“Last call for Arkham.” A female voice said over the intercom.

Rushing through the station, a person in a white long coat was weaving through the crowd of people. Screeching to a halt, Espoir made it to the right terminal.

“We should have left earlier…” Aria said, catching her breath. She was wearing a shoulder-length black hooded cloak accented with silver around the trim of the hood. Underneath she had on a white blouse with black suspenders and navy skirt with dark leggings. Espoir had misread the time they were supposed to leave Ashmore, so they had rushed across the city.

The booth operator eyed the duo before sighing. “You’re lucky the ship hasn’t left yet. Please show up earlier next time.” Punching their tickets, She opened the gate for them. “Enjoy your trip to Arkham.”

Walking to the boarding platform Espoir let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad I didn’t have to sneak on again.”

“For a grimoire user, you don’t do a good job hiding yourself.” Aria said bluntly.

“I don’t hide.” He countered. “Plus It’s not my fault their fives look like eights…” Espoir mumbled.

Their destination, Arkham, is the largest city in Albion. Espoir has a contact there that could point them in the direction of Aria's family. Espoir also uses them for information regarding grimoire users and Eldritch sightings. His associate was the one who sent him to Ashmore in the first place.

Walking onto the platform, a large behemoth composed of metal and dark wood towered over them. The multi-story ship had large metal propellers strutting out of its side wings. A large black propeller was connected to the back of the ship.

Aria stared at the airship with fascination. Espoir looked over, seeing her reaction. In the short time he’d known her, this was the first time he’d seen her eyes that lively. He only recalled how dull and darkened they’d been when they first met. Seeing them filled with that kind of wonder was a stark contrast.

Her country is also smaller than Albion. It makes sense this would be her first time seeing something like this. Easenna primarily used trains and ferries for travel, so air travel must be different for Aria.

Air travel was used in Albion due to the country's size and being low cost. Albion also used ships and trains, but those were mostly for commercial transport.

“How come the propellers are disconnected?” Aria asked, as they walked towards the deck. “They must have a fuel source of some kind, even Magic requires a cost. Yet, they seemed to turn on their own.”

“They run on their own." Espoir answered. “Each set of propellers has a series of gears connecting them. A large center gear turns a series of smaller ones. The small gears then slowly cause the middle gear to move in a circle. It works like how the sun pulls the planets. Technically, these gears would go on forever, which is why they start and stop using chroma shards as a source.” Espoir only knew this information because his master made him learn about it as a kid.

As the ship prepared to take off, Espoir felt a pair of eyes watching him. Looking over his shoulder, he didn't see anyone. He didn’t sense any magic activating near him either. Weird.

Espoir hummed in thought. He figured it would take around two days to go from the eastern province back to Arkham. That meant he would be stuck on this ship for the time being. As the realization set in Espoir groaned in annoyance. "This is going to suck."

If there was one thing Espoir hated, it was being bored.

----------------------------------------

Espoir had no idea how he was going to occupy himself. Over the past few hours he’d explored the entire ship, twice. He also almost fought the ships guards, twice. Although one of the times was because the guards asked if he was a lost child... Fortunately, Aria literally dragged him away before he got them into more trouble.

Standing on the main deck, he looked over the darkening landscape. The sun just over the horizon. Colors of pink and orange filled the sky. Espoir found it pleasant to watch from this high up. I'd try making a new Spell to pass the time but I'm afraid it'll interfere with the ship.

“Stick to the plan.” Someone said. Hiding behind a nearby corner, Espoir decided to eavesdrop, considering he had nothing else to do.

“Once everyone gathers in the dining hall, we’ll make our move. There should be enough rich people to make this worthwhile.” Someone else said.

“If nothing else, we’ll leave the rest to Simon. Should be a good haul.” The other guy said. “Killing them early might make the group obedient. But the boss says to avoid it, never know if there's any military riding.”

“So my hunch wasn’t wrong.” Espoir did feel someone eyeing him back at the station. Whatever they were planning, the group had at least three members, possibly more. Placing his palm on the wooden hull, the wood began to bend back before turning into a perfect sphere. Taking it, Espoir threw it into the air and smashed a nearby window.

“What the hell was that?!”

Espoir quickly ran off in their confusion. I don’t need anyone getting hurt. He needed to make a plan. On the bright side, I have something to do now!

----------------------------------------

“So some people are going to try and rob the ship?” Aria asked, not phased by anything Espoir told her. They were sitting in a spacious dining hall. Alongside them was the of passengers eating their dinner. “I don’t see why you’d want to involve yourself. The ship has guards.”

Espoir sighed as he tilted back in his chair. “It’s not that I want to be involved, I just don’t want people in danger if I can help it. I doubt the guards could handle a group of robbers on short notice. They obviously planned this out so they'd have accounted for them. Seeing as they mentioned not expecting the military, I imagine they researched most of the people on board before coming here.”

Aria gave him an incredulous look. “I thought you said you only do stuff related to grimoires and Eldritch?”

“I said I ‘specialized’ in them. I do other stuff from time to time.” He clarified. “Plus, I don’t want anyone dying if these people decide they want to kill them for whatever they’re robbing.”

“What can I do to help?” Aria asked. Espoir didn't expect Aria to actually help him with this. Truthfully, he hadn’t thought of a way to find the robbers. He only knew what they were doing. “I guess we wait.”

Aria shot him an annoyed look. “Don’t you know what the guys you overheard look like? We could get them right now.” Aria assumed he saw something that might point them in the right direction.

“I didn’t see them!” Espoir exclaimed. “They said they would strike in the dining hall so we could just wait them out here. Not like we'll miss them. I am open to suggestions.”

Aria thought for a moment. They had no descriptions, no information besides the fact that three or so people mentioned robbing the ship, and no way of finding them. “All we can do is wait.” As soon as Aria said that, a loud crash filled the room.

“What was tha-” Suddenly, Espoir felt his hand slam into the table. Looking over it he saw the rest of the dining hall fall onto the floor, unable to move.

My body feels heavy. Like a huge weight is crushing me... The entire hall was rendered immobile as they fell to the floor. Panic and confusion set in for the rest of the passengers as they all started yelling.

“Espoir?”

“I’m working on it.” He said through his teeth. He didn’t want to activate his grimoire for this, it would only draw more attention to them. He'd need to find the source of whatever Spell that was doing this.

“Ladies and gentlemen, do not be alarmed!” A group of robbers stood at the center of the hall. One was a man with short messy blonde hair. He was wearing a simple white button up, suspenders, and black trousers. He had a short curved sword strapped to his back. To his side, a shorter man with circular glasses, neatly combed hair glanced at the room. Between them was a tall, brutish looking man wearing a beige cloak over a black tank top. He had a patchy brown beard with his shaved hair pulled back into a wolf-tail. His body was littered with scars, one of the most prominent was a slash along his check.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“As long as you cooperate you won't be harmed.” The middle-one said with a cocky smile.

Espoir used his aura on his arms to brute-force his way through the gravity. Reaching into his breast pocket, Espoir dropped a piece of chalk. The chalk fell normally, confirming his suspicions. So the ability is limited to people. This made some sense since if it affected the ship then they’d all be dead soon. Closing his eyes, Espoir attempted to think up a solution.

Whoever's doing this had made his partners unaffected by the ability. Espoir could visualize them walking around normally while the rest of the hall was immobile. He could feel something above them emitting a constant wave of aura. So the Spell needs to remain active as part of his condition! The conditions probably required him to be above us to activate. He could be burning through his aura to target the entire room. Espoir assumed it was the former. Wasting that much aura without a proper condition was suicide.

The fundamental law of magic is the rule of cost and conditions.

Whether its using aura to enhance your strength, your speed, or reducing damage. You have to pay a cost to use it. Typically this is done with a mages aura reserves, but the cost can be anything as long as its equal to the effect granted. Aura is just an extension of a person's magic used to power the body. Aura can be used on your body, create barriers, or used on weapons like swords.

All effects granted through aura are equal to the cost. Using aura to increase a blades strength to cut through something will reduce your aura reserves by the amount of aura applied. If someone is unable to properly pay the cost with their aura reserves they will suffer a rebound and be forced to use themselves as the cost. This is why magic users don't keep their aura active all the time and opt to use it in short bursts.

Spell Arts operate on the same principal. Spell Arts are the innate abilities a magic user has ingrained into their magic core. It is a fundamental part of a magic users self and those with a Spell Art can only have the one their born with. Not everyone who has magic gets a Spell Art. Spells are just a heightened ability they create from their Spell Arts ability. In general, the higher the cost of the Spell the stronger it is.

Magic users will create spells with harder conditons to offset the cost for a strong spell. A Spell that creates a fireball would either be very weak due to the simple condition or it would require a larger amount of aura to make it strong. A fireball that can only be used when an enemy is a meter from you will be have a lot more power with a lesser amount of aura required for it due to the strict conditions to activate it.

Even grimoires are bound by these laws. To an extent...

Glancing across the floor, he saw Aria struggling to move. Closing his eyes, Espoir placed a thin barrier over them. Feeling himself able to move normally, he knew he had to act fast before the intruders noticed. Thankfully Espoir and Aria were at the edge of the dining hall, so the robbers wouldn't notice them right away.

“I’m going to deal with the magic user above us.” Espoir said. Grabbing his chalk, he drew a small spell circle underneath the table. “For the time being try to keep contact with the table, it’ll keep the weight off you.”

“Wait? You’re going by yourself?” Aria asked. She assumed it would be easier if they both went.

“You don’t have a weapon.” He said, rather bluntly. “Plus, I get the feeling they’re not concerned with the passengers like that. I’d rather you stay here in case things do go wrong.”

Aria wanted to argue against his plan. While Espoir seemed competent with fighting, considering he dispatched Blackwell and his men with relative ease, she didn’t want to sit by and let him handle everything himself. “I can’t just do nothing!” Aria protested.

Espoir smiled reassuringly. “You’re not 'doing nothing!' Once I dispatch the magic user, I imagine the other guys will be on guard and may try to attack the passengers. If that happens then I’d rather you be here to protect them.”

Aria sighed in defeat, he was unfortunately right about her condition to fight. Begrudgingly, she would let him handle things above. “Fine. I’ll keep an eye here.”

Espoir nodded before leaving. Aria glanced over to see the intruders addressing the rest of the passengers, she found herself alone.

“I hate being this useless.”

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Espoir had used a cloaking spell allowed him blend in with his surroundings. It used a lot of aura, but he'd be fine as long as they didn't sense it. Combined with using his aura to move with the increased gravity, his aura reserves were draining faster than he'd like.

Leaving the dining hall, Espoir deactivated the Spell and broke into a sprint towards the top floor. Rushing up the stairs, he eventually reached a cargo room. Standing in the middle, a man with dark brown hair parted by a pair long bangs glanced at Espoir nonchalantly. He was dressed in a black long coat, a black bodysuit, and dark pants with a gold chain.

Laying beside a crate, a bloody corpse of a guard was in a puddle of blood. Espoirs eyes widened. The guards head looked like it was caved in.

“Oh? I could’ve sworn my ability would’ve rendered everyone unable to move.” He said, his tone showed he was curious about his visitor. Noticing Espoir was looking towards the dead guard, the man rolled his eyes. “Idiot tried to shoot me with his gun.”

“You didn’t need to kill him. What the hell is your guy's plan anyway? You want to rob an airship and then what? We’re thousands of meters in the air, you can’t get away.”

The guy let out a laugh. “Escape? Who said we planned to go to Arkham? We’re going to return to Ashmore. I already got someone else to take out the captain and redirect the ship.”

“Huh?” Espoir had expected him to want to go to Arkham. Considering most black market deals took place in the largest city in the nation. Cracking open the crate, the man threw a crystal at Espoir. It was a light-blue translucent crystal. Espoir felt it radiate in his hands. “Chroma.”

Chroma was a special mineral found in the mountains of Albion and Easenna. It was a key source for the country's infrastructure. Outside of its use as a power source, it was a powerful conductor for magic. Typically the powder made from it was used for weapons to give them elemental effects. Bullets, guns, and airships all used them, although it was reserved for the military.

“This ship has around a hundred crates of them. That alone is enough to set someone up for life if sold on the blackmarket.” The man explained. “I am curious how you were able to leave the dining room so easily. My ability should’ve render you immobile.” Simon was more surprised that anyone would move in that condition. Not only that, he knew his men would’ve noticed someone leaving.

“I’m very good at countering others' magic.” Espoir shrugged, his eyes narrowed at the situation in front of him. “Still, to kill a man just for some money is unnecessary.”

“He got in my way.” Simon replied coldly. He began to walk towards Espoir.

“Really? I’d think killing someone cause you didn’t want to get a job is a bit extreme.” Espoir smirked. Simon dashed at him, Espoir made a finger gun while jumping back. Shit, if I try to use any spell the whole ship might explode! Chroma is highly explosive. Espoir was going to have to stick with aura and transmutation for the moment.

Attempting to block Simon's punch, Espoir coated his body with a light-grey aura before crossing his arms. To his shock, the man's strike was absurdly powerful. Simon effortlessly shattered the aura and got a stomach punch with his other arm. It felt like a truck had slammed into Espoir.

Hitting him in the side of the head, Espoir was sent smashing through the wall, Simon’s eyes widened as he was dragged along with Espoir. Noticing a wire around his arm, he realized Espoir must've attached it mid attack. Falling off the upper balcony. Espoir broke into a roll. They were now on the roof of the ship. The night sky surrounded them.

“I should probably avoid getting hit by him." Thankfully, the punch didn’t break his arm because of his aura. He couldn't take that many more hits from him though. “Oh...”

To his surprise, Simon had jumped very high into the air. Being directly above him, the man came down fast.

CRASH

Diving to the side, Espoir narrowly avoided the stomp. Chunks of wood scattered into the wind. Running across the roof of the airship, Espoir realized he should make a plan. “Seriously? You’re going to kill me for calling you unemployed?! Working at a factory is a lot easier then making a hostage situation." He laughed despite fighting for his life.

“No. I’m going to kill you for getting in my way.” He said matter-of-factly. Espoir placed his palm on a metal truss, creating a small wall between them. As the wall rose up, Espoir flipped himself over. Unsurprisingly, Simon punched through it with ease.

“You realize focusing on me only means you're giving the people in the dining hall time to deal with the rest of your gang right?” Espoir struggled to put any more distance between them. He was at the end of the roof, there was a flat observation deck below him. "Hell, I forced you to deactivate that Spell of yours right? I assumed you needed to be above everyone to keep it active."

Simon paused for a moment before smiling. “My boys are more then capable of dealing with some guards, you think a bunch of rich assholes are going to try and risk their lives for this ship? I am impressed that you realized that I had to be above the hall in order to adjust the conditions of my Spell.”

“Hah. I got a good set of eyes." Espoir was now trapped. He could jump but then he'd reduce his aura reserves even more and he would no longer be able to avoid Simon's punches. He had no other choice but to fight him. I'm not using my grimoire on someone like this.

“Nowhere to run?” He taunted. Simon pulled his right arm back to wind up his punch. Before he attacked, the cool summer temperature began to drop absurdly fast. Both of them begun to see their breath. The night sky around them began to change. The usual dark blue turned into a distorted maroon-purple haze that filled the area surrounding them. With the misty fog surrounding them, they both felt something there. Like a predator stalking prey, Espoir felt a haunting pair of eyes in that abyss.

“What happened?” He heard Simon yell. Looking around them, Espoir understood their situation. This is bad. The ship was now trapped inside a rift with an Eldritch. An extremely dangerous one at that.

"Fuck."

Simon Blaire

Spell Art: Graviton

The user can both adjust the force of gravity surrounding themself. This allows them to increase the force of his attacks and change the gravitational pull of himself.

Spell: Gravity Surge

When the user is directly above an enclosed area, he can apply a force of up to 50kg on everyone below them. Both feet must be planted on the floor for this effect to activate. When [Gravity Surge] is active Simon cannot use his Spell Art on himself. Additionally, he can target specific people to be unaffected by the gravity. The Spell will deactivate when if he leaves the area above where the Spell is activated.