Kiyokazu Lazar – POV
[Squeeze]
Water ran down the rag as I wrung it out over the wooden bucket, water drops falling into the dirty water. I kept glancing around the room, searching for any remaining dust that still needed wiping.
I was cleaning the side of the desk Elias had been sitting at earlier, while Tavon rushed around like a restless child. One moment he was over here, the next over there. He would wipe a spot, then pick up the bucket and carry it somewhere else.
Ever since he took the wooden bucket, he had been on the right side of the room, wiping wooden drawers, shelves, and a small cabinet that held some glasses.
He didn't hesitate to touch anything that caught his eye. Whatever he found interesting, he would pick up, hold for a few seconds, set aside, then continue wiping. Then something else would catch his attention, and the cycle would repeat.
At first I told him not to touch anything. Elias or Darius might notice if something was out of place. But as time passed, I realized my words were as useless as telling a frog not to jump. Futile. Nothing could stop this guy's childish curiosity and impulsiveness. So I stopped warning him and focused only on cleaning the dust.
While I cleaned, I always made sure to position myself so I could see what he was doing at all times, whether he was near the shelves, the drawers, or anything that looked valuable at first glance.
The thick layer of dust made everything look like old junk. But once you wiped a wet rag over the surfaces, the original color returned, and some of the objects suddenly looked like they were worth at least a few silver coins.
"Voila! Look how it shines!" Tavon said, holding a wine glass in his left hand.
"Are you done with that drawer?" I asked, wiping dust from the cover of some book that I was holding.
"Not yet," he answered briefly. "These glasses never end. How's it going on your side?"
"Same. These books just keep piling up one after another." I wiped the cover and placed the book on the desk in the middle of the room.
"What even is this little room? Some kind of storage? I don't get it." Tavon sid as he scanned the room. "Books here, books there, glassware, shelves, drawers… what the hell is this place, and why do we have to clean it of all things?" His voice rose slightly toward the end.
He wasn't far from the truth. At first glance this room looked like a plain dump full of dust and old books. But every cover had a different title and content. Some were about the history of certain cities, others about plants, some about people I had never heard of before. And many other topics.
Even though it was full of dust and completely random objects, after a bit of thinking I reached some conclusion.
"I dont think this is some kind of storage," I said out loud while still wiping the books.
"Well, what else would it be?"
"A library."
"A library?" He looked at me like I had said something ridiculous. "You're calling this a library? This hasn't seen even the letter L of a library, let alone anything more."
"Yeah," I said, opening one of the books and flipping through the pages. "But it's an old library. Judging by the dust, I'd say it hasn't been used for at least a few years."
"Anyone can tell that. I also know it hasn't been used in a long time."
"Hey Lazar, look at this."
"Hm?" I looked over as he called me.
Tavon was standing next to several wooden drawers stacked on top of each other. From one open drawer he pulled out some kind of folder and started looking at it.
After a few seconds, his usual light expression slowly turned into confusion.
"Um... Ugh… can you help me out here for a second?" he asked, rotating his body to me.
„Hm?"
I started walking toward him.
After just a few steps I was in front of him, and he handed me the folder. Something was written on both the left and right sides of the paper inside.
"Why are you giving it to me? Just read it," I said, confused, looking at him.
"Well, you see…" He shifted left and right, looking like he wanted to say something but was avoiding it.
"?"
"I can't read…" he answered after a short pause. His voice was quiet, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the floor.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard what I said!" He raised his voice a little deffensevly. "Are you going to read it for me or not?!"
"I will," I answered. "It's not a problem. But are we even allowed to do this? Won't Elias and Darius kill us if they catch us slacking? They didn't say we could look through this stuff."
"Oh come on," he shot back. "Who even said we're slacking? We're just taking a short break."
„..."
"You're the one taking the blame if someone catch us," I said, glancing at the paper Tavon had pulled from the folder.
"!"
"This is…" The words left my mouth quietly as I turned the paper over.
"Hey, what is it?" Tavon called out, dying of curiosity. "What does it say?"
"These are… my personal records."
"What?" Tavon came even closer, staring at the paper in my hands that he couldn't read.
On the paper were my personal details. Who I was, what I was, where I came from, how old I was, and similar information. Nothing more.
"These are my records, Tavon. Who I am, what I am, where I'm from, and all that."
"Then why is it here?"
"I have no idea."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"!"
Suddenly, without any warning, a soft knocking came from the wooden door while Tavon and I exchanged confused looks.
In a second my hands jerked open. The paper slipped from my fingers and flew through the air. Panic hit me immediately as chaos broke out inside the room between the two of us.
My heart skipped a few beats as I stood frozen like a statue, staring at the wooden door. Tavon grabbed the flying paper and the folder from my hand at the speed of light and quickly hid them behind his back. Just in time, as the wooden door began to open.
Gulp.
I swallowed hard, still staring at the door, expecting Elias or Darius to appear at any moment.
On the other side of the door, after it opened, stood neither a massive, heavily built giant nor a muscular soldier with glasses, but a body of average build, about our height and age. Neatly arranged green hair immediately stood out from him, and there was a small mole under his left eye.
He stood there looking at the two of us. He was probably wondering what we were doing here, but he said nothing. Instead, he scanned the room from left to right, then fixed his gaze on us. Directly on me.
"The teachers aren't here?"
A very quiet, composed, and at the same time confident voice came from his mouth, cutting through us in an instant.
"T-teachers?!" Tavon's voice trembled.
"Yes. I need them." He glanced at Tavon, then lowered his eyes beneath his feet, where the edge of the paper from the folder with my records was slightly sticking out.
"They're not here." I answered as I stepped in front of Tavon, trying to hide that small corner of paper that was still slightly visible with my body.
"Y-yeah! That's right! They're not here!" Tavon jumped in from behind my back, nodding up and down.
"You idiot, don't move!" Passed through my mind as I sharply glanced at him.
"I understand," Green-haired guy answered, raising his gaze. "Tell them I was looking for them when they return."
"A-and who was looking for them?" I asked, my whole body tense, barely managing to get the words out.
"Just tell them Ren was looking for them. That will be enough."
"O-of course we will!" Tavon and I both nodded. He simply left the room and closed the door behind him.
As the wooden door of the office closed, a wave of relief hit me so hard I felt a strange peace in my soul, as if everything had been forgiven.
"Uuuuughhh…" I exhaled so hard I felt like I could have blown a house down if I wanted to. It was a breath I would never forget, as if I had expelled my own soul.
"Is he gone? o_o" Tavon said a few seconds after I let my soul out, completely frozen.
"You donkey!" I snapped at his face, loud enough for us but quiet enough not to echo beyond the door. "I knew this was a terrible idea. Put that back where you found it!"
On my command, Tavon immediately did what I asked. He put the paper with my records back into the folder and returned it to the wooden drawer where he had found it.
The relief I felt after he put the paper back could not be measured by anything in the world. It felt like everything was finally over. The greatest danger had somehow passed. We had been lucky, but it still wasn't completely over.
Did he see us? What did he think? Will he tell them? Will he tell someone in the dormitory…? A million questions ran through my head.
"Uhhh…" I exhaled again, this time a shorter breath, then inhaled through my nose. I straightened up and turned, thinking everything was fine. Until I looked at Tavon…
After returning the folder to the drawer, his gaze was still fixed on the door. His eyes were so wide that fear and guilt could clearly be seen in them.
"L-Laz-ar…" His voice was shaking with fear as he raised his index finger and pointed it toward the door.
"I-it's over…" he answered shortly, clearly and quietly, his voice stripped of any emotion.
"What's over, Tavon?!" I raised my voice at him again.
"T-that guy."
"!"
"O_O"
As I stared at him like that, in a single second everything became clear as day to me. That guy Ren was talking to Darius today totally normal without any problems, which means that he is going to tell him when he comes back.
Besides the cold sweat running down Tavon's face, I felt my own chill. A drop sliding down my forehead. My own cold sweat washed over me.
"H-hey T-Tavon…?"
"Yes, Lazar…"
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking…?"
He nodded once, up and down.
"Then that means that he-"
"He is going to snitch on us!" Tavon interrupted me.
DUM. DUM. DUM.
"That means…"
"He went straight to them to tell them what he saw here?!"
"NOOOO!"
"NOOOO!"
Tavon's and my scream, like the scream of little girls, came straight from our souls and echoed through the office. My brain short-circuited as a million and one things flooded my mind.
"Quick, grab those buckets and start cleaning!" The words left me faster than Elias's power as I rushed toward my bucket near the window, ready like a drawn blade.
Darius Virvit – POV
Elias and I sat at a table in the barracks cafeteria, eating. The meat I cut with my knife and fork, put into my mouth, and chewed was so delicious that I couldn't help but wash it down with fresh red wine.
Together with the flatbread the barracks cook had prepared for all of us for dinner, it was a very pleasant meal.
Gulp.
"Darius, are you immune to alcohol or what?" Elias asked from across the table. He was eating the same thing as me, only in a smaller portion.
Gulp. Gulp.
"Khaa! Nothing better than a nice, sweet wine with a dinner like this."
After finishing my sixth glass of wine with the meal, I finally looked at Elias. He was resting his right hand against his cheek and mouth, supporting himself with his elbow on the table. On his face was a strange and slightly surprised, yet good-natured expression as he looked at me, then at the wine jug sitting on the table to my left.
"After all those countless training sessions with the sword and other weapons I've done over all these years, I should at least have the right to enjoy something a little."
"And you enjoy that?" he asked, pointing his fork at the wine jug.
"Yes, of course." I answered instantly, without the slightest hesitation. "Unlike water, beer, or any other drink. Wine is different in many ways, Elias."
"Hm?" He made a soft sound as he straightened up and placed one of his hands over his face, thinking about it, though unable to find the answer why.
"Wine is the only proper alcohol in this world, Elias. Everything else is pure nonsense."
"I wouldn't know the answer to that, Darius. I rarely drink."
"It's made by crushing grapes — white, black, red, blue, green… whichever type of grape you choose. Northern from the north, southern from the south, eastern from the east or western from the west, you always know it will be good. Maybe at first it doesn't have as good a taste as you expected or wanted, but the more you judge it, the better it becomes over time. As they say, don't judge a book by its cover. Because you never know when that cover will judge you. Don't you think it's the same with people, Elias?"
"I wouldn't put it that way, Darius," he answered shortly, spinning the metal fork in his hands. "People are filthy and underhanded, blind and greedy, stupid and selfish. There are so many things that can be said about them that I would never connect them to your version, Darius. They are just one grape on a bunch. Nothing more."
"Hm?" I let out a short laugh that lasted a second, maybe less, while listening to his way of looking at it.
"But still, a bunch of grapes cannot be considered a bunch if it has only one grape on it. It is considered a bunch if it has more of them, and every grape is a story of its own. Some are sweeter, some are larger than others, and some are smaller than others. That is exactly why I look at grapes in a completely different way, Elias. I can judge them and even pass judgment if I want, but even if it is bitter and sour at the moment I taste it, that doesn't mean it will stay that way forever."
Elias watched me while I spoke and poured my seventh glass of wine from the jug into my cup. His face held a strange expression, his eyebrows raised, eyes slightly closed, mouth unmoving.
"What are you trying to tell me with this?" was the only thing that came out of his mouth after the short pause that settled between us. It came quickly and left even faster.
"You know, Darius… maybe I haven't shown it in the right way and I still don't, but I really value your presence here."
"Hm?" I looked at him with my right eye while taking a sip of wine from my glass. "Where is this coming from all of a sudden, Elias?"
"I don't know. I just felt like I had to tell you that. That's all."
"?"
"I'm here with one of the famous, if not the most famous weapons instructors of all time. We spend time together, we even eat and drink together, and still… there is nothing that I would want to ask you."
"You praise me too much, Elias. I'm not nearly as good as you think I am. There are many other instructors from the East, and now even young ones who are at least twice as good as me. I'm a small cat compared to them. Me, who spent my entire life with these weapons until it became the only thing I had left…"
"I apologize for that, Darius."
"There's no need to apologize to me, Elias," I immediately brushed it off. "It's simply the truth. I am the one who chose this way of life. I am good, that much is true, but there are countless others who are better than me." I looked up at the cafeteria ceiling as I leaned deeper into the chair, as if it were the one from the office and not this one.
"Still, I suppose those were completely different times than the ones we have now." I said while taking the last drop of wine from my glass.
"Let's go." I said as I stood up from my chair, and Elias followed.
Before we left, I took fourteen bronze coins from my pocket and left them on the table, then headed toward the exit doors of the barracks.
We reached the entrance of the cadets building even faster than before. Outside, a dead silence had settled, and the slow night of Nivalis was arriving at our doorstep. Night had fallen, and I had also drunk more than I normally would, so I decided to make an exception today.
"There will be no training tonight, Elias," I said as I moved toward the door of our office. "From tomorrow we will start harder."
"I'm against that," Elias said immediately. "But if you say so, then it will be so."
I opened the door of our office without knocking and slowly stepped inside with Elias. Inside the room there was complete cleanliness. No dust in sight, and everything was arranged and set exactly as it should be.
In the center of the room, on our chairs, sat Tavon and Lazar, whom I had punished to clean this mess. Tavon had already sunk deep into the chair and fallen into a heavy sleep, while Lazar was barely keeping his eyes open to avoid doing the same.
"G-good e-evening, t-teachers…" Lazar could barely speak, tired and exhausted. Only his mouth moved while he barely stayed conscious.
Elias approached the drawers on the right side of the room, checked every single one, and after inspecting everything he looked at me and nodded. Signaling that everything was in order. I returned the nod with my own, then turned toward Lazar.
"Well done, soldiers. Now go to sleep. We expect you early tomorrow."
At my words, Lazar started nudging Tavon in an attempt to wake him.
"J-just five more minutes, Lazar," he answered sleepily. In the end Lazar put him over his shoulders and carried him out of the room, straight toward the dormitory.
"I didn't expect this," Elias said, looking at our office the same way I was.
"Same."
"So what are we going to do with all these books, Darius?" Elias asked.
Kiyokazu Lazar – POV
We managed to clean the room in record time after Ren left. That gave us extra motivation to keep cleaning at full speed. But it cost us our bodies. In the end both Tavon and I were broken, tired, exhausted, and sweaty. Tavon was so exhausted that the moment we finished he sat on the chair and fell asleep in a sitting position, while I could barely stop myself from doing the same until Elias and Darius returned.
In the end I didn't manage to tell them that Ren had been looking for them at all. Though at this moment, while carrying this sack of potatoes on my shoulders, that was the last thing on my list of worries.
"I'm so tired… I just want to lie down and sleep." That was the only thing going through my head as I walked toward the dormitory.
The dormitory door was slightly open, so I pushed my way through. The moment I entered I headed straight for my bed. The looks in the room didn't interest me at all. The only thing I needed was my bed.
When I reached it, I lowered Tavon to the ground. He climbed the ladder to the top bunk, and I took the bottom one.
"Good night, Lazar."
"Good night, Tavon."
Those were our last words before I stopped hearing voices. After taking off my boots and placing them under the bed, I slipped under the white blanket, and in a second everything went black. I fell asleep.