right, f**k him..." 

Both of us are still deprived of any strength, unable to resume our journey towards the mountain peak. We must eat something to regain our strength. Tearfully, I share half of my last bagel with Sylvia, but I do not forget to remind her how valuable it is. I carefully explain that these were made by my younger sister who is a master of her craft. If it were 500 years ago, nations would fight wars over it, me and my brother fought over them just two days ago. I tell Sylvia that she must savor every single second when she eats it, as she will likely never have something this good again. Once she takes the first bite, she wears a shocked expression. 

"Wow! This is great! Aurora was it? I'll have to meet her someday.." 

With a sneer, I answer her. 

"Hehe, told you" 

Two entire days pass and we have gathered enough energy to aim for the mountain peak once more. In those two days, we've talked, laughed and we have gotten much closer than we were before. I have come to the conclusion that Sylvia is not like the stereotypical image of successors I've had in my head until now. 

We finally leave the cave and head towards the mountain peak. This time, we have no issues getting closer to it. On our way, we make sure to move cautiously in order to not run into another beast. Even if we have mostly recovered from our life-threatening injuries, in our current state, broken bones and torn flesh, it would be impossible to vanquish another one. 

Eventually, we reach the base of the mountain. It is not the tallest mountain, but it stands at an impressive 400 meters (about 1312.34 ft). Beyond this point, we can no longer use our abilities, but that is no problem at all, compared to the bear, this is child's play. We scale the side of the mountain in around 4 hours. It was not necessarily easy, but not hard either. The bear gave me insight on how to better manipulate pure flow and reach better results. As for Sylvia, she is just Sylvia; it looks like she has been doing this her whole life. 

Once at the top, an enthusiastic female voice greets us, I look up and see Maestro Lauren. 

"Good job! You've made it all the way here! Sylvia and...Alden right? Come rest, the others are over there!" 

I head in the direction of the place she points to, and I see Rowan sitting down, facing away from me. I intend to tell him how I felt about the stunt he pulled. With purpose, I march towards him, Sylvia does not stop me, but she does not follow me, seemingly uninterested in tormenting Rowan. 

"Rowan! You a**hole!" 

He does not answer me, still sitting down facing the other way. I finally reach him and place myself in front of him. I'm ready to unleash my repertoire of curses at him, but something is strange. Looking at him closely, he seems to be in some sort of trance. His eyes are cloudy, saliva is dropping from the side of his mouth, and he is trembling slightly. I immediately know what is happening. I look in Maestro Lauren's direction, hoping to confirm my theory and she responds with a bright smile. When he reached this place by himself, Rowan had to face someone much more terrifying than a measly [echo-blessed] bear. Nothing gets past the Maestro, he must now suffer the consequence of his decision. 

A few more hours pass, and everyone has reached the top of the mountain, some in better shape than others. Once we've all gathered in the designated location, Maestro Lauren gives a speech. 

"Congratulations to everyone for reaching the peak of the mountain in less than 3 days no less! As you've guessed already, all of you had a trial to pass before being allowed to begin your ascent. You had to escape from an [echo-blessed] beast and most of you succeeded. However, there are some nut-jobs here who actually fought and defeated the overgrown animals! Those who are concerned, stand up!" 

Me, Sylvia, Ivana Rodwell of the Rodwell conglomerate, Adam Lockwood of the Lockwood [enlightened] family and Alex, the mountain of muscles who is a commoner just like me, rise to our feet. Whispers can be heard among the others. 

"Two commoners were able to beat an [echo-blessed] beast?" 

"Pfft, it must have been on the verge of death already!" 

"I understand Lady Sylvia, Adam and even Ivana, but the other two must have cheated right?" 

Maestro Lauren speaks again, ending the whispers. 

"As such, they will be rewarded with private lessons from me personally! You can sit down now!" 

I know that she is a powerful [enlightened] and direct tutoring from her is invaluable, but somehow, this reward makes me more frightened than anything else. Pushing these thoughts away, I remember something Maestro Lauren said before and ask her a question.

"What about the representatives? Who won?" 

"Oh right! I totally lied about that, sorry!" 

Disgruntled whispers ripple among my comrades but a single glance from her is enough to silence their discontentment. 

We are all given a key and we are instructed to find our room in the two buildings behind Maestro Lauren. They resemble typical university dormitories; they are built in a rectangular fashion standing at about 20 meters tall each. The buildings are separated by gender. Before finding my room, I explore the premises. When I enter the male building, I notice that there are 2 floors, I suspect that the second floor is meant for the second years. Our training at DaiKar lasts two years and new [enlightened] appear every year, reaching that conclusion was not difficult. In my inspection, I also find a common kitchen with a refrigerator full of food. The bathrooms and the showers are also shared. I want to explore the second floor, but something tells me I shouldn't so I give up on that idea. 

Upon reaching my room, what meets me is a single bed with neatly folded sheets. Behind the bed lies a large window pointing to the training field outside. In the corner, there is a small wooden desk with a nightlight standing on it. In the left side of the room, a marble closet stands. The bag I had brought with me to this place rests on the bed. 

Starting today, my life at DaiKar officially begins.