Star Rising: Heartless

Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

When Xalen awoke the next day, he had to open and close his eyes a few times, then pinch himself to make sure he wasn't still sleeping. If his dream was to be believed, he had been recruited by an Alioth, one of the most legendary Alioths to be exact, and been taken to Zizor Dojo, one of the many Alioth academies spread across the galaxy. Here, he was to train and become an Alioth warrior himself.

Yup. Definitely a dream. He applied more force to his pinch. The skin on his right arm became a purplish red. The pain travelled down his arm and to his hand. Ouch. He let go. Not a dream, then.

His eyes took in his surroundings. He was in a rather large room. Despite the size of the room, however, there wasn't much that adorned it. There was the thin, double-layered quilts where he had slept in the far right hand corner. At the center of the room was a stubby, four-legged table with a green tea pot on it. On each of the four walls hung a painting depicting natural sceneries. A crooked tree resisting the harsh winds. A crashing waterfall dropping over three hundred feet. A family of trees rising from a pristine purple lake. A gray spaceship with the word Driftwood drifting in front of a blue planet.

That's right! The memories of the previous night flooded back at once. After their talk, Sensei Kayos had led him to the dormitories, a series of rectangular buildings situated at the bottom left end of the dojo. She had told him to wake up early to join the other students for breakfast. Which judging from his growling stomach, didn't sound like a bad idea.

Crack! Crack!

The two strong bursts that rocked the small wooden door put him on his toes. The female voice that followed it was even stronger.

"Open the d'or."

A cold chill ran down Xalen's spine. If he didn't know any better, he would venture a guess that the voice coming from the other side of the door belonged to the lady that had put Reave on edge the day before: Junia.

The voice thundered once more. "I said open the d'or!"

There was no mistake. The voice definitely belonged to the female Feehan. But what did she want with him?

Despite his apprehension, he found himself stumbling as he rushed to the door. He might not know what the woman wanted, but he knew enough to know he didn't want to get on her bad side.

"Coming," he called out. He reached for the handle, but before he could open it, the door was flung open. Xalen was sent sprawling to the floor. His rear was the first to hit the hard, wooden floor, followed by his back and then his head.

The stern woman looked down at him, her frown showing nothing but extreme disappointment.

"Get up," she barked. "We h've much area to cover, and l'tle time do so."

"Where are we going," asked Xalen, confused.

Junia's eyes turned a light orange, which judging by the deep exhale she had just let out, could only mean she was frustrated. "I'll let you know on the way."