Chapter Three

Vishka's Guidance System

Quest received!

Find your resonate weapon!

I stared up at the box in my vision with a raised eyebrow.

Just what on earth did Vishka think I was doing already?

I sighed, turning away from it to see Teresa's blue eyes sparkling as she rocked on the back of her heels in front of me.

As per Lieutenant Sharpclaw's instructions, we had formed a line. We were waiting patiently for our turn to approach the first table, filled with an assortment of weapons. Rian was behind me, Lacey closely gripping the back of her cloak, peeking at the tables. Harold had already gone ahead and was at the second table, closely frowning at a rack of polearms stacked beside it.

"I hope I find out my resonate weapon soon. I don't know how to access my Aether yet. But there is every chance I could find it today, right?" Teresa gleefully watched as a trainee widened their eyes at a club with a metal ball full of spikes at the end. They picked it up and swung it a few times before grinning, wondering away to practice further down the field.

"There is always a chance, but the Lieutenant said it doesn't happen often," Rian said, her interest drawn to the tables.

"How do you even access your Aether anyway?" Teresa opened and closed her fingers. "I have no idea."

"It isn't easy at first. At least, that's what my sisters told me. Anyone who already accessed it must have done so by chance, as we aren't officially taught how to do so until we join the Army." Rian's words made me tug my lips hesitantly. Some nobles had probably already taught their children how to access their Aether before they signed up. A practice forbidden, but it likely happened in order to have their house ahead of others. So long as they didn't teach them how to use it but only produce Aether, it was likely overlooked by the houses that were supposed to penalise it.

I paused in my step, moving forward in the queue.

Wait.

Can I access my Aether?

In my third life, I spent most of my time avoiding Garret in his manor. In those many days alone, I studied herbs, trying to find a way to cure the disease that always reappears when I turn twenty-five. The disease that killed me in my first life. Another thing I have to worry about, but it's not immediate. I have a few years yet before those black veins resurface.

I had plenty of time to sit in Garret's mansion with my thoughts. I often found myself meditating to pass the time. During one such meditation, It a warmth within me, my core. I had discovered the tiny pin size core I thought was nonexistent for my first two lives. It was too small to even show up on one of the testing tools the Hevershams had owned. That feeling eventually made me sense the warmth moving in my body as it flowed in my blood. Through much trial and error, I had somehow produced a single tiny mote of white as I forced the feeling to the tip of my fingers. Was that what accessing your Aether meant?

"OOO! It's finally our turn!" Teresa exclaimed as she rushed up towards the first table. Rian, Lacey and I followed as we looked down at the weapons table. An array of hand-held metal weapons small enough to line up on the table were neatly organised with small notes labelling them under each one.

"Welcome, this table has an assortment of shorter bladed weapons, such as daggers and short swords. There are different types of each. You may be suited to multiple similar categories or only a unique type. These, for instance -"the middle-aged man working the table pointed towards a set of swords with cup-shaped guards. "- are broad sabres, and these, over here, are called stiletto daggers. Usually, daggers are used as secondary weapons, so it isn't unusual to resonate with a dagger and another primary weapon."

"You can resonate with multiple weapons?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes," the man smiled at my question. "Though it often depends on your primary weapon, if you resonated with a spear or a glaive, you likely won't with a second as it requires two hands. However, if you resonate with a bow or a shield, it is not uncommon to have a second weapon. You can not have a shield without a sword, after all," his belly rumbled with a chuckle. "Everyone is different."

"What if you are already trained in another weapon you don't resonate with?" Rian asked, no doubt thinking about her twin sabres.

"Many do have skills in other weapons, of course. There is no restriction to only your resonate. However, you can never master them like you will with your resonate weapon."

Rian nodded in thought as she glanced at the set of sabres.

"Have any of you accessed your Aether?" he continued, surveying our reactions.

"No", Teresa pouted as she picked up one of the short swords and tested its weight.

"I have not." Rian shared Teresa's disappointment as she tentatively looked at something labelled a rondel.

"I am a footguard", I hesitantly answered. If I could access my Aether, if that is what I had managed on my own, how would I explain that? It was not something a person could do easily, especially with a core as small as mine. I could not explain without telling them of my re-lived lives.

"I-I can," a quiet voice said, and we all froze our hands as we whipped our heads to Lacey. She turned bright pink as we stared. "I-um-See!" she panicked from the attention and flung out her hand.

Dozens of white motes sprouted from her fingertips, floating into the air around her hand. We all watched in shock as she turned even redder before quickly closing her fingers and pulling the many white motes back into her body.

How strong was Lacey's core?

"B-brother said he was surprised I learnt to do it alone," Lacey mumbled sheepishly.

"Of course, he would be! That's amazing!" Teresa immediately jumped and grabbed Lacey's hands, making the girl flinch.

"Well, I certainly am surprised", Rian said, her face lacking reaction.

I numbly stared. So, being able to produce a mote of Aether was what they meant by accessing your Aether. Lacey had produced dozens, on the other hand… I looked down at my hands. I was only able to produce a single mote.

It had taken me years to produce that single mote.

How had Lacey figured it out on her own so young?

"What's this!" A booming voice carolled over to us as Lieutenant Sharpclaw bounded from across the grounds. His expression was excited as he zoomed in on Lacey.

"Lady Lacey Weadall! You can access your Aether? How Excellent! Come—come, this should be entertaining!" The Lieutenant ushered Lacey away from the line. She shook in his presence with an audible gulp.

"L-lieutenant?" Lacey squeaked as he lightly patted her back.

"Now tell me, where do you feel drawn to? Over here perhaps!" he continued, ignoring her obvious resistance as he led Lacey trembling towards some large two-handed swords.

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"Poor lass, the Lieutenant won't be satisfied until she finds her weapon soon." The man at our table sighed.

"He does seem enthusiastic," I said with a half smile.

"You won't find anyone as passionate about weapons as that man. It's a shame that we are only limited to five weapon talents. He would learn them all if he could."

"Five weapon talents?" Teresa blinked as she put down the short sword she had been testing.

"Yes, we are limited to only being able to take skills for five weapons. Your resonate weapons, or weapons, often many choose to train a spare. I have not met many people who opt to use all five talents, though. It takes much time and dedication, which could be focused on training with your resonate weapon. The Lieutenant is unusual in his passion. He spends most of his time with weaponry and very little with Aether."

"I see, so that is what my sister meant when she mentioned she had to remove several weapon skills before she found her resonate weapon." Rian nodded absently, her eyes flicking over to Lacey.

"Precisely, you will likely fill all five talents whilst testing out different weapons before you find your resonate. I recommend you try something you are not yet familiar with. It could be you are already trained with your resonate weapon, but you can only know by understanding the difference from experimenting."

What he was saying made sense. If I had only trained with sabres all my life like Rian had, it would be difficult to know what felt right without a comparison. Without access to Aether and being able to feel the pull, my option was to see what I could level with easier.

I already had an idea after my training with my Jian. I found the weapon uncomfortable, and it was difficult to progress with the flowing water method Callan had taught me. In comparison, my levels increased faster when I used a dagger, and the movements felt more natural.

Moving towards the end of the table, I picked up one of the short sabres available. I gripped its brown leather handle and took a deep breath.

With only a single mote of Aether, I wouldn't feel a pull to anything like Lacey or the others might. There was a lot I had to try. I may as well start with everything on the first table and work my way down.

***

Blood Sign

General Information

Name: Lynette Heversham

Age: Twenty-One

Rank: Daughter of Viscount – Talbour

Traits: Beast born Hidden

Occupation: Trainee of Zopan Empire Army

Covenants: Zopan Empire Army Blood bond: Guidance of Vishka Hidden: Knowledge of Albus Hidden

Progression

Core Innate Grade: 0.02

Core Condensation Grade: 0.02

Affinities: Unknown

Skills

Aether: 1

One With All - Gathering: 1 – (Novice)

Combative: 3

Jian - Flowing Water: 6 – (Novice)

Dagger strike: 12 – (Initiate)

Short Sabre - Slash: 1 - (Novice) +1

Body: 3

Poison Resistance: 15 - (Initiate)

Pain Resistance: 25 – (Apprentice)

Stamina: 15 – (Initiate)

Mind: 3

Research: 12 - (Initiate)

Herbology: 57 - (Adept)

Alchemy: 7 - (Novice)

Spirit: 1

Beast Taming: 3 - (Novice) Hidden

General: 1

Social: 2 - (Novice) Hidden

Cooking: 2 – (Novice)

I slumped onto the ground in a puff of soil dust, looking up at my blood-sign skills. They hung in the air in their familiar red-lined box, the text still strange. I had been training with the short sabre for the past half-bell, and I had only just gained a skill in it. The progress had certainly been faster than my experience with a jian, but it did not feel as comfortable to me as using a dagger had been.

Perhaps I should try one of the thinner metal blades next.

Approaching the emptied tables, contemplating my next choice, I couldn't help but feel a sense of uncertainty. Was I really cut out for combat?

My encounter with the Agiluf was terrifying, and that was a low-grade demonic beast compared to what lived in the Deadlands. If I passed my combat training, could I truly survive on an expedition there?

I shivered at the thought of the brutality of it.

I shouldn't worry about something that hasn't become a problem yet.

Glancing at the weapons left, I found a thin-bladed, long sword. The guard protected my hand as I lifted it. The note beside it labelled it a rapier.

It was lighter than the jian Roger Heversham had given me. The metal was probably not as strong since it was a training weapon. All of them had been blunted for safety.

Carrying it back over to the spot I had forged for myself in the large training grounds, I began to train with it.

Well, I began to swing it.

The Lieutenant had said to try to get a sense of the weapon. He had instructed us to act how we thought the weapon desired to be moved. Being taught how to use it would make it harder to know if we were truly connecting, making it more difficult for those like me without strong cores to find our resonate weapon. We would only learn proper techniques when we could feel a connection.

As I pulled the rapier down in a swing in front of me, I could already feel awkward holding it.

I continued to move the weapon in motions similar to the flowing water method Callan had taught me for the Jian. It was all I could really think of. Maybe one of the movements would be easier with this weapon than just swinging it like I had with the short sabre.

"N-n-n-n-noooo," a strangled cry echoed out into the grounds, causing several of the trainees near the source to pause in their training.

"Bahaha! You found your resonate weapon on the first day, Lady Lacey! How rare! You will make an excellent trainee." Lieutenant Sharpclaw bellowed joyfully as he slapped Lacey on the shoulder, jolting her.

Lacey was pale.

Her eyes watered as her lip began to tremble. My shock at the weapon she was holding only made me emphasise with her reaction.

A huge rectangular shield that reached the tip of her chin blocked her body from view. She looked like a mouse hiding behind a stone.

A soft presence joined me in my staring. "This was her worst fear," Rian stated grimly.

"Hmm", I said, thinking of what this would mean for Lacey. "She will have to shoulder her team during attacks."

"She will likely be called upon to fight because of that. There are far too few who specialise in blocking than in direct combat."

Rian and I stood in shared sadness for Lacey Weadall. Her temperament was not suited for such a role. She wanted to avoid combat at all costs and focus on researching Aether's techniques and new technology.

Lacey struggled to hold in her despair as the Lieutenant began to drag her back to the weapon tables. If a shield was her primary weapon, she would need a secondary resonate weapon.

I pulled my gaze away from Lacey to focus on Rian as she leaned against a spear balanced on the ground. "Had any luck with the spear?"

"I'm not sure. I just started practising with it." Rian said, watching Lacey intently.

I frowned as I studied Rian.

Was she jealous?

"You will find your resonate weapon soon enough." I prodded her side, catching her attention. "Don't sulk." Had Rian always been this competitive? She had told me that her family had high expectations for her to surpass her prodigy sister, Vayan. A heavy weight to bear.

"I wasn't sulking" Rian glared at me, so I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, fine. Yes. I was sulking." She sighed in resignation. "I never expected Lacey to have such a strong core and know how to access her Aether already."

"It was surprising." I agreed. "Is that why she joined the army?"

"No, that was because of the empresses' decree."

"Empress decree?" What was she talking about?

"You didn't know? Why am I not surprised at that." Rian tutted with a playful smirk.

"Well?" I prompted with a smile as I rolled my eyes.

"The Empress requested a larger pool of recruits from the noble houses. The Marquess Rothstar was under a lot of pressure, so Talbour must now enrol two children of each house instead of one."

"Oh," I said thoughtfully. Many houses enlisted more than one of their children to the Army. However, the requirement had always only been the heir of a house. The heir could not protect their lands if they could not become summoners.

Others joined as having more than one trained summoner in a family was wise. The Army's risk of death on the battlefield was just that high. That, and many did not like to be weaker than their peers. It was a sense of pride for many nobles to be able to boast about the number of affluent summoners in their families. Laynobles, those without titles to inherit, joined in the hopes of becoming replacements for their main families should the worse occur and to keep their pride as noble blood. It was, therefore, very rare to meet a male noble who had not joined the Army at one point or another.

Women, however, were under no such expectations. Our role was to become the future of a noble house, to raise the future generation, and to manage the household. It was only through preference and their own will that women joined. Of course, that depended on each noble house's views on the matter.

Households like Rian's with only women heirs had to enlist their eldest. Now, with the empress's decree, households with only one male heir would have to have their daughters enrolled as well. So girls like Lacey, who had been raised to become wives, like I had been, must have been quite shaken to have their life trajectory changed in such a way suddenly.

"I guess that explains why there are more women amongst the trainees than I had expected," I said, looking towards the group of nobles from Talbour practising their weapons.

"There will be more once the recruits from Talin and Ordil arrive. They are larger cities than Talbour, so they likely won't have the same pressure Marquess Rothstar had in making the decision."

"Lucky them." I mused with a sarcastic tone.