NIKHOLAS SYLVESTER

The Goddess Ivis…

She was a protector of our world. She was always revered in a beautiful image. Long, flowing, purple hair, striking blue eyes, and a radiant smile. She was the people’s goddess, and she was loved.

But deep down…Ivis wasn’t the great and kind goddess that everyone had portrayed her as. Ivis was evil. She did cruel and unjust things to bend the people to her will. Executing them for sport. Hurting those people because she felt like it. Wreaking havoc because she had power.

Tourmaenn, her demigod rival, was the savior humanity needed. While he was far from equaling the strength of Ivis, his human compassion, and understanding mixed with the need to protect the world is what led to the defeat of Ivis in what they call the Battle of Iriia, named after the land the battle took place in. However, despite him being the savior and saint of humanity, we are constantly told it was Tourmaenn who was evil.

With that, I must wonder…what is the truth? Who is lying? Who do we believe in-

“Mr. Nikholas Sylvester. Can you please relay to the class what I have just taught?”

“Huh?” I looked up. The whole class stared at me while my teacher, Mr. Zedd tapped his foot impatiently. I looked at my textbook in front of me, skimming through the paragraph that we were last learning from. Then it hit me. We were in the middle of learning about the history of Tourmaenn and what “heinous” deeds his family had committed over the years. I scowled, clicking my teeth in irritation.

I hated this class with an absolute passion. All this class entailed was the mindless pumping of religious doctrine and information into our heads, a doctrine that I didn’t even believe in. I hailed from another land, where we worshiped a whole different God, not…Whatever this was. Yet I was forced to endure the endless droning for an hour straight every day.

“Ahem.” Mr. Zedd cleared his throat, quite rudely I might say. Rolling my eyes, I strolled to the front of the classroom, facing all my peers.

“As Mr. Zedd had previously stated, we were learning about Tourmaenn’s family and the crimes each theme did to harm the people of ancient times. Whether or not they actually did it, is a different story. I do believe though, that we have this all wrong, and-”

Suddenly, I felt the sharp sting on my neck from Mr. Zedd’s ruler

“Mr. Sylvester, I’ve grown tired of your ridiculous rhetoric time and time again! I will not have you disrespecting our savior, especially in the Church of Ivis!!” He whipped his ruler in the direction of the door, nearly smacking me again.

“Exit the classroom at once! I’ll also let you know you will receive a failing grade for today and the previous days this week that you chose to disrupt my class in such a disorderly fashion! See yourself out now!!”

Yeah, Mr. Zedd was not a happy camper when it came to opposing opinions of Ivis. I often wondered if he had a strange attraction to her, judging by the way he seemed to speak of her with a hint of lust in his eyes. Highly Gross. Not wanting to deal with any more corporal punishment or humiliation, I chose to just leave as he had demanded.

The fresh, late-year breeze was incomparable to the stuffy atmosphere inside the classroom. I stretched my still legs and arms, relishing the weather outside. The only problem was that I was now bored. It was after mealtime, so while I was a tad bit hungry again, I couldn’t scavenge for food. The academy hours weren’t over yet, so I couldn’t hide out in the library until I could go back to the dorms. My lack of options left me stranded in the middle of the church courtyard with absolutely nothing to do.

It was then that I remembered the daily sermons were taking place in the cathedral. It was around 5:30 in the evening, meaning Class Three was there. I decided it would be fun to pay a visit to my friend Gael Vasquez. There was no harm in that, right? I just had to find my way into the cathedral undetected.

Sneaking into the cathedral was no easy feat. There was a surplus of nuns and priests, which meant a higher risk of getting caught. Getting caught by any of them only led to one thing: Getting confronted by Lady Beatrice herself.

Lady Beatrice was one hell of a freaky woman, and I mean it in the most negative way possible. There was something just…eerie…about her. Her face always hosted a deranged smile, paired with eyes that seemed to both harbor great emotion, and spiritual death, all at once. If that wasn’t enough, she always had that heavyset child who always followed her around. Now don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with children in general. However, that kid behaves so horribly, you would think he was evil incarnate. If anything, I would dread being caught by him over his mother…

Granted, because I’m, well, ME, a nun happened to point me out in the hallway. Luckily, she was alone, so I made that my chance to make a speedy detour, finding my way into the main auditorium. Every class had assigned seating in the auditorium, so I had no issue locating Gael. Almost as if he anticipated my arrival, he smirks mischievously, becoming me over excitedly.

Gael was my only friend in the academy. When I arrived here two years ago, I knew no one except my elder sister. Since he was made to be my roommate, it was inevitable that I would get to know him. But now, I deeply treasure him and his friendship. I wouldn’t ask for anything more. Even if his Casanova streak is annoying and his pick-up lines are absolutely horrid.

“You get kicked out again?” He whispered to me. I gently shove him, snickering silently.

“What else, G? They just don’t want to hear what I’ve got to say.” Just then, a female student in front of me turned around to look at me. I recognized her as Noah Lisbon, the Class Three student leader, a girl who always made sure things were meticulous and in order. Therefore, my being here was an unnatural variable to her, but I couldn’t afford to have her rat me out when I just got here.

Placing my finger on my lips, I winked at her, urging her to keep quiet. It seems to have worked, as she nodded quickly with a flushed face, parted lips, and turned away. Gael looked at me in jealousy.

“Bro! I’ve been trying to get her attention for weeks and all you had to do was just arrive?! I bet you wouldn’t even pursue her!” Gael whispered furiously.

Gael was right. I was never one for romance per se. I always saw it as a distraction and the potential of heartbreak was an absolute turn-off for me. Despite that…and well, it’s rather shallow of me to admit this, but I’m not exactly an unsightly person. Because of this one fact, I can’t escape affection, and it irks me how many girls constantly stare at me and flood my mailbox around the holidays. That being said, it comes in handy sometimes, especially in moments like these.

Seeing Gael irritated like this though…It was both comical and sad. On one hand, watching his romantic flops was a comedy show every time. It’s not that he lacked good looks. Trust me, I can vouch that he’s a great-looking guy. He just lacked the moxie needed to reel in a lady. On the other hand, though, he seemed to really desire a partner, so dealing with rejection after rejection was a little disheartening to watch, even for me.

Poor Gael. You’ll get your girl someday.

After fifteen minutes, I grew bored of the priest’s monotone droning.

“Hey G, I’m going to step out for a bit,” I said, desperate for fresh air again. Making it outside, I sit on a nearby bench. The sun was already at the horizon, covered by the walls of the academy. It was a beautiful sight, painting the sky in a myriad of orange, pink, and yellow hues. It was quiet, giving me time to think to myself.

That silence was quickly short-lived when my ears picked up a splash coming from the fountain nearby. It was rare for anyone to be out of class or sermon, so I paid no attention, chalking it up to be a bird falling in or something. It was when I heard a soft yelp that my attention was fully piqued. I looked over to see a lady tiptoeing in the water. She looked to be around the same age as the rest of us, so I assumed she was a new nun. She had to have been new. I don’t know much about the clergy, but I do know they live up to rigorous standards under Lady Beatrice and the heads of the academy, so behavior like this wouldn’t be tolerated.

Walking over, I called out to her.

“Hey! You all right?” I asked. She looked up at me and froze. As I came up to her, I got a closer look at her. Her hair was a vibrant ginger hue, framing her soft and round face. Her eyes were akin to the clearest emeralds you could find, and her lips were the softest lips I’ve ever seen. Her skinny, frail legs were uncovered in the water, under the soaked hem of her elaborate habit.

Now that I noticed, she wore the most elaborate habit I’ve ever seen in comparison to the others. Noticing her shivering, I try to talk to her.

“Are you looking for something? Do you need help?” She continued to stare at me. Finally, she shook her head but let no sound out of her mouth. I sighed.

“Listen, sweetheart. You look pretty cold in the water, and I don’t know if you are new here, but I don’t want you to get into trouble with Lady Beatrice. It’s not worth it, and I would hate to see you suffer.” She visibly stiffened and looked around franticly. She began to panic, her shaking amplifying. I held my hand out to assist her.

“Come on, I’ll help you out. It will be fine. I don’t see her nearby.” The girl calmed slightly at the sight of my hand.

Now…I can’t say for sure what caused anything that happened after this point. Whether it was a coincidence, or something else, I couldn’t tell you.

 All that I remember was when I felt her hand, a strong jolt of electricity jolted through my arm. It shot to my heart, prompting me to grab my chest with my free arm. The pain was incredible, almost as if I was having a heart attack. As I suffered in my pain, I heard a gargled shriek from the girl before me. She grabbed her chest just as harshly as I did, her face going paler by the second. Her legs buckled beneath her, threatening to give out all the way. Her head was in direct contact with the concrete lining of the fountain.

“WATCH OUT!!” I shouted, trying to reach her. However, the pain overtook my ability to properly move, and I collapsed to the ground, watching the mysterious nun before me unconsciously collapse face-first into the mountain water.

“HEY!!!”

                                                                           END DOCTRINA UNUM