Page 19 of Blinding Light

“I’ll be home soon. I promised Helianth a word with Father before dinner.”

“And I promised to have mine with Aviel. I’ll need to get my revenge after he busted my ass during last night’s game.”

Yure and Aviel shared a houseboat in the river Ar, close enough to Moargan’s royal mansion for them to catch up together.

“You let him win last time?” Moargan clicked his tongue. “Don’t bring that smug bastard anywhere close to my home tonight.”

“I won’t. Anyway, tomorrow we’ll visit Lyre and purchase the apartment.”

“Perfect. Get me everything on camera. Every detail. I want to see it all.”

Yure chuckled. “You cruel fucker. Luckily for you, you’re not the only one. I’ll have Aviel on the job.”

“That sounds delicious.”

6

“You have talent, Xander.” Professor Dai appeared next to Cyprian and eyed his canvas. “I’m glad our academy granted you a scholarship. We need more students like you, and with some more practice, you will go far.”

Xander beamed at the compliment. Back at home, he’d always had to hide his drawings. If his foster parents found anything, they’d throw it away. He never knew why, but they’d always hated any form of creativity. Still, he missed them. Missed his special sister, Nikkie. Missed the false sense of belonging despite it being an illusion; it had made him feel safe.

“This is exactly why I want students to finish the day with an improvisation class,” Professor Dai continued as he lingered behind Cyprian’s canvas. “This is where your true inspiration can just flow.”

The rest of the group went back to work. Professor Dai studied Cyprian’s charcoal frame of a young girl with shiny eyes and a playful smile. Her hair fell in a braid over her shoulder, and she wore a flower above her right ear. It was a daisy, a rare yellow heart with white petals. It was Nikkie’s favourite flower. And for once, the charcoal didn’t do it justice on paper.

“Is it mostly portraits you draw?” Professor Dai asked.

“Yes,” Xander hummed, adding a fine line to emphasize her slender shoulders.

Professor Dai leaned in to take a good look up close. “Well, who knows? You might end up being the new Branson Vance?”

Cyprian smiled at the suggestion. Every want-to-be artist knew of the creator who had been contracted by the Imperial of Pyramus. It created a hype around the rich and powerful who now all wanted to have their own in-house artist to establish every noteworthy event. “One can only dream,” he mumbled absentmindedly, his focus on the curve that dipped from the girl’s shoulder to the forearm that faded out on the canvas.

“Well, sometimes dreams are the only thing we have. We all know it will be difficult to find a job out there that pays the bills. Where do you find your inspiration?”

Xander shrugged, swallowing as his heart clenched. If he could have taken anyone with him, it would have been Nikkie. Now, she was stuck at home without his protection. Wondering where her big brother had gone.

“From nothing and everything, I guess.”

“Hmm, like most of us helpless dreamers,” Professor Dai chuckled. It sounded sad. “And charcoal is your favourite equipment?”

“Yes. I like the contrast. Black and white, a touch of grey.” Cyprian brushed the pad of his thumb over her cheek.Sober things.

“Well, you are an exceptional student. It makes me wonder why you weren’t accepted at Foxglove. Their art program is the best in the galaxy.”

Cyprian focused on his sister’s shoulders as he ignored his teacher’s comment.

Around them, other artwork was on display. Some students were painting, others were drawing at the table. One student was making a figure with clay.

“Alright, listen up, everybody.” Professor Dai clapped his hands and walked back to his desk. “You can continue working in this room for a little longer if you want to wrap up things. Don’t forget to write down where you get your creativity from since we’ll be discussing these things first thing tomorrow. Over the next weeks, this space will be open to second and third years during this time, so we can create more synergy between all art students.”

Around him, students started putting their equipment back as they got ready to head home. With a final glance at the portrait, Cyprian placed his canvas against the wall by the others and cleaned up his desk. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and left.

He was looking forward to walking back to his new room through the park. The light here really was sublime, and watching it trickle through the trees and shine upon the late summer bloom softened his heart. He couldn't ignore the pull Helion had had ever since he'd started researching the planet. It was like he was meant to be here. Perhaps that meant it was true, and he was born here.

The apartment was silent when he made his way inside. Archer wasn’t home yet. Probably out for dinner with friends. Cyprian had wanted to discuss the awkward canteen situation yesterday, but Archer had simply shrugged him off.

Music softly played in the kitchen. His roommate had told him he always left it on because he didn’t like to be alone. He was right. It was nice to have the silence filled by the soft background sounds.

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