Chapter 19: Altair

  “Need a weapon?”

  I didn’t think I would ever hear a sentence like that come out of someone’s mouth, but here we were.

  The man had red hair, blood-red gills, and goggles, critically staring me up and down like a computer analyzing my body.

  “Uh… yes?”

  I looked around. There were swords, spears, rifles, and weapons of all kinds lining the walls, and it felt like a cave covered in sharp sticks ready to poke my eyeball out if I walked too close.

  “A hundred and fifty seven centimeters, has never held a real weapon in your life. A soft boy but roughly trained in hand-to-hand combat. But, you would die if you only had that in war. War doesn’t care about how well you can flip someone over your back. They would only chop your head off with a spear or something like that. Well, we’ll give everything a try and see what you like.”

  Professor Gunnar didn’t mince his words, and I winced at the brutality of it. He disappeared in his labyrinth of weapons, and came out with a stack that almost hit the ceiling.

  “Let’s try it all out. Kyle, if you want, I have more stuff for you to play with while I test each weapon out with Altair.”

  Professor Gunnar pointed toward his desk as Kyle settled on a bench.

  “Thanks, Professor Gunnar. I’ll look at it later. I want to see what weapon he’ll choose.”

  He leaned back as Professor Gunnar threw the first weapon at me. It was a standard-looking sword that you typically saw in movies, except that it was thin and kind of supple.

  “Nah, that doesn’t work. Throw it away.”

  Professor Gunnar threw me the next weapon, and I barely caught it on time. This time, it was a whip.

  “Give it a whack.”

  The professor stared at me, and I whacked the ocean currents, only to have the whip circle around me and whip me instead.

  “Ow!” I yelled, and he sighed.

  “Too uncoordinated for a flexible weapon. Let’s try this.”

  He threw a small water gun at me, and I looked at it curiously.

  “Pull the safety trigger and carefully aim-”

  Bang.

  I accidentally pressed it too fast and I swung my arm in surprise at the sound it made underwater, which almost shot Kyle down.

  He yelped and ducked as the bullet gave him a new side part. Hey, at least I wasn’t shooting myself this time.

  “That could work, but it might be cumbersome for you and won’t match your close combat skills,” he muttered while Kyle looked at him in astonishment and horror.

  “What?”

  “That’s why you’re supposed to get out of the way, Kyle.”

  Professor Gunnar didn’t even bother staring at him.

  “Now try this.”

  He threw a slim, lightweight, and sturdy spear, which I caught easily.

  “That’s better. Now, let’s spar.”

  He thrust out his own spear, and I fumbled with the stick again as I clumsily blocked his blows.

  “Not bad, but not good either. Try this.”

  He threw me one spear after another, and by the time he finally stopped for a break, I was exhausted.

  “Come back tomorrow, okay? I’m going to have to hand-make your spear. You hold your spear really awkwardly, but somehow it still works. Your handhold, though, won’t suit the spears that I conventionally have, so I will do something about it. You would need a beginner’s spear, that’s for sure. Something temporary that will adjust your grip naturally will do. See you tomorrow, guys,” Professor Gunnar muttered, walking back to his desk in thought.

  “He doesn’t really like conversations that much, so he’s pretty curt and straightforward to people. Don’t take it personally,” Kyle whispered in my ear as we floated out of the armory.

  “No problem,” I glumly replied, wondering how I even made it through unscathed.

  “Hey, it’s okay. We all had to start from somewhere. Also, you didn’t have the advantage of learning this when you were six. Most of us grew up watching older siblings and seniors holding spears and weapons, so it was easy to copy what they did. You were on land most of your life,” Kyle reassured, which only added to the list of things that made me different from them.

  “Let’s go. The Cafeteria is now open, and you definitely don’t want to skip the dessert. Amy’s desserts are the best.”

  He dragged me along, and I could only glumly follow him back.

  Would I ever fit in a place like this?

  After finishing our meals and sharing goodbyes, we all retired to our rooms, but today, I didn’t feel like sleeping.

  Well, if you couldn’t sleep, there was no need to force yourself, right? Might as well explore this place a bit further. That way, if there was a war, I could find the fastest exit.

  I followed that feeling, letting it take me through the winding hallways and out of the dormitory.

  Feeling a bit wrong that I went out of the dormitory after lights out, I checked to make sure no one was around before edging out into the cool, glowing water. I instantly felt the water currents rock me quietly as I swam out, wandering down the bioluminescent paths and watching the little floating orbs of light give out their delicate blue light. It felt like I was in a dream, with the kelp dancing to their own beat and the iridescent blue light scattering across the water garden in front of the dormitory, giving everything a bluish tinge. Entranced by the amazing lights that lit the garden, it took me a while to notice that a shadow peeked out from the side of my vision.

  “Do you agree that these lights are amazing, Altair?” Dr. Liam spoke, and I jumped a mile.

  That man scared me all the time, with his horrible scar and the way he seemed to appear from nowhere.

  “Yes, sir,” I stuttered, not knowing what to say.

  I just prayed that I wouldn’t be in trouble for walking outside after lights out.

  “Hey, it’s okay. I am not going to punish you because you wanted to enjoy the pretty view,” he laughed, and I stopped for a second.

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  I think that he could-

  “Yes, as I said before, I am a telepath. I can hear anyone’s thoughts if they don’t guard it,” he laughed, his carefree motions mimicking mine.

  Or was it mine mimicking his? I felt like I saw him before, but I couldn’t place it. It was the weirdest feeling ever.

  “Would you mind walking with me? We both seem to have a lot on our minds at the moment, and I am in no mood to submerge myself in my own pitying thoughts.”

  He brushed his hand over a blob, and its blue color turned a pretty shade of orange.

  “I guess. But don’t you already know what I think?” I asked.

  “Yes, but I try my best to ignore it because it’s rude to listen into someone’s inner thoughts. When you figure out how to defend your mind from telepaths, I won’t be able to hear it if I don't ‘push’.”

  He frowned a bit, trying to explain it with his hands.

  “What do you mean by ‘push’?” I wondered, trying to figure out more.

  Being a telepath sounded interesting, but I had no idea what it was. I guess it was like trying to talk to people through their minds?

  “Telepaths can force their way into someone’s mind even if it’s blocked to a degree, and I call that a ‘push’. To get into someone’s mind, they have to find a weakness in that person’s mind.”

  He brushed away the wavering strands of kelp from his face.

  “Enough about me though. How was your day, Altair? Are you settling well down here?”

  Dr. Liam seemed really interested about my life, which was a bit interesting. What kind of leader and founder of an institute would be interested in a kid’s life?

  “It went… well, I suppose. Life here always seems exciting down here, isn’t it? It seems like children down here are being sent into wars. I feel useless because I don’t know what’s going on half of the time. People here grow up fast, right?”

  It was so easy to talk to Dr. Liam with his carefree voice, easy demeanor, and a fatherly personality.

  It was like talking to a father that I always wanted.

  “I agree with you, Altair. Children down here do grow up too fast. But that’s the price that genetics has to pay. We weren’t made to thrive here, but because the human race was desperate, it tried to find a way to live in a world that was, and is, slowly dying. We were produced, and what’s left of the human race still survives, but at what cost? It’s why I try my best to give these children a chance to stay children before they miss the opportunity, but it gets harder every time. Oceanus keeps on waging wars on us, and our population is not as large as theirs. Every hand, no matter how small, is helpful to our cause. But, I can’t get myself to think of it that way, you know?”

  Dr. Liam stopped to look at me.

  “Since you are a telepath, why can’t you force them to stop?”

  I couldn’t stop my curiosity.

  “Oh, I wished it would be that easy, Altair. I can’t do that because I can’t change human nature. It’s been with us since Adam and Eve first made their mistake, and it’s impossible to order someone to go against their instincts for all eternity. The only thing I can do is to protect what I can and hope that there will still be life left when this is all over.”

  He looked away, and I could tell that he had a lot of time to think that answer through.

  “Wouldn’t it be easier to run away?”

  I pressed on, wondering what he thought. He stared at me funnily, as if he was amused that I mentioned it.

  “Run away? I can’t uplift an entire city every time danger arises. If we are protecting a future and legacy that will help so many others, then it is worth the risk of war to me. I don’t go into a war because I want to. Sometimes, I want to run away from all of this, but I would only hurt other people if I do. So here I must stay, while the people I love die for the cause I believe is worthy enough to protect,” he laughed bitterly, and I found myself looking at a different version of Dr. Liam.

  Even a capable founder like Dr. Liam had moments like this, too.

  Even someone like him could feel useless.

  “Are you okay, Dr. Liam?”

  My voice softened, hoping that I didn’t push him too far.

  “I’m alright, Altair. I didn’t mean for our conversation to go this serious. You didn’t tell me why you came out on this fine night, though. It probably wasn’t for the view, was it? You have this view out of your window.”

  Dr. Liam winked at me knowingly.

  “Yeah, it wasn’t. I just… feel restless. Everyone is doing everything they can to help the war efforts here, and I feel like a deadweight, a burden people have to lug around. I am just like you and the other students, right? I want to have a hand in helping too. I’ve had enough of leaving and feeling like I don’t belong. I want to belong here, or at least I want to believe that. So I have to start by helping the cause, but I have nothing that I can contribute,” I sighed.

  “You can help in so many other ways. You don’t have to always fight. Eir helps the Institute by making sure our warriors are healthy, while Kyle helps spy and listen for helpful information. But as for a weapon, maybe I can help with that? I know that you spent the entire afternoon going through Mr. Gunnar’s weapon inventory, but I have my own private inventory for those who have a hard time finding weapons.”

  He smiled kindly at me, beckoning me to follow him.

  In unison, we both dove down to the current and with Dr. Liam gripping my hand tightly, we plunged into the wild current.

  I came out of the current dazed, not sure which direction was up and which was down. Expecting Dr. Liam to go through the cubicle, I was about to step in, but he lightly tapped my shoulder.

  “This time, we’re going somewhere else.”

  He swam down even deeper, holding my hand as he navigated the lightless expanse. If Dr. Liam wasn’t here, I would have been lost, but soon, we entered a brightly lit cave.

  “Here we are. I haven’t been able to find an owner for this particular weapon, but I have a feeling that it would suit you.”

  He slipped into the cave and pulled out a long, ornate box. Curious, I came in closer.

  “What is it?” I breathed, feeling something pulse inside the box.

  It felt alive, sentient and breathing underneath my touch.

  “This spear is quite ancient. It dates back to the early 3000s, so it’s about a thousand years old. We have forgotten the techniques and materials used to make this special kind of spear, so it’s the only one left in its series without an owner.”

  Dr. Liam clicked open the latch and lifted the box.

  “Woah.”

  I couldn’t say anything else. It was gorgeous; the spear was shaped into a trident, and its core glowed like a burning fire underneath as it slowly faded into a deep azure blue. There were intricate patterns forged into the spear, and it seemed to release a weird vibration into the water, as if it was singing some ancient tune lost long ago.

  “What type of metal is it?” I wondered, looking at the trident in bewilderment.

  “I have no idea. All I know is that it is a mix between the properties of diamond, metal, and glass, giving it the transparency of glass, the durability of metal, and the sharpness of diamond infused into the blade. The color comes from a different kind of metal, but no one has any idea what kind,” Dr. Liam spoke, caressing the spear as if they were long lost friends.

  I gently lifted the spear up, and a tingle went down my spine as the spear throbbed in response. It felt… right. As I lifted it up and down into an easy move, it felt like I was moving an extension of my arm, and every time I moved, it flowed with me flawlessly. Dr. Liam lifted his own spear, but his weapon glowed emerald green, the same dark and mysterious shade as his eyes and gills.

  “Let’s give her a spin, shall we?”

  He smiled as he whipped his spear down to mine.

  Somehow, I slid to the side like I was on autopilot and flipped the beautiful weapon into an arc, and Dr. Liam’s spear almost flew out of his hands. I quickly got on my feet, and I decided to push it even further. I slammed it down his spear, but he easily dodged it and tried to dislodge my weapon. I flipped over in the water like I saw Edana do and tried to flick Dr. Liam’s weapon away, but he knew what was coming and slid his weapon through a gap between my chest and the spear. Fooled again, I pushed my spear away and dove to the side to catch it.

  By the time I got up, the two spears collided against each other and we both pushed, trying to gain the upper hand. I pushed as hard as I could, but I was no match for Dr. Liam. He cleverly flicked his wrist and both spears fell to the ground.

  What I thought were patterns engraved into the metal of the spear glinted as a beam of light from the cave hit it, and I could make out words.

  “Azurewrath,” I read aloud, and Dr. Liam’s eyes dimmed a bit as he quickly looked away.

  “Yes, that is her name, and she’s finally found her rightful owner. Azurewrath is yours, Altair,” Dr. Liam congratulated, his tender smile softening the ugly scar that marked his face.

  “She’s beautiful, Dr. Liam. Are you sure-”

  I was a bit hesitant because I thought that Azurewrath was too good for me, but my half-lidded eyes that were threatening to drop stopped me from thinking clearly. Dr. Liam laughed as if it was the funniest thing ever.

  “Of course I’m sure that you can have her! That’s why I let you try her, didn’t I? She probably doesn’t want to be stuck in a cave for another thousand years. She needs to be used, and you fit her requirements exactly. But, you should go to sleep now. If you want to be of use, you need energy, and that doesn’t come easily.”

  His laughter softened to a chuckle as he patted my shoulder, which shook me awake for a bit.

  After the former alertness from the adrenaline pulsing through me slowed, I realized that I was swaying with exhaustion.

  Dr. Liam led me back up to the dormitory, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell into an easy, peaceful sleep.