Seeds of War

After finishing their talk and the tea Nayus had served, the three left the cabin and made their way through the forest toward the dorms.

“So, what do you think? Why does he want us to become the leaders of our generation?”
Drekaron kicked a pebble forward with each step as he glanced at Arian and Maro behind him.

Arian drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“I don’t know… but I think it’ll be good. For our future too. After school, we’re gonna need allies.”

“That’s easy for you,” Maro said, enjoying the cold forest breeze against his skin. “From the start, we’ve all seen you as our leader. For me and Drekaron, it’s a bit harder—but nothing to worry about. What really bothers me is this: in the end, the one who benefits most isn’t us. It’s Andreas.”

For a moment, the two younger boys stared at Maro’s sharp white fangs, but the name Andreas kept echoing in their minds.

“Don’t give me that look. Here’s what I mean—Arian’s our leader, right? If Drekaron and I become the heads of our own parties, that makes all our people tied to him as well. Which means every party ends up under the banner of the Present Pioneers.”

“You’re saying Nayus is working for Andreas?”
Drekaron pushed back his brown hair with a frown.

Arian opened his mouth, but his answer was cut short. A whisper slithered out of the forest:
“…I’m waiting for you…”

Arian’s eyes widened in horror as he spun around, but saw nothing except moss-covered trunks and a squirrel darting up a branch.

“What’s wrong, Arian?”

“You didn’t hear that? Someone was whispering, saying they’re waiting for me!”

Maro smiled faintly. “No. Probably just Nayus’s words stuck in your head. You’re thinking too much.”

A silence stretched between them until Arian finally spoke, voice low but firm.
“No… Nayus doesn’t work for Andreas. He doesn’t care about peace. He wants war. Not a war for the world—he wants this very school to become the battlefield.”

The stone pavement of the academy grounds emerged, signaling the end of their forest path. At this late hour, only the fountain’s steady rush of water broke the silence of the sleeping campus.

“Well, guess this is where we split up till tomorrow. Oh, and in History class we’ll talk about how to pull this mission off.”

Arian waved goodbye to his friends and headed to his dorm. The familiar blend of sea breeze and oak wood welcomed him back.

The stone dormitory of the Present Pioneers, with its wide windows opening outward, gleamed in the moonlight. At the entrance stood a few tall, athletic boys and a long-legged blonde girl. Their torn uniforms told of a recent fight.

“Hey there.”

Arian lowered his head and tried to slip past quietly, but one of the boys—scales still faintly black along his wrist—caught him by the shoulder. He leaned down until his face was level with Arian’s.
“Hey kid, you must be a first-year, right? We’re fourth-years. Nice to meet you.”

Arian gave a small smile, masking himself behind innocence.
“Oh, sorry for being rude. My name’s Arian. I’m glad to meet you.”

The fourth-year laughed, glanced at his friends, then extended his hand.
“Name’s Frank. Don’t mind the way we look—we just got back from a mission. That’s why our clothes are a mess. You can go on ahead, we still got business here. See you tomorrow.”

Arian excused himself and slipped inside. He climbed the stairs past the common hall to the first floor, quietly pulling the handle of his room so as not to wake Leo or Shadolf.

But his two companions had already sensed him coming. They rushed to greet him.

“Well, Arian? What did Nayus want with you?”
Leo’s hand instinctively went to his side, where his sword usually rested.

With Shadolf jumping into his arms, Arian replied,
“Where do I even start… uh, he wants us to become the leaders of our parties—and stir up conflict.”

“W-what? You mean start a war?”
Leo’s eyes nearly bulged out, the word war written all over his face.

“Well, not exactly war. His idea is that growth needs tension—and what better tension than inter-party clashes?”

“Wait a second. Aren’t you already our leader?”

“Yeah, but that’s only temporary. Right now I’m just the head of our own group.”

Arian set Shadolf aside and sat down on his bed.

“I guess that makes sense. But how are you supposed to spark conflict? Or even become leader of a whole party?”

“I don’t know yet… but I’ve got a few ideas.”

“Well hurry up and spit it out, you’re killing me here!” Leo pressed, impatient.

“I’m going to use the fourth-years.”

Leo burst into laughter.
“The fourth-years? You think they’re just gonna hand leadership over to you?”

“Not exactly. What I mean is—I want their support. That guy I just met, Frank, he reminded me of Drekaron. The type who respects strength. I’m going to catch his attention.”

Leo shook his head with a sigh. “I don’t even know what to tell you. Just don’t get yourself killed.”

The two laughed at the absurdity of it all, and soon Arian, with Shadolf curled beside him and purring softly, drifted into sleep.

Moonlight streamed through the window, the curtains swaying with the night breeze. Tomorrow—the day they would lay the foundation for this mission—was only hours away.