"To become a full-fledged Celeste, a complete eight years of experience in the academy is required."

♣

Chapter Thirty-Five ♣ Guardians of the Heaven's Sword

When classes ended, Valeriana dropped by the infirmary for her healing session with Olivia. After that, her hands felt a load better and she thanked the woman a thousand times before running off to head back to the dormitories. On her way out, she saw Corvan leaning against the wall next to the door.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes. "It's for the inauguration."

"What inauguration?"

"Don't ask questions. Just come with me."

He left her there, looking confused. Valeriana followed his retreating form and decided to keep quiet and do what he told her to. She couldn't help but feel curious. Still, they trod a path Valeriana remembered never taking and was more than confused when they met with Headmaster Kylon and Lord Aeron. They were standing in front of wall with a hanging portrait of a knight holding a mystical sword—it was a dead end.

"Lord Aeron? Headmaster? What's going on?" she inquired, brows furrowing in confusion. "Did I do something wrong?"

They were staring at the picture on the wall depicting the image of a man holding a seemingly unearthly weapon. Valeriana couldn't help but feel captivated by the photo and instinctively leaned closer to examine it. The sword seemed heavenly. The surrounding glow around it was eerie and mysterious, yet Valeriana knew it was a significant characteristic to portray the power it held. The man wielding the weapon did not shine any less. The long, golden flowing locks that delicately clouded around his face due to the blowing wind and his matching golden eyes added an air of elegance and nobility around him. The regal aura would make anyone grovel at his feet.

"Do you know this man, Valeriana?" Headmaster Kylon asked.

"I don't know . . ." she trailed off. "But my guess is . . . is this King Friedel?"

"That's right," he replied, nodding. "The legendary man who founded the first kingdom of Valemnia which his descendants still continue to rule. The very man who put the demon lord to sleep."

"And that weapon?"

"Ah, so you noticed it," he said. "That's Ouranos, Heaven's Sword, the weapon given to the king by the gods to help defeat the demon lord. It contains tremendous holy power that can only be wielded only with those who has the blood of the king."

"Where is it now?"

Lord Aeron grinned. "It's in front of you."

"Huh?" She looked at the man disbelievingly. "What? It's just a picture."

Looking back up at the portrait, she gave it a hard stare before looking back at the Court Leader, who smiled knowingly at her. She looked at it again and squinted until she saw a button as small as a dot on the sword's guard. Curiously looking at the three men before her, they nodded at her encouragingly—except for Corvan who remained still.

She reached towards the portrait and pressed the small button before pulling back her arm slowly. Nothing happened for the first few moments until the stone wall suddenly rumbled and moved, revealing a pathway that led to a very dark basement.

Valeriana cringed and jumped back. "I should've known. Where a castle is, there are always secret passages," she said, gulping. "What's down there?"

"Lord Corvan?" The headmaster smirked as he looked at Corvan, who nodded.

Despite looking annoyed, the first-ranker lifted his hand. In his palms flared a bright, orange flame which illuminated the dark path ahead of them. Valeriana enviously glared at the fire in Corvan's hands and pouted childishly, huffing.

"So no need for torches, huh? Damn. Why can't I have one of those?" she asked, sulking.

She looked back down at the dark pathway and curiously began to descend down the stairs made of aged stone slabs. The walls were narrow and were made up of rough-surfaced stone bricks one could usually see in stereotypical medieval dungeons. In this case though, it was more like some sort of secret door leading to some room that contained piles and piles of blinding treasures.

"Are we going somewhere with lots and lots of shiny treasures? There are no dragons, are there?" she asked.

"Pfft." Corvan rolled his eyes. "Where did you get that idea?"

"I was just thinking, you know. Don't dragons typically like shiny treasures?"

"Think what you like," the first-ranker replied.

"We'll see when we get down, Valeriana," Lord Aeron said.

They all slowly made their way down the stairs, Corvan's fire serving as their light along the way. The stone wall closed behind them, caging them in darkness. Valeriana sort of felt excited. This was like one of those typical historical movies she watched on TV—when castles have secret passages. It was cliché but ridiculously amusing. Now that she was treading a path kings and queens probably took long before, she was feeling thrilled to see where they were exactly headed.

Once the seemingly endless stairs ended, Valeriana felt her feet landing on hard ground. She walked ahead of everyone until she hit something solid. A small sound escaped her mouth as her head collided against a hard object. Frowning, she stepped back, rubbing the part where she was hurt. She glared at the object in front of her through the darkness.

Corvan's fire illuminated the area and Valeriana screamed.

She dashed back towards the three men and hid behind someone's back. The thing she bumped against was the fang of a dragon's open mouth. The creature's head was even bigger than she was. Its eyes were fierce and its face was riddled with hard scales.

"What are you screaming about?" a voice grumbled above her. "It's only a rock carving."

She realized she had hidden herself behind Corvan and immediately pulled away, brows knitting in frustration. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I didn't know. I thought it was a real dragon," she said.

Lord Aeron and Headmaster Kylon chuckled at her reaction.

"It's a sculpture depicting the holy dragon that guards the tomb," said the Headmaster.

"A tomb?" She looked incredulously at the two. "What tomb? Like Cleopatra's tomb?"

"I suppose you're right." Headmaster Kylon nodded.

"Whose tomb is this then?" she asked.

Corvan opened his mouth.

"Wait." She held a hand up to stop them from answering question. She wanted to figure it out herself. "The painting outside. Is this tomb . . . the king's tomb?"

Lord Aeron smiled at her.

"Oh my god! Seriously?" She gasped.

"Let's go this way." Headmaster Kylon steered her towards their right.

They walked through a seemingly long hallway and ended up facing two, large, towering doors. It didn't look like a typical door. Instead of knobs, in place was the similar sculpture of the dragon she saw before. It was a dull grey color and the intricate carvings on it made it look somewhat intimidating. Valeriana went forward and ran her fingertips over the door. She recognized the strange words written in a very odd language she never saw before, but somehow, she had a feeling she knew what it said.

The rock was cold and smooth. She tried pushing it open to no avail. It was as heavy as it looked. She looked back and saw the headmaster holding out a key for her to take. It was no plain key. It was gold and had some semi-precious gems embedded in it.

Hesitantly looking up at the Headmaster, she stared at him questioningly before nodding 8towards her bandaged hands.

"Ah, I forgot. Allow me," he said and walked towards the doors. She watched him insert the object in a keyhole on the middle of the second door and turn it. Valeriana then heard a loud click and the markings it bore glowed momentarily before parting and opening a path.

Valeriana's mouth fell open.

The king's burial chamber was circular. In the middle of the room was a coffin with an elegant sculpture of a handsome man on top—a masterpiece solely created to be dedicated to this place.

She looked around and saw twelve different statues occupying the areas by the wall. There was at least one statue in each direction, making their designated poses. They seemed like guardian, wing-less angels looking after the king's tomb. Valeriana also noticed that there was one common thing about them—the key-shaped holes carved on their chests.

"This is awesome!" She said and jumped excitedly on the balls of her toes.

"In the middle of this room lays the king," Lord Aeron's said, his voice making noticeable echoes within the room. "The carving on that coffin signifies it's his resting place."

"Then what are those other statues about?" she asked.

"Do you know where the position of the Celestial Circle came from, Valeriana?" Headmaster Kylon inquired.

Valeriana took a three hundred sixty degree turn before looking at the headmaster. Her long hair swished around her in slow, sweeping motions. "Not really. I haven't read much about the history of the academy, sorry."

"The Celestial Circle or Twelve came from the position of these honorable knights around you, Valeriana," Headmaster Kylon said as he pointed on each of the sculptures. "The king could not have fought alone, you see. One hero cannot take all of his enemies. He needed allies—comrades to aid him in battle."

"Whoa. So these are the original Celestial Twelve? Awesome."

"They were called the Celestial Knights, Valeriana." Headmaster chuckled. "With the king himself leading them—but that was before he became king, of course."

"Cool," she said and poked the statue she was currently examining.

"That is Abelard Keiffer."

She went still and scratched her head. "Keiffer? I heard that name somewhere before. I think that's a part of Keelan's name."

"That's correct. After the Great War, the Celestial Knights were rewarded with aristocracy. In order to distinguish them from the rest, they were given their current names. For example, Abelard Keiffer became Abelard von Keiffer de la Kaiven."

"I don't get it, where did the Kaiven come from?" she asked.

"Kaiven of the earth," he answered. "Abelard was the representative of Denovega. He wielded the element of earth."

"I see." She said, rubbing her chin. "So are you telling me that this is the great-great-great-great thousand times something grandfather of Keelan?"

"That's correct."

"Figures." She muttered and squinted, looking the statue eye-to-eye. "They have the same smile and that happy-go-lucky expression."

"Are you done sightseeing?" Corvan asked, irritated.

"Oh! I gotta see this! Which one is Corvan's ancestor?" She jumped between statue to statue, inspecting each and everything. She stopped in front of a man with a solemn expression on his face, his eyes staring at the ground. "Neh. Probably not this one. It looks more like Brindon," she muttered, before turning to one which looked like it had an angry expression. "But Brindon's not nobility, is he?"

She furrowed her brows and inspected the statue closely. Glancing over her shoulders to look at Corvan, she began comparing. She frowned and thoughtfully nodded, concluding that the resemblance between them was enough evidence.

"I guess it's this one."

"What makes you think that?" Lord Aeron asked, cocking a brow.

"Well, one reason is that they have the same frown on their faces. See?" She pointed out how they looked the same with the face Corvan was making. The wrinkles of the first-ranker's face made him bear a great resemblance to the statue Valeriana was referring to.

Long hair.

Angry frown.

Impatient face.

"And this here. They look so much a like it's scary." She pushed her brows together with her forefingers, creating wrinkles between her eyes—a great imitation of the frown the first-ranker had on his face at the moment.

Headmaster Kylon and Lord Aeron glanced between the statue, Valeriana, and Corvan before they burst out laughing.

"Oh, good gods!" Headmaster Kylon coughed, trying to contain his laughter. "I only noticed it now!"

"Very perceptive! Very perceptive!" The Court Leader was clapping his hands, his laughter booming. "I commend you, Valeriana!"

"I don't find this funny," Corvan said, crossing his arms over his chest with his frown worsening.

"Well, is this your great something one thousand times grandpa or what?"

Headmaster coughed. "That is correct. He is called Hildegaud Vaushna."

"Aha! I was right!" she exclaimed.

"So what if he was?" Corvan asked, irked. "Hildegaud Vaushna was the king's right hand man during the Great War against the demon lord Valdis. If there was someone else who could stand up to the demon lord, it would be him."

"You take after him a lot, then," she said, giggling.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?" he asked her.

"Which one do you think it is?" she asked.

Corvan opened his mouth to retort until the headmaster stopped him and motioned for him to keep quiet. He walked towards the coffin and held out a hand, beckoning for Valeriana to come with him. The girl reluctantly followed and stood beside the headmaster as he stopped in front of the king's casket.

"See here, Valeriana." He waved a hand towards the coffin. "Why do you think we brought you here?"

"I'm not actually sure . . ."

"Not all of the students in the academy know of this," he told her. "The fact that the king was buried underneath the academy is a big secret—for with his remains is a very important treasure sought by many."

"What treasure?"

"The most powerful holy artifact known to contain the power of the five gods," he said. "The Ouranos, sword of the heavens."

"So it's here?" She stared at the coffin wide-eyed.

"That's correct." The headmaster nodded. "Right here, on these very chambers. I suppose you were thinking before, 'Why would someone even build an academy here in the middle of enemy territory?' Well, this here is your answer. The excuse to let students get accustomed to demonic presence is just that—an excuse."

"But why me? Why would you tell me something important like this?"

Valeriana reached towards the coffin. The moment she laid a hand on the surface, she felt a sudden pulse that made her stop short and gasp. She pulled her hand back as if she was burned and backed away from the coffin warily, holding her arm close. Staring at it wide eyed, she breathed.

Lord Aeron, Headmaster Kylon, and Corvan looked at her questioningly.

"Don't be too shocked. It does have that kind of effect. Its power is overwhelming, is it not?"

"Oh, I . . ." She looked hesitantly at the headmaster before glancing back at the king's coffin.

"As I was saying, as one of the Twelve, it will be your duty to guard this chamber with everyone else," he said.

"What? Me?"

"Who else is the fifth-ranker?" he asked.

"Are you serious?!" she asked excitedly. "Guard this chamber with the others? Really?"

"I trust you to do your job well," he said, stringing the key on a golden chain and clasping it around Valeriana's neck. He stepped back and smiled at the girl. "Fifth-ranker."

"Thank . . . you," she muttered, before looking down at the ground and her voice dying.

"What's wrong?" Kylon asked.

"I'm just . . . happy," she said, sniffing. She grinned at the headmaster with glassy eyes.

"That's a good thing but don't cry," he said, chuckling.

She nodded and hastily dabbed her eyes with her sleeves. She grabbed the key that hung around her neck along with the necklace of protection she was given. The object looked undoubtedly pretty, especially when the light hit the colorful stones.

"This key? Is it mine?"

"Of course," he answered. "Be careful with it, Valeriana. It does not only open the door to this chamber, but it also opens the king's coffin where Ouranos is. It's one of the twelve keys needed to obtain the sword. Do not, at any cost, let it fall to anyone else's hands—not even the other rankers."

"You can trust me on this, Headmaster! I won't let you down!" she told him cheerfully. Her face then twisted in confusion. "What's the reason for giving this to students? Shouldn't bigger people do this instead? Or you, even."

"I already did—when I was still studying in the academy. And for the reason why, I do not know," he told her. "It wasn't that easy, though. That will be the hardest part of being a fifth-ranker. So, Valeriana, take care of the key—even if it costs you your life. No one must get the heaven's sword until the rightful owner comes to retrieve it."

"The rightful owner?"

"King Friedel," he answered.

Valeriana raised both of her brows. "Huh? But he already has it with him. Shouldn't he keep it?"

Corvan placed a fisted hand over his lips. "Stupid."

Valeriana flashed him a glare. "Stupid? Immediately? Can you not say slow first? Not my fault if I don't get it—but that doesn't mean I'm stupid." She rolled her eyes.

"Then, slow." Corvan corrected.

Valeriana shot him daggers.

"You have a point. King Friedel has been long dead—but his soul and blood lives on." He touched the coffin. "In order to wield the sword Ouranos, you must also have King Friedel's blood running through your veins—because he who is not a kin will be consumed by the power and turn to dust."

"Er . . ." She gulped.

"This is the same concept that applies to you, Valeriana," he said. "One who is not born in the lands of Valemnia cannot withstand the power pressure. This power pressure is the reason why we have unique abilities that sets us aside from humans. The blood in our veins allows us to use whichever ability we're born with."

"I see . . ." She said, sighing. "So there's no hope for me."

"Do not be upset, my dear," Lord Aeron said, making his way beside the two. "You can always become a slave."

"No way!" She jumped a few feet back from where the Court Leader was standing.

"Are you really not going to change your mind?" He teased.

"No! Not ever! So stop it, will you?" she growled at him. "But I do have one more question."

"What is it?"

"Why is the most important treasure of King Friedel be in a place like this?" Valeriana asked. "And why ask the students to guard it?"

The Headmaster and Lord Aeron exchanged glances before returning their gazes towards Valeriana, who waited the answer to her question with anticipation.

"That isn't just one question but . . . we don't know as well. That's a big mystery, what we do know, however, is that it is tradition."

"Tradition, huh."