“Demund! Let’s go!”
“Coming!” called Demund, peeking out of his window. Riley and Rhyne were waving at him from the car.
Upon hearing his friends call his name, he grabbed the backpack he had packed before and hung it over his shoulders. Making sure nothing was missing, he looked over his pockets again, making sure all the items he needed were present. It would only be one day of staying over, but it would be his first camping trip in a long time. He had to make the best out of it.
Before heading downstairs, Demund took one last look at his algae samples. They were mature now and full of life. While their appearance hadn’t changed at all on the outside, Demund could sense the plentiful mana when he probed over the organisms.
To the side of his table, traces of his experiments could be seen on various pieces of paper with numerous markings on them. Just like Demund had thought, the spells of the other world could not be replicated here, but there were many other reactions he had been able to produce.
He smiled. When he returned from his trip, this was something he could look forward to. But now was the time to have fun with his friends.
〄 〄 〄
Time had passed very quickly for Demund—one peaceful month where no one had bothered him with petty actions. It was likely due to the big tests that had taken place before the break; the students didn’t have time to spend on someone else.
It had been relatively easy for Demund. While the results had yet to be announced, there hadn’t been a single question he hadn’t known. Circulating during exams felt like a superpower in itself, sort of like Riley’s ability to maintain a clear mind. The more he used it, the better it became. The better it became, the higher he scored on his tests—though they were already perfect.
It felt like a dream. Him getting perfect scores on everything?
“Whatcha thinking about?”
Demund turned his head to Rhyne’s cheerful eyes and shrugged.
“Sorry. I was spacing out.”
“You can sleep if you want. We still have an hour until we get there.”
There were four seats in total within the self-driven vehicle. Each seat could he bent back for the passenger to sleep in, in one which Riley was quietly snoring away. Demund had been accustomed to Enariss’s automated car, but he had still been surprised at the comfortable features Rhyne’s car possessed.
Though nothing surprised him more than the fact that his friends had personal cars they could drive around. Sure, it wasn’t really theirs, and sure, they weren’t really driving it, but there weren’t any guardians with them. For this moment, it was Rhyne’s property. He had the keys.
Demund’s family only had one car that his father drove around. An automated car was out of their price range.
Just the idea of him being friends with these incredibly rich kids was surreal.
“Yeah. Guess I’ll do that. This button, right?”
“Uh-huh. I’ll wake you guys up when we arrive. Or actually, wanna play a game with me?”
“Game?”
“Yeah. Here, come to the front seat.”
Rhyne pressed a few buttons and a small steering wheel unfolded from the plastic surface. A large screen popped up at the front, bearing the words, ‘Zanados Extreme Road.’
After reaching into an opening to the side, Rhyne handed Demund some earplugs.
“It’s a racing game. You press A to accelerate and B to brake or drift.”
“This is so cool.”
“Eh. If you play it every morning, it becomes boring. So, which stage do you want to play?”
“Let’s play the one with the rainbows.”
“Oof. You picked a hard stage.”
The game began, and Demund tried his best to keep up with the other players with the controller he wasn’t so familiar with. There had been some racing games in Jothan’s house, but none that were as lifelike as this one. The controls felt foreign to his hands, but he was getting better.
How long had it been since he placed his hands on a game? The experience was a strange one.
Rhyne was a master of the road. Every turn he made was a perfect one, and every drift translated perfectly into the shortest time possible for the car to make on the track. Demund knew that Rhyne played many games, but he hadn’t actually seen him play much, except during study sessions where he would go on his device for a few minutes.
“You’re using your power, aren’t you,” Demund complained. “You’re too good at this I’m a novice.”
“It’s called practice, my friend,” replied Rhyne with a toothy grin. “And…a little bit of luck.”
“Alright, then. I guess I’ll unleash my power.”
“Oho? Let’s see about that.”
Concentrating on the screen, Demund began to circulate. He had completely lost the first three matches with Rhyne being in first place, but things would be different now. There was a certain nimbleness that bloomed into his nerves, and his fingers began to command the controller with a fresh kind of lucidity.
Break here, twist the handle. Accelerate behind the opponent, overtake them with a drift…
The heat of battle seeped into Demund’s consciousness. The thought processes that Lytha had drilled into him took manifested into his muscles, turning and driving with precision.
He could win.
“Seven – zero!” Rhyne announced at the end of the final game. “Wow, dude. You improved a lot. From last place to third.”
Honestly, Demund was startled he had lost to a bot. Then again, he had agreed to play on Rhyne’s level, since the other modes were too boring (according to him).
He was exhausted from circulating so intently, worn out from being unable to defeat his friend even once.
“You’re too good,” sighed Demund. “Too good.”
“Well, I do play it a lot…”
It had been fun, and that was enough. They would have played more, but Rhyne realized that they were close to their destination and woke Riley up. The large screen was retracted into the car, and the three friends opened the windows to let some fresh air rush in.
All around them, thickets of lush green and yellow covered the ground, signaling the bloom of autumn. They yelled out of the car at some passing animals, waving at them as they grew smaller in the distance. Soon, the car began to slow down, finally entering a fenced area labeled,
‘Tanza Green Lake.’
“We come here every year,” said Rhyne, remembering the past. “There’s few people here in October, and the Lake’s really clean to swim in. There’s no internet, though. The signal’s pretty weak.”
“The whole point of the trip is to take a break from electronics, remember?” said Riley, taking in a deep breath of nature. “Since you play games so much.”
Rhyne yawned. “I remember when Rhon came with us. And he dunked us in the lake.”
“I hated that.”
“And he put bugs in our tents.”
“Didn’t you cry then?”
“What? Never.”
“No, I remember. And then Rhon apologized to you since you were crying so much.”
“Never happened.”
Rhon was Riley’s brother who had recently graduated from TISE High. Demund had seen him a few times at Riley’s house when he had gone over, but they hadn’t spoken much. Hearing his friends talking about the past wasn’t a pleasant feeling, and maybe he was moody for being left out.
What was he to gain from feeling jealous? He’d take it as an opportunity to know more about his friends. They weren’t neglecting him; he was part of their group, their conversation.
“There are bugs here?” gasped Demund.
“Oho, of course. But we came prepared this time! Hey Riley, you brought the bug spray, right?”
“The bug spray.”
“Yes.”
“Oh. The bug spray. Wait a moment.”
Riley reached behind his seat for his bag, unzipped it, and began to rummage through its contents. It was a good two minutes before he got up with a nervous grin on his face.
“I forgot it.”
“Ahhhh. They’re going to bite me again,” Rhyne groaned.
The car came to a stop at a parking area and announced the end of their journey. The boys retrieved their bags and jumped outside, feeling the earth with their tired legs from traveling for two hours. After storing the keys safely into Rhyne’s pocket, they began to travel up a soft road into the trees and their leaves.
It wasn’t anything special for Demund, who had seen the various wonders the world had to offer. But walking along with his friends, limited by his body, laughing and talking all the way up the dirt road—it was a fresh feeling. He felt freer, despite the limitations of his missing leg.
He felt more like himself.
“Here we are!” announced Rhyne with a beam. “The perfect camping spot!”
“It took us hours to find it last time,” said Riley. “That guy was so intent on finding the perfect—”
“At least I found it. Tell me it was worth it.”
“Of course it was worth it.”
The pair gave each other high fives, and Demund shared their joy. It was a beautiful place.
It was a flat opening overlooking the clear lake, with tree stumps to act as seats littered around. The trees protected their heads from the sun, though not as much as to make them feel cold.
“Alright, boys. Let’s set up camp and explore. There’s so many things to see.”
They took out their equipment and began to set up camp. Riley’s family-sized tent was a big one, enough to fit five people, and he had specially borrowed it from his dad for the occasion. It was a bit low, but since it would only be used for sleeping, it posed no problem.
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The three proudly gazed upon their completed residence that had taken them forty minutes to set up. The screws were holding the structure firmly to the ground, and though many mistakes had been made along the way, it was completed.
“Dude, it has windows,” whistled Rhyne, unzipping the tent from the inside.
“And a porch,” commented Demund, eyeing the tent hungrily. If only he had had this during his two years with Lytha, it would have been so much more comfortable.
“Pretty cool, isn’t it?” said Riley, obviously intent on bragging. But it seemed like his ability kicked in since he began to unpack the other items. The other two followed his example, and within an hour, everything—the water, the cups, the folding table, the portable electronic heater, the gas stoves, a pan and pot for food, the ingredients, etc.—were set up.
“We’re just missing the bug repellent.”
“Let’s hope for the best.”
“I have an idea,” suggested Demund. “What if we make our own bug repellent? I’ve tried before, and it works.”
“Self-made bug repellent?”
“I guess we know what we’re doing first today.”
There was just something that clicked within the three of them. Demund was happy.
〄 〄 〄
While the bug-repellant turned out to be sort of a failure (it did chase away the bugs, but the smell was too horrible for them to bear), they had a good laugh while taking a swim in the crystal-clear lake. But finding the water becoming too cold for their skin, they came out sooner than expected. The time was around five by then. Riley and Rhyne assisted Demund when coming out of the lake, helping him dry first so he could equip his leg faster.
They each took their roles in preparing dinner. Demund was in charge of lighting the campfire, Riley was in charge of the cooking using the gas stove, and Rhyne would prepare his special cocktail drinks while also helping out Riley. Demund finished quicker than he expected, so he helped set the plates and cooking utensils for them to use.
Dinner consisted of some cooked ham, boiled eggs with salt, fried bread, and roasted sausages cooked over the campfire. The sun was setting now, slowly taking away the light in the forest.
Now, only the crackling of the fire filled the vicinity.
“So peaceful,” muttered Rhyne, leaning back on his mat. He swatted away a mosquito. “I already have three bites.”
“I have four,” rebutted Riley.
“Hey, the marshmallows are melting,” observed Demund.
They all took their sticks away from the fire and stuck their marshmallows into their biscuits, relishing the melting chocolate. Rhyne had brought enough wet wipes to clean a house, so sticky fingers would not be a problem.
“It’s a little scary, don’t you think?” he remarked. “You never know what hides behind those trees. There might be monsters, who knows.”
“You’ve been playing too many games,” joked Riley. “It’s getting in your head.”
“Hmph. But don’t you ever wonder? If there are superpowers, there must be monsters or supervillains that superheroes fight against. But we never see them on the news. They aren’t celebrities, and if they are fighting crime, they aren’t being recognized.”
“Maybe there are monsters. They’re just being contained.”
Rhyne looked at Demund. “Oh, I know. At the Islands.”
“There you go again. He thinks that the place is a fight-to-the-death kind of zone.”
“But what if?”
“Then we would know about it, wouldn’t we? I mean, there are hundreds of thousands of people living there. You’re telling me not one of them has uploaded something on the internet?”
True. Why didn’t people know? And were written messages like the one Jothan had sent him excluded?
“Maybe we’re part of a huge conspiracy.”
“It’s a great one, then. We’re living pretty peacefully.”
Demund munched into his snack and savored the sweetness of the sugars.
“Why do we even have powers, anyway?”
“It’s what we were born with. You’re saying, ‘why were we born with arms?’”
“But there are people who aren’t born with powers. This could be an evolutionary thing.”
“There’s so many different types of powers, though.”
“Hmm…this makes my head hurt.”
Eventually, when the snacks were finished, Riley fetched some cards from his bag for them to play with. Demund learned the rules on the spot and managed to score a few points later into the game, and when they grew bored of one thing, they switched to another.
“Truth or Dare,” asked Riley to Rhyne.
“Um…dare.”
“I dare you to do a handstand for three seconds.”
“Easy.”
Rhyne immediately placed his hands on the ground and balanced his body with his arms, wiggling in the air for a good five seconds before almost crashing down.
“Whew! My turn. Truth or Dare?”
“I’ll go with truth.”
“Alright. Are you still planning on confessing to Enariss?”
Something popped in the fire, sparking embers into the sky, fading into nothingness.
* * *
Last Friday, the fourth of October, the 82nd Sports Tournament had taken place. It had been a day full of excitement and energy, and everyone had been eager to participate.
Consequently, the final tests had been moved to the third of October. A Thursday, and also Demund’s birthday. His friends had remembered, and they had gone to eat at a small noodle shop; Demund had bought the food while his friends had given him presents. A stylish pen set from Enariss and a bag of clothes from Rhyne and Riley along with a neat-looking jacket. They probably didn’t approve of his bland style of clothing.
He had never received such expensive presents before, not even from Jothan. While he had gifted them on their birthdays, he couldn’t help but feel the chasm of quality. Their lifestyles were…drastically contrasting.
How was he even friends with these three?
So the next day, when the winners were being announced, when the MVPs took their place on the stands and the crowds cheered for them, when Demund had to watch his friends celebrate while he stood amongst strangers, not picked for any event because he was a cripple—
It had felt bad. Very bad. The teams were randomized, and he had pulled the short end of the straw. He had felt sick to the stomach, head aching, and despite all the sound around him, his senses had been numb, unable to move.
A sudden realization had pierced through his skull into his brain like a bullet. Without his friends, he was—
He was lonely. The three friends he had could leave him at any moment. If he were to fail at anything, his existence would be useless to them.
They hadn’t told him that. No one had. But he had seen it. Shaden had experienced it. The rich mingled with the rich, and the poor with the poor. They each kept to their spheres of life, and that was how it was. You didn’t see the wealthy in roadside taverns, nor did you see beggars in fancy restaurants.
He didn’t take his thoughts to heart since he was always overthinking.
But what if?
There was a possibility of abandonment. How long would these sweet moments last? What would he do if he lost it? A single mistake was all it would take. A present that did not meet standards, a careless remark. Riley and Rhyne were tightly knit together, and Enariss was the queen of the school.
He had stuffed everything inside, deep within his mind and had locked them up. This was doing more harm than good.
But what if?
* * *
“No. Not anymore,” replied Demund.
“Why? You had a great plan and all.”
Riley threw a worried look at Rhyne but remained silent.
“She might reject me, and who’d want to date a cripple?” Demund joked. “Besides, it’d become awkward between the four of us.”
“True,” Rhyne agreed. “Hey, can you guys wait for a sec? I need to go take a leak.”
Stretching his body, Rhyne got up from his tree stump and headed out into the trees with his phone flashlight. It was only Demund and Riley now.
It was a silent evening.
“You probably realized it, right?” Riley uttered carefully. began
“Rhyne likes Enariss,” he bluntly replied. “He makes it too obvious.”
“Yep…”
“I don’t mind. Besides, I think of her as a good friend. She probably thinks the same of me as well.”
Traveling with Eilae and Lytha for so long had opened his mind somewhat. Perhaps he had developed a kind of misinterpretation-immunity through his companions. Or maybe it was a constant circulating he did that cleared his mind.
“I won’t make a good boyfriend either. What will we do—study all day long?”
“Could work.”
Demund snorted. “Rhyne can do whatever he wants. I just want us to stay as friends, that’s all.”
Maybe it was because he sounded a little sad, but Riley leaned forward and gave him a pat on the back. When Demund looked up at his friend, Riley gave him a warm smile.
“He’s not that insensitive.”
“I don’t mind. I have more important things to focus on.”
“Like studying?”
“What else?”
“Crazy guy. I’d be bored out of my mind.”
“I have my dreams.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that.”
Just as Riley finished his sentence, Rhyne returned with a satisfied look.
Demund scratched his head. He had never actually told anyone about it in detail, only as a passing remark or an explanation for his actions.
“What’s up, guys?”
“Do you guys mind if I tell you a story?” said Demund. “It’s a long story.”
“Ooh, I like stories. What kind?”
“A biography,” he answered with a grin.
The night was long, and the campfire crackled tirelessly.
〄 〄 〄
A busy restaurant.
Again, Shaden was back at the lavish setting he had become adjusted to. Before his nose was a fancy plate filled with steaming meat of a kind of deer beast, carefully prepared into generous slices and garnished with pepper, a red sauce, and some green leaves with a refreshing aftertaste.
He was in the presence of his companions, who were likewise enjoying their meal with excellent control over their silverware. It was almost New Year’s, so they weren’t holding back on their expenses.
“It’s approaching the first anniversary since we began the trip,” began Lytha. “You only have seven months until your birthday.”
“Times flies by quickly,” Shaden replied, chewing on the tender meat.
“By now, wouldn’t you feel homesick? How about you, Eilae?”
“I certainly miss my family,” admitted Eilae.
“You do call their names in your dreams,” chuckled Shaden. “You must miss them a lot.”
The girl threw him a glare, to which he averted his gaze.
“A-anyway! She’s correct.”
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence before Lytha spoke again.
“Would you like to visit your family, Shaden? Once the time comes for your birthday celebration, you won’t be able to see them for a good five years.”
Shaden stopped the fork in midair and lowered it.
“I didn’t hear of this.”
“Now I am telling you.”
Closing her eyes, Lytha shook her head slowly while crossing her arms.
“Your existence breaks tradition. If you had been raised in Skotos, I’d have an easier time taking care of you. That’s why I’ve decided to give you a choice.”
“Sounds like a big deal.”
“It is. The seven months that remain; will you spend them with your family, or will you continue to travel around the world?”
“That’s easy. I’d—”
Lytha raised a hand.
“Think carefully before you speak. The last months before your celebration were to be spent visiting the four houses, letting them know of your presence. That way you will have an easier time to find them during the five years.”
“What do you mean?”
“No one will guide you once you turn ten. You will have to travel to the Houses alone.”
“How about Eilae?”
“I happen to be bound to you until your tenth birthday,” she answered.
“As she said. We have…a few days until the new year. Consider it carefully.”
“It can’t possibly be that serious. How far away are the families anyway?”
“The Nieuts are located in Bughast. It’ll take four months to get there, and another three to return to Skotos.”
“You’re kidding. Why didn’t we go see them before?”
His tutor smiled.
“I utterly forgot that you had a family.”
Shaden put down his utensils and cleared his throat with a glass of water. The answer was simple.
“I’ll stay with my family.”
“Are you sure? You will have a difficult time locating the Houses.”
“But five years? I can’t not see them for five years. That’s just ridiculous. Besides, how hard could it be to find them? I could find Eilae’s place easily.”
“Our place is easy to find,” agreed Eilae.
Their tutor didn’t look satisfied. But she uncrossed her arms and continued to eat.
“You’re talented, Shaden. Just don’t regret your decision. But knowing you, you’ll do fine.”
“I won’t.”
Their next course of action had been set.
〄 〄 〄
When Demund returned home from his camping trip, he was glad to find that his bottles of algae were safe and sound by his window. They looked even greener than before, thickly concentrated in patches.
His five bottles had multiplied into eleven during the previous month, giving him some room to breathe in case he messed up. While the creatures would lose mana if left unattended for too long, the process of deterioration had decreased immensely, to the point where Demund was sure the samples would retain their mana-inducing properties even when left isolated for two weeks.
He had roughly nine days left until he would have to submit his project, including his reports.
Demund unscrewed one of the bottles and poured some of the algae on his hand over a bucket. He could only feel the mana when he circulated and the samples were on his skin, but it was better than nothing.
The first property of mana. When a magic spell was directly applied to it, it would act as a fuel, latching on to the source until it ran out.
With his right hand, Shaden conjured a small flame on the tip of his finger. Once he had felt the flow of the mana, reproducing the spell had been simple. It was just the process that had been so excruciating. Slowly, he moved the fire to his left hand where the clump of algae was and pressed his finger into the sample.
He transferred the weave of magic into the algae.
Slowly but surely, the flame began to spread on top of the sample, causing Demund to drop it into the bucket.
He had succeeded in causing a spell-induced mana reaction.
Magic crystals were delicate items. Like hydrogen, a simple spell could set off a chain reaction that wouldn’t cease until all of the energy was consumed. Likewise, Shaden had used the mana within the algae as a substitute for a crystal, causing it to burn as a crystal would (though on a much weaker level).
His initial reaction to the knowledge had been, “Wait, if all living creatures possess mana, then can’t you set fire to anything with a spell?”
“There comes the wonder of magic,” Pleid had explained. “Minute organisms such as algae cannot resist the spell of the caster. They are alone, composed of themselves. They cannot think or make sense of their surroundings. But, my boy, larger creatures possess a mind. They can resist the spell purely by will and emotion.”
“Mana is linked with emotion?” Shaden had asked. “That doesn’t sound very intellectual.”
“It is the unconsciousness linked to the emotion. Magic is construction, and a turbulent mind causes destruction. The spell is quickly broken in the stream of power within the victim. Organisms unable to resist simply burn away.”
But small organisms usually didn’t possess mana since they lacked the capacity to store it unless constantly provided with a source. Therefore, the danger of there being an accident was very low.
The deeper he delved into magic, the more complex it became. Just like photosynthesis. One moment, you are told that the chlorophyll absorbs sunlight—and the next moment, you learn about Photosystems I and II, with II being first, paired with the various proteins and electron transport chains that carry energy into the ATP Synthase so ATP can be produced…
“This is only the beginning,” Pleid had laughed after seeing Shaden’s confusion.
The algae continued to burn, but Demund could only watch as the island of algae floated around in the bucket of water. Once a reaction had been set, the spell couldn’t be stopped unless the fuel was completely removed, or an opposite reaction was set. Like a gas that was set aflame, unable to be stopped, it continued to burn.
In just a few seconds, the light faded away. Magic was a dangerous thing. Incantations provided safety, but chantless magic that could be applied directly to the fuel—was very, very dangerous.
“Whew.”
This was only his first experiment. He had many more to replicate.