In the end, I jumped out of a window…

Ten minutes was all I lasted wandering the gently lit, empty, and eerily echoing corridors. I'm very much able to defend myself, but that was spooky, so I jumped to end it all… And glide down towards the dorms, of course.

I'm not taking the easy way out of this mess everyone calls a school just because of some setbacks and headaches. Especially not after acquiring my newest Skill.

Oh, but Victor – or whoever is responsible for swiping my winnings – will feel the true headache of a serious concussion when I get my hands on them. I already made a mental list of all the things I'll be splurging on, and I don't plan on giving up any of them.

I will have what is mine. Many say violence is not the answer… They're right. Violence is the question, and the answer is yes.

Landing occurs somewhere in the park to avoid any questions about why I was sailing through the air, covered in flames, in the middle of the night. From there, it's a stealth mission, just like most of our tasks back in Solermo. Back then, to jump our targets with the element of surprise… this time to avoid scolding.

Across the grass, into the building, up the stairs, and at last, I swiftly slide into our dorm room. Utter darkness and tranquil quiet welcome me, perfect for a good night's sleep in preparation for the lectures tomorrow and my hunt for gold.

Except for that one quiet sigh, my sharp ears pick up on.

"And where have you been, huh?" A sparkstone lights up at the dining table, revealing some of Valka's features ominously.

She's wearing loose pajamas with Alwina sleeping on her shoulder, and her hair is messy like a bird's nest. And yet this already feels like an execution.

"Took your sweet time, young lady." She crosses her hands, and the tiny metal owl on her shoulder shudders awake.

She stretches and airs her wings before reading the atmosphere and mirroring her owner's judgmental, demanding gaze. Maybe it's a mental thing between the two, but the little thing is way too good at it.

"Where do you want me to start?" I decide to test the waters and see how much she knows.

Val reaches behind her and plops a small pouch on the table, clinking with a familiar ring. "I'm all ears. And if you lie, you're not getting this back."

"Which one was it?" Before beginning to dig my very own, very deep grave, I inquire about who tattled.

"Can't do." Val shakes her head with a deep smirk. "I'm supposed to build trust with my future team and all that."

"You're not doing a great job, let me tell you that much."

"You don't count." You're damn fucking right but this just isn't fair. "Now speak. I've been worried, and not groundlessly, it seems." Her facade remains cold and demanding despite her soft words.

Damn, life can never be too simple, huh? Now, my surprise is no longer really a surprise, and my sleeping time is about to be cut even shorter.

"So… I tried learning a little more about mana." I finally give in and take a seat beside her.

This will take a while.

***

"... that's it for today." The lecture comes to an end, but I keep staring ahead of me like a zombie.

Despite my newfound wealth, sleep was a luxury I could hardly afford yesterday. By the time Val was done with her questioning, Alwi calmed down again, and we made some plans for the day Solaire was already peeking over the horizon.

It was a nightmare.

Especially because even after going to bed, I didn't just close my eyes and try to rest… Like, let's be honest, who would? The damn description told me next to nothing about this new Skill of mine. I was left in the dark, both rhetorically and literally, so sacrifices had to be made.

As my weird gnomish professor would say; playing with magic, I did. Man, I'm already losing it… My eyes are itchy, but even now, after the lectures, I'm heading towards our secret mini forest for some more tests.

I have to know what aether is capable of after chasing it for all that time.

It doesn't go boom, it isn't speedy, or sturdy either… or tangible for that matter. Heck, judging by how nobody noticed a purple star twirling above my head during lectures, others can't even see it. I think.

What it does do is devour an ungodly amount of mana just for a tiny speck that does almost nothing. Okay, that's a bit of a lie.

The functions of this aether aren't completely clear to me yet, but it works on a quite straightforward principle. Simple spells and even devastating Skills alike are made up of their ethereal part, and physical component. Mana and matter.

Both of them are present in nature, yet hardly create wondrous spells without outside intervention. That's where we come in and add our demands… aether.

Sadly, it's not as simple as attaching a bundle of desire to mana and voila, my possibilities of magic are limitless… I already tried that. The fire didn't turn into a pony and did not gallop gracefully around in my room. It did, however, grow and tear itself to pieces, and of course, almost light my bed aflame.

A few misses, for now, I know… But there's one thing I'm confident aether can absolutely do, and that is disturb magic. I'm not talking about wrestling for control over the mana, oh no no no…

Like poison into the body, I can implant a piece of aether into any formation of mana to destabilize it. Or spread it across an area like a disease and mess up everything, turning the mana surprisingly unwieldy. Nobody noticed me messing around in the lecture hall, and the effects spoke for themselves.

And that's exactly what I'd like to experiment with further today, using my stunning test subject.

"Hey Val!" I yawn widely and wave at her.

She doesn't even look my way.

Her eyes watch intently as a tiny, feathery bundle of iron bounces between some branches. Like a worried mother, Valka follows the owlet beneath the canopy, holding her arms up to catch Awli in case she falls. Although I doubt metal could get seriously hurt.

"Bye Val…" I leave her be, she's simply hopeless these past days.

Doing some of the tests alone is fine as well.

Taking a light stroll, I move deeper into the woods, slowly feeding some mana to my newest Skill and contemplating what exactly I want. In the end, I materialize a spark, filled with the desire to grow, and implant it into a cute little flower growing in the shade.

Influencing plants – that is, besides completely obliterating them – is outside of my scope of abilities, but maybe…

The minuscule purple star settles inside the equally tiny plant, and its leaves begin to shudder. The yellow petals are the first to grow, slightly more majestic, followed by the stem rising longer and leaves spreading wider. Before the entire flower begins to wither and die in mere seconds.

"That's… maybe I shouldn't test this on Val." The first valuable conclusion of today's trials.

Live things already have desires and goals of their own, so maybe messing with those isn't the brightest idea. But I can also see some combat potential here… Although, doing something like this to a person makes me shiver.

This looks worse than being burned to death.

"But it did grow initially… Just what could've gone wrong?" I crouch down and contemplate repeating the test. Then a pebble catches my eye, and I remember that certain growling, unsightly creature back in the Mana Department. "Let's see if you can bark as well…"

I once again pour a ridiculous amount of mana into a single spot, only for something tiny, and as of now, very useless, to be born from it. The aether meets no resistance as it enters the pebble. A moment later, the rock begins to jump and wiggle, its surface cracks, and the sound aking to stone grinding on stone can barely be heard.

Then it cracks and crumbles into tiny pieces.

"Aww, c'mon, again?" I throw my hands up and stomp away.

While I do understand that I'm basically trying to create life and that it is the domain of the Gods… The error part of all the trials is still frustrating. Even more so because I wouldn't call these trials complete failures.

"What if I can actually make life using aether?" The thought horrifies me.

Power is great, power can get me many things I want and make my life easier. But too much power inadvertently will drag nuisances along, and those I really want to avoid. Becoming like a one-in-ten-million mage is fine, there have already been a few of those throughout history.

But writing my name into the history books as Elyssia, the Wielder of Souls… Man, that sounds awesome. Or the Mistress of Magic? Nah, I'm nobody's mistress…

"Well, then I'll just stick to mixing aether with mana." I'll try to refrain from playing too much with the rules of nature. I'd imagine the Magisterium wouldn't appreciate that. "But aren't spirits mostly just mana and thoughts…"

Wait, could I… could I make a spirit? I can already wield mana outstandingly, and if I implanted a strong enough desire into a spell…

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My heart begins to beat erratically as I imagine every step, from the nature and quantity of mana I'd use down to the thoughts, the goals, and the feelings. It's like a build-your-companion, and the possibilities are endless…

But then my excited breaths get stuck in my throat. I walk over to a tree and headbutt it with gusto for being dumb and not seeing the bigger picture.

For a while now, I had an inkling as to why exactly we received these gifts. They're arguably rewards far too great for such a minor achievement, or for such powerless and young people like us.

In the past, people got drunk on power and exploited everything the spirits had to offer until the world crumbled into itself.

"It's a test, Eli…" I clench my jaw and remind myself. "It's a test, and you were already about to fail."

'To quench your curiosity.' That was what the arm – or rather Daimon I guess – said. This is no longer curiosity but obsession and probably even madness. In comparison, Val is doing her part splendidly.

If everyone were like her, then I have no doubt the spirits could live amongst us in harmony.

"Well then, what am I supposed to do?" I return to the task at hand with a clear head. "Something simple then!"

Not like my current abilities and proficiency would allow me to do… whatever I'm not supposed to think about.

It simply consists of shaping a sturdy shield of arcane, quite a treat to the eyes, unlike my usual snap creation. And then comes the aether. Simple commands, short and straightforward.

Follow, circle, defend.

And in just moments, I get some promising results. The shield floats, the shield does circle around me, and when I continue walking… it does match my pace. Already far better than any of my previous results.

These things I could achieve with only a few thoughts but would need to divert a bit of my attention. If I could automate my defense, that'd free up so many opportunities for more devastating attacks. Or even better, I could set up attacks to trigger by themselves on certain conditions, moving a few steps ahead.

"But isn't this the same as inscriptions?" I poke the translucent layer of mana loyally circling me.

A tool to supplement my magic… Is it, though? Aether definitely opens up new avenues, but it seems to be somewhat restricted to my magic. On the contrary, I can achieve a plethora of things with inscriptions, but they limit my moves.

What if my inscriptions… wrote themselves?

"Holy shit I'm a genius!" I hold my head to make sure all the brilliance does not spill out.

"You're a real dumbass as well." Val finally decides to join me. "What blasphemy of magic did you cook up this time?"

Huh, she's worryingly close to the truth. But first…

"Before that, could you… I don't know, throw something at me?" I wish to test my barrier to its full extent.

She just shrugs and picks up a fist-sized rock from the ground. She weighs it a little, before pulling her arm back, and…

I only feel the wind slap my face as the deadly projectile sails past.

"What the fuck was that?!?" I react belatedly, yelling at my friend at the top of my lungs.

"What? I aimed to miss." Val protests.

"You aimed to kill!" I correct her. "Your aim is ass, always has been." I'm speaking facts. "And would it kill you to hold back a little?"

She just grins and goes back to cuddling her cutie. "I did."

I just can't… What's even more worrying is that my shield didn't even try to intercept the attack. That means either it recognized the rock wouldn't hit – which I highly doubt because even I failed at that – or I need to be a little more precise about defend.

I need to define what a threat is and some protective measures…

To fix my mistake, I create another purple spark, yet again sacrificing about a fifth of my mana. Yet again, Valka doesn't even blink as the tiny star's gentle light shines upon our faces. She can't see it.

But the same can't be said about Alwi.

The puny owlet is staring at my creation with sparkling eyes, struggling to break free from Valka's arms. She flaps her stubby wings and tears Val's sleeves to shreds before finally jumping to the ground. And she runs at me.

I never knew owls were made of this much leg. It's almost like she lifts a skirt of her abundant feathers high while running, revealing her long legs. It's adorable…

Sadly, the object of her adoration is not me, or her owner, but the spark of aether alone.

"What's wrong with her?" Val follows in her pet's wake.

"Oh no, she's perfectly fine." I try to reassure the worried parent. "She just understands more than you." I crouch low and let the speck of aether float down to Alwi. "Perhaps it's even easier to explain this way…"

The owlet dances around the purple spark, coos, and rubs against it affectionately. From Val's perspective, it might look like her darling is suddenly enamored with thin air, but in my eyes, there's something much more going on here.

The spark of aether seems to resonate with Alwi's voice. Even though it's entirely my creation, the power and spirit recognize each other, proving my theory on what I might be able to create.

"You see, your gift was a spirit." I glance up at Val, pitying her a little for being left out. "Turns out the world isn't only made of mana and matter… Although it's hard to say for sure right now what it is. Your reward was her." I nod at the owlet. "Mine was… answers, I guess. Or a hint at the very least."

Because without the spark I received back then, I doubt I would have been able to see aether in the first place.

"Huh, and what does it do?" My friend clearly lacks the excitement this world-shattering information represents.

This could cause wars, turn everything we know about mana on its head, perhaps even reconnect us with the spirits… This is huge. And I intend to avoid all that by keeping the lid on this box of trouble sealed as long as possible.

Damion, and perhaps the spirits in general, are curious whether or not the people of Aelion are ready for them. To see if we have matured enough… And I think the answer is no.

Speaking from experience alone, people are just as greedy, scummy, and short-sighted as ever. Sure, the past decades have been relatively peaceful, but this peace feels… fragile.

"We'll do a few tests." I announce, and Valka steps back, looking at me warily. "Not like that. You'll mostly need to… hit me." I sigh.

Her attitude changes instantly.

***

"You weren't supposed to actually hit me!" I repeat myself for the umpteenth time as we make our way to the town. "We were just looking for a reaction!"

"Oh yeah, then why did you hit me back!?" Val looks just as dirty and worn out as me.

We were supposed to take this easy and have fun, but instead, now even our spare uniforms are ruined.

"I was testing if I could delegate the targeting… I forgot to define what a shot is." I hide my smirk because that definitely wasn't a simple mistake.

Perhaps something I can outgrow in the future, but for now, it seems the aether can only follow either very specific or over-simplistic orders. It cannot adapt and… well, that's what my fighting style is centered around, really.

But the shield works. So does armor, self-targeting fireballs, regenerating earth restraints, and even suffocation bubbles… I'm on the right track, I can feel it.

For now, however, we deserve some leisure and pampering. And we need a few new sets of uniforms. And a few materials, and a new cute bag, and a cape… That was cool, I need one.

Our first destination is a tailor. We look like beggars, and it'd be impossible to enjoy ourselves while getting those certain questioning looks. Dirtying one's hands while exploring the world and sharpening our skills is a given… But we didn't just stop there.

"Welcome, how many I-" The shop clerk is competent enough to understand the situation at a glance.

"Three sets each." I add with a thin smile.

"Of course." The middle-aged gentleman's eyes flash orange, and he circles us once, and twice, before furrowing his eyebrows. "May I suggest another set of attire for this type of… activity?" He gently implies rolling in the dirt.

"After. We'd like to get changed." Val sits down, earning a professionally covered frown.

"And please make the pet wait outside. For hygienic reasons."

"Ah, it's fine." Val knocks on Awlina's feather, making the ring with a nice metallic tune.

"Hoot!" The tiny thing chirps.

"I see." He hesitates as if the two of us weren't dirtier. "The dirt, however-" He mentions it anyway.

"I'll deal with that, don't worry." I wave off his worries and place my pouch on the counter to give weight to my words.

Money talks, as always. So much hassle…

"I'll ready the attires. Four minutes please." The man becomes cooperative all of a sudden, and the two of us are left in the shop.

It's the early afternoon, so we're still before students flood the streets like locusts to throw away their coins. Their parents' coin mostly…

"Bath?" Val asks.

"Bath."

Here, made by my magic, obscured by my magic, pampered by my magic.

***

"Please come again."

We leave, four gold poorer and all the prettier. Why else even have money than to spend it on pampering ourselves?

"Next stop?" I offer Val the right to decide.

"Cakes?" She proposes, and I don't need to be convinced.

Cakes it is.

Since we're still mostly unfamiliar with the town, we follow Valka's nose, acting as our swift guide before the streets fill up. Neither of us is a people person, so the less we're out in the sun and in public places, the better.

"You know…" I wonder out loud as we follow the scent. "Some exams are coming soon."

"Uh-hum." Val is not too talkative.

"And we're doing sort of well with our studies. Maybe we'll need another library dive."

"Uh-hum…"

"I guess I did learn a useful thing or two." I'm being modest. "But… we didn't really make any friends, did we?"

It's the truth. We've been mostly avoiding Adele and Rona and found nobody with similar interests, or friendly, or fun, or who I'd look forward to… I don't know, doing anything with. Man, it's a miracle I even have this many friends to begin with.

"That's because your standard attitude is hostile." Val replies nonchalantly. "I made friends."

Huh?

"You? When? Where?" I stutter. My heart is beating faster than in the midst of a deadly battle, feeling as shocked as when Awli emerged from the metallic ball.

"People were quite friendly in the kitchen when you're open to chit-chat." She shrugs as if it were obvious. Because it isn't… "Or during training. Although I'm usually complimented there for my strength. Or muscles…"

No, this can't be… This is a nightmare. I'm the odd one.

"Oh, we're here!" Val declares, oblivious to my peril.

A homey bakery, oozing with the smell of sugar and fruits. Through the windows, I can already see the armies of pies, and cakes, and cupcakes, and all the goodies… And on the patio is a familiar face paired with a cape.

"No, not here." I grab Val, who's already marching inside.

But that's like a squirrel playing tug-of-war with a bull, even though my Might had increased almost tenfold. It's hopeless, and I'm dragged off my feet with a girly yelp. A battle demon I might be, but raw strength is still a strong contender to any magic.

Sadly, my stumble draws quite a bit of attention. Amused and unwanted.

"What a coincidence. I see you waste no time spending my money." Yvonne points at me with her fork and a mocking smirk.

I might be ridiculously bad at making friends. But enemies…

"I don't believe in coincidences." I turn to leave.

"Who's that?" Val whispers into my ear.

"The girl I almost lost against." I answer, regaining my decorum.

"Ah, The Wench." Valka doesn't even try to keep her voice down.

Indeed, it is The Wench.

"Care to join?" The wench in question offers without a morsel of good intentions behind her gaze.

I really shouldn't… This is supposed to be a happy trip, an innocent trip, a good trip.

"Sure." Val chirps with Awli dancing excitedly on her shoulders. Then she leans closer to me. "See, you do have friends."

Dear Gods, I'm truly alone in this world…

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