Elsienette approached the door, grabbed the rather large knocker, and knocked three times.
*Knock *Knock *Knock
As soon as she knocked, she stepped back a few paces. At that moment, a question came to Neim's mind and he turned to Kelvin.
Neim: "Hey Kelvin, can I ask you something?"
Kelvin: "Of course."
Neim: "When you said 'Users,' what did you mean?"
Kelvin: "Ah, you don't know about that either, do you? It'd be hard for me to explain. You should ask Valmon instead."
Duis became curious too.
Duis: "Who's Valmon?"
Kelvin: "You'll meet him soon. He's a Light User."
Neim: "What's that supposed to mean?"
Kelvin: "Ask him, not me."
A voice came from behind the door. It belonged to a middle-aged man.
???: "Who is it?"
Els: "It's me, Valmon. I brought a couple of guests. I need your help."
The door slowly creaked open. A man stepped out.
He was middle-aged, had long black hair, hazel eyes, and wore a robe.
Valmon: "We really need to fix this door. It makes too much noise. Don't you agree?"
Els: "You're right, Valmon. May we come in?"
Valmon: "Hey now, don't treat me like some old grandpa! Hahaha. Let me first see who you brought."
Valmon suddenly fixed his eyes on Neim and Duis and examined them carefully.
A small smirk appeared on his face.
Valmon: "Well, well, well... What do we have here…"
Kelvin raised his hand and started waving quickly.
Kelvin: "Good day, Mr. Valmon! How's your day going? Are you well?"
Valmon: "Oh, hello Kelvin. I've sent the students off for training. I was just wandering around. So, why are you here, and why are these kids in this state?"
Kelvin: "If you'll let us in, we'd prefer to explain everything inside, sir."
Valmon: "Of course, of course. Come in, come in."
Valmon slowly walked inside. Els followed behind him.
Kelvin cheerfully placed a hand on the shoulders of Duis and Neim.
Kelvin: "Alright boys, after you."
Neim and Duis stumbled a bit and nearly dropped their blankets, but managed to step inside.
They glanced around. In the center was a large table with a candelabrum on top. The surroundings were dark, empty, and eerily quiet. Then they heard footsteps.
Neim turned his head toward the sound. He saw Elsienette and Valmon walking up a flight of stairs.
Valmon: "So, tell me, how have your days been?"
Els: "Empty... Completely empty. If those incorrigible soldiers weren't so obsessed with their own pleasure, maybe something would change. But no, nothing does..."
The voices began to fade. Els and Valmon disappeared from sight.
A loud sound echoed behind them as the door shut.
Boom
Then came the sound of several locks turning. Kelvin's voice followed.
Kelvin: "Alright guys, what are you waiting for? Come on in."
Suddenly Valmon's voice was heard again.
Valmon: "They can leave their blankets by the door. No one will touch them, tell them not to worry."
Kelvin: "Of course, Mr. Valmon. You heard him, boys. You can leave your blankets."
Duis and Neim placed their blankets beside the door with a hint of worry.
Kelvin: "Come on, I think we're heading to his room."
Kelvin guided Neim and Duis toward the stairs.
Duis: "Uh... is this safe?"
Kelvin: "Of course it's safe. Why else would we use it?"
They slowly ascended the stairs one step at a time and arrived in front of a door.
Neim: "So many doors…"
Duis: "Seriously…"
There were staircases to the right and left as well.
Neim: "Which way?"
Kelvin: "Straight."
They slowly entered the room. It was even bigger than the last one. To the right were two sofas, a fire across from them, and a table in the middle. But this one wasn't empty, it was covered with books. There were also two more doors, one on each side. In the center was another table with chairs around it.
Valmon: "I see, I see. So, you want me to check if these kids are telling the truth, right?"
Els: "Exactly."
Valmon: "Alright, we can do that."
Valmon stood up and pulled two chairs from the dining table.
Valmon: "Please, have a seat, boys."
Neim and Duis slowly sat down. Valmon pulled out a notebook and a pen.
Valmon: "First, may I have your names?"
Duis: "I'm Duis."
Neim: "And I'm Neim."
Valmon: "Pleasure to meet you both. I'm Valmon."
Neim: "Nice to meet you."
Duis: "Likewise."
Valmon jotted down a few notes, then looked at them with a smile.
Valmon: "First of all, do you have any questions?"
Duis: "Yeah... how will you know if we're telling the truth?"
Valmon: "Hmm, I suppose I'll need to explain that a bit, won't I?"
He closed his notebook and placed it on the table.
Valmon: "First, you need to understand this, inside every human being, there are two essences. One white, one black. These are usually referred to as Bright and Dark, or Light and Shadow. Got it so far?"
They both nodded.
Valmon: "Good. The white part represents good emotions. You could say happiness. The happier a person is, the more the white essence grows. But the black part is the opposite. When someone feels hatred, the black essence grows. So in short: if you feel good emotions, the white increases. If you feel bad ones, the black increases. Understood?"
Neim and Duis nodded again silently.
Valmon: "Great, great. Now, my eyes are different from normal. I can see those Light and Dark essences inside people. When someone tells the truth or does something good, the Light essence flickers a bit. But when they lie or do something wrong, the Dark essence flickers. If you understood all that, I'll begin the questions."
Duis: "Alright."
Neim: "Bring it on."
Valmon: "Everything you've told us up to now, was it all true?"
Duis: "Yes."
Neim: "Yes, though there are a few things we left out."
Valmon wrote a few more notes, then smiled at Neim.
Valmon: "Would you mind starting from the beginning? And I want both of you to speak."
Neim and Duis explained everything they'd been through: their encounter with Kima, the explosion of the crystal, leaving their village, the hardships they faced on the road, learning to cook the Noses, the battle they fought with them, and how they eventually arrived at Yaliba.
Once Valmon finished his notes, he closed the notebook and placed it on the table.
Valmon: "Now, have either of you lied at any point?"
Neim: "Nope, not at all."
Duis: "No."
Valmon: "Alright. You two passed. Zero lies."
Els: "What?! How?! That sounds way too ridiculous to be true."
Valmon: "And yet, here it is. What can we say?"
Elsienette and Kelvin stood there in shock.
Valmon: "And I've got even better news."
Els: "What? What good news?"
Valmon: "These two kids, both of them have high potential to become Users."
Els: "WHAT??!!"
Kelvin: "WHAT??!!"
Duis: "Wait, what do you mean?"
Neim: "Seriously?!"
Valmon: "Hahaha! I love these reactions."
Els: "Wow… how is that even possible? Which side does each of them use?"
Valmon: "Can't say."
Kelvin: "Why?"
Valmon: "Just can't. Now, I need you both to step outside. I need to talk to the boys a bit."
Els: "Ugh, damn it. Fine. Come on, Kelvin."
Kelvin: "Yes, Commander."
Valmon: "Wait at the door. Don't go running off anywhere."
The door slowly closed.
Valmon: "Now, I'll explain your powers, and how they work."
Neim: "YESSS!! So what kind of powers are these?!"
Duis: "Yeah, I'm kinda curious too, not gonna lie."
Valmon: "First off, Neim, your power is Light. And Duis, yours is Darkness."
Neim: "Should I be happy or worried... I can't decide."
Duis: "I kind of expected that, to be honest. Haha."
Valmon: "Anyway, let's get to the real matter. How to use your powers…"
The two leaned in with excitement.
Valmon: "But of course... I'll only tell you if you become my students."
Neim: "WHAAAT?! What kind of deal is that?!"
Duis: "COME ON! How do we even become students and what is the students?!"
Valmon: "We'll manage something. By the way, I have another question: Have you ever been surrounded by something black?"
Duis: "We don't know what 'black' means."
Valmon: "Then let's leave that for now."
Neim: "Why did you even ask?"
Valmon stood up and walked behind Neim and Duis.
Valmon: "Because it seems like you've been cursed."
He placed his hands on Neim and Duis's backs, then whispered softly:
Valmon: "Anti-curse:Resolution."
A glow appeared on their backs, and light flowed inward.
Duis: "What was th—"
Duis's head started spinning, and he collapsed to the floor. Seeing this, Neim reached toward him, but he too fell down.
Valmon slowly leaned over them with a smile.
Valmon: "Don't be afraid, children. This is a path to salvation. Now you'll be able to see and hear better than before."
He sat at his desk and took a sip from his coffee.
A few minutes passed before Duis opened his eyes, and heard a sound.
*Crack *Crack *Crack
It was the crackling of fire. It surprised him since he had never heard it before. As he collected himself and turned to Valmon, he heard another sound; Valmon sipping his coffee.
Trying to gather his senses, Duis managed to sit up, albeit barely.
Duis: "What happened to us? What did you do?"
Valmon: "I removed the curse that was on you. There's nothing to be afraid of. You can probably hear better now, maybe even see colors more vividly... I wouldn't know for sure."
Duis:"How do you do? Is that gonna supposed to help?"
Valmon: "I'm a Light User. I can heal and I can fight, it's normal. But I really wonder who cursed you. Without my eyes, finding your curse would've been nearly impossible."
Neim stood up, holding his head. He stumbled to Valmon's desk and slammed his hands on the table.
Neim: "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO US?!"
Valmon: "I healed you. Duis can tell you the details."
Neim: "What're you talking about? And what's with this weird sound?"
Valmon: "Like I said, Neim, ask Duis for the details."
Valmon cheerfully got up and headed for the door.
Valmon: "That's it from Valmon for today. You're my students now, and we start tomorrow. But first, get out of those rags and get a shave. A sharper look means sharper effort."
He opened the door, and standing right outside was Elsienette.
Valmon: "Hey Els, I need a few things from you. Take these kids and whip them into shape. By tomorrow, alright?"
Just then, Neim and Duis walked toward the door.
Els: "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK—"
Valmon shoved Duis and Neim toward her and shut the door.
Then came the sound of several clicks as it locked.