"Vincent..." Professor Morel held the boy tight, his voice quivering. "I can't believe it's really you!"
"Hey, you're crushing me!" complained Vincent.
Professor Morel finally let him go, staring at his face with such longing in his eyes.
"Okay, mister, you're really freaking me out here..." Vincent said with a frown. "Just who are you anyway?"
"It's me, your brother Randalle..." said the professor, to which he was answered with a snort.
"Idiot!" Vincent jeered. "It's true my brother Randalle is older than me by 12 years, but he's not an old geezer like you!"
The professor stared at him. He then pulled back his right sleeve and showed Vincent a birthmark shaped like a dagger. Vincent's eyes widened.
"You have been missing for almost 16 years," he told the man. "Of course, you don't recognize me..." his voice broke. "But hey, I'm not even in my 40's yet, so don't call me old geezer!" he said playfully, touching the boy between the eyes and tracing his nose.
Vincent twitched, his eyes got even bigger.
"What happened?" He asked his big brother.
"You tell me," replied the professor. "Coming back after all these years, and still, not looking a day older than you did when you..." Randale Morel's voice trailed off.
"When he died?" came Ms. Ermingard's low voice. "I knew that name was familiar."
She was looking at an article in her computer dated 16 years ago, with Dorin reading behind her shoulder.
"Do you remember the war, Vincent?" his brother asked. "You stood with your friends back then, with the Heilig king at the lead..."
"What war?" Vincent sounded confused. "With uncle Jacob? Who were we fighting with?"
"Not the old king... with Raymund..."
"But..." Vincent frowned and looked at Dorin. "Ray's right here."
Professor Morel looked at Dorin, confused, until understanding dawned in his eyes. Dorin looked back, questioning.
"Now I get it," said Prof. Morel, "the young Heilig has returned to gather his army once again!" Dorin looked confused. "Am I not right?" the professor asked. "Dorin, Yyldrim's son?"
The room's temperature suddenly dropped drastically.
Dorin stepped back as the area surrounding the professor darkened.
"What are you summoning, brother?" Vincent asked innocently, holding on to Randalle's arm. "Why are you angry with Ray?"
"This is not Raymund," answered Randalle, "Raymund Yyldirim Jacobson Heilig was executed 14 years ago." Dark tendrills begin to surround him. "What you see before you is probably the spawn of the raven witch, sent to bring discord to the university once more..."
"But brother," Vincent's frown deepen, "he's my friend."
Still holding on to the professor's arm, Vincent raised a hand and pulled the dark energy into himself. And swallowed it.
Dorin, surprised, ran to his side and slapped him hard on the back.
"Spit it out!" he said, "Don't you know that miasma corrodes the flesh?!"
"Ow!" complained the young man. "Stop that! Don't you know that Morels feed on this?!"
"No, only the truly gifted ones do," the professor mumbled. "That's why I would never let you have my brother again!" he pointed at Dorin
"Professor Morel, I don't think I understand what's going on... are you saying you know my parents?" Dorin asked.
"Ha! I knew it!" the professor cried.
"Actually, I never knew my father," Dorin continued, "my mother never told me about him, so I can't answer your accusations."
"That doesn't change the fact that you are that usurper's son!" hissed the professor. "Have your mother sent you here to start another revolt? Did you honestly think that the students would follow you in this day and age?"
"Honestly," Dorin frowned, "I have no idea what you are on about," he sighed. "But my aunt Agate did tell me that my heritage was supposed to be kept a secret... something about people who might try to abduct me again or something... so I guess it can't be helped..."
Dorin opened the door. Outside stood Sebastian and Johan who almost fell inside from eavesdropping. Sebastian closed the door and nodded knowingly at Dorin.
"I'm sorry, Vincent, I'm really not Raymund," Dorin told the mysterious young man. "I don't know if this Yyldrim is truly my father or not, I'm not even sure if I actually had a father..." Dorin gave a sad laugh. "But rest assure that all I want is to enjoy life here in University."
"That's all Ray wanted as well!" hissed the professor. "Until that witch seduced him."
"Please stop bad mouthing my mother," Dorin said. "Sebastian..." he signaled his friend who stepped closer.
"Professor Randale Terzo Morel," spoke Sebastian.
The professor stiffened and slowly faced Sebastian.
"Please listen to Dorin..." Sebastian continued, looking at Dorin. "Listen to Dorin Silvius' words."
"You..." Vincent looked at Sebastian, "are a Silver Tongue!" his eyes widen. "I knew you smelled familiar!" Sebastian looked at Vincent, a bit surprised. "But I guess you didn't get their looks," the lad added.
"Don't worry, Vincent, Professor..." Sebastian looked at the dorm head, still sitting on her chair. "Ms. Ermingard?"
"Don't mind me, I'm merely an overseer," was her reply.
"Thank you," said Dorin. "He looked back at the professor who was starting to sweat. "I'm sorry it had to come to this," he apologized. "Truly, I mean no harm. And to prove it, I will let you do what you want to me, if – and only if, I bring harm to you and your own." He looked at Vincent. "But I don't think other people should know these things about me. Mother might get angry."
"The things said in this room shall stay in this room and will never be repeated elsewhere," said Sebastian, his voice echoing inside the confined space. "All things heard, seen or learned here will never be conveyed again, in any kind of way."
The professor twitched, while Vincent and the Dorm Head froze.
"And please, don't get so angry at me," Dorin added, "I have no knowledge of what ever happened before I was even born. How then, could you blame me for the things my parents supposedly did?"
"You shall not bring any harm upon Dorin Silvius... Unless he brings harm to you and yours. Only then can you retaliate, but only to defend yourselves," said Sebastian.
"Is there anything else?" Dorin asked.
"Tell him that I can play with you guys any time I want!" Vincent said happily.
"I don't think that's a good idea," said Johan who was just standing by the doorway.
"You should let Vincent hang out with us sometimes," Sebastian re-phrased.
"And that I can play in his room for as long as I like!" added the big kid.
"I think that would be enough," Dorin said.
"That is all," said Sebastian.
Professor Morel slumped down to the ground. Vincent ran to his side and hugged him.
"Sorry, brother, I really do love you, but I love Ray too, and I want to stay close to him like always!"
Randalle kept silent. He placed an arm on his brother's shoulder and glared at the people in the room.
He suddenly raised his other hand, grasping a wand. Dorin stood his ground while Sebastian simply stared at the professor.
"Tsk."
Morel waved a shaking hand and disappeared with his younger brother in tow.
"Oh, they left," said Dorin, "and here I had so many more questions to ask!"
[Ms. Ermingard, are you okay?] Sebastian asked the dorm head.
"I'm fine," replied Ms. Ermingard. "It seems your control over your voice has improved a lot."
"Excuse me, but can I ask a question here?" Johan said, looking pissed. "Just how many people know about you being a Silver Tongue?" he looked annoyingly at Sebastian. "Isn't that supposed to be a very big secret? How come almost everyone knows about it?"
"Professor Althea, General Muller, Prof. Dupont, and Damien are the only adults who know about it, aside from Mistress Ravante and Ms. Ermingard, being her niece twice removed," explained Sebastian in a calm voice. "She looks after me, here in the dorms."
"Wow, you seem to be related to everyone..." Johan said with a low whistle. "And get a lot of special treatment too..."
"Most royals are," Ms. Ermingard said, ignoring Johan's last remark. "If Dorin here really is a Heilig, and his mother is who I think she is, then, the two of them are probably related through their Alcione blood line."
"Then that would make us real brothers!" Dorin said with a grin.
"Now Dorin, about your parents," Ms. Ermingard stood up "I am not one to pry about family matters, but I am particular about my Dorm and the safety of my tenants." She looked sharply at Dorin.
"Some students said there were disturbances in the past nights coming from upstairs," continued the dorm head. "So, I checked on the filed videos from the CCTV on your floor, and do you know what I found out?"
"What?" asked Johan and Dorin in unison.
"Nothing," said Ms. Ermingard with a frown. "There was a looped video, showing the three of you leaving every morning at 6 am, and coming back every evening at 6 pm. At the same time, the real surveillance was being sent to an unknown frequency and location."
"A looped video?" Dorin asked, "Do you mean, it goes and shows the same scene every day?" Ms. Ermingard stared at him over her glasses.
"Anyway, I know that the two of you," she nodded at Johan, "are not smart enough to tamper with that video, and that Sebastian has no reason to do that as well." She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned deeper. "So," she continued, "who do you suppose would do such a thing?"
"We were thinking perhaps it was already broken?" Johan volunteered with a hand raised.
"Impossible!" Ms. Ermingard snapped. "We get noticed immediately when ever a camera breaks. That's why it means that who ever did this is well versed about hardware and could possibly be an experienced hacker."
"What's a hacker?" Johan and Dorin asked once more.
[It is someone who can break into the computer system to steal information.] Sebastian told his two roommates.
"Now, I have already asked the University Security Department about the breach," assured Ms. Ermingard. "They have already fixed and doubled the security in the Dorm, although it seems that the culprits were too slippery," she sighed, "sadly, they were not able to trace the hackers, and could not pin point their location."
"So, we have no idea... who were spying on us?" Johan asked thoughtfully.
"I'm afraid not," said the Dorm Head.
[I'm sorry, Ms. Ermingard...] Sebastian wrote. [I noticed that there was something wrong with the cameras, but I didn't inform you about it...] he paused, [I thought that Dorin was behind it...]
"Why would I do something like that?" Dorin asked, sounding a bit hurt.
[Sorry...] Sebastian repeated.
"Well, what's done is gone," the Dorm Head said. "For now, I advice you lot to stay safe. Do not go too far from the University, and as much as possible, stay as close to each other as you can. If those people were able to hack into the system, then who knows what more they are capable of doing."
"Yes, Ms. Ermingard," Dorin and the rest replied.
"Now return to your rooms, and I don't want to hear any more complains from your group."