Infinite: Power

Chapter Nineteen :We are Brooke

"There's something I don't understand." Taden says, without raising his hand, to Master Brunello as he's searching something in his book behind his desk. Emmeth and Bright are sitting next to him, in two of the four chairs disposed for the Elements to receive their class. Brunello's crimson red tent, and golden ornaments, was quite luxurious compared to the one Felix had. The sunlight would filter through the redness, causing everything to look annoyingly the same color. Even the white hairs of the old Orphet. The few of them. "What's a Tricker?"

Master Brunello raised his eyes from his lecture and frowned.

"An Orphet without power."

"Master," Emmeth suddenly spoke, searching through his own notebook (his grandfather's calligraphy was annoyingly perfect, to Taden's surprise) "If I'm not mistaken, I thought Orphets defined Trickers as 'humans with the Orphetical Mark'."

"Well," Brunello took off his glasses, and closed his book. His eyes were thoughtful, as if he had to be careful with what he was about to say. "There is, in fact, a debate. As you already know (Taden, you should write this in your notebook) Trickers and Orphets have the Orphetical mark on their neck sine they're born. Just like this one."

Among the wrinkles on his neck, Taden was able to distinguish a strange symbol. It looked like a tattoo and a birthmark at the same time.

"The difference between them is that Orphets have the ability to see or predict the future, and Trickers don't. In fact, Trickers have no powers that differentiate them from humans. It was not so long ago that they were allowed to even study in the Academy. They used to be our servants. But after a hard equality campaign, led by Stawen, this changed. A little." The man said. Bright repressed a yawn. "I prefer to hope we, Orphets, will learn from Trickers' humility before they learn an unbreakable pride from us."

"Why are they called Trickers, sir?" Emmeth asked, taking notes. What a nerd.

"It's a mockery, I believe. Until they go through a test taken in the Academy when they're around 18, there is no exact way of knowing who is an Orphet and who isn't. The marks are all the same for everyone. The ones without power, therefore, trick one into thinking they're Orphets. There are some ways to know in advance who is and who isn't, though. The son of a Tricker mother and a Tricker father is probably a Tricker. But if an Orphet is the father or the mother, there is no way to know. Of course, due to some status differences, there are no marriages between Orphets and Trickers. At least, there hasn't been one for forty years."

"Forty? Who was the last Orphet to marry a Tricker, Master?" Emmeth asked. Brunello softly laughed, as if he were remembering good old times. He looked at the book in his hands.

"You don't know him, his name is Pietro Polidopolus. He was one of the most important Orphetical leaders of all times, the most accurate and powerful of all. This book was written by him." He gently left his hand upon the leather cover. "We still seek for his counseling now that he's... retired to live with his wife and child."

"What about his child?" Bright spoke lazily, his head laid on one side upon his hand, without any shame of showing his boredom. "Was he an Orphet or a Tricker?"

The Orphet pressed his lips together. Taden and Emmeth exchanged looks.

"Neither. He was born with autism. It's really difficult to communicate with someone who is mentally disabled. There is no way we know if he sees the future or not."

"Do you think it has something to do with the union of a Tricker and an Orphet, sir?"

"No, child, no!" Brunello dismissed Emmeth's words with grief. "I believe this could have happened to anyone. However, Master Phileas used this to encourage the idea that Trickers were weak minded and that they didn't have to be, well, mixed with Orphetical blood or the next generation might be as, what he defined, damaged as Pietro's son. Of course, this cruelty destroyed Pietro. Both his heart and his faith in the Orphetical moral."