Chapter 4 – The Book That Brings Torment

 

Lewiht's school, the Marras Academy, was the most prestigious school in the empire's capital, Zylos. Among the rich, those who do not send their children to this school were considered fools—even middle-class families who wanted their children to receive a good education would tighten their belts to be able to pay the tuition. This was because, in addition to the Academy's good education, its graduates could easily find employment in various Empire-related departments. It was no coincidence that most of the country's leading lords and nobles were graduates of Marras Academy. Still, the tuition fee of the Academy was so great that even most rich people would think twice before sending their kids without a scholarship.

Lewiht had spent all of the breaks before the long lunch break in the restroom, making sure he looked good. He brought a small comb with him and used it on his black hair which was starting to get white really early thanks to his southern heritage. He was wearing the mandatory uniform of the Academy—linen trousers, a shirt, and a red jacket. Most importantly, he made sure he smelled nice. Ged made sure to let Lewiht know that smell was important.

Eventually, it was time for the lunch break, and Lewiht and Arabel entered one of the grandiose cafeterias of this large academy. Although it was just a regular cafeteria, everything inside of it was expensive and fancy. The seats were plushy and the table was covered with silverware. It opened to a gorgeous garden with hundreds of different flowers, and a gentle breeze made its way inside the cafeteria. This was the best possible place for Lewiht’s date in the Academy.

The moment Lewiht and Arabel stepped into the cafeteria, though, many eyes were drawn to them. This was a common occurrence with Lewiht—even though there were a lot of students coming from noble houses, Lewiht was the brother of the most popular minister to the King. Today, however, he felt like there were a lot more eyes staring at him. Something’s happened.

Arabel sat down at a table near the garden, and Lewiht went to grab their lunch. He had insisted she come too, but she had said she wasn’t a picky person and she would eat whatever Lewiht chose. So, Lewiht picked a serving tray—which was like a mirror due to its silver surface, and Lewiht always wondered how many days an average person could live with the cost of these trays—then picked a variety of meals. She said she wasn’t picky, but from what he learned about women from Ged, this could be a small test of sorts, so he tried to choose a lot of different food. One main course full of meat, and one full of vegetables. A salad as an appetizer, but also a tomato soup. Baklava with a lot of sherbet, and a much lighter chocolate cake as desserts. If she didn’t like one, she could choose the other. As for Lewiht, well, he didn’t care about what he was eating as long as Arabel was happy.

They talked about the classes and the teachers while they were eating, and their conversation was quite pleasant. Unlike yesterday, there were no awkward pauses or voice cracks. After they finished their meal, Arbell pulled out her sketchbook and a few pencils and started to show some basic drawing skills to Lewiht. Using your shoulder, not hesitating when drawing a line, how to hold a pencil, stuff like that. Lewiht, and from the looks of it Arbell too, was genuinely having fun. I guess Ged was right, after all.

Their little flirtations stopped with the arrival of Academy’s crier, though. “Attention everyone!” the guy yelled, walking to the middle of the cafeteria. “The war on the Isle of Macaw has ended in a major battle! Led by Lord Teremon, Kel’daras won against the Runnish army! There are more than fourteen thousand casualties on our side, and there will be a commemoration held tomorrow after school. Attendance is mandatory. I repeat the war on the Isle of Macaw has…”

Before the crier could repeat a second time, however, the students erupted into cheers. Everyone was happy about the major victory of their nation, and a lot of them were looking at Lewiht with admiring eyes as if he was the one who won the battle. So that’s why they were looking at me.

“Aren’t you happy?” Arabel asked.

“I am but… Am I the only one who heard that fourteen thousand people died? That’s almost the entirety of the 3rd army.”

“Yeah,” said Arabel. “But we’ve won. They can’t attack the mainland when we control Macaw, right? We’re safe because of those brave soldiers dying for us.”

“We were already safe before the King decided to wage war against Runodar. Now people are dying in a pointless war.”

“Pointless?” Lewiht heard a loud voice behind him. “People dying to protect their country is pointless?”

Lewiht turned on his chair and saw a big guy in front of him, staring him right in the eye. He was taller and much bigger than a normal high-schooler. He was probably in his senior year, but even then, he would've been considered big compared to his peers.

Lewiht stared at the guy with a pinched expression. “They wouldn’t have to protect us had we not attacked another country. It was us who started the war, so wouldn’t it actually be Runodar who’s protecting their country?”

“Would you look at that, fellas?” yelled the guy. “The younger brother of the savior of this country is a traitor!”

Lewiht could feel the entire cafeteria’s gaze on him. Crier was long gone and now everybody was watching the two thanks to the guy’s loud voice. Lewiht clenched his jaw. “So y’all are not traitors for cheering everything that will cause the downfall of this country like blind sheeps, but I’m a traitor for speaking the truth?”

The big guy opened his mouth to say something but then stopped. Lewiht found the thought of the guy not even understanding what he just said quite amusing, so he smiled provocatively, which made the guy even more furious. He clenched his fists and released a deep grunt. “We will meet again, Lewiht Teremon!”

Yep, Lewiht was now sure that he didn’t understand a single word. “I’ll be waiting, big guy.”

The guy left the cafeteria and Lewiht gave the people watching a cold look, which made everybody mind their own business.

“That guy,” said Arabel. “Was the son of the principal. You shouldn’t collide with him.”

“I don’t care even if he’s the son of the king.” Lewiht was about to say and I’m the brother of Togan Teremon, but realized it would contradict everything he stood for in Ms. Bela’s class, so he swallowed his words.

Their conversation took a serious turn after that, mostly talking about the war and politics. Then their break ended and they headed to the class together.

***

“Do you have it?” Lewiht asked.

“I do,” Willard answered. “Let’s just go somewhere secluded first, though.”

The school for today had ended and Lewiht, Willard and Ged were on their way to their home. Lewiht’s house was in Noble’s Hill where most of the noble houses resided, while both Willard’s and Ged’s houses were on Silkbay, a high middle-class district where most of the textile trade was handled. They were currently in Silkbay, which prolonged Lewiht’s way back home, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to see that bastard’s face at home anyway.

Willard led them into an isolated alley and pulled a leather-covered book from his backpack. “There you go.”

“History of Runodar?” Ged read the cover loudly. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Shut up, Ged,” said Lewiht. “You’re gonna attract people.”

“You’re going to attract so much more by reading banned books!”

Lewiht picked up the book and pulled out a coin purse from his backpack. “If you don’t yell like an idiot, no one will know. Chill.”

Willard gave Lewiht a guilty look. “I can’t take your money, man.”

“Please, Willard. I know your father put himself in danger to get this for me, I would feel bad if you don’t accept it.”

Willard took the coin purse reluctantly. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you.”

“Will,” Ged said. “Isn’t your father a relatively wealthy merchant? Do you really need money so much that you’re willing to put yourself, your family and your friends in danger?”

“I was just trying to help a friend in need.”

Ged faced Lewiht. “You’ve got into trouble with your father for this before, haven’t you? This is not a need!”

“Yes, but it won’t happen again.”

Ged raised his arms in frustration, and opened his mouth a few times but couldn’t find anything to say for a long while. “Am I… Is this… Are you two fucking serious right now? Am I really the only one with common sense here?”

“I get your worries, but this is the only way I can get uncensored information. I want to know the truth.”

“Truth will get you killed,” said Ged, then started to walk away. “Good luck, I will not be a part of this.”

Lewiht stared at his back in silence until he left the alley.

“Don’t worry about him,” said Willard. “I’ll talk to him. Still, be careful with that though. That book is banned, Ged is right about that.”

“I will. Thank you again, Will.”

***

For the family of the Minister of War, Teremon’s family house was quite small. It was still quite big for a regular house, of course, but it wasn’t something a normal rich merchant couldn’t afford. It was a two-story building that could be considered a big cottage, or a small manor, depending on how you viewed it. It had an extensive garden with a variety of trees, ranging from red maples to long poplar trees.

The reason why they were living in a relatively small house was that Togan was not living with them, and the Teremon family was not a noble house. Teremon’s were just villagers in the south near the border to the Southern Wastes until Togan left the house and joined the Falcon Order. After he found success as a Falcon and jumped ranks quickly, he helped his family financially, allowing them to live in the most prestigious district of the capital. This was the first house Togan had gifted them when he was still just a general in the army, and Lewiht’s parents had never moved to a bigger house, since they found it unnecessary. Lewiht had also spent all of his childhood here, so he also did not want to move to a different house.

He smelled some flowers in the garden and enjoyed the warm breeze of April. He was happy. Things with Arabel looked promising. He had a nice new book to read. Things were a bit rough between him and Ged, but he didn’t feel like it was anything serious. He smiled as he approached the door, hoping that his asshole dad wasn’t at home to ruin his day.

Fortunately, it was his mother who opened the door for him. She was in her mid-fifties, but even so, her hair was unnaturally white, courtesy of her Southern heritage. Her brown eyes looked almost black, which she passed on to Lewiht.

“Welcome, sweetie,” she greeted him. “How was your day?”

“Great actually,” Lewiht took off his shoes and saw an ornate dagger framed on the opposite wall. A silhouette of a dragon was delicately carved into its hilt. Two beads of sapphire were placed as eyes on its head. The flames the dragon blew out of his mouth encircled its hilt from head to toe. These flames were made by intertwining red rubies and orange ambers. It was a dazzling dagger that was not there before. There was a small note under the frame:

From Togan, with love...

“He was here?” Lewiht asked.

“No, he should still be in Macaw. But apparently, he sent this before the last battle in case he…” His mother stopped for a moment, her voice crackling. “There was also a letter, it’s on the kitchen table if you want to read it. He wrote things for you too.”

“I’ll read it later,” said Lewiht and started to climb the wooden stairs immediately to his right. “I’m gonna sleep until dinner. You’ll wake me up when it’s ready or… when that bastard comes back.”

“Don’t talk about your fa—“

Lewiht didn’t waste any time and ran upstairs, slamming his door shut behind him. He picked up the keys from his study table and locked the door a few times. His room was one of the smallest rooms in their house, with only a single bed, a study table with a small bookshelf, and a wardrobe. Lewiht always liked small spaces, they made him feel safer for some reason, so he was just using this room.

He jumped on his bed and pulled out the new book he got from Willard.

History of Runodar

Author: Selkarnas of Teldaris

Without hesitation, he opened the book and started reading. The book started with The Calamity and how the Meteor Zone shaped the culture of Runodar, and it hooked Lewiht more than he expected.

He read for almost an hour when he heard heavy footsteps climbing the stairs. Fuck. He knew this was not his mother, he could never hear her mother’s footsteps, constantly getting scared when she opened his room’s door.

He jumped to his feet and put the book back into his backpack. But he was still wearing his school uniform which was quite suspicious. He started taking off his uniform when his father tried to open the door.

“I’m coming!” Lewiht yelled, but something hit the door with a crashing force, shaking the door and loosening its hinges.

Son of a bitch’s going to break the fucking door!

Lewiht couldn’t even take off his shirt when the door slammed open, it's one hinge barely keeping it upright.

His father’s giant figure appeared in the doorway. Almost two meters high and at a hundred and twenty kilograms, the guy looked more like an ogre than a human. His tight shirt could barely keep his big belly in control. He scanned the room with sluggish eyes—his movements were slow.

He’s drunk as fuck. Shit.

“Whenever you lock your damn door,” he said with the most comical slurred speech Lewiht ever heard from him. He was probably on cloud nine when he heard the news of victory from Macaw, and celebrated a bit much. “You do something shady in your room. Didn’t I tell you countless times to not lock your damn door, or I’ll smash it open?”

“You’re drunk as a skunk, old man. Go to your bed or something.”

His father started to slowly search the bookshelves, then the drawers. When finally eyed the backpack sitting on the bed, Lewiht desperately tried to prevent him searching for it, but his father’s elbow hit him in the chest like a sledgehammer—he fell and hit his head against the bed frame. He coughed and filled his lungs with air. The world was spinning, every sound ringing in his ears. He could see his father looking at the book, but he was unable to do anything about it.

“History of Runodar.” Lewiht could hardly hear what he was saying with the ringing in his ear. “I haven’t raised a traitor, you hear me!?”

His father lifted him and pinned him against the wall. Lewiht’s mother rushed to the room, trying her best to stop her husband. But he slapped her so hard that she fell to the ground.

Lewiht wanted to be furious, he wanted to punch his father and go help his mom, but his vision was going blurry and he couldn’t even muster the energy to raise a single arm.

He was right, he thought. Ged is always right.

“How many times do I have to beat you?” He slapped him. Lewiht could barely comprehend what he was saying at this point. He was just hearing words. “Are you trying to humiliate your brother, you jealous little shit?”

He slapped him again and again until Lewiht couldn’t even hear anything. As his world fell into darkness, he could think of only one thing:

I’m going to kill you.