THE LAST KEEPER

After the meeting had adjourned and Sagiri had calmed down, he couldn’t help but think that there had been something odd about it all. Senraki and Salka had barely spoken, and it was as if Fuwuka was egging him on to lose his cool. He had fallen into the trap headfirst.

Torena had come soon after to tell him to clear out of room 246. He would be staying in the central pentagon close to the instructors’ quarters. The meeting had ended sooner than expected. He did not have much to carry anyway. Perhaps his trunk, which he was not required to take with him. He just needed to take his little essentials, which were not much, because a recruit or cadet of Galka War Academy owned only a sash and a combat suit.

The central pentagon was a whole city in itself, and if he could guess that the other cadets, apart from the three, were not aware of his situation. Perhaps they knew that he had been stabbed by the Tamelku twins. Just remembering that made him clutch to the raised platform at the end of the arena so hard his nails turned white.

He had come up there to get some air. Perhaps he had grown attached to being a recruit in the fourth year Pentagon. Yet it seemed that N’varu could not take even the least of the instructions.

”I thought I asked you to leave,” Sagiri seethed. He had tried to keep away from trouble, but he just ended up at the top of it.

”Don’t you wanna know what happened to the Tamelku twins?” N’varu said, and sagiri wheeled around.

”They died?” sagiri asked, hating the fact that something could have done it before he did.

”They escaped that night,” N’varu said, and Sagiri snapped his gaze to N’varu’s to see if he was lying, but there was only sincerity in his eyes. He was telling the truth.

”Damn it!” he cursed, his fists tightening.

”Two senior instructors were killed, and Lotaga and another one were fatally injured,” N’varu continued.

”Why are you telling me that?” Sagiri said, but deep down, he was shocked to hear that two senior instructors were killed.

”Because you have been acting like a child,” N’varu started. ”Did you know that instructors’ dying calls for the warriors guild to intervene. They were killed because someone wanted to come get you. Nine people were sent and broke into the Galka War Academy just to get you, and an instructor was killed. It was only a coincidence that the Tamelku twins stabbed you. The abductors had to slow down because of that, or perhaps they could have managed to take you away. If you were in Senraki’s shoes, what would you do?” N’varu said his voice level, but sagiri could hear reproach beneath it. N’varu did not easily lose his temper, but sagiri could tell he was close to losing his temper.

Now that N’varu had spelled it out like that, Sagiri could not help but think he had been acting childish, too. In his defense, he had not known the severity of the matter. He did not know that someone had died because of him, and that made him feel some way. Two senior instructors had been killed.

”Was it the one who killed the gravescale?” he asked, and N’varu did not answer. Of course, it was not as if Senraki could parade the dead bodies of dead senior instructors and worthy warriors of Tagayia for students to look at.

”If I were Senraki, I would think the kid they wanted to kidnap at the cost of the lives of senior instructors is either a threat or something special.” Even Sagiri could deduct that at least. After saying those words, he finally understood how his behavior could put him on the former list.

”And what do you think will happen to you if you keep acting like a child? If Senraki, as the marshal, thinks you are a threat to the Galka War Academy, he has the mandate to eliminate you without being accountable. Now do you understand what I’m saying, Sagiri?” N’varu articulated the last sentence, looking at Sagiri with brows pulled together as if he were a father reprimanding his son. Or more like an elder reprimanding a teenager. That might have been true, however, because sagiri felt like he was experiencing late puberty, and he could control his outbursts.

It seems sagiri had been in his head, thinking about only himself, that he failed to see the bigger picture. He was more than just a victim in the situation, and in fact, he was at the centre of it all. He might have just put a nail in the coffin in the interrogation room, that he was an uncontrollable threat.

Sagiri now understood why Senraki was taking measures. He was, after all, the Marshal of the number one school, and he was probably lucky a student had not been killed because the situation could have been worse. His being taken away from the common dormitory was for the best. It was also true that his being put in quarters near those of instructors was a way to keep watch on him. If they determined he was an asset, then he might have chances of being of use to senraki but if he ended up being a threat, then Senraki could have no choice but to eliminate him.

”You might have lost control and killed the intruders, but you are not strong enough to go against Galka War Academy’s elites. You need to stop acting like you are an immovable force and think of those waiting on you,” N’varu said, the last statement letting his emotions spill over. They were those of deep longing and sadness yet again. He had refused to explain anything to sagiri claiming that he would only tell him when he acted his age.

”I see,” Sagiri said after a long pause of silence. Of course nvaru had never acted as if he was different or a monster, and he always regarded him with some kind of feeling that he could yet touch. ”I will try to stay out of trouble,” Sagiri said, breathing a sigh of defeat. He had not seen the bigger picture before, but now that nvaru had broken it down for him, he knew that had to act with absolute care and earn Senraki’s trust. he was the martial of an elite institution such as galka war academy and if he could have such a man in his corner then he could stand more chances when his kidnappers came again. He also needed to get stronger to be able to defend himself next time and not let anyone die for him.

”Good,” N’varu said, turning around.

”I’m sorry,” sagiri said. He knew how much N’varu wanted him to live since they first met, yet he had just let the tamelku twins stab him. lost his control in the interrogation room with no regard for those who cared for him and proceeded to act like a little spoiled brat. There was stretched silence between them as N’varu paused in his steps, his back going rigid.

He did not even see nvaru but the next moment a heavy punch landed in the middle of his stomach, followed by a strong kick to his midsection. Breath rushed out of his lungs, and he was sent flying before he landed on his back, gasping for breath.

”That is for letting yourself be stabbed,” said, coming to stand on top of him. Of course nvaru knew. He understood more about his ability to perceive more than anyone else. There was no way he could have missed the two who reeked of hate best him. The two stared at each other for a moment, and Sagiri let him have it. That had been a pretty ass move from him, and he deserved more than a few punches and kicks. ”If you take your life for granted again, next time I’ll beat you to death,” N’varu snickered before he turned around to leave. He did not even try to help sagiri get up. He must have been really angry.

”Thank you,” he said as he watched N’varu’s back walk away across the arena.

Thank you for punching sense into me.

Sagiri did not stand up from his position for a long time. Even if he was going through some changes in his body, he did not need to lose control at every chance he got. No one wanted a liability in their corner. Especially now that someone had died because of him, he needed to prove that he could be an asset and something someone like Senraki depended on. To do that, he needed to push himself now even more than ever to be stronger in mind and body.

If he proved to be useless, Senraki killing him could be a mercy. He might not have known much about the warriors’ guild, but they had been the ones to form the first society for warriors and protectors of Tagayia. They did not tolerate the unnecessary killing of warriors, especially outside of war. He did not know yet what Senraki had said to the guild that had kept him from being sent there, but just like N’varu said. He now more than ever needed to keep a cool head.

It was a known fact that once the warrior’s guild got on your case or took you to the guild headquarters in Alika City, you never made it out. He did not want to taste the theory, and for now, Senraki was his best chance. He probably needed to find an excuse for his behavior, too.

He jumped to his feet eventually and headed for the central pentagon. Perhaps this was not a bad thing. Living close to senior instructors and using their training pits and libraries could also prove useful. Perhaps even being stabbed by the tamelku twins had been a good thing. He needed to start seeing the good side of bad situations.