Edgar frowned, his eyes narrowing as he processed Abigail's words. There was a spark of genuine curiosity in his expression, mixed with a touch of skepticism. "Why?" he asked, his voice filled with a mixture of interest and doubt. "Isn't this detrimental to their development?"
"No and yes," she replied, her voice soft but filled with an authority that brooked no question. "It's more complicated than it seems."
Abigail stood firm, her eyes fixed on the landscape that passed by the carriage window, trying to avoid Edgar's gaze. However, she was still holding his hand, and she didn't seem to want to change that.
Then, with a simple movement, she looked away from the window and back at Aglaya, who was sitting on the bench opposite, her hands resting in her lap and her expression attentive.
Abigail inclined her head slightly, as if she were delegating the explanation with a discreet gesture. “Do you want to answer that, Aglaya?”
Aglaya raised her eyebrows, surprised by the sudden task, but she didn’t hesitate. “Of course, Lady Abigail,” she replied, her voice calm and confident, ready to take on the role she had been assigned.
“Manifesting aura is not necessary to improve aura control, but it is essential for combat,” Aglaya began, gesturing slightly to emphasize her points. “If the focus is solely on combat, yes, one should train in manifestation as early as possible. However, this can cause serious deficiencies in one’s ability to control and tune one’s aura.”
She paused briefly, assessing how well Edgar was following, before continuing. “Tuning one’s aura is essential for all women. Doing so allows the aura within them to belong to themselves, unaffected by outside influences. Imagine taking a glass of ice water and throwing it into a pot of hot water. Tuning is what makes the temperatures equal, making the waters one.”
Edgar tilted his head, showing interest, but Aglaya was already moving on, her explanation flowing naturally. “Controlling the aura, on the other hand, is what ensures that the circulation of the aura within the body is stable, strengthening both the body and the mind. To do this, it is essential to train the aura veins and understand how they interact with the circulating aura, whether internal or external.”
She paused again, as if choosing her words carefully. “When the aura is not well tuned, it overloads the aura veins, which in turn compromises the woman’s ability to control herself. Each woman has a limit of control that varies from person to person. When this limit is exceeded, the aura within the veins begins to rebel, causing damage to the body and, mainly, to the mind. This is what we call aura disorder.”
Aglaya raised a finger, as if she were listing the points. “Women affected by an aura disorder can suffer from temporary insanity to brain death and permanent irrationality. Even in milder cases, the aura veins suffer aftereffects and do not fully recover.” She crossed her arms, taking on a more serious tone.
“In addition, there are countless reasons and phenomena that can trigger an aura disorder. From interference from Aura Zones, mental and physical exertion beyond the limit, mistakes when manifesting aura, careless manipulation of aura, aura waves from powerful Beasts, interference from poorly trained Socius, to poisoning by unprepared Socius. The factors are so numerous that it is easier to list the ways to avoid them.”
Aglaya held up a second finger, continuing with precision. “One of them is to train the ability to control and attune the aura within the veins themselves. The other way is to train attunement with a Socius—or rather, a Consors. Even without establishing a Link, the slightest exchange of aura between a woman and a man is enough to nearly triple the result of an attunement training.”
She paused briefly, as if allowing Edgar to absorb the information, before continuing. “However, there is no equal ratio of men to women. And even among men, few can handle intensive training without establishing a Link. In contrast, girls tend, by instinct, to be much more adventurous and explore the uses of the aura. This often leads to aura disturbances, small and large, that can cause accidents—often fatal.”
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Aglaya crossed her arms again, finishing with a tone of finality. “That is why, before they develop a good capacity for attunement and control, schools cannot promote the manifestation of aura by girls. On other continents, the rules are different, but the particularities of each region require different approaches to the same problem.”
“A great explanation, Aglaya… a bit long, but good,” Edgar praised with a gentle smile, his eyes softly focused on Aglaya, showing sincere appreciation for her explanation.
“I apologize, Young Lord, for not explaining it more simply and concisely,” Aglaya said, with a hint of embarrassment, her gaze falling slightly, as if she feared she had failed in some way.
“Don’t worry, Aglaya,” Edgar replied, gently interrupting. He leaned forward slightly, his voice calm and reassuring. “I understand everything, really. You can explain the other details to me later, take your time.” His tone was light and reassuring, and he smiled sincerely, conveying his gratitude without words.
“If you didn’t run away from class like a burglar cat, you would already know these things on your own, Young Lord…” Hendrina teased, with a mischievous smile, her golden eyes shining with mischief.
Sitting next to Aglaya, Hendrina had an imposing posture, almost touching the roof of the carriage, accentuated by her black horns that curved upwards and silver hair. A slight smile, full of complicity and challenge, formed on her lips, as if she knew exactly the effect she was causing.
Her tail, with sinuous and almost sensual movements, slid slowly to Edgar's foot. The touch was carefree, but had an almost intimate quality - a caress disguised as teasing, which seemed to flow naturally, without haste.
Edgar, with his always affable smile, did not seem to mind the touch, but his gaze darkened slightly, a mischievous glint shining in his eyes as he answered calmly and without haste, his voice full of playful provocation: "I'm not old enough to be reading books for four or five hours straight."
Hendrina let out a soft, almost musical laugh, which spread throughout the room with a lightness that contrasted with Edgar's confident tone. "I understand perfectly, Young Lord. Hehe."
She winked with a provocative look before continuing, her tail still caressing Edgar's foot with a precision that seemed intentional: "But wouldn't spending the whole day training your pets be just as much work?"
Edgar raised an eyebrow, his smile widening, but without losing his composure. "That's not a fair comparison, but it's also not relevant..." He responded with impeccable evasion, as always, skillfully dodging her provocation.
"I hope training with us is just as good, Young Lord," Hendrina continued, her voice now softly challenging, with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Aglaya and the others would be hurt if they knew you were doing this out of obligation…”
She leaned back a little more, her posture relaxed but her mind sharp, as if she were awaiting Edgar’s answer with a patience that only she had.
“Heh, I wonder the same thing,” Edgar replied, his voice equally relaxed but with a hint of subtle challenge. “Do you feel comfortable training with me? I would be hurt if I knew you weren’t comfortable…”
Hendrina, after a brief pause, didn’t respond with words. She understood the implicit answer in her question, and instead, a genuine and softer smile formed on her lips. Her tail, now more delicate, gently wrapped around Edgar’s leg, with a more intense affection, as if the gesture was a silent response to the tension between them.
Silence once again dominated the carriage, broken only by the soft sound of the wheels echoing on the paved streets of Bordium. They advanced at a steady speed, passing through the residential area that was still alive with activity.
The streets were bustling with activity, with people moving about hurriedly, each one immersed in their routine. Some stopped at the gyms that were open to view, others browsed the stalls and wares of the crowded markets, and a good number headed to the bars and restaurants that lined the sidewalks.
Small bars and restaurants spread tempting aromas of freshly prepared dishes and drinks that mingled in the air, inviting everyone to stop and enjoy. Workshops sprang up along the route, with large doors open to the streets.
Inside, workers and artisans were immersed in their craft, masterfully shaping metals, wood and fabrics. The sound of hammers beating and saws cutting material mixed with the melody of the constantly moving city.
The carriage moved effortlessly, gliding smoothly over the pavement, as if it were part of the environment itself. As they approached the fortified entrance, the hustle and bustle of the city around them seemed to gradually slow down.
The simple buildings suddenly ceased, giving way to a large security wall that separated an important area of Avaris from the others. The border between the layers of society was literally in the form of a wall.