The Bakle academy was no different from other empire's schools. Students are all adults and they are meant to learn the topics relevant to the career they wish to pursue on their own. The faculty is here to provide the resources required and, for those in need, to teach them directly. We students were supposed to send our questions in the system. In response, lessons with corresponding topics were organized and it was left for us to register for these. Teachers were also free to spontaneously decide on classes they thought would be useful, new, relevant or enlightening. New topics, especially obscure ones, made that kind of class mandatory for the corresponding teachers.
Aliéna and I had registered to the very first slot of "Introduction to fighting". The number of student present in a topic introduction could vary a lot depending on the actual topic but it was rarely less than a hundred. When we arrived in the classroom, though, there were less than thirty. I probably was not the only one that had bad feeling about her. For us here, it was fortunate, there was enough seats for everyone.
She entered through the teacher's door at the end of the room. Though a bit different, her outfit was very similar to the one I had seen her wearing in the library two days prior. One after the other, she stared a few seconds at every student, like a probe. When my turn came I had chill going down my spine. It felt like she stared longer at me than the others. But that's probably how everyone felt.
- Name's Sonotoria.
Something in the way she said her name made it sounds like an order. She turned around walked toward blackboard and, without another word, started to write: "Fighting: Forcing a favorable outcome through any means necessary.". I did not realize then how much effort it must have asked her to write these words.
- Tha' def's wrong. You'll learn i' 'n'way. 'Nough fo' you' tiny mind.
She realized how difficult it was for us to actually understand her words and waited a bit. I had heard of that way of talking. It was quite common in southern most regions of the empire. In our region, it just sounded like she purposefully trying to butcher our language.
A hand rose. It was Féstil's. Part of his family originated in the south so he had less trouble understanding. He was also one of the very rare student aiming at a teacher's position.
- If that definition is wrong. Why should we learn it?
- Needn't know 'drogen to get water's wettin'. 'F you want big word', 'stand small ones.
A growl prevented Féstil from answering. I had not noticed that was a what seemed to be a box under some sheet behind her in the back corner of the room. It was shaking. Something was clearly trapped in it. She smiled at us and removed the sheet. Everyone leaned, everyone wanted to see properly. It was a light cage so we could clearly see the beast inside. It was a four legged animal with a thick gray skin, a large skull, tusks, claws, fangs, all clearly designed to hunt and kill. Probably a native species from a remote world.
Féstil hand rose again. He probably was the only one unfazed by that creature.
- Why bring a dangerous animal in the school premises?
- Danger 'mplies 't can hurt. I'm here so 't can't. Hence no danger.
She approached him, leaned, and with a serious look added:
- 'T can be danger's. What 'f 'ther nation drops whole pack 'n a city?
- They would realize their mistake. Hopefully they will take any step necessary to avoid this incident from occurring again.
- What 'f on purpose?
The attention of the group suddenly switched from the cage back to the Sonotoria. There was nothing but horror on our faces. This whole lesson had turned into a conversation, so Féstil spoke for everyone of us.
- Why would anyone do that? What could justify such a thing?
- Favorable outcome.
I was as disgusted as perplexed by the possible implications. And our teacher had no intention of leaving us hanging. She suddenly took a pen Féstil was holding in his hand and stepped back.
- Tha' pen's I's now.
Surprised but still unable to grasp where she was getting at, Féstil answered:
- That statement is untrue. That pen is mine.
- 'T's in my hand though.
- Sure, but you will return it to me.
- Why 'd I do tha'?
- Why would you not? You know full well it is mine and you know I want it back.
- What 'f I wan' i'?
- This has nothing to do with it.
- Does, does. Wan' i', keep i': favorable outcome. No return.
Theft. In a later lesson she would call this: theft. That was concept completely foreign to us. We were all left speechless the moment she said she would not return it. We were facing a situation we had never ever seen. It was surreal.
- Up.
Dazed, Féstil complied and got up.
- Take fro' I's hand.
Our whole group was still trying to process what was happening. He acted, he went and took the pen back from her. His moves were slow and hesitant. She just let him do it. She held his head with her two hands and got him closer to her.
- Which part felt mo' 'pressive? Me, takin' pen. Or you, gettin' i' ba'. Answer defines kind o' fighter you'll be. Ba' t' you seat.
The beast was still trying its best to escape the cage in the back. Aside from that for a few minutes a very unusual silence had settled. Sonotoria was probing again, evaluating our reactions. Aliéna was firmly holding my hand. She was probably as disturbed as the others. I was not, not anymore. I started to understand what she meant with the beasts. I had to ask.
- So, how do we... How do we get the pen back?
I was looking at the cage when saying that. I could find my words so my question was a bit cryptic. Despite my poor phrasing I was certain she would understand. She seemed very happy with my question. She suddenly snapped her fingers and black metal bars appeared from the ground. It was separating the class between the teacher section and ours. The light cage disappeared. She was alone with that beast.
- Any means necessary.
As she said that the creature jumped at her with a clearly visible murderous intents. Our teacher lift her arm and with one hand stopped it midhair by catching its head. She was still staring at me. She swiftly crushed the animal's head in the ground as if it was nothing. She smiled again, and turn her attention back to Fèstil.
- Favorable outcome.
The student next to him rose his hand.
- But why would any country resort to... Hum... "Fighting"?
- Why's o' no matter. First tha' does'll've most favorable outcome.
The bars disappeared back in the ground. Then she added:
- Tha' 'nimal I defeated. I's class goal's fo' y'all to same. Lotta take in. Thus dismissed fo' 'day.
It did not take long for everyone to start to stand up and leave. They were probably eager to go far from this madness. Aliéna quietly said to me:
- That teacher is insane.
- Did you mean: "tha' 'cher's no sane".
- It's not funny!
- Come on, no one is going to come back anyway.
- You.
Teacher Sonotoria had walked toward us and was standing right in front of me. I felt so tense I could hardly move.
- Stay a bit, I want to talk to you one on one.
I was impressed. From what I had heard, people from the south had a really hard time speaking normally. Had I not listened to her for the last half hour, I would have never guessed she was a southerner.
Aliéna was obviously not happy with her demand, but she did not even try to object. She gave my forearm a gentle caress as goodbye and exited room with the others. And I accompanied Sonotoria to teacher's section of the classroom.
- What is it you wanted to talk about?
The feeling I had in the library was back and much more intense. The moment the class is dismissed, students and teachers are on equal footing. I could leave anytime I wanted to but it felt like I could not.
- Y'ave somethin' others don't. Somethin' rare, y'aware?
She moved one step closer to me. I moved one step backward. I had no idea what she was talking about. But I felt more and more uneasy.
- I do not know what you mean.
- 't you feelin' i'?
I barely understood her last sentence. But she kept moving toward me. And soon I could not back away. The metal bars from earlier had apparently returned. I felt trapped. My feeling grew stronger and stronger. It had a mind on its own and it was begging me to run away.
She reached me and sensually pressed her warm body against mine. Somehow my heart was both racing and frozen in place. She did nothing else, and the actual touch was feeling good. However my brain had forgotten all words but one: death.
- Not 'roused, not 'ven blushin' huh? Why's tha'?
She leaned and put her lips a few centimeters from my ear to whisper and answer her own question:
- Fear.
The word entered my spirit and exploded like a bomb. Walls of confusion were blown away in an instant. Yes, fear. It was fear all along. She scared me. My entire body was urging me to leave, shouting at my deaf ears: "She's gonna kill you.".
She stepped away from me. The bars disappeared again and I fell to the ground.
- True fear's long gone fo' your kind. But you retained yours.
- You could have just said it.
- Wrong. Y'adda experience it prop'ly. Y'adda know, not be aware.
For whatever reason, I laughed a bit. It had nothing to do but what she was saying or what I thought she was saying. All this tension, all the fear had left me. I felt so light and well all of a sudden that I just laughed nervously. I was still worried though. Somehow what she said just made sense to me. Had she simply told me I was scared I would have probably ignored her and dismiss it as a fantasy. Fear was indeed rare. It was amongst some of the feelings we lost with prosperous times.
But there was no doubt about it. I just felt fear. The only emotion I had ever experience so intensely in my life was my love for Aliéna.
- I understand. But why was it important I know about it?
- Means your instincts still'ere. Y'ave great 'tential as fighter.
- Well, in that case, I'm sorry. I have no intention of becoming a "fighter". This all seem like animal behavior to me.
- 'Cisely! 'S wha' you're when scared. 'Nimal! 'S wha' you'll.
- What? Did you mean you want me to turn into an animal?
- Mmm... True. 'Nimal's bit presumptuous. Insect better.
- Alright, let me stop you there. I have no intention of being an animal or an insect or anything of the sort. You exhibited very inappropriate behavior during this class. You also quite inappropriately dressed for a school. I think you are dangerous and I am NOT going to give you any more of my time.
The moment I commented her outfit, she took a proud pose as if I was praising her. And she kept smiling all along. I was absolutely not getting through to her. I concluded she was a lost cause and started to leave.
- 'Old d'you think I'm?
I stopped and faced her. Sonotoria was unusually serious, be it her voice or her expression.
- Thousand?
- Mo'
- Million?
- Mo'
- Trillion?, I sighed.
- Mo'!
- More than trillion Ikian years? Is that supposed to be a joke?
- Not mo', much mo'.
We, designed species, had incredibly long lives. It was not impossible. But even if we did not age like natives, we still died. Accidents and illness were the most common causes. Reaching a million years of life was already quite the achievement. If she was right, she was older than all the stars I ever saw in the sky.
- That is hard to believe. And even so, what does it have to do with anything?
- Why now? Like 'nimals I witnessed galaxies shed their skin. Why'd I teach now?
- Danger?
- Yes, danger. You got quite the pen you wan' keep. Love and fear are faces and you got the whole coin.
I had heard enough. My head was going to explode from all that happened. I left her there and took my leave in silence. Sadly, once again, she made perfect sense to me.