The Lost Paradise

Chapter 29

"The dark world is called dark because of the people that it carries. The people there live a lowly life. There is no act of love, faith, courage, peace, or goodness in them. They live a sinful life. Their world is filled with rubbles, they do not have proper shelter, food, or clean water. It's a punishment for the sins that they commit. They do not have magic. The very own magic that requires purity of heart. Their life is meaningless because without it", Professor Uddin, a short man with a huge mustache was explaining.

I listened to him very carefully for the first time. Vanya beside me was half asleep and Stela on the other side was fully asleep. They never liked Professor Uddin, they always found him boring, they even named him "the sleeping potion", They had even given an amusing explanation to it

"The sins they carry were passed on to our world and like a parasite, they took over us soon. Making both the world sinful now. To bring peace back in our world, the leader of the clans had appointed a body that made sure that these transferred individuals were found and sent back from where they came. But it was too much for this newly elected body to do, the magic that we yielded had already started to weaken by then, which had also limited the potential of the magic that could be used. You know that individuals didn't need a zarkis to perform magic back then. It was already in their blood, they did not require an external source to channel their magic like what you have been doing", he said, pointing at the class. I straightened up on my seat, taking in each and every word, with the utmost attention.

"It doesn't mean that magic doesn't flow in your blood. You still, will be able to perform magic without your zarkis, but mastering that will take time. As you must've already learned in your respective Flocc classes, I'm sure you all already know why taking these tests and passing them are so important. As you move through the tests, they help in sealing the bond between you and your magic. And that's very important", he said emphasizing the word important.

"Things on the field can get wild sometimes. You will have to deal with challenges you have never faced before. You might get into trouble sometimes, or other times there could be a threat to your life too", he said. The class took a collective intake of breath. "Yes", he nodded, looking at the stunned faces. "And that time it would be your magic that would be saving you", he said.

"So, to prepare you for that. From tomorrow onwards you will be taking another class. You will be taking classes on magical learning", he said. I couldn't help with a smile. I felt excited for some reason. I realized that it wasn't only me but the entire class that was excited, there was a loud chattering that followed after that. The class couldn't settle for silence after that. Even Vanya and Stela were awake and talking now.

"This is going to be exciting", Vanya said excitedly jumping. "Yes it is", I agreed, as we walked out of the class. "I wonder what they are going to teach first", Stela voiced her thoughts. "It's just a day to wait for", I pointed out and laughed. "Yeah true", she agreed.

I had a meeting with my Flocc members after the class, so I started leaving to leave them when Stephan found me. "Eliza, are you free now?", He asked me, in front of Stela and Vanya who immediately brightened up and teasingly looked at me. "Ahmm no, actually I'm going to meet my Flocc", I explained. "Ohh", he said, not so cheerfully.

"Hmmm...is there anything important?", I asked him. "Nothing", he shrugged off. "you finish with your meeting and then meet me in my room", he said, and then started leaving. A protest formed in my mouth, but he left before it could even reach out. "Woahhh", both Stela and Vanya said collectively. "Did you observe that Stela?", Vanya gestured to her with her hand. "Not meet me outside my room...but meet me in my room...in", she laughed. "I know...I know", Stela nodded. She pulled me towards her and met my eye. "Tell me the truth, did you guys kiss yet?", She asked me, with a straight face. "WHAT...no", I stepped back. "I'm going now, you guys are insane", I said and started running away from them.

"They are insane!", I muttered under my breath as I made my way towards the glass circular room.

"Hey", I greeted Ryan who was the only person sitting there. "Why do you look flustered?", Ryan asked me as soon as he saw me. "Aye what?", I asked him puzzled. He reached out and placed his hand on my cheek. "you look beautiful", he said looking at me. "Okay", I said and moved behind, shaking his hand off me. "You look beautiful today, did you get all pretty today for someone special?", he asked me, resting back on his chair. I stared at him, dumbfounded. Why was everyone being crazy today? "Yeah, that's what it is", I rolled my eyes and took a seat. "Is it?", He asked me amused.

"Who is that unlucky person?", I chose to ignore his question and remained silent until the others arrived. I didn't understand the reason I was getting irate by Ryan. He was just being himself playful right? I thought. My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Professor Fyun and Gregory.

"I will keep it short", he said as soon as he entered. He and Fyun took their seats and took a glance around the room checking if all were present. He nodded when he realized that we all were there. "It's time for your next test", he started. My heart started pounding fast at the thought of another test. The last one was still fresh in my mind. Me and Lianna almost facing death, was not something I could forget easily, I still couldn't shake it off. I feared what the other tests would have for us.

"The faction you will be ready for is allorn", he said. "This test won't be easy. Finding your inner peace and making peace with something that you want to run away from is difficult. I hope you get ready for what is to come", he said looking at us one by one. "This specific test will be different from the one you took for the Urich faction. This one will include you traveling in real life and individually. Individually each one of you will have to pass", he said, looking through few papers that he had. "The test for your Flocc is scheduled for the day after tomorrow", he informed us. "All the best", he said, before leaving us. I thought Professor Fyun will also leave, but instead, she stayed back.

"It might get dangerous so be careful for real this time", she told us before walking away. We stayed in silence for some time after they left. Finally, it was Yivan who broke the silence. "These tests make me anxious", he confessed. I couldn't agree less with him. They were not easy mentally or physically for us.

"I hope things go well", I shrunk on my seat. "Same", Lianna let out a sigh. I was not in a good mood as I left the glass room. My chest felt tight, burdened up. "I hope I pass", I muttered under my breath as I walked towards the bunker.