Aeon stepped into the classroom and immediately felt the weight of a dozen pairs of curious eyes studying his every movement. The children's whispered conversations died away the moment he appeared, replaced by the kind of intense scrutiny that only young minds could produce when confronted with something genuinely novel.
He kept his expression neutral and his movements deliberate as he made his way toward the desk Instructor Maya had indicated. The classroom was bright and welcoming, with educational materials arranged in neat displays along the walls and morning sunlight streaming through blue shutters that matched the building's exterior.
As he settled into his assigned seat—a simple wooden desk with a slate board and chalk, identical to those used by his younger classmates—the whispers began in earnest.
"—his hair is so white—"
"—never seen eyes that color—"
"—mama said he came from outside—"
"—is he dangerous?"
"—looks normal to me—"
A girl with dark curls in the front row turned completely around in her seat to stare at him with undisguised fascination. "Are you really from the outside world?" she whispered loudly enough for half the class to hear.
"Lily, face forward please," Instructor Maya said gently but firmly. "We have important work to do this morning."
The teacher's voice carried the kind of practiced authority that came from years of managing young students, and the children quickly settled into attentive silence. Aeon noticed how she positioned herself at the front of the room where she could observe both the class and him simultaneously—a subtle but effective way to maintain control over the situation.
"Today we'll be continuing our work with the fundamental symbols of written language," Maya announced, turning to write on the large slate board mounted behind her desk. "These symbols represent the basic sounds that combine to form all the words we speak."
Aeon watched with growing interest as she began drawing characters on the board. The writing system appeared to be alphabetic rather than ideographic, with individual symbols representing phonetic sounds rather than complete concepts. As more letters appeared, he began to recognize patterns that reminded him of linguistic structures from his previous life.
Similar to Latin script in some ways, he observed, but with modifications that suggest evolution from a different root language. The curves and angles seem designed for quick writing rather than ceremonial inscription.
"This first symbol represents the 'ah' sound," Maya explained, pointing to a character that looked like a stylized triangle with a horizontal line through its center. "We use it at the beginning of words like 'apple' and 'always.' Can everyone practice drawing this on their slates?"
The scratch of chalk against slate filled the room as the children began copying the symbol. Aeon picked up his piece of chalk and attempted the character himself, noting how the strokes needed to flow in a specific sequence to create the proper proportions.
His first attempt was clumsy, but by the third repetition he had captured the essential form. The muscle memory required for writing was clearly different in this body—his ten-year-old hands were smaller and less dexterous than he was accustomed to, requiring adjustments to his technique.
"Very good, everyone," Maya said, walking between the rows to observe their progress. When she reached Aeon's desk, she paused to examine his work with obvious surprise. "Excellent formation, Aeon. Have you encountered writing before?"
"I've seen it," he replied carefully, "but never had the chance to learn properly."
It was truthful without being revealing—a skill he was rapidly developing in his interactions with the villagers.
Maya nodded and continued her circuit before returning to the front of the classroom. "The next symbol represents the 'eh' sound," she said, drawing what appeared to be a diamond shape with curved sides. "This appears in words like 'echo' and 'endless.'"
As the lesson progressed, Aeon found himself genuinely engaged with the material. The language structure was logical and consistent, with clear rules governing how symbols combined to create more complex sounds. Within the first hour, he had identified what appeared to be vowel and consonant categories, along with several modifier symbols that changed pronunciation.
Remarkably efficient system, he noted with growing appreciation. Whoever developed this writing method understood the importance of phonetic clarity and visual distinction.
The boy sitting next to him—a serious-looking child with carefully combed brown hair—leaned over to whisper, "You're learning really fast. Most people take weeks to get the basic symbols right."
"I'm paying attention," Aeon replied quietly, not wanting to draw Maya's notice.
"My name's Marcus," the boy continued. "I like studying languages. Are the symbols different where you come from?"
Before Aeon could formulate a response, Maya's voice cut across their conversation. "Marcus, Aeon, please save your discussion for the break period. Right now I need everyone's attention on the lesson."
Both boys straightened in their seats, but Aeon caught Marcus's curious expression from the corner of his eye. The child's interest seemed purely academic rather than suspicious—a refreshing change from the wariness he'd encountered from most adults in the village.
The lesson continued with increasing complexity as Maya introduced consonant symbols and began demonstrating how they combined with vowels to form simple syllables. Aeon found himself able to follow the progressions without difficulty, his memory for pattern recognition proving invaluable in mastering the new script.
"For today's exercise," Maya announced as the morning sun reached its zenith, "I want everyone to practice writing their own names using the symbols we've learned. This will help you understand how individual letters work together to create familiar words."
Around him, the other children began carefully transcribing their names onto their slates, tongue tips protruding in concentration as they worked through the phonetic challenges. Aeon considered his own situation—the name "Aeon" would require symbols they had just learned, but he wasn't certain of the exact spelling conventions this language used.
Time to test my understanding, he thought, beginning to sketch letters on his slate.
The 'ah' symbol for the opening sound, followed by what he hoped was the correct representation of the 'ee' and 'oh' sounds, concluded with the 'n' consonant Maya had demonstrated earlier. The result looked reasonably proportioned, though he suspected his letter spacing could use improvement.
"Let me see how everyone is progressing," Maya said, beginning another circuit of the classroom. When she reached his desk, her eyebrows rose slightly as she examined his work.
"Aeon," she said thoughtfully, "your name uses some advanced symbol combinations. How did you know to connect the vowel sounds that way?"
Because I understand phonetic principles from languages that won't be developed for centuries, he thought. Aloud, he said, "I tried to write it the way it sounds when spoken."
"That's exactly the right approach," Maya replied with what seemed like genuine approval. "You have a natural instinct for written language."
As she moved on to help other students, Aeon allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. The morning had gone better than expected—he was learning valuable information about the local writing system while managing to blend in reasonably well with his younger classmates.
One step closer to understanding this world, he reflected, carefully copying the symbols Maya had demonstrated. And one step closer to being prepared for whatever comes after these four months are over.