Rising Shards

The worst days at Tesata for Oka were discipline days. No days at the school for Cani who had their fangs come in much earlier than most were particularly great, Oka knew this. But days when her assigned teacher had to specifically explain to her why she was such a screw up and administer the school regulated punishment was never great.

This particular discipline day came at the hands of her main teacher, Mikkel, who started the discipline like he always did; leading Oka around the island the school of Tesata rested on rambling on about nothing. His rambles about grandeur and significance were tuned out at the moment, as Oka took the time hearing about how Cani were inherently monstrous or whatever to think about something much more exciting to her. During a week of suspension, Oka was allowed to watch video tapes still. And while watching her favorite musical on the tapes Oka realized that she was very much into girls.

As Mikkel was going on and on about the natural state of Cani to be monstrous, Oka instead gave her attention to this whole girls thing.

So, I like girls, Oka thought as Mikkel lead her through the trail that went around the school. The familiar dirt paths and same old boring conversation about how she shouldn’t take an extra cookie for herself made her feel like she had ample time to think about this. My thought today that I’d like to reflect on…what kind of girl would I like to be with?

“Now, the bestial nature of the Cani cannot be subsided, nor can it ever truly be removed, as you showed last week.” Mikkel said.

The opposite of Mikkel. Whatever the furthest polar most far away opposite of this person. That’s my type. Probably. Also, they preferably should look like Giavi from Streetwind Rainfallers. Because I’m very attracted to Giavi and her incredible hair styling. And her determination.

“Are you listening?” Mikkel asked, unfortunately breaking Oka away from gay fantasies about her crush in a musical about street sweepers.

“Yes…” Oka said.

Oka did have to pause for a moment to admit this was a bigger event than the usual extra cookie stealing. This was something she felt enough pain from that she now wore the cloth that weird Berin Kilander guy gave her as a reminder for what she did. An intense training session turned violent when she got so mad at the bully goading her on like he always did that she conjured a vine filled with her rage, to the point that the energy within it burned her own hand, and his face as she swung it at him. He mostly dodged it, and the scar on him was less visible than the one on Oka’s wrist. The cloth served two purposes, to cover up the scar, but to also serve as an easier to look at reminder for her to never reach that state again.

Oka decided that punishment from Mikkel was stupid, because he could’ve just done this before she got suspended for a week, which basically meant having to sit in her room by herself most of the day. In addition to that, she had already decreed her adequate sentence for herself with the cloth.

“I thought being out in nature would help you focus, but it’s clear you need a more direct visual aid.” Mikkel said.

Oka immediately flinched, bracing for another combat training session immediately. But instead Mikkel led her inside the school.

“I was disappointed in your actions with Averyl,” Mikkel said. “All Cani strain against the beast inside them, the monster within you. And it pains me that you gave into its demands. But not surprised.”

Mikkel stopped outside the door to the staff offices.

“You know you must not enter this room, ever, correct?” Mikkel said. “It’s a beautiful place in there, not one for beasts.”

“I know.” Oka said. “Why are we here?”

“I would like to show you something I’ve acquired.” Mikkel said.

Mikkel made Oka turn around so he could enter the room, and did not allow her to turn back until he had returned and the door was shut. When Oka could finally look, Mikkel now carried a wooden box. It was finely crafted and painted black with gold trim. It was about the length of of his fingertips to his elbow.

“While you are not permitted to see in that room, you are allowed to know that many treasures are kept safe there by us. It’s one of our sworn duties in addition to training students like you, to also protect the Cani artifacts entrusted to us.”

Mikkel slowly opened the box, and Oka peeked into it. Two long objects lay inside. They looked to be the same material bloodsabers were made of, and each had veins inside of them. Or at least, they seemed like bloodsaber veins, but they moved around a lot more than the bloodsabers Oka had seen, and looked more like they were made of a smoky, oily substance.

“What are they?” Oka asked.

“They’re called the Sharai Daggers,” Mikkel said. “They don’t really look like daggers though, do they?”

“They look like big hair pins.” Oka said. “Why are they called that? Sharai?”

“There once was a group of Cani called the Sharai,” Mikkel said. “They ruled a great portion of the void nodes they conquered, and had dreams to conquer many more. They were followers of Endora, and their hearts never resisted the beast inside all Cani like you do.”

“Did you…take this from them?” Oka asked. “Are they going to come and try and get it back?”

Mikkel shook his head. “The Sharai have been gone for longer than our greatest of great-great-great grandparents have been gone. And they won’t ever return. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you. But you can still find traces of their legacy all around. These are two pieces of that legacy. The daggers were one of their greatest accomplishments.”

“What do they do?” Oka asked. For some reason, she could sense something sinister within the daggers.

“You’re aware of the beast tendency, correct?” Mikkel asked. “Or have you forgotten?”

Oka swallowed, remembering vividly a video they’d been shown of a Cani succumbing to the beast tendency.

“I…remember.”

“These can induce the beast tendency with a specific Endoran ritual.” Mikkel said.  “It’s not perfect, however. It can’t induce the beast tendency in any Cani. It probably could for you, because of your weak spirit.”

If anyone has a weak spirit, it’s you, Oka thought. And a weak mind, and definitely a fragile ego, and probably a fragile body too…

“I’m only showing this to you because, in a sense, you are my brightest and most promising pupil.” Mikkel said. “The Sharai tore themselves apart by living by the ways of beasts. Their armies consisted mainly of Cani they inflicted with the beast tendency, and you cannot lead beasts before they one day see you as prey. It’s a fate you could suffer too, should you continue to give in to your own inner beast.”

You’re saying beast so much it’s losing all meaning to me. Oka nodded along anyways, knowing that the punishment would be worse if she had a snide comeback. Someday I’ll be free of this, right? Like, this isn’t forever, is it? I don’t have to be stuck here, listening to him always, do I?

“As long as this place stands, the daggers will be safe here,” Mikkel said. “Safe from anyone who’d use it the way the Sharai did.”

As Mikkel droned on and on, eventually closing the box on the Sharai Daggers and returning to talking about how monstrous Oka was and how she would always have to fight the monster within her, Oka decided that she could stand the daggers getting out of their ‘safety’ at Tesata if it meant the horrible school was no longer standing.