Chương 160: Chapter 21: Thirteen Days Before the Closing

When she stood up, the first ray of sun caressed her face, warm and promising. The labyrinth was a test for the strategy course; there were no signs inside, and the only way a resonant would be able to exist was by following that strange sensitivity to the Void, which was now an internal compass. At times, she took turns that were apparently trivial; at others, she ended up in dead-end recesses.

Yet, after half an hour of unhurried walking, almost by intuition, she found a hidden exit at the back of the hedge, discreet opening that led to a gravel path conducting back to the main buildings. It was morning, and the university was unusually quiet. It was Calcar nineteen, a Thyll, thirteen days before the year ended. Only about ten days remained until the formal closing of the university. The corridors, normally bustling, were almost empty; it was natural.

It was the last day of regular classes; many students had already departed for their homes, and those who stayed would do so only for complementary courses or final projects. The silence had an expectant quality, like a held breath before the change of season. Selena walked the path to her room in the Cloister of the Forest. With the morning warmth filtering through the window, she opened it wide, letting the fresh air, laden with the scent of freshly cut grass and damp earth, flood the space.

Then, overcome by a sudden fatigue that was more mental than physical, she lay down on the bed without even undressing. Sleep assaulted her almost immediately, and it was no ordinary rest; it was a halom, pure and clear, like an urgent message from the subconscious or from something deeper still. In a second, she found herself submerged in a chaotic and visceral battlefield.

The scene moved away from her previous aesthetic; it was much more than just images, and immediately a whirlwind of brutal sensations assaulted her: the smell of sweat, of churned earth, of insect excrement, and of fresh blood. Men mounted on titanopods, the huge war insects, and their riders charged with long spears against disorganized infantry lines.

Armors varied wildly: hardened leather with iron plates for those who could afford it, but most of the levies were forcibly conscripted peasants who wore little more than patched clothes, sometimes reinforced with sewn straw, and wielded farmer's axes or clumsily adapted scythes. Behind them, more organized soldiers brandished spears and halberds, protected by boiled leather armor. Further back still, knights in chainmail gleamed under the dusty sun, heavy maces in one hand, shields in the other.

In the rear guard, the fewest in number, men in full iron armor resembled moving towers, holding massive two-handed swords that flashed with a fierce light. However, something caught Selena's attention. Her own body in the dream raised an arm, and as she did, a row of archers, as numerous as locusts, drew their bows and released a whistling cloud of arrows that darkened the sky for an instant, falling like deadly rain upon another battlefield forming to her left, a duplicated scene of chaos and carnage.

Immediately, her gaze turned toward the wider landscape. There, upon the slope of steep mountains, rose an imposing fortress with high walls and menacing towers, an eagle's nest in no man's land. Selena then heard the distinctive sound of articulated legs beside her, a swift and rhythmic trot of a war titanopod perhaps, and she tried to turn around to see it. But the dream shifted abruptly, disintegrating like sand between her fingers.

No images remained, only sounds: a crescendo of torn screams, cries of agony, the dull, wet noise of butchery. Muffled explosions, the constant whistle of arrows, the metallic impact of armor being struck, the crunching of bones, and the gurgling of death. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. It was a chorus of pure, formless horror, but so vivid that Selena woke up with a start, sitting up in bed, her heart hammering hard against her ribs.

She was not scared. Not this time. There was a strange calm inside her, a cold acceptance. Perhaps the halom is not as clear as we would like, she thought, wiping a fine sweat from her forehead. But what is clear... is that I am going to a war. And I will fight for this kingdom. A deep, resigned sigh escaped her lips. Only then did she look outside: it was mid-afternoon, the sun at its zenith, bathing the garden in a golden and implacable light, in absolute contrast to the shadows of her dream.

After the bitter awakening, Selena stood up and dressed carefully, as if the ritual could bring order to the premonition. She chose one of her silk dresses, slightly more elegant than the ones she wore daily, of a dark emerald green color that matched her eyes. She left her hair loose, which already reached the middle of her back, brown mane with reddish highlights that she rarely displayed, and headed to a quiet place, far from the silent echo of the empty corridors.

This time, her destination was one of the old watermills that bordered the river dividing the university from the city. The sound of the water crashing against the wooden wheels, constant and rhythmic, had always brought her peace. Nearing the place, she saw Maya and Ren in the distance, walking along the bank with gestures of concentrated searching. She observed them for a moment before they spotted her and quickly approached. —Selena! —Ren greeted.

But his military posture was slightly altered by an evident restlessness— We are looking for objects. Isolde said it was the final test of this year, that we have to find at least four each... or we will repeat the subject next year. He looked unusually nervous despite his rigid pose. —You are wrong, Ren —Maya corrected him. She held a smile of playful superiority, and Selena caught the amusement instantly— Isolde said a minimum of four.

But she added that whoever didn't get them it all would start from scratch next year, while the rest would continue with the normal course. She looked back at Selena, her hazel eyes shining with complicity. —I already found six of the eight. —Maya laughed softly— Now I understand that time you were running like crazy across the courtyard so many months ago, when I was just starting. Did Valerian give you the same test? Ren raised a curious eyebrow, but it was Selena who answered the question.

—That's right —she confirmed with a nostalgic smile— Valerian gave me the object-seeking test what feels like an eternity ago. She paused, sighing as she lowered her head. When she looked up, she faced Ren. —By the way, how many do you have? Tell me without shame. Ren lowered his head for an instant; it was an eloquent gesture, one not usually seen from the guard's apprentice. —I have two —he admitted, with a sigh that betrayed his frustration— Only two.

I thought I felt one nearby, among the plants here, but Maya said she didn't feel anything clearly. He shook his head firmly. Maya's face showed only one emotion, the same one anyone has when looking at a foolish child. Ren resumed his point, ignoring her. —I only have today left. Help. He said that last word was lower, almost through his teeth. For a proud soldier like Ren, asking for help was a defeat in itself. Selena could not help a clear, open laugh. —That's cheating, you know?

—she said, though her tone was one of amusement, not reproach— But it's true. There is one nearby. She pointed vaguely toward the river, where the water flowed fast and frothy around the stones. —But you must get wet, and as for the exact part of the river... I won't tell you. —A teasing smile formed on her lips— The search is also part of the lesson. Sometimes the answer is where you least want to look.

They said their goodbyes as Maya, with Ren in tow, went down to the riverbank, discussing in whispers the best strategy to search the water without getting too wet. Selena watched them for a moment, a slight smile on her lips, before turning to follow the course of the water upstream. Her destination was the most secluded mill, the very same one where, what seemed like an eternity ago, she had found one of the objects during her own conscious resonant test with Valerian.

It was a remote place, forgotten by most, where the constant roar of the water and the rhythmic creaking of the wooden wheel created a symphony of isolation, perfect for the mental exercise she had in mind.