19696 The 1st Winter

"Only sixty-two points!?" I tremble with my graded final math exam for the trimester in hand.

I've wasted so many afternoons trying to cram those pesky formulae into my head and understand the correlations between two number we know near damn nothing about.

This is a scam! Who even wants to play a devilish guessing game with numbers just to find out something instead of measuring it, huh? Is this a method of torture or am I the odd one?

Tearing it into pieces would be so easy, it's just paper. Then incinerating all the proof of my failure until not even ashes remain…

"Curse you, Art of Numbers!" I growl on my way out of the lecture hall. "And I still need to deliver my final project for inscriptography…"

Laws of Nature and Mana Theory felt more like classes focused on thinking about thinking. Not even independently, mind you. Just stuff all the widely accepted theories into your head and be on your way.

They didn't serve as the eye-openers I hoped they'd be, especially after discovering aether. Still, understanding the common academic methodology – that is oftentimes vastly different from the wisdom of Savant – did help me get a glimpse into how others treat magic and the world.

And I can't quite explain how light can become solid and how fire can ignite space itself…

"Good thing I have a long lifespan."

My journey back to the dorms goes without a hiccup. I've been traversing these treacherous labyrinths for months now and learned their wicked ways. The general rule is to always look for thicker hallways and keep walking until you find a staircase.

Or jump out of a window. Much faster, far less appreciated.

"Hey, Val!" I burst through the door, making Adele almost faint where she stands. "Sorry. Val, are you packed already?"

It's the day we're moving out for a little over a week to decompress and forget about all the terrible traumas this island holds at bay.

No answer comes. Maybe she's in danger… Okay, she's probably just sleeping.

Without a smidgen of concern about flukes like privacy, I slam her door open for ignoring me back to back. Turns out she's awake all right, dressed as well, thankfully, and currently very preoccupied.

"No, Alwi, please put that down." The brute, powerful enough to endure a building collapsing on her and punch through metal, pleads with the tiny bird.

Alwina had grown quite a bit throughout these two or so months. Her size is still tiny, but she has picked up some weight. Her diet mainly consist of cutlery, some scarps I bring back from the workshop and a few pieces of Hadron crystals every now and then.

Thus, she's about as heavy as me while only being the size of a cat.

And now very cat-sized owl is holding a piece of Valka's assignment in her beak, sitting atop her wardrobe and looking quite smug. The interesting thing about Alwi is that each of her feathers is basically a blade to complement her already deadly talons and sharp beak.

Now, this isn't a healthy environment for paper.

"Please, whatever you need, just give that back to Mommy." Valka is on the edge of tears, begging like never before.

Well, if she's the mother, then I'm the cool aunt.

I lift a finger and form a spark of aether in the air, shining purple for only my eyes to see. Mine and the cute metal spirit that is Alwi. Everything and everyone ceases to exist in her simple world as she drops her toy and flies right at me.

Val snatches both her and the paper out of the air at the speed of thought. "You're my savior." She thanks me with the metal owlet flailing wildly in her arm.

Still, because I am a cool aunt, I do bring the spark of aether closer to my little precious for her to cuddle. Maybe it's like warmth to her or like the thing with moths and light… Don't know, probably won't ever find out, but I don't mind wasting a little mana every now and then.

"So, packed already?" I ask for the third time.

"All done. Just need to deliver this, and I'm good to go." She answers with large bags under her eyes.

The result of playing with your pet for days and neglecting your task until the very last minute. It's her thesis on the behavior of beasts. Considering Valka's living environment for most of her life, as well as our adventures, she's more than well-armed to form a proper opinion on the matter.

And yet, getting herself to get the task done is the hard part.

"Yeah, same." I roll my neck. "So, is it a race?"

"Oh, you bet." Val has already read my mind and dumps Alwi in the wardrobe. "Loser has to…"

"One task, almost anything." I put the stake ridiculously high from the start.

Val licks her lips and sighs in delight. "How could I say no?"

Her destination is on the fifth floor of the main building, mine is almost on the other side of the island. By any means, it is a fair contest.

I grab my pocket-sized hair dryer, and Val folds her precious work of many grueling hours in preparation for our last match of the trimester. Healthy competition is the heart of growth of whatnot…

We share a glance and nod, taking off as one.

Val immediately grabs my collar and tosses me back into my room. I, on the other hand, draw all the water from our kitchenette and freeze the entirety of her lower body. Neither of us complains, neither of us hesitates, and neither of us expected a clean race from the start.

"At least get out of the dorm before you destroy anything!" Adele raises a very fair concern.

"Ceasefire." I declare, and Val agrees.

***

I lost.

My initial plan had relied on my superior speed when I take flight, and it would've held if not for two significant factors. Firstly, the professors doing the grading were somewhat preoccupied today with my fellow students postponing the closing task until the last minute.

I know, my bad, but that in itself would've been fine.

More important than that, the snow is quite thick today due to generous snowfall last night, which helped Val tremendously. Instead of running back down the stairs, she simply jumped from the fifth floor.

Yeah, just like that, from a height that would kill me without a doubt… She did break an arm and three ribs, but who cares? She won Gods damnit.

"You're late." Victor greets us.

He and every other cadet sent by the Fist had already gathered near the bridge, preparing for departure. I tend to forget these kids are orphans – nearly all of them – and don't have parents waiting to pick them up.

Speaking of…

Just past the glorious gates separating this island of wisdom from the rest of the city, I see Mom – most likely standing on Dad's shoulder – and waving at us wildly. Bless her heart, I've missed her too.

"Any plans for the week?" I ask the three on our way out.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Kayla giggles. "Secret."

"Secret?"

"Do you need the word spelled or written?" August opens his mouth needlessly.

"Yeah, sort of." Victor nods. "You had your adventures and opportunities to grow without us. So now is our turn to catch up." He rubs his hands. "Levels, coin, and tales to tell."

That's… putting it very generously and optimistically. I mean, sure, Val and I did just that for almost an entire year and came back with everything the young heart desires. But man, it was full of struggle and danger, and I wouldn't go out of my way to repeat most of it.

We were lucky, I'd say.

"And you expect us to do what exactly while you're having fun? Sit on our asses and wait?" Val asks with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

Victor's mouth curves into a wicked smile. "Oh, they don't know yet."

Kayla giggles like a little maniac. "They don't know."

We keep demanding an explanation as the wave of students yearning for freedom slowly pushes through to no avail. We can't resolve to torture out in public, and the power of spite – for quite a number of reasons, if I'm honest – is far stronger than our camaraderie.

Val and I remain without answers, yet with hope in our hearts with some well-deserved rest ahead of us.

"Hey Mom, Dad…" I chirp when we get close enough. "And Martha?"

What the hell is she doing here? Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted to see her, but rarely does she have the free time to travel as far as Sereban with dozens of students to tend to.

"Sweeties!" Mom yanks us both into a bear hug and lifts us from our feet – even though Val is almost taller than her now. "How are my pretties? Healthy? Happy? Any boys?" She makes her eyebrows do a little dance.

We just sigh – try to fight the blush in a losing battle – and enjoy the moment. Dad joins, even Martha joins, and we spend a special moment, reunited after only three months. It wasn't long or difficult, and it won't be the last time I spend so long away from my parents… But hey, it's good to get that specific, irreplaceable hug every now and then.

"And who's this?" Dad asked, eyeing Alwi curiously.

Thankfully, Val and I were prepared and had a lengthy talk about how to deal with this question. We agreed that my parents deserve some trust and that they would never do anything to harm us, and that sort of includes Martha as well, although her allegiance to the Fist might be a little too strong.

Anyway, in the end, we decided to keep things under the rug.

It's a big thing, and keeping secrets is a big no no… but after what professor Hamliton shared with us about the spirits and the enforced secrecy surrounding them, we decided not to risk it.

Alwi is a special metal owl that Val won in a bet. We know next to nothing about the little thing… and that's about it. It's a paper-thin lie, yet not completely untrue either. There really is very little we understand about spirits.

Thus, we walk and lie.

To cover up for the dirt, we also enthusiastically share whatever wonders we've learned and the people we've gotten to know. My parents were never truly concerned about our academic qualifications as much as they feared for our social skills. Especially mine, as I've learned.

Yet, as our walk goes on and stuff to talk about begins to dry up, a question unavoidably surfaces.

"So Martha, what brings you here?" I ask with a snack in hand.

Begging, as my nose demands, is my specialty.

"Is it wrong for me to come and visit my favorite students?" She tries to sweet-talk her way through the question. An ominous sign.

"Martha, you're old. Three months is basically nothing to you." I say without a morsel of malice. "So what is it?"

The fact that neither Mom nor Dad scolded me for my manners means they agree. Just saying…

"That's awfully rude of you…" Martha sighs and rolls her eyes. "But I do have a job for the two of you. One you will absolutely despise but are not allowed to refuse."

"Is it long and dangerous?" I ask, and Martha shakes her head. "Out in the wilds?" Headshake again. "Escort mission?" An absolute nightmare from what I've heard.

Yet judging by the look on Martha's face, I've missed again.

"You weren't exactly around last year, and we do know every kid of ours would go into hiding to avoid this…" I really don't appreciate where this is going. "But the two of you have been far too eyecatching, you see. There's no way we can justify your absence from the gala."

"The what?"

"Dance, drinks, snacks, frilly dresses, lots of people…" Mom describes hell in many words.

"A social gathering to flaunt wealth – and more importantly, talent – among neighbouring countries." Martha does not beat around the bush anymore, rubbing her forehead. "Let's forget about your Blessings for a moment… It's almost like the two of you went around to purposefully wreak as much havoc as possible. Turning into a comet, breaking the strength record for first-years, dominating the practice, acting like a living lab rat and enjoying it, jumping out of windows, frequenting the Den… Should I go on?"

"What Den?" Mom catches on.

"Nothing!" The hag and I answer simultaneously.

"So what are you saying? That the Gods have decreed, and there's nothing we can do?" I absolutely refuse to go to a noble social gathering to be the exhibition material.

"Almost. It's an order from the Commander and a formal request from the Imperial Court. Consider it part of your tuition fee for all I care. So suck it up and work on your manners! " Martha yawns, fishing out her pocket watch and checking our surroundings. "Meet me in the Crown Nest tomorrow morning. We'll have to travel south and should be back by the end of the week."

No… No, this can't be. I don't want any of that attention and shine.

"Can't you just bring the others who joined along with us this year?" I look for a way out desperately. "They wanted this, the eyes on them, the fame and possibilities. They deserve it so-"

"Eli, don't act like you pity them because, unlike you, I do! All my students are precious in my eyes." My mentor raises her voice. "They were stripped of this opportunity because the two of you were the best, because your teamwork was awful, and because with both of you competing, they'd be doomed to mediocrity. They were denied the limelight despite their hard work, but it was necessary, and I supported the decision!" There's a tinge of anger in her eyes. "This conversation is over! I'll see you tomorrow!"

My mentor storms off without as much as another word or glancing back. The wind visibly nudges the people in her way aside to carve their lady a path, and I consider myself lucky to walk off without getting struck by lightning.

Martha was right, though… I care very little about the efforts and dreams of anyone I consider unimportant. Whether those cadets succeed or not, I couldn't care less. What I do hold dear is my free time, after months, with my parents, hopefully spent adventuring and away from any responsibility.

"Well, that shortened our timetable from eleven days to eleven hours." Mom sums up our situation perfectly. "We planned a fine dinner for tonight and some adventuring for the coming days but…"

"Yeah, that's clearly off the table." Dad tries to keep up the facade.

It's clear the mood is very much ruined already.

"Let's just go for a walk, eat, and talk all night." I propose. "We'll sleep enough in the carriage, and I can confidently say we're pros at pulling all-nighters."

"Or we could come along…" Mom proposes shamelessly. Everyone gives her a weird look. "Okay, fine, it was just a suggestion. But what was that Den you talked about?" My dear mother touches upon a delicate subject.

Now I'm no longer looking forward to this dinner…

***

"So where we goin'?" We stumble into the lobby of the Crown Nest, the heart of local Fist authority, looking groggy and lifeless.

We haven't slept a wink, not this night or the previous one. Attributes can only do miracles to an extent, and we're clearly pushing their limits. Haphazardly packed bags, bloodshot eyes, and messy hair tell tales of how much we care.

At least Awli looks cute, sleeping on Valka's shoulder.

"Gods, you both look awful." Martha doesn't mince her words, flanked by a bunch of other officers all dressed to impress. "Come, we'll wait in the carriage while our travel documents get arranged."

Couldn't they have done that in advance? And what happened to answering my question?

Little sleep makes me extra sassy, and now is not the time to run my mouth and get into trouble. Not when I'm gonna be locked in a carriage with Martha for hours upon hours. So with all my willpower fighting back the flood of insolence, all I can do is wobble back onto the road and flop into our ride.

Every minute- almost every minute spent with my parents was precious, so I regret nothing.

The world goes dark for the next few minutes before I notice someone climbing into the carriage. I probably dozed off. Val is still sprawled out on the floor, so there is a very strong contender as to what happened.

Looking out of the window, however, I notice trees and a clear skyline without the endless sea of roofs and chimneys.

"How long?" I mutter.

"A little under an hour." Martha peels the slumbering brute off the floor gently. "I felt generous and walked along the carriage for a while, but my patience knows limits."

She… Oh, that's a lot of walking.

"Why did they even send you? Were the guys already in Sereban too stupid?" I wipe the saliva off my face and sit up.

Faster than I can react, Martha flicks my forehead. "Watch your mouth when talking about your superiors!" She sits Val down beside me. "And it's because of the two of you. Valka usually follows your lead, and everyone knows it is I who has tamed the little devil."

Yes, yes, very funny. I'm not that difficult to deal with.

"So, where?" I repeat myself. After about an hour.

"South, to Mythralis. It's time for their yearly exhibition and academic conference." Martha pulls a book out of thin air and opens it at a marker. "Lots of big shots are looking for the newest thing and sizing up the competition. Every year, it's less and less about research, instead focused on the funds and alliances."

"And we're part of the exhibition?" It's a little obvious.

"We'd appreciate it if you could rub some elbows, but that'd be delusional of us." She looks up from her read with flat eyes. "And you might meet the interesting ones from other schools around the continent."

Probably a bunch of nobles. Not to mention the language barrier…

"I doubt you'd find the inscription exhibit-"

"The what?!" My eyes snap open. "Drive faster!"

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