From the moment she changed into the Starless uniform, a spotless white shirt under a red v-neck jumper with a black tie striped in gold, and a long black ankle skirt with black tights and brown formal shoes, Ester felt like someone else entirely. However, what frustrated her the most was how the red vest left a deliberate arch of white shirt visible above the waistband of her skirt. She felt somewhat exposed. There were no rules against accessories, so Saphy wore her green headband and styled her frizzy afro over it. They'd gotten changed in an uncomfortable silence that made Ester antsy.
"You look nice!" Ester tried. Saphy gave her a half-hearted smile, averting her eyes. At least she doesn't completely hate me, Ester thought.
"Ready?" Saphy replied, lacing her shoes. It had been a while since Ester had seen herself in a mirror. Her dark hair still curled to her shoulders, her light skin still scattered with brown freckles. She remembered a face full of life, with piercing blue eyes that once shone with a stubborn wonder. Now, she saw only their ghosts, sunken eyes in sunken skin. She took a deep breath and was about to nod in agreement when she realised Saphy's tie was fastened too long for her jumper, stretching well beyond it.
"Are you...going to leave your tie like that?" Ester asked. Saphy gave her a confused look before glancing down for a few seconds. She waved her hand dismissively.
"I like it this way," she said. "Makes me look cool."
She reached back into the closet, grabbing what Ester thought at the time was a thin, dark purple pullover of soft-spun wool, its deep hood and pouch sewn with a craftsman's care. It was a humble, practical garment. The kind a child in the capital's outer rings might wear, but made with a love that made it priceless. However, Ester had never seen anything like it. Saphy caught her staring.
"...This was a gift from my Grandma," Saphy said, her voice softening as she ran a thumb over the fabric. "She made it herself. The best seamstress in the whole capital...until..." She stopped herself, grimaced, and slipped it on. "Anyway, the thread is special. 'Made from the silk of an S-rank Flo beast,' she said."
Ester's eyes widened.
"I've had it since I was eleven. It...grows with me." Saphy turned, her voice a whisper meant only for Ester. "Never too cold, never too warm. Like an eternal reminder of her. It's my most prized possession."
She made Ester swear to keep it a secret. If people knew she had something so valuable... Ester agreed before turning back to the closet, grabbing a massive dark grey coat that hung inside. It was a good thing the HoS supplied clothing otherwise... The moment she put it on, she felt like she was back in the bathing chambers, wrapped in a warm cloud. If not for Saphy, Ester probably would've wasted more time daydreaming in the coat.
Opening the door, the other Zero Star students on their floor were already making their way toward the exit of the building. Ester noticed the boys' uniforms, black shirts under their red vests and black trousers. Some wore red blazers rimmed with gold and the same coats over them. But one thing was constant: the ties. The symbol of the HoS Institute on each of them. A constant reminder of what they all belonged to.
They began piling down the flight of stairs and out of the Starless Building toward the main entrance, where they met their guide. A pale girl with a fringe and long black hair. She stood cross-armed, tapping her feet as their little group approached her.
"Is that all of you?" She frowned, counting heads before her eyes stopped at Saphy and her unusual pullover. She had an accent.
"Where is your tie?" she questioned as eyes fell on Saphy.
"Right here!" Saphy said, fishing her too-long tie over her pullover as it flowed past her belly button.
The guide looked like she was about to complain, but she paused before shrugging her shoulders. "Oh, well. Follow me."
Walking down the great steps, the torches blazed furiously in the night, flickering with a dark orange colour. The air was cold, and the very few who'd decided not to wear a coat were regretting their choices, even though they chose not to admit it.
"I'm sure you all know by now you will all be attending the Banquet tomorrow," the woman began. "You will be required to make your declarations in front of the Church, the nobles...and the Arcon of Geneeva."
Ester's knees buckled as she heard this, slowing down, causing another Starless to bump into her. The woman turned around.
"Is everything okay?" Ester quickly nodded and apologised.
"What's wrong?" Saphy whispered.
"...When were we told about the Starless Banquet? I don't recall..." Ester began.
"The opening talks..." Saphy frowned. "With Instructor Markos." Her eyes then widened.
Ester and Saphy both reached the same conclusion.
"I was late..." Ester groaned. Saphy tried to console her, telling her she didn't miss much. Except this massive event.
One of the boys, a spiky-haired boy, raised his hand yet shouted from the back of the line.
"When do we get a cool cape like yours!" There was laughter and some agreement.
She smirked and responded without bothering to look back.
"You get one if you pass the Trials."
She was a student. However, her uniform was different. Like the ones she'd seen in the library. Her skirt was grey instead of black, and her blazer was navy blue. Adorned with badges, and her cloak that reached her thighs was black with a red inside.
"What's your name!" This time it was Saphy who shouted. It was as if she was waiting for someone to ask.
"Ah, that's right!" She stopped with a halt, causing everyone else to stop. Turning around, the cape creating an arc, she flipped her hair and put her right fist to her heart. "I am third year student, Second Star, Lin Hua!"
There was silence, before her ears started turning red.
"A-anyways, come on."
So many things bounced around in Ester's mind as they took a turn from the Institution grounds, she could hardly focus on one. Saphy's hooded coat, the Starless Banquet, and the most important one: a train. Her father had told her about the mass construction of transportation throughout Leria being built. One faster and more reliable than Flo beasts or carriages. She had no idea there were trains in Geneeva. Since when had they started building them?
A few minutes passed before the group arrived at a rocky bridge that connected the secluded "Holy Lands" to the rest of the Geneeva country. Ester could just make out an official guarding the exit of the bridge—or was it the entrance? She couldn't tell if they were a Synchrite or not. Either way, it solidified that wherever they were, it wasn't accessible to just anyone.
Lin Hua directed them across the bridge. Not narrow enough for a single file line, but enough that the Starless took precaution.
The scenery was a sight to behold. The mist stretched and engulfed the bottom. The stormy clouds in that evening sky seemed so close, the wind sharp on their faces. They were in awe.
Crossing that bridge, Lin acknowledged the Guardian as if she knew him. He was tall with short-cropped blue hair and a permanent scowl, yet he blushed, averting eye contact with her. Which made sense—Lin was, in every sense, beautiful. He wore a regal blue, white, and gold uniform with white trousers and white boots. A blue satchel was draped across his shoulder. He didn't look like it, but he was important. He gave a slight glance at the initiates as he perched on a rock, but his eyes doubled back at Ester, lingering just enough to make her uncomfortable. He tried to play it off, but the damage was done. Saphy nudged her.
Past the bridge, there was a main path through the clearing of the trees, but Lin directed them elsewhere, a little opening on the left, revealing their true destination.
"Woah," Saphy muttered.
Woah was right. It was an open-air terrace of carved white stone, built upon the mountainside. The view was staggering, a shot of the storm-wracked sky with the moon and the misty depths below. A few stone benches faced the void, but no one moved to sit. Ester marvelled at the engineering. Above, two colossal static cables ran through the gorge, attached to iron monoliths. Between them ran a third, slightly thinner cable, moving in a constant, whispering loop.
Ester also noticed three or four others waiting for the express. They were older men who weren't part of the HoS. They wore Church attire.
"The Golden Express should be arriving shortly," Lin peered into the abyss.
And like divine intervention, a double whistle echoed. A deep, rhythmic chuff-chuff-chuff throbbed within the mountain itself.
The Golden Express rose from the darkness of the mist. It was suspended from the two static cables by a series of elegant iron arches. The most impressive part was on the roof, a massive, clamshell-like clamp locked firmly around the central, moving haulage cable. The train was being pulled silently uphill by this endless, humming thread. Plumes of white smoke vented not from the train but from a rock-hewn chimney stack on the cliff-side.
"You see that smoke?" Lin pointed toward the cliff-side. "It's a hidden engine doing all the work."
She turned back around, whipping her straight black hair with a smile.
"With this, you will all be able to travel to and from the Capital faster than on a carriage."
It was a marvel. Ester could see it on all their faces. Technology that wasn't even native to this country. Something most people didn't have access to. Ester found it hard not to see this 'privilege' as a shackle.
"I wonder how long this has been built..." Ester muttered to herself.
"Good question!" Saphy heard her, calling out to Lin. "Um, Second Star Lin Hua? How long has this been built for?"
"Roughly a year." She turned to look at Saphy. "Why?"
"Oh. My friend wanted to know." She gestured to Ester. Ester only managed to close her eyes in anticipation.
"I see..."
As the train slowly attached itself to the railway lines at the edge of the mountain before coming to a stop, Lin Hua called the initiates forward. The train was a behemoth of craftsmanship, five different carriages, black rimmed with gold and windows dotting the whole thing.
A man with olive skin and a thin mustache, a black hat and black uniform, stepped out from the front of the carriage.
"Make way!"
Immediately, a group of Synchrites filed out. Murmurs and gasps were shared between them. Some waved at their friends in Ester's group while all being ushered by an older male student.
"Starless from the ground floor," Saphy whispered. It made sense. They were third-floorers.
"All aboard!" The man bellowed as he positioned himself at the carriage furthest away from them.
The third-floorers waited as the older men entered first, then followed by the bravest and most excited of the group.
The interior was nothing less than beautiful. The scent of polish and leather filled their noses, and golden lamps attached to the sides of the carriages bathed everything in a low bronze gold. The seats were fancy leather, green in colour.
The whole thing was expensive. Just how much did the Church have? Ester thought to herself.
The carriage was a long, gleaming salon. On both sides, deep leather booths separated by window frames faced each other across fixed tables of polished wood. It was breathtakingly elegant.
Saphy pulled Ester into the first vacant booth on the left. They sat opposite each other, Saphy anxiously looking out the window, unaware of the kid who slid in next to her.
A spiky black-haired boy with a brown headband, a smug grin on his face, and a relaxed attitude. He wore his red blazer with his sleeves rolled up.
"Sup, ladies."
They both stared at the boy who'd randomly just sat next to them, then shared a confused glance between themselves.
Another boy calmly sat next to Ester. A boy who wore a coat over his blazer with a green scarf. He had long hair and a pale complexion. And his eyes... Ester couldn't help but be reminded of Jacen the Slayer.
"Stop. Saying that," Long-hair sighed, turning to look at Ester and Saphy. "Forgive him... he doesn't understand human interactions..."
"Do you...need something?" Saphy asked, glancing between both of them.
Before Long-hair could utter a sentence, Spiky-hair opened his mouth.
"I was curious," he announced, crossing his arms. "Of you."
He turned his attention to Ester.
Another. Another person had highlighted her in their memory. Maybe it was a fear of being perceived, or the thought of someone recognising her for her past, it was enough to send her into a panic.
Saphy noticed Ester's expression and turned to Spiky-hair, studying him, especially his hair.
"Your name is Ezekiel, right?" she said. "I think I remember Instructor Burnad calling it."
"And you're Sapphire...and Ester, right?" He responded, gesturing to both of them.
They both nodded.
"...and I'm Kris." The long-haired boy raised his hand as if his existence was forgotten since the training. Ester greeted him.
"So, what do you want?" Saphy turned back to Ezekiel.
"First." He raised a finger. "I am a noble. The Instructor conveniently left out those with last names, so be honoured you're talking to someone like me."
Saphy frowned.
"...But no one asked you to—"
"SECOND." He raised another finger, looking at Ester. "Do you know why someone such as myself would be interested in you?"
"Because you need friends?" Kris muttered to himself, causing Ezekiel to lose his train of thought.
"It's because you're a mystery." He leaned closer.
The only thing that could be heard was the locking of each carriage before the conductor called for the train to begin moving. With a deep sigh and a cry of the whistle, the train lurched forward on the track over the mountain. Then the tracks stopped, the train being supported by the cables overhead. The transition was nauseating and terrifying. It was only after a few seconds that the train stabilised, prompting a smooth ride through the night sky.
"It's only been the first day..." Ester responded quietly. "How can I already be a mystery?"
"Zeek has been stalking you, because he has no friends," Kris replied.
"Shut it, Kris!" Ezekiel screeched. "It wasn't stalking. I just happened to come across a few things that simply piqued my interest, that's it... and you don't have friends as well."
Kris just scoffed, reached into his coat pocket, and began snacking on some sort of lollipop.
Ezekiel coughed.
"Saying I was only interested in you was a lie. To be honest, I am interested in both of you."
Saphy's face and Ester's turned to disgust, and Kris just put a hand to his forehead.
"I-I mean I would like it if we could enter each other's good graces, that's all!" He threw his hands up.
"...You mean friends?" Saphy asked sarcastically.
He frantically nodded.
Ester and Saphy looked at each other, then back at the hopeless noble. Saphy gave an expression as if to say he's definitely up to something. Ester just sighed. She turned back to the boy sat next to her.
"...And you?" she asked him.
Kris just shrugged, keeping his head down on the table as he held the lollipop in his mouth.
"It doesn't matter to me," he said in a flat, quiet voice. "I'm just here to make sure he doesn't make a fool out of himself."
Saphy scoffed, and Ezekiel looked like he was about to protest.
"...However, friends doesn't seem all that bad."
It didn't take a genius to know who was the more mature person between the both of them.
"Wait, so you guys haven't made any friends so far?" Saphy asked rather enthusiastically.
"Well..." Ezekiel began.
"Every time he'd open his big mouth, all the other Starless would avoid us like the plague."
"DAMMIT KRIS!" Ezekiel stood up in frustration, ears red. "I told you, they couldn't handle our combined aura!"
Kris, who was seemingly used to his outbursts, waved him off. Saphy just laughed. It seemed like she was already warming up to them. Ester, however, who found herself half-smiling at their banter, was still apprehensive.
"What made you curious of us?" Ester's question was directed at Ezekiel.
He folded his arms again and closed his eyes, as if in deep thought, or a show. It could have been either. It could've been both.
"The way you showed up to the induction assembly...how dirty and disheveled you looked. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were just another one of the impoverished."
Saphy winced, and Ester saw it. Even Kris, who lightly began stimming, tapped his leg on the floor. Ezekiel tapped his finger on the table.
"But then you lifted that huge boulder. Out of all the Starless who did the stone lift, you were one of the only three that attempted and lifted that size...Are you a Pure Synch? Did you use Flo?"
Ester didn't even know how she did it. The only thing she wanted in that moment was the stone off the ground. She felt her ears ring, but as soon as it was off the ground, the ringing stopped and she was forced to wrestle the weight for thirty seconds.
"...I don't know how to use Flo."
He studied her face before silently nodding.
"Good thing we should be getting lessons the coming week. Seeing as though you're both on that weird kid's radar."
Saphy leaned forward, closer to Ezekiel, his face turning brighter.
"You mean Geire?"
"I-I felt the change in the air as I was heading back. I guess so did Instructor Burnad. The kid is dangerous."
They both didn't need a reminder.
Ezekiel looked around, then smiled, his voice a whisper. "Fortunately, he's not the only one."
If he was expecting Saphy and Ester to be in awe, it was cut short by Kris.
"He's lying. He can barely manipulate Flo before getting headaches and nosebleeds."
Ezekiel took that as a challenge. Sitting back in the seat, he concentrated. His eyes closed and he became still. Ester and Saphy exchanged worried glances, and Kris just sighed. Without opening his eyes, Ezekiel lifted his finger and pointed at the window to a part of the cloudy sky which turned darker in the distance. Thunder could be heard. Then, a lightning strike.
The train car held its breath for a second, the only sound the steady hum of the haulage cable and the wind outside. Then, Ezekiel's finger dropped. He slumped back, breathing hard against the leather, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. A single drop of blood welled at the edge of his right nostril before tracing a path down his lip.
He wiped it away with the back of his hand, a triumphant grin splitting his face. "What were you saying?"
Kris just looked at him with shock in his eyes. "You could barely change a cloud the last time..."
"I've been doing some mental training," Ezekiel said, a glint in his eyes.
Saphy's earlier expression had vanished, replaced by a look of intense curiosity. "You...you actually did that? You summoned lightning?"
"Influenced it." Ezekiel corrected. "Sure, some high-level Synchs could create lightning out of thin air, but the amount of stamina and concentration conjuring lightning takes is what makes it one of the hardest elements to conjure. Whereas, manipulating clouds to produce lightning..." He took a deep stretch. "Much easier...well, for me."
All they could manage was tiny rounds of applause as he basked in the glory.
Ester stared. She'd never seen someone manipulate Flo so deliberately before. Was this what she could do if she learned control? Or was Ezekiel just naturally gifted?
"Is clothing and picking up a rock and having altercations all it takes for someone to be a mystery?" Ester, who had been quiet for a while, spoke up.
Still slumping, he didn't look at her.
"You can also read. I saw you with a hefty book going back to your dorm earlier. Contrary to how you looked on arrival. So if you can read, and you have somewhat experience with Flo, yet you appeared unkempt the first day, the question is," he looked at her, "who are you really?"
Ester pursed her lips. He was deceptively smart. Anything she said would either solidify his thoughts or make her look more guilty.
It was then a deep whistle left the train.
"Ten minutes till the train arrives at the Capital," Lin Hua appeared, passing through the carriages.
After a few awkward silences, something moved under the table. Ezekiel yelped, jumping in his seat and cursing under his breath. Kris's foot retreated subtly, his expression innocent.
"You know what?" Ezekiel said, wincing slightly and rubbing his shin. "I don't care as much. All that matters is that we're all friends."
Ester cocked her head, trying to figure out what just happened and how he reached that conclusion.
"And as friends, we should play a game!" He turned to Kris. "Do you have the cards?"
Kris reached into his pockets and fished out a pack of playing cards, before shuffling it and placing it in the middle.
"You pick the card which is the smallest, and you have to reveal something about yourself," Ezekiel said, sitting up.
"...You're a weird noble," Saphy concluded, picking a card from the pile. So did Kris, so did Ezekiel, and reluctantly, so did Ester. They showed each other. Three, four, seven, eight. Ezekiel got three. He threw his hands to the back of his head and sighed.
"I...am from the proud Barak family. The son of Ezekiel the Second. The Great Ezekiel the Third."
Saphy and Ester's eyes lit up as the realisation slowly dawned on them. Everyone in Geneeva knew about them.
"...You're part of the Great Families," Ester answered him. "One of the richest..."
His eyes shone with pride upon the recognition of his lineage.
"That's right." He puffed his chest.
Saphy bit her lip.
"Are we playing again?" Kris asked, already reaching for the next card. Saphy followed, and then Ezekiel, and finally Ester. Four, five, seven, ten. Saphy got the lowest number.
"Tell us, tell us, tell us!" Ezekiel chanted. Saphy was in deep thought before something popped in her head.
"I'm the oldest sibling in my family," she whispered.
"Oh?" Ezekiel inquired. "Younger siblings?" She nodded, but she never elaborated. Her eyes fixed on the pile of cards.
"Next—" Before they could, a deep whistle left the train.
"The train is about to arrive at the Capital, everyone!" Lin Hua's voice could be heard carrying throughout the train.
"Right!" Ezekiel said, getting up. "Come on, gang!"
Kris piled the cards back into the box and slipped it back into his pockets. He looked at the two before attempting a soft smile. "He's not as bad as he appears." He slipped from the seat and followed his friend, leaving Saphy and Ester alone.
"...What just happened?" Ester muttered.
"I have no idea," Saphy rubbed her head.
"Saphy...how many people do you think know about the Capital Incident?"
Saphy shifted uncomfortably, as if trying to dodge the question.
"Ester. I don't think you truly understand what you did. It's like you put into place a war between Synchrites and Regulars."
"I know." Ester groaned, putting her head on the table. "What am I going to do?"
Saphy took one more look outside before getting up.
"For starters, you can stop looking so damn guilty...even though you are...you know what I mean. Now come on!"
Ester looked out the window. Through the falling snow, she could just make out the capital's spires emerging from the darkness. Somewhere down there was the execution platform. The dungeon. The Church.
Saphy was right. She needed to stop looking guilty.
She just wasn't sure if that was possible.