I walk the bustling skyway towards Silver Ridge, my mind still whirring with possibilities. My motivations for wanting to become a sentinel are clear to me; I want to help people, simple as that. I want to be able to provide substantial aid to the people living on the ground far beneath my feet, I want to protect civilians and fellow sentinels both from becoming victims of the Volcora, and most of all, I want to protect my dad, my home, and my friends.
What Audrey told me had struck a chord deep within me. If the worst comes, I want to be able to stand on my own two feet. Also, having a super awesome partner like Celeste wouldn’t hurt either. How much good could we do with a sentinel’s paycheck and abilities? Not enough to right all the wrong in this city; that’s for certain. If a sentinel could just wipe out the Apostles of the Maw on their own, the group would have been long defeated. But I would be able to do something to help, which is a whole lot more than I can do now.
Truthfully, my main concern is for my father. My fear of facing the Volcora is also a main factor, but that kind of fear can be overcome; the fear of leaving my father alone cannot. One slip up, one mistake from me, and he would be all by himself. After losing Mom as a kid, I’m not sure how he would handle losing his daughter too. I can’t put him in that situation.
I sigh, handing my access pass to the guard on the bridge to the school and continuing on, my thoughts uninterrupted. I’d made my decision, but it feels wrong to just go through with it without thinking through all of the consequences. I’ll just get through my school day, and if I still want to go through with things, then that will be that.
image [https://i.imgur.com/ROt3fAw.png]
“Nice of you to join us, Miss Solace,” chirps my Basics of Magic teacher, Professor Rhinebeck. She gives me a look that might have been cross if it weren’t so mired with concern. I'm never late for class, and this isn’t even the first period of the day. What had the GDF told the school to get me out? That my grandpa died?
I flush bright red as every head in the classroom turns to me, and I hurry to my seat. Having no intention of interrupting the lecture more than necessary, I quickly prepare my notebook and pencil to take notes… or doodle, depending on how boring this lecture is.
It only takes a moment for everyone’s attention to shift away from me and back to Professor Rhinebeck. Unlike the movies, no one was really all that concerned with someone coming in late. Even with good students, it happens from time to time. A tram outage, overslept, a volcora ate your little brother… okay, hopefully not that last one.
Professor Rhinebeck watches me for only a moment longer, tapping her inscribed glasses thoughtfully as she seems to collect herself. I instantly feel horrible for interrupting her lecture. Rhinebeck wasn’t actually faculty at Silver Ridge but instead a visiting professor from the Sanctum Collective, a group of scholars that head magical research for all of Japan and much of the rest of the world. As such, the mere fact that I get to learn from someone as knowledgeable as her is an incredible opportunity. Silver Ridge certainly has its connections.
“As I was saying,” Professor Rhinebeck continues, turning to the still blank whiteboard, “today, we will be going over some fundamental aspects of magical energy or Mana.”
“Uh, Professor Rhinebeck, I’m fairly sure we all understand Mana already. Do a trial, get the effect, right?” drawls a young man from the back of the classroom.
I can’t stop my teeth from clenching at the sound of that arrogant voice. Troy Declan, a young man who had recently moved in from America and the wonder boy of the kendo team. He might be excellent with a sword, but so far as I’m concerned, he’s about as sharp as a brick.
Professor Rhinebeck, used to Troy’s shit by now, just rolls her eyes. “Yes, Troy, that is how things work for Tributary Mana, or as we normally call it, Mana. However, did you know that Tributary Mana is not the only kind of Mana?”
At this, Troy shakes his head, finally gaining enough sense to just sit back, shut up, and learn.
“I thought not,” Professor Rhinebeck says, her mouth twitching up in a smile. Turning, she draws a line down the middle of the whiteboard before writing “Tributary Mana” and “Stygian Mana” on either side. In parenthesis, under each, she writes “Mana” and “Stygis.”
“Tributary Mana,” Professor Rhinebeck states, tapping the left side of the board, “is the type of Mana that we all know and use every day. It fuels our inscriptions, the wards around our cities, and the magical aspect of daily life. Stygian Mana, on the other hand, is a type of Mana not utilized by humanity. Can anyone tell me who does utilize Stygian Mana?”
My eyes go wide as I make the connection, and tentatively, I raise my hand.
“Yes, Miss Solace?” Rhinebeck asks.
“The Volcora,” I say with certainty, not seeing how it could be anything else.
Professor Rhinebeck grins, “Miss Solace is quite correct. Volcora are the only known users of Stygian Mana; while there have been many discussions on whether or not the Apostles of the Maw also use it, there have been no confirmed cases of a human surviving the use of Stygian Mana.”
“So, it’s just evil Mana that the Volcora use?” asks Troy, speaking out of turn… again.
Professor Rhinebeck levels a flat stare at him, “No, Mr. Declan, there is no such thing as evil Mana.”
Rhinebeck looks back to the class at large, “The reason Stygian Mana is often associated with evil or corruption is due to how it extracts its toll. ‘All magic comes with a price;’ that is what I told you when we first began our class. The difference between Stygian Mana and Tributary Mana is simply when that price is extracted.
Professor Rhinebeck gestures to the whiteboard as she continues, “It’s actually quite simple, as most fundamental truths are. Both types of Mana require some sort of trial to be passed for them to work; the difference is when. Tributary Mana, often simply called Mana, will not do anything until the trial has been passed, making it safe for use. Stygian Mana, or Stygis, will work immediately; no trial is required at first. However, if a sufficient trial is not completed before the seemingly arbitrary time the Mana type sets, there will be backlash. This backlash results in insanity, rage, corruption, and ultimately death.”
“This is why, even though we could use Stygian Mana in our inscriptions, we do not,” Rhinebeck says. “Now, can anyone give me an analogy that works well to describe the difference between Tributary Mana and Stygian Mana?”
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A student I don’t know raises his hand, “Normal Mana would be like having cash to spend, and… uh, Stygian Mana would be like buying something with a credit card,” he says, somewhat stumblingly.
“Very good, Emit!” Professor Rhinebeck exclaims, “Would anyone else like to have a try?”
image [https://i.imgur.com/ROt3fAw.png]
Attending the rest of my school day just feels like going through the motions despite my enjoyment of it. I like my school and my teachers, so I’m glad that Audrey said I’d be able to keep attending while also going through my training. Although, I’m not totally sure how they will spin that. I’m sure that will be one of the things I go through on my first arrival at GDF Headquarters.
As I sit through classes, though, I also learn that having a mostly invisible familiar with you is basically a cheat. Celeste sits on my right shoulder with her tail curled around my neck, making me look like I’m wearing a fluffy white scarf. A fluffy white scarf with absolutely no qualms about helping me with my inscribing test. Often jumping down and nudging my hand with her nose while giving me instructions on what I’d been doing wrong.
Oddly enough, when I first met Celeste, she seemed about the size of a standard mid-sized dog, which would never be able to stand on my shoulder like this. However, I’d noticed that she shrinks herself to make her perch more comfortable, as right now, she’s around the size of a ferret. I wonder if her shrinking and growing can go both ways. Can she get bigger than her preferred size rather than smaller? That seems like a yes, given that I’d seen other familiars do it on TV. Another on my infinite list of questions.
All in all, my mind isn’t on my classes as I let the day pass me by. Instead, I’m thinking over and over my decision to become a sentinel. I hadn’t told anyone for sure yet, but… I think Celeste knows. Whenever I’d talked about the idea of rejecting the bond, she’d been sad, although she’d tried to hide it. Now, though, she is a hyper and happy little familiar. Often jumping and flapping around the classrooms I’m in while I’m trying to pay attention to the lecture. As it turns out, paying attention to a history lesson while my familiar is subtly stealing a snack off of the teacher’s desk is quite tricky. Trying not to laugh when said teacher starts looking for his snack after class, even more so.
Archery turns out to be the most challenging class of all to stay focused in as the last class of my day, which sucks because I love archery. Luckily, though, we don’t actually do any shooting as Mr. Yamamoto had just wanted us to introduce us to the tournament format that will be upcoming in about three months. He also said that our archery practices would be held every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, which works well for me. I’d been worried that if practices were spread across the week, they would interfere with the whole — half on, half off — thing I’ll have going on. Next week, practices with the team will commence, and we will prepare to represent our school at the Shinara Archery Tournament.
Overall, it doesn’t take long for my school day to blur past me, even though it had felt like the longest day of my life. On my way home, I find myself in quiet contemplation as Celeste sits proudly atop my head. I think things all the way through, again and again. Coming to the same conclusion. Even if it means fighting, even if it means pain for me, I want to protect people. To protect my home city, my academy, and my father. All of the things that mean the world to me. I won’t let them fall to the encroaching darkness.
Dad isn’t home yet when I slip into our apartment and head straight back into my room, the lingering scent of my favorite vanilla perfume greets me as I enter. Briefly, I consider discussing with Dad once more before I make my final decision, but, in truth, I know what I want to do, and I know what he will say. He won’t like it, but he will accept that it is my choice and won’t try to interfere. In my mind, it’s best to just get this done with.
Depositing Celeste and my school bag on my bed, I sit down lightly in my uncomfortable desk chair. My hands tremble fiercely, and nerves twist my stomach, but I know what I need to do. Where things had seemed light after the meeting with Audrey, now everything is much more somber. Now, I’ve convinced myself to actually go through with this.
Celeste, seeming to pick up on the situation at hand, stops her typical antics completely and sits still, watching me closely as she had yesterday. She looks… almost afraid.
“Celeste,” I start, my voice coming out shaky. “I’ve thought a lot about your offer, about the things that Audrey told me. And I’ve come to my decision. I want to accept your bond and become a sentinel.”
Celeste nods, large violet eyes watching me intently, however, the fear I’d seen had been banished by my words. Now, she seems like she’s barely holding herself still from bouncing around the room in excitement.
[Very well, Sentinel Solace,] Celeste says, doing well to keep up her cordial tone despite her obvious excitement. [The bond has been accepted, and all that is left is to actually bind with my soul gem. Please be warned that this is a permanent magical transfiguration. It will unlock your assault state and allow you to start walking the path of a sentinel. It is a qualitative change away from a baseline human and into a being of magic.]
I blink, “That sounds kind of intense.”
Celeste waves her tail to the side as if to wave away my comment. [Somewhat. It’s supposed to be a rather strange experience, but it won’t hurt at all. Obviously, I only know from what others of my kind have told me. Imagine going to sleep, having a very strange dream, and waking up with powers. There will also be some minor physical changes to your body during the process.]
I frown, “Physical changes? What do you mean?” So far as I’m aware, sentinels look just as human as anyone else. Well, at least when they aren’t transformed. I’ve seen plenty of pictures with sentinels that have changes to their bodies. Stardust Angel, in particular, is supposed to be able to summon wings to fly. Although, when I’d met her just barely, she hadn’t had any. I’d just kind of assumed they only showed up while the sentinel was in their assault state.
[You are aware how sentinels tend to be quite physically attractive? This is due in part to the effects magic has on the body. When you gain magic, and as you grow stronger, your body will grow closer to your ideal self-image. Basically, it makes you look closer to how you want to look as your body begins to take after your soul. That process will reduce the amount of mana toxicity you incur from ability use. Really, it’s all quite minor at first, and I’ve never heard of a sentinel who was unhappy with the changes,] Celeste explains.
I purse my lips in thought. Does that mean that more powerful sentinels are also more attractive? I mean, I’ve definitely seen that to be the case on TV, and Audrey had certainly been a one-of-a-kind beauty. It’s kind of odd to think that this will change how I look, but I suppose I’m okay with it. Also, Celeste said that it makes the body take after the soul, so if I didn’t want anything to change, then nothing would, right? Not sure if that’s how it works, but hey, I’m new to this.
I nod my understanding to Celeste. “Okay, I guess that makes sense. How do we start?”
[Simply lie down on your bed and tell me when you are ready. Expect the binding process to take at least an hour, so you may want to leave a note for your father saying you are taking a nap or something so he doesn’t worry when he arrives home. During the binding, you will essentially be asleep and will not be able to be woken through any means until the binding is complete,] Celeste explains, moving to the side of my bed to make room.
Deciding that taking a quick moment to write a note to Dad would be a good idea. I produce a pen and one of the few sticky notes lacking a doodle from my messy school bag to write a quick message to put on my door.
Dear Dad,
Please don’t worry. I am going to sleep to bind with a magic crystal thing. Celeste says that I will be asleep for about an hour. Yeah, I know that explanation sucks, but this sticky note isn’t that big.
Love you,
Serena
I look at the message for a long moment before shrugging and moving to stick it to the outside of my door before closing it once more. Belatedly, I realize I could have just used multiple sticky notes to do a better explanation or even just gotten some tape to use a big piece of paper, but… eh. This won’t take that long, and the note is kinda funny.
Turning back to Celeste, I give her a nervous smile before hopping onto the bed to lie beside her. “Okay, I think I’m ready. Do I just say go or something?”
[I was just waiting for your confirmation,] Celeste says, curling up next to me. [Repeat after me to begin the bonding process. Two become one.]
I swallow with nervous anticipation and a surge of excitement. Then, before I can try to talk myself out of it, I repeat the words. “Two become one.” Then, everything goes dark.