CURSED: The Last of Five Kingdoms.

Episode30-Iceology

Mael, Melody, and Harry woke up to be in the holdings. Many candle lights lit floating midair, burning incense and herbs in every corner of the holding that gave it a calm scent and flaming fire coming from a big goblet that is in the centre of the room.

“What are we doing here?” Harry's words come out more in whispers than his actual lively and booming voice.

“Ouch! My head. I feel like someone who took tons of alcohol.” Melody complains, slowly sitting up.

“Me, too.” Mael stretches. Squinting his eyes, “Harry and Melody, what are we doing here?”

“I should be asking that question. Because last time you were the person down here.”

“Boys. Boys. Enough with the nagging. My head is banging. What happened?”

“I don't know.”

“Me neither.”

“It is no coincidence that the three of us are down here, at the same time.” Mael wonders.

“This place looks a lot different from what it looked like the last time. At least now, the scent here is healing, relaxing and energetic. Like the source of power you get when doing yoga.” Melody says excitedly.

“Well, we have never done yoga. So, we wouldn't know.” Turning to Mael, “what happened? Melody and I were planning to sneak out and go check out what happened to you in the woods because you took so long in there, even after others came out.”

“I guess you guys didn't make it to me. And, I think I might have fainted or something. I just can't remember what happened.'

“Oh, well, at least we are okay,” Harry says lays down while scratching his neck, where he was bitten.

“You are not okay, Harry. What is that on your neck?”

Feeling his neck with his hand, he feels the surrounding bandage. Scrambling out of bed, he searches for the nearest thing that could show a reflection of him until he finds a knight in full armour, holding an unlit torch. He goes close to it, looking at his neck.

“Oh, my! What happened to me? They've done it! They've done it. They've managed to ruin me.”

“Stop overreacting, Harry, it is not as if you got bitten by a vampire or supernatural creature,” Melody says while grilling at her joke. Mael finds it funny and joins her in laughing at Harry.

“Not funny! Both of you, it is not a bit funny. And not helping. My handsome neck has been tampered with, and I shouldn't panic. It is the last time I'll take that boring Vampireology. Something always happens even before the class starts.”

Mael jerks at a tap on his shoulder, “Professor you scared me. When did you get in here?”

Professor Mackenzie is wearing a smile on her face and had arrived while they were distracted by Harry's incident. She starts walking around the room, carrying some kind of lamp that purges smoke out of its mouth. She keeps mumbling some indiscernible words. Getting close to the flaming goblet, she pauses and faces the thrilled three.

With mouth open and one hand to his neck, still standing close to the knight, but face turned to Professor Mackenzie, “wow! That is so cool.”

“Welcome, Professor.” Melody greets with a slight bow.

“Please, professor, what happened to us?” Mael questions.

“I was hoping to find out from you guys. What happened?”

“None of us can remember. Strangely, not even a tiny detail.”

“Well, we do in the three of you passed out in the woods during Sports in Vampireology. Rabbi Humbledore and I, brought you here to recuperate. Thank goodness there is no serious harm or whatsoever. You all are free to go and join the Ice class. Wouldn't want your whole day wasted on lying around.”

“Yes, Professor. The three sluggishly answers. Grabbing their robes, they wear it and set out for their class through Hunters.

Mael is feeling drowsy but thinks is better not to complain because all he wants to do is remember. They had stopped briefly at the fountain of truth to wash over the little dirt that smeared their faces and clean the stained parts of their robes. Feeling better after getting cleaned, they set out to join the others in the class. Meanwhile, Harry keeps scratching his neck as it itches badly. Thankfully, they see other students rushing towards a direction in which they have no idea why or what the students were going there for.

“ I guess that is our way to Ice class,” walking in that direction, but Harry drags him back by the collar of his robe.

“Mael, remember that we do not follow the crowd. For the fact that all of them are flocking towards the same direction doesn't mean it is the right way to class.”

“In as much as whatever that the both of you are doing, is cute, I prefer not to be late for class. So, I'll follow the crowd since it is the only way to ensure not getting lost.”

“I am with her on that,” getting Harry's hand off his collar.

Joining the others, they meet Duke and Gabriel.

“Hi, guys,” Duke waves with some kind of relief written all over his face.

“What is with the expression?” Mael asks.

“It is just that the new girl has been spreading rumours that she saw something in the woods. When we could not hear from the three of you, everyone got scared and thought that her rumours might be true. She said it was a man with glowing eyes.”

“Man with glowing eyes? Wait, what? Are we in some kind of teen wolf movie? Only vampires have glowing eyes around here, from what I've noticed. And, if she truly saw that, she wouldn't live to tell the tale,” scratching his neck.

Gabriel observes Harry's neck, “hmm, Harry?”

“Yes?”

“It is not only the vampires that have glowing eyes. Most of the supernatural being here has glowing eyes. So, it could have been any of us with powers or, she saw wrong.”

“I hope for our sake that she saw wrong,” scratching intensively.

“What is with that? You've been scratching it.”

“Duke, the damn thing is itchy as hell. It won't just stop.”

“You should get it looked at. It might get infected.”

“Can I see."? Gabriel offers.

“You are already looking at it.”

“No, Harry, I mean I want to pull the bandage to the side and see what happened there. I've fair knowledge about, well, things.”

“Oh, okay. Go ahead.”

Pulling the bandage to the side, he carefully unwraps it. Sighting the marks on Harry's neck, “you were bitten.” He says with shock and trembling hands.

“What do you mean, bitten? You need to be more elaborate than that.” Harry rants, wrapping back the bandage around her neck.

“Exactly what it explains. I am afraid the man with glowing eyes story is true.”

“You got to be kidding me? Does that mean I'll become a vampire by the next full moon? Or, I'll start decaying if I don't find my master? What will happen to me? And why didn't professor Mackenzie mention anything to us while we were in the holdings?”

“Probably because Gabriel is wrong. They would never keep quiet about something as serious as you being bitten. Gabriel, stop instilling fear in Harry.”

“I am not kidding. I know a bite mark when I see one.”

“Did you say the new girl has been spreading rumours?” Melody, who hasn't said anything since the arrived finally, speaks.

“Where you in another planet or something. Yes, Grenada or something like that.” Duke responds, “let's get to class. We are going to be late. Iceology is not a class you would want to be late to.”

The three steep into a bit covered by ivy, touching Hunters. A passage opens and they pass through it to the hall. The other students had already filled it. Soft light from the candles illuminated the inside. It is a typical south pole with snow falling, the ground all ice and a gigantic lake at the far end where no student was allowed to be. It was a typical Iceland. Beautiful but scary. It looked like the crack that happened at the ground of peace will occur here.

“Stay away from the lake and do not exceed the front role. Welcome, everyone!” Professor Task's voice rings. She's a beautiful woman with long red hair, black eyes and a slender body. She looks.

Mael eagerly waits for her to reveal her true form like professor Edward had done during his class.

“She's just putting this up, right?”

“Putting what up?” Duke whispers back.

This very class is a combination of the different years in school and not specifically limited to the year ones.

“This is precisely what Professor Edward did in his very first class. So, I am waiting for the moment she will show her true self. What does she look like?”

“Oh, now I get. No, she's not putting up Professor Edward's little show. This is what she looks like. There is no unveiling. This is Gertrude self.”

“How can that be possible. She looks too normal to be here.”

“If you are saying that, wait till you see Professor Veni. He is so handsome. I think their appearance has something to do with their powers. Every year she hibernates and gets reborn. That is something with ice power to do. They hibernate when they are weak and old. However, people with the power of fire, burn to ashes and from their ashes, they rise again. More like the power of the Phoenix. That is what has maintained their glows all these years. It is always hard to tell their ages.”

“Wow, interesting. Duke, how do you know all this?”

“A year here in Rayvin Academy will teach you a lot.”

Mael feels a pair of eyes on him and when he turns, Grenada is uncomfortably staring at him. More of glaring than staring.

“To harness your inner ice power, you need a lot of focusing and mastering the art of the hand. Those are the two tools you need the most. Water and Ice are more than weapons. They are a force of pure energy, a source of concentration and calmness. It is a way to reconnect with your past, ancestor and whatever you have a connection with. That is why, more than any other thing that has to do with nature, if you upset water, it fights back. We, with the power of Ice, … Ehm! Mr. Vandisia, do you have something interesting that you so wish to share with the rest of the class?”

Harry has been whispering something to Melody when Professor Task called his attention. Bending down, “no, professor.”

“I'll appreciate it if you listen. And you too, Melody. Pay attention!”

“Yes, professor.”

“Back to what I was saying. Anyone with the Ice power is a descendant of the second son of King Omiri. Our primary source of power is the water, and we are known as the Kirans, from the kingdom of Kiran. I want you to watch.”

She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and with a wave of her hand, forms a penguin using the water from the nearby lake. All the students burst into clapping and cheers.

“Thank you. That is what you can do and so much more. Clear your mind, focus, and command. That is the other. We shouldn't have a problem since we are surrounded by the full force of energy.”

“Is she expecting us, commoners, to do the same thing?” Harry asks Melody.

“From the way she is staring at everyone, I think so.”

Mael has trailed off. His mind was absent but his body is present. What others are doing is of no concern to him. He keeps staring at the lakes, his eyes slowly starting to glow and his fangs drawing out.

“Mael?” Duke shakes him.

“Mael? What are you doing?” Melody shakes him even more?

With an outburst of rustling wind from a mere wave of his hand, “I am Kiran. Secondborn of Omiri. True father of you all,” he says. His voice sounding like that of a thousand men.