With his arms wrapped around Lyra’s waist, Scade buried his face in her fragrant hair, inhaling deeply. His body stirred with desire, and he pressed his morning wood between her butt, feeling her soft curves through the fabric. Her body seemed thinner, but he was reminded of the old saying, ‘through thick and thin.’ His fingers trailed to her breast and gently squeezed a handful.
Scade awoke to see a curtain of silk strands, gasping, he released her from his hold and scooted a few inches from her. She murmured and shifted on her chest. Amari wasn’t that type of girl.
He sat on bed, elbows resting on knees, and ran his hands through his dark hair. Scade barely had any sleep because of her and now this, maybe a splash of water or a drink will clear these thoughts. Lyra had been a problem lately giving mixed signals, so he began kissing her last month, she likes it, that he sure of.
But marriage at nineteen?
At the moment that prospect was far in the future, he had no dislike to the idea but conventional marriage? He knew himself, the real Scade too well, a hoarder and.
Scade checked the clock—it was 8 a.m.—and headed for the bathroom to freshen up. When he returned, Amari was dressed in the blue shirt and gray sweatpants he had borrowed from Denise. The shirt was a bit oversized but neat and clean, his eyes strayed to her chest, but the sweatpants clung to her waist.
Amari greeted him with a nod and bit her lip, “do I look okay?”
“More than okay, you look perfect.”
Her gaze was strange, but she beamed nonetheless. It was difficult to read her, she seemed normal, though his version of her normal was yesterday's old.
“So…” Scade said, “we better get some breakfast before we go.”
She darted downstairs, and Scade noted that food was a strong motivator for her. He made a simple breakfast: sliced, buttered bread with cheese, which Amari enjoyed. Cooking—or, in this case, stacking, smearing, and slicing—had started as a forced skill. He rarely thought of himself as talented, but with trial and error came refinement. Scade sank his teeth in the cheese slicer, and ate his breakfast.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
On their way to, Amari filled in Scade about their scheduled lesson week. After which they either sign the binding contract or be lifetime banned from the Strider
and surprisingly, the Mage Guild.
So much for his backup plan. If the contract was too strict, his only saving grace would be the Mage Guild. But he was already out of coin—especially a thousand gold. It seemed that signing was his only hope. From the whispers he gathered, there was a license required for any Mana related jobs.
A rogue mage does sound adventures… till the Officers raid your home
Scade and Amari arrived at the Strider Guild. As they approached the counter, Scade noticed the girl from yesterday was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a brutish man with a receding hairline sat behind the service desk.
“Your names,” his voice unfit and pitched high.
“Scade Rover and Amari…” he racked his brain, he hadn’t even asked her full name.
“Rhyse, Amari Rhyse. Strider Initiates.”
The brute flipped through a notepad, and said, “right hall, class 44, at the end of the hall.” He ignored them and read the files on his desk.
They entered Class 44, where most of the initiates from yesterday were already waiting. Some had already found their places in the lecture room. The dark-blond in leather armor had even formed a group. Meanwhile, others looked uneasy, scanning the room for like-minded companions
Scade searched for the endowed girl with violet eyes, but she hadn’t shown up yet. He picked their seats at the center, Amari didn’t complain, not that she was speaking much, they weren’t exactly friends. Maybe a budding friendship?
Scade’s friends faded away over time. Between work and taking odd jobs, time hadn’t been kind—but the bills had to be paid, one way or another. His choice, his burden. Amari was nice, and a cute girl. He’d gladly be her friend if she let him.
Minutes passed before the instructor for the lecture entered. Instead of Leon, It was the elegant platinum-haired woman who walked alongside that ice glazing bastard. He won’t forget that red curly hair. Scade personally hoped Leon would be their instructor, but perhaps he had an emergency to take care of.
“Welcome, initiates. I’m your instructor for today. My name is Freya Evermore. You may refer to me by name or simply as ‘Instructor.’ Either is fine. To start the lesson, do any of you know what Mana absorption is?”
Scade scoured the class, a few scanned like him while most stared into nothingness.
A guy with particularly large glasses, lifted his hand. “Um mana absorption, is a technique to call upon Azenor’s spirit to share his power.”
She wore an amused expression. “Not quite. Simply put, mana absorption is the ability to take in mana and use it through your body. What you call Azenor is more of a cultural interpretation, an attempt to give mana a face. This isn’t a lesson to disprove beliefs or dismiss traditions, but as a soon-to-be Strider, questioning everything will become second nature.”
“Does anyone know the differences between a Mage and a Strider? I imagine all of you are confused to a degree, and yes, the fundamentals of mana manipulation are identical. The difference lies in the occupation, as a Mage you are responsible for maintaining the civil standards and sanctity of Solace. A Strider on the other hand, collects, identifies and eliminates threats to the city.” she paused for breath.
“However, compared to a Mage, the mortality rate is far higher. And though we train you for the Wasteland, you will not be prepared. Death will be a part of this group, so don't get too attached.
“Now today our focus will be on Mana Absorption. Follow me to the training area.”
The crowd buzzed with excitement as they followed Freya. Along the way, Scade picked up snippets of guesswork and idle chatter. Apparently, the group was eager to use magic spells. While Scade looked forward to flashing spells left and right, he was reminded of Leon’s ability to control his affinities.
Scade was about to share his theory with Amari, but after a quick glance, he decided against it. Her vacant stare told him she was lost in thought. Perhaps later.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Reaching the training field, Scade took in the sight of trampled dirt and sand, stripped of sprouting weeds and grass. A five-row, twenty-seat tribune overlooked the field and the guild. A large shed stood in the corner, while an open-air classroom sat beside the field. A brick wall enclosed the outer court.
Amari went first, taking a seat on the center bench, and Scade followed, sitting beside her.
“Mana is everywhere—it’s in the plants and trees, in the water and along the shore, in the ground, and even in the air you breathe. If you looked at the districts of Solace, you might see people with unusual hair colors.” Scade eyed Amari’s ivory hair, lashes, and brows. “We have a few in our class, and as you may have guessed, I’m one of them.”
Most male initiates talked amongst each other, Their eyes lingered on Freya, even a few girls couldn't help but yearn. She was undoubtedly a mature vixen, her hair shimmering like metal. Unrobing her would feel like unwrapping a present.
Freya twirled a strand of her platinum hair. “This mutation is caused by subconsciously absorbing mana before birth. Some consider it the ‘Touched by Azernor’ blessing, and while it has its advantages—naturally aligning you with mana—it also makes it difficult not to stand out. Wearing the robe and being part of the Strider Guild will only emphasize that difference.” She darted a look at Amari.
“Without further ado, let’s start with closing your eyes.”
Scade followed her instructions, closing his eyes. Sun rays pierced through his eyelids, painting the darkness in a reddish hue. Black angular spots flickered and shifted, forming and reforming as light burned fleeting shapes into his vision.
“Breath in and visualize yourself sinking deeper in the darkness till all distortions fade to black. Hold that image, and search for the tingling or pressure feel.”
Scade’s mind scan moved from his chest towards his left arm at a snail’s pace, to his right arm, his stomach, and his legs. Examining each limb and part of his body as if a searchlight swept the night’s forest.
A tingling feeling emerged on his left pinky.
“Focus on that feeling.”
Scade focussed on his pinky, surged in tingle and heat.
“Try to move it and if you’re confident, mold it into any shape.”
His consciousness traced the outline of his left pinky, guiding it toward his palm. He thought of his walk with Amari beneath the starry sky. As he compressed its vertical shape into an unstable sphere, it jittered, its surface rippling, toiling against his concentration, threatening to break it.
“Hold onto that shape and guide it towards your heart.”
Scade visualized the warm sphere steadily drifting from his palm through his arm and finally nestled into the heart.
“Stretch the shape through every corner of your body, letting the warmth spread.”
Scade envisioned the sphere in his heart falling like a single drop into still water, sending rippling waves that carried warmth through his entire body. Heat seeped from his skin, as if an underground geyser venting steam through cracks in the earth.
“Shape the heat around your body into unfurling tendrils.”
Steam seeped from his skin, twisting into countless slender appendages that wavered in the air.
“Reach out and sense the surrounding mana.”
Tiny dust-like particles drifted around, clinging to his swaying tendrils.
“Absorb the tendrils and reform the heat into your desired shape”
Scade drew the heat into his heart, shaping it into a sphere. Now imbued with a sliver of energy, the sphere attracted the surrounding mana particles toward his heart.
“Concentrate on the mana flowing in until it brims with energy.”
Scade diligently followed Freya’s instruction, absorbing the mana particles into the sphere in his heart.
Amari patted his shoulder, “Scade, it’s an hour already, everyone but Freya and us left,”
Scade awoke from trance. He had been so immersed in the lesson that he was totally unaware that an hour flew by. He reached for the sphere and frowned, sensing it was only about thirty percent full.
“Something wrong?” Amari asked.
“Yeah. Seems a strange that I only got it full to about a one third.”
Freya approached them, “Your friend here patiently waited for you, mister?” She smoothed her robe as she lowered herself gracefully onto the seat beside him.
“Scade Rover. Just call me Scade.”
Her deceptive maturity lay in her aura, yet her youthful skin bore no trace of age beyond the twenties. Maybe it was his own insecurity, projecting his perception. But the woman next to him held something hidden deep, a story concealed behind her dignified facade, waiting to be unveiled.
Everyone hides their secrets behind a mask.
“Scade,” she nodded, then leaned slightly to look past him. “And you?”
“Amari. Amari Rhyse.”
“To be honest with both of you, I already knew you by name and face. Leon informed me about awakening, and I was thoroughly surprised to hear, not one, but three initiates with rare affinities were in our class. And I was especially glad about you, Amari, since we spirits are sensitive to each other.”
Scade was alarmed, he knew from experience the niceties were often followed by an amalgamation of valid criticism and outright lies.
“About the device–”
“Replaced and reinstalled.”
He shot her a doubtful look, but she returned a wareseller’s smile—a pretty one, at that.
“Leon and I decided that your affinities won’t be shared to the Guild. At least not yet”
“Won’t it be pointless?” said Amari, “the whole class witnessed the girl and I. While with Scade’s… most were in the hall.”
“Already taken care of, I warped those ‘special memories’ to be convoluted with Danik’s awakening.” She said slyly with a knowing gaze.
Scade swallowed, Freya just blatantly told him she cast a forgetful spell on their whole class. How would he even know if she did something to him, when she simply can erase it from his memory… What if she already did?
“I know what you're thinking. But memories don’t just vanish. They must be replaced, rewritten, one truth for another. An equivalent exchange. We do value the others' initiates, but the both of you and Selene are a different matter. The Wastes are unforgiving, and lately, fewer and fewer new bloods have arrived.”
“So you just value us because of our affinities?” said Amari.
“Yes,” Freya said without blinking.” But we offer you a better opportunity to come back alive.”
To come back alive was ideal. But everything comes with a price.
Scade sighed and lowered his head,“what do you want to return?” he asked.
“A friendship,” she said. Scade's eyes narrowed. “And friends help, friends in need, don’t they?”
Freya rose from her seat and brushed nonexisting dirt from her white robe, her caressing hands highlighted shapely buttocks. Is she sticking out? Freya glanced over her shoulder with a grin. “And? Do you like it?”
“Yeah!” Scade replied.
Amari pinched the skin on his hand, her nails short but sharp. “No!”
“Don’t listen to him, we got a deal.”
Freya nodded, walking to the building all proper as if what just had done wasn’t a bit indecent.
“Why?” he asked Amari.
She leaned in, “you're way too easily manipulated, even if you technically did say yes,” she flicked his forehead, “it was to the wrong question.”
“How do you even know?” Scade said sheepishly. “Got a third eye yet to reveal?”
“She doesn’t need to read your mind, your face says enough,” she laughed, ambling toward the Guild, her hips swaying slightly. “Got you!” she caught his stare and smirked.