EQUINOX || The Catalysts Series, #3

II

When Lena walks into Ability Mastery, she is unable to decide who she is more surprised to see: Arcana, the headmaster, or Caelus, Arcane Academy's Ace.

Headmasters of an education unit don't just show up during a random class of a random day in the week; and Caelus never bothers to attend lessons. The fact that he's not only present but on time for class boggles her.

The sight of them has Lena pausing at the entrance, but Roen struts pass her without a thought and eagerly greets the two. Neesha tells Lena she'll round up the scattered students—all glancing at the headmaster nervously—to prepare for class before leaving her alone.

Lena hesitates for a bit before deciding to join the headmaster's presence. Because the alternative, she now notices, is Amara—their Ability Mastery instructor who doesn't prefer any professional labels or pronouns—and a stranger. The stranger, evidently one of the government officials Lena just seen marching in the academy gates this morning, is here now, exchanging a few words with Amara and silently scanning the students. He is as tall as Amara,which is saying something, because Amara nearly towers everyone else, her bulk and muscles unrivalled. His expression is solid stern, with nothing kind his grey eyes. Two deep, jagged scars run down from his left eyebrow across his left eye and all the way to his square jaw. His left eye, Lena notices then, is a different colour from his right—it's a bit lighter in hue, and looks bleached of any natural dark colour. And that particular eye seems to look directly into each and every one of the students.

Looks like the pre-trials have already begun.

Perhaps the students aren't fidgety because of Arcana's presence alone.

Before the scary-looking authorities' representative can lay his all-seeing eye on her, Lena walks quickly to where Arcana is talking to Roen and Caelus. As she makes her way to them, every step of hers resonate her loud heartbeats, a question now materialising in her mind.

If there is someone with the ability to detect others' abilities...

She'd be found out straight away. The façade Arcana created for her—the clairvoyance mask that had her enrolled in Arcane Academy—all gone. And that will lead the authorities to question her registration in the first place.

Calm down, Lena. Or she might be simply reading too much into it, now that she knows of her abilities' true nature—and how dangerous it can be. Arcana hasn't said anything to her, so it may be fine after all. Besides, abilities improve all the time. Roen had just told her about his gradual climb in ability class; and yet she doubts that an individual's ability change in their potential or nature so suddenly. She'll need to ask around about that possibility. That's right. It may just be a new discovery of her abilities and what she can do.

It is then she realises that she isn't actually afraid of what the authorities might find out about her during the trials. It is what it implies to the people around her that Lena fears: that Arcana is the one who registered her as a clairvoyant; that Caelus potentially knows about this—and the fact that they both kept it a secret, without reporting to the system. While Lena isn't entirely familiar with the ability governance of this City, she is so obviously a red flag, using another ability to cover up her real potential. That's the reason she's afraid, the lie they instilled on purpose.

And since when did Lena care so much about the people around her? She's always thought herself to be selfish; but her heart is speaking for itself recently.

Perhaps she is discovering something more about herself each day. And maybe one day, she'll learn to find the one lost in the worlds she travelled.

"Lena," Arcana greets as she reaches them at the corner of the training room. "How are lessons?"