"I want to talk to you."
Tark looked at Razin and Verina with a face trying to smile—but it was obvious something was wrong.
"Oh… Razin, Verina… What do you want?"
Razin stepped closer, looking directly into Tark's face.
"Tark… is something wrong? You look tired… and miserable."
Tark frowned and lowered his gaze to the ground.
"I don't know if I can tell you or not… but it's a family issue."
Razin moved closer, clenching his fists with determination.
"Tell me!"
Verina stepped in, giving Razin a playful smack on the head, making him look at her.
"Idiot… he just said it's a family problem, and he doesn't want to share it with us. Don't pressure him!"
Razin looked down, feeling weak and helpless for not being able to help Tark.
"You're right… I'm sorry."
Razin and Verina turned to walk away, but as they took their first step—
"It's okay… I'll tell you."
Both Razin and Verina were surprised. Tark had changed his mind despite what had happened. They turned back to him.
Verina spoke with surprise and sympathy in her voice:
"Are you sure? You don't have to… it's your privacy."
Tark walked closer to them.
"It's alright… I've been wanting to tell someone to ease the burden. Thinking about it all the time wore me down. But I'm trying hard to move forward… I won't let this stop my progress. So yes… I'll tell you. I don't mind."
They all headed to a nearby bench, a few meters away from the main building. Verina and Tark sat, while Razin stood in front of them.
"I don't know how to say this… but… my father… he killed my mother."
Tark's face was dead and gloomy as he said it.
Razin and Verina were shocked.
Verina covered her mouth with her hand. "What?! That's horrible!"
Razin said nothing, but his expression said it all. He looked terrified—wide eyes, half-open mouth, staring at Tark.
"...I was able to process it just last night. I don't know how I didn't notice it before. But it all became clear yesterday… My father killed my mother with a knife. He was holding her… his hand covered in blood… right in front of me. This happened three years ago."
Verina stared at Tark.
"This school… I feel like it's changed all of us in some way. We all seem so much more mature than our age."
She continued:
"I don't know if there's a real reason for it… or if it's just a psychological effect because of the danger of death."
Razin clenched his teeth in anger and disgust.
"How could someone do that to his own wife? In front of you, too! I hate that man!"
Verina scolded Razin, looking up at him.
"Don't speak like that! He's still his father—you shouldn't say that!"
"But…" Razin said, frustrated.
"It's okay… even I hate him now. I don't want to see his face. I really hate him now. He used me…" Tark said, his voice heavy with sadness.
Verina was heartbroken hearing his words.
"That's really sad… I'm sorry, Tark."
"Thank you… It's fine," he replied quietly.
Tark continued,
"In fact… I'm not from this city. Originally, I'm from a city called Levalim."
Verina was surprised and placed her hand on her chin.
"Levalim? I don't know… I think I've heard of it before, but I'm not sure where ."
Razin was curious but didn't know much about cities; he had only recently learned about Moraief.
Tark explained,
"My father moved here with me, my little sister, and my older brother right after my mother disappeared. It seems he did this to escape the ruling family's authority in Levalim."
Razin walked around the bench thoughtfully.
"Authority?.."
Verina answered,
"Every city has an authority controlled by the ruling family. They appoint people after certain tests to verify their honesty and diligence. Once a person proves successful, they join the city's authority. All are, of course, under the ruling family."
Razin was amazed,
"That's interesting."
Verina added,
"In Moraief… the controlling family is ours, the Alethiar family, Razin."
Razin's mouth dropped open in astonishment,
"That's amazing!"
Tark asked,
"Razin Alethiar? Really? I thought all Alethiar members had blond hair."
Verina replied,
"That's true, but it seems one of Razin's parents isn't Alethiar."
Razin stopped walking and approached them.
"Yes… I think my mother isn't Alethiar, but my father is."
Verina stood up and jokingly touched Razin's hair,
"That's why your hair is red then… interesting."
She jumped and lightly sat back down.
Razin said angrily but jokingly,
"Don't touch my hair!"
Verina shrugged, trying to provoke him,
"And if I did!?"
Razin joked while stepping back,
"Nothing… I'm afraid you'll throw me in jail since you're Alethiar."
Both laughed, and Tark tried to laugh too, but his thoughts were shackled by heavy iron chains tightening his heart and mind.
Verina looked at Tark with pity.
Tark said,
"I wonder… Verina… Razin… why don't you act according to your status?"
Razin was surprised,
"What do you mean?"
Tark explained,
"I mean… you two are Alethiar, right? You have the right to act arrogantly and not mingle with us regular families… You're members of the ruling family, after all."
Razin quickly responded with a serious look, while Tark looked at him,
"I've never actually lived in Moraief… and I'm not really connected to the Alethiar family at all. Honestly, I'm not interested in being Alethiar."
Tark was surprised,
"Really? That's strange. What about you, Verina?"
Verina shifted her sitting position to a more focused posture,
"My father taught me not to look down on people… but at the same time, not to forget my position as an Alethiar. He told me to treat everyone kindly and normally, but if someone insults me, I should benefit from being Alethiar… and let the one bothering me know that I am ultimately of higher status—not aggressively, but as a form of self-defense."
Razin was amazed by her words and moved closer,
"Really? Your father's amazing, Verina!"
Tark agreed,
"I agree… that's great humility coming from someone in the ruling family!"
Verina looked at Tark again,
"Tark… I'm sorry for interrupting… can you continue your story?"
Tark got a little nervous,
"Ah… yes, of course. Let's see… where were we? Ah yes, we moved here… and after a short time… my older brother disappeared. I don't know where he went, but I have an analysis now… I'll tell you soon."
Razin and Verina couldn't bear what had happened to Tark.
"That's really sad, Tark… your childhood seems very tough. I'm sorry," they said, with Razin agreeing.
Tark was frustrated with his situation and angry at his father,
"Ah… yes, no problem… after my brother disappeared, my father didn't do anything suspicious for a while. But a week and a half ago… my father incited me and told me to join this school and learn the techniques. At first, I didn't understand why, I just obeyed because my father asked… but now I understand everything. He wanted to use me to make money for him since he doesn't use techniques. He wanted me to gather money for him."
Tark continued,
"To make money through adventures… And now I think this is why my brother disappeared too… but… my brother never came back. Could it be…"
Razin and Verina were shocked when they realized what Tark meant.
This was truly painful for them; Tark's past was unbelievably harsh.
Tark said,
"Maybe… my brother… died during core activation."
Verina screamed in fear, burying her face between her knees on the chair,
"Impossible!"
Razin stayed silent, though scared as well.
Tark looked at Verina sadly,
"I don't think it's impossible… the teacher said before that the death rate during core activation is 5%."
Tark started shedding tears as he thought about it.
He felt deep sorrow, more than sadness.
Suddenly, Razin interrupted,
"No… maybe your brother succeeded. But he decided not to return home because he discovered your father's actions."
Verina quickly raised her head,
"Yes! Well said, Razin! That's right!"
Tark was stunned looking at Razin, a tear in his eye,
"Yes… maybe."
"Here…" Verina said to Tark, handing him a tissue.
"Don't cry. I believe your brother succeeded too."
She smiled at him, trying to ease his pain a little.
Tark took the tissue gratefully,
"Yes… thank you! I will trust that too."
He wiped his tears.
Verina looked at Razin and said,
"You're a genius. I never thought of that."
Razin smiled,
"Thank you!"
Tark was moved by Razin and Verina's warm friendship and kindness.
He looked at them in amazement.
Tark said,
"This is the reason you noticed something different about me. I couldn't think about it since yesterday, but thank you both. I think I've improved a lot!"
Verina and Razin smiled,
"No need to thank us… it's our duty," they said in unison.
Tark declared,
"I have decided my goal. I will not help my father after I succeed and graduate from school! I will go directly to take my sister and run away with her far away. I will never help my father."
Verina nodded,
"Yes… I support you."
شكرًا لك يا حمزة، سعيد أن الترجمة أعجبتك! والآن أُكمل باقي الفصل:
---
As they talked,
Razin suddenly felt a drop land on his skin. He looked straight up… but saw nothing—no sign of rain.
"Hmm…"
Verina asked,
"Razin? What's wrong?"
He lowered his head,
"It's nothing… I thought it was raining."
Verina looked puzzled,
"Hmm? Now that you mention it, the air has become more humid and cold… looks like winter is on the way."
Razin nodded,
"Yeah…"
While Razin and Verina continued talking, Tark looked down, deep in thought. He was thinking about the relationship between Razin and Verina—how they spoke so comfortably, as if they'd known each other for years. Tark felt something strange stir inside him.
Tark, hesitating and shy, said,
"Um…"
Both Razin and Verina looked at him in surprise.
Verina tilted her head,
"Is something wrong, Tark?"
Tark stammered,
"…C-Can I…"
Razin and Verina exchanged confused glances as Tark struggled to speak.
"Can I… be with you two?"
Razin was surprised… and so was Verina.
But their reactions were completely different.
Razin didn't have a strong opinion about Tark. He didn't think he was a bad person, but never really considered him a friend. After all, Razin's understanding of friendship was still incomplete. Verina was his only friend—mainly because she talked to him first during class, when he still lacked self-confidence. She showed interest in him… and that alone made him instantly like her and want to be her friend. So for Razin, friendship was still a new concept, and he didn't know who deserved it or not. He was still new to the social world—and Verina was his first real connection.
On the other hand, Verina already felt sympathy for Tark. His past was just too painful for her to ignore. She felt like she'd grown closer to him… that he deserved to be their friend—because he'd shared something so personal and heavy with them. Verina wanted him to be part of their circle. She wanted to make his life brighter, to help him heal.
Verina placed her hand gently on Tark's head and patted it.
Tark was stunned and looked up—tears dropped from his eyes.
Verina smiled and said,
"Of course you can be with us!"
Razin thought to himself:
If Verina believes he should be our friend, then… he must be worthy.
Razin smiled,
"Of course! You don't even have to ask."
From now on, Razin thought… I've found my second friend.
Tark smiled and was overwhelmed with joy,
"Thank you! You two are truly amazing!"
The three continued chatting about random things… and after a while, they each returned to their rooms.
---
— That night —
Verina lay on her bed in her room, deep in thought.
It was a very quiet night… cold in a beautiful way… the breeze gently brushing through.
"Tomorrow… is the day I activate my core," Verina whispered to herself.
"I'll be the first in my class to do it… Honestly, that makes me happy."
She added,
"But it's not really my priority. Being the first doesn't matter. What matters is that everyone succeeds… and that no one has to suffer."
"When I think about Core Activation," she continued,
"I remember the first lecture the teacher gave us… We were all terrified. Just hearing about the risk of death… It was crazy. The idea of possibly dying during Core Activation… And now, tomorrow, I'll face that danger head-on."
She paused, then smiled slightly to herself,
"To be honest, I'm not that scared. When you reach the stage I've reached, it's natural to feel optimistic, to not fear death so easily. I remember right after that lecture, we met Razin's… friend. Well, I don't know if Razin considers him a friend. Probably not. But when we met him—Colin—he told us it wasn't as scary as it sounds. Back then, I thought he was just trying to encourage us or something. But now, lying here in this moment… I think he was right. It's not that scary anymore. Maybe because things have gone smoothly for me so far… but I'm confident!"
"Yes… I'll face the danger of death tomorrow, but I don't feel afraid. I hope it all goes well… smoothly. And honestly, I'm really excited to see the shockwave that bursts out when I activate my core. That's going to be so cool. I can't wait… Will I even be able to sleep tonight?"
She turned over.
"But there's someone else I'm really excited about… his second beat… Razin. I wonder… did he make progress today too? I hope so. He seems to be doing better than he has in a long time. And Tark… I hope he can move past everything that's happened and focus more. It'll be hard to make progress with his mind so scattered… but I think he'll improve, especially now that we've accepted him as our friend."
"I truly wish them both the best."
"Amazing! I succeeded for the second day in a row!" razin said
"Thank you, Razin, Verina… you're both amazing." Tark said
Verina smiled to herself,
"It's going to be so exciting to move on to the next stage… Things are about to get much more interesting. We'll finally learn the techniques! I wonder… will there be duels between students? I'm so excited!"
"But I shouldn't get too relaxed or underestimate the process. I'll give it everything I've got. Core Activation won't be easy… I'll stay completely focused to get through it smoothly, without any problems. Then everyone will see just how incredible I am!"
---
— Day 8 since the Techniques Introduction — During class —
Teacher:
"Alright, students. That's the end of today's lecture."
Verina stood up:
"Sir… I'd like to begin my Core Activation. I'm fully prepared!"
She said it with firm confidence.
Teacher:
"Very well… if you're that sure of yourself."
"Everyone who wants to watch—follow me."
They all followed the teacher outside toward a field.
This field was to the left of the main building, just a few meters away.
Everyone formed a circle around the center of the field… and Verina sat calmly in the middle, eyes closed.
"This is the moment I've worked so hard for over the past 8 days… I'm going to do it."
The sounds of the students around here filling her head
Inhale… Exhale…
Verina slowly opened her eyes as she sat still on the ground.
"I'm ready."