Chương 103: Chapter 36: The Unattainable Caress

She awoke with the evening sun hitting her directly in the face, a golden and warm rectangle that cut through the dimness of the room. She blinked slowly, disoriented, as if emerging from the depths of a dark lake. She stood up, stretching with a parsimony that would have made anyone weary just watching her: her arms extended toward the ceiling, her spine arched with an almost vegetable slowness, and a deep sigh, laden with the dust of sleep, escaped from her lips. She did not want to be seen.

She did not want to speak to anyone. She remembered a place Maya had already given her a tour of a secluded corner of the university where the academic bustle faded, and life followed its simple and primordial course: the greenhouses, the stables, the pens where animals for study and companionship were cared for. Without a second thought, she made her way there. The air changed as she approached the greenhouses. It smelled of damp earth, of fresh manure, of hay, and of animal life.

A different silence, populated by soft grunts, flutters, and the constant murmur of beasts that breathed, ate, and existed. She found the anurhys' pen, fenced with rustic wood. Inside, a dozen creatures with semi-damp skin and earthy colors ran around with charming clumsiness, their short, strong legs moving with determination, their small tails wagging like cheerful rudders. Selena leaned against the wooden fence, observing them. For a moment, the weight of the books, of the whispering void, of death, vanished.

Here there was only this: the simplicity of an animal that knew no curses or truncated destinies. One of them, a rounder specimen with olive-spotted skin, curiously approached the edge of the pen. It raised its wide head, its round, golden eyes fixed on her. Then, it emitted a guttural, low, and vibrant croak, which was both a question and a greeting. Selena, surprised, slowly extended her hand through the wooden bars.

The anurhy drew closer, sniffed her fingers with its wet snout and then, with a tenderness that shrunk her heart, licked her with its sticky, warm tongue. A smile, genuine and caught off guard, shaped itself on Selena's face. —You are a beautiful little chubby guy —she murmured, her voice barely a sigh laden with affection. The anurhy, clearly happy, not only drew closer to have its back stroked, but began to emit a series of guttural croaks, this time sharper, almost song-like.

An amphibian trill that was, without a doubt, the unmistakable symbol of its happiness. Others approached, curious, forming a small, expectant semicircle at her feet. For an instant, everything was perfect. A moment stolen from the condemnation, a fragment of peace woven with licks and happy croaks. Until, suddenly, all the anurhys tensed at once. Their cheerful sounds were cut short instantly. A collective tremor, rapid and nervous, ran down their backs.

They huddled against each other, retreating en masse until they hid behind Selena's legs, as if her silhouette were a shield that could protect them. Their golden eyes, now filled with a primal and instinctive fear, stared fixedly toward the darkness of a corner between two sheds. From there, from the shadows that seemed to solidify, a man emerged.

His tunic was black, so dark that it seemed to absorb the twilight light, and the trimmings that decorated it shone with an intense red, the color of freshly spilled blood. Valerian advanced without making a sound, as if his feet did not touch the ground. A smile of malicious satisfaction curved his lips. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. —Crimson —he said, his voice a melodious whisper that cut through the air laden with animal fear.

The anurhys huddled even closer to Selena, she feeling their trembling against her legs. —You found me. It's incredible. I thought it would take at least three weeks. He made a wide gesture toward the trembling anurhys. —No one would ever look for a resonant among the beasts. After all, they fear us instinctively, as you can see. He stopped a few paces from her; his gray gaze fixed on the animals taking refuge behind his student.

Then, he drew closer, with a deliberate slowness, until he stood right in front of her. He made a bow, an exaggerated and mocking movement that did not hide his genuine interest. —You are predictably an idiot —Selena let out, before he could speak further. She lied blatantly, without conviction, but the insult burst out like a spring, relieving, if only a little, the pent-up anger of days. —Wasn't it obvious where you were hiding?

Valerian blinked, and for an instant, his jester's mask shattered, laying bare a spark of genuine surprise. Then, the smile returned wider. —Isolde must be teaching you well —he conceded, with a tone that was not entirely ironic. Selena sighed deeply, avoiding his gaze. —But bloody girl, you are my student. You belong to me. His gaze returned to the anurhys, which remained huddled, observing him with terror. —And I saw something interesting. Those anurhys… clearly they do not fear you.

He passed a hand over his own cheek, a pensive gesture, and his smile vanished, transforming into something closer to sadness. —A caress… for a resonant, is an unattainable desire —he murmured. For the first time, his voice sounded devoid of all affectation, laden with an ancient and deep bitterness. —You are wrong —Selena replied. She had tried to sound firm, though she lacked conviction. —They are only hiding, like all animals. Valerian stared at her, and his expression hardened. —Crimson, you are a lying girl.

Perhaps your first rebound will take a few extra fingers from you as punishment. He raised an eyebrow, studying her reaction. —Or not… He dropped the threat into the air and grew serious, the mask of the master falling over his features like a cold mantle. —From tomorrow, classes resume. I think you have what it takes to be useful. Without giving her time to respond, he turned around.

His black tunic with red trimmings seemed to merge with the lengthening shadows of the evening, a smear of darkness that vanished among the sheds and the undergrowth, without a single sound. Selena was left alone, with the anurhys that, little by little, began to come out of their hiding place, still trembling but drawn once more by her tranquil presence. She stroked them mechanically, but her mind was far away. Maybe the Red is for murderer, truly, she thought with a disconcerting and cold clarity. Stealthy.

Disappears. And plays with his victims. The sun had sunk almost completely, leaving a sky tinged with purple and indigo. In the pen, the sounds of the anurhys' guttural croaks filled the air once more, a chorus of simple life that, for that night, was the only comfort she needed.

The next day, after a medicine class dedicated to pharmacology and dosage, which had been a methodical display of measurements, tinctures, and precautions that her mind registered with the automatic precision of an academic, Selena practically ran out of the classroom. Time was an enemy when it came to Valerian. She crossed courtyards and passages at a swift pace, the autumn wind tangling in her loose hair, until she arrived at the Atrium of Knowledge.

The expectation of the jester weighed on her shoulders like a stone that, over time, had ceased to be an annoyance to become a habit. And after all, perhaps this time he would deign to teach as he should. Her heartbeat forcefully before that small and wretched possibility. It was not excitement, not exactly. It was the pulse of one who has learned that hope is a dangerous luxury, but cannot help but harbor it. It was a tool she had to master, she knew it with a clarity that froze.

If she wanted to maintain control over her own life, over the fragments of freedom she still had left, there was no other way.