Luines - Book 1

Chapter 05: Professor Uskevren

Zee and Hal waited patiently outside the Dean's Office. For the first time, Lizard, Byagi and Reeg were called in together for their morning march. No Dean in GEOS Academy History called them out collectively in fear for Lizard and his family. According to Lizard, he was a descendant of Tiamat, the primordial dragon goddess of the watery deep. A dean once sent Lizard to the office, but vanished after that. The most recent head had an ungodly encounter with Lizard's mom. She came for a visit and brought chaos in her pocket due to the unjustified punishment given to her son; the head resigned after. This month, their new head was fearless.

From where she sat, she could hear Professor Niriniel Uskevren reprimanding them about the importance of upholding the GEOS Academy standards. They should at least show some respect to their colleagues from the Realm Community, she said. Hal glanced at Zee as he sighed deeply. Hal said, "Hey, kambal. What's on your mind? You can tell me anything, right?"

"It's tough to see a fellow Realm bully another Realm. Lizard sometimes forgets his Realm too, and our kind are second class citizens in this world no matter what we do. I just hope things will change a bit like how you treat me. We're like twins, right?"

Zee was practically family, that they grew together and in the same neighborhood. His parents came one day and asked her family to take in Zee. She never knew what it was all about, but it felt like they needed protection. That was the last time they ever saw his parents. Ever since then, they were inseparable as they grew up fighting for each other's battles. If anyone would mess with Zee, Hal would be throwing that person to the walls while Zee protected her from her mental troubles. Hal was about to speak but Reeg burst out in a loud screech of frustration that she lost her words.

"Times are different, Mr. Myrkvi. You could get expelled for another act like that!" The professor had said.

Silence. They were dismissed with a stern warning. The first to file out was Reeg mumbling and cursing, while he asked Byagi for another light. He shook his head and uttered, "I've never been humiliated in my life! That dark elf will pay."

"Geez. it's just a scolding, Reeg. Relax, she'll have her time." Byagi lit his cigar, "Next year, we have another head. None of them ever last anyways."

Hal lowered her head while the two passed them. It was true, though. No head lasted in GEOS Academy. It was a wicked curse that Azraff Gamil placed on the Academy. According to the inscriptions, only the Luines can break that curse, then GEOS Academy would have its peace. At first, Hal wasn't much of a believer until one of their heads died in a freak accident, another just vanished, and one was forced to quit; all happened in a year.

Next to come out was Lizard. He said to Hal, "I could have sworn Reeg turned so red when the professor scolded him like a child. You're lucky you weren't even there. That dark elf didn't rat you both out."

"Well, at least, someone could finally shut his trap. You're gonna tell your mom about this?" Hal said.

"Ha! She'd laugh her hat off! It's not as bad as the last head. That one was mocking me being Realm. He didn't know who he was messing with. Luckily, Professor Uskevren is Realm. She understands us.

"I better get going. See you around." Lizard spread his sapphire wings, and jetted into the air.

Hal nodded her head in goodbye and turned to Zee, "We humans are not all bad. Thanks for waiting with me, kambal."

Zee shrugged, and had a hint of a quiet smile. "I've got a free schedule anyways. I find waiting here more interesting than being stuck in a classroom. Once you've seen one, you've seen it all. So, what else did your psychic ears pick up?"

"Nothing new. It's just the normal rap. Though, she asked Neon Requyem to stay for a while." Hal leaned by the door while she listened in their conversations.

Zee chucked, as he folded his arms. "I find it so strange for a Psyche Major to listen through doors. Don't you have a wider psychic radar or something?"

"Hush. Uskevren can spot anyone who does psychic reading. I tried it a while ago to get into her mind, but she forced me out quickly. This head is good. I got a suggestion. Use your wind and I'll tap into that to get a closer range."

Zee closed his eyes; a tranquil breeze circulated around them and flew through the slits of the door. If they can't go through the mind, Hal could expand her psyche into their conversations through the wind. She began to hear their every breath, and exhale. Eventually, she figured them out as words.

Uskevren was speaking now: "You understand why GEOS built this school? They created this as a strong nexus of power, that hopefully would bring unity to the world through us. Azraf Gamil, Shen Einsling, Milos Oskaron and Florenz Silny had a dream to change and reshape our ideologies. The Luines are important to us, Neon, especially in a time like this. You know how our world turned out."

"I apologize for my audacity but you don't have to lecture me, professor. I lived long enough to witness how the humans abolished our world. Just a while back, they maltreated a fellow Realm just to attain their unnecessary wants!" Neon Requyem said irately. "They go through undesirable methods. And a few years back, they tried to steal this, professor."

There was a short pause. They could have been studying the object but Hal hasn't mastered seeing with the wind yet. Professor Uskevren spoke, "If this is what I think this is, it brought you here for a reason then. Why are you searching for them too? If we help each other, we won't have another 2100 war."

Neon Requyem didn't utter a word. Nor did Uskevren after that.

"Step aside, Zee." Hal commanded.

Zee moved, while the door swung open. Neon Requyem was marching out of the office and she never turned back. She disappeared into the shadows of the halls; luckily her bloodshot eyes didn't glare at their direction.

Professor Uskevren looked at Hal. "Ms. Haliya Salmo Cruz, I suggest you take more advanced classes on Psyche, if you want to read my mind."

"Yeah." Hal said, rolling her eyes.

The professor then directed to Zee, "As for you, Mr. Ezeekiel Nakaji," the professor smiled and said, "It's refreshing to see someone with the same lineage as mine in the halls. I hope they welcomed you warmly."

Hal blinked twice, and noticed her skin faintly glowed, but not as obnoxiously loud as Zee's. Professor Niriniel Uskveren might have a petite frame, but she stood with so much regality in her red frock. It felt like she'd be seeing more of her in the future. Her eyes waited patiently for Hal to speak. "Professor, how do you control that aura of yours? Zee practically glows in the dark."

"It's a matter of confidence. For us, our glow could be our strongest defense. We can blind anyone if we wish."

Zee said, "I'm just like any other human here, anyways. My dad never taught me about that."

Professor Uskevren nodded, "You better get to your classes. And Hal, please keep to yourself what you've heard in there. I heard you're a fearless woman but this might not be a risk you're ready for."